MEMORIES AND ABU HORMUZ

Episode 7 - Tenacity

Vina curled up, and hid behind a thick tree trunk. Haruhiro approached her slowly so that the sound of her footsteps could not be heard, then he patted Vina on the shoulder. The girl turned around and tried to hold back her shock.

"What have you found?" Haruhiro asked in a low voice.

Vina nodded and made some kind of movement with her hands and fingers. Is he hinting at something? But it seemed that Haruhiro did not understand it, so he peered to look with his own eyes.

Something's up.

The time was after noon, precisely on the second day they were working as Red's training members

Moo. They had returned to the forest and found the source of the spring that was emitting bubbles. That's where it belongs.

He was thin and tall like a human child. His skin was wrinkled, slightly yellowish in color, and covered in mud. Hair patches resembling seaweed grow on the pointed head and ears. His back was facing towards Haruhiro, so he could not see his face. The creature was not wearing clothes,

but on his neck hangs some kind of rope.

That thing is a mud Goblin. He crawled up and made a strange sound like someone who was

sipping drink. Apparently, he was drinking in the spring.

Haruhiro took a deep breath, so that he did not make an uproar. He looked back.

The other four associates, Udin, Marco, Alice, and Barto, were at a slightly more distant position. Their heads stretched out, while a part of their bodies hid behind a tree. They all looked at Haruhiro.

Haruhiro nodded. The others also nodded to respond to him. They finally found him. They'll make it. They have to succeed. There is no choice but to succeed. How is Haruhiro going to signal them? They don't seem ready to attack. Is this really the right time? He raised his right hand up high.

She's nervous. Every second that passed, he was getting more nervous. Its bad. Stay cool. Let's do it. Let's get this over with.

He swung his hand down and, with a shout, Marco stormed out first. An idiot! Haruhiro was eager to shout that, but he swallowed deeply that word. In shock, the mud Goblin turned to look towards Haruhiro and Vina.

"D-He's running away ?!" Haruhiro.

The mud goblins ran to the right. Vina shot an arrow in that direction. He missed, but his arrow rained down on the ground right in front of the Goblin's leg. He screamed in surprise and staggered.

"Good, Vina!" Haruhiro said as he unsheathed his dagger, then he immediately ran to hunt down the Goblin. A while ago, he mocked Marco as an idiot, but now he does the same. Haruhiro had a feeling that this was not an attack that a Thief would normally carry out, but ah. This is gonna work. He could not let the Goblin go.

Mud goblins. Golup. Since birth, they never had a bath. His eyes were dull and ugly, his teeth were black, his tongue was purplish in color, and his face was like an old witch. This goblin was wearing nothing but some kind of rope hanging around his neck. In other words, he was completely naked. Golup looked straight at Haruhiro and screamed. He didn't know exactly what was happening, but the creature charged straight at him. Is he serious? Did the Goblins really intend to fight them? Isn't it 6 vs 1? Perhaps the creature did not understand how small the chances of winning he had. Aim for his wrist. Haruhiro grabbed Golup's wrist with his dagger [HIT].

The golup screamed and jumped back diagonally, and he splashed into the spring. Did Haruhiro miss? No, the black-red blood was pouring from the shallow wound on the Goblin's left hand. Haruhiro's dagger just grazed the creature's wrist. Golup was still alive, however, and he leapt from the pool of springs, and charged right towards Haruhiro.

She coming? He really came? NOT LIKELY. Why would he do such a stupid thing by attacking me? thought Haruhiro, as he shouted a slow roar.

Haruhiro quickly dodged to the left, and somehow, he managed to dodge the Golup's attack.

"[HATRED’S CUT]!" Marco jumps towards the Goblin, swinging his sword aggressively, but without any apparent control. Naturally he missed, slipped, and fell behind .

Golup roared, and started attacking Marco without a second thought. Marco is still in a collapsed position. Udins

hitting him right on the shoulder with his stick, thus causing the creature's attack to miss thinly. The goblins screamed again and jumped back.

"Malik…." Alice began chanting the mantra while drawing the elemental letters that floated on

air with his wand, but Marco interrupted. ”YOU DO IT AGAIN WITH YOUR EYES CLOSED!” His shouting.

Alice back curled.”M-sorry!"

"Barto, attack directly from the front!" Udin said harshly while pointing his finger at Golup. ”Everything, surround him! Don't let him get away!”

Barto grunts. Overburdened by heavy armor, he charged towards his enemy slowly.

Once his enemy was within range, he showed the tip of his giant sword at Golup.

"S-It seems like there's no other choice!" Marco muttered, got up and moved to the right of the Golup.

Udin stayed on the left. Haruhiro and Vina, while finishing off their Kukrinya, take positions behind the Goblins. Alice now opened her eyes wide and showed her staff directly towards Golup who was far ahead.

The mud goblin looked around frantically, he tried to move but he finally realized that he had been surrounded from all directions. Then he pulled out an ear-piercing screech. It seemed that he was desperate because even though he wanted to leave, but there was not the slightest gap to escape. It all goes exactly

like Udin's plan.

