The run to catch with the rightmost group weighed on him. Artie didn't notice, but he moved slightly faster than before. Unfortunately, he still had an awful constitution.
Once near his destination, Artie's ears picked up on yelling, so he delayed himself another couple of minutes before arriving late onto the scene.
He was surprised to see a large clearing in the forest and stopped roughly three cars away from an ongoing battle. There was an enormous, dark cave at the end of the field where Ryu's and Ferrari's supposed guilds waged war outside.
Artie watched in awe at what he'd been seeing, and an emotional relief washed over him. There was comfort in knowing that humanity could go toe to toe with monsters of that world. So, he became elated. At least until he discovered what they were fighting.
Goblins, real-life, straight out of a nightmare, goblins. One after another, they emerged out of the cave with spiked clubs.
Sunlight lit the field ablaze. Both the grass and nearby trees were an unusual, warm orange like they'd been blanketed in paint.
Artie could clearly see the exchange of blows between the two sides. And not just see but hear and smell. The scent wafting in the air was pungent; the fictional creatures smelled like a mixture of musk and feces, and the blood on the field only further incited the odor.
War cries of humans drowned out the squeaky screams of the goblins that were no taller than Artie's waist. The only clothing they knew were garments that covered their lower body and hand wraps to grip their spiked clubs. Pointy and bumpy noses, full bellies, green skin, and void black round eyes, exactly how he'd seen them depicted throughout fictional history.
Perplexed by the scenery, Artie had forgotten where he was and that there were no observers in war.
"That one's fleeing your way!" Yelled a man further ahead of him.
The voice snapped Artie out of his observation, and he quickly fixed his sights on the approaching threat.
Barreling toward Artie was a wounded goblin. Struck with an arrow, it left a trail of blood as it tried to escape.
("Why here!") Artie thought.
There were no guards on the outer plains. The goblin could escape into the forest by going around, yet it charged toward him, battered and bruised.
Artie understood what he needed to do but still faltered.
"Kill it," he mumbled.
It should have been that simple. However, it was not; it never was.
Memories that he'd been trying to suppress began to resurface. The recollection of his past kills and how much he hated them. The feeling, sound, smell, sight, all of it.
As he watched the incoming goblin, time slowed, and he began to see faint images of his red-coated hand impaling a beast with a spear. Still vivid, they didn't just look; they felt.
The strain of his arm's as he pushed the weapon into flesh, how they shook uncontrollably and ached. The feeling of another living being's blood dripping onto one's own body. That smell of rust and the squishy sound of flesh.
Artie's memories made him feel nauseated, and his breathing increased expeditiously. Even though an enemy was right there, his weapon was lowered, and his knees buckled.
"Yeeee heee heee," the goblin snickered, grinning at Artie and raising its club high.
Spooked by the Goblins' human-like expression, Artie involuntarily bounced back, tripping on his own foot and falling onto his hind. The tiny monster became vastly more frightening once he was on eye level with it.
Artie already feared the goblin, but his memories brought even more stress into his current situation. While struggling with his self-turmoil, the goblin arrived. Prepared to kill, it swung back its weapon with violent force that twisted its entire body on one side.
"Teeeeeee!" It loudly screeched.
Artie stared fearfully and tightened his grip on the weapon while thinking-
("Swing, stab, throw it, do anything!")
An alarmed voice in his head named a handful of ways he could use the spear, but his body obeyed none.
Like a slingshot, the goblin's arm rocketed toward Artie, who'd sat petrified on the warm orange grass.
("I'm going to die.")
Convinced his life was over, his body complied with his last desperate request. Artie promptly raised his left arm and over his face so he couldn't see the attack coming.
Pitch Black- A second pass.
Then another… Then one more.
Three seconds wasn't many, but it felt excruciatingly long while on the verge of death.
"Teeee heee heee."
Artie cautiously lowered his arm after hearing a snicker.
The goblin was standing only a foot away, hovering its spiked club only an inch away from Artie's head. It stared at Artie, grinning, pleased by the sight of him cowering on the ground.
The stench from that distance was unbearable; Artie moved his arm over his nose while unwillingly locking eyes with the goblin.
