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System Notification:
Quest: Defeat the Goblin Commander (0/1) and his Armies (0/3)
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The trio stood at the precipice of the second floor, their breaths steady but their hearts racing. The moment they stepped through the threshold, a wave of energy washed over them, a palpable shift in the atmosphere that signalled a greater challenge ahead. Sebastian, Marissa, and Elena exchanged glances as the system notification appeared before their eyes, the words hanging ominously in the air.
Sebastian felt a mix of excitement and apprehension. "Isn't this too much of a difficulty increase from the first floor?" he thought, his mind racing. "We only had to kill a single boss back there."
"Stay focused," he said, masking his uncertainty with authority. "We've got this."
Marissa and Elena nodded, their expressions mirroring a blend of determination and fear. They advanced cautiously, their senses on high alert. The narrow corridor they walked through soon opened into a vast cavern, dimly lit by flickering torches lining the walls. The air was thick with the scent of mildew and something more pungent—blood and sweat. They had barely taken a few steps into the cavern when a deafening roar echoed through the space.
An army of goblins, a hundred strong, emerged from the shadows. These were no ordinary goblins; they were clad in polished, blackened steel armour that covered their bodies in segmented plates. The armour was reinforced with jagged spikes and etched with crude, menacing runes. Their weapons gleamed wickedly in the torchlight—cruel blades, spiked maces, and barbed spears designed to cause maximum pain and damage.
Sebastian, Marissa, and Elena froze for a moment, panic gripping their hearts. The sheer number of goblins and their formidable appearance made their breaths quicken.
"We can't back down now," Sebastian thought, pushing the fear aside. "We've come too far."
"There's so many of them," Marissa whispered, her grip tightening on her spear.
"We can't take them all at once," Elena added, her voice tinged with fear. "What do we do, Sebastian?"
Sebastian clenched his fists, feeling the adrenaline surge through his veins. He couldn't afford to hesitate. With a swift thought, he allocated his available points: 6 points to agility, 3 to endurance, and 1 to strength. His body immediately felt lighter, stronger, more resilient. He estimated that he was now about three times stronger than an average goblin, which gave him the confidence to face the horde.
"Stay close," Sebastian commanded, his voice firm. "We'll cut through them quickly."
The goblins charged with terrifying speed, their war cries filling the cavern. Sebastian and Marissa sprang into action, their movements fluid and precise. Elena stayed back, ready to heal any injuries, her magic a constant, soothing presence.
Sebastian moved like a shadow, his dagger flashing as he met the goblins head-on. The first goblin lunged at him with a crude sword, but Sebastian sidestepped effortlessly, his dagger slicing through the goblin's throat in a single, clean motion. Blood sprayed, and the goblin collapsed, gurgling. As with all his kills, the goblin's body decayed rapidly, its essence absorbed into Sebastian, enhancing his strength and agility further.
"Another one down," he thought, a grim satisfaction mingling with the rush of power. "Keep moving."
Marissa's spear danced with fiery energy, a trail of flames following her every movement. She swung her spear in a wide arc, cleaving through the armour of three goblins at once. Their bodies crumpled, the stench of burnt flesh filling the air.
Sebastian was a blur of motion, his dagger cutting through goblin after goblin. He targeted their weak points with surgical precision—throats, eyes, and joints. Each strike was accompanied by a spray of blood, painting the ground in crimson. He moved with an almost supernatural speed, dodging and weaving through the goblin horde, his strikes relentless and lethal. Despite his efficiency, the goblins' numbers and their cruel weapons began to take a toll. Marissa grunted in pain as a goblin's spiked mace caught her in the side, the jagged spikes tearing through her armour and flesh. Elena quickly cast a healing spell, the wound closing slightly but leaving Marissa winded.
Sebastian, too, was not unscathed. A goblin's blade managed to cut across his thigh, the sharp edge slicing through his trousers and into his flesh. He bit back a curse and continued fighting, his movements fuelled by adrenaline and determination. Elena's healing magic reached him, knitting the wound together just enough to keep him moving.
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"Can't let this stop me," he thought, gritting his teeth against the pain. "This is my chance to grow stronger."
The ground was soon littered with the mutilated bodies of goblins. Blood pooled in the crevices of the stone floor, and the cavern echoed with the dying screams of the goblins. Marissa and Sebastian fought with brutal efficiency, their coordination perfect. Each time a goblin fell, another took its place, but they were relentless.