"Barto! Piss him!” Marco pointed his wand at the creature. ”Press him!"

Barto shouted a groan and began swinging his giant sword, once, twice, up to three times. The goblin nimbly dodged all of Barto's slashes, but while he was busy dodging Barto, Marco began stabbing with his sword. Golup grabs a tree branch and throws it at Marco.

"Gee!" Marco stepped back and almost failed to fend it off using his sword base.

Their siege formations were leaked out. Golup tries to slip through the gap left by Marco, but Udin brandishes his wand. He still had not given up on besieging the Golup. Golup screamed in pain as Udin's wand hit his shoulder.

In return, he began attacking Udin, shouting a terrible screech that made Haruhiro's bones crackle. Even Udin retreated a little. Why are they afraid, when their numbers are much more? The mud goblins were desperate. He doesn't want to be killed. As a living being, he did not want to just stand idly by and get killed. At the very least, he wanted to kill his opponent as much as possible before his own life was finished off by the enemy. Looks like the Goblin has made up her mind to kill some of Haruhiro's comrades.

"All of you!" Marco licked his lips a few times. ”Now is not the time for fear! Kill or be killed! I'll kill him and get Vice!”

"Don't be rash!" Udin warns Marco as he lands another blow on the Goblin using his short stick. This time, the head of the Goblin was hit by a crushing blow. Regardless of the blood spurting, the creature glared at Udin and swung both hands at him.

"He's quite stubborn," Vina whispered in a slightly trembling voice.

Oh, my God, Haruhiro thought. Although blood was rushing from his head, it seemed that he was still fine.

Barto swung his giant sword three times in a row. Golup started to retreat, but certainly

only that meant that the Golup was getting closer to Vina and Haruhiro who was surrounding him from the back side.

"This is our chance, Haru!" And even Vina did not mention Haruhiro's full name, so Haruhiro wondered ... since when did the girl call him "Haru"? But it is not the time to be confused about the name, because this is an opportunity that does not come twice.

When Haruhiro approached with his dagger, Golup turned around to look at him. Somehow, somehow,

Haruhiro managed to overcome the fear within him, then he slashed the monster. One of the slashes actually landed heavily on Golup. He knew that his attack was successful because his dagger hit something hard. The hard object was Golup's right arm, precisely between the elbow and wrist. He pulled his dagger back while surprised.

Although he was still an amateur, this was the first time he had actually cut off an opponent using his own weapon. That feeling really made him a little sick.

Blood splattered as Golup staggered about to collapse but again he could still retaliate and

attacking the people around him. This is a 6 vs 1 fight. And the Golup was completely surrounded by an armed team that could attack from all directions. But none of them can move. The breath of each party member was heavy. Even Barto (though he was wearing heavy armor and wielding a giant sword) could not move much.

What's up with us? Haruhiro tried to calm his breath. Why this hunt did not take place

with Lancer even though we only fight one creature? Is Golup a strong opponent?

Or are they too weak? Are they really capable of doing this? No, it looks like they won't be able to do this.

Come to think of it rationally, of course they were unlikely to win. Haruhiro was not suited for combat. Not even anyone in the Party had any previous fighting experience. This is all wrong. All this is unimaginable. Why would he do this? Wouldn't it be better to stop?

What would they do if they stopped now? What will happen to them?

"Nobody said this was an easy job!" Shouted Udin.”This is a fight to the death! We even mud goblins are all fighting to defend each other's lives! The result will determine who deserves to live or die! Not a single creature in this world is willing to die!”

"Malik-em-palm!" A ball of light shot out from the end of Alice's wand, then flew between Barto and Marco. The magic attack finally hit Golup right in his face.

"RATGG!" She screamed.

"Now!" Udin ordered everyone to stab Golup at the same time.

Marco swung his sword while shouting. His sword sank slightly on Golup's right arm. ”Gah! I

Barto raised his sword overhead, then swung it down with all his might. He immediately targeted the head of the Goblin. Barto's sword force seems to have been enough to split the Goblin's skull into two or three pieces.

Is over.

"YESSE!" Marco raised his fist to the sky.

Haruhiro began to exhale in relief, then inhaled the air loudly.

Yet…. Again –again.

The goblin that was supposed to be dead, was now crawling, then running as fast as possible.

"No way .." said Vina dumbfoundedly.

There must have been a mistake, Haruhiro thought. There must be some mistake, of course there is one. The golup escaped, maybe he deliberately made his opponent think that he was dead, then took advantage of the moment when his opponent was off guard to escape.

Even Udin looked stunned for a moment, but then he deftly grabbed the Goblin's leg with his cane. Haruhiro was surprised when Golup leapt agilely to avoid the attack from Udin. And the creature attacked straight at him. Is he trying to sneak in and get through it?

"I can't let you get away!!" Haruhiro tried to repeat Udin's attack by tackling Golup's leg, and this time it worked. The monster stumbled and fell head over heels.

