Bane might be a goblin but his values weren't the same as them.
He had his own personality. His own existence that neither a human nor a goblin.
The goblins had their own way of thinking that had their own pros and cons. And at the same time Bane's ways weren't free of cons either.
But needless to say, both sides cherished their ways. It was what defined them.
While Bane wouldn't argue with their choice of throwing away the lives of their kin at meat shields, for the sake of collecting food, he didn't particularly like it either.
Leaving and letting the goblins who stood with him die under the clutches of the bear might have been the best possible option in his current situation but it wasn't something Bane was going to choose.
"Can't run like a coward at the cost of comrades," Bane scoffed at his own thoughts earlier as he discarded them.
It was a matter of his ethics.
The moment they had fought alongside him they had already become one, even though the battle was forced.
If anyone was to be blamed for their current situation it was the goblin shaman who was leading them... the foot soldiers who fought alongside him weren't to be blamed.
'If I really have to vent out my frustration. It has to be on the shaman.'
Bane might have decided so, but he himself wasn't sure how strong the shaman was and if Bane would even be able to scratch him at all.
But Bane never thought of all of that. He would probably figure it out in the future.
Rather he had no time. His attention was more focused on the forest bear in front of him, who could kill him at any time with just a single wrong step.
The 'Danger Sense' skill rang like crazy in his ears only sometimes occasionally, indicating a lethal attack. Other times it was just the evasiveness provided due to the spear mastery skill that aided him to dodge.
But skills could only do so much when there was such a huge difference in strength. Bane had to be on his guard at all times.
"Die already!"
The poison coated spear that Bane was using had already stabbed the bear several times.
The stabs weren't too deep and there was only superficial bleeding... but that was the most that Bane could do now.
Bane had to be particularly be careful of his shabby spear from getting stuck into the bear's body like before. After all, it was his last line of defense.
The bear itself was tenacious as hell which explains its last burst of fury.
Perhaps it was smitten with solitude and it didn't want to die alone. So, it was going to take the goblins along with it!
"Damn"
More and more goblins left and right were being killed.
Bane wasn't really concerned with their deaths as he wasn't attached to anyone emotionally.
But with their already thinned out numbers... if more goblins were to die, his situation would become vulnerable.
The bear swung its paw again as it went down. The blood soaked claws of it seemed to be glimmering in the darkness.
But the attack this time wasn't headed for Bane.
"Don't die on me, dammit."
Bane extended his leg and kicked the goblin below the armpit.
"Griguek??"
The goblin shrieked as it got out peril in the last moment.
Just like this Bane was trying to cover for them one or two times, to stop the number from dwindling. But he couldn't prevent their fated doom.
Little by little it dwindled to the point where only he and selected few remained standing.
The bear also slowed down its fury with its moves becoming sluggish but...
It had its attention focused on Bane with no one else to care about.
The frightened goblins inflicted with the 'fear' status refused to come close.
The goblin archers shooting from amongst the trees and the shadows weren't places where the bear could possibly run to considering its current situation.
And the goblin shaman had already ran out of spells.
Bane was the only target that the forest bear could reach out to.
Bane had been the bug that had been buzzing under its nose for quite a while.
The bear could almost see his death approaching him already.
But if it could, it would take Bane down with him for bringing him to his current state.
*Gulp*
Bane swallowed a mouthful of saliva as their eyes locked.
For a moment, it felt as if the bear had almost froze in its spot staring at him as the other remaining goblins continued to attack it from multiple sides.
'What now?' Bane thought as he clenched on his spear with his guard higher than ever.
Bane was aware of his position...
As a food soldier, he was a cannon fodder amongst the ranks. If he were to be in danger, no one would come to save him.
But would he lose his life to a dying bear?
The only thing to note, was that Bane's will to live was nothing to scoff at. It was something that had brought him back to life from the depths of hell.
Bane gritted his teeth as the Bane finally let go of the eye contact and began its attack.
*Bam* *Boom*
The forest bear that was but attacking aimlessly till now had all his attention focused on a single goblin.
"I have to make it lose me."
Bane rushed to the other survivors trying to mend in with them, but that didn't seem to work with the bear.
'How is it differentiating between us anyway? All the goblins look the same to me.'
Being infuriated wasn't going to help.
Bane's legs were itself tired. He couldn't run any longer.
The bear's movements were slow due to the poison but Bane's condition wasn't any better either...
Even though Bane was running with all he had the bear was catching up anyway owing to its large size. Bane's small legs which he wasn't familiar with yet could only do so much.
Bane couldn't show its back to the bear any longer for fear of an assault from his blind spot.
He turned around to face it.
'If I can hold out, till it dies out... then its my win. But....'
*SP: 40/150*
Bane's stamina wasn't going to hold out if he keeps on running like this.
He had to consider how long the battle would be drawn out in mind and how much time it had before it died to the poison.
But the situation didn't look too good for Bane.
A goblin was fighting against the forest bear... the situation looked comical at best just considering their sizes.
With his shackled jaw and blood from several injuries, Bane didn't look the slightest bit of cool at least. Anyone would conclude that the lone goblin was going to die against the might bear.
*Bam* *Boom*
As soon as, Bane stopped running to defend against the monstrosity, a series of assault from the same began again.
Bane had to take a few steps back just to avoid them. Or more like he retreated out of pure fear from getting hit by them.
His decreasing SP had already reached the 'red zone'. It had already began to show its side effects as Bane began to lose his breath. The spontaneous motions that was needed to dodge the attacks were no longer possible with his current stamina.
Meanwhile, the survived goblins from before caught up with the two of them as they began to attack the forest bear once again.
"I see, they came too."
Bane did feel stupid to have joined them for this quest and to put his life to such danger.
But just like he hadn't abandoned them, they hadn't abandoned him either.
Bane smiled.
He felt that it was worth it, just for that alone.
For Bane knew better than anyone how the surviving goblins would be better off leaving Bane to the mercy of his fate... but they didn't.
'But with that being said. They aren't being of much help either.'
The forest bear was downright ignoring all of them to begin with.
'What's so weird about me, for it to target me like this?' Bane couldn't help but laugh at his bad luck.
But a ray of light definitely was there.
Not only had the attacks become slower than before, but if felt as if suddenly there was some kind of 'cooldown' between consecutive attacks which only eased Bane's struggle.
'Perhaps it is too tired to attack consecutively.'
Bane could understand how the forest bear felt.
Just like it, he was tired too.
It was only but a rush of adrenaline or whatever hormones the goblins had that kept him moving under the threat of life.
The battle had drawn too long for either of them and there were no reinforcements either.
Bane felt as if legs would give out the moment the bear lost his life.
Would Bane even be able to walk back to the tribe with his tired legs?
Or would the goblin shaman abandon him and take the spoils?
The thought began to worry him and tire him even more. Being a foot soldier sure was hard.
*SP 20/150*
"Shit"