I can’t see… am I crying… I am… but I’m wetter than I should be… why am I so wet… is it raining… why has the floor changed… what’s going on?

  I shook my head and wiped my eyes… where the hell am I? Where is everyone? Did I pass out? If I did then why would somebody bring me here and leave me? Was all that a dream? Am I going to wake up in my bed with my arms still broken?

  I pressed the ground… it feels real… what happened? I need to find somebody… I need to know what happened, maybe it was an illusion… maybe she’s ok… I need to know. I stood up and looked around… wherever I am, it is far from where I was… there is no woodland… no grass… nothing… just rocks and sand… an arid wasteland. There are what looks like some cliffs over in that direction… maybe there I can find somewhere to bunker down for the night. Wherever I am, the sun has almost set, and this rain has soaked me through… I need shelter.

  I walked for at least a couple of hours before I reached some cliffs. I feel exhausted… at least my nose is beginning to clear a bit… I can smell something other than blood for the first time in a while. Is that smoke… if there’s smoke, then somebody else is here… I need to find the fire.

  It took what felt like forever for me to walk through all the winding paths around these cliffs to find the fire. It was just outside a small alcove in the side of the cliff. Not really deep enough to call a cave… but deep enough to provide shelter from the rain.

  I moved closer to the fire… there was what looked like somebody wrapped in a blanket inside the alcove but I couldn’t make out anything else. The ground was rocky and wet, so I couldn’t exactly check for tracks. And my nose was full of blood and smoke, so smell wasn’t helping me either. There was no way to approach from cover as the area was so open… that also means there is no place that I can be surprised from. This should be fine… I can advance… I’ll get to the fire… then I can call out to whoever is in that blanket.

  I reached the fire and was about to speak out when suddenly I saw what looked like some pieces of gravel sprinkle on the ground… I jumped back just in time as a large club slammed into the ground where I once stood. This was no ordinary club… it looked like an incredibly large dragon’s tooth. Not a sharp front tooth designed for shredding. More like a molar for chewing… but with a handle carved into the root.

  I looked up at the creature holding it. It was a lizardman. He had a large scar across the white of his stomach; he wore a tanned leather loincloth and in his other hand he carried a shield that appeared to be a hollowed-out dragon skull with metal sheets blocking the eye holes.

  Where the hell did he come from? There was no cover for him to sneak up on me… shit… did he jump down from the cliff? But how? There are no ledges?

  This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

  Lizardman: “Back away goblin! You have no business here!”

  Dwynfel: “Please… I just need to know where I am!”

  The lizardman swung his club in my direction again, I was only just able to get out of the way.

  Lizardman: “Somewhere you are not welcome!”

  Dwynfel: “I don’t want to fight… I just need to know where I am!”

  The lizardman continued to swing his club at me. He clearly isn’t going to stop anytime soon… shit… I’m not going to get any answers out of him… but I need to know who is under that blanket.

  Lizardman: “You speak well for a goblin. But your tricks will not deceive me!”

  I drew my daggers and prepared to fight him.

  Dwynfel: “What tricks? I just want to talk… but I will defend myself if you keep attacking!”

  The blows kept coming… backing me further and further away from the fire. Shit… I’m able to dodge him but I can’t get near him to cut him… his club keeps me at range and every time I slip past it, I’m just met with his shield. I may have to run here.

  Lizardman: “Are you simply stalling until the others get here? Why do you persist? You will not get past me! The child and the frail woman will never be yours!”

  Hang on… child and frail woman? Is it Phoenix? Does he have Phoenix and the boy? I wouldn’t exactly class her as frail, but to somebody like him, her arm may cause him to take that stance. If he has them, then I can’t leave… shit… how do I get round him? If I don’t try to cut him and just focus on getting around him… that might work… right… ok… lets go.

  He swung his club down and I dodged to his right and began to run around the side of him. This was a bad mistake… he swung his club along the floor line and swiped my feet out from under me. He was about to swing his club down on me when suddenly a fireball hit him in the arm. He recoiled to one side.

  I sat up and saw Phoenix at the far side of the fire. The blanket hasn’t moved… so she hasn’t just woken up… hold on… I can smell sweet apples… Kiyui… he was talking about Kiyui…

  Phoenix: “What are you two doing?”

  Lizardman: “Red woman! Why do you align yourself with this creature?”

  Phoenix: “He’s in my party!”

  Lizardman: “Goblins do not join parties! Be you a witch of the corruption?”

  Phoenix: “Urgh. This would have been a lot easier if you had your cowl on.”

  Dwynfel: “I’m sorry… I don’t know where it is.”

  Phoenix: “Probably still outside that cave.”

  Dwynfel: “Well, where the hell are we now.”

  Lizardman: “Enough of your nonsense! If you are with the goblin, then prepare to fight, human!”

  I quickly jumped to my feet and raised my daggers… with Phoenix distracting him with fireballs I should be able to get some cuts in. The lizardman lunged towards me with his club when suddenly Kiyui appeared between us.

  Kiyui: “Stop!”

  Lizardman: “Do not defend this creature. Goblins do not have good things in mind for the likes of you.”

  Kiyui turned to the lizardman.

  Kiyui: “Stand down, Damecus. They’re my friends.”

  Damecus: “Even the goblin?”

  Kiyui: “Yes!”

  Damecus: “I do not understand.”

  Thank you very much for continuing to read this story.