章 37: Shadowy Figure
- Somewhere, some time ago -
The forest was obstructed due to the shadows cast by overgrown trees, however, the constant stillness was abruptly disturbed by a rapidly moving creature.
A cloaked, shadowy figure dashed through the forest foliage with extraordinary speed. Despite being entirely covered by a dark attire, it couldn't hide her distinctly feminine physique as her voluptuous curves inadvertently revealed her gender. The woman moved with a grace that was entirely supernatural. Each step was soundless, each leap effortless. A dark, ragged outfit hugged her body which ended up emphasizing her slender and athletic figure. Her physique embodied a mighty combination of power and feminine charms.
The hood she had on blocked her face, but it couldn't conceal the fierce look in her eyes which shone in the dark, nor could it hide her fluffy ears sticking through the cloth on top of her head, or the tail that swayed from beneath her cloak. She moved with purpose as she darted between trees. Her feet barely touched the ground as if she were more spirit than flesh.
She occasionally paused her movement for brief moments and lifted her nose up and sniffed the air, clearly in search of something specific.
The forest seemed to part for her with branches and leaves bending away as if in reverence.
She easily jumped over a lengthy patch of mud and landed without a sound, her momentum was not broken even a tiny bit.
As she dashed forward with even greater speed, her hood fell off her head for a moment, revealing a golden retriever-like dog-kin girl. Her long, flowing ponytail of golden blonde hair streamed behind her like a radiant banner.
Her beautiful blue eyes which were previously bright and sharp, suddenly glinted with dejection, desperation, and hopelessness. Her fluffy, golden ears drooped in sorrow, and her equally fluffy tail, which usually swayed gracefully behind her, hung limp and lifeless. Her features which were a perfect blend of canine loyalty and human beauty, were now marred by a profound sadness that cast a shadow over her once-radiant appearance.
She grumbled under her breath, "Where are you, stupid goblins… Blossom doesn't want to get whipped again…"
She then whimpered, "Even if Blossom finishes this quickly, Blossom will just get whipped anyways…"
A tear formed in her eyes, finally completely breaking the nerve-wracking effect of her previously imposing aura. "Blossom misses you, Kiara… Sister… Mother…"
- Back to the present -
We've spent the last few minutes traveling through the forest toward the suspected location of the goblin encampment. In that time frame, I checked through the Assassin class unlockables and found what I've been looking for desperately, something that was missing from the unlockable warrior spells; an evasive movement ability. Yes, I could unlock some charge-like spells before like [Bull Rush], but I needed something to evade enemy strikes, not rush at them.
I spent 2 Unused Skill Points to unlock;
[Lesser Evasion]
[Evade hostile attacks with graceful movements. Jump, roll, flip or simply step out of harm's way tactfully and swiftly. Slightly increases the spell caster's maneuvering ability at the cost of 40 mana and lasts for 10 minutes.]
I like that unlike with [Power Strike] I can just activate the spell and forget about it for the next ten minutes because once I activate [Lesser Evasion] it will passively increase my dodging ability. But, on the other hand, it costs eight times more mana. With my current 12 Wisdom attribute, which equates to having 120 Mana, I can only keep it active for half an hour, and that is only if I don't use [Power Strike], a spell I've grown very fond of already.
After walking for another ten minutes we hear the first signs of having arrived at the close vicinity of the encampment as we are greeted by loud screeches which they basically use as their preferred communication method.
We move cautiously through the dense foliage, every step of ours is deliberate and quiet as we near the goblin camp.
I signal for Ayame to stay low as we approach the edge of the camp. From our vantage point, we can see a dozen goblins milling about, most of them armed with crude weapons and makeshift armor. Some display the degenerate behavior I've come to expect from this species, especially the one eating grass like a cow while mooing loudly or the one that starts salivating at the sight and then shanks the cow-goblin in the back with his bone knife, who then stops mooing and begins screeching instead, but most of them are actually standing guard rather professionally. The presence of the hobgoblins might be the reason behind their more normal behavior.
I take a deep breath and focus, activating [Lesser Evasion] to increase my agility and make my movements more fluid.
I sneakily slip through the shadows as I move from cover to cover. I spot a lone goblin standing guard near the perimeter. With a swift, calculated movement, I lunge forward and thrust my spear into the goblin's side. The creature lets out a low, gurgled cry before collapsing to the ground. I quickly drag the body into the bushes to avoid detection.
