No, I stay my hand from the lethal blow, but for good reason.

The heavy obsidian black iron head of your war hammer cuts through the air, dropping down towards the ground with the velocity of a falling star. It hurtles down towards the ground and, to everybody's eyes, towards Balthor's head. The winded and wounded beastkin can do nothing except prepare for the impact and those who are watching seem to mirror his actions as eyes are closed and faces turned away from what is expected to be a grisly impact. The collective breath of the forest seems to pause and then let out in gasps and hisses of reaction as the thunderous sound of the hammer striking ground resounds loudly through the woods.

Like a thunderclap, that sound of impact explodes outward and one could even imagine they feel a vibration in the ground from the power behind the strike that had been swung. And, truly, it is not unbelievable to think that those vibrations truly were felt as, when the onlookers look back at the center of the clearing, it is to see your weapon embedded in the ground and a crater that looks like it was created by a catapulted boulder landing in the forest opened up before you. Dust and rocks still rain down from the impact...but no blood nor gore accompanies that debris, strangely enough.

The reason for this is made clear as, when the dust settles, one can see that your strike had not slammed down upon Balthor's skull and reduced it to pulp. No, you had instead slammed your hammer down right beside his head and, though his head rings from being so close to the impact and he has nicks and gashes from the rocks that had exploded forth from the ground when you'd created that crater, he still lives. His head still exists upon his shoulders and he, as well as everybody around you, can only look at you with confusion and silent questioning in their eyes.

"What is this, goblin? Mercy? Pity? I need neither from you.", the Beast-kin leader growls at you from his place on the ground as you step off of him to allow him to regain his breath and casually pull your hammer up out of the ground, "You would leave me to live with the shame of defeat? Is this how you petty, honorless goblins do things?!"

You look down at him and, without warning, you pick up your foot and kick him hard across the face, silencing his words and surprisingly causing him to roll over on the ground twice before sliding to a stop on his belly. He looks at you, his mouth bloody as he spits a tooth on the ground, and you bare your teeth at him. Obviously, his words were displeasing to you.

"Goblins have honor, Balthor! It is honor that keeps you alive.", you growl at him and then look around the clearing at the surrounding onlookers as your words are now directed at all of them as well as Balthor, "Balthor is strong! Worthy warrior! It is waste to kill such strong fighter when we share same enemy! Men and elf and dwarf and gnome in the north! They are enemies! They want destroy us and kill Dark Lord Master! This, Minion not allow! Minion fight for Dark Lord Master's victory! Minion act as Dark Lord Master's hand! Everything Minion does is for his master's glory!"

You turn your attention back to Balthor and step towards him, your hammer held in one hand as you lean it against your shoulder and look down at your fallen opponent, physically but not figuratively. "You are powerful warrior, Balthor. Dark Lord Master need powerful warriors alive to fight for him. Minion want Balthor alive so we fight side by side against enemies.", you say and then hold out your hand to the fallen beast-kin, a show of respect as well as an offer of peace, "Goblin and Beast-kin fight together from now on. Be ally, not enemy. For Dark Lord Master and for **** of forces of light, Minion want Balthor and Beast-kin strong and whole and, together, we slay and conquer human, gnome, dwarf and elf. We slay and enslave them all! What say Balthor?"