Chapter 6: A Goblin's Pastime: Sorcery and Survival - A Duel of Wits and Magic

Sorcery, one of the twelve art forms of magic, is the most prominent art form used within the borders of Helvetia. This art form utilizes magical tools crafted using enchanted items engraved with runes. A sorcerer must pour their mana into these items to activate the spells. The strategic location grants Helvetia access to many precious magical resources, making it a thriving epicentre for developing new sorcery tools. Helvetia is one of the World's major exporters of these highly sought-after tools due to their quality and the rarity of materials used.

Though incorporating sorcery into a nation's military is expensive, Helvetia's abundant resources have made it the backbone of its military might. The only art form more widely used in the country and all over the World is Wizardry, known for its cost-effectiveness and accessibility.

The atmosphere was tense as the Brave Seven prepared for the inevitable clash. The rustling of leaves and the distant growls hinted at the approaching threat. Lieutenant Clarissa, with her unwavering determination, took charge of the situation.

"Stay sharp and keep your formation tight!" Clarissa commanded, her voice firm and resolute.

The group of Brave Seven surrounded each other's backs, tasked with guarding Arc and the two support mages. They stood firm as the shadows in the forest grew clearer, revealing their adversaries.

“Of course, it’s the goblins,” Ashley remarked sarcastically, her eyes narrowing at the sight of the grotesque creatures.

The goblin raiders made their presence known, led by a tall, bulky goblin riding a black horse. The Goblin Leader's eyes were red, his skin a dark, almost pitch-black green, making him look like an ogre. The horde of thirty goblins surrounded them from all sides, some perched on trees, some on rock formations, and others on the ground. The situation was dire.

“This is my chance,” Clarissa thought, channelling a large chunk of mana into her body, armour, and trusty blade. She activated the spell engravings on them, preparing for a lightning-fast attack.

Clarissa, a lightning element specialist, infused her blade with electric energy. She lunged at the leader with blinding speed, her blade crackling with lightning aura. But before anyone could react, with relative ease, the goblin leader blocked her attack using a massive club enveloped in dense mana.

“That was close,” the goblin leader spoke in human tongue, shocking Clarissa.

“You can speak human tongue?” Clarissa asked, landing back in a defensive pose.

“This is bad,” she thought. “A goblin that can talk human tongue… I’ve heard reports about this but never seen one in person.”

Ashley, who also was a former adventurer, approached and whispered into Clarissa's ears, “This is bad, Lieutenant. A Goblin, this intelligent and wielding such mana is dangerous. The guild encountered one like this before, and only one member of a twelve-man party barely managed to live and tell the tale.”

“I know,” Clarissa cut her off, her eyes never leaving the goblin leader.

Before they could continue, the goblin leader interrupted, “I’m getting bored. How about we play a little game to pass the time?”

Aside from their leader, the twenty-nine goblins surrounding the Brave Seven cheered ominously, their eyes gleaming with malice.

Ashley, who had been calm so far, lost confidence. “They can all talk,” she muttered fearfully.

“What kind of game?” Clarissa asked, masking her fear with a stern expression.

“We each have one member fight in a duel to the death or until someone concedes defeat. We continue until one side has no fighters left standing, and the ones who concede defeat cannot partake in later bouts even if they are in shape to continue fighting after recovery,” the goblin leader proposed his grin widening.

Clarissa agreed but added conditions. “We choose our fighters, and the leaders fight last.”

“Fine, but I have a minor change. We can choose who from the other team fights first. Of course, the same terms apply to you as well.” the goblin leader countered, his eyes gleaming with cunning.

After seeing where the goblin leader's fingers were pointing, Lieutenant Clarissa understood his intention immediately. "Of course, it was the scout!" Clarissa thought to herself. "To prevent an escape route", She reluctantly agreed and chose one of the weaker goblins to even the odds for Elara, the only scout of the group. Elara, proficient in scouting and Basic combat spells, managed to kill her first goblin opponent swiftly using her nifty short sword and dagger.

“You’ve got this, Elara!” someone shouted, boosting her morale.

The second duel began after Clarissa chose which one of the goblin raiders would fight next. Elara moved with agility, using her short sword and dagger to dispatch the second target quickly. Her victories restored morale, but the third duel was Tougher. She barely managed to kill her third goblin opponent as her mana reserves and stamina had dwindled.

“Stand down, Elara!” Clarissa ordered, her voice sharp with concern.

“I can handle it,” Elara insisted, choosing to fight a fourth duel. She won but got scraped by a poison-laced blade during her duel, causing her to faint right after she took down her fourth opponent. The score was now 4 to 1.

Next was Ashley Strider, who wielded dual blades with remarkable skill. She faced her first opponent with confidence a goblin wielding a crude axe.

“You’re going down,” Ashley muttered, her blades glinting in the dim light.

