I ate a big breakfast when I woke up and left all of my supplies besides my food, the canteen and weapon. If I was training I would also take the uncompleted baseball bat I was making to whittle but today I was going to try and kill as many goblins as possible before capturing one. I wished there were other monsters in this region.

 

One of the days while it rained I headed outside to help clean off the dirt from my clothes and decided to head to the river to see how high it would rise from the rain. During that time I watched about a thousand slimes float down the river with big clumps of them passing by every few minutes. I don’t think they’d have been easy to tame plus that was the only monster in the region that was weaker than goblins.

 

I had the feeling that other monsters would be easier to tame than goblins. They seemed irritable to the point I would randomly lose reputation points with any I tried to tame. I felt like other monsters might not have the same problem. Kobolds, gnolls and goblins were the main three weak humanoid monsters. I could tame giant rats or sentient plants. For some reason I didn’t think I could tame an undead creature, probably unlocked behind a similar class is my guess.

 

If I could pick a monster to tame it would probably be a weremonster. Taming a weremonster would be better in every way than a goblin. If I could tame a wererat or werecat or even a werewolf it would help me far more than a goblin in the long run. I wasn’t quite sure of the difference between weremonsters and the beastkin race but there was one. 

 

I instinctively knew I wouldn’t be able to tame a beastkin. I wasn’t sure why I thought of this right now. Guess it was just pre battle jitters. My mind had started going off on these tangents more and more lately. The long period of not speaking to anyone had started to make my willpower waver.

 

I think having goals is a good thing but if I failed here it would possibly start my death spiral. Even if I escaped without much damage the mental strain of loneliness would start to weigh me down too much. I took in a deep breath and started to make my way to the other side of the river. I worked my way through the forest. for a few days after I stole their water containers they had big groups scouting the area.

 

I stopped crossing the river so I wasn’t sure they continued with the larger than average groups. I hoped they went back to the smaller groups. I came across my first four goblins. Without any fanfare I closed the distance. With only a few steps between me and the first one before he noticed I closed the distance as his brain processed what was happening.

 

With a one handed overhead swing I brought the axe down hard on his head. He screamed as his neck snapped from the blow before his body sprung backwards. The three other goblins who were all conveniently looking in other directions snapped to what I just did. The archer started to backpedal as the two with clubs closed the distance.

 

I swung down, connecting with the unlucky one who was one step ahead of the other. When he seen my axe coming towards him he gave up on his attack attempting to block but it was too late. It flew down cutting into his clavicle. That was the only reason he didn’t die outright from the attack but it was enough to take him out of the fight.

 

The remaining club goblin took his chance to swing at me. I stepped in to his attack, raising my arm that had the plant cordage bracer blunting almost all the damage it would have done to me. It still stung but it wasn’t the debilitating injury it would have been if I took it without removing his swinging power or blocking with a protected area.

 

I grabbed him by his wrist twisting so his body contorted and spun so it wouldn’t feel pain. With him in the arm bar and us both facing the same direction I started walking us towards the archer. At some point during the fight he had fired and arrow and he was shakily trying to put another to the string. He pulled back with an unsteady hand aiming at me.

 

The goblin I was pushing worriedly chirped in his language as we moved forward. He loosed the arrow directly into his fellow goblin. The chirping noise became a yelp of pain. I thought I was safe but the arrow pierced all the way through. If I was holding the goblin against my body it would have also pierced me. For the first time I was glad these goblins stunk so bad I didn’t want to touch them.

 

I kicked the club goblin forward and swung down with my axe, getting it stuck in his head for a second pulling his body slightly along with me as I ran towards the archer. Seeing as he was the last goblin alive he broke and started to run. We were about the same speed but he kept looking back over his shoulder to see if I was still behind him.

 

It wasn’t even ten seconds before he finally tripped and stumbled forwards ass over teakettle. I closed the distance and sunk my axe right into his chest. I pulled my axe out as he breathed his last. I slowly walked back towards the other goblins. The run tuckered me out more than the fighting did. None of them had anything of value, I really wish it was like video games.

 

If a loot bag popped out of each of them I could have started amassing some wealth. Unfortunately only evolved monsters with cores or dungeon bosses dissolved into loot. By the time I got back the goblin with the broken collarbone managed to crawl a significant distance. 

 

If I was ten seconds slower he might have gotten to the other goblin with the horn and been able to call for help. Unfortunately for him he didn’t. I unceremoniously struck his neck, almost cutting his head from his body. I found another four groups with three or four goblins in them that I even more easily dispatched than the first group. 

 

As I was about to look for another group I heard a commotion coming from just through the treeline near me. As I did so I noticed it was a much larger group of goblins. They had set up a camp and a much bigger number were wandering around the base. I counted nine and questioned myself if it was possible to kill this many. It would be far more dangerous than normal.

