Alwin felt the grip on him loosen, and before he knew it, he was free-falling. He plummeted to the floor once more, attacking the earth with a tiny plop. As he looked up, the large goblin with a club had shifted from holding up Alwin and his weapon to lifting the other members of Goblin Force Five, namely the goblin in black armor, and the lady archer goblin.
He coiled his arm back like a spring, winding tighter and tighter. With a grunt and a blur, he launched the black armored goblin high into the air, just like what Alwin had done to Gus and Uchronia. The goblin soared upward, arms by his side as he ascended.
Without missing a beat, he transferred the lady archer goblin to his right hand and wound it back once more. She already had an arrow nocked in her bow, her eyes locked onto her target. As soon as she nodded, the goblin launched her into the air. Alwin barely had time to blink before she was airborne, bow ready, the wind whipping through her hair as she took aim.
The half-naked goblin gestured something with his hand, causing the large goblin who had picked up his club to dash out of the bush, along with the half-naked goblin.
They were going to save Uchronia and Gus. Finally! Time for him to join in on the action. He rolled himself right side up and was about to join the other members of Goblin Force Five when a staff with a green crystal barred his path. Seriously? He looked at the owner of said staff, Lin, and was about to start berating her for not letting him save his friends when she spoke first.
"Wait here, when you see an opening, I want you to rush in and grab your two squad members. Got it?" asked Lin.
Before he could even reply, Lin had dashed out of the bushes to join the rest of Goblin Force Five.
"Goblins!" Huang Jian shouted.
"Monster Army Goblins!" Hong Jian shouted.
"But my food!" Gary shouted.
He switched between looking at the two goblins in the sky about to rain down on them and the three goblins that had come out of the bush. His eyes flicked to the spice bottles and the food laid out on the cutting board. His lips were drawn to the side of his face, with one eye slightly more squinted than the other.
"I've always wondered how goblin meat tastes like." He smirked.
Hong Jian and Huang Jian lacked the same enthusiasm that Gary Stew was oozing out, instead, they closed the distance between them, choosing to cower behind him again.
"This means you owe me again," said Gary Stew.
"Yes! Protect us and you'll be rewarded!" the two young masters shouted in unison.
"Everything is going up Gary Stew's way." He smirked again.
Lin had caught up to the two ground Goblins. The crystal on her staff glowed a bright emerald green before she slammed it onto the ground. "Mischief Aura!" she yelled. A shockwave of dark mana pulsed out from her staff enshrouding herself and the other members of Goblin Force Five in a swirling, shadowy aura. All five of them started cackling like mad goblins as they carried out their attacks.
The black armored goblin dug into his pouch and produced a couple of small black balls. Was he going to start popping pills? Nope, he threw them. Alwin's guess had been wrong again. As they hit, they exploded into thick clouds of smoke, engulfing the humans in a dense, obscuring haze. The goblin let out a low snicker, clearly pleased with the confusion he was creating. With the smoke billowing around, he angled his body downward and dove headfirst towards the humans.
Meanwhile, the lady archer goblin had begun firing arrows. Every arrow that flew out of her bow was accompanied by her yelling out the name of the skill "Sneaky Snare Shot". A gleeful chortle followed as the arrows flew through the air. Upon impact, each arrow burst into a sticky, gooey substance, coating the grass in a white, tangled mess. The arrows that flew into the smoke presumably did the same thing, exploding into a web that would trap the humans.
The large goblin and the half-naked goblin were definitely not going to be left out of the action. The large goblin hefted his club up into the air, he pulled it back as far as he could, his muscle visibly bulging under the faux-metal armor. He pulled the club back as far as it would go, veins popping as he readied himself. "Club Smash!" he bellowed, swinging the club towards the half-naked goblin.
At the perfect moment, the half-naked goblin leaped onto the club, using its momentum to rocket himself forward. He became a green blur, hurtling straight toward the humans with incredible speed. Both goblins cackled like maniacal mad goblins the whole time, their laughter mingling with the chaos of the battlefield.
The half-naked goblin pulled both his arms back towards his body, mana concentrating within his palm. The black armored goblin had his arms crossed, a dagger in each hand, as he dived towards the smoky mess he created. As the half-naked goblin was about to enter the smokescreen, he thrust out a hand yelling, "Palm Blast!"
A shockwave erupted out from the half-naked goblin, cutting through the smoke, and exposing the humans for the world to see. Sticky white goo covered the entire ground. The half-naked goblin and black armored goblin were converging. Their target—Gary Stew. The half-naked Goblin thrusted out his other palm launching another Palm Blast, while the black armored goblin uncrossed his hands, yelling out, "Dive Bomb Stab!"
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Both attacks hit at the same time. Streaks of red painted the white sticky goo around him, as the stab attack had sliced open the jugular veins on both sides of his neck. The force of the Palm Blast struck Gary's upper body, but the goo ensnaring his lower half kept him from being thrown back. The cocoon of goo was the only thing holding him upright, preventing him from collapsing face-first onto the now red and white cocoon of goo.
The half-naked goblin had continued to sail past Gary Stew after delivering his attack, while the black armored goblin, after landing his blow, sunk into the shadows. In the blink of an eye, he reappeared beside the half-naked goblin, who had landed by channeling his remaining momentum into a powerful kick. The kick struck a nearby tree trunk, leaving a deep, splintered hole in the wood. They laughed, pointing at their handiwork—the soon-to-be-dead Gary Stew.
