Goblin Elites

Blades of wind sliced through the air, bisecting every spectating goblin cleanly.

Their bodies split open and fell forward with a wet ripping sound, blood and viscera pouring out from the slice point in a messy heap as torsos collapsed onto the ground and roofs. Their innards were exposed for all to see, the blood glossing and shining under the radiant afternoon sun.

The shaman screeched in anger and slammed his staff onto the ground.

Vines erupted from the ground, forming a thick wall in front of it and the hobgoblin.

Lines were drawn onto the plant wall as wind blades crashed into the thick bark, grinding and serrating with high frequency.

But it was not enough.

The walls proved too thick for the sharp wind to slice through, weakening into weak gusts before fading.

“Tch,” Joy grunted. “Those vines are super irritating.”

The vine wall dissolved back into the ground, revealing the sniggering shaman behind.

“Human. Weak.”

The shaman cackled loudly, revelling at Joy’s failure. It ignored the deaths of its brethren all around, as if they were nothing but disposables that served no purpose other than procreation vessels for its lineage.

“Die.”

Purplish miasma erupted from behind the shaman as it pointed its staff forward, surging towards Voidborn and Chaewon.

Seeing that the surrounding goblins had been massacred and that it was safe, both Voidborn and Chaewon jumped up, retreating back towards where Joy was.

“Robert,” Joy said, passing red vials to the approaching two.

Robert nodded.

With a wave of his hand, a gust blew from behind the quintet.

“Gust.”

A strong wall of wind blasted into the approaching miasma, pushing the purplish fog to the sides.

“You keep the miasma at bay,” Joy ordered. “We’ll deal with the rest.”

“What’s the plan?” Chaewon asked, throwing the empty vial behind her as her wounds healed.

“I’ll handle the shaman. You guys deal with the rest.”

“What?” Chaewon shouted. “That shaman is mine! You promised me.”

“I promised you nothing,” Joy said, her gaze fixed on the shaman. “You couldn’t even handle the onslaught of a goblin horde. What makes you think you can handle the shaman? Even I am not confident of killing it alone.”

“You don’t understand,” Chaewon said, gritting her teeth. “I need to have my revenge.”

“You’re the one who doesn’t understand,” Rei snapped. “Are you going to waste the life that you barely managed to get back?”

“I'm going to fight for the lives that bastard wasted,” Chaewon grunted.

“Get ready. They’re moving.”

“Focus,” Voidborn said, turning to look at Chaewon. “You're with me.”

He bent his legs and readied his posture.

“Listen. Nothing matters when you’re dead. So make the right choices.”

“I—”

But he was already gone.

A loud clash sounded in the air as Voidborn met blades with the hobgoblin ahead.

“You. Weak.”

Voidborn leapt back to create distance, then shifted smoothly into a classic swordsman stance. Knees slightly bent and feet planted firmly, he raised his invisible blade into a high guard, the point levelled straight at the grinning hobgoblin’s throat, ready to strike or defend in an instant.

“I don't need to be strong to kill you.”

“Human. Die.”

The hobgoblin charged forward, swinging his jagged sword downwards for an overhead cleave.

Focusing his eyes, Voidborn stepped gently to his right, letting the blade splice the air apart with a deafening swoosh.

He retracted his blade and prepared for a thrust, but frowned mid-movement.

Red flowed from the hobgoblin’s heart throughout its upper torso, condensing strongly in its biceps and upper back.

Voidborn twisted his thrust and raised the flat of his invisible blade right in front of him, supporting the long end with his other palm.

Clang.

The hobgoblin had clenched its muscles right after the missed strike, twisting its body into a wide swing that followed the human which had dodged to the side.

The impact from the block sent Voidborn’s ears ringing.

His hands trembled from the tremendous force, and he hopped slightly backwards to regain his footing.

That single exchange was enough.

Voidborn recovered into his stance again and glanced at the hobgoblin.

“You consumed the tier 3 Rebirth Stone?”