The twilight sky stretched endlessly over the desert, painted in deep purples and dusky pinks that bled into the approaching night. The first stars blinked into existence, dotting the heavens like scattered jewels, their light reflected in the sweeping dunes. The vast expanse of the desert was mesmerizing, a world bathed in muted shadows and soft hues that softened the harshness of the sand.
In the distance, the colossal structure of the Nyusyree Pyramid loomed like a forgotten giant, its ancient stone blocks etched with centuries of time. Each tier of the pyramid held goblins and hobgoblins, posted like sentinels along the stone ledges.
Over a hundred goblins and hobgoblins patrolled its ledges, their movements twitchy and erratic. They held a clumsy mix of shoddy wooden bows and newly acquired steel spring crossbows, the latter looking far too advanced for their crude hands.
Hidden behind a not too distant sand dune, Remi sat cross-legged— hunched over their guitar, twisting the tuning pegs with focused intent. Goblin Slayer knelt nearby, his gaze fixed on the pyramid— muscles tense, eyes sharp beneath his helmet. Every now and then, he'd glance back at Remi, the quiet frustration in him barely contained.
"How long is this going to take?" Goblin Slayer asked, his voice low but edged with impatience.
Remi didn't look up, plucking a string and grimacing slightly. "You can't rush perfection, Sportsy; if ain't D minor, then it's gonna be a shitshow on our part."
"We're not here for a performance," Goblin Slayer growled. "We're here to kill goblins."
"Yeah, yeah," Remi waved him off dismissively, plucking another string and adjusting the tuning. "Trust me, this is important. You wouldn't understand, but the vibe's gotta be right."
Goblin Slayer's brow furrowed behind his helmet. "The... Vibe? We're sneaking into a goblin-infested pyramid, not playing a concert."
Remi grinned, flicking their eyes up at him from behind their sunglasses. "Says the guy who's probably never been to a concert. You should try expanding your emotional palette sometime— maybe you wouldn't be so uptight."
Goblin Slayer's grip tightened on the hilt of his tomahawk. "What would you know about emotions?"
Remi chortled to themselves— still focused on the guitar. "Touché, Old Sport. But even so, we psychos still gotta appreciate the little things. Like this sky— look at that." Remi gestured upwards with the neck of their guitar, the strings vibrating softly as they did. "Purple, pink, stars popping out like they're showing up for a cosmic gig. Majestic as fuck."
Goblin Slayer didn't even glance up. "The goblins aren't going to care what the sky looks like."
"And that's why they're goblins," Remi retorted, giving a final twist of the peg before strumming a slow, mellow chord. The sound reverberated through the cooling desert air, unexpectedly harmonious. Remi gave a satisfied nod, finally looking up at Goblin Slayer. "There. Ready."
"Finally," Goblin Slayer said flatly. "Do whatever it is you need to do, then we'll have to sneak through-."
Remi strummed a lazy chord, the sound somehow carrying through the desert air. "-Sneaking's for the fucking birds, Sportsy. You really wanna do it all quiet-like, when we can go in with a bang?"
Goblin Slayer clenched his fists. "We're outnumbered. If they spot us—"
"-Then they'll die pissing themselves in fear," Remi interrupted with a grin, adjusting their sunglasses. "Look, Sportsy, I get it. You have a cemented method when it comes to mass murder. But have a little faith. I know what I'm doing."
Goblin Slayer opened his mouth to protest, but before he could get a word out, Remi began to play in earnest. Their fingers danced across the strings, the guitar's notes rippling through the air with a strange, hypnotic quality.
"The tiiiiime has come to an end! Yeaaah— this is what nature plaaaaanned!"
At first, Goblin Slayer felt his blood begin to boil with frustration, but then something else took hold. His body tingled as the music wrapped around him, and red lightning began to crackle around his armor. Sparks of energy flickered at the edges of his vision, surging through him like a battle cry.
"What... the hell?" Goblin Slayer muttered, feeling his muscles tense with newfound power.
Remi smirked, watching the magical aura take hold.
