Chapter 85 Chapter 20.3 - Dungeon
With those words, Anya glanced at each of everyone in turn. "Get ready. We will start after a second."
Hearing this, all of the party nodded their heads, certainly looking happy. Of course, they were going to be considering they were waiting for this stage to end.
'This is getting better and better.' Fred couldn't help but laugh inwardly. Everything was going as he expected. Just as he was informed, this dungeon terrain was a forest type, and it was constantly raining.
This made him easily able to use his skills without people noticing since he was skillfully mixing psions with the rain droplets.
'This Hartley is a problem, though.' He thought.
That blue-haired bastard was the first one to think something was wrong, and almost all the others were about to believe him.
'Thanks to lord that this kid is stupid.' He changed his gaze to his benefactor, who unknowingly saved his whole operation. 'As expected, the sense I got from him is wrong. There is no way this kid can do something to me.' Even though he got a weird sense from his purple gaze, Fred dismissed it immediately.
However, the party would no longer go to wait.
"Let's go. Everyone, get ready."
With those words, the group started moving, everyone already ready for the battle.
Anya stood at the forefront of the group, her shield held high and her spear at the ready. She was the designated tank for this operation, and she had a particular skill set for this role.
Her shield bore a taunting enchantment designed to amplify the strength of her skill [Taunting Cry] and draw the aggression of the enemy toward her.
"Astron, you may start."
As she said, Astron immediately raised his bow and enchanted it with his mana. Then, the only thing left was firing arrows at goblins he saw as isolated.
SWOOSH SWOOSH SWOOSH
As the arrows flew rapidly, most of them found their mark.
THUD THUD
As the bodies of the monsters fell to the ground, the Goblin Warrior's attention, of course, turned to the sound. The arrows were silent, but the falling sound got their attention.
"ROAR!"
And with a loud roar they were grieving their fallen kin.
Then, the goblin warriors, standing guard at the entrance of the settlement, noticed the intruders.
GROWL
With a menacing growl, they brandished their weapons and charged toward Anya, who was standing in the front. But she was more than prepared.
"Bring them to me!"
Anya shouted, activating her [Taunting Cry] skill.
SWOOSH ROOOAR!
The effect was immediate, as the goblin warriors redirected their focus solely onto her, leaving her companions free to engage the horde of smaller goblins that swarmed towards them.
CLANK THUD
With a swift and precise movement of her shield, she deflected the first strike, the force vibrating through her arm. The goblin warrior staggered back momentarily, and in that split second, Anya struck. Her spear pierced the creature's chest, eliciting a guttural scream.
ROAR!
"Faye! Hari!" She immediately signaled her party members.
SWOOSH
Hari, the agile dual-blade wielder, dashed forward like a whirlwind of steel.
SWIRL
Fire danced along the edges of her blades, and with a series of precise strikes, she engaged the goblin warriors.
SPURT
Her blades pierced through the skin of the first goblin warrior. The monster couldn't defend itself as it was taunted by Anya on the front.
SWOOSH
Beside her, Faye, her claymore raised high, activated her body-strengthening abilities.
"AAAAH!'"
With a mighty swing, she joined the fray, her weapon cleaving through the air and adding to the relentless assault.
SPURT
Blood spurted from the wound she made as Faye's sword wounded the warrior. However, it was still not enough.
CLANK
The other goblin warrior lunged at Anya from the side, but Hari intercepted it. Her blades met the creature's, and they engaged in a dazzling dance of steel.
The goblin struggled to match Hari's skill, its movements becoming increasingly frantic. But he was still able to defend itself since Hari's attack couldn't penetrate its skin while the goblin warrior was moving, leaving rather shallow wounds.
"Bring them to me!"
However, Anya's taunt skill marked the end. As [Taunting Cry] sounded, the Goblin Warriors' attention momentarily turned to the woman with spear and shield.
And that was what proved to be fatal.
In that split second, Hari and Faye seized the opportunity, their coordinated attacks executed with flawless precision.
SWOOSH
Hari, with her dual blades swirling like a deadly dance, closed in on the goblin warrior she had engaged.
"Blade of Ablaze."
SWIRL
Fire flickered along the edges of her blades, casting an eerie glow in the dim light.
SWOOSH SWOOSH
With lightning-fast strikes, she capitalized on the distraction caused by Anya's taunt.
SPURT
Hari's blades, guided by both her extraordinary skill and the fiery enchantments, found their mark. They pierced through the goblin's tough skin, plunging deep into its chest.
"ROOOAR!"
The creature's guttural scream was cut short as its lifeblood gushed forth, staining the forest floor crimson.
SWOOSH
At the same time, Faye, her claymore raised high above her head, brought her immense strength into play.
"RAAA!"
Her body, fortified by her enhancing abilities, was a force to be reckoned with. With a mighty swing, her claymore descended like a merciless executioner's axe.
CRACK
The force behind her strike was staggering, leaving no room for the goblin warrior to defend himself. The heavy blade cleaved through the air, meeting its target with brutal efficiency.
