Battle

Staying up a couple extra hours with Stephasha had become part of the routine.

"Stephasha."

"What is it?"

"That's a mouthful of a name. Would you mind it if I called you Steph?"

She looked surprised. "Like a nickname?"

"Yeah. I haven't considered it for most people because everyone refers to each other by the full names."

"That's because around here, nicknames are a thing for partners. It means an advance in the relationship."

"Oh. Maybe not."

"No, no, it would be just fine if you gave me a nickname. Just don't do it around anyone except maybe Priestess Kalamay unless you're ready."

"I could do that." I replied before looking back out over the village.

"Are those torches?" I asked, pointing out to the edge of town.

"By Celestia, yes," she gasped.

I focused my vision on the torches. My left eye zoomed in to them. I adjusted to just below the torches.

Short, green-skinned, wrinkly humanoids with rusty weapons and loincloths were marching towards the town.

"Goblins." I said.

"No," Steph gasped, "Why isn't Spenceven ringing the warning bells."

I moved my vision to the only building taller than the hospital-church we were sitting on. I zoomed in to find a man dozing off on a chair, three stories up. "He's asleep."

She cursed. A word Kalamay hadn't taught me.

"We'll have to wake everyone up. How long until they get here?"

I zoomed my vision back in slightly. "Nineteen and a half minutes."

"Then let's hit the bell it in five." she said, popping up, and backing from the edge.

"You are not going to jump, are you?"

"I have Celestia on my side." she said with a smirk, then said in English, "Goddes of Air, hear my call and slow my fall."

Then she ran and jumped off the edge of the roof, gliding a distance before hitting the ground with a roll.

I heaved to the first floor roof edge, then from there to the ground. Steph definitely had guts.

Then I had an idea. "God of Earth, I ask, create a bell that will awaken this town."

Dust spun in a miniature twister next to me. When it spun out, a metal bell hung by a firm wooden post. Something to ring it was not provided.

Feeling the urgency of the situation, I punched it with my dominant hand -- my left hand.

The bell's deep sound reverberated through my arm, then through the town. It only took a moment for lamps to be lit, and people to poke out of windows.

"What's going on?" a villager shouted, poking their head out of a front window.

"Who rang a blasted bell in the middle of the night?" another demanded.

"Goblins!" I shouted in reply. "Prepare yourselves!"

Every household I could see started to move. Men emerged with weapons. Women herded children to the hospital-church, which was the best-constructed building in the town.

Steph came running back. "Nice plan. It woke Spenceven up."

As she said that, a smaller bell sound began to ring out. Those who hadn't heard me shout made the same motions that the near ones had.

As I lost focus on the bell I created, it dissolved into dust.

I moved to join the men, but someone grabbed my shoulder.

I spun to find Kalamay holding me back. "I must go." I told her.

"If you fight, you'll be fighting forever."

"I am okay with that." I said, shrugging her hand off.

I turned and began to run towards where I had spotted the goblins.

"Argo! Be safe!" I heard Steph shout.

So much for not using nicknames in public.

I gave a thumbs up without looking back. They probably didn't know what that meant, but it worked for me.

I met with the group of men at the town gate. We could see the torches from here.

Most men were armed with pitchforks. Only a few had swords or bows.

"Gods of Fire and Earth," I commanded, eager to try this idea out, "hear my request and create for me a sword."

Flames leapt from some of the nearby torches as rock rose from within the ground. The two united in my outstretched left hand, making a longsword. It was black stone with veins of fire running down the blade.

"Tonight," I shouted, moving to the front of the group, "We defend our families! For Farsfield!"

Some of the some of the men my age echoed "For Farsfield!"

I turned towards the enemies, and readied my weapon.

The goblins sent a handful at us initially. Some were dealt with instantly. Others caused a bit of a struggle.

After cutting down two, I resolved to teach these people how to fight with a pitchfork. One of them was holding it by the prongs and swinging it like a super long sword. The goblin he was fighting evaded it easily, until another villager shot it with an arrow.

We only had a brief break before the next wave came in, riding wolves. The swordsmen, including myself, were able to fend off or seriously injure the wolf or rider in the first strike and finish off the wolf with a follow-up strike.

The pitchfork men had a much more difficult time, waving their sticks dumbly at the wolf riders. The riders smacked the weapons away with clubs, giving the wolves a chance to eat some of the men. Of the 30 we started with, 7 were already down. Then the restraint of the rest of the goblins shattered. They charged us, and we fought back.

The other swordsmen were doing decently, but were getting scratches and cuts. As for myself, it was as though I saw the attack happen before it actually did. I was given the time to react, and not get hit once.

I briefly glanced around after a minute or so. There were now about ten humans standing. We had taken down the wolves, but the army of goblins just swarmed us.

With so many suddenly ganging up on me, I finally started to take damage. Swooping my sword through their ranks did something, but it wasn't enough. After another minute or two, I was the last one standing. I held off as many of the fiends as I could, but dozens of them still swarmed into the walled town.

"Celestia, Grant me the ability to jump long distances." I commanded.

Then I leapt for the hospital-church. That had to be my last point of defense.

I landed just outside the building. The goblins were ransacking the other homes on their way towards me.

A woman opened a window behind me and asked, "Where are the other men?"

"They are all down." I replied through gritted teeth. The cuts stung. But I had to hold my ground.

The horde of goblins came around the corner, clubs and rusted weapons brandished.

I stood at the ready. After a brief moment of the lead fiend puzzling the situation out, he screamed, charging forward with his rusty sword held overhead. The rest of the horde followed suit.

I was back in melee combat in seconds. Though, this time, I had my back protected by the building.

There was no end to the goblin horde. But I refused to give up. Stab. Slash. Cleave. The bodies of goblins was beginning to build a barrier around me and the door.

They gave. Me a brief respite as the new wave clamored over the barrier. I didn't have the energy to fight them all off. The goblins had set a number of the homes on fire.

Fire. That was probably the only way I could level the playing field.

"God of Fire," I called, beheading a goblin who had reached the top of the mound, "Call down destruction on my enemies."

I extended my red blood-soaked sword as a catalyst. Flames burst from the tip. They surged out in an instant.

Hundreds of screams suddenly burst out.

They died away as black started fringing my vision. The battlefield before me began to spin. I clutched my head with my right hand and shut my eyes against the dizziness.

Then, nothing.