The reaction was instantaneous.The goblins jerked their heads up, snarling in surprise. A moment of confusion passed before a dozen of them grabbed their weapons—crudely made hatchets, chipped swords, and iron-tipped spears—and charged.The moment they moved, I struck.I leapt from the ledge, coming down like a falling boulder. My axe cleaved through the first goblin's skull, the impact splitting his head like rotten fruit. Before his body even hit the ground, I twisted, bringing my second axe down into the colrbone of another.Blood sprayed across the rocky ground, the goblin shrieking as his body crumpled.Panic spread through the ranks as the goblins realized they were being attacked from two sides.Elise held her ground, meeting the first attacker with a thunderous bash of her shield. The force sent the goblin reeling backward, giving her just enough room to swing her mace in a brutal side strike. The fnged head caved in the goblin's ribs, a sickening crack echoing through the chamber as the creature colpsed.Another goblin lunged with a spear, but Elise angled her shield, deflecting the blow to the side before countering with a quick, skull-shattering overhead smash.More enemies swarmed her, but she was a moving fortress—every attack was either blocked or deflected, her counters swift and precise.From the far end of the camp, the Goblin Elite Captain rose from his makeshift throne.His yellow eyes locked onto me, and he let out a deep, guttural growl before gripping his massive curved bde.The surrounding goblins backed away, giving their leader space as he approached.My breath came fast, adrenaline coursing through me. This was going to be tough.He raised his weapon with both hands, muscles tensing beneath scarred green skin, and charged.I barely had time to raise my axes before the first strike came.His bde crashed against my crossed weapons, the sheer force behind the blow nearly knocking me off bance. The impact rattled through my arms, my boots skidding against the rough stone floor.The captain was strong—far stronger than the goblins we'd fought before.He pressed forward, forcing me back with relentless, heavy swings. I dodged left, barely avoiding a downward ssh that sent sparks flying as it struck the ground.I needed to change the pace.As he recovered from his missed swing, I stepped in close, smming the blunt side of my axe into his ribs. The captain snarled, but before I could follow up, he shed out with a brutal kick to my stomach.Pain exploded in my gut as I stumbled backward, gasping for air.But then—CRACK!A mace smmed into the captain's back, sending him staggering forward. Elise had broken through her opponents and joined the fight.The goblin turned, eyes fshing with pure rage, and swung wildly. Elise ducked under the bde, using her shield to bash his exposed side before rolling away.I took the opening.With a grunt of effort, I swung both axes simultaneously—one burying deep into his shoulder, the other cleaving into his side.The captain let out a gurgled roar, stumbling back, blood pouring down his chest.Elise finished it.With a final, crushing blow, her mace caved in the goblin's skull, the force splitting his head apart.His body toppled like a felled tree, a dull thud echoing through the cavern.We stood there, panting, surrounded by the lifeless bodies of our enemies. The once-rowdy camp was silent, save for the flickering of torches and the crackling of the bonfire.Elise wiped sweat from her brow, exhaling. "That… was intense."I gave a breathless chuckle, rolling my sore shoulders. "Yeah. But we did it."We had barely caught our breath.The cave was eerily silent, save for the distant crackling of the dying bonfire. The stench of blood mixed with the damp, musky scent of the rocky cavern, and the metallic tang of sweat coated my tongue.

  My arms ached from swinging my axes, and Elise was panting heavily, her shield slightly lowered as she wiped the sweat from her brow.Then I heard it.At first, it was just the faint crunch of boots on gravel, distant but growing closer. Then, the unmistakable low growls and guttural snarls of goblins filled the cavern air.I turned toward the tunnel leading deeper into the dungeon. Flickering torchlight cast eerie shadows on the jagged rock walls, and then, emerging from the darkness, came a goblin war party—sixteen strong.A Bigger Threat.

  I clenched my teeth. This wasn't just another weak pack.Leading them were ten Goblin Elites, taller and broader than the ones we had just fought. Their armor was thicker, some even wearing mismatched metal pting stolen from fallen adventurers. Their weapons—swords, spears, even axes—gleamed in the dim firelight.Among them were six weaker goblins, no doubt fodder, but that didn't mean they weren't dangerous.My grip tightened around my axes. Elise, standing beside me, let out a slow breath."That's a lot of them," she muttered."Yeah," I admitted, scanning the group for weaknesses. "And we're already exhausted."Elise nodded grimly. "We should run."But as if hearing her, one of the goblins let out a piercing screech, and in an instant, the entire war party charged forward.I barely had time to react before two weaker goblins lunged at me, their daggers fshing in the firelight.One went for my ribs. I twisted my body, feeling the cold steel graze my armor instead of piercing flesh. Before he could recover, I swung my axe in a wide arc, cleaving straight through his chest.Blood spttered against the rocky floor, and his body crumpled.The second goblin rushed in, trying to take advantage of my open stance.I whipped out one of my throwing axes and hurled it before he could reach me.The axe spun through the air, burying itself in his throat with a wet crunch.He colpsed instantly.Elise had her own problems. Three goblins surrounded her, attacking from different angles.One feinted, forcing her to block high, while another stabbed low at her thigh.I saw blood well up from a shallow cut, but Elise didn't falter.With a growl, she bashed the closest goblin with her shield, sending him reeling, then swung her mace at the second, crushing his skull in a single blow.The third goblin tried to lunge at her exposed side—I threw another axe, the bde slicing deep into his back before he could reach her.Elise gnced at me and grinned. "Nice throw!"Then the Elites charged in.They were faster, stronger, smarter.One of them—a hulking brute wielding a massive sword—came at me first.I raised my axe just in time to block, but the force behind his swing was overwhelming. My arms rattled from the impact, my knees buckling.Shit. Too strong.Before I could recover, another elite rushed in from my side, his spear stabbing toward my stomach.I jumped back, barely dodging, but lost my footing on the uneven cave floor. I stumbled, and in that split second, I was vulnerable.I reached for a stamina potion in my belt, desperately needing to recover.But just as I lifted it to my lips, a goblin lunged forward, swiping the bottle out of my hands.The potion shattered against the rocky floor.Damn it!I gritted my teeth and ducked under a second strike, then smmed my shoulder into the goblin, knocking him back.No time to drink. I had to fight.Elise suddenly moved behind me, her back pressing against mine then she said breathlessly. "We cover each other."I nodded. "Let's do this."