SPURT
The goblin warrior's body was torn asunder, the claymore's edge cutting through bone and sinew as though they were paper. It let out a gurgled cry of agony before collapsing; its life snuffed out in an instant.
With both goblin warriors vanquished, the tide of battle began to shift. The smaller goblins, bereft of their leaders and disoriented by the sudden turn of events, hesitated for a moment.
This hesitation was all Anya's group needed. Their fierce and coordinated assault had disheartened the goblin warriors and sent shockwaves through the horde.
*****
"Kieeeek!"
Meanwhile, at the rear of the group, Ethan gripped his spear tightly. He was a talented fighter, but his lack of experience was evident.
He had watched in awe as Anya, Hari, and Faye engaged the goblin warriors. Now, it was his turn to prove himself.
SWOOSH SWIRL
"Spear of Heart. Horizontal Sweep of Qilin."
Remembering his household's technique, he relaxed his breathing. Winds started surging through his body as he instinctively manipulated the psions of wind around him. It was his innate talent he himself wasn't aware of.
'Everyone is working hard. I should push myself as well.'
SWOOSH
And with a smooth move, he rushed to the goblins coming from the sides.
"Ethan. Never forget. A spear is never meant to be a sword; it needs to be long and strong like an elephant, but it needs to be swift like a wind."
As he remembered the words of his father, he couldn't help but put a smile on his face.
'Just like as you said, father. Like a wind.'
SWOOSH
And with a smooth move, he swept the feet of the approaching goblins.
STAB STAB STAB STAB
His training had paid off, and his strikes were becoming more precise. With a deft thrust, he impaled goblins through their chests, his eyes focused and determined.
KIEK!
"What?" However, at that moment, he saw another goblin hidden behind the leaves. His senses couldn't pick it up, as if he never knew there was a goblin.
SWOOSH
As the goblin attacked him from his blind point, Ethan breached himself for incoming pain.
SWISH THUD
However, the attack never came. In the place where the attack was supposed to be stood a staggering body trying its best to stand on its feet.
"Astron."
With an arrow impaled on its chest.
"Thanks, man."
With a smile on his face, Ethan stabbed the monster from its neck, killing it immediately.
SWOOSH
Emily, more experienced but aware of Ethan's raw strength and talent, fought on the other side, covering the goblins coming from there.
Her swordsmanship was precise and efficient enough, and she knew the importance of her role of protecting the rearguard. Even though she was feeling irritated at the boy behind him for some reason, this wasn't enough to cloud her judgment.
CLANG! CLANG!
The clash of steel echoed through the forest as Emily held her ground, her focus unyielding.
SWOOSH
But the goblins were relentless, and their numbers seemed endless. In the heat of battle, one managed to slip past her defenses, its crude blade slashing across her arm.
"Ah!" Emily winced, feeling the searing pain in her arm. Blood welled from the wound, staining her armor. She couldn't afford to falter, not now.
Her posture was slightly broken, but she had been injured countless times. She was not a princess who would falter at the slightest pain.
"Grrr…." She gritted her teeth and pushed forward.
However, at that moment, she felt her body getting lighter as a small and warm light enveloped her.
"I-I w-will help you."
A stuttering voice came behind her, as she looked at the young man whose hands were shining.
Fred, attuned to the flow of battle, sensed her distress. He used a healing skill, his mana knitting the wound together and staunching the bleeding.
HEAL
Emily felt the pain subside as the magic worked its mending touch.
"Thanks."
SWOOSH
With renewed determination, she continued to fend off the goblins. Her blade was a whirlwind of death, and she dispatched them with.
SWISH THUD
Beside her, Astron, the archer, had her back. His arrows flew true, taking down goblins that dared to approach Emily from a distance. His presence was a silent reassurance in the chaos of battle.
"Tch…."
However, amongst the feeling of battle, she didn't realize the fact that she was getting tired more easily, and her emotions were swaying a lot stronger than before.
SWISH SWISH
Astron, positioned strategically at a safe distance, continued to send a steady stream of arrows into the approaching goblin horde.
His shots were accurate, but these goblins were tougher than the ones they initially countered. However, he didn't mind.
'I am not here to kill goblins; my job is to cover their backs and watch this bastard.'
The goblins closed the distance quickly, but he let Ethan and Emily do the job as he and Fred supported the party from behind.
His eyes were constantly observing around, absorbing every bit of movement. Whenever a person was in need of assistance, he fired arrows and intercepted the Goblin's movements.
SWISH SWISH
Arrows were not deadly, but they did their job as a support, and this was enough for the party.
As the battle raged on, the rain-soaked forest echoed with the clash of steel and the cries of combat.
The remaining goblin warriors and their sinister shaman emerged from their hut, sensing the impending defeat of their kin.
ROAR!
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I hope you liked this chapter. I am trying to improve my writing when it comes to group fighting, and I wanted to give details to each member.
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