"Guess it's now or never." Asher darted through the shadows.
*skriii*
The goblins grew more rowdy, as the humans got brought to the front of the stairs, where a muscular goblin, wearing a black mask stood.
"Bring them forward." The Shaman spoke up, enticing the crowd of goblins more.
The guards escorted the human's forward.
"Please I don't wanna die! I get of you."
"Let my daughter go, she's only 9."
"Spare me! Please!"
The human's tried unsuccessfully to escape or plead, but thier pleas fell on deaf ears.
"I'll go first."
Suddenly, a young man wearing broken armour, a soldier, covered in bloody wounds, stepped up. Despite his physical state, his eyes were sharp.
"Hmph! Stubborn human! Grant him his wish." The Sharman scoffed, he stopped the guards from silencing him. As if it mattered who went first.
The young man, looked at the other humans with an apologetic gaze, before being brought in front of a platform.
His head was placed on the guillotine as the executioner lifted up his blade.
*skrii*
The crowd encouraged, and only after the shaman gave the order did the executioner swing his blade.
*Swoosh*
*Thud*
A head hit the floor, but to everyone's surprise, it wasn't the human's.
[+10]
[+10]
[+10]
[+10]
Asher chose the best moment to act, beheading as many guards as he can, before finally dispatching the executioner.
While still everyone was momentarily stunned, Asher freed the young man and handed him a sword.
"I'll leave the rest to you." Asher also threw a bunch of other weapons onto the ground.
"What are you waiting for, kill them!" The shaman reacted first and bellowed. The goblins jumped forward.
Just as his words fell, he had to block a spear coming his way.
"Damn it! So close."
Asher didn't plan to stay, after provoking the shaman, he turned around and ran, being surrounded, he ran straight into the crowd.
Whether the humans lived or not, wasn't his concern but he could only hope they did. Staying and fighting together, against an enemy, who outnumbered him and was stronger, wasn't a wise decision.
[+10]
[+10]
[+10]
[+10]
....
Asher's feet didn't stop due to the crowd, the machete in his hand danced in the air, as heads fell on the ground. Like butter on a hot surface, he smoothly passed the crowd, disappearing into the rainforest.
"After him!"
Looking at his bleeding palm, the shaman erupted with fury.
*skrii!*
One goblin, suddenly shouted, pointing at the humans, who were in a defensive circle. Corpses of their comrades were falling to the ground.
"The blessed one's, after that human, and bring me his head!" The shaman slammed his cane on the ground, sending a large green wave of smoke everywhere.
When hit with the green smoke, all the goblins with tattoos stumbled backwards, discombobulated. The green tattoos on the started glowing as their muscles bulged out.
"Go! Don't comeback without his head!" The shaman's voice got hoarse as his eyes glowed with a green light.
The tattoed goblins rushed in Asher's directions, their speed evidently faster.
"As for you humans, I'll deal with you myself." The Sharman's gaze shifted, and landed on the humans.
He brought out his staff, while chanting some inaudible words.
A magic circle, suddenly appeared in front of him and started glowing, with a green hue.
"I won't let you." The young man whom Asher freed, jumped forward, intending to stop the shaman.
*skriii*
*skriii*
The other goblins quickly surrounded the young man, but he maneuvered through the goblins, ignoring them and getting injured along the way.
Despite their size, the goblins were stronger then him, and he couldn't waste time on them. The taller goblin, who appeared to be mage, was definitely of out most importance.
The young man, stepped onto a goblin, and used his face as a springboard, effectively jumping over another one. In the clear, he bolted towards the shaman, runing past the magic circle, he swung his sword.
*tink*
"Foolish human! You dare challenge me!" The Sharman's staff suddenly had a blade sticking out at the end, and he used that to block.
The Sharman pushed back the young man and attacked.
The young man blocked the attack but then bloacked another that appeared behind it, and another and another.... The power behind every attack was tremendous.
