The trio huddled near the entrance of the safe post; a map of the area spread out before them.
“We need a solid plan before we head to the area boss,” Marcus said, his voice steady. “Based on what Dave told us, we’ll be facing not just the boss but its minions as well.”
Susan nodded. “I’ll focus on healing and support. Marcus, you can handle the frontline attacks. Harry, you’ll need to keep an eye on our surroundings and come up with strategies on the fly.”
Harry agreed, feeling a renewed sense of purpose. “I’ll do my best to spot any threats and find us the safest path forward.”
Marcus pointed at the map. “We should take this route. It’s the most direct, but we need to be cautious of ambushes.”
“Agreed. Let’s move out,” Susan said.
The trio set off towards the center of the area, the path ahead littered with debris and the remnants of the earlier destruction. The air was thick with tension, each step echoing the weight of their mission.
Harry’s eyes scanned the surroundings, alert for any signs of danger. The streets were eerily silent, the only sound being their footsteps and the distant crackle of burning buildings.
Suddenly, a group of goblins sprang from the shadows, their snarls filling the air. Marcus and Susan immediately engaged them, Marcus’s daggers flashing as he struck, while Susan cast spells to support him.
“We’ve got this,” Marcus screamed, deflecting a goblin’s attack and countering with a swift strike.
Susan’s hands glowed as she cast a healing spell on Marcus, who had taken a hit. “Stay focused!”
Harry, staying on the periphery, noticed movement under a fallen roof nearby. His heart skipped a beat as he saw a small girl huddled there, tears streaking her dirt-smudged face. A goblin was slowly approaching her, its eyes gleaming with malevolence.
Without a second thought, Harry sprinted towards the girl. “I’ve got to help her!” he screamed over his shoulder to Marcus and Susan.
The goblin turned its attention to Harry, snarling as it saw him approach. Harry’s mind raced. He had no weapon, no clear ability he could rely on. But he couldn’t let the girl be harmed.
“Hey, over here!” Harry yelled, trying to draw the goblin’s attention away from the girl. He grabbed a broken piece of wood from the ground, holding it defensively.
The goblin lunged at Harry, its beady eyes gleaming with malice, and its dagger raised menacingly. Harry parried the attack with the makeshift weapon, but the wood shattered into pieces, splintering in all directions. Desperate to create some distance, he kicked the goblin back with all his strength. The goblin howled in pain, stumbling backward, but quickly recovered, snarling as it readied for another attack.
Harry positioned himself between the goblin and the girl, his resolve unwavering. “It’s okay,” he whispered to the girl, his voice calm despite the chaos. “I won’t let it hurt you.”
Harry took a deep breath, trying to summon as much courage as he could. “I think now is the best time to test the skill I’ve been trying to hide,” he whispered to himself. “Until now, the skill said that it was inactive and couldn’t be used. It also said that I couldn’t use any weapons. But this message in front of me…”
“You have met the condition to use the skill.”
“I’m not sure what triggered it, but it activated at the best possible time… PLUNDER!” Harry called out his skill name. A spectral aura surrounded the goblin. In an instant, the dagger that was being held by the goblin disappeared and started materializing in front of Harry.
Plunder: On a random basis, the user gets possession of a physical item held by the target
Harry grabbed the dagger and dashed towards the goblin. With one slash, he defeated the goblin.
<100 EXP earned. Obtained 5 Gold>
Emotions rose in Harry. “Finally!” he exclaimed. Harry could now see his strength stat and was surprised to see it. It explained how he managed to kill the goblin in one hit at level 2, whereas it took Marcus being level 5 to achieve the same feat. Susan and Marcus noticed this and gave him proud and reassuring looks.
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Breathing heavily, Harry turned to the girl. “Are you okay?”
The girl nodded, tears still streaming down her face. “Thank you.”
Harry scooped her up and ran back towards Marcus and Susan, who were finishing off the last of the goblins.
“What’s your name?” asked Susan, wiping the tears from the girl’s face. “And where are your parents?”
“My name is Tia. I got separated from my parents when the building fell, and the goblins attacked. I was too scared to move, so I hid under that broken roof,” Tia said, holding back tears.
“Good job hanging in there, Tia. You’re very strong,” Susan said, casting a quick healing spell on the girl. “She’ll be safe with us. Let’s go.”
“We need to keep moving,” Marcus said, wiping sweat from his brow. “Good job, Harry.”
The group, now with Tia in tow, continued their journey towards the area boss, their resolve stronger than ever.
With Harry now able to fight, they changed their battle formation. Marcus and Harry took the front, while Susan stayed in the back, acting as support and keeping Tia safe.
Suddenly, they heard an explosion. Tia sat down in fear, covering her ears with her hands. Susan tried to comfort her. “That was very close. Do you think the area boss is nearby?” Marcus asked.
“It certainly felt like it. Let’s check it out Marcus, and Susan, find a safe spot for Tia. She can’t be close to danger,” Harry said, preparing himself with the dagger he obtained from the goblin.
Marcus and Harry ran towards the noise, finding a group of people trying to attack the area boss. It was the same group from the safe post that had walked away when Harry tried to talk to them. “It’s you guys!” Harry screamed in concern. “Are you okay?”
