Damon ran as fast as his little feet could take him. He wasn't afraid since he had expected to encounter enemies, but not that early. He grabbed some sticks and threw them toward the goblins, hoping they would do something.
"I don't have any weapon yet!" Damon screamed in frustration. He felt his body's energy depleted and knew it wouldn't take long before he needed to face the enemy.
[ Weapon: Obsidian Long Sword ready to use. ]
Maya's voice echoed in Damon's head. That gave him hope he could fight the goblins.
"Maya, where's the sword!?" Damon screamed. He stopped running after climbing a huge rock and faced his enemies.
The goblins stopped before Damon and wiggled their arms above their heads, swinging their clubs to intimidate him.
"Maya!" Damon called in desperation. That was when he saw a glow on his d1ck.
"Grahhh!!!" The three goblins charged toward Damon fearlessly, aiming to hit his head.
A strong urge consumed Damon, and he unconsciously reached toward his d1ck. He felt a hard object and pulled it out. It was the Obsidian Long Sword.
"Ah!" Damon exclaimed in surprise, but he couldn't relish the moment. He used the sword to block the first club that hit him. He swung to the side and defended himself from another attack.
The long sword felt lightweight even though it was bigger than Damon's body.
"Urahh!" the goblins yelled and continuously attacked Damon, but their movement was far slower.
Damon was able to prevent a hit, but his body was exhausted.
"I need to end this," Damon muttered and gripped the sword tightly. He was about to swing, aiming at the goblin's neck, but halted.
The idea of killing someone horrified him.
Damon hesitated to attack and froze on his spot. His hands trembled, gripping the sword while looking toward the goblins to hit him. He closed his eyes and waited for the impact when he heard a scream.
"STOP RIGHT THERE!" a girl appeared from the bushes with a bow. She launched her flaming arrows directly toward the goblins and hit one of them in the shoulder.
"Grahh! Urahhh!" the goblins panicked. The other two switched targets and decided to chase the girl, who kept firing flaming arrows.
The injured goblin dropped its club and tried to remove the arrow, but it was too painful to touch. It cried and yelped.
Damon's eyes shook, and he aimed his sword toward the goblin's neck. "This is my chance," he whispered.
The goblin looked at Damon with a pained expression, indirectly asking to be excluded from death.
"What are you doing!? Run!" the girl screamed after seeing Damon remain in his spot.
Her attention was preoccupied with the two goblins, and she couldn't save Damon if he was attacked.
Damon couldn't hear what the girl was screaming about. His focus was on himself and the doubts surrounding his confidence to kill his enemy.
'This is the first step to be strong… I need to do this!' Damon thought and gripped his sword. He slightly pushed the tip of the blade into the goblin's neck, and it drew blood.
Damon grimaced but toughened himself. He strengthened his knees and approached the wounded goblin.
"Urahh! Patyon takahh!" The goblin sneered and grabbed its club, wielding it to strike Damon, but before he could, its neck separated from its body.
Blood splattered on Damon's face. He watched as the goblin's body rolled over the ground. His breath hitched as the ringing in his ears grew louder, muting his surroundings.
"Are you okay!?" a soft voice spoke from afar, but Damon ignored it.
Damon's knees slowly gave out as he knelt on the ground. He dropped his sword and grasped his head tightly.
"HEY!" a scream, followed by a shake, woke Damon to reality.
Damon snapped to who it was and saw it was the same girl who joined him in battle.
The girl slapped Damon's cheeks after seeing he was losing consciousness.
"Who are you?" Damon whispered and tilted his head to the side, avoiding her touch.
"Ah! It's good that you're awake now!" the girl sighed in relief after seeing Damon was fine.
"I am Ignis, a Scout for the Knights of Hippotades," she introduced.
Ignis grabbed Damon's arm and helped him from standing up. She remained looking into his eyes upon seeing he was naked.
"What does a child do in the forest alone? It's dangerous!" Ignis exclaimed and put both hands on her hips. She gave a raised brow to Damon while observing his facial features.
"Ah… I…" Damon paused and glanced behind Ignis, where the two goblins continuously burned themselves to death. He gulped and focused his attention back on her.
"I want to hunt some meat," Damon replied nonchalantly.
"Hmm, you don't look like a citizen of Acedia. Aside from that, you're naked. Care to explain yourself?" Ignis squinted her eyes.
"I'm Damon. I have been travelling to gather the finest meat for my s-sister who needs protein. Arriving here, I encounter those… goblins," Damon explained and ensured his lies wouldn't be seen through.
Damon pointed at the now-toasted goblins to shift Ignis attention.
"Haha! We call them Pooka. Well, I'll explain them to you later, but you need to go with me," Ignis's face turned serious. She gestured for Damon to follow her.
"Why? I can stay here," Damon picked up his sword. He didn't want to go farther away from the Dragon since it was still wounded.
"Look, there have been movements from the Obsidian Order. It's unsafe for a child to wander around, especially when it's close to nighttime. Best you get inside the city as soon as possible and continue travelling with the morning sun," Ignis insisted. She grabbed Damon's arms and dragged him with her.
"I can't be far from here!" Damon exclaimed and pulled his hand, but since he used most of his energy, he was too weak to fight back.
"Don't worry. I'll escort you here tomorrow," Ignis argued. She grabbed the cloth from the dead goblin and wrapped it around Damon's hips to cover his private parts.
Ignis glanced at the sword Damon was holding and became curious as to why a child was carrying it but said nothing.