Lynn let herself drop down delicately from the rope, the latest to cross over. Zoya glanced at the curer racked with anxiety before unequipping her robe to the simple shirt and pants underneath. Lucas shot her a harassing whistle, small revenge for the insult before, which she ignored with a scowl. She climbed slower than the others and with more difficulty but made it safely all the same. The party waited for a few moments but the priest made no sign of moving.

“Hurry up, lad, we don’t have all day.”

“I… no, it’s… w-we can, just…”

“Just fucking do it!” Lucas snapped in frustration.

“Get on the rope and climb over or stay there and die.” Wallace offered a calmer but sterner motivation.

The curer hesitated for a bit then took to the rope, doing a poor imitation of the ones who went before him. It was clear by his struggling that even the own bodyweight of his thin figure was a strain for him to endure. Slowly and shakily he scaled the robe, wobbling it more than it had before. He made it passed the open pit before his movements faltered.

“i-I can’t.”

“This is your life on the line, lad. Pull.”

The healer did as told, pulling himself across on shaking arms. Soon he started muttering, devolving into a full panic as his grip slipped from the rope. With a scream he fell from the rope and landed on a solid stone floor to the silence of nothing.

“Fucking sissy.”

“Shut up.” Tawny quieted down Lucas. “Get up, Georgie, you’re fine.”

“Right…” The curer rose to his feet and joined the others through the doorway, trying his best to stifle his embarrassment.

“Mark, take front. Use that spear to poke around.”

The fighter did so with obvious reluctance. Unlike their recently lost scout, he had no skill to detect traps. The front position now amounted to a glorified canary. They walked through a small dark corridor, much like the one they entered, slowly and carefully. Mark tapped the exit all around and stepped out, the party following right behind.

A massive cavern entered Shin’s vision, the ceiling of which may have well been the sky. A dense sprawling forest covered the ground of stone blocks and soil, though many took notice that among all the goblins trees were small versions of varying sizes. Goblin Tree Saplings as the system revealed. Beyond the large forest stood a temple, towering high up a massive stone flight of stairs.

“That’d be our goal, then.” Wallace said. “Stick close and let’s get through this quickly.”

The party assumed their standard formation, save for one missing piece, and headed in the direction of the temple. The forest grew denser and higher the more they walked, clusters of saplings forcing them to take detours more and more frequently. Anxiety and vigilance steadily increased on each of their faces, none finding the leisure to notice Shin glancing around at very specific areas.

A green blur lunged from above, taking Lucas to the ground. ‘Shit, shit!” One sword impaled the creature through the torso while the other desperately kept its claws and teeth away.

A spear thrust through the face of the goblin and its body fell limp. Lucas kicked the body off him, wiping the blood from his face. The tree goblin had longer limbs and a more wiry body than its kin, with a sharper face and strange eyes that lacked pupils. Its feet were more tensile, almost like hands with nails just as sharp as its claws.

[Tree Goblin Ambusher (uncommon) - Greater Peasant]

Strength - 91

Agility - 134

Constitution - 93

Vitality - 99

Dexterity - 117

Perception - 121

Force - 65

Spirit - 60

Control - 71

Willpower - 86

Skills:

Greater Lurk lvl. 9, Greater Blend lvl. 8, Claw lvl. 10, Lunge lvl. 10,

Traits:

Barkskin (uncommon), Photosynthesis (uncommon), Minor Poison Resistance (uncommon), Minor Disease Resistance (uncommon),

“Stealth…” The curer mutter.

Before anyone could say anything more another figure lunged from the opposite direction. Shin sidestepped, leaving a spear in his place, letting the creature impale itself. He jolted back as the goblin variant swung its long arms at the same time, the dagger almost grazing him. The ambusher crashed on the ground and struggled to its feet before an axe buried halfway into its skull.

“Guerilla fighters! Stick closer!” Wallace barked, pulling his weapon out.

The party snapped back into focus and huddled together in a tiger formation, leaving only as much room as they needed to fight. They moved more briskly now, eyes darting around, especially the duelist who had no one to watch his back. Ambushers lunged at them one after the other from all sides, their presence only appeared after they made their move.

Tawny caved in the head of one who targeted her, and another pounced from the opposite side. She swung her shield on reflex, slamming the creature into the middle of the party, cursing as she realized her mistake. The tree goblin sliced deep into the mage’s arm before Shin put a hole in its brain with his hammer.

Zoya cursed, holding her arm as Georgie scrambled into action healing her. “Let’s burn this whole place down.” She snapped with gritted teeth.

“Yeah.” Lucas agreed.

“And die from the smoke?” Lynn shot down the sentiment as she put an arrow between a goblin’s eyes.

“We stick to the plan, save ye breath.” A creature burst out from the trees, sprinting on the ground as Wallace spoke.

“Wood goblins!” Lucas yelled as he sliced it apart, only for roots to impale it from below and start regrowing it.

“I need a clear shot!” Zoya yelled as she raised her good hand.