The person who seemed like the group leader asked them to stay out of the battle. “The boss is ours to kill,” he said, running towards the boss and avoiding the minions. As soon as he reached the boss, everything became quiet. The boss swung his arm, holding a club. In an instant, nothing but the lower half of the leader’s body remained. One of the party members screamed in agony, “NOOOO!” while the others started retreating, trying to save their lives. The minions didn’t let anyone escape; in an instant, the whole party of five was annihilated. It wasn’t even a battle; it was a massacre.
Marcus was in disbelief at what he had seen. Harry clenched his fist, determined to defeat this monster. “You know what we must do, right? Marcus?” Harry asked angrily.
“Of course,” replied Marcus.
An alert popped up just for Harry:
Harry smirked. “Even if you didn’t tell me, I would still do it.” He started charging towards the Hobgoblins as his Agility and Stamina stats became visible. He was faster than Marcus, who had a class buff to increase his agility. Harry leaped forward, landed on top of a Hobgoblin, and cut its throat. Blood splattered everywhere. Marcus, at this point, became just a support, watching Harry’s back.
<1000 EXP earned. Obtained 100 Gold>
Harry ran towards another Hobgoblin, determined to eliminate all the minions before engaging the Goblin Lord. The Hobgoblin readied its attack, a forward slash. Harry slid down, avoiding the attack, and ran back, slitting the Hobgoblin’s ankles. The Hobgoblin, unable to stand, knelt. Harry grabbed its head and stabbed it in the neck to finish it off.
<1000 EXP earned. Obtained 100 Gold>
In a matter of 20 minutes, Harry and Marcus had defeated all the minions around the boss—a feat impossible for a normal person to achieve.
Marcus reached level 8, and Harry got a level boost, reaching level 6. Susan came running to the battlefield. “What’s happening?” she asked in distress. After seeing just the boss remaining, she grasped the situation and quickly cast a healing spell on Marcus and Harry. “Be careful, you two. It won’t be as easy as you think.”
“Where’s Tia?” Marcus asked.
“She’s with another party just outside here. She should be safe until we finish our business here,” answered Susan.
Susan, with a cautious look, said, “I got this spell the last time I leveled up. It should help you a bit, Harry…” She cast a spell on Harry. “Ferocity’s Grace.”
Ferocity’s Grace: Grants the target +5 Strength and +2 Agility stat for 20 minutes. Cooldown for 1 hour.
A continuous red glow surrounded Harry. The Goblin Lord let out a big screech.
"SKREEEE!"
The Goblin Lord roared, acknowledging the power of the three challengers in front of it. It accepted their challenge with a menacing growl. Harry and Marcus charged towards the monster, their movements fluid and synchronized. Harry leaped high into the air, gripping his dagger with both hands as if wielding an axe, while Marcus used his stealth to sneak past the Goblin Lord and attack from behind.
"Let’s take this beast down!" Harry screamed; his voice filled with determination.
As Harry descended, the Goblin Lord parried his attack, blocking with its huge club. The strength of both combatants was equally matched, thanks to Susan’s buff on Harry. Meanwhile, Marcus successfully sneaked past the Goblin Lord and slashed at its ankles.
"Got you!" Marcus whispered triumphantly as the Goblin growled in pain, pushing Harry away.
Harry regained his balance and charged in again. "We’ve got this, Marcus!" he yelled, landing a hit this time.
Marcus and Harry attacked the Goblin Lord relentlessly for the next five minutes, while the Goblin Lord dealt serious damage in return. Susan carefully healed and provided support when needed, sneaking in attacks whenever she got a chance.
"Hang in there, guys! I’m doing my best!" Susan called out, her voice strained as she focused on healing and maintaining buffs.
Without their teamwork, they wouldn’t have lasted a minute. Twenty minutes passed, and Susan’s mana was reaching its limit. Even with mana regeneration as a passive skill and mana potions, the amount of mana she was using was just too high.
"Susan, save your mana for healing only!" Harry screamed, noticing her struggle. "The buff has run out, and the cooldown is too long."
The Goblin Lord still had 10% HP left. Harry and Marcus, both exhausted, exchanged a look and, without any words, knew what they had to do. One last push, and they would defeat it.
Marcus took a deep breath. "I’ll go in first. Be ready!" he said, his voice filled with resolve.
"Got it," Harry replied, gripping his dagger tightly.
Marcus charged in. As he reached the Goblin Lord, it swung its arm from right to left. Marcus jumped to avoid getting hit, spinning in the air and dragging his daggers along the Goblin Lord’s back.
"This is it!" Marcus screamed.
This allowed Harry to finish it off. Harry was right behind Marcus when he first charged in. As soon as Marcus avoided the attack, Harry slid under the Goblin Lord’s arms and jumped in front of it, pushing his dagger into the Goblin’s chest.
"For everyone we’ve lost!" Harry yelled, using all his strength to cut the Goblin’s heart open.
The Goblin Lord let out a final, deafening roar before collapsing to the ground. Harry and Marcus fell to their knees, exhausted but victorious.
"We did it," Harry panted, looking over at Marcus.
"Yeah, we did," Marcus replied, a tired smile on his face.
Susan rushed over, her face beaming with relief. "You guys were amazing! I thought we were done for a few times there."
Harry grinned. "We couldn’t have done it without you, Susan."
The three of them sat down to catch their breath, knowing that their teamwork had been the key to their victory.