The ground was drenched in blood. Goblins twisted in agony, their screams muffled by the smoke, and the smell of burning flesh permeated the air. Strax stood still, Zani clutched tightly in his hand, her eyes flickering like dying embers.
Cristine kicked at the remains of two enemies, panting, while Yennifer cleaned the energy blade that wavered in her fingers. Bellatrix stood close to Beatrice, shielding her from the thinning hail of arrows.
But for Strax, all that dissolved into noise.
He stared at his own feet, covered in blood, and the only thing he could think was:
"Goblins?"
The fist around Zani trembled. The scene before him seemed too absurd.
His mind raced through memories.
The burning field where he had faced the Avatar of Ares. The suffocating heat of divine flames, the titanic battle that had crushed entire cities… and he, emerging victorious.