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章 38: Kiting The Mobs
I continue my silent assault, taking down two more goblins in quick succession. Each time, I use the element of surprise to my advantage, dispatching my foes with precise, lethal strikes. However, as I prepare to take down a fourth goblin, my luck runs out. One of the goblins turns just in time to see me, and its eyes widen in alarm.
"Enemies!!!" the goblin shrieks with its voice piercing through the stillness of the forest. A horn soon blares from deeper within the camp, signaling the alarm.
"Shit, I was hoping to kill a few more before they notice…" I mutter under my breath. Ayame is already at my side with her iron sword drawn and ready.
The camp erupts into chaos. Goblins pour out from their filthy tents made of tree branches and leafs. Their eyes are wild with aggression and they emit a distinct thirst for blood. There are about thirty of them, and amidst the fray, I see three larger figures - hobgoblins, towering over their smaller kin with an air of menacing intelligence and strength. Unlike their green-skinned foot soldiers, the hobgoblins look like monsterized humans with similar height and a bulky build. They have proper weapons and armor, and their skin is ashen brown.
"Ayame, take the hobbos!" I shout. "I'll handle the midgets!"
She nods. "Don't die." After stating her brief good luck wish, her face sets with determination, and she charges towards the trio. I turn my attention to the swarm of goblins rushing at me.
One of them lunges at me with a rusty dagger, but I sidestep and counter with a [Power Strike], driving my spear through its chest. Another goblin comes at me from the side while swinging a club wildly. I dodge the amateur swing easily and thrust my spear into its abdomen. They are weak individually, but their sheer numbers make them dangerous.
I keep moving, kiting the goblins to keep them at a manageable distance. Their short stubby legs allow me to utilize my gamer knowledge as I do my utmost to keep the swarm at bay.
Whenever one gets too close, I turn and spear it, using my Agility to stay just out of their reach. It's a delicate dance, and having a ranged weapon would certainly be very welcome. I could become a proper ADC then…
Despite my best efforts at kiting, I can't avoid every blow. A goblin manages to slash my arm with a jagged blade and I hiss in pain. I quickly retaliate by stabbing it through the throat. After which I jump away before the horde surrounds me while glancing at my status for a brief moment.
[HP 145/170]
Now that I don't have my trusty bodyguard shadowing me I face my first ever real, life-threatening battle. While running I quickly observe her.
Ayame's battle with the hobgoblins is on a different scale from mine. She is a whirlwind of steel and fury. Her iron sword flashes rapidly as she faces off against the three towering figures - the ideal scenario we drew up didn't include her having to fight a one versus three fight with them. She was supposed to speedily kill one before the rest joined in, but we didn't predict them teaming up right away and coming together once they heard the alarm rather than rushing in one by one. Of course, we knew it was a possibility, but this made my armorless samurai's life incredibly difficult and quite endangered.
The first hobgoblin swings a massive axe at her which whistles through the air audibly. Ayame ducks under the swing and counters with a [Vertical Slash]. Her blade slices through the hobgoblin's leg, after which it falters momentarily and roars in pain but doesn't fall quite yet.
The second hobgoblin that's armed with a spear thrusts at her. Ayame twists her body and narrowly avoids the sharp tip, after which she slashes at the spear's shaft, trying to break it. The third hobgoblin who wields a large sword, moves in from her blind side. Ayame's eyes just barely managed to catch the movement before he could take a swing at her.
She suddenly jumps back now that all three of her opponents are standing in front of her at a relatively short distance. In the next moment, Ayame enters a low crouching posture while greedily filling her lungs to the brim with a strong inhale of oxygen. Her right hand rests on the hilt of her sword while the other grabs the sheath, elevating it to be at a parallel angle with the ground. She shouts, "[Iaijutsu]!" and in the next moment, she draws the blade with lightning speed, releasing a horizontal slash that reaches all three hobgoblins despite the sizeable distance between her and her enemies.
Each hobgoblin is left badly damaged from the long-ranged attack, but their armor and strong bodies manage to withstand the strike, save for the axe wielder who was already hit by Ayame's [Vertical Slash]. He now kneels on the ground while struggling mightily to regain his lost strength as he is bleeding profusely.
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