Ethan's sword met the hobgoblin's axe.
Sparks burst from the point of impact, dancing like fireflies the air.
The ground between them cracked beneath the monstrous pressure, and both warriors took a single step back, eyes brimming with murderous intent before they hurled themselves at one another once more.
"Ah... has anyone ever told you how bad your breath stinks? Even with your pathetic attempt to look like a human king, you're nothing but a pig in a crown!"
Ethan taunted, his blue eyes locked on the hobgoblin's blood-red gaze as their swords remained crossed.
The hobgoblin answered with a guttural roar. "I'll rip out your tongue, hooman!"
Ethan smiled and ducked low, narrowly avoiding decapitation.
The blade of the hobgoblin leader's axe scraped across his helmet with a sharp hiss of metal grinding against metal.
He had realized immediately that this hobgoblin possessed human intelligence.
The angrier the creature got, however, the more that intelligence crumbled away.
