Chapter 148: Crashed Hope

The beasts kicked Rickart, hitting his right side with a massive foot. A crunch passed mid-air before Rickart went rolling and hitting a fat tree and collapsed. Blood ran his eyes, ears, and nose. Only a beast with great strength could do it to a human. One massive kick. Gogmurch was the only capable to do it. Everything was fast and too late. After it kicked Rickart, it stood across Ned and Sasani. Beasts settled around them. Seeing the massive old goblin, they could almost bow with a simple glare. 

"You had your chance, cub," Gogmurch said. Big and rounded voice, adjusted to suit its body. 

"That was funny to watch, human," Khiccaal said. Gesturing Sidric to do something. 

Sidric moved, fetch Rickart by pulling its leg, and tossed him in front of Ned and Sasani. To Ned's gesture, Sasani ended up behind him. Covering him from the massive goblin. 

Speed and strength, he moved like Gazul. Ned thought, sweat forbidding his eyes to see clearly. He wiped it, here Rickart slumped across him. Poor scout coughed blood, right arm twisted at an awkward angle. Ned thought he couldn't move it. And though they will die. Die? He asked himself. Somewhere inside him yearning for it. He never died, for once, he couldn't. Yet, now, he was about to die. But was it normal to feel no emotions during death? No fear, in fact, I don't feel any. Why? Ned asked himself again, staring at Rickart and running a quick glance at Gogmurch.

And as if he was dreaming, he heard something inside his thoughts. It wasn't ICE, it differs from her. The voice: harsh and daunting. 

[Kill.]

[Now.]

[Kill the human.]

[And gain strength.]

[Devour.]

[Now.]

[Devour the human.]

[And gain strength.]

[Devour the beasts.]

[Now.]

[Devour them all.]

It laughed. No—he laughed. A voice resounded inside Ned's thought. And for a moment, he felt that something inside him cracked. With a crack came along a quick flash of his core shattering to pieces. Ned was lost in thoughts. He snapped hearing Rickart's heavy grunt. 

It was Sidric, pulling him through his arm. He lifted Rickart close to Gogmurch. Gogmurch then grabbed Rickart's arm. As if Sidric was offering him to the old goblin. 

"Your hope tickles me, human," he said. "You know what is funnier?" With a height of almost six feet, nearly seven, he looked down at Ned. Sasani gripped on Ned's arm. "Crushing hope. The struggle to survive, only to realize you will die in the end. Now, that is funny." Gogmurch then nodded to Sidric. 

And as if Sidric could read minds, he gripped his bastard sword swung it wide open, and slashed Rickart's arm. A slash so deep it was almost to Rickart's shoulder. 

"Bastard," Ned whispered. 

Rickart fell thudding on the ground, rocks, grasses, and pebbles scrambled on the bleeding human. And as if Rickart woke in a deep slumber, he cried. Feeling his lost arm. His left lost an arm. He cried with blood gargling both his mouth and nose. He then wheezed and fell unconscious. Across him was his dagger—that he might not use anymore. 

Gogmurch then threw the limb, Rickart's once had, over his shoulder. A group of warg and sinking hound fought if who of them could eat the warm arm. He then smirked. 

"Your hopes will be cut, one... By... One," he said looking down at Ned. "Until you lost all of it, the hope, the will to live. It is my gift to you human. To live in this world. And to no not witness how we—beasts, conquer your world."

Gogmurch then kicked Rickart, throwing him back almost in the middle of the settlement. 

With a wobble, Moloatiss crept toward Rickart. "He's still alive," he said. 

"He won't soon," Gogmurch answered. "Let me be Moloatiss, you had your fun. Now I will have mine." 

Another gesture came through. Sidric flashed and hit Sasani's nape. She rolled on the ground and fell unconscious. 

Fuck. I couldn't catch him. Ned thought. Eyes following Sidric but lost after he blurred. 

"Wait! Ned cried. "Take me, leave the girl alone."

"Of course, human chivalry ain't dead," Gogmurch remarked. "I won't touch her, or the sorry human. I won't. But they will. And better hope your girl could handle dozens of them." He then raised his hand with the massive war-ax. Then one of the goblins stepped forward. Followed by another, and another. 

Sidric threw Sasani to the crowd of hungry, saliva drooling goblins. One of the pulled her hair. Grabbed her toward the other goblins to feasts even more and one of the goblins pulled her leg. Two forces fighting in opposite direction. Sasani was still unconscious. Another goblin yanks her mask. The goblin screamed seeing how the human's full lip and rounded eyes could be his. The goblin smiled wickedly. 

"Right in front of him," Gogmurch said. Pointing a sturdy finger across Ned. 

Ned forced his muscles. He stood wavering. "Wait!" He cried. "Take me!" Not her, she's too young for it. Ned thought. Fuck! I can't move any longer. Fuck it. ICE, force it. Overclock.

The mysterious voice was gone. It was now ICE, yet disapproving. 

[Negative, Ned.]

[You must survive.]

[Doing another Overclock will sure to destroy you, Ned.]

[Currently. Your body can't handle too many Overclocking.]

One of the goblins pulled Sasani's black leather clothing. She wore white undergarments. And as if it wasn't enough, another goblin pulled a string that holds together her clothing. Last to approach was a thin goblin, it pulled the rest of her clothing. 

