Silence returned around us. Only the mass of corpses and the sickly-sweet smell of iron showed what had happened here. We need to get out of here before other predators come.

“Can you walk?” I held my hand out towards Alice.

“I’ll manage.” She winced as she took my hand and helped her stand.

“How many arrows do you have left?”

Sarah brushed over her quiver. “Just four. Still got the guns though.”

“Too loud.” The goblin arrows quickly splintered after one use, making it impossible to pull them out and use them once more. I took Alice’s sword left on the ground and stabbed it into the corpse of the leader, pulling down part of its hide. “The scales will do for the heads given their hardness. Just cut of some branches later and level them down to shafts. Feathers are optional, seeing how the last bird was poisonous.”

I turned around, walking down along the coast. The battle left its traces as all nearby beast probably walked over, seeing how we didn’t get into another conflict. When we were quite a distance away, I stopped.

“Why are we stopping?” Alice looked around. “There’s nothing here except trees.”

“It would be a mistake to continue onwards.” I stepped over to one of the thicker trees. “We will climb upwards; most predators only search the ground. Not exactly the comfiest sleeping place but better than getting ambushed in the night.”

I turned around, facing the two of them. “Come, I’ll help you upwards.” I put my hands together, holding them out for them. As Sarah stepped on them, I threw her upward, eliciting a small yelp from her, before I looked towards Alice.

“I believe I’ll climb upwards myself.”

She passed me, jumping on one branch after another, quickly getting out of the light. Then I followed after them, climbing up myself. As I came to their level I saw the Sarah staring at me in anger.

“Warn me before you do something like that!”

“It’s faster this way.”

“I could have climbed up by myself.” She puffed her cheeks, looking away.

I chuckled at her reactions, receiving a cold stare in return.

“Enough of that, secure yourself so that you don’t fall down if you fall asleep. And Sarah, you should take some of those branches hanging all over. You don’t want to be left without ammo tomorrow.”

I took out the piece of hide from the lizard, starting to pluck out the scales one by one before putting them into the backpack. Meanwhile, while I still received a frown from Sarah, she broke down some branches, giving them to Alice who then shaved of the bark and made them as even as possible. When I was done with the hide I burned it down, erasing the smell of blood left behind. I gave the bag over to Alice, telling her to make indents in both sides of the shaft, one to fix the scales in and one to place it on the string.

Left with nothing else to do I closed my eyes, listening to the sounds of nature, ready to kill anything that came too near.

I woke up as light began to shine through the leaves, the sun rising in the distance. The night has passed uneventful after we came here, only looking out for dangers and sleeping when Alice and Sarah took over the watch.

We climbed downwards, readying ourselves for another day of fighting. As I lifted the backpack, Alice bound the scabbard to her belt. Sarah looked over her quiver once more, unsatisfied with the makeshift arrows.

“Better than nothing. Haaa.” She sighed before coming over to us.

“We’ll get more arrows where we’re going.”

Once again, I strode onwards towards the eye of the storm, Alice and Sarah following behind me. We walked a few miles, unhindered by beasts and monsters before Sarah stopped us, shortly before an opening in the foliage.

“There’s something out there.”

Took her a while to notice. “Which direction?”

“From the front. And also some behind us.”

At least she noticed both groups. She looked towards me, as if asking what to do, seeing how I got the most battle experience.

“You have noticed them, try to think of a plan yourself.”

Alice and I stepped into the opening, seemingly oblivious of the coming ambush. After we walked a few more steps an arrow shot out towards Alice. She lifted her handcuff just in time to deflect the arrow as hobgoblins stepped out of the bushes. The rushed towards us when I heard another string being let loose, rushing forward and propelling an arrow.

Never expected her to tell me to throw her up again so quickly.

The arrow rushed out of a tree crown behind us, stabbing one of the goblins into the back. It fell to the ground, twitching as pain rushed throughout its body, the arrow just short of missing its heart through an unstable flight because of the lack of stabilizing feathers. Still got its work done.

The goblins spun around, stopping in their motion as they didn’t suspect an ambush themselves. But before they even had a chance to look out for their attacker another two arrow flew at them, making halving the numbers of those behind us.

As those behind us quickly died Alice rushed forward to a group of ten. Her sword flashed through one body, rushing towards the next as her body spun around, her heel crashing into the chest of another, making it fly backwards, its body lying in the grass lifeless.

I sent a Fireball towards one goblin attacking her from behind before sending another two into the foliage, killing the two archers who were left inside there. Then I looked at the two of them, fighting their own battle.

Behind me there was just one goblin left, running at me to take at least one down, only to stop when an arrow pierced its leg, nailing it to the ground before another pierced its head, ending its life.

On the other side Alice just stabbed another goblin, blocking the strike of another with the cuffs before she struck out at them, smashing her fist backhanded into its face, caving it inwards. Another one sprung at her, making her try to slash it apart but the goblin it struck through before held on to her hand in a last act of resistance.

Her earlier punch left her vulnerable, unable to throw out another proper punch to stop. Its knife dashed forward, ready to pierce her, as she lifted her leg, kicking at the one in front and pushing herself away from the one who held onto her. With her arm now free she dashed forward, piercing the goblin which fell towards the floor right as it wanted to stand up once more.

As they all laid dead on the ground, I heard leaves rustle behind me, followed by Sarah crushing down to the floor. Together we stepped towards Alice who stood there in a daze before she suddenly shouted.

“What the hell do you mean, ‘Barbarian’?”

Her outburst made me laugh. Seems like she got her first title.