Among the goblin horde, there were distinct variations. Some wielded wickedly curved daggers designed to slash and tear, others bore heavy shields and short swords, using their bulk to form a phalanx. These shield-bearers were particularly troublesome, their armour thick and their coordination impressive. They locked their shields together, creating a wall of metal and stabbing forward with their swords.
Sebastian snarled in frustration as his dagger glanced off a shield. He darted around the formation, slashing at the goblins' legs from behind. They staggered, their formation breaking as Marissa took advantage, thrusting her spear through the gaps in their defense. Flames erupted from her weapon, incinerating the shield-bearers in a brilliant blaze.
"Almost there," he thought, the sight of the burning goblins fuelling his resolve. "We can do this."
Suddenly, a deafening roar echoed through the cavern, silencing the clamour of battle. The goblins parted, making way for their leader. The First Army's Goblin Leader, a particularly large goblin, rode atop a monstrous bear-like creature. The creature was hideous and gigantic, its fur matted with blood and dirt. Its skin was thick and leathery, resembling the texture of ancient, gnarled bark. Jagged, bone-like protrusions jutted from its back, and its eyes glowed with a malevolent red light.
The goblin leader wore a helm adorned with trophies of past kills—human and monster alike. Its armour was thicker, the runes etched into the metal glowing with a sinister red light. It wielded a massive axe, the blade stained with the blood of countless victims.
"This must be the Goblin Commander," Sebastian thought, his heart pounding. "If we take him down, we can end this."
The leader leapt from the back of the bear-like creature, swinging its massive axe with a ferocity that made the air hum. Sebastian barely managed to dodge the initial attack, feeling the rush of air as the blade missed him by inches. The leader was a whirlwind of fury, its strikes coming faster and harder than any goblin they had faced so far.
Sebastian parried a blow with his dagger, but the force of the impact jarred his arm painfully. He countered with a quick slash, but the leader's armour absorbed the attack. The goblin leader roared in defiance, its eyes burning with hatred. It lunged again, its axe aimed at Sebastian's head. He ducked, rolling to the side and coming up behind the leader. He drove his dagger into the goblin's exposed neck, twisting the blade to maximize the damage. Blood spurted from the wound, and the leader staggered, but it did not fall.
With a savage snarl, the leader backhanded Sebastian, sending him sprawling. He hit the ground hard, his vision swimming. The leader loomed over him, ready to deliver the killing blow. But Sebastian was faster. He grabbed a fallen sword, a crude but sharp blade, and swung it upward with all his strength. The blade sliced through the leader's neck, severing its head in a spray of blood. The leader's body decayed rapidly, its essence flowing into Sebastian, restoring his strength and vitality.
Before he could catch his breath, the bear-like creature roared and charged at him, its eyes glowing with fury. The beast's massive paw swiped at Sebastian, claws extended. He barely managed to dodge, but the creature's other paw caught him in the chest, claws raking across his flesh. He cried out in pain, blood pouring from the deep gashes. The wounds were gruesome, deep enough to expose muscle and bone. The creature's hide was thick and tough, resisting his dagger and the fallen sword.
Desperation fuelled his movements as he rolled to the side, narrowly avoiding another swipe from the beast's powerful paw. The bear-like creature's strength was immense, each of its movements sending tremors through the ground. Sebastian's mind raced as he looked for a way to exploit its weaknesses. He circled around the beast, trying to find an opening. The creature lunged again, and Sebastian ducked under its massive bulk, slashing at its belly. His blade barely scratched the surface, the hide too thick to penetrate deeply.
The beast roared in anger, swinging its head down in an attempt to bite him. Sebastian rolled to the side, coming up on the creature's flank. He spotted the jagged, bone-like protrusions on its back and an idea formed. With a burst of agility, he leapt onto the beast's back, grabbing hold of one of the protrusions to steady himself. The creature bucked and thrashed, trying to throw him off, but Sebastian held on with grim determination.
He climbed higher, avoiding the creature's snapping jaws and swiping claws. His fingers found the creature's eye sockets, and he dug in, feeling the slimy texture of its eyeballs. With a savage twist, he ripped them from their sockets, crushing them in his hands. The creature let out a blood-curdling roar of agony, stumbling blindly.
Marissa seized the opportunity. She thrust her spear into the beast's gaping mouth, the flames erupting and searing its insides. The creature choked, its roars turning into gurgles as the flames consumed it from within. Finally, it collapsed, lifeless, its charred body twitching as the last of its life force drained away. The bear-like creature decayed rapidly, its essence devoured by Sebastian.
Sebastian collapsed to the ground, clutching his chest where the bear's claws had torn through his flesh. Blood soaked his clothes, and his vision blurred from the pain and blood loss.