We continued to rest for a few more hours. Dozing in the complete darkness of the den, my head rested on Erins shoulder. We didn’t talk, simply enjoying the quiet and each others presence as we rested in the dark. Depraved of all visual inputs in the dark I could hear our slow heartbeats and breaths as they slowly synchronized.

The pleasant silence wasn’t threatened by stray goblins, roaming around the den. They had learned their lesson and hid deep within the den. As strange as it sounded they were completely save in the middle of a goblin den. Even if they left and returned years later they would probably be save after having imprinted fear into the goblins on a genetic level.

A red light lit up in front of me, enveloping the tunnel in a dim light. The light was a small sphere of fire calmly burning in Erins had, dousing her in long shadows and red light. Her gray eyes reflected the light, seemingly shining on their own. She looked terrifying, like a hidden monster, but strangely alluring. Shining gray eyes looking from above, half the face bathed in flickering red light the other hidden in the dark. Black hair cascading down, enveloping her face, two long thin horns sprouting from her forehead, a sign of her strength. Erins smiled at me with a big cruel grin, displaying her long sharp canines.

As luck would have it my face was hidden deep beneath a metal helmet. So Erin couldn’t see the red in my face that appeared, definitely coming from our light source. Definitely from the light, and it was even getting hot beneath my helmet. I was more than ready to go and hunt goblins.

This Tunnel was one of the few that was high enough for Erin to walk normally in it and to not use her magic to fit in. It was refreshing to have Erin back to her normal height. It was certainly a strange experience having Erin on the same eye level as me.

Despite me brimming with excitement for a battle it stayed calm. There was no goblin in sight. Not a single soul was roaming around the maze of tunnels, besides us. Only our steps echoed through the silence of the den.

“Are there even any Goblins left?”

“Yes. There is a concentration of magical energy somewhere bellow us.”

“It goes even deeper?”

“Yes.”

This time it was Erin, who took the lead. Following the magical signature we slowly moved deeper in the den. We still got lost multiple times. The den was more of a maze than a den. Along our way we found multiple abandoned rooms, filled with rotting food, weapons, or hides. No doubt we were in the inner sanctuary of the goblin den, not far of from their last refugee. The closer we got the clearer of a picture of the last remaining goblins, Erin got.

“There are roughly 20 goblins left, two slightly bigger signatures and a big one.”

“What about flipping a coin about, who gets to fight the big one?”

“Sure.”

“… Do you by any chance have a coin with you?”

“None with two different sides, but I have cards.”

“Backside or front?”

“Backside.”

Erin produced a deck of cards from her sleeves and handed it over to me. I quickly chose one of the cards. My choice fell on the cards depicting the arsenal knight. A knight clad in sliver amour surround by swords, spears, flails, axes and many more weapons. I drew the card with a spin upwards and let it fall to the ground. The card landed on the with the backside facing upwards. So it was decided then Erin would fight the big one and I would be taking care of the small fry. I out the deck back together and gave it back to Erin, who hid it away in her sleeve.

Soon enough we reached our destination. The distant whispering and cackling of goblins could be heard. Their last hideout was just ahead. Erin dismissed her light and we sneaked ahead, making next to no sound. The chattering of the goblins remained the same, indicating that they didn’t notice our presence as we came closer and closer.

The light from their hideout was illuminating the tunnel as only one corner was separating Erin and me from the goblins. I readied my blades and gave a quick nod towards Erin before bolting of into the room.

The goblins screamed in fear as the silver Terror, bolted around the corner. A tall monster glad in silver with whirling blades chained to its arms. It was the slaughter of their mothers, fathers, sisters and brothers. Their two only mages hastily constructed magic to defeat hurl at it, alongside the arrows of their archer.

The monster avoided each and every strike, weaving through the volley like a dancer. The right blade flung out splitting a goblins head in half before retracting. The other was hurled forward, whisking around another goblins neck like a whip. With a flick of her arm, Bara hurled the screaming goblin towards her, using its body to shield herself from the second wave of magic and arrows.

