The goblin thief was the first to sense the danger from behind, but by that time, it was already too late. Lia, concentrating, finished the last lines of her spell:
- Locked in darkness, Father of Earth's Depths, open your jaws and accept this sacrifice! [Earth's Jaws]!
The advanced goblin grabbed the hobgoblin by the shoulder, feeling the incredible threat coming from below, and hastily leaped aside. He shouted something to his comrades, but they were too sluggish to react in time.
Gigantic stone jaws rose up and, closing over the squealing crowd of green-skins, retreated back underground, silencing their cries. The goblin thief hastily got up, surveying the battlefield. Only he remained alive, along with five small goblins who stood closest to the door. And the hobgoblin, who managed to escape death thanks to his more perceptive comrade, survived. At least, most of him did.
The nearly two-meter tall, plump green body screamed in pain, clutching his shoulder. The entire left arm had been severed by the jaws, as if it were made not of muscle and bone, but of wax, while the armor covering the knightly monster seemed to be absent, offering no protection. A clean cut left nothing on the left side of the creature, and it futilely attempted to staunch the bleeding. Realizing that it was futile, the hobgoblin rose angrily, his eyes bloodshot, and grabbing his shield in his remaining hand, he mindlessly rushed at the adventurers.
Klein stepped forward, focusing on the approaching giant, and praised the elf:
- See, that's great. We won't linger here for long, the fight will be much simpler, and we won't waste as many spells here as we could.
- And so what!? This is still a total failure! I won't start a fight with such spells! Not for anything! - Lia exclaimed.
- Let's discuss this later, - Robert intervened, taking command. - Lia, step back, Glen and Klein, take the hobgoblin; even injured, he's very dangerous. Anya and Isabella - deal with the thief; Vasily, finish off those smaller ones in the back. Go!
The paladin and the gnome surged forward, intercepting the hobgoblin before he could reach the more fragile members of the group. Klein used [Beam of Light], drawing the enemy's attention, and Glen, wielding a two-handed hammer, circled the target from the left side, the side without the arm.
Klein was prepared to exchange blows with the weakened enemy, but just as he approached, he wondered what the monster could do with only a shield in hand.
The answer came a moment later: with a furious grunt, the hobgoblin raised his defensive weapon and delivered a devastating blow to the young man, putting his entire weight and strength into the attack.
Klein, unprepared for this, raised his own shield for protection and heard fate roll the die, deciding his fate. "6". A complete failure. Strength suddenly left the paladin's hands, and the hobgoblin's blow completely crushed his defense. Klein fell to the ground, overwhelmed by the monstrous power of the green mass of muscles. The young man managed to twist and thrust his sword into the enemy's abdomen, finding a path through the joints of the armor, but the hobgoblin, consumed by rage, didn't even feel the pain, fully concentrating on destroying the man on the ground.
The paladin attempted to rise, but the enemy stepped on his chest and raised his shield for a new strike. And it didn't keep him waiting long. A surge of rage and strength crashed down upon the battered Klein. "6" - the same cursed number stubbornly displayed by the die in the young man's mind, and he instantly felt the result of the roll.
The enemy's shield struck the man's chest, knocking all the breath from his lungs. An unpleasant crack emanated from Klein's ribcage. The bones cracked, but held. However, they wouldn't withstand the next blow, which was already coming for the youth.
He tried to crawl away, dodging the threat, but the god of luck's die once again showed the damned digit "6". The dexterity check failed, and Klein couldn't avoid the attack. The young man tensed, directing all his strength to protect his body.
- [Wall]! - A spell was heard, and a clap sounded in Robert's hands, and Klein felt the ground directly beneath him move, carrying him two meters to the side. The mage created a wall parallel to the floor right under the boy's body!
The hobgoblin's blow only struck the stones, causing him to lose balance. He raised his head, crawling relentlessly towards the man, but at that moment, the giant hammer struck the creature's ugly face, severing it from the torso. The hobgoblin jerked one last time, then slumped, and his head splattered widely with blood against the adjacent wall.
- Sorry it took so long, kiddo, - Glen said, reaching out to the youth. - The little scoundrel turned out to be weaker than that thief, and he managed to sneak away and attack me from behind.
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Klein cast [Healing] on himself and noticed blood dripping from the side of the dwarf onto the ground. Accepting Glen's help, the paladin immediately healed him, surveying the battlefield. Both the hobgoblin and the goblin thief were dead. The latter was still being tormented by a massive black dog, reveling in fresh blood and flesh.
Only two small goblins remained, who at that moment plunged their dirty daggers into the body of a human warrior from both sides. The warrior screamed in pain. An arrow pierced one of the goblins' heads, adding its body to the rest, while the other swung his dagger to plunge it into the unprotected neck of the boy.
