[ Chapter 5 ] Trap

As the group moves further into the cave, the pathway is narrow. It is nearly pitch black. Pin and Hearts both have a torch on hand. The further they go into the cave, the tighter it becomes. The air in the cave is ominous. Pin reaches an opening and a large number of goblins stand there.

[ Pin ] ¨You guys ready?¨

The whole group nods. Pin looks at a distracted goblin, grabbing his sword. Pin sprints towards the goblin, stabbing his sword into the heart of the first goblin. Blood gushes all over the ground and on Pin. The goblin's scream alerts the surrounding goblins. Ien charges towards a small group of goblins, his shield pushing all into the wall. The goblins squirm and scream at Ien.

[ Goblins ] ¨Kehkkk! Chkaka!¨

Len slides to the side of Ien. Bow in hand ready to kill.

[ Len ] ¨Keep them there!¨

Len grabs arrows from his quiver and shoots all of the goblins in the head. Two goblins sprint toward Len with their club and jagged dagger. As they jump towards him, Hearts throws a sidekick kicking both goblins away towards the wall on each other. Hearts continue after the 2 goblins, as the goblins are dazed on the wall, she is ready to throw a punch. As Hearts is about to punch her hands begin to shine for a couple of seconds, as the light fades away, Heart's hands are now in gauntlets.

{ Hearts ] ¨Watah!¨

(Author´s Note: These are Bruce Lee attacking sounds)

Hearts throws her punch with the scream towards the face of the goblin, crushing both the goblin's heads into the wall leaving a small crater in the wall from the impact. Blood exploded out of the goblin's heads all over the wall and onto her face.

[ Hearts ] ¨Woaw~¨

A few more goblins come rushing towards Hearts, she steps to the side. Hearts does a stomp, and multiple giant icicles form from the ground, stabbing all the goblins that rushed to her. A visible cold exhale comes from her mouth. Hearts take a few steps breaking 2 small and sharp icicles off, throwing both at two goblins from afar—one into the throat and the other into the eye of one. One of the goblins dies while the other falls from pain. Hearts rushes in and jumps in, stomping the head of the goblin with one of her feet while leaving a small crater in the ground. The goblin heads get crushed, and bits of brain, bones, eyes, and flesh fly all over. Anathea looks over to Hearts.

[ Anathea ] ¨Woah… her element is ice.¨

Around 3 goblins come towards Anathea. Anathea prepares herself, grabs her staff, and points it at the goblins.

[ Anathea ] ¨Will of Light, Erase.¨

Small balls of light form around Anathea´s staff. Then the balls shoot out like a beam, the sound like a sonic boom, hitting all the 3 goblins on their bodies. It blows holes into them killing the goblins that came after Anathea like the body parts got erased. A couple of blood drops fly towards her face.

[ Anathea ] ¨Ew…. Yuck. Goblin blood.¨

Anathea points her staff toward the couple of goblins that cower towards her. The group of goblins all retreat.

[ Anathea ] ¨Erase.¨

Light balls form around her staff again, shooting out like beams, killing all of the goblins. All the goblins drop dead. Pin slashes the head off of the last goblin kicking its body away.

[ Pin ] Swipes the blood off his sword ¨That´s all of this group. Good work guys.¨

Hearts flings her hand to the side to get the blood off her gauntlets.

[ Hearts ] ¨That was easy. Everyone alright?¨

[ Anathea ] ¨Yeah, I´m good.¨

[ Pin ] ¨Let´s continue, we still have to save the kidnapped people.¨

Pin leads first towards the dark lighting another torch. The rest of the group follows with him. As they make their way further into the cave, they reach a fork in the cave. Two separate paths into the cave. Both loomed with eerie and maliciousness. Anathea goes to one side of the fork. Cupping her ear, her ears shake a bit. On the left side, Anathea hears sorts of goblin sounds. Anathea then moves to the right side, she hears nothing.

[ Anathea ] ¨It seems like the left side is where the goblins are. I don´t hear anything from the right side, but from what I can make of it, I assume that´s probably where the kidnapped are. Where do we go first?¨

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[ Pin ] ¨I´d say we go take care of the goblins first. We can´t have them getting in our way while helping the people.¨

[ Hearts ] ¨Anathea did say they might be on the right side, I say we should save them first since Anathea did say she didn´t hear anything. That´s assuming they´re there.¨

Len raises his hand walking to Hearts and Pin.

[ Len ] ¨Here´s my plan, why don´t you three go towards the left side? While me and Ien take the right side. How does that sound?¨

Pin thinks for a moment. He stares at both Len and Ien.

[ Pin ] ¨You guys sure? Do you think it is safe?¨

Len pats Pin on the shoulder, walking towards Ien.

[ Len ] ¨I´m sure the two of us have it. You three go take out the goblins. We will go save the people kidnapped.¨

Len and Ien come next to each other walking towards the right side of the fork.

[ Pin ] ¨Be careful.¨

Len and Ien walk into the darkness with their touch in hand. As they slowly disappear into the dark. Anathea, Pin, and Hearts started going to the other entrance and walking into the abyss. Both sides of the party are gone within seconds. On Len and Ien´s side, they both reach an open area soon after. As they move closer, they begin to smell a putrid, mephitic, and malodorous stench coming further in. Len and Ien both cover their noises a bit.

