Chapter: A Race Against Time
Damian leaned back against the wall, catching his breath after the intense fight with the troll. His body ached, and his mind was foggy from exhaustion, but the adrenaline still coursed through his veins. He glanced over at Astrid and Miles, who were busy collecting the last of the loot from the fallen goblins.
“Damian! Look!” Miles shouted, his voice filled with excitement.
Damian turned sharply, his eyes narrowing as he spotted two glowing books floating just above the bodies of the Troll and the Goblin controlling it. The faint shimmer around the books pulsed like a heartbeat, drawing his attention instantly.
“What…?” Damian muttered, stepping closer.
Miles grinned, his excitement infectious. “It’s loot, man! Like, real loot! Those things actually dropped skill books!”
Damian’s eyes widened as he sprinted to the glowing books. He immediately activated Observe on the first one hovering above the troll’s corpse.
Troll Regeneration
Type: Skill Book
Effect: Heals wounds using a small amount of mana. Allows the user to recover from minor injuries rapidly and reduce the impact of major injuries.
Mana Cost: 10 per activation.
Damian’s heart skipped a beat. His lips curled into a wide grin as he stared at the book. This skill was perfect for him. As the team’s frontliner, he often took the brunt of the damage, and this would keep him standing longer in macetle.
“Holy… this is insane,” Damian muttered under his breath, picking up the book.
“What does it do?” Astrid asked, walking over, her bow still in hand as she glanced curiously at the shimmering book.
Damian smirked. “Troll Regeneration. It heals wounds using mana. This is a game-changer for me. I can stay in the fight even longer now.”
Astrid’s eyes lit up. “That’s incredible! You’re practically unkillable now.”
“Not quite,” Damian replied with a chuckle, “but it’ll definitely help.”
Without hesitation, he opened the book. The glowing text vanished into his hands, and a surge of warmth spread through his body as the knowledge of the skill imprinted itself in his mind.
“Alright, let’s see what the other one is,” Damian said, turning to the floating book above the Goblin Controller. He activated Observe once again.
Power Strike
Type: Skill Book
Effect: Channels mana into a melee attack, delivering a devastating blow with knockback and a brief stun effect.
Mana Cost: 15 per strike.
Damian’s grin grew even wider. He picked up the book and held it out toward Miles.
“Here,” Damian said, handing it over. “This is yours.”
Miles blinked in surprise, pointing to himself. “Wait, me? Are you serious?”
“Dead serious,” Damian replied. “This is perfect for you. With your stealth ability, you can get in close and hit them with this. Boom! Send them flying. It’s going to be a game-changer for you.”
Miles hesitated for a moment, staring at the glowing book in his hands. Then, with a massive grin, he opened it. The glowing text flowed into him, and he stumbled back slightly as the knowledge filled hismind.
“Whoa!” Miles exclaimed, laughing as he steadied himself. “This is awesome! I can’t wait to use it. Oh man, I feel like a superhero now!”
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Damian laughed. “Superhero, huh? Well, just don’t forget that we’re still just trying to survive here.”
Astrid, watching the two of them, couldn’t help but smile. The sight of her brother and Miles joking around was a welcome relief after the chaos of the last few hours.
“You two are ridiculous,” she said, shaking her head with a small laugh.
“Ridiculously strong,” Miles shot back, winking at her.
Damian clapped him on the shoulder. “Alright, let’s keep moving. We’ve still got work to do, and who knows how much more time Howard’s team has left.”
The faint glow of dawn painted the horizon, but the sun wasn’t up yet. Damian, Astrid, and Miles knew they had precious little time left before the goblins stirred fully awake. The stench of blood and smoke from their earlier macetles clung to the air, a grim reminder of what awaited if they failed.
“They’re going to kill them,” Damian muttered under his breath as they crept closer to the warehouse. His jaw clenched, and his grip tightened on his sword. “If we don’t act now, Howard and his men are dead.”
Astrid nodded, her bow at the ready, eyes scanningthe dimly lit surroundings. Miles followed behind, his Mace hanging from his shoulder, the tension in his body evident as he glanced nervously around.
