James adjusted his grip on his cursed sword as he followed his newly assembled party through the winding forest trail. The sun had started to dip below the horizon, casting long shadows through the trees.

“So,” he said, breaking the silence, “what exactly is this manageable job we’re doing?”

Riona smirked over her shoulder. “Monster extermination. Just a small infestation.”

Lillian let out a laugh. “You make it sound like we’re calling an exterminator to deal with a rat problem. It’s a bit worse than that.”

Garrick, ever the straightforward one, grunted. “Goblins.”

James raised an eyebrow. “Goblins?”

Lyra huffed. “Please don’t tell me they’re actually dangerous.”

“They’re not usually,” Riona said, hopping over a fallen log, “but these ones are… different. Smarter. Stronger. Meaner. Something’s making them act weird, and the nearby villages want them gone before they turn into a real problem.”

James exhaled. “Right. So we’re exterminators now.”

Lillian grinned. “Welcome to guild life. If it pays, we do it.”

James glanced at Lyra, who shrugged. “Better than getting robbed again.”

By the time they reached the outskirts of the goblin-infested cave, the sun had fully set. The mouth of the cave was wide and dark, with the scent of damp earth and something… foul wafting from within. The ground outside was littered with crude weapons, broken bones, and the occasional rusted helmet that looked like it had been chewed on.

Garrick stepped forward, gripping his axe. “Standard formation. I take point, Riona flanks, Lillian provides cover, and you two—” He motioned to James and Lyra. “—don’t die.”

James sighed. “Great. My specialty.”

They moved inside carefully, the only light coming from dimly glowing mushrooms lining the walls. The deeper they went, the more obvious it became that this wasn’t a normal goblin den. The tunnels were lined with makeshift barricades, and further in, flickering torchlight revealed crude carvings on the walls—jagged, chaotic symbols that sent a chill up James’s spine.

Riona frowned. “I don’t like this.”

Garrick nodded. “They’re organizing.”

Before James could ask what that meant, a guttural screech rang out from deeper in the cave. Moments later, goblins came pouring out of the tunnels.

They weren’t the small, feeble creatures James had expected. These ones had jagged, yellowed teeth, eyes that gleamed with intelligence, and bodies covered in strange, dark markings.

And they were fast.

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“Shit!” James barely had time to react before the first goblin lunged at him with a rusted dagger. He swung his cursed sword, cleaving through the creature in a single strike—but another was already at his side, claws slashing at his arm.

Blood splattered across the cave floor.

Lyra ducked under a goblin’s wild swing and drove her dagger into its ribs. “We’ve fought worse than this!”

Riona spun past an attacker, slashing through its throat with expert precision. “Yeah, but they just keep coming!”

Lillian loosed an arrow, nailing a goblin in the eye before drawing a throwing knife and launching it into another’s skull. “There’s way more than the reports said!”

Garrick roared, swinging his axe in a wide arc, carving through three goblins at once. “Hold the damn line!”

The fight turned into a blur of blood and chaos. Goblins swarmed from every direction, forcing James and the others into a tight defensive formation. Every time they cut one down, two more seemed to take its place.

James gritted his teeth as another blade tore through his side. Pain flared, but he ignored it. His cursed sword pulsed in his hands, almost as if urging him forward. He didn’t have time to think about it—he just kept swinging.

More goblins fell.

More blood painted the cave walls.

+450 Attack XP

And then—silence.

James was breathing hard, his body covered in cuts and bruises. Around him, goblin corpses lay in heaps. Lyra wiped blood off her cheek, looking as exhausted as he felt.

Garrick surveyed the carnage. “That’s way too many for a normal goblin nest.”

Riona frowned, kicking over one of the goblin bodies. “Something’s off.”

Lillian crouched by one of the corpses, tracing a finger over the dark markings on its skin. “These symbols… I’ve seen something like this before. This isn’t just random. Something’s influencing them.”

James glanced deeper into the cave. The tunnels stretched further in, disappearing into darkness. “So we keep going?”

Garrick grunted. “We need to find out what’s behind this.”

Lyra sighed. “Of course we do.”

They pressed deeper. The air grew heavier, and a faint, rhythmic chanting echoed through the tunnels. James’s stomach twisted.

“That can’t be good,” he muttered.

They stepped into a wide chamber, and at its center, a massive goblin, nearly twice the size of the others, stood before an altar. The dark symbols from earlier were etched across its skin, glowing with a sickly green light.

James barely had time to react before the goblin chieftain turned its gaze toward them—and roared.

The fight was instant.

The chieftain charged, swinging a massive stone club. James barely rolled aside as the weapon crashed into the ground, sending cracks through the stone.

“Shit! Big guy’s fast!” James shouted.

Lillian fired an arrow at its head—only for the goblin to swat it away mid-air.

Riona cursed. “It’s enhanced somehow!”

James lunged forward, slashing at its leg. His cursed sword bit deep—but the goblin barely reacted. Then, suddenly, its markings flared.

A wave of dizziness slammed into him.

“Mind magic?!” Lyra shouted.

The goblin swung—James was too slow.

The club connected with his ribs. Pain exploded through him, and he was airborne before crashing into the ground, gasping for breath.

Garrick bellowed, clashing with the chieftain. Riona slashed at its back, but the creature barely reacted.

“James, get up!” Lyra shouted.

He coughed, struggling to push himself to his feet. His cursed sword pulsed, as if demanding action.

James gritted his teeth. “Fine.”

He lunged forward. This time, he ducked under the club, using the momentum to slide past the creature. He slashed upward, carving into its side.

The goblin screeched—but staggered.

“We can hurt it!” James yelled.

Riona took the chance, flipping over its shoulder and driving both her daggers into its neck. The goblin gurgled, stumbling—right into Garrick’s waiting axe.

With a final roar, the chieftain collapsed.

+850 Attack XP

The cavern fell silent.

James exhaled. “Okay. That was… unpleasant.”

Lillian knelt by the altar, frowning. “We need to report this. Something’s manipulating these goblins.”

Garrick nodded. “Agreed. But first—” He gestured to a chest at the back of the chamber.

James grinned, stepping forward. “Now we’re talking.”

Whatever was in there—it had better be worth it.