A Time of Tigers - From Peasant to Emperor

Chapter 49: Battle With The Goblins - Part 15

It seemed to Beam that water was even more their weakness than he had expected.

He allowed himself a smile, as he fought to stay on his feet despite the exhaustion. The river was not particularly wide. One could reach the middle of it in a single jump, just as Beam had – but there was no way for them to clear it entirely, unless they swam.

And now, it was merely a matter of angering the creatures enough that they would attempt the treacherous crossing.

Beam reached down by his feet to pick up a rock. His arm felt numb from where the Goblin had bitten his shoulder, but there was still enough strength in it to fling a stone across the river, bouncing it off the head of the closest Goblin.

The creature looked at him, stunned for a few moments. The blow didn't have enough strength to hurt it – but it was more than enough to annoy it. It hollowed, gaining enough anger to finally overcome its fear of the water. It ran, launching itself a further distance than Beam had managed, somehow making it to the end of the log.

It took a moment to balance itself before it thundered along the slick piece of wood and leapt up on to the other side.

But that had been within Beam's expectations. The point had never been to drown the Goblins, necessarily. It was merely to at the very least ensure they couldn't attack with the full strength of their numbers.

Beam's exhaustion lent his movements an efficiency they didn't have before, and as soon as he saw the Goblin's head peak over his bank of the river, he buried his knife in its neck and twisted it out in a slash, half severing the creatures head, before his boot made contact with it and he allowed the body to fall into the river.

"The more tired he's getting, the more he's tapping into his potential…" Dominus murmured. "I see – so that's how it is," he said, finally realizing something.

Indeed, it was not that Beam was perfectly balanced, as he had assumed before. It was not mere balance that kept him alive all those years against the curse of Ingolsol. It was resistance. He wielded both together, though it was resistance that manifest itself more than balance.

Dominus could only assume that, somehow, Beam had kept the curse at bay by mere resistance, whilst at the same time letting the curse come forth for a moment, to retain an overall balance. A dangerous dance, where he tried to manhandle his partner. It was nowhere near as graceful as Dominus had first assumed – it was a desperate struggle to live.

Beam continually suppressed the curse that afflicted him, allowing it to shift at times, but never allowing it to make a connection with his soul. And now that he had the blessing of Claudia, he was doing the same to that. Even as he fought the Goblins, there was a battle continually raging in his soul, as he dared to war with two Gods.

Beam smiled grimly seeing his strategy work. "Only you two left." He told them, his fear nearly all but gone as just pure exhaustion dominated his entire being.

It was either his smile, seeing their comrade so ruthlessly slaughtered, or the fact that they knew it was possible to reach him. Their hesitation was gone. The two creatures leapt at the same time in a foolishly ill-thought-out attempt. It looked like they would barrel into each other and go crashing into the water, or at the very least flip the log under their weight.

But, somehow, neither happened. The log bounced high on the opposite end, looking like it was about to be dislodged, but the Goblins – saved by their own nimbleness and balance – leapt forward to the centre, managing to steady it again.

Even though they'd leapt at the same time and were trying to barge past each other, the width of the log would still not allow them to reach Beam by any other means but single file.

He launched another rock at them before they came, pleased just to be able to unsettle them somewhat. Then it was time to greet the first of the Goblins.

Green hands the size of a child's pulled themselves up onto the ledge, with even more urgency than the Goblin before him had, but Beam was ready for it. As soon as the hand grabbed onto the ledge, Beam's knife flashed and severed it at the wrist.

The Goblin squealed and fell back onto the log, allowing its comrade to overtake it. The second Goblin leapt atop the body of the first, using it as a springboard as it cleared the river bank without needing to climb it.

It sailed through the air and landed with a roll. Beam grit his teeth, knowing that this would likely be his hardest opponent yet, now that he was tired and the Goblin knew what he was capable of. His only saving grace was that the creature no longer had a weapon – but if anything, that only served in the beast's favour, as its confusion was erased with the choice between a spear and a bite ceasing to exist.

Beam initiated the attack this time, knowing that with every passing moment, his position grew more precarious. He had to finish this here and now if he wanted any hope at victory.

He moved quickly, despite his fatigue, and pushed the Goblin back towards the river, making it fight with that danger at its back. Then he circled it, trying to narrow the creature's options. But as evidenced by its fight with the bear – these little brutes were masters at evasion, if they chose to do so.

As Beam came in close, the Goblin side stepped and leapt as if to move behind him, but that was where Beam's knife was lying in wait. He'd created the opening purposefully, luring the Goblin into a position where it could no longer defend itself – the same strategy he had used to defeat all the rest.

This one was a little more nimble in its avoidance of his blade, but he still managed to deliver a massive slash along the length of the creature's back as it twisted to avoid the blow. It hissed in pain and backed away from him.

Beam cursed, having not been able to secure the kill. The other Goblin climbed up to join its brethren, blood pouring from its wrist where Beam had severed its hand. Both creatures were dripping green blood, but the hatred in their eyes still had not dulled. This was where Goblins were most dangerous, Beam knew. Their group fighting strength when compared to their individual might was truly exceptional.