Ashes of the Fallen

Chasing after it without a weapon, I caught up right as the casters began to run to the opposite side. I yelled, screamed at them to run towards me, but they were distracted and didn't hear me in their panic. The frost mage ran to the right as the goblin followed, while the other two ran to the left. I continued to chase, bee lining towards the frost mage as I watched him get trapped, caught like a rat and split down the middle in one fell swoop.

Stopping in my tracks, I had enough mana for one last cast but I had no weapon, I threw my head back and scanned the ground for the nearest weapon but couldn't see anything suitable, then as if glimmering in the darkness, my axe was visible a good twenty feet away.

I blinked and in an instant had traveled the distance, rematerializing out of the lightning on the other side, one singular flash step being all I could afford. Grabbing my axe, I rotated around and charged at the goblin that was now rushing towards Alan. Meeting it head on, I raised my shield and deflected the heavy thrust as it almost immediately twisted its hands and pulled back, hooking my shield on the edge and sending me falling onto my face.

Rolling over and lying on my back, I stared up at the chief as it raised its halberd above its head, preparing for a heavy swing or execute. Kicking at the goblins shin, I managed to break the goblin's foothold as it slipped and swung harmlessly into the slippery rock beside me. Sparks flying as metal bounced off stone, I rolled to my right and attempted to get back on my feet before it could retaliate once more.

It swung wildly, in a quick act of desperation to clip me.

The blow was shallow though, and didn't break past my leather armor as no pain had registered. If it did register, I was oblivious to it now. Circling the goblin, it swung weakly, in an attempt to poke and prod my defenses.

I deflected with my shield as I noticed my strength had started to wane.

Then a fireball exploded on the goblin and it reeled back in pain.

Taking advantage of the moment I swiped once with my axe and managed to cleave a small portion of its flesh off.

It wasn't fatal, but it was enough.

Its eyes burned with a demonic disposition as it hissed and cursed at me in non-broken English. It threatened me, semi-intelligently, as if it could scare me off. It reacted, as if it were real.

I responded with another attack as it parried my blow and countered with a lunge, thrusting its halberd at me with the point of the spear impacting soft tissue.

It barely hit but it connected, poking a small hole into my abdomen as warm blood could be felt dripping out and down my shirt. But then a golden light, a ray of warmth, descended on me and I instantly felt rejuvenated.

I glanced at the corner of my visual screen, where a small transparent bar was visible, where Alan's mana bar was supposed to be. Yet, instead of a blue colored bar, there was nothing, nothing at all. He was completely out of mana.

That was his last heal.

There were no more second chances going forward.

Reality sunk in, this fight was mine to lose.

Adrenaline was pumping through my blood as the room suddenly seemed narrower and everything was moving faster yet slower at the same time. I had acute focus on the boss, the goblin's movements were slow but my body lagged behind. My mind kept up with the new pace but my body was struggling to maintain my movements as I dodged the next attack with a complicated ease and attempted a counter.

My mind willed the axe forward but it came slower than I wanted as the goblin reacted with a counter blow of his own. Swinging my axe wide to deflect the oncoming attack with force, our weapons clashed and clanged together, sending sparks flying and bouncing off. The force of the blows repelling each other as the shockwave traveled down the shaft and through my arms, sending a tingle through my hand as I pulled back. My hand was numb, but I had no time to waste.

Gathering myself almost instantly, I saw the goblin shift its weight to the rear leg as it brought its arms back, and without a second passing by, I instinctively knew what was coming next. In a tenth of a second the goblin's shoulders tightened up as it grabbed the halberd with both hands gripping tightly, tensing its core and then twisting and thrusting forward with a heavy thrust.

A quarter of a second passed, I saw it coming.

My reflexive ability reacting faster than my mind could process and send the signal, I watched as my body contorted and twisted to the right as my legs kicked out powerfully but I was too slow. I watched the halberd's trajectory as it inched closer and closer, only to suddenly divert as the goblin jerked back.

I didn't know what happened, but it didn't matter.

My heart was racing, every tenth of a second mattered, I didn't have the time.

There wasn't enough time.