Sasani was being swarmed by beasts and only a part of her skin Ned could see. He was there. But couldn't do anything. Two of the goblin went under, tearing her fitted pants. Leather screeched as one of the goblins pulled the strap that binds her trouser together. Sasani was unconscious, the hit to her nape was enough for her not to be bothered by what was happening to her. These goblins might prefer sleeping subjects. Didn't know goblins were necrophiliac. 

Ned fell on his knees. "Not her," he said, looking at the grinning Gogmurch. "Sidric! Help her!"

He stood like a puppet. In fact, Anita's expression was way better than Sidric. He wasn't bothered by the lady with the goblins clawing her.

Ned raised his hand, shot an arrow. Hitting the back of the swamp goblin that almost jumped to Sasani. 

Gogmurch took a step forward, slowly, yet determined. His eyes filled with hatred looking at Ned. Ned couldn't move, not after the second Overclock. He could force himself to escape, but to fight? He wanted to; his body won't. 

Gogmurch reached for Ned's wrist arrow. Sidric stood behind the old goblin. Not that he was closer, Ned determined that he was more of an orc with the faint striped running his shoulder down to his waist. The same as Rickart, he pulled Ned midair through his left arm. With a snap, the wrist bow shattered to pieces. Wrists turned white as the blood stopped flowing to his hand. 

"I prefer them alive, Gogmurch," Moloatiss said, determined yet unmoving. He knew, in terms of strength Gogmurch transcends them both. He didn't move his crab legs. "I was just noting." He stopped talking, seeing how Gogmurch's gaze peeling him. 

"Bastard," Khiccaal said whispering. Yet, they couldn't do a thing.

"This is my fun," Gogmurch then said, lifting Ned mid-air. "So stay away."

With his remaining strength, Ned focused his mana. His left hand too close to Gogmurch's green and sagging face. With a quick breath, Ned threw a spell. A spell he knew would be effective enough at point-blank. 

"Egnious!" Ned cried. 

With a boom and a bang, smoke circled Gogmurch's head. Brown to greyish fur went smoking, eyes covered with nothing but smoke. He grunted and almost fell to his knees. After the smoke ended, his face shows extreme anger. Enraged, he gripped Ned's arm. 

Ned bit the bottom of his lip, he wasn't looking to Gogmurch but to Sasani. Now, six goblin encircling her, waiting for her pants to be stripped away from her innocence. 

A drop of blood under his lips. He frowned. "You will pay for this," Ned said. Parasite throbbing his back. And with a rapid sucking and beating, the parasite went bigger, a purple streak of line flashing its lump of meat body. Ned's chest shone a faint light of purple, with a flash of green light. His mana, flowed to his hand where Boom was. 

"The tip of the sword," Barbo the blacksmith had said to Ned, and he remembered it. The tip, with a flash of his hand, he stabbed Gogmurch's eye. 

Surprised, Gogmurch blocks the tip of the short-sword with his free hand, his left hand. It went boom. The explosion was massive and reverberating that Ned was thrown meters away from Gogmurch. First, his display went static like an old TV. Ned could hear deep and muffled noises. The explosion affected his hearing, all he could hear was a constant tingling and sharp pitch ringing his ear. 

"Gogmurch!" Moloatiss crept toward the old goblin. Black smoke swirling on his head, and shoulder. "Re loo shab!" 

Ned couldn't understand them anymore, the parasite sucked Ned's mana that it had too much. Too much it exploded of pure mana. Violet goo ebbed from his back. 

Ned knelt on two, he could hear how the deafening explosion ended in the forest. Shadows run here and there under the bluish light of the moon. To his right, was Boom—or what has remained of it. The blade shattered to pieces, what remained was the hilt. It has, at least, saved Sasani. 

The group of goblin that tried to grope Sasani went scattering after the explosion. Ned saw Sidric lying beside the kneeling Gogmurch, green liquid seeped on its green hand. Beside them was Sasani, breasts wide open under the shining moon, nipples plead to be covered up. Pants almost torn, mask thrown away, and hair covered her innocent face. 

"Sasani," Ned whispered. He stood with what was left of his strength and went to Sasani. 

Moloatiss crept toward Gogmurch, while Khiccaal was nowhere to be found. 

Ned went toward Sasani, with a thought he pulled the black to black cloak Lady Darcey gave him and covered the wheezing Sasani. "Sasani," he whispered once again. 

Towering shadow cast beside Ned. Gogmurch rose looking with bloodshot eyes toward Ned. 

"Halooman!" Gogmurch cried. Without the parasite, they went back to their beastian language. A faint ring rung inside Ned's ears, he could at least hear what the old goblin has been saying. "Dit!"

With the war-ax on his right, Gogmurch was determined to hack Ned. His hand wide open, he raised his war-ax hand and with a loud grunt he started—

A white and bright flash of light circumscribed the beasts and Ned. Stones rustled on the ground with a marking of only high mages could carve. Two runic stones went flashing in front of Ned. Followed by a dark flash that stopped behind Ned. 

Black suit and a black vest, the man leaned closer to Ned: "You've than enough, kid."

Ned almost jumped in surprise at the familiar voice. Against the flashing light, he looked over his shoulder: "Twali?"