Chapter: Rematch

The truck rumbled down the dirt road, the refinery looming ahead in the horizon. Astrid sat in the passenger seat, clutching her bow, while Miles leaned forward from the back, his Mace resting across his knees.

“Are you really sure about this?” Miles asked, his voice tight with worry. “We’re going to fight another Warrior Goblin? That thing nearly killed us last time.”

“Yes,” Damian replied firmly, his eyes focused on the road. “We’ve gotten stronger, and we need moremana stones. If we want to keep leveling up, we can’t afford to back down.”

Miles sighed, leaning back. “This feels insane.”

“It might be,” Damian admitted. “But the government probably knows how to level up by now, anyway.”

Astrid turned to him, her brow furrowed. “What do you mean? How could they know?”

“Captain Howard saw me eat a mana stone during the fight,” Damian explained. “I didn’t have a choice—I was too injured and needed mana to use Heal. If he’s smart, he’ll put two and two together.”

Astrid and Miles exchanged wide-eyed looks. “Then why were we being so secretive about it?” Miles asked.

Damian shrugged. “Because every moment theydon’t know is a moment we can get stronger. But if they figure it out, this place is going to get a lot more crowded.”

Astrid nodded slowly. “So we’re on borrowed time.”

“Exactly,” Damian said. “We need to make the most of it before we lose our advantage.”

It didn’t take long to find their target. A small group of goblins, led by a Warrior Goblin wielding a massive mace, patrolled the outskirts of the refinery.

“There,” Damian whispered, crouching behind a rusted pipe. “Miles, Astrid, stick to the plan. Take out the smaller ones first, then focus on the big guy. Don’t hold back.”

Astrid knocked an arrow, her eyes narrowing. “Got it.”

Miles gripped his Mace tightly. “Let’s do this.”

Astrid released her first arrow, striking a goblin in the throat. The creature gurgled before collapsing,alerting the others. Damian surged forward, hissword flashing as he cut down another goblin in asingle strike. Miles followed close behind, his Mace smashing into the skull of a third goblin with a sickening crack.

The remaining goblins swarmed, their crude weapons slashing through the air. Damian activated Iron Skin, deflecting a blade aimed at his chest before countering with a quick thrust. Astrid fired arrow after arrow, each one finding its mark, while Miles used his agility to weave between attacks, delivering devastating blows with his Mace.

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It was chaotic but controlled—the team workedtogether seamlessly, their coordination overwhelming the goblins. Within minutes, thesmaller creatures lay dead.

The ground shook as the Warrior Goblin charged, its mace swinging with terrifying force. Damian narrowly dodged the first strike, the weapon smashing into theground and sending shards of concrete flying.

“Astrid, aim for the knees!” Damian shouted.

Astrid fired two arrows in quick succession, both striking the goblin’s legs. It roared in pain, staggering, but it wasn’t enough to bring it down.

“Blue Lightning!” Damian yelled, a crackling bolt of electricity surging from his hand to strike the goblin in the chest. The creature stumbled back, its skin smoking, but it still stood.

Miles took the opportunity to dart in, swinging his Mace at the goblin’s head. The blow landed with a dull thud, dazing the creature long enough for Damian to close the gap.

With a roar, Damian drove his sword into the goblin’s chest, the blade piercing its heart. The creature let out a final, guttural cry before collapsing.

The team barely had finished collecting the mana stones and weapons from the goblin corpses, when a faint whistling sound filled the air.

“Get down!” Damian shouted, instinctively tacklingAstrid to the ground.

A massive arrow slammed into the ground where they had stood, the impact creating a small crater.

“What the hell was that?” Miles yelled, scrambling for cover.

Damian’s eyes scanned the distance, his heart pounding. In the shadows of the refinery, a Goblin Archer stepped forward, its bow drawn. The creature was far larger than the goblins they had faced before, and its arrows were closer to spears, each one capable of obliterating anything in its path.

“That’s not just a Goblin Archer,” Damian muttered. “That’s a damn sniper.”

The archer released another arrow, the projectiletearing through a nearby structure like it was paper. Damian cursed under his breath.

“We need to split up,” he said. “Astrid, Miles, get out of here. Find cover and don’t stop moving.”

“What about you?” Astrid asked, her voice trembling.

“I’ll handle it,” Damian said. “Go!”

Damian sprinted toward the archer, his agility barely allowing him to dodge the incoming arrows. Each one struck with the force of a cannon, sending debris flying.

The goblin was fast, but Damian was faster. He closed the distance, his sword ready, but before he could strike, an arrow pierced his shoulder. Pain exploded through his body, and he stumbled, nearly dropping his weapon.

The archer drew another arrow, aiming for the kill. Gritting his teeth, Damian activated Iron Skin,deflecting the shot just enough to avoid a fatal blow. He lunged forward, slashing at the goblin’s bow and breaking it in half.

The goblin screeched in rage, drawing a dagger and slashing at Damian. They traded blows, the fight brutal and unrelenting. Damian’s vision blurred as blood poured from his wounds, but he refused to back down.

With a final burst of strength, he drove his sword into the goblin’s chest, ending the fight.

Damian collapsed to his knees, clutching the arrow still embedded in his shoulder. His vision darkened, and he could barely make out Astrid and Miles running toward him.

“He’s bleeding out!” Astrid screamed, panic filled in her voice.

“We need to get him to a hospital!” Miles shouted, grabbing Damian’s arm.

Together, they lifted Damian, his blood staining their clothes. The drive to the nearest hospital was a blur of sirens and desperate prayers as Astrid and Miles fought to keep him conscious.

“Stay with us, Damian,” Astrid pleaded, her voice breaking.

Damian’s lips moved, but no sound came out. His eyes fluttered shut as they pulled into the emergency bay, and Astrid’s screams echoed through the night.