Barto moved, and prepared to strike with his sword, but someone interrupted him. ”Barto, Barto,

move over!" Shouted Marco.”I'll finish it!"

Haruhiro unintentionally shifted his eyes. There was a sickening sound and then there was Marco's laughter. ”Look at me God of Skulheill! Your Dark Knight has taken the life of his enemy with his own hands, and I will present the body of this monster as a Vice on the altar of the Guild! The ears are quite large ... If coupled with claws, then everything would be perfect ... Oyoyoy!”

Haruhiro looked towards Marco, where there was a collapsed Golup. The monster should have been dead.

But he was surprised at what he saw.

Alice was slightly panting, and it seemed that she was about to cry.

"She's still not dead .." said Vina softly. He put his hands together and muttered something unclear. He seems to be praying.

Haruhiro hesitated before his senses finally returned. ”No, he's not dead

..."

"We have to finish him off immediately" Udin said as he raised a stick above his head. ”If not we'll just prolong his suffering."

Haruhiro did not want to see this tragic scene, but he did not want to miss this crucial moment for a second. Udin gave the Goblin a final strike, cruel and accurate, and this time he confirmed that his opponent had completely stopped breathing. Then Udin formed a kind of hexagram, and it seemed that he was saying some farewell words to his opponent. But Haruhiro heard nothing. Perhaps Udin still does not believe that killing the life of a creature is lawful work for him.

"U-Udin!" Marco shows a finger at him.”You Fuck! You stole my prey! I said, I have to collect Vices!”

Udin forced a smile then scratched his head.”Excuse me. I don't know."

"Sorry, I didn't solve the problem!"

"Although that's the case, I really didn't mean to do this."

"Can't! I want this all repeated! GIVE IT BACK TO ME! Hows it? WE CAN'T

REPEATING!” Grievous Marco. ”My first Vice Celebration ... VANISHED.” He lamented his fate by falling to the ground and stomping with his fists.

 Then Marco said, "Ah."

Haruhiro flashing.”Already sincere?"

"What happened, let it pass" said Marco, then he got up and squatted near Golup's body. ”Ew, this is dirty. So, this hanger around his neck is our gift? What'sthis?"

Haruhiro squatted down next to Marco. He tried not to look at the monster body that was right before him, but instead he focused on the rope around the Goblin's neck. "What is this thing?"

Thin straps are looped to hang some small objects. One of the objects looked like some kind of animal fang, which had already been hollowed out. The other thing was quite dirty but .. indeed, it was some kind of coin.

"Snipples of silver?" Haruhiro guessed.”Although it's been hollowed out ..."

"Good!" Marco reached out to pull the rope, then he quickly pulled his hand again. ”Haruhiro, clean it up. It's too dirty, I wouldn't touch it”

"Good." Haruhiro cut the rope with his dagger, then he removed the fangs and coins. The coin was already broken, yet it was actually a piece of silver. ”I wonder if we can sell this ... How could they make a hole in an object this hard?”

"Whatever it is," Udin said as he placed a hand on Haruhiro's shoulder, "This is our first victory."

"And this is all thanks to me!" If Marco puffed his chest higher, then he would fall backwards.

"True." Vina said in a cold tone.

Marco sticking his tongue out at him.”So you still have a grudge against me, just because I once called you flat-chest. Basic stubborn.”

"Hardness has nothing to do with Vina's chest size!” shout Yume.

"Whatever! If it has nothing to do with it, forget it! I'm telling you, the more stubborn a girl is, the smaller her breast size will be. It was fate!”

"No matter big or small. Vina's chest is still cute!"

"THE RICE IS FLAT! Hello Miss Dada Rata, goodbye Miss Dada Rata! CHEST FLAT!”

Vina's face turned bright red and her cheeks bulged like a pufferfish. He pulled an arrow and

he pointed it at Marco. ”Vina will shoot you and Vina has a feeling that this time will not miss ..”

"Wait around! I-i'm sorry! I'm sorry!” Marco twisted his body several times, and kowtowed on the ground.”I'm gonna quit! I'll stop it, so forgive me!”

"Vina didn't hear the word 'please'. What Vina wants to listen to is that I beg you with all my heart, wise Princess Vina!”

"T-Mister Princess Vina! Please give me forgiveness. I'll do whatever you ask!”

"No, Vina's not sure." Vina's cheeks were still bulging, but she suddenly lowered her arrow and bowed slightly. He pointed his chin at the hot spring.”If you really want to apologize, jump in there."

"A-pa……?"

"Source of hot water. Jump over there. After you do that, then Vina will forgive you.”

"I-Idiota…. What the hell do you think…"

Vina raised her bow again.”Good. In that case, Vina will shoot you.”

"I'll happily jump."

"Be careful." Haruhiro patted Marco on the shoulder.

"Be careful" Udin said to him, grinning.

"I already know, idiot ..." Marco murmuring.

When she was ready to jump into the pool, Alice whispered, "He really did."

Haruhiro caught what Alice was saying, but Marco had already jumped through the air, so Marco might not have heard it at all.

"D-He will definitely catch a cold later," said Barto.