- [Shield]! - Klein, somewhat regaining his senses, reacted first, creating an insurmountable barrier in front of the monster's weapon. A moment later, the abomination was torn apart by a stone projectile, corroded by a dose of acid, pierced by an arrow, and stabbed by Anya's dagger.
The squad rushed to the wounded man, examining him. Klein realized that he had seen him several times in the Adventurer's Guild, but he didn't know that this was the same Jay. He had heard a lot about this guy but hadn't personally interacted with him, forming an impression solely on stories associated with him. And right now, those stories were being confirmed. Before Klein lay a young man of twenty-four, gritting his teeth, restraining the pain, who, for some reason, had come out of a safe place during the battle and failed to handle two goblins, sustaining injuries. Idiot.
He was a fairly handsome and delicate guy with an androgynous appearance and fiery-red hair down to his shoulders. He was skinny and didn't look like a tough guy, and the freckles on his face gave him a rather silly look. And he was exhausted. This night, the man clearly hadn't slept, and his body bore more than a dozen wounds. Jay looked dirty and destitute, his sword smeared with blood and dirt, and covered with notches, the same applied to the cracked shield, and the knight's armor was so incomplete that calling it armor was embarrassing, some elements of the armor made of the worst iron available from the blacksmith, barely covering the wearer's vital organs.
- Why the hell did you, idiot, come here alone, and most importantly, why did you come out during the fight!? - Irritably exclaimed Klein. - You're a weakling who can't even kill two goblins! Since you're here, at least don't get in the way! Let me heal you, you, piece of idiot
- No need, - Jay weakly replied, surprising the paladin. He leaned against the wall, exhaling heavily, pulling a dirty bandage from his bag. - I've been wounded enough times to know when injuries are serious. Right now, nothing threatens me, it'll just hurt. And I can't afford to pay for treatment...
- Fine, but why did you come out of that room? You could've just waited it out! - Klein continued to press.
A piercing gaze from bright orange eyes met the boy's, causing him to recoil in surprise. These were the eyes of someone who knew a thing or two about life, not matching the image of that same unsuccessful adventurer.
- If I sit on the sidelines, I'll never get stronger. I have to take risks and put my life on the line to have any chance of becoming a man... Even if I end up looking like a laughingstock, unable to handle three goblins...
"Three?" Klein wanted to ask but noticed that one of the goblins was killed not by an arrow, but by a sword. "So he did manage to defeat one after all," the boy thought, as Jay continued:
- Better heal the woman in that room... When the goblins came out behind me, I started running, and I managed to hide here. Turns out, this is the goblin's storeroom. And... their prison. That's why there's a door there. I don't know how long I've been hiding here behind the door, but that girl who's been with me all this time needs urgent help!
The adventurers went to the neighboring room, leaving the knight to rest in the cave, with Anya assisting him in bandaging his wounds, although clearly displeased. When Klein looked around, he found items that the goblins had stolen from someone or obtained on a hunt: animal carcasses, some already decomposing, several swords, an axe, a bow with a dozen arrows, carpets, clothes, baskets, and other items. Apparently, the green-skinned creatures had attacked some caravan, and the survivors had posted a task to destroy this nest.
Klein heard a strange sound and, turning around, saw Isabella standing, bent in half, covering her mouth with her hands, and something was leaking through her fingers. The girl was forcefully emptying the contents of her stomach onto the floor. And a moment later, Klein understood what had triggered her sudden reaction.
Among the decomposing carcasses, lying motionless, was a naked middle-aged woman. There was no emotion on her face, and she didn't react to the entering people or the battle that had taken place before. She lay there, covered in some fluids, with numerous signs of beatings and even bites on her body. The goblins didn't treat their toys delicately. They used the bodies of women of any race as they pleased. And they didn't care whether she died in the process or not. The only exception was if the goblins urgently needed to replenish their numbers. But perhaps it would have been better if the girls had just died than gone through this.
Klein rushed to the woman and examined her. A little later, he stood up and shook his head. She had died several hours ago. Perhaps if they had been faster, if they had come out earlier, if Klein hadn't been delayed, meeting that cursed Lich then... They could have saved her. He could have saved her, healed her wounds, and others would have taken care of the rest, the same master-attendant when he returned. She would have lived, albeit with injuries, but she would have lived! But he didn't come.
- Don't blame yourself, - Robert comforted the boy, placing a hand on his shoulder. - You can't save everyone, and you can't always be everywhere. We did what we could. Let's focus on those we can still save now. We need to help Jay, and according to the report of those who assigned this task, two girls were stolen. The second one may still be alive.
- Yeah, - Klein replied, his eyes burning. - Let's save her. And kill more of these damned goblins. They're unworthy to live. They're not rational races, they're not even monsters. They're beasts.