Chapter 7: A Strategic Battle

The first male goblin appeared from the treelines, his hulking form was massive, with gnarled muscles and a jagged club slung over his shoulder. His eyes gleamed with savage glee as he stepped forward, confident and unhurried. Certainly, all Lance saw was a battle hardened ogre, that was certainly not a goblin!

As the goblin walked forward, more figures emerged from the coverings and darkness behind it, slowly coming into the part of the forest that was touched by moonlight. One after another, Lance counted at least thirty of them, their wicked laughter sending shivers down his very spine and the camp alike.

The male goblins moved with the arrogance of predators, their focus fixed on the camp ahead. They didn't notice the faint disturbances beneath their feet or the subtle gaps in the foliage that hid the traps.

Lance watched their movements with keen eyes, ready to react if their traps were found out, but to their advantage, the first scream came.

The leading goblin stepped forward onto what seemed like solid ground, only for it to gave way, causing him to plunge into a hidden pit. His roar of surprise turned to a strangled cry as he landed on the sharpened stakes below. Even though it was enemy screams, it still causes Lance to jerk a little as it had caught him off guard. He surely wasn't used to such warfare.

The male goblins froze, their grins dying as they stared at the pit that had their comrade writhing in agony.

"What is this?!" one of them barked, his deep voice filled with confusion.

Lance watched from his position, his heart pounding as the enemy hesitated. "Wait," he whispered to Lia.

Another male goblin, too impatient to wait for orders, took a step forward and triggered a tripwire. A heavy log swung down from the trees, slamming into his chest with bone-crushing force. The goblin's body, carried by the log's weight, slammed on two other of his comrades, sending them flying backwards, landing in a crumpled heap.

"They're spooked," Lia murmured, a faint grin tugging at her lips.

"Good," Lance said. "Let's keep it that way. Signal the first team."

A sharp whistle pierced the air, and a group of female goblins burst from the shadows, hurling wooden spears and rocks at the confused attackers. The male goblins scrambled to defend themselves, raising their arms as shields as they shouted in fury, trying to defend themselves.

"After them!" one of the larger males bellowed, swinging a rusty axe toward the retreating female goblin.

But as the attackers charged forward, the ground beneath them shifted again. Hidden pits opened up, swallowing two more goblins into darkness, and screams followed. Another tripped over a tripwire, his legs swept out from under him as a second log swung down, smashing into his skull.

With the never ending surprises, the male goblins that gave chase couldn't help but advance hesitantly, their eyes darting to the ground and the trees above as they tried to anticipate the next trap.

"What kind of witchcraft is this?" one of them growled, his grip tightening on his club.

Lance's voice was calm and measured as he addressed the goblins at his side, trying not to show the tension in his voice. "They're rattled. Now's the time to hit them again."

Another whistle echoed through the night, and a second group of female goblins launched their ambush. This time, they aimed from the trees, raining down wooden spears and stones before melting back into the shadows.

The male goblins roared in frustration, swinging their weapons wildly at the incoming projectiles, in effort to defend themselves against it. One particularly large goblin managed to spot a retreating goblin and charged after her, ignoring the falling spears and stones which he raised one arm to shield his head from.

This didn't escape Lance's eyes as he studied the battlefield. "Wait for it," Lance muttered under his breath, his eyes fixed on the charging goblin.

As the female goblin that was being pursued darted past a cluster of trees, the pursuing goblin followed blindly, overcome with rage, only to trigger another trap. A massive spiked log dropped from the branches above, impaling him through the back and out of his chest. The sudden pain caused the goblin to scream, but the scream was cut short as its body went limp, pinned to the ground by the log's sheer weight.

At this point, the male goblins were in complete disarray.

"Retreat! Regroup!" one of the goblins that had remained back the entire time shouted, his voice tinged with desperation.

It seemed that Lance's plan was working.

The traps had sown chaos and fear into the male goblins, which was exactly what Lance wanted. Now, he just wandered if they would be cautious and retreat, or if they would push forward.

As he observed, a voice came from beside him. "They're pulling back," Lia said, her tone cautious. "What now?"

"They're trying to regroup," Lance said. "We can't let them. We can't let them figure things out. Signal the third team to make their move."

As the male goblins retreated toward the treeline, a hidden group of goblin that had been lying in wait some moments prior erupted from behind, armed with spears and daggers. One of the elders led the team. They struck with precision, targeting the wounded first, before going for any other.

With the goblins suddenly shaken, another group attacked from the opposite side where the male goblins now had their backs turned.

Lance soon found himself to be the only one left in the camp, watching from a distance with a spear in hand.

Just when things seemed to be going well for him, a wounded male goblin made its way into the camp. As there wasn't a hoard of them, the narrowed entrance did nothing to stop the goblin's advance.

Lance immediately called out for help, but no one could hear him. His clutched his spear tightly in his hands as he rose and took a stance against the goblin. In a moment, both of them engaged in a life and death battle.

Lance was lucky since the goblin was already injured, so its attacks were sluggish and readable, even to his untrained eyes. His hands shook with every thrust as he attacked the goblin, but all he managed were a few injuries, nothing lethal.

The goblin lunged at him, swinging its club with a greater force. Just at the last moment, Lance managed to duck, the weapon whistling past his head. The goblin's big motion created the opening Lance needed, so he drove his spear upward into the goblin's exposed side. The creature roared in pain, collapsing to its knees with the spear stuck in its side.

Lance stumbled back, his chest heaving in and out as he looked at his dying foe. His mind screamed at him to retreat, but he forced himself to stay. He moved towards the goblin who still tried to swing its club at him, but exhaustion had overcome it and it could barely move. Lance tried to take out the spear, but it proved to be a rather difficult task than he initially thought, so he left it in there since the enemy was already dead.

Within the next couple of minutes, the male goblins were decimated and their morale shattered, they tried to retreat as their leader barked desperate commands, but the once cohesive force had already crumbled.

In the end, the few survivors scrambled back into the forests, disappearing from sight. As the last of the attackers disappeared into the forest, a victorious cheer erupted from the female goblins. They stood among the wreckage, battered and bloodied, but triumphant.

Lance leaned against a tree, his legs trembling slightly as he watched from away. He glanced at Lia, who stood nearby with a fierce grin on her face.

"You did it," she said simply.

"Hahaha," Lance chuckled drily. "You guys did it."

For the first time, he saw a flicker of respect in her eyes.

But as he looked out over the battlefield, littered with bodies and broken weapons, he knew the victory was only temporary. The male goblins who had escaped would come back. Honestly, he was planning on taking care of them once and for all, but it hadn't worked out like that…

'I honestly pray there aren't more of them back where they came from.'