She swiftly defeated the creature, her movements fluid and precise.

The next opponent goblin, armed with a spear, was more challenging. Ashley dodged the thrusts and countered with a flurry of slashes.

“Not bad for a goblin,” she taunted, finally disarming her opponent and delivering the final blow.

Her consecutive victories did boost her lost morale. Yet deep down, she knew that the ones she was fighting were small fries compared to the ones eagerly enjoying the fight. And it was only thanks to the Lieutenant's choices that her opponents were Easily dealt with.

Her third opponent was cunning, using wind magic to blind her with dust. Ashley’s vision blurred as she was caught off guard because she was lost in deep thought, and She struggled to keep up with her goblin opponent's attacks.

“Damn it!” she cursed as the poison took effect, her movements slowing. The duel-wielding goblins final strike incapacitated her and forced her to fall to the ground. The score was 6 to 2.

The Arden twins, Luto and Lizzi, stepped up next. Their fights were a sight to behold. They left no openings for their opponents in their respective bouts.

“Ready, pretty face?” Luto asked his eyes on the goblins.

“Are all goblins this ugly,” Lizzi remarked, her sword glowing with energy.

They faced the goblins with unmatched powers, each securing four victories. Luto’s swordplay was precise, while Lizzi’s blade work was a sight to bewitch.

“Together or not, we’re unstoppable,” Luto declared, slicing through a goblin’s defences.

“Let’s show them what Mages of House Arden are made of,” Lizzi remarked, casting a powerful slash of fire magic with her blade.

Exhausted but victorious, they conceded respectively after four bouts, their mana reserves depleted. The score was 14 to 4.

Thomas Graydor, an adventurer adept with a spear and shield, faced the next duel. His first opponent, a goblin wielding similar weapons, fell to Thomas’es water attribute spell Primarily because the opponent was not skilled in magic and fell victim to Graydor's sharp water-attribute-imbued spear.

“Nice one, Thomas!” someone cheered.

The second goblin opponent used earth magic to craft weapons. Nevertheless, Thomas's skill gave him the upper hand as the goblin raider was skilled in earth attribute spells but lacked any necessary talent to wield any weapons he had conjured. His third opponent, a fire mage, fought him fiercely. He launched a barrage of fire spells. Each fire spell attack was blocked easily by Graydor's shield. But as the events continued, the vaporized water created a thick fog of steam, disorienting Thomas's vision for a split second. The goblin raider took advantage of this opening and charged at Thomas. Unable to block the charged attack in time. Graydor threw his shield at the goblin raider to gain distance and put the green monster off balance. In the process, Graydor's shield got damaged and rendered useless. The goblin raider noticed what Graydor had planned to do and thwarted his attempts. Wasting no time, the Goblin grabbed Graydor's spear, heating it several degrees high. Thomas was forced to drop it.

“This isn’t over!” Thomas growled, but the goblin’s final fire spell came fully charged at point-blank range, gravely injuring Graydor. The score was 16 to 5.

Healer Lyra and support mage Kieran fought next but conceded immediately, lacking the willpower and skills to face the goblins. The score was 16 to 7.

Sherry Greenwood, a skilled mage, faced a fire-wielding goblin. Their ranged combat was a stalemate, with Sherry’s wind spells matching the goblin’s fire spells. The fire spells were crude, but the wind spells that Sherry cast further augmented the fire spells as the goblin had a domain advantage, forcing Sherry to spend more mana than she required.

“What’s the matter, mage?” the goblin taunted.

“Nothing I can’t handle,” Sherry replied, focusing her mana. She remembered a glimpse of a memory where she played with her companions using simple spells. "of course, it's 'Rumble'!" Sherry remarked, coming back to her senses. Hidden in the barrage of wind spells, She cast an unnoticeable rumble spell. For a brief moment, The ground beneath her opponent shook, causing the goblin to go off balance. This small window was enough for her to secure a finishing blow using a wind synth spell. The spell cut through the goblin-like shredded paper, securing Sherry a resounding victory.

“Victory is ours!” Sherry shouted, her voice filled with triumph. But as she turned to face her next opponent, the goblin leader, her mana reserves depleted, and she fell unconscious to the ground. The score was 17 to 8.

It was Clarissas' turn. The goblin leader chuckled. “Your turn, human.”

“I’m ready,” Clarissa replied, her blade crackling with lightning. “And my name is Lieutenant Clarissa Silverblade of the Strossburg Brigade. Who are you?” she demanded, her eyes blazing with determination. “I am Vorag the Merciless. This will be fun,” he replied ominously.

The goblin leader charged with his club, each strike powerful enough to crack the ground. Clarissa knew this was the final stand. She took a deep breath, steeling herself for the battle ahead. The fate of her team rested on her shoulders.

***