Turning my attention back to Mikel, I watched as he quickly dispatched another gobklin. He did it in one fluid motion, dodging the attack and moving at the same time in a lethal counterattack.

From my lower eyesight, I could see the bodies of now three gobklins surrounding Mikel. Seems like I missed some of his fights. If you can call them that.

"Nathaniel!" Lufis tugged on my arm, directing my attention elsewhere.

Looking to where he directed me, I saw a face off between one of the guards and the gobklin I identified as Wood. The guard was losing.

"What is it Lufis?" I asked, not seeing anything special.

Lufis didn't get to answer, because as I finished asking my question, Wood burst into flames.

More magic.

That I missed.

My luck stat obviously isn't high enough.

The only gobklins left were Scar (gobklin 2), Woody (gobklin 7), gobklin 11, and the leader Big Meanie.

Wait . . .

Yeah. . . Cross out gobklin 11. Mikel just slew the gobklin vice after disarming him.

Much faster than my fight with a gobklin vice.

Grabbing their spears, the village guards surrounded Scar and Woody. Due to my height, I couldn't see what happened. It was loud but efficient.

I realize I have not given a good description of the clearing and how my young self can see both the guards fighting the gobklins and gobklins dropping dead in front of Mikel.

Let me do that now.

The clearing was not some perfect circle. It was much more like a squashed and stretched oval on its side. The gobklin camp is in the right hand corner of the clearing. We(the guards, Mikel, Arthur, Lufis, and I) entered the clearing at the left handed side of the clearing. As Mikel and the guards charged, me, Lufis, and my dad moved toward the bottom of the squashed oval. The guards vs. gobklins battle happened at the top portion of the squashed oval on its side.

I think that explanation confused even me.

Back to the fighting.

The only enemy left standing now was the gobklin leader, Big Meanie. He was standing with the fire in front of him, casually holding his broadsword.

Mikel walked forward till only the fire stood between him and Big Meanie.

"Foolish human, you dare think that you can defy me, Burlock the Savage?" The gobklin leader addressed Mikel.

Burlock the Savage . . . . . . . . . Basically Big Meanie.

"It can talk?" I whispered to Lufis.

"Well, as a gobkling it is possible for it to be able to speak the common tongue. . . But it is very rare. . . . .the last known recording of a gobkling capable of human speech was over a century ago."

"You don't look like too much of a challenge." Mikel retorted back, "In fact, I can probably defeat you with my left hand behind my back."

"You have sealed your fate, swordsman." The gobkling rushed into the fire, swinging his broadsword in a deadly arc for Mikel's head.

"Looks like someone's fire resistant." Mikel said as he ducked the blow, left hand behind his back.

"Arthur, let me take care of this guy!" Mikel yelled as he sidestepped a swing that was trying to split his head.

"Go ahead, he's all yours." My father called back.

"STOP RUNNING, WHAT ARE YOU? A COWARD!?"

The volume of Burlock the Savage's voice resounded throughout the clearing.

"Calm down, just letting you get warmed up. You have no idea how many enemies I have beat who have tried to use the excuse, "I wasn't warmed up". Now you can't complain when you lose if you survive this, though you don't have to worry about that. This battle was determined before it even started, Burlock the something or other."

"Before we fight to the death, what is your name, foolish swordsman?"

Despite the almost comic like way this is going, I am actually surprised Big Meanie(Burlock) didn't raise his voice.

"My name is Mikel Lantideniz, oh fearsome Burlock the Slayer."

"Look, drop the act. I have dropped mine. I can already tell your stronger than me. Can we just try to fight here? I am already scheduled to die soon and I am glad I am dying sooner." The gobkling replied.

Scratch that classic comic style.

It looked like Mikel had never gotten that reply before. After a moment of hesitation, he asked the question I was wishing someone would ask.

"What do you mean going to die soon?"

Burlock sighed.

"I guess the easiest way of putting it is that I deserted. However, the nixetral inside of me is impossible to run away from. It will kill me soon."

He continued, "Look can we just fight?"

"Fine."

Mikel jumped forward, swing his black sword.

Stepping forward, Burlock the gobkling deflected the strike off of his broadsword.

As his strike was deflected, Mikel was forced backwards as the gobkling stepped, shoving his broadsword forward.

As Mikel landed on his feet, crouched, Burlock swung his broadsword in an arc before using his brute force and gravity to send the blade crashing down toward Mikel.

Rolling to the left, Mikel dodged the overhand blow. Missing its intended target, the heavy broadsword sank into the earth.

The few seconds where Burlock was pulling his sword from the earth was all Mikel needed. Twirling in a deadly arc, he cut right through the gobkling's left hamstring. As the struggling gobkling collapsed to one knee, Mikel stabbed his sword through Burlock's back. The fight was over.

My father rushed forward to the clearly dying gobkling.

"Whose army were you a part of? Who gave you their nixetral?" My father asked.

"I . . . . . . . . . . was . . . . . . . ."

Blood spilled from the gobkling's mouth.

"part . . . . . . . ..of . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Praedo . . ."

Suddenly, Burlock burst into orange flames.

"Nixetrel! Mikel get back!" I heard Arthur yell over the roar of the flames the guards silently watched as the gobkling burned.

First the skin burned away. Second the muscle and fat. Then the organs, which were gruesomely left hanging in their place. Lastly the bones. All this happened in a minutes time. The orange flames disappeared leaving only scourged dead earth.

Lufis turned around and threw up in the bushes. Many of the guards did the same. For some reason, I didn't feel queasy after seeing such a gruesome sight. It didn't feel right. The adults not throwing up had faces like that set in stone, brimming with closed emotion.

I felt like I was just a viewer, looking through a glass at the scene, not really there. It was almost as if I was watching a gory show or movie. Those don't make me feel sick normally as I understand it isn't real.

What I am living right now, seeing, smelling, hearing, are all definitely real. Have I lost something fundamental as a human?

I am probably thinking too much into it.

Picking up his blackened sword, Mikel sheathed his blade in his scabbard. He and Arthur shared a knowing look as they walked back towards the guards and Lufis and I. They definitely knew something that I didn't know about what had just happened.