Chapter 85 - Uninvited Enemies
When Pao and Bao were disrupting the shaman, Bao's sharp ears caught the faint clatter of falling rocks behind her. Without hesitation, she spun around with a strung arrow. A goblin was charging at her. She loosed the arrow in one fluid motion, and it struck true, embedding itself between the goblin's eyes. The creature crumpled to the ground lifelessly.
"Pao! Behind us!" Bao yelled.
Pao, who had been focused on keeping her attacks on the shaman, turned abruptly. Her stomach tightened as she spotted a group of nine goblins sprinting toward them from a shadowed tunnel. Pao immediately slammed her staff into the ground, summoning an earth wall to block their path.
The wall rose just in time, the goblins screeching in frustration as they collided with it. Pao exhaled heavily, her voice trembling. "That'll hold them for a moment."
Bao quickly slung her bow over her shoulder and unsheathed a short sword from her belt. "We don't have much time. Be ready."
Nodding, Pao stepped back and began casting a more significant spell. Water droplets coalesced around her, forming shimmering spears that hovered in midair.
But then a goblin leapt over the wall. It lunged at Pao with a snarling grin, and she stumbled backward, her focus breaking. The water spears dissolved into a harmless mist as she raised her staff defensively. Before the goblin could land a blow, Bao darted in, her short sword intercepting its attack.
Bao gritted her teeth and pushed back with all her strength, forcing the goblin away. With a quick step forward, she delivered a sharp kick to its stomach. The goblin let out a wheezing screech as it crashed into the earth wall behind it. Pao seized the opportunity, raising her staff and releasing a concentrated white beam of energy. The magic struck the goblin square in the chest, disintegrating its body and creating a gaping hole in the wall in the process.
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"Pao!" Bao hissed as the barrier cracked and splintered, the goblins on the other side pounding at its weakened structure. She nocked an arrow and fired through the hole, striking one goblin in the shoulder. It reeled but didn't go down.
The goblins redoubled their efforts, and with a final series of blows, the wall crumbled entirely. Eight goblins surged forward, screeching as they rushed at the two women.
Pao quickly cast a water spear, impaling the first goblin through the chest. Its lifeless body fell, but the remaining seven pressed on without hesitation. Bao met the first attacker head-on, their weapons clashing violently. Her swordsmanship, though competent, lacked the raw power of her male companions. She held her ground, but her movements were becoming labored. A second goblin joined the fray, forcing her to retreat a step.
The spear-wielding goblin thrust its weapon toward her side, and while Bao twisted to evade, the tip grazed her, leaving a shallow but painful wound. She winced, her grip on her sword tightening. Summoning her remaining strength, she drove her blade into the goblin's head. She tried to yank it free, but the remaining goblins were too close.
"Bao, throw the bottle!" Pao shouted.
"But—" Bao hesitated, glancing at the goblins. "We're too close!"
"Trust me! Just do it!" Pao's voice carried a desperate edge as she stepped back, readying her next spell.
Gritting her teeth, Bao fished out another bottle from her pack and hurled it toward the advancing goblins. She immediately retreated behind Pao, who waited until Bao was safely positioned before releasing a fireball at the airborne bottle.
The resulting explosion was deafening. Flames erupted outward, consuming the goblins in an instant. However, the intensity of the explosion sent a wave of heat and pressure rippling toward the sisters.
Pao raised her staff, summoning a magical shield to protect them. The barrier held, but cracks began to spiderweb across its surface as the force of the explosion pushed it to its limit. The edges of the shield gave way, and flames licked at Pao's exposed skin. Her left shoulder bore a minor burn, her robe charred around the area. Her boots absorbed most of the heat, sparing her legs from serious injury, but the residual heat left her feet aching.
As the flames subsided, silence fell. The charred remains of the goblins lay scattered across the ground.
Bao panted heavily, clutching her side as blood seeped through her clothing. "We... we did it," she muttered.
Pao, though battered and burned, nodded. "We did it. Now let's help the others." She leaned on her staff for support.
Amukelo rushed at the troll once again. The troll roared, raising its massive club high. Despite its earlier wounds, the shaman's healing magic had given it enough vitality to remain a formidable opponent.
The troll swung its club in a downward arc, aiming to crush Amukelo where he stood. Amukelo sidestepped just in time, the impact sending tremors through the ground and causing loose rocks to tumble. Using the opening, he lunged forward, but before he could deliver his attack, a sharp pain shot through his leg. He stumbled, looking down to see thorned vines coiling tightly around his ankle, their spikes digging into his skin. Blood seeped from the punctures, and he clenched his teeth against the pain.
The troll seized the moment, swinging its massive fist at Amukelo. Instinctively, Amukelo raised his sword in defense, the force of the impact throwing him several feet back. The vines snapped as he tumbled, and he rolled across the ground before stabbing his sword into the dirt to kill his momentum. Panting heavily, he pushed himself to his feet, his gaze darting toward the shaman.
The shaman was chanting, its voice low and guttural, and Amukelo noticed the staff rising again. Without hesitation, he leaped sideways just as the ground beneath him erupted in a burst of molten lava. The heat singed the air, but he had moved quickly enough to avoid being scorched.
He landed in a crouch, his mind racing. 'It's the shaman,' he thought. Every time it raises its staff, it's preparing a spell.
Amukelo dashed toward the troll once more, dodging another swing of its club. He kept one eye on the troll and the other on the shaman, who was already beginning another spell. This time, instead of moving directly toward his target, Amukelo feinted to the side. As the shaman raised its staff, he abruptly changed direction, leaping in a way that caught both the troll and the shaman off guard. The ground where he would have landed turned to water, a trap that would have ensnared him had he followed his initial path.
With the shaman momentarily thrown off, Amukelo focused on the troll. It recovered quickly from its missed swing, bringing its club around in a wide arc. Anticipating the movement, Amukelo dove low, sliding on his knees beneath the massive weapon. The air whistled above him as the club passed harmlessly overhead, and he used his momentum to close the distance to the troll's legs.
His sword flashed as he delivered a deep slash to the troll's thigh. The beast howled in pain, staggering as blood gushed from the wound. Amukelo didn't stay still; he knew a counterattack was imminent. Before the troll's massive fist could slam down on him, he jumped back, avoiding the blow by a narrow margin.
Amukelo's gaze snapped to the shaman, who had resumed its chanting. Its staff glowed ominously, the air around it shimmering with dark energy. Amukelo had no intention of letting the spell be completed. Without breaking stride, he hurled a dagger toward the shaman. The goblin saw the projectile and quickly conjured a wall of vines to block it, but the move was too slow. The dagger pierced through the vines, embedding itself in the shaman's torso.
The shaman let out a shrill cry, its spell interrupted. The glow around its staff faded as it clutched at the dagger, struggling to remove it. The vines it had conjured fell limply to the ground, and Amukelo seized the opportunity to reposition himself.