Kapitel 13: Goblin Assault

The sun was setting in the west. The fog began to rise from the lake. It covered the surrounding forests and meadows, including the peninsula situated next to the hill.

In the middle of the peninsula, the goblins of a small settlement went to sleep in their huts. The village chief was slightly concerned.

It had been two weeks since he had broken away from the Great Escarpment clan.

Another, weaker clan ruled the lake. It was that clan that disturbed the village chief.

He was the only hobgoblin in his tribe, and they didn't have many good weapons. He also suspected that the Fish Clan, as they were called, might have noticed the presence of a small settlement.

They could destroy it with ease.

Hobgoblin decided not to worry about it for now. He took his trusty sword and carefully wiped it with a leather cloth.

It was a sword that he found in one of the caves near the Escarpment clan. It was that sword that gave him the certainty of his survival. With this sword, he could kill any goblin.

However, as he approached his hut, he noticed something was wrong.

He could smell blood in the air, and the number of evening guards did not match. Nobody came back to eat and go to sleep.

"Urkamat shamrats?"

He asked the goblin lying under the tree if he had seen the rest. However, three charging creatures jumped out of the trees before the goblin could answer.

Before either could react, the three began slaughtering the sleeping goblins.

...

[Earlier that day]

"The plan is like this," Aron said, and he began to draw on the ground with a stick.

"We will separate; the three of you will attack one side and me on the other. First, we must catch lonely units circling around the area immediately after dark. Then, when we clear the road and make sure that no one will notice, we will attack the heart of the settlement." He finished.

He continued to draw and then hit the middle, symbolizing the center of the village.

"Are you sure it's safe, my lord? Perhaps one of us would be better off with you?" Bron asked, looking for support from two lumberjacks.

Bron was dressed in the repaired gambeson with the quilted hood.

Aron still had an injured hand, so he had given the shield to Bron. All of them were armed with axes and spears, and they had made the spears earlier from the bronze spearheads Aron had retrieved from the bandits.

Aron had wanted to sell the spearheads, but now they could be used.

Aron chuckled. "It seems to me that even the three of you will not defeat more goblins than I can!"

The others laughed as well.

"Okay, back to the plan. In the first stage, try to be as quiet as possible. When you are killing the sleeping goblins, you can separate, but once they realize you are there, stick together. I also saw one larger goblin who seemed to be much stronger. Leave that one to me. All clear?! Well, to work! Tonight, I want to finally get some good sleep."

After presenting the plan, Aron and the rest of them moved between the trees after a few minutes towards the goblin settlement.

There were three sentries set up around the settlement. Aron snuck up to one of the goblins and slit his throat with one smooth motion.

He looked over at the other three and saw them do the same.

The young man never expected that he would have to sneak up on something so many times. Thankfully the goblins were dull enough to ignore the sound of breaking branches under his feet.

After the first part of the plan was complete, they moved on to the next phase.

The surprise attack. Aron, however, waited in the bushes for the right moment when his people attracted the full attention of the goblins.

Bron and the lumberjacks were killing the sleeping goblins with remarkable efficiency. Still, they were quickly spotted, and the rest of the goblins began to emerge from their ramshackle huts.

There weren't many of them, but the most significant threat was already looming.

The tallest creature charged toward Bron and swung its sword in a savage arc, which Bron barely blocked with his borrowed shield.

"Is that an iron sword?!" The surprised young knight whispered under his breath as he quickly launched an attack on the enemy's rear.

Aron efficiently slew as many goblins as he could. Simultaneously, Bron held the hobgoblin off, and after a while, most of the goblins in the rear were either dead or wounded.

The strongest goblin shifted his attention from the barely defending Bron to Aron.

When the young knight realized this, he charged toward the enemy.

If Aron thrust, the goblin dodged. If the goblin slashed, the knight would parry. Each fought with all their strength, but neither gave way. The knight's technique was better, but the creature's natural speed and power allowed it to even the odds. Aron's sword, however, was of significantly inferior quality, and his bronze sword could barely keep up with the iron sword.

Aron was forced to use his aura to end the fight quickly, and he directed all the aura to his arm as he became faster and stronger. Aron feinted a strike at the body when his sword became so fast that it surprised the creature, whose head was flying in the air a moment later.

"Okay, the strongest opponent lies dead! Now only small hurdles remain." Aron said, and he went to the rescue of his subordinates.

The lumberjacks repelled several goblin attacks, and Bron, with his shield, blocked another two. Aron grabbed the iron sword from the ground and began wreaking havoc with the weapon.

To help the woodcutters, he slashed the first goblin across the back and redirected the others to him. The second goblin was lying on the ground only a few seconds later with a leg missing. An iron knight, even as weak as Aron, wreaked havoc among the more miniature monsters.

Against ordinary humans, the goblins would be a threat, and someone with a bronze aura would be able to put a couple down.

After a few minutes of fighting, the crushed and still frightened goblins began to run away. However, the humans could not allow the two left to escape.

The stupid Goblins began to run towards the lake, cutting off all possible escape paths.

Knowing that the goblins had nowhere to run, only the young knight went in pursuit. After a few moments, Aron finished the last two goblins on the peninsula's tip. Panting, he settled down on the rocky beach.

After a few moments, he realized something. "Why can't I hear the mission accomplishment sound?"

Concerned and tired, the knight re-read the page with the missions, which remained unchanged.

"Impossible! Wasn't the purpose of this mission to destroy the goblin village?"

Aron quickly extracted two crystals from the goblins and returned to the place of the massacre, where his subjects were finishing tidying up the monsters' bodies.

Bron approached him and reported, "The hobgoblin almost surprised us, but we finally eliminated a total of 12 goblins. Gil was slightly injured in the leg but nothing serious. Among the goblins, we found two bronze axes, several knives, one sickle, and a stone spearhead from a simple spear. Besides, nothing else is fit for further use."

"Hobgoblin?"

"Yes, my lord, that greater goblin you have decapitated. They are usually faster and stronger than humans and are often found leading packs of goblins."

"I understand. Altogether, we have fourteen crystals. Now we have some room to maneuver." The young man sighed and began walking towards the hill.

"Thank you, gentlemen. Burn these carcasses and the shacks. We don't want a plague nor a cadaver attracting anything worse than goblins. When you finish, I will be waiting for you with a full dinner in the camp."

On the way to the camp, he continued to consider the content of the mission. What could he do to complete it?

He thought hard, but nothing came to mind.

Bron found a cage with a living hare at the goblin settlement and gave it to him.

He began dressing the animal while he sat in his tent. After a few moments, the hare meat was dripping with fat over the fire.

They will finally eat something different than hard bread for dinner tonight.

His subjects might sleep well, but this night shall bring no rest for Aron.