The exchange begun, and the young man was instantly on the defence, dodging and blocking attacks. Cuts started to appeared on his body, he didn't have a chance to retaliate.
"You foolish human! My spells don't require me to continuously chant, they can continue on their own." The shaman viciously retaliated.
Indeed, on the ground, the magic circle began to flicker, a tall muscular shadow, started to appear at the centre.
"You foolish human, you have good swordsmanship and once your exhausted, they will be mine, as well as your li-"
Just as the Shaman spoke and was about to deliver a critical blow, he stopped and glanced down, a sword was sticking out of his chest.
He turned to look, the hated human who injured him was standing behind him. Behind the human, his guards were lying on the ground.
"Ah-"
Asher pulled the machete and pushed it back in.
"I missed your heart, it's your fault for moving at the last second." Asher pulled back the machete before beheading the shocked Shaman.
He couldn't blame him, it had been less then half a minute since he ran out.
After jumping into the jungle, he faintly heard the shaman send the 'gifted one's' after him, thinking they were the stronger goblins.
He didn't hesitate to leave a clue for them, before doubling back and going a different direction.
It took him a while to return, and to his advantage, everyone was too focus on the fight, so he didn't want to bother them with his presence.
Starting from the back, he took care of the guards, leaving the rest of the goblins for later, and snuck up on the Shaman, delivered a fatal attack.
"Thanks for the help!" The young man patted Asher on the shoulder.
Knowing that he might be an NPC, Asher smiled, "It's no problem."
"Okay now what do we do about him." The young man suddenly pointed towards the magic circle.
A 3 meter tall orc, with bulging muscles, decorated by intricate tattoes just materialized in front of them.
Asher's pupils suddenly diluted as his breathing became rapid, a childhood memory suddenly flashed in his eyes.
*Roar*
Seeing the familiar looking Orc, Asher's eyes widened, his body paralyzed and his breathing rapid.
Asher knuckles whitened, clutching the machete as his expression turned fierce.
"BASTARD!"
Asher's body suddenly flew towards the Orc, landing a devastating punch.
Unfazed by the attack, the Orc swung his fists, but he hit the ground.
The ground shook, sending debris and dust everywhere.
"DIE!"
Asher jumped up and punched the orc in the face, followed by a kick and then an elbow and knee combo to the face. He didn't hold back but still his attack were futile.
With gritted teeth, Asher unleashed a frenzy of attacks. Sloppy, misplaced and untimely, his attacks didn't do anything. His eyes though, were fierce and filled with rage.
*roar*
The orc, kept swatting and hitting, but his attacks didn't find it's target. It's huge body was too slow to keep up with the agile human, but the human also couldn't harm it.
So they were locked in a stalemate and the battle became one of endurance.
*Bam*
Asher's feet slammed on the ground, leaving two arcs. Before his body could stabilize, he was already rushing towards the Orc, he jumped high, and his knee found it's mark on the orcs face.
"Die!"
Asher's voice was frosty, devoid of any emotions.
In another room, with multiple screen on the wall.
"Looks like he finally did some damage." Mr.Dandy sharpened his gaze.
"Is he, consumed by rage?" The woman followed his gaze and frowned.
"Hhmmhm, perhaps trauma, he's like a completely different person and that has already effected his fighting style. *sigh*. " Mr. Dandy, nodded.
"He can't deal any serious injury to the Orc, nor can the orc landing a decisive blow on him." The woman shook her head,
"Should we pull him out? His clearly not in a state to fight." The woman suggested.
"No, let's wait for now."
"What! Why? A drawn out battle with a demon is undoubtedly gonna get him kil- See" The woman exclaimed.
Just as the woman was speaking, Asher landed on the ground, only to be greeted by a sturdy foot, which sent him crushing and rolling on the ground.
"Pull the plug!" The woman screamed to the screens
"No don't! Wong don't forget I'm the invigilator here!" Mr Dandy suddenly interjected, his expression was chilly as he looked at the woman.
"Show me his vitals."
