Vaan turned and ran, devoting all of his efforts into that single action.
The problem was that he swiftly ran out of room to run. After only a few seconds, he had reentered the cavern he woke up in, and as a result, reached a dead end. One that was soon to be literal.
Moving quickly and ducking behind a towering stalagmite, Vaan wracked his mind for a solution.
Was there another exit here that he missed? Was there a way out hidden in the darkness?
While he wished that the answer to those questions were ‘yes’, a brief glance around was all he needed to know the real answer. And that answer was a resounding ‘no.’
So he was trapped.
In that case… what did he need to do to survive?
Fight? Barehanded?
Ridiculous. Vaan had kicked that goblin away but immediately got wounded in the process. And that was while keeping his vital far away from the vicious monster. He was certain that if he tried throwing a punch or stealing its weapon, he would just get his neck ripped off.
He forcibly calmed his breathing and peered into the darkness.
Was it because they knew he didn’t have a way out, or because they also couldn’t see as well?
The goblins were slowly advancing instead of spreading out to cover the area.
Right now he was temporarily out of sight… at least he hoped so. But even if he wasn’t, the fact remained that it’d be the end for him if he didn’t do something drastic.
Try to run and outmaneuver them?
That was an option. But from the pain in his right leg and the fact that it was slowly getting numb, he doubted that he’d get very far. Not to mention how fast that first goblin had pounced… Before he even made two steps, he was sure that he’d get pinned down and stabbed to death.
Then… should he really just risk it and fight?
If hiding was a dead end. If running was pointless… Should he at least try to go out on his own terms?
His heart pounded in his chest, a low rush in his ears. Adrenaline, coursing through his veins.
The fact that he managed to punt a goblin away meant it was possible. They weren’t an invincible monster that an unarmed person like him couldn’t match.
It was slight, but there was a sliver of hope for survival.
Vaan peered out at the goblins again to weigh his options.
There were twelve of them. A small group that looked like kids huddled together in play with toy weapons. Except those weapons were real and those ‘kids’ were more vicious than any toddler could be.
Could he do it?
If a kick sent one flying, if he put his entire body at risk, could he use those numbers against them? Cause a disruption to create an opening?
‘Dammit.’
If only he had a weapon and something to block with. A sword and a shield... If that was the case, then he was sure he could do something. But like this, how was he supposed to-?
“KEKE!” One of the goblins suddenly spun, flicking its hand.
Vaan’s eyes widened and he jerked to the right. The moment he did, he felt a something strike his left shoulder, cutting into the skin, before bouncing off the bone and clattering to the ground.
Pain, a searing line across his shoulder, and warmth dripping down his arm. But thankfully, it seemed like the tense situation made his body ignore most of the pain for now.
He didn’t stop to check the wound since it might make his body realize how bad it was hurt and then make him feel pain. Instead, he ducked down behind the stalagmite and picked up what that goblin threw at him.
A dagger, rusted and chipped. Even so, the blade was sharp, honed to an edge despite its condition.
But that didn’t matter. What did was that it was a weapon.
Picking it up, Vaan spun it around in his right hand.
His heart pounded, but he forced himself to remain calm.
A slim chance for survival. Even then, he didn’t know how far inside the cave he was or if there were any more monsters further in.
But he couldn’t die. No, he wouldn’t die.
There wasn’t room to fear, room to doubt, or room to hesitate.
With a deep breath, Vaan jumped out from behind the stalagmite.
Fight- No. Kill. That was all he had to do.
Were the goblins confident in taking him out?
While Vaan ran out to attack the goblins, only one stepped up. He couldn’t tell the difference, but from the gaze in that goblin’s eyes, Vaan had the sense that it was the same one he kicked away.
“Keh!” The goblin scoffed and then ran forward as well, its own knife gleaming silver.
Fast. In the darkness- No, even if it was in full daylight, he wouldn’t be able to see it.
But he could predict it.
Information flooded his mind, like words read off from a bestiary.
Goblins were cunning, but they fell back on old habits. When confident, they went for simple attacks instead of feints. Slash, stab… while they had a rudimentary knowledge of anatomy, they would go for easy targets first.
The yellow orbs, flicking to Vaan’s right. A stab aimed at the place where he was wounded earlier.
Realizing that, Vaan twisted at the last moment, causing the goblin to skirt past him instead of connecting. At the same time, he swung his knife down, aiming at the back of the goblin’s neck.
But it was fast.
Vaan felt a burning slash across his chest, a faint graze from the goblin lashing out. At the same time, he saw another silver flash, aimed at him again. The goblin immediately going in for another attack.
In a blind panic, Vaan swung his dagger. By sheer coincidence, it clashed against the goblin’s knife and sent the monster to the side, rolling against the ground. But it also shattered.
The goblin quickly got up, back on its feet in no time at all. Furthermore, off to the side malicious laughter echoed. The other goblins, enjoying the show.
Vaan glanced at them, but seeing that they had no intention of attacking, focused on the goblin in front of him.
Its eyes flicked towards Vaan’s broken weapon and then its mouth opened in a toothy grin. A look that said it had won.
Vaan’s heart throbbed. Panic began to well up, along with despair.
Again. Would he die again? Without even getting a chance to enter Babel?
Ba-dump.
A throbbing headache. Pain that pushed away the fear and panic.
A weapon. One that had better reach as well as one to defend. In order to live, he needed that.
‘But how?’
As if to answer his request, another headache pounded. This time, with the pain came knowledge.
-Spark of Creation. A process utilizing the imaginative spirit of the human soul to bring forth a tangible product from base materials.
Vaan didn’t know the details. He didn’t know how he possessed that knowledge or how to use it.
But his body instinctively knew.
As the goblin charged, cackling as its knife aimed to tear out Vaan’s heart, he stepped back and held up his left arm, as if there was a shield strapped to it. At the same time, he flipped the broken dagger around in his right hand, holding it like if it were a sword.
Did the goblin think that he had gone insane? Its eyes narrowed and its sneer grew wider.
To be honest, Vaan thought he had gone insane too. Even while he didn’t have his memories, he felt that producing something out of nothing was impossible.
-But it wasn’t ‘nothing’.
The milky darkness. The broken fragments of the dagger. A desperate desire to live and defy death.
Responding to all of that, a tiny spark of light blossomed in Vaan’s heart.
And then-
CLANG
-The charging goblin crashed into a pitch black shield.