"Being tracked by a starving beast... Looking for its daily feast…"
Overhead, storm clouds gathered unnaturally fast. Thunder rumbled in the distance, growing louder with each strum of the guitar. The goblins on the pyramid stopped dead in their tracks, startled by the sudden roar of the storm. They looked up, confused and jittery, their beady eyes flicking between their crude weapons and the sky. Some struggled to hold their newly acquired crossbows, the steel springs creaking under their inexperienced fingers.
"A predator on the verge of death; close to its last breeeeath…!"
The goblins began to scatter, panic spreading as lightning crackled through the clouds. A few of them fumbled with their crossbows, sending bolts haphazardly into the sky. Others drew their flimsy wooden bows, eyes darting around in fear as the storm raged above them.
"Getting close to its last breaeaaa-a-a-th!"
Goblin Slayer felt the raw energy coursing through him, and despite his instincts screaming at him to keep things quiet, he couldn't deny the thrill of the power surging through his body. He raised his tomahawk, electricity sparking along its edge.
Remi grinned wider, strumming harder, the music growing louder as the storm intensified.
"RULES OF NATURE!"
The sky cracked open with an explosion of thunder and lightning, purple hues flashing through the clouds like veins of energy. Goblin Slayer's body hummed with raw power, red lightning dancing across his armor, coursing through his veins, and amplifying his every sense.
The teen's left eye glowed bright red beneath the visor of his helmet, burning with an intensity that made everything around him feel sharper, clearer, alive.
'My heart. It's beating fast. Hands shaking— brain accelerating.'
He felt euphoric. Manic. His pulse throbbed in his ears as the magic surged through him. Every sound— the twang of goblin crossbows, the shuffle of their feet, the rattling of their ragged armor— pulsed in rhythm with his own heartbeat. His movements were no longer slow or methodical; they were effortless, precise. He was the storm now, a force of nature.
'One.'
The teen's tomahawk carved through a goblin's throat— severing its head cleanly. The red lightning that licked off the blade sent a wave of heat into the air, scorching the flesh and cauterizing the wound. The goblin crumpled into a smoldering heap, its head rolling across the stone floor.
Behind him, Remi stood on the dune, strumming their guitar in a frenzied rhythm, the notes raw and heavy. Thunder responded to their riffs like a percussion to their melody, and Goblin Slayer could feel the vibrations of each chord rattling in his bones. Remi's eyes gleamed as they watched the massacre unfold— their lips twisted in a half-crazed grin.
"And they run when the sun comes up! With their lives on the lineeeee!"
"ALIVEEEE!"
"For a while— No CHOICE!"
Goblin Slayer barely heard them. Another goblin lunged at him, its steel spring crossbow aimed shakily, but Goblin Slayer was already moving. His body blurred, red lightning crackling around him, his reflexes heightened to superhuman levels.
He sidestepped the bolt effortlessly, watching it sail by as if in slow motion. His tomahawk arced down, slicing the goblin in half before it could even register it was dead.
'Two.'
His heart pounded harder— the thrill of it all consuming him. The teen slashed at the air— feeling the red lightning respond, forming into a crescent shockwave that ripped through the bodies of three more goblins at once. The wave of energy sliced and burned through them like butter, leaving only a pile of bloodied and charred limbs in its wake.
'Five.'
Remi laughed from the dune, head banging along to the deafening thunder and the heavy riffs they conjured.
"Gotta follow the laws of the wild!"
"ALIVEEEE!"
"With their lives on the lines— no CHOICEEE!"
More hobgoblins rushed down the stone tiers, their oversized, clumsy crossbows aimed at him. Goblin Slayer watched them, his glowing red eye scanning each movement, each shift in their weight.
The world around him slowed, and he could see every twitch, every breath they took. They fired, but he was already moving again, his tomahawk flashing in rapid arcs. He parried bolt after bolt, sending them spinning harmlessly into the air.
