Legend's Echo Chapter 12

I'm trying to get back to writing and working on my original stuff, so here's a new Legend's Echo draft chapter! (Not entirely happy with it, and if this story ever gets published elsewhere, I'm fairly certain this will get a major whack with the edit stick)

Enjoy! I'll be posting an update on The Reluctant Ranger's status soonish.

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The early spring day was delightful, with clear skies and a cool sea breeze bringing fresh air along with it.   That alone would normally be cause for celebration, but the circumstances that saw Robin outside the city had soured her mood considerably.  Her armor was equipped in full, and all the straps had been checked twice over. 

And her spear… 

Robin wasn’t comfortable with it, but she had reaffirmed her ability to handle it in battle.  Lia was a right terror with any weapon in hand, but it was when they practiced spear versus spear that she truly felt that she had faced the woman in combat.  Any hope she had of matching her was thoroughly dashed within seconds of their bout, which begged the question. 

Why was The Legend so focused on her and not Lia? 

What made Robin so different?  Or was it the similarity?  Lia had let it slip that she could heal, even though she never demonstrated the ability, not with how Robin was always there the moment something happened.  Did Lia actually require healing at any point, or did she just play along for the performance of it all? 

“This is the place?” 

Robin paused in her march, The Legend stalling out just ahead.  He had been the one to ask the question of the Guild representative that was sitting on a fallen log just off the road.  Robin didn’t recognize the man, but she didn’t doubt that Donovan and Ser Bran would be joining them as observers to watch when Robin made a fool of herself.

Which was absolutely what was about to happen.  There was no way that she could handle an entire Goblin nest on her own, not with only a day’s practice with a spear!  She was always the one being defended, not the one to take up a weapon to kill.  One time, and it was all it took to completely upend her life.

“Over the hill,” the man said.  “Observers are in place.” 

“Noted,” The Legend said.  “Robin, eliminate the enemy.” 

She nodded, moving rigidly through the foliage towards the indicated hill.  There was no way she was up to the task, and soon everyone would realize it and she would be a laughing stock.  Donovan was seated upon a log near the peak of the hill, already sneering in her direction.  It wasn’t directed at her, however, but at the man walking behind her.  Even with all the armor, The Legend stepped softly, not even snapping the twigs beneath his heel. 

The expected harsh words didn’t come, not that she had hoped to hear them.  Donovan just glared at them as she took a position atop the hill and spotted the distant cave flanked by two goblins playing some game with a set of bones.

It was a sight she hadn’t seen in some time, not since her days back in Bronze.  Goblins were a pest animal in all senses of the word, devastating the countryside wherever they happened to nest.  Robin wasn’t sure how this particular nest went unnoticed long enough to grow into a proper threat, but they were here and needed to be culled.

Gripping her spear, Robin moved forward, sticking to the shadows as she approached.  She ignored the feeling of eyes on her back as she descended the hill, glad for the morning sun at her back.  The two goblins were too engrossed in their game to notice her, and before she knew what to do with herself, she was within striking distance of the monsters.

Worrying at her lip, Robin took a steadying breath.  This was it, the moment where she would take up the spear not to protect her patients, but to kill an enemy.  Her whole body resisted the idea of it, to do something so anathema to her core beliefs, but this was her test.  They wanted to see what she could do in a different role, and it wasn’t as though she would lose her ability to heal just from taking a life.

Steel flashed through the light and plunged deep into gray flesh.  A choked gasp of a gurgle came from the goblin, then Robin jerked her spear back, ripping it free of the creature.  It fell face first onto the pile of bones from their game, sending them scattering from the dull impact.

The second goblin stared at her with wide eyes and a slack jaw for the barest moment before its expression twisted into a snarl.  A club was snatched up but Robin was quicker, her spear finding the creature’s eye and biting deep into its skull.  

