Why am I doing this? I met this guy less than twenty four hours ago! What is wrong with me?
I kept ridiculing myself in my own head for going inside of this cave. If the goblin out front is an indicator then that means that this is probably their den. This place must be swarming with them. I could very easily die at any moment. All my nerves are on edge and my senses are being pushed to their limits.
"C-C-Calm down. You have to just… keep… calm. Fear is your enemy. You can do this." I whispered to myself. My legs feel like they're made of jelly and I can hear my heart pounding in my head. I need to stay calm so I can handle this situation.
Okay, let's think. What have I learned so far? Point by point analysis time.
First: The perpetrators are goblins. They must have dragged Tael off while I was trying to sleep. Why didn't they also drag me off? Also why did Tael not make any noise? Are there goblin assassins, or rogues? If they do, then I'll need to be even more cautious. I could be attacked at any moment by sentries that may lie in wait.
Second: That group of goblins we fought earlier must have been a scouting party of sorts. If they were hunters then they would have had some type of ranged weapon. The goblins we fought earlier had daggers and a spear. The spear and swords were definitely meant for combat with other creatures, not hunting. If they were looking for people, then that means that they use them for something. This must mean that they had waited for us after the battle was over. It must have been that goblin that got away that told the rest where we were...
Third: Judging by the fact that there was only one goblin at the cave entrance, there are either very few goblins in this cave, they are doing something akin to a celebration that would drag all the goblins away so there wouldn't be any guards, or there are many entrances. No matter what it may be, my chances of grabbing Tael and escaping are not zero.
Most importantly, Fourth: Goblins are probably light sensitive. The goblins we fought earlier were only out when the sun was going down and the goblin I killed out front had to block the torchlight with its hand. This cave also has no light sources in it other than my torch, so I can only assume they can see in the dark. This would explain why Tael was taken and I wasn't. I was directly next to the fire so they couldn't see me. Ideally, I can use this to my advantage to be able to blind the goblins.
With this information, I can feel a bit of confidence returning to me. I've always done things like this since I was young. My logic is that if I can rationalize relevant details then I can plot out an optimal course.
I slowly dragged my feet around the stone surface of the cave. Each step echoed through the tunnels as I tried my best to stay as silent as possible. Eventually, through sheer dumb luck, I came across a small opening. As I stepped through it into a small circular room, I saw two familiar figures. There are two armed goblins inside. Both are carrying shortswords, a notable range increase from the goblins that we encountered before.
The goblin closest to me turned in response to the torchlight. "Graggah!" It shouted as it spotted me.
"Geerad!" The other goblin shouted in response.
They both began to charge at me, weapons raised. As a response to this, I lifted my torch highly and also prepared to defend myself with my sword.
"Gugh!" They both shouted as they covered their eyes.
It seems my theory is correct. Not one to lose an opportunity when it's presented, I quickly ran towards the goblins while they were stunned and attacked.
My first sword swing hit the goblin to my right. A sickening noise echoed as my opponent fell to the ground limply, like a puppet whose strings had been cut. As I turned to attack the second goblin, it jumped backwards. It squinted its eyes and watched me slowly before it rushed me with frightening speed.
I jumped backwards as he swiped his sword at me, but I wasn't able to entirely avoid it. His sword just barely grazed my right leg as I felt the heat of my blood begin to excrete out.
I don't know how to fight with swords much at all yet. All I currently know is how to stab and how to slash like the characters in the games I played in, though it's mostly a shoddy emulation at best. Despite my lack of skill, I decided that my best course of action would be to steady myself and prepare to counter attack this goblin. I held my sword in front of me as if to say "bring it on."
Like a bull to a red flag, the goblin charged at me with its sword tip forward. Thanks to my preparations, I side stepped its charge and stabbed it in the back before it was able to recover from its miss. After it went limp, I pulled my sword out of it. I then went over to the first goblin and proceeded to stab it where I determined its heart would be just to ensure that it was dead.
"Haah… Haah… Huff…" I panted. The anxiety and nerves of that fight had brought me to my limit. I can feel the paranoia set in as I bolted my eyes around the room quickly in search of any other threats.
After a moment, I realized how much my leg hurts where I was cut.
I kneeled on the ground as I began to catch my breath. Every fiber of my being is telling me to leave this place. I need to calm down. My leg hurts. I hope I don't get tetanus. What if I get an infection from this? Oh God...
After a momentary panic, I took a deep breath, closed my eyes, and steeled myself once again. I've already gone this far, turning back now just wouldn't make sense.
As I got back up, I heard the sound of a woman's scream come from deeper inside of the cave.