Chapter 09: Insanity in Bravery{Edited}

*Bang-bang-bang!*

A loud knock jolted Leo from sleep and he sat up.

He gazed around, the sun gentle ray, filtering through the curtains.

"It's morning already?" he muttered, squinting his eyes to adjust to the bright light.

*Bang-bang-bang!*

The knock insisted, breaking him out from his revere.

"Ugh, guess he was serious about forcefully dragging to the forest," he said, gazing at the door in irritation.

[So it seems,]

….

Leo's heart hammered a frantic tattoo against his ribs, each beat echoing the thunderous approach of the abominations.

Their grotesque forms, twisted and contorted by the corrupted mana that fueled them, lurched closer, their sickly green skin pulsing with an otherworldly glow.

These towering monstrosities, standing at a daunting seven feet tall, were a sight to behold, a tableau of nightmares given grotesque life.

Some had four arms, each one rippling with bulging muscles that looked like they could crush boulders.

Others had six legs, their insectoid limbs moving with a terrifying speed and precision.

Drawing closer, he could see the twisted and mutated features of their faces, each one more grotesque and terrifying than the last.

Their eyes glowed with a sickly green light, and their mouths twisted into jagged grins filled with razor-sharp teeth.

"What in the hell are those?!" he rasped, disgusted by the horrendous sight.

[Corrupted goblins,] Mel's voice echoed in his head, tinged with grimness.

[A byproduct of a manacore gone disastrously wrong.]

Leo swallowed hard, a metallic tang lingering on his tongue.

"So, if I stick around too long, I'll turn into... that?"

Siilence.

Mel remained silent, a chilling confirmation hanging heavy in the air.

His heart threatened to burst from his chest as the goblins closed in, their unearthly shrieks filling the air.

"""SHREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!"""

"Haa!"

With a determined sigh, Leo unsheathed his sword, charging forward with a blur of steel.

These monsters were unlike anything he had ever faced, even in the darkest corners of the grimoires he read.

Their bodies.

The way the moved…

It…

Defied the laws of nature!

Their limbs contorting at unnatural angles as they dodged and weaved with an agility that belied their hulking forms.

"Die fuckers!"

Leo swung his sword with all his might, but the creatures were too quick for him, effortlessly evading his strikes.

*Whoosh*

One of the four-armed monstrosities lashed out with a razor-sharp claw, the blow grazing his shoulder and sending a searing pain down his arm.

*Splatter*

*Kink!*

*Sparks*

The sound of metal on metal reverberated through the forest as he blocked another attack, but unable to react quickly enough, a goblin with six spindly legs rammed into him from behind.

"Ahh!"

The impact sent him sprawling, his sword clattering to the ground as he crashed against a tree, the impact stealing the breath from his lungs.

*Coughs*

He coughed, spitting blood, as the goblins surrounded him, their eyes burning with predatory hunger.

[Are you an idiot or what?!] Mel's voice crackled with exasperation.

[I told you not to engage them head-on, You. Are. Too. Weak, don't you get that?]

"Working on it!" Leo muttered with a chuckle, wiping blood from his cheek.

"Didn't expect…" He winced, pain shooting through his shoulder. "…these variables."

His gaze darted across the goblin horde.

"They're strong, but instinct-driven…. So, maybe--"

[Don't even think about it, unless being eating alive sounds to you,]

"Come on, it might just work,"

[Are you blind? How do plan on accomplishing that when they ALL clearly have there eyes set on you?]

"Wait, now that you said that… how can they even able ti tell apart from one another?" Leo realized.

Mel remained silent, but the rising tension spoke volumes.

Suddenly, a goblin lodged forward, followed by the others.

They were closing in from all direction.

In annoyance, Leo gave the goblins a middle finger, a wry grin twisting his lips.

"To hell with it! Plan B!"

He fumbled with a pouch on his belt, retrieving two vials – one crimson, the other sapphire.

They pulsed with an otherworldly glow, hinting at the potent magic held within.

[Are you sure?] Mel's voice wavered.

"Really? Now?"

[Just answer!]

"Absolutely!" Leo slammed the vials together, the contents swirling into a mesmerizing nebula.

*Wobble*

He choked back a cough as a pungent, almost hypnotic aroma filled the air.

[They're almost here!] Mel shrieked.

"Hold your horses!" Leo yelled, his hands slick with sweat.

"This could backfire spectacularly, like literally!"

The vibrant colors danced within the vial, the moment of truth hanging heavy.

But before the fusion could complete, a deafening crack shattered the tension.

*Cracks*

A nearby tree, felled by a goblin's swing, plummeted towards the horde.

*Whoom!*

Acting on instinct, Leo dove, rolling clear just as the wood splintered around him.

"Arck! Damn it!"

He scrambled to his feet, vials in hand, and hurled it with all his might. It sailed through the air, landing right among the goblins.

*Clinks!*

*Boom!*

A blinding flash, a deafening boom, and a cloud of noxious fumes erupted.

"Fuck!"

Leo shielded his face, coughing as he retreated deep into the furthest part of the forest.

Safety was of the essence.

….

When the smoke cleared, a horrifying sight greeted him.

The goblins writhed on the ground, their bodies contorted in agony.

This was a plan hatched in desperation, a gamble with life and death.

But..

He had no other choice.

The goblins writhed in their agony, their screams replaced by gurgling gasps for air. The noxious fumes had done their job, neutralizing the immediate threat but leaving them vulnerable and poisoned.

This was his window, but the success of his audacious plan hinged on precision and speed.

With a practiced hand, Leo uncorked a vial filled with shimmering blue liquid.

A mana potion.

It was something he had asked Anna to prepare earlier, and to his greatest surprise, she brought before he was taken to the forest.

One by one, he forced it down the throats of the writhing goblins, ignoring their panicked struggles.

Their bodies spasmed with renewed agony as the corrupted mana battled the pure mana, yet he continued, his purpose fueling his resolve.

As he worked, Mel's voice crackled in his head, laced with both anxiety and a grudging respect.

[You're pushing your luck, Leo. Siphoning from multiple goblins at once is...uncharted territory.]

"Desperate times," Leo grunted, sweat beading on his forehead.

"Besides, if they explode while filled with that corrupted mana, we're all toast anyway."

The risk was undeniable.

Even one goblin overloaded with potent mana could become a walking bomb. But Leo had little choice.

He needed the mana, a vast amount, and these corrupted beasts held the key.

But they needed to be alive…

It was a dance on a razor's edge, his gamble teetering on the brink of disastrous failure.

As the last goblin received its dose, Leo felt a surge of energy crackle through him.

"Do it now, Mel!" He roared.

Suddenly, a huge veil of blue encase the parameter.

In that instant…

They all began convulsing.

"W-what the?! What's happening Mel?!" He backed away, terrified by this display.

[I'm trying to…. Zzzzzzzzzzzz]

"Mel!"

Suddenly…

*Boom!*

A searing pain lanced through his brain and he was thrown back a couple feet, slammed against an enormous trunk.

It was the goblins, one of them had detonated!

Grabbing his fractured elbow, Leo staggered to his feet.

But before he could even move…

They all twitched… and exploded.

*BOOOM!!!*