The monster's mouth opened wide as it cruelly laughed in Artie's face, projecting saliva onto him. The act triggered another string of memories, this one from his childhood.
[[
"Trust me, kid, the goldfish is just asleep," laughed a man, spitting as he did so.
"I've taken care of hundreds of fish; I know all there is to know!" Continued the man confidently, flicking his fedora.
"Okay!" Shouted Artie, convinced and eager.
The young boy claimed his fish and then ran to his parents to show them.
"Look, look!" called out young Artie, proudly raising the fish above his head.
"I'm going to name him Pringles!" He cheered.
His parents were heavy-hearted as they picked him up and explained that the fish he obtained was, in fact, dead. He cried, holding onto the plastic bag that housed his would-have-been, first pet.
]]
Artie's mouth tightened and frowned; his brows furrowed before starting to tick in irritation.
"What the fuck are you laughing at?" Snapped Artie, now scowling at the goblin.
The green creature was taken aback by his sudden change in character. It became threatened, and it once again swung its weapon towards the side of Artie's head.
Following a loud CRACK, Artie's right arm broke. He hastily raised the limb to protect his head from the lethal impact and survived. But the already wounded arm became mangled as wooden spikes tore into flesh.
"Raaaugh!" He screamed as his frail body was knocked over from the crash.
After the act, the goblin giggled while prepared for a second attack.
Fury overwhelmed the pain Artie felt. He pulled his leg up to his chest and then lunged it at the goblin's small frame. It flipped backward onto its head, then landed on its stomach.
There were more screams as Artie used his only arm to crawl to his weapon. As he stumbled to grab the spear, his vision and hearing blurred from the blood loss.
The goblin regained its senses but struggled to stand. Its expression was less wicked and more frustrated as it eyed Artie, who'd started to climb to his feet.
"Not so funny now, is it?" Groaned Artie, holding the tip of the spear towards the creature.
"Teeeeh heeee hee," It chuckled while peering at Artie ominously.
Its regard sent a chill down his spine. Still, he swiftly pierced the goblin in its chest with the spear. Upon doing so, the monster released a blaring shriek. The sound harmed his ears, so he drove the spear in further until the noise stopped, along with the monster's breathing.
Artie pulled the weapon from the body and fell to his knees, clutching his busted arm. As he underwent the agony, he thought about how often he'd been faced with such surreal torment, wishing it would all go away.
His eyes flickered as he fought the darkness of unconsciousness. The sound of battle became pale, and when he surveyed the plains, he noticed all the monsters were dead. Judging it was safe to pass out, Artie started to blank from the excruciating pain.
Immediately after he closed his eyes, a mighty thump rattled the trees and the ground.
Again and again, the thumping continued, disturbing Artie's entire body. After several damaging vibrations, he identified the source as footsteps.
("Please, no more….")
The steps felt closer each time the earth trembled. It was coming from the cave, and he knew what that meant. It was commonplace in video games, and it'd already happened once on that planet.
"Men, ready yourselves!"
Though faint, he heard Ryu's voice. His volume was as extreme as the expression he'd always wore.
A second after his warning, the battle cry of the army resonated. Artie let out a cry of his own, but it was one of pain as he lifted his failing body to see what was emerging from the cave.
A goblin, similar in appearance to the others, but with one significant exception. It was huge, you could stack four full-sized adults on top of each other, and they'd still fall short a few feet. Even from his crouched position, he could see the torso of the monster as it stomped closer. Its face was furious as it started to grind the sharp tusk growing from its lower jaw.
ROARING, It lifted its giant club. The monster then delivered a devastating swing that knocked back all the humans standing within ten feet. Their bodies were repelled away several yards where they landed, dead, or if they guarded, crippled.
Yes, Artie had been familiar with that process. Much like when the godly wolf emerged. A goblin leader appeared to avenge its fallen kin.
The first blow from the monster triggered the start of the conflict. Artie had long reached his limit and sunk lower to the ground. He was troubled about passing out amid a battle, but it was beyond him. Within two seconds, his eyes completely shut.
As he faded out of consciousness, his last sense was that of the shaking ground, and he thought-
("I want to go home.")