- So, where are we finally going? - Klein caught the moment when Lia made a brief pause in the stream of words, accusing the young man of all mortal sins for his disappearance for a few hours.

- To the goblins. - Robert replied, not allowing Lia to continue.

- Oh. - The paladin replied satisfied. Killing goblins was sacred work, and the guy was glad to assist. He clarified: - Is there a boss there? Special goblins? Anyone stronger than them?

- Guild reconnaissance reports that there's no boss, and if there are any specials, there are no more than three.

- Oh... - Klein said disappointedly. - Why are we going there then? I don't mind killing a bunch of goblins, but can't we choose a more developed nest? I appreciate that you care about me, but I'm already recovered, right! I can handle elites or bosses if needed!

- We're not worried about you, loser, - Anya commented sharply, - the Guild asked us to go there. By the way, Robert, why? Did you talk to them, so tell us.

- It's all about Jay. - At these words, everyone groaned, and Glen grumbled angrily:

- What has that idiot done again!?

- He went into the dungeon we're heading to now. Yesterday. And hasn't shown up since. The girl at the counter said that if it were anyone else, she might not have been worried, but Jay...

- Idiot and spineless weakling. - The dwarf concluded mercilessly. - And the Guild is worried he's dead. God, why does that fool insist on going places clearly beyond his abilities!?

- Don't know, buddy, don't know. We'll find him - Robert muttered, signaling the others to be quieter: through the trees of the forest, a hole leading down was visible. The goblin's nest.

- Call me a buddy again... - Glen began angrily, threateningly raising his axe, but everyone shushed him, and the gnome finished in a more poignant whisper. - And I'll bury this axe in your head through your balls.

- Quiet, quiet, Glen. - The mage replied to the threat, peering into the distance. - Let go of the past already, be kind. And I know you won't attack me until I'm ready and give consent, so let's just get along.

- Let go of the past? Pah! Dwarves don't forgive grudges! And I'll follow you like a shadow until you give me the fight I desire so much!

- You're too small to fight me. And for now, please, be quiet, we're standing at the enemy's doorstep! At that, Lia burst into laughter, and Glen asked her in the most courageous tone:

- What's so funny, pointy-eared miss? Was it the charisma of this cool berserker that amused you, huh?

- Oh, no, hee-hee. Rob said that you're TOO SMALL, hee-hee. Like, you're small. And weak. Like a kitten. Not my words - his!

- Oh god, no... - the squad leader moaned, massaging his temples. - I didn't mean that, sorry, Glen.

- Too small!? - The half-pint roared with rage. - Like a kitten!? You! Bastard! Draw your sword and fight me, damn it! Here and now! I'll show you..

- Shut up and let's go already. - Anya's voice came from somewhere in the foliage, interrupting her companions. - I've already checked everything while you fools were arguing here. The entrance is clear, let's go. Idiots.

- Oh, what a smart girl you are, Anny! - Vasiliy exclaimed, somehow pinpointing the location of the girl and patting her on the head.

- Hehe, that's right! Finally, someone here understands my greatness! What would you do without me! Well, let's go! T

he squad approached the burrow, and Vasiliy inspected the bodies of the three goblins lying here and the traces of battle on the ground.

- Hmm, Jay killed these three. Not without effort, I see. Originally there were two, the third one came to help them. Judging by the blood, the guy got injured. Oh god, and he went further wounded. Why didn't he come back to get treated?

- I suppose he doesn't have money for a healer, - Klein replied.

- But don't you take money for treatment at the Temple? - The archer was surprised.

- Well, actually, yes. It's just that Master Arthur is amazing. He treats others for free. But right now, he's gone to the capital on the king's orders. Haven't you heard? The whole town is buzzing about it.

For this reason, Jay could have gone further, ignoring his own safety. Or because he's an idiot, that's also a possible option. And the absence of the master-healer was why Klein didn't run to him right after meeting Askeltak

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Due to this, Jay could have gone further, ignoring his own safety. Or maybe he's just an idiot; that's also a possible explanation. And also, the absence of the master-nun was the reason why Klein didn't run to him immediately after meeting with Askeltak.

- No, I haven't heard. I'm just a villager. But it means we need to hurry; otherwise, there will be no one left to save!

- Agreed, - remarked Robert. - Besides, the goblins have kidnapped two women. We should try to save them if possible. Keep that in mind.

The adventurers cautiously proceeded into the network of caves. They moved carefully, examining the area for traps or enemies. Yes, their opponents were weak goblins. Perhaps even below the tenth level. But any blow could be deadly for a person, no matter how powerful the enemy: a knife to the throat or a dagger to the heart, and you're a corpse, no matter how great you are.

The heroes reached a trap with spikes on the floor. Judging by the blood on the spikes, a previous adventurer had fallen into it and then moved on. Fortunately, the bloody trail ended not far away, indicating that the guy had probably bandaged his wounds before continuing.

- Anya, - Robert ordered, and the girl replied:

- Yes, yes, I'm already on it.

