Chapter 17: Hobgoblin Challenger

"You have this, eh...glint in your eyes that, heh, makes me a little nervous," he admitted. "I guess mythickin are pretty beastly in the end, no matter what they look like, huh?"

"Hmm-hmm." She pointed at the blue sphere overhead. "It’s the moon; it appears that different colors, or the ones of other worlds, have various effects on me—well, that’s my current theory anyway. Oh, heh, I’m still me," she reassured, showing a toothy grin at his strained chuckle.

"You could say...I’m more me than I am otherwise—unfiltered is a good word... I’m still figuring it out, though. In any case, you’ll want to reach the kids before they get the idea of using them as shields; I’ve...kind of given them the idea that I’m not that kind of hero."

"You don’t say," he mumbled, eyeing her gore-stained front and arms. "I look forward to the story about your night when this is done. Any reason you’re staying out here...other than moon-bathing?"

"I have a challenger coming that has been keeping me waiting for too long," she sighed, gesturing with her thumb behind her. "I suppose it’s my fault for trying to get him riled up; he does seem motivated to come back after that last horn, though."

"Cool. Cool." Anthony eased around her, keeping his guard up, which Rachel found cute. Although she certainly was someone to keep your guard up around.

If only there were two of me, Rachel internally lamented, knowing she’d find a good fight in herself. Her focus returned to Anthony as he paused just outside the rather large cavern entrance.

"Oh, by the way, Zoe wanted me to let you know that she thinks we all share EXP, and it works from a distance—at least, however far away you were at the time."

"Mmh. So, leveled up as well. Good to know. Heh. Remember—"

"Watch my sword on the walls," Anthony finished with a laugh, switching to his short sword. "Zoe watches some...weird shit."

"I bet she does," Rachel mused, having heard part of the story behind that comment on their travel to the caravan. "There are some warriors inside and plenty of places to lay ambushes, so...be careful."

"Always! I hope I don’t come out to hare stew, as well."

Rachel gave him a light glare. "Have a little faith in me."

"Right! Right! Haha. I guess I should wish the other dude luck with how you look right now. You...good to help me with the kids when I get them out?"

"I’m not a complete monster," Rachel huffed. "I just...like a good fight."

"Good to hear, and some advice from the cat-girl: there may be hobgoblins here, or far stronger versions of goblins, which, I think you confirmed," he chimed, showing her a thumbs up and flashing his teeth before heading into the depths to complete his hidden mission.

Hobgoblins? Well, we have a name.

Working out her arms and cracking her neck, Rachel checked the security of her ponytail and running shoes as her large opponent showed up. Her footwear wasn’t designed for the beating she’d given them since they were a street-running pair, but they should hold up as long as she needed them to.

Anticipation drew her focus to the brute of a goblin that stood even taller than Anthony, boasting muscles that made Rachel envious and curse her own misfortune; first appearances were looking up, and that wasn’t the only thing that drew her hungry gaze.

Well-polished, light armor covered part of the red-skinned goblin’s leathery hide, and a topknot held his chocolate-colored hair in place. He wielded a broad sword that shimmered in the sapphire moonlight, and a pair of studded topaz earrings adorned his pointed ears.

His large, downturned nose crinkled as he scowled at her, pointing a finger, his gravelly tone holding a grounded accent. "You... You are no human—beast woman. You fight for their precious gold."

"Is that what I do?" Rachel hummed, flexing her fingers. She kept her focus, aware that magic existed in this world, and she wasn’t so unversed in fiction as to not conclude he could be using an enchanted weapon or items.

"I’ve never fought against someone who used a sword before... Well, I guess you could argue that your henchmen use swords," she mumbled, watching the hobgoblin take a stance that showed he was no amateur.

This...might be harder than I initially thought. This is what I want!

Bouncing up and down on her toes, Rachel shook herself out, thinking that her Muay Thai was an excellent start, but maybe she should invest in weapon training at some point. Having more options was never a bad thing, but she would need someone to teach her some basics—it just so happened she’d met a pretty red-haired man who could offer some help in that area.

"My future is a total mess!" she laughed, wondering if she may have been too prideful not to have put anything in her Stats or gained new Feat additions, but maybe she could put them in without entering the meditative state; she’d learn soon enough.

Time slowed as her Feats activated, and she shot forward, paying close attention to every twitch the warrior made, yet alarms flooded her muscles as a light-yellow glow encompassed the goblin, driving the creature forward much faster than she’d anticipated and causing after-image outlines that confused her.

Damn. He is using enchantments or some kind of ability!

Pivoting to the left to buy herself time, Rachel timed it as best she could, palms clamping down on the sword to try and bring it to a stop. Instead, her ears were carried forward in a sudden turn around that widened her eyes, seeing the grin on the goblin’s face as her feet left the soil—she was too light, no matter her strength.

Her abs tightened, pushing back against the sword so it wouldn’t reach her belly as he brought her into a full circle—her destination, a tree—he was trying to cut her clean in two.

She let only her left eye close, trying to keep the air trapped in her lungs while keeping the sword away from her vulnerable gut; they came to a standstill.

The hobgoblin’s grip eased lower to apply more leverage as he held her against the tree and tried to cut through. Unfortunately, he rivaled her power—of which she had more than Strength. She couldn’t outlast him; this would be a battle to end quickly.

Rachel forced out a laugh, nose twisting and arms beginning to shake from the effort. He really was strong, and her feet weren’t much help pressed against the trunk to keep her stable, but she did have another option since her [Lunar Pool] was capped.

Trying to find wiggle room, she whipped her ponytail around, managing to cause the thick bundle to slide between her struggling arms as the blade’s edge came closer and closer to her belly. She swapped grips from the sword to her illuminated, silver locks, relying on [Lunar Coat] to save her. The locks caught the edge, acting as a shield; at least her absurdly long and thick hair was somewhat helpful.

Elbow swapping to her abs to apply leverage, she found purchase to kick the goblin’s chest, forcing him to stumble back from her pinned position and allowing her to slide down the bark to the damp soil.

Her sports bra made a few ripping sounds, accompanied by rough cuts and splinters. But she quickly found her balance and drew distance from the sneering creature. Upon feeling a light sting from her left side, Rachel forced a grin, using the tree as a temporary barrier.

From her wide field of view, she saw he’d managed to cut a small lock out of her hair and make a shallow wound on her side, with thick, white blood oozing out of her wound. The combination of his speed enhancement and magical weapon posed a real risk—at least, it seemed like a magical weapon due to the damage it had done to her hair. That said, these risky fights were always the most fun.

"Wooh... Close one," she laughed, making sure to keep herself in view of the two lunar spheres while wishing to place points into her Quickness and Power, yet nothing happened; it looked like it could only be done in the meditative state. "Damn...where did you get those magical items?" she asked, brandishing her resilient, glowing ponytail.

"You are tougher than most beast people I slay," he huffed, advancing on her again. "You no last long against Mish’nig."

"Is that your sword’s name, or yours? Let’s just say that’s your name," she hummed, swallowing and calming her thumping heart. It had been ballsy to try and fight someone using a sword with her fists, but a grin brightened Rachel’s face upon recalling Zoe’s words. "Why don’t we change locations?"

Tactical retreat is not running away! Rachel shouted to herself as she turned and dashed for the cave entrance, far outstripping the snarling hobgoblin who probably thought she was trying to escape. Given her superior speed, she certainly could have, but that wasn’t her goal.