The shaman paused, his head tilting as if sensing the invisible probe. "Strange..." he muttered, his musings interrupted as the goblin servant stumbled into him in its haste.
"Watch your steps, you oaf!" the shaman grumbled, sending the goblin scurrying back with a squeak. "Keep up. We need to find out what this commotion is about."
As they disappeared into the chaos, Adam allowed himself a breath of relief. The shaman's heightened senses had almost given him away. The coast now clear, he approached the central hut, entering its quiet confines as the village continued to devolve into pandemonium outside.
As he stepped into the vast central hut, Adam pulled the cloth from his face and slipped off his cloak's hood. He looked around, taking in the impressive size of the room before him.
The high-vaulted ceilings supported by the robust wooden beams appeared archaic yet sturdy, giving a glimpse of hobgoblin architecture's resilience. Along the walls, animal hides and ritualistic symbols painted a vivid picture of hobgoblin culture and religion. The room was dimly lit, but in the flickering glow of a single hearth, it was a world apart from the chaotic settlement outside.
This sanctum served dual purposes - as the private quarters of the shaman and as a holy ground for leading religious ceremonies. Beneath the wooden floorboards, a concealed lower level presumably held the village's precious artifacts and resources.
Adam couldn’t believe how easy everything was so far, the only hiccup to his plan was the shaman almost finding him, ‘Luckily that goblin managed to distract him. Actually why is there a goblin in a village full of hobgoblins? Don’t hobgoblins think they are superior to goblins, why would the shaman of all people have a goblin servant?’
As Adam cautiously ventured deeper into the hut, an unexpected voice broke his focus. From the shadowy depths of the dwelling, a feminine figure emerged. She was a female hobgoblin, her features softened by the dim light. Her powerful build was complimented by an unusual grace and confidence that radiated from her.
"Master Odurg, you're back?" Her voice, sultry and flirtatious, filled the room. "Is the outside matter settled? Perhaps, we could resume our spiritual journey while the chieftain is still away? Let little Revilra serve you."
The silence that stretched between them punctured her assumptions. Her flirtatious smile waned, replaced by a narrowing of eyes and a growing suspicion.
"Hold on... you're not Master Odurg!" Her tone shifted from sensual to scathing. "Are you that wretched goblin refugee? Trying to fill bigger shoes, are you?"
Caught off guard, Adam stood motionless in the center of the room. His mind raced, trying to think of the best way to handle this unexpected turn of events, ‘Damnit, I should have kept the hood on.’
Her words hung in the air, thick with condescension, as she sauntered towards him. "Speak up. Why would a mere goblin not respond to his superiors?"
‘Shit! she’s gonna see me.’
As Revilra closed the distance, her eyes widened in realization. "Human!" The word escaped her lips in a guttural hiss, her hand instinctively reaching for the weapon strapped to her side. But Adam was faster, his survival instincts heightened by the situation at hand.
A sharp clatter of steel on steel echoed through the confined space as Adam engaged Revilra. Their blades clashed, and the room was immediately filled with a visceral, electrifying tension.
Adam gritted his teeth, his muscles bunched and straining as he fought to gain the upper hand. The sacrificial knife in his grasp inched stubbornly towards its intended target - Revilra's heart. His arm trembled with exertion, locked in a high-stakes standoff against the hobgoblin's desperate resistance.
Across the locked blades, Revilra grimaced. Fear dilated her eyes, but there was something else in them too - a fiery, stubborn defiance that belied her desperate situation. Her surprisingly robust strength held him at bay, her smaller blade acting as a barricade against his knife, poised for a fatal strike. Their locked gaze held a silent vow - neither would yield so easily.
Their grunts of exertion echoed within the confines of the hobgoblin's central hut. Every movement was a testament to their respective determination, the air between them thick with tension and the imminent threat of death.
Suddenly, she spoke a word, her voice ringing clear amidst their struggle. “Flash!”
A brilliant blue light burst forth, engulfing the interior of the hut.
“Arghh,” Adam cried out, momentarily blinded. His grip on the knife faltered, and he found himself instinctively recoiling, his other hand rising to shield his eyes. In the back of his mind, panic began to grow. He was vulnerable.
From the echoing darkness of his temporary blindness, Adam heard the telltale rhythm of a skill activation. His heart thrummed with an alarm that chilled him to the core. The hobgoblin was not going to waste her advantage. She was going to strike.
Through the white haze of his vision, he saw a terrifying blue glow. His instincts surged into overdrive. "Faithforged Armor!" Adam cried, bracing himself for the impending impact, panic making him verbalize the skill.
This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.
The ethereal armor materialized, and he felt it's comforting protection envelop him. But the hobgoblin's attack was formidable; he could feel the strain against the skill, ‘Crap! It’s gonna break.’
In a moment of desperation, he used all 10 of his sacrificial points, strengthening the skill.
The armor pulsed with renewed strength, its spectral form bulking up, almost solidifying, casting an otherworldly glow around Adam. The hobgoblin's glowing blade crashed against the armor, but it held, rebounding the attack with a resonating clash. The powerful blow was blocked but his armor dematerialized.
The hobgoblin gasped, stumbling back in shock. “Impossible…” she muttered, her eyes wide.
Adam, seizing the moment of surprise, charged at her. He didn’t have time to activate his [Soul Severance II], not with her rearing back to strike with that glowing blade again. Instead, he barreled into her, his youthful frame colliding with her larger one.