Pressing against the walls and tapping them with her dagger, the girl soon found a camouflaged entrance to a side tunnel. Indeed, goblins were quite predictable when you had dealt with them before. And under the leadership of Robert, the squad had encountered green-skinned creatures many times and could somewhat be considered professionals in fighting the goblin threat. Especially Klein, who, after the battle with the goblin girl, had read all the books about these monsters in the temple.

On one hand, they should follow the same path as Jay to find him faster, making sure not to miss him. But on the other hand, they needed to secure their rear, so the adventurers decided to clear the side passage.

A little while later, the heroes unexpectedly stumbled upon a group of goblins lazily waiting in this passage. A dozen green-skinned creatures were extremely surprised by this encounter, and, anxious, they began to rise sharply. Lia and Robert raised their hands, beginning to concentrate on spells, but Vasily stopped them and, raising his bow, filled the string with mana.

The energy spread throughout the weapon, causing it to bend to such an extent that the bow should have broken or at least cracked. And after a second and a half of such preparation, the arrow flew out with a clap, piercing through the crowd of goblins, meeting almost no resistance. In the narrow tunnel, the monsters had no opportunity to spread out, standing in a row, they were an easy target for the archer's skill. So the arrow traced its path with splatters of blood, and nine bodies silently fell to the ground, each with an additional hole in their head.

The remaining three were stunned, seeing this scene, and fled, but that split-second delay was enough for Klein and Anya's attacks to find their targets and kill the enemies.

Vasiliy approached the arrow stuck in the wall and commented joyfully,

- It's great to be useful sometimes!

- You're always useful, - the mage consoled the archer, - it's just that you don't always get to show yourself off in such conditions as we fight in.

Vasiliy gratefully smiled at the leader, but a moment later his face twisted in pain, and a groan of suffering escaped his chest.

- The arrow... It broke... - And indeed, from such a powerful impact, the arrowhead had deformed against the stone, losing its sharpness. - And I tried so hard not to break the arrows... Caldeus will tear my head off if I don't pay for it now...

Robert, unsure how to support his comrade, soothingly placed a hand on his shoulder. After all, only other archers could understand the problems of archers. Or other classes relying on consumable items, like shamans or alchemists.

After some more time, the group emerged from the tunnel, finding themselves in a spacious cavern. Sounds of conflict echoed from the other end, and at the opposite wall, the adventurers saw a crowd of goblins. More than thirty little monsters stood there, taking turns trying to break down the door leading to the adjacent cave. Behind the goblins stood two taller creatures. Klein, having learned from mistakes, immediately inspected them and reported the results:

- Hobgoblin knight and goblin rogue. Thirtieth and twenty-seventh levels. The first one is a highly armored enemy, the second is agile and uses poisons, don't let yourself get injured.

At that moment, as the already hole-ridden wooden door was being battered by the hob's roar, a new goblin approached, and with a spear strike, tried to knock down the flimsy door from its hinges. However, at that moment, from one of the holes, the exhausted and bloodied face of a young man appeared, and his sword pierced the throat of the little monster. Clutching the bleeding wound, the creature staggered back and fell, joining the dozen bodies who had tried before it.

The others started to growl and shout, continuing the siege. They, of course, could have swarmed in with the whole mob, and neither the half-collapsed door nor any defending person could have opposed them. But in that case, several who were on the front lines of such an attack would definitely have perished. And nobody wanted to be among the dead, and even though there were hobgoblins and advanced goblins present, they didn't possess the authority and power to command such a number of smaller and more malicious goblins without risking their wrath turning against them for such orders. So the monsters were left with no choice but to lay siege to their enemy.

Fortunately, this didn't change much: the monsters had an abundance of time, and the human couldn't escape anywhere. Of course, this was fraught with a greater number of deaths than putting everything on one attack, but as long as it wasn't themselves, the goblins didn't care, hoping that the next ones sent in wouldn't be them.

- Great, they don't see us, and Jay is still alive! - Lia whispered with fire in her eyes. - Then we have a plan, that we're like hobos, and we attack them from behind, and Isabella is like rawr! And she'll break everything like a bear. And Anya is like a ninja! And she'll kill them from the shadows. And I'm like woo-hoo! And I'll bombard them with spells! And Klein, as usual, will stand aside and scream like a little girl! How about that?

- I have a better plan, - the paladin said with a stony face, ignoring Anya, who was nodding her head in agreement with the elf's "plan".

- Oh, and what's that? - the sorceress asked. She looked into the serious eyes of the silent Klein and waited. But the young man remained silent, and Lia herself understood what he meant, disappointedly replying, - What? Noooo! That's a terrible plan! And you're terrible! It'll be a complete crap!

- Lia, we're here to save a person, actually. He's going to die soon there.

- But...

- He's right, Lia, - Robert intervened to the paladin's satisfaction. - Come on, we're counting on you.

- A crap of crapness..., - the girl sadly complained.