[ Len ] ¨auh, god. That… smells terrible.¨

[ Ien ] ¨I´m sure there is something here, let's keep going.¨

They both continue, and they make their way further. The stench becomes more fowl and distinctive as they move forward. The further they go Len spots a person. As Len and Ien move forward, they move closer to the person. They see it as a young woman naked. Both of their eyes widen in dread and panic. The woman's arms are tied up onto a pole. Her body was littered with open wounds, dried blood, signs of gruesome torture from the goblins, and many signs of rape done to the woman. Len runs to the woman seeking a reaction.

[ Len ] “Oi! Wake up! Stay with me!¨

Len desperately tries to get a kind of movement from her lifeless eyes and movement. Ien looks around a bit more to scout. Ien follows the stench, as he moves a bit further into the smell he sees many corpses and dismembered body parts. All of them are rotting, horrifically damaged, and there are many signs of being toys to the goblins. Ien sees most of the bodies were women who were tortured, raped, and killed. Ien nearly throws up at the sight and smell.

[ Ien ] ¨Damn goblins.¨

Len continues to try to get a response from the women. After a few more seconds the woman slowly looks at him, her eyes showing signs of being very damaged with little sight left. She begins to move her mouth slowly. Her voice was damaged and barely audible.

[ Tortured Woman ] ¨ibts… ab… trahb¨

Len takes in her words but is unable to understand what she means. Len cuts her down the pole. The woman falls into his arms, her body limp and defective. Len looks at her trying to make her words.

[ Len ] ¨I don´t… understand what you´re saying. Try again, please.¨

The woman tries again, her voice still inaudible but a bit louder.

[ Tortured Woman ] ¨Itbs… ah… trahp¨

Len still couldn't understand the words she was trying to say.

[ Len ] ¨Lady, I can´t understand you. Please, try to be more clear.¨

The woman slowly moves her arm, gripping Len´s shirt. Her voice goes higher and louder.

[ Tortured Woman ] ¨ibs… a… trah…¨

She tilts her head up at Len staring right at him. Her grips tighten. her voice gets much louder, and her eyes go in terror.

[ Tortured Woman ] ¨IT´S A TRAP!¨

Goblins hoards break through the rock roof of the cave, right above Len. Len rolls to the side with the woman. His back reaches a wall. The woman is off the side.

[ Len ] ¨Fuck! Ien It´s a trap!¨

Len screams towards Ien.

[ Len ] ¨Ien! We need to group back with the others.¨

Ien on the other side of the group of goblins separating them. Some of the goblins run over to block the path.

[ Ien ] ¨Len! We´re trapped! They´re blocking the exit!¨

[ Len ] ¨Shit. Ien, We need to find a way to retr-¨

Parts of the wall next to Len breaks. Goblins come through the wall. One of the goblins jumps out of the wall holding a dagger, turning as it bursts through the wall. The goblin locks eyes with Len, it turns as it's in the air with its dagger in hand it swings and stabs Len right in the throat. Blood squirts out of his throat and Len spits out blood. Len's eyes were in disbelief, but his eyes shone with a last-ditch effort. Len grabs 2 arrows from his quivers stabbing the goblin in the throat and side of the head kicking its body away.

[ Ien ] ¨LEN!¨

Ien smacks a couple of the goblins to the side with his mace, desperately trying to get to Len. As Ien tries to reach further to help Len, more goblins swarm him making him unable to focus. Len with the dagger in his throat, bleeding out, grabs his bow, trying to kill as many as he can.

[ Ien ] ¨FUCK! LEN! HANG IN THER-¨

Ien gets pummelled with goblins, all stabbing his back. Ien roars pushing all of them off. Ien is visibly tired and now injured. Ien gasps for air. Len shoots arrows at the tiny group blocking the path they came from killing the goblins. Len looks over to Ien with a sorrowful face, still bleeding out.

[ Len ] ¨Ien… get back to them. I´m not making it. Regroup with Pin for me. My adrenaline will only last so long.¨

Ien struggles to make a decision, he then runs towards where they both originally came from. With a face of guilt. Leaving Len to fend off the goblins. As Ien runs, he finds himself rethinking his choices and remembers their past. How all three were inseparable. Ien stomps, jerking back and grabbing his mace and shield.

[ Ien ] ¨NO! You´re not dying! Not dying alone!¨

Ien runs back seeing Len fighting the goblin hoards by himself, already killed a large amount. Ien runs next to Ien smacking and pushing all near him away. Putting his back on Len´s back. Len struggles to speak due to the dagger in his throat. Goblins surround the both of them laughing and screeching.

[ Goblins ] ¨KwaHhahaha!¨

[ Len ] ¨You came back… You´ll die with me like this.¨

Ien smirks ready himself, and fully prepared for what is gonna happen.

[ Ien ] ¨I´m not leaving you. If we're dying, we are dying together.¨

Len laughs through the pain, smirking also.

[ Len ] ¨I bet I´ll kill more goblins than you even with this dagger in my throat.¨

[ Ien ] ¨I bet I´ll kill double your amount.¨

Ien smacks the heads of some rushing goblins. Brains, blood, and bones fly everywhere. Len shoots arrows toward goblins and uses his arrow in hand as a dagger to any rushing goblins.

[ Len ] ¨You´re on!¨