Wondrous goblin of magic

Chapter 8: Leo Wakes Up

A distant, rhythmic voice reached Leo through the fog of unconsciousness, pulling him slowly back to reality.

“Leo… Leo… Leo!”

He struggled to open his eyes, blinking against the light, and saw a familiar face hovering above him.

“Thank goodness, Leo! You’re awake at last!”

It was the Handsome Instructor, looking both relieved and a bit out of breath, as if they'd narrowly avoided disaster. Leo tried to sit up but was immediately overwhelmed by a wave of nausea and the metallic taste of blood in his mouth. His gaze flickered around the surroundings—he was seated amidst broken stones, with his students gathered around him, all watching with wide eyes.

Then the memories came rushing back—the goblin. That freakishly small creature had blocked his every strike. Even more unsettling, it had caught his weapon with one bare hand, then wrenched it away like it was made of paper. He had summoned all his strength, yet that kick—the one that sent him flying—still made his body ache just thinking about it.

Leo clenched his fists, his face darkening. How could a goblin like that even exist? A creature so small, yet so powerful.

“Are you all right, Leo? Can you stand?” the Handsome Instructor asked, concern in his voice. Leo noticed a faint glow fading from the instructor’s hand—a healing spell. But no magic could mend this kind of injury.

Leo shook his head, trying to shake off the image of the goblin’s strength. “Where’s… where’s that goblin?”

The Handsome Instructor sighed, his face twisting with a mixture of frustration and bemusement. “It left. After… robbing you.”

“Robbing me?” Leo’s voice was barely a whisper of disbelief.

“Yes,” the instructor confirmed, his tone grim. “It took your coin pouch before leaving. And, well… it demanded mine too. Threatened to harm one of our students if I didn’t hand it over. I didn’t have much of a choice.”

Leo pressed his hand to his forehead, trying to suppress a groan. The humiliation was worse than any wound he could have received. Not only had he been thoroughly beaten by a goblin, but he’d been robbed by one as well.

“We should head back to town,” the Handsome Instructor suggested. “This goblin is far more dangerous than we anticipated. We need reinforcements before we try anything else.”

Meanwhile, Alex—unbothered by the events—was already on his way back to his lair, proudly carrying the black-handled sword he’d taken. Testing it on a few branches along the way, he was impressed by its balance, even if it wasn’t as heavy as he’d prefer. It would do. No more worrying about crushing his prey to a pulp; with this weapon, he'd have the precision to make a clean kill.

As for the coins he’d taken? Meh. He didn’t know their value and had no use for them yet. But a little extra loot was never a bad thing.

When he reached the entrance to his lair, however, something unusual caught his eye. His comrade, “Sneaky,” had been pinned to the rock wall by a crude wooden spear. Alex paused, staring at the body, not out of sadness but out of sheer confusion. He had been gone less than a day—how had this happened so quickly?

The body showed no signs of an animal attack, which was strange. It felt almost... deliberate.

“Humans?” Alex muttered, his mind flicking back to the two instructors he had encountered earlier. The strange aura of energy they had emanated was still fresh in his memory. They were powerful, and if they were targeting goblins, they could wipe out a whole nest without breaking a sweat.

“Without me here to protect them... figures they wouldn’t stand a chance,” Alex mused with a sigh, a bit of frustration creeping into his voice.

He made his way into the lair, growing suspicious. Had the humans stayed behind to finish what they started?

As Alex entered the main cavern, his eyes narrowed. A bizarre sight greeted him: a group of goblins—green-skinned and gangly—were dancing in a crude circle, performing what looked like some sort of ritual. Their movements stopped the instant they saw Alex, and they turned to stare, wide-eyed, like they’d just been caught in a f*******n act.

His gaze shifted, and his eyes twitched. His old throne—his throne—was draped with a foul-smelling hide. He had given that stinking thing to Sneaky as a joke. Now, seated on the throne was a tall, spindly goblin that Alex didn’t recognize.

Have I been dethroned? Alex thought, irritation simmering beneath the surface. He had never cared much for leadership, but this blatant disregard for his position made his blood boil. They didn’t even wait for him to die before replacing him!

At that moment, the new leader let out a shrill bark, waving its arms toward Alex and demanding he bow. Alex’s mouth twitched with amusement. This little upstart has guts, I’ll give it that.

When Alex didn’t respond, the new leader’s face contorted in rage. Brandishing a rusty dagger, it pointed directly at Alex and shouted, “Get him!”

A pack of goblins, now armed with makeshift weapons, began to circle Alex, their eyes narrowed and hostile.

Alex chuckled, eyes gleaming. “So, you want to die? Fine. I could use the practice.”

In one swift motion, he unsheathed the black-bladed sword. The blade gleamed ominously in the firelight as he swung it in a smooth arc.

Sching! The sword met its mark, slicing through goblins and their weapons with a clean, resonant sound. The challengers crumpled to the floor, lifeless.

The new leader, frozen in horror, could only watch as Alex calmly wiped the blade clean.

“Well,” Alex said with a smirk, “I think it’s safe to say I’m back in charge.