Kamigami – 23 part 1

Chapter 8 – The Weight of Destiny

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Shortly before dawn, when the sky was starting to finally turn azure, Sheto opened his eyes.
His ear had been on the ground, and he felt the rumblings from far away. The sounds of hooves trembling the dirt wildly.

“Salia?”

He called, but there was no answer. She must be far away from that god seat of hers. He sniffed the dark forest around him, and ensured that there was no immediate threat.
And then with his bow in hand, he slipped out from his hiding spot. It should have been far enough from the road, so the fact that he could hear the horse hooves was worrying.
And then he saw it. Firelight through the gaps in the trees towards the west side.

“That…”

Just as he was distracted, the ground shook.
A carriage was carving out the road as it rushed forward.
And something else.

“Ahhh! Run! Run!”
“Ahh! Go! Go! Go!”
“So-someone! Help!”

The screams echoed in the morning forest. Clearly, humans were being chased by monsters.
Sheto held his bow and then wondered what to do.
He held no love for humans in general. After all, they had been hunting him.
He had no reason to help.
There were not many arrows left, and if there were a lot of enemies, he would be putting himself in danger.

“Waaaahhh!”
“Ahahaha! My arrow! Bullseye!”
“Don’t let humans get away. Order of the king!”

That distinct, raspy voice full of sadistic pleasure, and the cornered screams.
Before he knew it, Sheito had nocked an arrow and silently began running through the forest.

The crushed carriage had saved his life. However, the horse was now lying on the ground, with an arrow in its head.
Not only that, but his shoulder was in severe pain. He must have hit it when he was thrown off.

“Hehe. Hide and seek. Fun.”
“Now, and run.”

The goblins said with smiles and surprisingly polished blades. He had heard from one of the village elders once. Goblins didn’t care to do maintenance on armor, but they liked to have shiny weapons.

“Sta-stay away!”

He pulled out his short sword and held it up desperately. Still, they continued to walk with their contorted smiles.

“Come on. Keep running.”
“Then I can stab you in back.”
“Me stab too.”
“I use bow.”

Weapons were tools to inflict pain.
And so the goblins took good care of them.

“Sto-stop!”

He thought back on the corpses that had been strung up on trees, when previously passing through a land that had been invaded by the Demon King.
The bodies had been flayed and torn apart.
Suddenly, he heard a dull thud.

“Gah…?”

The archer goblin in the back had fallen to its knees.
And then the sound of something cutting through the wind.

“Agaah!”

Another oen fell.
And then another.

“Wh-what…??”

As the goblin turned around, an arrow went deep between its eyes.
Before he knew it, the five goblins were brought down to just one.
And up ahead, there was someone standing in the dim road.
The figure was small, but clearly not a child. The village guards had all died, so who was this new savior?
The answer was surprising.
A monster with a dog-like face emerged from the shadows.

“Wh-what are you doing! You!”

The kobold silently nocked another arrow and pointed it at the goblin.

“You. You trying to steal my prey!?”

The goblin said with a laugh.

“Hehe. Fine. You can have him. Still plenty of fleeing humans to catch. Yes, I give to you!”

It was known that goblins were quick to give up if they saw that the enemy was stronger than them. However, he was still too scared to move.
The kobold looked at him strangely, and then back at the goblin.

“You…give him to me?”
“Ye-yes! It is fun to make them feel pain. You can have him.”
“And he is, yours?”
“Ye-yes! Mine!”

The goblin shouted happily.

“He is human. A farmer! Weakling! Easily captured by us. Weaklings are ours!”
“I see…”

The kobold seemed like he could barely get those words out.
His face had contorted with rage. He gritted his teeth and his eyes glared with the intent to kill.

“Then since you are weak, your life, is mine!”
“Sto-sop! We are the same.”

Woosh.
The goblin became silent as it fell to the ground.
Then the kobold walked forward. He put away his bow and kicked away the body.
He was clearly still angry.

“Are you, alright?”
“Sta…stay away! Monster!”

Sheto’s hand was about to stretch out, but he stopped. The human in front of him was shaking with fear.

“Wa-wait, I…”
“Damn it! Everyone mocks me! Weakling!? Belongs to you!?”

The man was swinging his sword and crying and shouting like a trapped fox.

“Cursed monster! I will not be your prey!”
“Ah…”

It should have been obvious. He was just another monster to the human. It would have looked like they just argued and fought during a hunt.

‘What happened, Sheto!’

He heard the goddess’s voice, and raised his head.

“It’s nothing.”
‘Who is that man? And why are there bodies…’

Sheto didn’t answer as he turned away from the man.
After taking a few steps, he heard the man drop his blade and weep.

‘…It seems like the nearby village was attacked. He must be a resident.’
“I see.”
‘So…you helped him?’
“No.”

An indescribable rage made his chest throb.
The words that followed became a boiling, blackened mess, like a murky stew.

“I, heard voice of the goblins. I, didn’t like it. And so, killed the goblins. That is all.”
‘…You are not telling me something.’
“No. That is all.”

It really was just that. The act had no other value.

‘Still, the result was that he was saved. So it is a good thing.’
“…Is it?”

A scent of sad tenderness lingered in the air. Smelling that clear, flower-like fragrance, Sheto’s expression softened just a little.

‘So, is the only survivor?’
“The goblin said. That there are other villagers who were captured.”
‘…Sheto. I am going to ask of you something that is horrible, but…’
“Save the village?”

Salia sighed.

‘No, that is too much for you to do alone. However, you should be able to cause some confusion in the monster army. At the very least, you should find out what is happening.’
“I see. Fine.”
‘I’m sorry.’

While he felt heavy, he forced his legs to move quickly as he entered the forest and went towards the village. In the meantime, he could not stop thinking about the man.
Still, he continued to run until he reached the end of the forest.

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