Gary Stew was down and Uchronia and Gus were goo free. This was his chance! Alwin summoned his Spirit Hands and with their help, he was launched straight towards Gus and Uchronia, flying above the sticky mess below. He re-summoned two pairs of Spirit Hands to pick up both Gus and Uchronia as he soared past them before crashing into another bush. The trio was finally reunited. He had done it. Uchronia and Gus were alive!
The two young masters perched atop the folding table the folding table, goo-free. Huang Jian clutched onto the Enchanted Glimmerbloom for dear life. Their mouths were so wide open you'd think they were trying to see if they could stuff all of the ingredients laid out on the table.
"The... bloom..." Gary Stew gurgled, spitting up blood. The crimson fluid flowed out of his mouth, slowly dripping off his chin, staining his chef's outfit red before it mingled with the goo that bound his lower half.
"What!" shouted Hong Jian.
"Bloom... me..." Gary Stew's head lolled to the side, his voice barely a whisper. His arm stretched out towards the two young masters'
"But this is supposed to help with our tribulation. What do you even plan on doing with it?" shouted Huang Jian.
"Only... chance..." he barely managed to spit out.
The two young masters exchanged a quick, panicked glance, then looked at Gary Stew, whose face was growing pale as blood continued to flow from the two open pipes in his neck. Their eyes flicked nervously to the Goblin Force Five, who were cloaked in a sinister dark aura, too consumed by their own laughter and glee at Gary's impending demise to notice the exchange happening between the humans. Only Alwin, after recovering from attacking the ground with his face, watching from his hidden spot, was aware of the unfolding situation.
The young masters turned back to each other. Without even speaking, a million conversations were spoken, each facial twitch, eye movement, and head gesture speaking volumes. Finally, Hong Jian nodded.
Huang Jian's lips quivered. "Fine." He gazed downwards at the Enchanted Glimmerbloom he held in his palm for one last time, before throwing it at Gary Stew.
The plant flew, spinning end over end, towards Gary's outstretched hand. He clamped down on it with a surprising amount of strength—probably the last ounces that he could muster—almost crushing the plant. Gary Stew joined the two young masters' having his mouth agape, but unlike them, he fully planned on eating what was in front of him. He shoved the Enchanted Glimmerbloom right down his throat.
"You fool! That much pure unrefined Vitality energy will cause your body to explode!" shouted Hong Jian.
"You've killed yourself and our chance of ascending!" shouted Huang Jian.
Gary Stew held up one finger towards them, a smirk plastered on his face. His head which had been drooping towards the side rose up until he was staring directly at the two young masters. The smirk on his face widened, revealing more teeth in an almost unsettling grin. The two gushing geysers of blood that sprang out of his neck began to stem, becoming a trickle until nothing was flowing out anymore. The torn flesh knitted itself back together, restoring it to its original state as if he had never been cut in the first place, not even a scar remained.
"Sometimes you just have to trust a Chef's Intuition." Gary stuck out his tongue, the Enchanted Glimmerbloom lighting up the caverns of his mouth.
"H-how?" Hong Jian uttered.
"W-what did you do?" Huang Jian asked.
"I'm not stupid enough to eat the whole thing, I sucked on the plant just enough for it to heal all of my injuries."
"That should be impossible!" shouted out Hong Jian.
"Not if you know how to suck! Trust me I've had lots of practice before I came to this world." Gary Stew winked.
"So does this mean we can still have the Enchanted Glimmerbloom?" said Huang Jian.
"Sorry, boys. I'm going to need this if we want to make it out alive. Now be a dear and pass me my knife and spices."
"Y-yes," said Hong Jian.
Huang Jian snatched the knife from the wooden cutting board and tossed it towards Gary, while Hong Jian grabbed a bottle of spice, a fiery red one, and flung it toward him as well. The knife spun in the air and Gary clasped onto the handle mid-spin. He caught the spice bottle in his other hand with ease.
Gary dashed the handle of his knife against the cap, causing it to spin off as it worked its way around the threads, freeing the spices from their prison. Dipping the tip of the blade into the opened spice bottle, he scooped up a small mound of crushed red spices. The bright, powdery substance clung to the steel, and the sharp aroma suggested it might be chili.
His nose flared up when he brought his knife close to it, sniffing it. He snorted in amusement.
"This will do." He grinned.
Gary extended his hand and closed his eyes, concentrating. Mana concentrated within the blade of the knife, it began to glow a bright red, taking on the color of the spice coating. His eyes shot open and he yelled out, "Seasoned Slice!"
Gary began slicing away at the red-stained goo that trapped him. Alwin recognized the technique. It was a modified version of the dicing technique meant to chop vegetables. Gary Stew had adapted it to be used on such an unorthodox material. The goo around him fell apart into small uniform square pieces, freeing him from his sticky confines.
The effects of Mischief Aura had dissipated, Goblin Force Five no longer laughed like madmen and were able to take stock of the situation. Why, oh, why did they have to use such a technique? It probably caused them to tunnel vision, allowing Gary Stew a chance to untangle himself from the sticky situation.
Then again, that Gary Stew fella had a one-in-a-million luck. Not only had he stumbled upon a rare plant brimming with Vitality, but he also had someone knowledgeable about its properties and a skill that let him consume it safely. Talk about lucky. Where was Alwin's luck in all of this!
"I've always wanted to taste some Goblin meat." Gary licked the spices off the side of his blade. "This is going to be fun."