“No, save your mana. Lad, use whatever fire you got.” Wallace shouted at Shin.

The old tactician was likely expecting a spirit, his eyes lingering on the talisman Shin took out. The still stationary wood goblin was an easy target but the fire from the talisman burned rather weakly. It took one more for the flames to set in and the wooden golem to stop moving.

“More ‘em coming!” Lucas yelled as several more greater peasant wood goblins charged towards them through the forest.

This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

“You two put them down. Rest of ye protect the casters.”

Tawny, Lynn, Mark, and Wallace stood around the healer and mage in all directions as Lucas cut down the wood goblins charging from behind. Shin threw two talismans each at the downed creatures as soon as Lucas made them still. Several more appeared as they fought, though no more ambushers appeared. Lucas breathed in deep once the sound of stomping on soil ceased and the cavern forest fell silent again.

“Same number as the ambushers…” The fighter pointed out.

“So we fight everything twice then.” Tawny frowned.

“Keep your heads up. We’re halfway there.”

As though he summoned it, thunderous stomps bounded their way. The ground shook with every step accompanying the sound of trees snapping apart and crashing down. A giant goblin the size of the gatekeeper broke through the trees into view and roared at that party, the deafening noise echoing through the cavern. A giant sword carved from wood and sharpened sliced clean through a tall sapling.

[Giant Tree Goblin Warrior (rare) - Greater Peasant]

“Heavy!” Tawny bellowed as she moved up to meet the giant.

She baited a swing of its giant sword and jumped back as it sailed by. An arrow caught the warrior in the eye and burst into flames. The giant goblin roared in pain and thrashed around wildly. Its swings, faster than the lumbering gatekeeper, prevented anyone from drawing near. A half dozen more arrows peppered its face, forcing it to hold its hand up as cover.

Lynn rushed around its left, aiming for its blindside, and a freshly forming eye pointed in her direction. She halted her bow and darted back. A green blur lunged at her from the trees and the silvery sheen of a sword flew past, piercing the ambusher. Lynn snapped to her senses and loosed her arrow into its skull.

“Still more greenfuckers!” Lucas yelled, rushing over to retrieve the sword he threw.

“Dodge!” Lynn yelled at him and he just barely noticed in time to avoid the giant wooden sword. The giant goblin roared again, the wounds of its face disappearing.

“Fuck, it can heal!” Tawny yelled. “Wallace!”

“Zoya!” He gave the go ahead. The mage raised her hands and fire swirled into a mass in front of her and fired, and a blur lunged at her. An arrow passed behind her head into the eye of the ambusher as her fireball slammed into the face of the warrior. She startled as the ambusher hit the ground before she realized it even attacked, and turned to Shin holding a bow. Wallace glanced for only a moment.

“Lad, you’re on rearguard duty! Summon your spirit!”

Nor appeared as Shin kept the bow in his hands, an arrow nocked before he even received the command. “Save your skills.” Shin whispered to him.

“Aye!”

Shin struck a camouflaged ambusher waiting on a tree, undoing its illusion and Nor quickly sliced through its head. The giant goblin flailed about as another fireball struck it in the chest, Zoya returning her attention to her job. The warrior thrashed its sword as it swatted at the flames, trying to snuff them out, before its movement slowed and the giant started to keel over.

“Yeah, one m-”

The giant goblin leapt straight up into the air, its massive body clearing the height of the trees surrounding it and crashed down. The stone and dirt shattered and caved in around him and the ground trembled with a fierceness that shook the party off balance. Tawny staggered to a knee and the giant wooden sword cleaved at her. Mana swirled around her shield and the giant sword bashed her off the ground, sending her crashing into a tree. The battlepriest coughed up blood as she gasped for air, struggling to move let alone stand.

“All in!” Wallace yelled.

The party burst into action. An incendiary arrow struck the giant goblin’s heel. Lucas threw his sword at the same leg and a booming shout knocked the giant warrior off balance, stalling a second jump long enough for a third fireball to slam into it, fire wrapping around its body. The party stood in wait save for Lynn who continued to pepper the giant’s face with arrows. The giant goblin warrior stumbled around then crouched down once again.

“Take cover!”

The party moved away from the foe, waiting for the next impact. But another never came. The giant goblin faltered and slowly fell on its face, fire consuming it whole. Shin burned another wood goblin felled by Nor and glanced over.

[Giant Tree Goblin Warrior (rare) - Greater Peasant]

Strength - 303

Agility - 107

Constitution - 289

Vitality - 252

Dexterity - 208

Perception - 163

Force - 106

Spirit - 158

Control - 122

Willpower - 167

Skills:

Keen Cut lvl. 10, Crash lvl. 7, Lunge lvl. 10,

Traits:

Greater Barkskin (rare), Green Blood (rare), Greater Photosynthesis (rare), Lesser Poison Resistance (rare), Lesser Disease Resistance (rare),

“Healer!” Wallace bellowed at Georgie, who rushed over to the battlepriest in bad shape. She threw away a vial she downed already and the curer went to work immediately.