They crashed onto the floor, a tangle of limbs and frantic movement. The hobgoblin thrashed beneath him, her short blade swiping wildly in her desperate struggle to fend him off. He grappled with her, his sacrificial knife firm in his grip, and aimed for her heart once again.
Their struggle was an erratic dance, shifting across the hut's wooden floor as each tried to gain the upper hand. His blade clanged against hers, sparks flying in the confined space, lighting up their strained expressions. A wild snarl curled on Revilra’s lips, her eyes flaring with feral determination.
But Adam had a singular focus - to drive his knife into her heart. He wrestled against her, using his smaller size to maneuver in their tangled state. He avoided her blade’s swipes, his every muscle straining against the hobgoblin's superior strength. The sacrificial knife wavered, moving closer to her heart with each passing second.
Desperation flooded the hobgoblin's eyes as she realized her predicament. She attempted to parry his knife with her short blade, their steel clashing in a deafening chorus of survival and death. Her movements grew more frantic, her snarls more feral, as she fought against the encroaching doom of Adam’s blade.
Their bodies strained against each other, sweat and grime painting their faces as they grappled. The fight was in its final moments, the outcome hinging on who could maintain their strength and resolve for a few seconds longer.
Adam's blade was aimed directly at the hobgoblin's heart, his arms pushing with all their might to plunge it deeper. Meanwhile, the Revilra fought to hold him back, her hands pushing against his, her breaths coming out in ragged gasps.
"You won't...get away with this!" she spat, her eyes blazing with defiance. But fear, raw and palpable, tainted her words.
"Die…for…me" Adam retorted, his teeth gritted. His muscles strained with effort, the close quarters of the hut amplifying the intensity of the situation.
The two grappled, their fight a stark testament to their desperation. The hobgoblin's strength was waning, her efforts to repel Adam's blade becoming increasingly futile. Yet, her resolve didn't wane, each second she could keep him at bay a victory in itself.
But Adam was relentless. With a final burst of effort, he pushed his blade forward, ramming the blade deep into Revilra’s chest.
Her gasp was almost inaudible over the rush of his own heartbeats in his ears. She clutched at the protruding handle of the blade, her shocked eyes fixed on his. Her hands desperately tried to staunch the gushing wound, her strength rapidly ebbing away.
Revilra’s breath hitched, her wide eyes reflecting the gruesome reality of the blade embedded in her chest. A strangled gasp slipped past her lips, her grip on her weapon slackening.
"Odurg...will...avenge..." she coughed out, her voice a ghostly whisper. Her words echoed in the confined space of the hut, filling the air with a chilling promise of retribution.
Her fingers, smeared with her own blood, twitched weakly against the hilt of Adam's sacrificial knife, her strength waning rapidly. Her gaze remained locked onto Adam's, defiant till the end, her pupils dilating as the light in her eyes began to fade.
Adam clenched his jaw, his face contorted in a grimace as he sensed her life force gradually ebbing away. Each pulse of her heart reverberated hauntingly within the hut, a chilling symphony marking Revilra's final moments.
Her grip on the weapon finally fell away, her arm dropping limply to her side. The fight drained from her eyes, replaced by the haunting emptiness of death. Her body went limp, the chilling reality of her demise setting in.
*You have slain [Revilra, Aqualight Striker, Level 15 (Tier 1)]. You have received extra experience for killing an enemy above your level. 1900xp rewarded*
*+1 Soul shard (Tier 1)*
*You have defended yourself against one powerful blow (1/1). [Faithforged armor I] has evolved into [Faithforged armor II]*
Adam's breaths came out ragged and uneven as he released his grip on the knife, the physical strain of the fight finally catching up with him. He looked down at the lifeless body beneath him, his chest heaving with exertion.
He pulled out the sacrificial knife, wiping it on Revilra's garb. His muscles screamed in protest, but he willed himself to stand up, steadying his breathing. His survival was only thanks to his sacrificial points, ’If I didn’t have 10…’ He gripped the Immortal dream blade harder at the thought.
But as the echo of Revilra's dying words hung heavy in the air, he knew that this fight was just the beginning. Odurg's name was now etched into his consciousness, a looming threat for the future.
Adam was frustrated with the ineffectiveness of his two most frequently used combat skills. He couldn't utilize [Soul Severance II] because of the fight's close range and rapid pace; he simply didn't have the time to stop and aim at Revilra. Similarly, [Soul-Piercing Strike II] proved useless. Although it allowed him to bypass an enemy's defense, it failed when Revilra was parrying his blade with her own. The skill was evidently more suited for beasts who didn't wield weapons.
'I should have activated [Aura of Alacrity I],' he thought. That skill could have boosted his agility and reaction speed, providing a much-needed edge in this battle. But, amid his panic and desperation, he'd completely overlooked it. He shook his head, vowing to analyze the fight more thoroughly later.
With no need to pretend anymore, Adam resumed his hunt for the hidden storage area with fresh energy. His adrenaline-driven actions disrupted the orderly condition of the hut. He upended furniture, pulled down wall hangings, and tore up the woven carpets adorning the floors.
His eyes scanned the now chaotic room, focusing on each spot, searching for anything that resembled a latch or a hidden door. His hands moved swiftly, not caring about the noise he was making or the potential attention he was drawing towards himself. His urgency increased as each second passed, with the looming threat of discovery hanging over his head.
Time was of the essence, and after what felt like an eternity, he found a small latch hidden beneath one of the carpets. Pulling it open with a determined tug, he revealed a hidden staircase spiraling down into the darkness below. Adam descended the stairs, hoping the loot was worth all the struggle.