The warehouse loomed ahead, its towering walls scarred by weather and time. Inside, faint goblin chatter echoed—a mixture of cries, growls and sinister laughs. From the gaps in the walls, they could see faint movements: hulking figures sitting close to the leader’s platform, seemingly the strongest among the goblins.
“They’ve got guards,” Astrid whispered. “Looks like some kind of inner circle. Definitely the strongest ones left.”
“Perfect,” Damian replied with a cold determination. “Astrid, start picking them off. Take the high ground.Miles, circle around. Use the cocktail we brought tocause chaos. I’ll deal with anyone that tries to break through.”
“You got it,” Astrid whispered, moving to a nearby stack of metal beams that gave her a clear view of the camp. She climbed up swiftly, her movements silent.
Miles glanced at Damian. “You better have my back, man,” he said with a nervous grin before disappearing into the shadows.
Astrid took a deep breath, calming her nerves as she nocked an arrow. The first goblin warrior came into view, its hulking form silhouetted by the flickering campfire. She pulled the string back, the arrow glowing faintly as she activated Blood Shot releasing the arrow whistled through the air and struck the goblin directly in the throat. It staggered, clutching its neck as blood sprayed out. The other goblins froze, their guttural laughter turning to confusion.
“Bullseye,” Astrid muttered, already lining up her next shot.
The second arrow flew, catching another goblin in the chest. This one dropped immediately, convulsing as the paralysis effect took hold.
Panic erupted in the camp.
While the goblins scrambled, Miles moved intoposition, his heart pounding. He gripped the glass bottle in his hand, the cloth wick already burning faintly. From his hiding spot, he lobbed it toward the center of the camp.
The Molotov cocktail shattered on impact, flameserupting in a violent burst. Goblins screeched as thefire spread rapidly, licking at tents and supplies.
“Yes!” Miles whispered to himself, a triumphant grin spreading across his face. But the grin quickly faded as he heard the enraged roars of goblins who spotted him.
“Oh crap,” he muttered, gripping his mace and readying himself for the inevitable.
The chaos spread like wildfire, and Damian moved in. His sword gleamed as he cut down a goblin charging toward him. He spun, activating Lightning Spear and sending a bolt of crackling energy toward another, piercing its chest and leaving it smoking on theground.
A goblin lunged at him from the side, swinging a crude axe. Damian blocked with his sword andretaliated with a swift slash, cutting it down in one clean motion.
“Stay focused!” Damian shouted as he saw Miles swinging his mace wildly at a pair of goblins. One of them crumpled under a powerful Power Strike, the force sending it flying into a nearby wall.
Astrid, perched above, continued raining arrows down, her precision thinning the goblin ranks further.
The flames roared higher, consuming the center of the camp. Most of the goblins were either dead or fleeing into the surrounding darkness.
“That was too easy,” Astrid said, her voice uneasy as she climbed down to rejoin the others.
Miles wiped sweat from his brow. “Easy? I almost died twice!”
Damian frowned. Something felt off. The goblins had panicked too quickly, and the stronger ones hadn’t put up much of a fight.
A guttural roar shattered the momentary calm.
The three of them turned toward the flames.Emerging from the inferno were two figures: amassive goblin nearly the size of the troll they had fought earlier, its green skin marred with scars, and beside it, a smaller goblin draped in a black robe, gripping a staff that crackled with faint energy.
“Damian,” Astrid whispered, her voice shaking. “What is that?”
Damian activated Observe, his stomach sinking as the details appeared.
Weakened Goblin Warlord
Level: 30
Description: A towering goblin with immense strength and durability. Leads with brute force and high endurance.
Special Traits:
Enhanced Strength
Fear Aura
Goblin Mage
Level: 25
Description: A goblin adept in magical arts, capable of casting destructive spells and supporting allies.
Special Traits:
Fireball
Mana Shield
Damian cursed under his breath. “This isn’t good.”
The warlord let out a deafening roar, its blood-red eyes locking onto the trio. The mage beside it grinned wickedly, the tip of its staff glowing as it prepared a spell.
“They’re pissed,” Miles muttered, gripping his mace tightly.
Damian raised his sword. “Focus. We have to take them down, or we won't make it out of here.”
The two enemies pointed their bloodlust toward them.