The hobgoblins hesitated. He could feel their fear, smell it in the acrid sweat that poured off their bodies. Goblin Slayer grinned beneath his helmet— exhilarated by their helplessness. He slashed the air again, sending another red lightning shockwave that carved through them. Their bodies were reduced to burned husks, limbs scattered across the pyramid like broken toys.
'Ten.'
Remi's guitar roared louder, the sky erupting with lightning and thunder in a chaotic, beautiful symphony. They let out a wild cheer, their voice barely audible over the storm.
"Only the strong SURVIVE!"
Goblin Slayer's body surged with even more power. His veins felt like they were on fire, but it wasn't pain. It was bliss. He sprinted up the stone steps of the pyramid, charging straight at the largest hobgoblin, its face contorted in terror as it fumbled to reload its weapon.
Before it could even raise its crossbow, Goblin Slayer was on it, his tomahawk tearing through its shoulder and embedding deep into its chest.
'Fourteen.'
The hobgoblin gasped, its eyes wide with horror. But the teen wasn't done.
'Not yet, not yet!'
His gauntleted hand shot forward, plunging into the creature's abdomen with a sickening crunch. He could feel its spine beneath his fingers, slick and warm with blood. With a savage yank, he ripped its spine clean out of its body, the hobgoblin's head still attached, dangling like a grotesque trophy.
The body collapsed onto the stone bricks, twitching as Goblin Slayer stood over it, the hobgoblin's spine and head gripped in his bloody hand. Lightning crackled in the sky above him, thunder booming as if the heavens themselves were applauding his carnage.
'Fifteen.'
He stood there, breathing heavily, the spine still in his hand. The power thrummed through him, the magic from Remi's spell making him feel more alive than he had in years. His left eye glowed brighter, burning crimson as he stared down at the mutilated remains of his enemies.
"This," he muttered to himself, voice low and almost awed, "this is power."
The storm intensified above— lightning striking like an orchestra conductor's baton, in sync with Remi's guitar riffs. Goblin Slayer's senses were on fire— red lightning licking his armor and skin, fusing with the blood that splattered across him in waves.
His pulse thundered in his ears, the power coursing through him as raw and violent as the storm itself. His tomahawk gleamed, covered in fresh gore, and his body moved faster than his thoughts, as if possessed by the sheer thrill of the slaughter.
He couldn't stop counting. It was a rhythm, like the beat of Remi's music, like the pounding of his heart. The goblins, hobgoblins— it didn't matter.
They were all the same to him. Just bodies to be torn apart, bones to be crushed— undeserving lives to be snuffed out in agony.
The hobgoblins clutched their crude crossbows, fumbling to reload, their eyes wide with terror. Goblin Slayer could see every twitch in their faces, every quiver in their limbs.
'They're nothing. Weak. Insignificant.'
"Look at me."
He felt a manic grin spread under his helmet, though his lips barely moved. His tomahawk spun in his hand, the weapon alive with the same red lightning that crackled in the sky above. With a swift motion, he threw the tomahawk at one hobgoblin's head. It buried itself deep into its skull with a wet crack, sending the creature staggering back before it collapsed, twitching in the dirt.
'One-hundred and three.'
Before another goblin could react, Goblin Slayer was already moving. He dashed forward, grabbed his tomahawk from the hobgoblin's skull with a sickening pull, and spun on his heel. A goblin screamed as he slashed the creature's legs clean off, the thing toppling forward, desperately clawing at the dirt before Goblin Slayer brought his weapon down on its neck.
'One-hundred and four.'
Blood sprayed across the stone steps of the pyramid, painting them red. The goblins were in disarray, stumbling over each other as they tried to retreat, but there was nowhere to go. The red lightning made him faster, stronger, almost invincible. He dodged their arrows with ease, the bolts whizzing past him as if moving through molasses.
"I'm unreachable."
His left eye burned brighter as his adrenaline soared on overdrive.
Another hobgoblin came at him with a jagged sword, but Goblin Slayer was already moving, spinning the tomahawk in his hand and parrying the blow. The force sent a shockwave of red energy through the hobgoblin's body, and its chest exploded outward in a gory burst of blood and bone.
'One-hundred and six.'