 

I could take a few out by igniting them but the smell… The smell is something I couldn’t deal with. If one I ignited charged at me and I started puking, the others could close the distance and put a few arrows in me while I upchucked my breakfast. I kind of wished I brought my bow with me now. Taking a few out from the treeline would help ease my nerves tremendously. 

 

If I ran in I would most likely be spotted before I could close the distance. Even if I could kill one before the rest were alerted I would still have to take out at least two archers and five club wielding goblins. Their leader looked to be a step above the rest too. He had a wolf pelt wrapped around his body and his club was as long as a spear. 

 

The scrawny goblins with the pot bellies from malnutrition looked different from the thick armed goblin leader. A deep scar ran across his face making him look like a serious boss contender for the region. He scanned the forest line as one of the other goblins brought a dead squirrel to him. Almost like a child would proudly show their favorite toy to a father figure, the larger goblin took the offered squirrel and with no hesitation bit its head from its body.

 

A dozen ideas of how to start the fight went through my head. Just before I was about to rush in Leeroy Jenkins style another group of four joined with the goblins already there. With a few grunts and chirps in their language the entire group started to move. The group looked like it was looking for something and for some reason I didn’t think they were looking for me.

 

The group was too coordinated. I didn’t doubt that it could have been for me if it was an even larger group but the special goblin led me to believe he was out here for a purpose. I elected to follow the group instead of fighting as several more clusters of goblins joined in. Soon enough the group numbered twenty. 

 

The lead goblin sniffed at the ground before picking up a clump of soil and putting it into his mouth. He chewed at it before spitting out most and barking out orders. Two of the archers split off to the sides and another headed back towards me. I hid as he closed the distance, hoping he would pass without noticing me. I hugged the tree closest to the path he would take.

 

Luck wasn’t on my side for once as he noticed me. He did a double take as I brought the axe down on him. He let out a grunt I was sure would have given me away but as I looked the huge group of goblins were all facing a different direction. They were facing the only direction an archer didn’t run. Even from this distance I could tell the group was wary to move forwards.

 

About thirty minutes pass with the main goblin growing more and more agitated. The two goblin archers that broke off came back and yipped in their language at the goblin. My monster taming had started to pick up at some of the chirps and their body language. It seemed like they were missing some of their goblins and were waiting for them. I couldn’t help but chuckle as I knew they wouldn’t be coming.

 

After another five minutes of waiting the boss decided he was done. He let out a yell of frustration before swatting at the closest goblin with his club. Even with a half hearted swing the goblin is smashed forwards, his body bending around the club. With a few grunts he makes a new plan with his smaller group. I couldn’t make everything out but it looks like he plans on splitting the group up.

 

He had to explain it several times because the group going with him didn’t understand what he meant. The main group was to attack the enemy and try to kill them. If they couldn't, all survivors were to head back to the second group where they would ambush the enemy. He took the biggest with him leaving all the archers in this group. The ambush group numbered eight after with half being archers.

 

I knew now was my only chance to ruin the goblins plans. Whatever is strong enough that they’d need thirty goblins to kill would really help keep the numbers of goblins in the area down. If I play this right I could possibly kill both which would be a huge win for me. I check my level and hit nine at some point. I had no doubt even these eight goblins would put me over the limit. I needed this.

 

I waited about thirty seconds after the main group left before I closed the distance. The goblins were uncharacteristically alert. The only problem with that is all that alertness was pointed in a single direction making it even easier than normal to close the distance. It just so happened all the archers were the closest towards me so they’d be further away from whatever the main group was fighting.

 

I clubbed the leftmost one on the back of the head with the blunt end of my axe. He let out an “Oof” noise before his body started to crumple. The group still didn’t turn towards me, only the closest goblin did so. He managed to get out a surprise yelp before I buried my axe into  his neck vertically. It pulled out with a squelch as I closed the distance for the remaining two goblins on the opposite side of the area.

 

The clearing we were in was about twenty paces across. The leftmost goblin had about two or three paces between him and the treeline. Two or three paces between him and the other goblin I killed. That left about ten paces between me and the next goblin I was going to kill. This was sped up by me clearing more than three paces while I ran towards him but also made slower as he back pedaled trying to pull the bowstring back.

 

Him and the other goblin archer both fired at the same time. The goblin archer past him missed as I was running at an angle from him but the one I was two paces away from fired point blank into my belly. The arrow embedded itself up to the fletching as my axe swung down cleaving his arm from his body and digging into his side. He screamed out in pain as I did so as well.

 

It took all my foresight to not immediately stop everything I was doing to pull out the arrow. I was in the middle of a battle and found the mental fortitude to soldier on for now. I grabbed the arrow and held it in place so that as I ran the arrow wouldn’t jostle around. I closed the distance with the last goblin, wielding the axe one handed. I tried to cut his head from his shoulders but only scored a shallow cut across his throat. It was still enough I thought he would die from it eventually.