Wrenching her blade free, Robin stood there, panting.  Just like that, two lives had been stolen by her actions.  Worse, the darkened entrance of the cave beckoned her, the promise of further bloodshed ringing in her ears.  She didn’t want to do it, but the situation demanded it.

Forcing a foot forward one after another, Robin delved into the maw, unsure of what awaited her.  The light of day faded quickly at her back, but was soon replaced with flickering torchlight.  Robin paused at the first flame, then turned, glaring at the deep shadows cast by the flame and stepped forward.  Sure enough, there was a hidden alcove tucked away where—

Bone chipped off her armor, the cackling goblin cut off as grim determination had the blade instead coming for Robin’s throat.  She tried to bring her spear around, but it caught on the right quarters and she was forced to let go of it to try and defend herself from the snarling goblin.  Sharpened bone bit into flesh as Robin screamed, pushing away from the bloodthirsty monster.  Gleeful cheers followed as it lunged once again, this time knocking her over and burying the blade in her stomach.  Chainmail stopped it from piercing her, but that did little to diminish the pain.  

Worse, she couldn’t focus well enough to push the necessary healing magic to where it was needed.  It was still helping, but she was brute forcing the matter much as she had back with the wyvern.  Still, her body was positively flooded with adrenaline, and she surprised herself by reaching out and capturing the goblin’s wrist.  The monster tried to pull away, but she only squeezed tighter.  Bones cracked, and the creature let go of the blade with a yelp.  Robin snatched it up with her free hand and drove it forward into the beast, silencing it for good.

She pushed the bleeding corpse off of her and snatched up her spear once more.  Taking gasping breaths, Robin looked down at the monster before turning towards the sounds of screeching further in.  With renewed focus, she closed her wounds and purged a nasty poison that had coated the blade before finally detaching the speartip from the shaft.  Range was a hindrance in a cave, especially if surprised.  Right here and now she needed the freedom of movement more than a longer reach. 

Two more of the beasts practically burst from the darker shadows down the cavern.  Robin glared balefully at them as she swung her blade, the now short spear having no issues with the cavern interior.  She sliced through one’s stomach and braced when the second collided with her.  She moved with the impact, letting it roll off of her and hit the wall behind.

Before she could finish it, the goblin pulled a bottle from somewhere and threw it.  Robin knocked it aside, only for her eyes to widen at the pungent odor.  It was rotten fats and oils, and worse, the goblin had taken hold of the torch and thrown it immediately after.  Flames licked her as she tried to avoid it, but heat still blossomed across the surface of her armor where the oil had splashed over her. 

Despite that, Robin pushed forward, already cycling healing energy through her body even as the smell of burnt pork began to fill the air.  The goblin had the barest of moments to look up in terror before she drove her blade through the beast. 

That didn’t stop her flesh from burning, it just meant that it was recovering just as fast as it could be seared away by the heat.  Despite that agony, she still stood and faced the coming goblins with her blade held tight.  The lead goblins paused at the sight of her, flames dancing off her frame to illuminate the dark.  That was fine by her, let them feel that fear, let it soak deep into their bones.  She wasn’t about to give them the satisfaction of dying easily.  No, Robin was going to fight tooth and nail to see this done.

Obviously Donovan expected her to die here, but she wouldn’t be making it so easy on the bastard.  She would prove him wrong no matter how much she suffered for it.  The Legend believed in her, and that was more than enough.  She stepped towards the goblins that had paused at the sight of her and smiled through bloody teeth.  Watching them flinch was satisfying, even though some distant part of her knew it was wrong. 

Falling upon the goblins with everything she had practiced, she made short work of those that didn’t flee deeper into the cavern.  Those that stayed, died.  It was that simple.  It didn’t matter how hard they stabbed her, or how deep their blades cut.  She simply repaired the damage and endured the pain.  It was violent, it was bloody, and it hurt like hell.  Yet, standing there over the fallen monsters as she gasped for breath and finally extinguished the flames searing her flesh? 

Robin had never felt more alive.