Remi's guitar wailed from atop the dune, the melody pushing Goblin Slayer further, driving him deeper into the bloodlust. Remi's voice broke through the chaos, wild and manic, matching the energy of the storm.
"What's done is done; survived to see another day!"
"The dance of life— the hunter and the agile prey!"
"No guarantee!"
"Which of them will succeed!"
"Strong or weak?!"
The goblins kept coming, their faces twisted with terror, their weapons shaking in their hands.
He could smell their fear, feel their desperation. It filled him with a twisted sense of satisfaction.
"RULES OF NATURE!"
"RULES OF NATURRRRE!"
A goblin lunged at him with a crude spear, but Goblin Slayer sidestepped effortlessly, spinning on his heel and bringing his tomahawk down in an arc, cleaving the goblin's head clean off. Its body slumped to the ground, blood pooling at his feet.
'One-hundred and seven.'
His thoughts became jumbled, a mix of euphoria and madness. Another goblin rushed him, firing its crossbow. The bolt zipped toward his face, but Goblin Slayer leaned slightly, watching it pass by his helmet's visor. His tomahawk lashed out, embedding itself into the goblin's chest. With a yank, he tore it out, taking chunks of flesh with it.
'One-hundred and eight.'
The storm raged harder— lightning illuminating the dark sky in violent flashes, casting shadows of the battle below. The manic teen cut through them like they were nothing. With every slash, every severed limb, every scream, his heart raced faster. His body burned with power, the red lightning scorching the air around him, leaving trails of energy wherever he moved.
A hobgoblin grabbed him from behind, but Goblin Slayer didn't even turn. He reached back, his gloved hand seizing its arm, and with a sickening crack, he tore it free. The hobgoblin shrieked, stumbling back as blood spurted from the ragged stump.
Goblin Slayer whipped around, and with a guttural growl, plunged his tomahawk into its throat. The creature gurgled, choking on its own blood as it slumped forward, dead.
'One-hundred and nine.'
The goblins were panicking now— their numbers dwindled to unprecedented numbers. The air smelled of their filth and fear. Goblin Slayer charged up the steps, cleaving through them as they tried to scatter, limbs flying, blood painting the stone in a thick coat of crimson.
'One-hundred and eleven.'
'One-hundred and twelve.'
He was breathing hard now, but it wasn't exhaustion.
"It was exhilaration."
Another goblin ran, but he was on it before it could take two steps. He grabbed its head, slamming it into the stone, crushing its skull with a sickening crack.
'One-hundred and thirteen.'
Up and up, higher, until he was at the very peak of the pyramid. Only one hobgoblin remained. It stood there, trembling, its crossbow half-raised but useless in its hands. Goblin Slayer stalked forward, red lightning trailing behind him like a storm incarnate.
The hobgoblin tried to back away, but there was nowhere to run. With a grunt, Goblin Slayer grabbed it by the throat and lifted it off the ground. It thrashed in his grip, clawing at his hand, its eyes wide with terror. The teen smiled beneath his helmet— savoring the moment.
Without a word, he squeezed. The hobgoblin's eyes bulged, and with a sickening crunch, its skull caved in under the pressure. Goblin Slayer crushed the head in his hand, feeling the bone crack and splinter beneath his fingers. Blood and brain matter spilled between his fingers, dripping onto the stone.
'One-hundred and twenty-two.'
He tossed the body aside, watching it tumble down the steps like a discarded ragdoll. The storm raged on above him, thunder rolling across the desert, lightning splitting the sky in violent streaks. He stood at the top of the pyramid, blood dripping from his hands, his heart racing with adrenaline.
"This," he muttered to himself, voice low and filled with a dark satisfaction, "this is perfection."
The goblins had been powerless. Just like so many others before them— the sense of righteous justice the teenager felt in that moment was nothing short of euphoric.
A voice called from below. "Why, hello there, Old Sport!"
Remi was climbing up the steps, their guitar slung over their back, their eyes gleaming with excitement. Blood still stained their lips from the flesh they had torn into moments before. They reached the top, standing beside Goblin Slayer, grinning as they looked over the massacre.