At his orders, the vitals appeared on the screen.
Back in the village,
Asher slowly lifted himself up, his ears were ringing, his vision was spinning.
"Damn it! What got into me."
Asher looked at the approaching orc. His body ached, it felt strenuous to move, but he jumped back, dodging an attack that cracked the ground.
"I thought it was under control. For now, focus on this bastard." He felt the anger inside of him slowly subside.
After he was promoted to being an orphan, Asher was filled with a lot of rage. Over time, that rage had subsided. He had forgotten about it, until now.
Asher moved around, dodging the orcs attacks.
"Rage. This is all I have left. And I won't let it rage go." He grabbed the machete he was previously using, and ran towards the Orc, his speed had decreased noticeably, becoming just as fast as the orc.
*Bam*
Asher waited for the Orc to attack, before jumping onto his arm, appearing in front of it's face, he stabbed it in the eye, instantly causing blood to spill.
*Roar*
The orc stumbled back, clutching it's bleeding face.
But Asher wasn't done, jumping down, the machete cut its chest and, lodged into the orcs stomach, before stopping, leaving him dangling.
*Roar*
The orc went into a frenzy, trying to attack Asher.
But Asher had already jumped up, landing on it's shoulder again, and stabbing the other eyes.
Without, giving it time, Asher pulled back his matchate and stabbed the orcs neck, multiple times.
*Roar*
The orcs miserable cries, echoed through the air, sending shivers down everyone's spines. It tried shaking the human off it's back but it couldn't and not long after, it's body started to slow down, before slumping onto the ground.
[+100]
Asher saw the notification, and let go of the orcs neck.
[Ding]
[Question 10: How does a human grow stronger?]
Looking at the oddly phrased question, Asher seriously wondered, who had written these questions.
"Through training and comprehension, the mana in a persons body, goes through a metamorphosis, causing the cells in the human body to evolve, thus making them stronger." Asher placed the answer and looked around him.
I could still get more points.
Shock!
The humans and the remaining goblins shared the same sentiment. Obviously weaker, the human had killed a stronger opponent, that was undoubtedly, praiseworthy.
Asher walked down and arrived in front of the first goblin, and stabbed it in the neck, causing it to scream out.
*skriii*
It was only then that everybody, regained their senses.
The other goblins, were dumb but their instincts gave them the cheat sheet. They turned around and ran.
Asher took a deep breadth and chased after the first one.
[+10]
[+10]
[+10]
....
Asher caught a few of them, before running after the one's who were running in a similar direction.
Just because he saved those people, he hasn't forgotten that, he was in a test, and points were of paramount importance.
*huff*
Still, fatigued, he fought against the pain, as his body blurred passed the trees and quickly caught up and passed the first goblin.
Behind him, the goblin was initially confused as to why the human ran passed him, but then his vision turned sideways before spinning and rolling on the ground, and then, permanent darkness.
A few minutes later, Asher's body finally stopped. He had killed all the goblins in his way. At least 80 percent of the village was killed by him.
He rested on a boulder, exhausted, his chest went up and down rhythmetically. Not only did he have cuts on his body, but his chest and stomach was in pain, from that earlier attack.
I should have enough points by now right?
*huff*
*huff* *huff*
*huff*
*huff* *huff
Asher suddenly frowned, he got up and looked behind the boulder he was leaning on.
On the ground, a goblin with tribal tattoos on it's body, was weakly breathing on the ground.
"These are the guys that were sent after me, what happened to them? Was it the shaman's death" Curious, Asher brought out his machete and slammed it down on the ground.
[+15]
Knowing their stronger then him, and being outnumbered, Asher had led them into a direction while he went another way.
What Asher didn't know was that the Shaman had buffed the goblins, increasing their physical performance but the drawback wasn't worth the payoff.
*huff* *huff
Asher looked not far away and saw another goblin. Also lying on the ground and weakly breathing.
"More points." Asher dragged his exhausted body forward.