i'll save you when you're weak

Part 10

No matter who their guardians were, Cale and Kim Rok Soo were both normal humans. Human children at that.

Squishy and breakable bodies that were propelled forth by developing brains that didn't quite have the decision making power of adults.

It was the reason that children had guardians to begin with. They weren't born with the ability to make good decisions and had to learn.

Sometimes through trial and error.

If asked to figure out whose precise genius idea it was to sneak away from their caretakers, it would be difficult to ascertain a precise culprit. Between the two of them, two exceptionally bright children, they'd managed to do what most children could do once colluding.

Decide on something extraordinarily dumb and dangerous.

If there was any one thing at fault, it was the book they'd been reading. It was a harmless book all on its own but unfortunately for the two troublesome children, it provided them with a very dangerous idea.

Then it had only been a matter of acting on their foolish inspiration which only took the tiniest bit to egg one another on.

Tragically, all plans or intentions were long forgotten in the face of their current predicament.

"Kekekeke!"

The goblins were laughing.

They didn't feel any real rush to crush their prey. The two human children were already quite defenseless just by the nature of being mere humans.

Add to that how one of their tiny little legs had already been smashed under the weight of a club and they had all the time in the world to enjoy themselves.

Cale's face was streaked with pained tears but he could hardly make a sound through the pain, clutching his crushed leg and staring at the oncoming death with a trembling gaze.

Rok Soo was standing in front of him.

Cale wanted to cry out but he couldn't. The pain was too immense and his tiny vocal chords couldn't find the strength to overcome it, even to scream.

A trembling hand gripped onto Rok Soo's pant leg and the boy looked at him with that same fear reflected in his eyes.

"Run" Cale mouthed, agony resonating throughout his entire body but absolutely sure that he didn't want Rok Soo to share his miserable fate.

Rok Soo was young and fast and while the goblins were busy ripping Cale apart, the child might just be able to escape. It was a ludicrous plan for such a small child to conceive of but Cale was a ludicrous child. He was also the elder of the two and that imbued him with a certain sense of responsibility.

Cale wasn't going to let the small and stupid kid die with him. That would be even worse than dying. He'd rather die alone than with a person he cared about.

Rok Soo smiled shakily at him and it was all the more scary because Cale could probably count on one hand the number of times Rok Soo had ever smiled in his presence.

Cale's heart just about dropped when Rok Soo shook his head.

That stupid brat.

Cale's leg was in throbbing agony and tears stung his eyes and the stupid brat wasn't making a run for it.

"Kekekek ke ke!" The laughter grew in volume as the goblins closed in on them, ready to smash their fragile bones into a fine paste under the weight of their clubs.

There was some very basic math to this equation. Roughly eight goblins surrounding two human children who had neither the strength nor will to run away.

There wouldn't be enough time for anyone to save them.

Kim Rok Soo didn't quite like that math.

He was familiar with cruel math such as that and his ultimate conclusion was that whoever invented those brutal equations was a sadist who didn't deserve his time or respect.

But Kim Rok Soo did have one thing going for him in this miserable equation.

He knew he could take a hit.

He positioned himself firmly in between the approaching mass and the prone figure of the voiceless Cale. His legs shook fearfully beneath him as they gently pleaded with him to reconsider.

Kim Rok Soo hated pain. He hated getting hit. He wanted to run away like the useless coward he knew he was. There was no point in dying with Cale when one of them could live.

He knew he was a coward who was only good for running away but he still didn't listen to the trembling pleas from his legs. Nor the terrified sobs of his heart.

Kim Rok Soo faced the first goblin and in one swooping movement, all he could conceive of was pain. His body crashed to the ground and he belatedly realized it had been airborne.

Something had broken, he didn't know what. He stood up shakily again.

"Keke?!"

The goblin apparently hadn't expected that, already approaching Cale and now finding the smaller one in its way again.

Kim Rok Soo's head was a throbbing mess. He couldn't really speak or breathe. All he had was the ability to stand up after–

The second strike got him in the head and if he hadn't moved with the blow, it would have smashed his skull.

This time he landed on top of Cale. The pair of them let out twin cries of pain, Kim Rok Soo having landed directly on his shattered leg.

Another blow was going to come. Kim Rok Soo was familiar with this kind of pattern.

You just needed to take the hits until your opponent got tired of beating you.

That's how he normally handled such matters when running wasn't an option.

Trembling fingers gripped onto him and stopped him from standing up, Cale's splaying his body over his protectively.

Kim Rok Soo's eyes widened.

The strike hit Cale in the back and the boy let out a voiceless cry of pain.

He squirmed and attempted to struggle his way out of Cale's grip but Cale shook his head and wet blobs of tears and snot dripped down onto Kim Rok Soo.

They would surely both die but neither one was willing to do so without protecting the other.

Kim Rok Soo's own eyes stung and he clenched his eyes shut. He could feel in the air as the next strike was coming and this one was sure to flatten them both.

It wasn't fair and he hated it.

He hadn't had a long life and most of it had been spent in some pain or another and Kim Rok Soo hated pain. Was it too much to ask for him to just have time to relax?

All they'd wanted to do was pick some damn flowers because the damn book said that flowers made for a good gift, even better if you picked them yourself. It was such a stupid reason to die and Kim Rok Soo didn't want Cale to die with him.

He didn't want to die either.

He just wanted to live peacefully, was that too fucking much to ask for?

"KE–?!"

Something wet and sticky sprayed over both children, cries from the goblin's being heard from above. Kim Rok Soo couldn't see what was happening, Cale's limp body blocked his view and he realized with agonized horror that Cale had lost consciousness.

...was he even breathing...? It was hard to tell but it didn't look like he was. Kim Rok Soo squeezed his eyes shut.

At the very end he really was just a coward who couldn't do anything or protect anyone.

He let out a tiny broken sob and waited for the end, his body finally giving out to the pain and sending him into dreamless unconscious oblivion.