"How was that for a fucking performance?! Pretty electrifying, am I right?!" Remi asked, their voice filled with shared bloodlust and thrill. "Told ya I needed to play that shit in D minor… Outta boy, by the way— real proud of that hustle out there, Sportsy!"
Goblin Slayer didn't respond immediately, his glowing eye still fixed on the blood-soaked pyramid below. The red lightning still crackled around his body, though dimming now. "This feels... Right," he finally said, his voice distant, detached.
Remi knelt down beside the last hobgoblin's corpse, casually tearing a chunk of flesh from its mutilated body. "You know," they said, chewing thoughtfully, "casting buff spells takes a lot of mana. Luckily for me..." They tore off another piece of meat, their eyes gleaming as they scarfed it down. "Slimes like me regenerate mana and our health by eating meat— with kebabs being my favorite."
Goblin Slayer barely blinked, too high on the power, too lost in the bloodlust to care. He looked at the battlefield below, the countless bodies sprawled out, mangled and lifeless. "There'll be a feast then."
Remi grinned, blood still staining their lips as they licked them clean. "Good."
The goblins and hobgoblins lined the narrow passageway, their eyes darting back and forth between the fortified door and the descending stone corridor behind them. The walls of the Nyusyree Pyramid were smooth and cold, suffocating in the stillness, the silence broken only by the faint clinking of metal as the creatures adjusted their makeshift iron shields and grasped tightly onto steel weapons, pilfered and crude alike. The air was thick with tension, a collective breath held, the kind of quiet that came before the most violent storms.
They knew something was coming.
Outside, the storm raged. Lightning flashed through the cracks of the pyramid door, casting ghostly, flickering shadows across the stone floor. The goblins' grip tightened on their bows, some clutching crossbows awkwardly, their trembling hands betraying their fear. A few hobgoblins positioned themselves at the front with massive shields, the weight of them causing their arms to shake under the strain. Their yellow eyes stared at the two-ton sandstone door with the unease of prey cornered in a trap.
The door shuddered once. A low, groaning creak echoed through the passageway. The goblins shifted, anxious, their breaths quickening.
Then the door exploded.
A cacophony of stone shattering echoed through the corridor as chunks of the enchanted sandstone door blasted inward, sending fragments slicing through the air, cutting down the goblins too slow to react. Blood splattered against the walls. The hall was instantly bathed in a chaotic display of cyan and crimson lightning, bolts crackling and tearing through the debris, lighting up the stunned faces of the remaining goblins and hobgoblins.
Standing amidst the smoke and the wreckage, silhouetted against the violent storm outside, were Goblin Slayer and Remi.
Goblin Slayer's body was charged with red lightning, arcing across his armor and along his tomahawk, which dripped with the fresh blood of the goblins they'd slain before. His left eye glowed a burning, malevolent red from beneath his helmet, the same crimson sparks flashing from his body.
Beside him, Remi stood still for a moment, a wicked grin spread across their face. Cyan lightning coursed over their form, crackling up their arms and legs. They reached up, almost casually, and tossed aside their sunglasses and jacket in one smooth motion, letting them flutter down behind them.
The goblins froze. Their fear palpable as Remi's glowing yellow eyes locked onto them.
"Showtime…" Remi whispered, their voice full of bloodlust and excitement.
From their lower back, beneath the cropped shirt, four massive, cyan gelatinous tendrils erupted outward with a sickening squelch. They whipped through the air, electric with power, each one twitching and ready, anticipating the carnage to come.
The goblins and hobgoblins stood petrified, staring at the inhuman spectacle in front of them. The air crackled with energy, the storm above roaring in tune with the lightning that arced through the hallway.
Remi slowly raised their guardless katana in one hand, cyan lightning crackling along the blade. Goblin Slayer, now low to the ground, gripped his bloodstained tomahawk tighter, his muscles coiled and ready to spring.
Neither the goblins and hobgoblins had time to scream before the slaughter began.