“No chest…” Mark said.

“Fuck, this wasn’t even the boss.”

Wallace started to open his mouth but roots burrowing up around the warrior cut him off. They crept over the warrior, smoke rising as the roots too started to burn but more covered those, smothering the fire as it dragging the giant goblin down.

“No.” Lucas shook his head.

“It’ll be all wood this time, easier.” Zoya said, though her expression was far from thrilled.

“Tawny, how mashed up are ya?”

“I’ll heal.” Her complexion was already looking better and her breathing less labored.

The party stood in wait, weapons ready and ears sharp, listening for the sound of giant footsteps. Moments felt like minutes as the ground finally started to rumble. But the feeling was off. A low constant trembling as a wave of drumming came from all sides behind them. Before anyone could speak a word, Shin sprinted off at full speed straight for the temple.

“Run!” Wallace took the hint and threw the healer over his shoulders, running after Shin.

The fighter did the same for Zoya and Tawny rose to her feet and forced her body to move, unequipping her armor after a few steps. The party raced through the forest of saplings at Shin’s lead as the low thundering drumming grew louder and clearer. By now all had realized what was happening. Footsteps, hundreds upon hundreds, bounded towards them. Through the trees the horde started to close the distance and the first of the wood goblins came into sight.

“Faster!” Lynn yelled at Tawny as she frantically shot arrows behind her. Tawny grimaced and grit her teeth as she willed her body to pick up speed. A line of blood drained down the side of her mouth as she suppressed the urge to hold her side.

Shin was the first up the stairs, solid stone and just as steep as they looked. He ran a quarter of the way up before stopping to look back. A surge of green figures ran through the trees like waves, nearly caught up to the slowest of the party. The duelist reached the stairs first and bounded up without pause followed by the tactician and fighter carrying their burdens. The battlepriest made it up just a half dozen steps before the wood goblins scrambled up.

The front most one reached out its head and was struck by an arrow in the head. It wobble and a second sent it tumbling back into its fellow pawns, slowing down a section but the horde quickly ran around and over its fallen comrades. The archer jogged up the stairs, taking shots to stall the horde with itself as the cleric continued to struggle upwards.

“Lucas! Take him!” Wallace glanced behind him then yelled up at the duelist.

The duelist cursed then ran back down and flung the healer over his back like a sack of flour and sprinted back up. Wallace head back down and waited by the archer.

“Knock them back, as many as you can.”

Lynn shot arrow after arrow across the stairway, doing her best to stall them as evenly as possible. Tawny approached them and Wallace inhaled deeply. As soon as she crossed he let out a booming shout. The front most goblins blasted in the air and fell down the steep drop and the rest knocked over each other snowballing into a wooden landslide.

“Let’s go!” As Wallace and Lynn ran, the wood goblins had already started scrambling to their feet and trampling the ones too slow.

Shin reached the top of the stairs and glanced around the flat balcony surrounding the temple building. Markings and roots lined the stone but no enemies in sight. He jumped to the top and looked down. Things were looking better for the slow battlepriest but she was cutting it close enough that the old tactician might need to use that booming shout skill again.

The duelist scaled over the top of the steps on the opposite side and passed by Shin with a glare, heading towards the temple. The fighter ascended next and Shin followed him. They came to a stop by the entrance, a open carved door in the shape of a goblin’s mouth, hesitant to enter. The remaining three came over the top of the stairs maintaining a sprint. The horde of wood goblins swarmed over the top like ants and continued over the platform.

“Into the temple!” Wallace shouts. All three waited in a standoff until the duelist broke first and ran in. The fighter followed and so did Shin. A few steps through the short hallway brought them into the temple, a single large room decorated with carvings, paintings and roots.

Tawny made it through the entrance and vomited up blood, her legs giving out under her. She turned back in fear, clutching her side, but the wood goblins had stopped. They stood silently, eerily, just beyond the boundary of the temple floor, as though they had reached the limits of their territory. Tawny scrambled to her feet and joined the others.

“Georgie…” She groaned with as much volume as she could. Lucas dropped the curer and he rushed to her side immediately to resume healing.

The rest looked around the temple, all eyes eventually settling on the most concerning thing in the room. A goblin tree with a furled face in the center.

[Great Goblin Tree (rare) - Greater Peasant]

Zoya raised her hand at her but Wallace waved her to stop, more than willing to continue these uneasy silence for a while longer. But a few moments were all he got before the giant stone doors shut and the face in the tree started to move.

“You… trespass… burn… my children…” The tree face wavered then stretched into the baleful sneer of a goblin. “No longer…”

A giant bark armored goblin crashed down from the sky, a goblin in elaborate cloth and leaf robes riding its back, and let out a thundering roar.

[Giant Tree Goblin Warrior (rare) - Greater Peasant]

[Tree Goblin Highpriest (rare) - Greater Peasant]