The moment the volley ended Bara threw the dead goblin into the magicians, sending them tumbling to the ground. With the next step she reached the archers, gripping her blades at their hilt, she decapitated four of them in a single movement sending their heads flying. Her blades left her hands as quickly as they had landed in them, heading straight for to other goblins, impaling them at their head.

One goblin reacted immediately and grabbed the chain, throwing himself down with it, trying to hold Bara down in doing so, for his sibling to defeat her. Bara yanked the chain to herself, before the goblin even hit the ground, flinging both blade and goblin to herself. The moment he came into her reach she punched him down, before stepping on him breaking through his rib cage and spine, sending his guts out of his body.

Desperate the last goblins charged at her, abandoning all tactic. Simply charging and hoping that they are enough to somehow get lucky and bring her down. Within seconds they were hacked apart by Baras whirling blades. Reducing them to a shower of blood, guts and severed bodyparts. Only one goblin remained, there was another but he was Erins prey. One of the goblin mages hadn't joined the least assault instead she had opted, to create a magical barrier, shielding herself in a barrier of glowing light.

Slowly Bara walked towards her, sheathing her swords, by fixing them on her forearms, with the chains. Upon reaching the goblins barrier she had completely stashed her blades away. The goblin starred at her with pleading eyes, she knew that it was a loosing battle. Sooner or later she would run out of magic and then Bara would kill her.

Suddenly Bara moved her arm in a blur, breaking through the barrier, shattering it like glass. She grabbed the goblin by her neck and crushed it, pulverizing the neck bones, before the goblin could even process the destruction of its barrier.

Bara let the goblin drop to the ground and slowly turned around. Her entire silver armor was covered in blood dried and fresh, chunks of flesh and guts on her amour and in the pelt around her neck.

There were only three things left in the room. Bara, Erin and the Goblinlord. The Goblinlord screamed in anger and despair flailing his big broad sword around, trying to hit Erin or Bara, but he couldn’t. The only thing he could do was watch as Bara had slaughtered the last of his kin. When she had entered the room, Erin had casted an earth spell sinking the Goblinlords feet into the ground anchoring it in place, preventing it from protecting its kin and forcing it to watch.

Erin could have killed the Goblinlord a long time ago, having rendered it defenseless ages ago, but she didn’t instead she had waited for Bara to finished killing the other goblins. Her intentions were clear, she wanted a duel, a proper fight and no slaughter. Understanding Erin, Bara took the Katana from her bag and tossed it towards Erin.

Erin may be a mage, but she is also an Oni. In other words she is still a formidable enemy even without her magic. Many had dismissed her physical strength and had paid with their lives. No matter how weak or peaceful an Oni is, they are still stronger and faster than the average human and Erin was no exception.

Erin knew how to fight even without her magic and had a mastery with the Katana, rivaling masters. She certainly was better with the Katana than Bara. Bara who was known, for her seeming mastery of every imaginable weapon. The only reason why Erin was better with the Katana then Bara was, that Bare simply didn’t like the Katana and its stile of combat. She simply preferred other weapons more, to the point of neglecting the Katana.

No having the Katana in hand Erin was ready. She didn’t bother taking a stance or tying her hair up, so that it would get in the hair. She held the Katana in her left hand, in her right a brown sigil appeared.

“Rise”

The spell resolved and raised the ground around the Goblinlord freeing it from its imprisonment. Immediately it stormed of towards Erin, screaming in anger the crude blade held high above it head. He slashed his blade downwards intending to split Erin in half. Erin parried with the Katana held high in her two hands. A ripple moved through Erin but she held. And so did the blade. The Goblinlord pushed, bringing all his might and muscle in, trying his best to overcome Erin and crush her beneath his blade. Erin held, denying the Goblinlord, holding against with her won strengh and succeeding.

