章節 37: Chapter 37 - Nightly Visit

The sun dipped below the horizon, casting long shadows through the dense branches of the trees within the forest. The once vibrant and noisy forest was now cloaked in an eerie silence, only broken by the occasional rustle of leaves, distant animal sounds, or insects dancing in the night.

The group of knights and Seraphina worked quickly to set up a temporary camp in a small clearing; this would be where they stayed for the night.

Edwin, the lead knight, organized the setup efficiently. Giving out orders to others so that things would move smoothly.

"Harold, Samuei, gather firewood and set up a perimeter. We don't want any surprises tonight."

While they didn't ask Seraphina to do anything, she wanted to help out anyway. So she assisted in preparing the campsite, gathering what she could from the surrounding area and setting up the tents.

She wasn't very exhausted from the day's activities, even though she was the one who was most active. She was glad that her training was showing, and she wanted to push her limits on this trip.

Once the fire was lit, casting a warm glow around the campgrounds, the group settled down to rest and eat for the night. Seraphina took a seat on a log near the fire; her sword resting beside her as she looked at the dancing flames.

"Good job today, Lady Seraphina."

Harold said, handing her a piece of dried meat that was hanging from a stick.

"You handled yourself well against those wolves; and the animals before that."

"Thank you, Harold. I couldn't have done it without your guidance and protection today."

She replied, taking the offered food and blowing on it to cool it off.

The man smiled and nodded, appreciating her humility. He was used to the nobles who took their protection for granted, and were stuck up in their ways just because of their status.

But Seraphina at least respected and acknowledged them, which meant a lot not just to the man, but to the other knights as well.

As they ate, Edwin kept a watchful eye on the surroundings and paid very close attention to anything that might try to ambush them.

"We'll take turns keeping watch tonight. The forest can be unpredictable, especially after dark."

"I'll take the first watch."

Seraphina offered, wanting to contribute to the group's safety and not just rely on them.

Edwin shook his head at her offer, however, and spoke.

"You've had a long day, Lady Seraphina. Get some rest. You need to recover your strength for tomorrow."

She was reluctant but she didn't want to argue so Seraphina agreed.

Shortly after they finished up, the dynamic of the group made it hard to start a conversation, so she decided to get some rest. She settled into a tent with a bedroll, the sounds of the forest lulling her into a light sleep.

Despite her fatigue, her mind kept her in a state of alert, and this time she didn't enter the mental place as she needed to be ready to wake up at a moment's notice.

As the night wore on, the knights took turns keeping watch, ensuring the camp remained secure. Edwin, on his shift, stood at the edge of the clearing, his eyes scanning the darkness for any signs of movement.

The forest was still, save for the occasional hoot of an owl or the rustle of leaves in the breeze.

Several hours later, it was Samuel's turn to keep watch. The young knight was eager to prove himself, his eyes sharp and alert as he patrolled the perimeter. His eagerness had him overexerting himself to make sure nothing went wrong.

As he walked, he noticed a faint glow in the distance beyond the tree line of the clearing. Curious but cautious, he moved closer to investigate the situation.

He soon realized that it was a group of fireflies, their soft glow creating an attractive display in the darkness of the forest at night. Relieved, Samuel turned back towards the camp to make his way back.

But his relief was short-lived, as he heard a low snarl behind him. Spinning around, he drew his sword instantly, ready for whatever creature had decided to approach their camp.

A group of small, green-skinned creatures with a humanoid figure, dressed in leaves and foliage emerged from the underbrush, their beady eyes gleaming with malice as they brandished crude weapons.

The man recognized the creatures instantly and began to make his way back to the camp; walking backward safely he never took his eyes off the approaching creatures.

"Ambush! Goblins!"

Samuel shouted as he was closer to the camp, his sword ready for when the creatures rushed at him.

The knights quickly woke up and made their way out of their tents, Seraphina falling closely after as she had been only lightly sleeping. They quickly formed a defensive circle again, keeping Seraphina in the middle.

Samuel's sword flashed under the rays of moonlight as he parried the incoming goblin attack; and struck the creature back with a slash straight down its front.

Dead, the goblin was in one simple move, causing the others to grow even more aggressive.

All-out fighting broke out instantly, ten goblins versus three knights and Seraphina, it may seem like they were at a disadvantage when it came to numbers, but Goblins were simply very weak.

Seraphina jabbed her sword towards a goblin that got too close; the edge of the blade easily piercing through the creature's skull even though she didn't put her entire strength behind it.

"These goblins are weak, they aren't elders. I don't see a shaman, kill them before they attract more."

She said to the others. From the knowledge she had gained in the library, most goblins were weaker than an adult male human, they only posed a danger when in large groups.

The only goblin that would prove troublesome for them would be a shaman or elder, but neither seemed to be amongst the group. It was most likely a scouting or hunting party that happened to come across them.

The goblins were quick and agile, they used their small frame and numbers to their advantage to dark in and out of the knights' reach as they tried to overwhelm them with sheer numbers.

'They're stalling.'

Seraphina thought as she looked at their odd movement. They were aggressive but not attacking, they darted in and out but avoided easy attacks.

'Goblins aren't this smart, they're waiting for something.'

As one moved closer to her; she sidestepped the creature's movement and slashed her sword across the back, sending it sprawling to the ground as the blood leaked from its body.

There was another goblin nearby, but rather than attacking her, it jumped back to avoid her. This confirmed her suspicion that something was not normal.

Edwin slashed through a goblin as he moved forward with raw power, his eyes scanning the battlefield.

"We need to break their formation! They're trying to surround us!"

Seraphina nodded, her eyes roaming the battlefield of goblins around the camp, it landed on something in the distance. Suddenly an idea appeared in her mind, and with a dash forward she called out.

"Cover me!"

She said as she charged through the goblins ahead of her. Her body weaved through them like a sparrow, easily avoiding their weak attacks, and even killing one on her way through.

Finally, she came to a stop before the campfire that they had lit previously. It had been put out to avoid drawing attention as they slept, but the embers still lingered.

Kicking the pile of wood and embers; she caused the wood to spread and the fire to ignite once more from the action. Light, albeit not a lot, graced the battlefield.

It wasn't enough to see clearly, but they didn't need to see clearly to tell that the flames that were dancing in the eyes of the creatures along the tree line were anything but a good thing.