Chapter 5

“Goblins on meee!” screamed the witch.

The Goblins who had been filtering around the tents roared and flung themselves forward. The giant of a Goblin from earlier charged through a tent, one of his arms was limp, dislocated, Rain was pleased to see he’d had some effect.

Spears and swords rushed toward him, he didn’t hesitate, he grabbed the witch and placed her between himself and them. Her eyes widened and she began to scream for them to stop but too late, a spear punctured her belly.

Rain backed off as the Goblins realised what they had done, their howls of rage just rose all the higher as the witch sunk to the ground.

She held her stomach wound and glared at Rain.

“The spelled trinket didn’t work but I don’t doubt you’re a monster just as awful as what It was meant to stop.” She spat blood.

The witch held up a hand and a fireball began to coalesce in her palm. Fire. Suppressed memories tried to crawl into Rain’s mind, being forced to dance to Myra’s fire while she giggled at his pain, the flames licking up his leg, burning his hands as he desperately tried to put it out.

He found himself moving before he was even aware of it, he acted so suddenly that the witch didn’t have time to release her fireball and her mouth could only hang open as he flew through the air teeth first. His jaws came down on her neck and tore half of it away before she could move to stop him. The fire in her palms winked out as quickly as the light in her eyes.

“Motherrrr!!!” screamed the large muscular Goblin as it stomped toward Rain, Its bad arm flapping at its side. A calloused hand wrapped around Rain’s neck tearing him from the witch’s corpse and slammed him onto the ground, the Goblin used its weight to pin him, their faces were close, snarling at each other like animals. The crazed look in the large Goblin’s eyes made it clear he intended to kill Rain at any cost. Having no arm to hurt Rain with other than the one pinning him down the Goblin instead went with the next best thing. Its teeth. Angular yellowed teeth bit down on Rain’s snout digging furrows and cutting to the bone. Rain screamed and struggled madly trying to get away from the terrible pressure and pain piercing his face. His claws raked at the Goblin’s sides but to no avail. Out of desperation Rain reverted to instinct. He lunged his head forward forcing his muzzle into the Goblins mouth and then closed his mouth over the Goblin’s lower jaw. The bone held for one second, two seconds, three seconds, and then with a noise like shattering china the Goblins jaw exploded under the sheer pressure Rain’s wolf jaws could exert. His teeth crunched down on splintered bone and teeth and he twisted his head tearing off the Goblin’s lower jaw entirely.

The Goblin was left reeling, its tongue flopping from the massive gaping hole in its head where its jaw used to be. Rain pulled his feet back and managed to kick the Goblin in the chest flinging him off. The horde of Goblins seeing Rain prone on the ground jumped at the chance and surged over him. His view of the crystals on the cavern ceiling was swiftly blocked by screaming Goblin faces crowding over him, each Goblin carrying something sharp. He felt metal puncture his side, his shoulder, his stomach, he roared in agony desperately trying to get away but the sheer weight of Goblin flesh climbing over him and holding him down kept him from escaping.

A knife flashed toward his eye and he ducked his head only enough for it to go through his ear. Now mindless with pain Rain stretched his neck and tore out the Goblin’s throat, again with the next Goblin, two Goblins flopped back dead. But there was more, so much more, and he couldn’t reach any more necks!