A desperate retreat.

  That was all Vaan could do. Turning his back on the goblins, he sprinted with all his might back to the small area where he woke up.

  Was it the desperation?

  As Vaan ran, the sound of the goblins behind grew ever slightly more distant.

  Somehow, a space was opening up.

  That gave Vaan a chance. The moment he entered the area he woke up in, he ducked behind a towering stagmite and wracked his brain for a solution.

  Was there an exit? An opening he missed in the darkness?

  Yet, as much as Vaan wished that was a 'yes,' a quick look around showed that the answer to those questions was a clear 'no.'

  The area was a small enclosed chamber with only stactites, stagmites, and the faint glowing blue moss and fungi.

  Vaan was trapped. Retreat was not an option. In that case... how did he survive? Fight? He was barehanded! Not only that, but Vaan had seen how that turned out.

  Vaan managed to kick that goblin into the wall and stun it for a bit, but it didn't die. Not only that, but it had managed to counterattack and ssh Vaan's leg.

  That was another concern too. He was slowly bleeding out. Although the wound didn't feel deep or painful... the fact that he didn't feel anything was concern in itself. For a cut to be like that, it had to be deep.

  Which meant Vaan was in deep trouble.

  Steal a weapon?

  Like hell. Vaan would just get cut to death or stabbed. No, he had to think of another way out of this mess...

  Footsteps echoed, sounding like they were slowly spreading apart. It seemed like the goblins were either being cautious, or they couldn't see well either.

  That was one silver lining at least. For the moment, Vaan was out of sight. But he couldn't keep hiding here forever.

  Try to run and outmaneuver them?

  No way. Vaan was lucky he managed to get this far with how his leg was gouged.

  If hiding was a dead end. If running was pointless... Should he at least try to go out on his own terms?

  Vaan's heart pounded in his chest, a loud drum that he prayed couldn't be heard.

  Fighting... was the only way. It wasn't impossible.

  Vaan had managed to punt a goblin. Even if he got struck with a counterattack, it showed those monsters weren't invincible.

  But even if they weren't invincible, they were still armed. The goblins might be short and the size of toddlers, but they all had knives. A single mistake and Vaan would end up stabbed to death.

  But Vaan had to do it. Maybe if he sent one flying towards the group... Since they outnumbered him, he could maybe use that to his advantage. Bunch them up together so he could fight them one on one... Dammit.

  If only he had a weapon and something to block those knives. Armor would be great, but at the least something like a sword and shield. If he had that, he could be a bit more confident in surviving, but like this-

  "GEHE!"

  Vaan flinched and instinctively ducked to the right. The moment he did, something silver fshed through the air and grazed his left shoulder, bouncing off and cttering against the floor.

  It was a dagger, rusted and chipped. Even so, the bde was sharp, honed to an edge despite its condition. Did the goblin want to try and end Vaan in one go?

  Vaan didn't know. And it didn't matter. What did was that he had a weapon.

  With it, the chances of survival jumped from near impossible to slim.

  Vaan quickly picked it up and focused. His heart pounded, echoing in his ears. But he stayed calm, carefully peering around the stagmite to see where the goblins were.

  Silence. Were the goblins waiting for Vaan to act?

  Vaan didn't know. But he did know that he couldn't keep waiting like this.

  There was no guarantee these were the only monsters.

  If Vaan waited and even more appeared, then he was absolutely dead. So, with a deep breath, Vaan jumped out from behind the stagmite, sweeping his gaze across the area.

  Fight- No. Kill.

  That was all Vaan had to do.

  But as if to mock Vaan's determination, the goblins didn't move. A dozen of them stood in front of Vaan, spread out. Yet, they simply grinned and waited.

  Vaan swallowed and then rexed. Although he felt a surge of fear and panic, like before, instincts he didn't know he had kicked in. The knife he held so awkwardly just before he jumped out now felt natural.

  Did the goblins sense the change? One of them spat on the ground and then started moving forward. It grinned, swaying its own knife around in the darkness, fshing silver. And then it charged, turning into a green blur.

  'Fast!' Vaan couldn't see it. In this darkness... No, even in full light, Vaan wouldn't be able to see that attack. But he could predict it.

  Time slowed to a crawl and information seeped into Vaan's mind. Almost like words read off from a bestiary.

  Vaan slowly took a step back to get into a combat stance. As he did, the information filled his mind.

  *Goblins were cunning, but they fell back on old habits. When confident, they went for simple attacks instead of feints. Ssh, stab... while they had a rudimentary knowledge of anatomy and fatal points, they would go for easy targets first. For example, a clearly open wound.*

  A split second decision and and instinctual reaction. Vaan pivoted on his uninjured foot and then knelt, smming his knife down.

  Blood sprayed from the goblin. But also from Vaan.

  For a brief moment, Vaan saw a puncture wound on the goblin's back.

  Then the goblin was suddenly in his face, knife raised with a feral grin.

  Panic. Despair. Vaan started to swing his knife, but it was far, far too slow.

  This was just one goblin.

  There were still eleven more, even if Vaan killed this one. 'Am I going to die?'

  Time slowed to a crawl.

  '...Again? Am I going to die again without even getting a chance to enter Babel or see her again?'

  Thoughts that didn't make sense, coupled with a jumble of emotions and memories.

  But before Vaan could dwell on them, they were washed away by a cold resolve. 'No. I refuse.'

  This wasn't enough.

  ...Vaan wasn't sure 'what' wasn't enough. But he knew he needed more. A better weapon, better skills, better... everything.

  > Confirmed. Sufficient resolve has been acknowledged.

  > The legacy will be passed down.

  > User [Vaan] will be granted the [Spark of Creation].

  A mechanical female voice echoed in Vaan's head. He didn't understand. But he 'knew.'

  Time resumed. The goblin cackled and swung its knife at Vaan's heart.

  Vaan stepped back and held up his left arm, as if there was a shield that could block the blow. At the same time, he swept the knife out at his side, holding it like it was a sword.

  Did the goblin think Vaan went insane? Its eyes narrowed and its sneer grew wider as the knife in its hand drew closer to Vaan's chest.

  ...To be honest, Vaan thought he had gone insane too. Although he didn't remember much, he knew that making something out of nothing was impossible. A sword and shield wasn't going to magically appear when he needed it.

  'Because you have to make them first. And it isn't from "nothing."'

  Again, Vaan didn't understand. But he didn't need to.

  The milky darkness. Death, fast approaching at the hands of that goblin. Eleven more that had to be killed just for a chance at life. A desperate desire to live and defy the fated demise...

  Responding to all of that, for a split second, a tiny spark of golden light fshed. And then-

  *CLANG*

  -The goblin's silver knife crashed against a pitch bck shield.