Before the Goblinlord could do anything, Erin shifted ever so slightly. Angling her blade ever sow slightly downwards. Suddenly the Goblinlord slipped downwards his blade grating along the Katana, sending sparks flying. He stumbled past Erin, trying his best not to fall. Instead of capitalizing on his mistake Erin jumped sideways, away from the Goblinlord. Using this moment to assume a proper stance, holding the Katana with both hands before her body.

The Goblinlord recovered and charged again. This time he swung his blade sideways intending to bisect her horizontally. Erin managed to intercept again, the impact reverberated through both this time as they locked in place. Having learned from his mistake the Goblinlord immediately withdrew his sword and went for another angle.

Their blades met in rapid succession, each contact sending sparks from their blades, and locking them in position for a few seconds. The Goblinlord couldn’t find an opening past Erins defenses and Erin didn’t attempt a counter or an attack of her own. She solely focused on blocking his attacks.

“You’re fighting even worse than me.”

“I haven’t held a blade for fifty years.”

“What did you do all this time? Slack around and sleep?”

“There were no customers,”

The Goblinlord launched yet another attack, their blades meeting yet again. This time however the Goblinlord slipped as Erin had angled her blade diverting the force of the attack and sending the Goblinlord stumbling past her. And once again did she not use the opening to counter, instead opting to step back and posture herself. The moment the he regained his footing he continued his attacks, only to be once again send stumbling by Erins parry. The Goblinlord continued his desperate attacks on Erin, but more and more often was he parried and send stumbling. Even falling to the ground multiple times.

Erins movements became smother and smother with each parry. Slowly she was shaking the rust of. She was playing with the Goblinlord, using him to get back to her former glory. She didn’t attack him, because she didn’t want to end the battle anytime soon.

But slowly it was coming to an end Erin and the Goblinlord were trenched in sweat and the later was breathing heavily. His screams of anger had long since died down. Erins Katana was riddled with cuts and gnashes. It looked dull and if it could break at any moment.

The Goblinlord went for another overhead slash, but he missed his mark, his blade came down to far left. Erin could easily sidestep the attack, without needing to parry. But she still did, sparks flew as the blades met. Erin didn’t parry this time, instead they locked blades once more.

With a clang the Katana snapped, breaking in two. The Goblinlord suddenly freed of the tension of the lock stumbled forwards. Erin too moved forward, her broken blade outstretched, decapitating the goblinlord, with his own stumbling, letting him fall down as two, head and body.

One attack that was all that Erin needed to win. The Goblinlord had never stood a chance against her, neither against her magic nor against her in physical combat. I knew that she could even win with out using a weapon and only her fists. Granted I could do the same, without problem.

Ther Erin stood before the corpse of the dead Goblinlord, broken Katana in hand, her breath went heavy, I could see the steam coming from her breath and the sweat on her body and in her drenched hair. She looked incredible standing there, breathing heavy and drenched in sweat, looking like absolutely hot.

Erin turned her head towards me and smiled impishly, before raising her harm, purposefully flexing her muscles, brushing back the hair that had gotten in hair face. She didn’t break eye contact with me, her gray eyes sparkling with devilish joy. She was hot and she knew it, as well as that I thought the same and she had no qualms abusing this.

“We should go, its getting to hot.”

“~Oh my, … better take of some of these stuffy clothes.~”

“If you wish.”

Despite my brain running hot, I managed to take of my breasplate and arm amour in record time, even managing to flex my biceps and six pack, while doing so. Erins face was read and I wasn’t sure if it was from the fight, the warmth of the torches or a blush, not that I was any different.

“Anyways. Do you think that the Goblinlords skull is proof enough?”

“Should be, I am not going to collect a proof for all the goblins in the den.”

Erin picked to severed head of the Goblinlord and resummoned her burning light ball. Then we went of to find our way out of the maze that is the den. Taking of the amour was a bad idea by the way, the hallways were cold, not that it bothered, the picture of Erin brushing back her sweaty hair in my mind was hot enough to keep me warm enough on our way out of the den.