 

The four melee goblins weren’t just sitting idly as we fought. One was just about to reach me so I did the only thing I could think of at the time and ran directly away from the group. I chugged along hard and as I hit the treeline I pulled the arrow out. I felt a bout of pain and dizziness but knew it wasn’t enough to knock me unconscious. I heal myself while running, leaving the extra healing moonbeam back to confuse the goblin. I could still feel the wound leaking blood but it wouldn’t kill me if left alone for now.

 

I grabbed a tree with one hand and used my momentum to swing back around catching the goblin off guard. He was close enough that I was surprised as much as him. I wanted to use the momentum to swing my axe but slam hard into him. My bones shake from the sudden stop and the same happened to the goblin. I regained my senses first thankfully and jabbed my axe into his throat.

 

If it was only a few days ago the axe would have dealt piddling damage but I had spent a good portion of time and mana shaping the axe head to be dangerous from all angles. The tip pierced into his throat before he grabbed the axe. He held it in place looking at me and panicked before I realized he was stalling for time. I kicked his knee, shattering the leg backwards, his body barely managing to stay upright let alone hold onto the axe. He did his part though.

 

Two of the other goblins slammed into me at the same time. Both going for a pile on strategy over trying to strike me to death. They drag me to the ground and both reach trying to restrain me the best they could. I gouged at the left ones eye, getting it off me. The other put up a three stooges defense as he played for time stalling for the remaining goblin to turn the odds in their favor. I managed to get my axe between us and try to lever him off me with it but he clings on for dear life barely holding on.

 

Just as I turn the lever into a jab cutting his throat the remaining goblin finally caught up. He kicked hard at my head, his foot catching me directly in the temple. The blow strikes so hard I swear I hear thunder and my vision shakes from the blow. I killed the goblin who clung to me but even then his body weighed me down. My head swooned as he changed his method for attacking to that of swinging his club at my head.

 

At the last moment I managed to duck, if he swung it down instead of horizontally like a bat I’d have been killed or knocked unconscious at best. He swung towards me over and over again, not giving me the chance to counter. Hitting my hands over and over again. He almost knocks the axe out of them with one strike as the weight of his blow pushes it to the ground. I use that opportunity to lean forwards in a last ditch effort exposing myself but looping the axe around his foot.

 

His club was held above his head, a smirk across his face just until I pulled back my axe tripping him. With the brief moment of respite I kicked the goblin corpse off my legs and at that moment the eye gouged goblin decided to dive towards me. I got my axe up just in time for him to impale himself with it. The handle catching the ground for a moment before his shifting weight slid him to the side.

 

I finally got back to my feet and the second I did so a fist caught me in the eye. I reeled back taking a step back as a club sailed right where my head would have been if I wasn’t struck previously. I got my weapon up between myself and the last two goblins. One bounced up and down on one foot and used his club to stabilize himself. The other looked perfectly fine and was just breathing heavily.

 

Blood started to trickle out of a tiny cut right above my eye where the punch connected. It almost distracted me enough for the goblins to take advantage but as the fresh goblin started moving I let out a primal growl. It was enough to freeze him for a second and let me finally catch my breath. I smiled as I cast moonbeam on myself again. 

 

The arrow wound had been reopened during the scuffle but the healing magic fully closed it. I felt the wound above my eye and even the fuzziness from the temple strike started to fade. The goblin looked at me confused and then angry as he saw me suddenly recover from all the effort they put into killing me. As he tried to close the distance I put my axe above my head and faced him which stopped him in his tracks.

 

I still breathed heavily and only did this to buy time for me to fully catch my breath. The fatigue resistance I had built up was pulling overtime in this fight but if I went serious at both of them I wouldn’t have anything left in my tank in the worst case scenario. We stare at each other the unhurt goblin at me then switching to the injured one then back to me.

 

I looked between the both of them and the injured goblin kept looking at my face and my axe. An idea popped into my head and I ran towards the uninjured goblin yelling a battle cry. He took a few steps back away from me and that was what I hoped for. As I got close to the injured goblin I stopped pretending to blindly attack the other and kicked at the club he was using to keep himself up.

 

His body started to fall as he didn’t expect the sudden attack. He most likely was going to wait for me to attack the healthy one to make his move. I put an end to that. As he fell I swung the axe down cutting to the bone before it stopped the force pushing his body to the ground faster. The goblin realizing he was the last left alive out of the group finally decided it was a fight he might not have been able to win and started to run for it.

 

I caught my breath as I put the axe above my head again. If he ran in any direction but back towards the clearing he might have survived but today wasn’t his lucky day. I took aim and launched the axe towards him, clipping him in the back. It fortunately sunk into his back knocking him off his feet. I couldn’t help but yell out.

 

“Boom shakalaka!