15 Gorge

"Change of plan, attack them fast!" Stopping running, he turned with the sword in hand, rushing to an enemy and slashing down, killing it on the spot.

The normal LvL1 goblins were too weak for him at this point, but the problem was the stronger ones.

A level 3 goblin stopped him from slaughtering the rest as it engaged him in a fight, while the rest of the group was busy killing the smaller ones. "Talon, kill the wolf fast," he yelled while fighting.

Sounds of swords were heard when he felt a pain in his shoulder. He got hit by an arrow as he was distracted, but Lily quickly killed the archer and ran to help.

Meanwhile, Kevin stood his ground, blocking the path of the strong goblin with a shield while Talon shot arrows from behind.

With Lily's help, they killed the goblin before turning to the leader. The leader had already backed off and started running away, leaving a poor goblin alone which was swiftly ended by Lucius.

The strong goblin had been hit by two arrows released by Talon, but the wounds were not life-threatening. It retreated in pain, clutching its injuries, but they were aware it would likely bring other search parties for reinforcement.

Realizing it was futile to chase the goblin leader, they pressed on and reached a creek splitting into two directions. The sound of barking grew closer, and they knew their pursuers were hot on their heels once more.

Lucius swiftly took out his sword and urged the others to do the same with their clothes. "Quick, give me some pieces of your clothes," he urged. They complied, hastily passing him some clothing, which he tied together.

After rolling the makeshift bundle around a rock, he threw it in the left direction, hoping it would create a diversion and buy them some time.

Without hesitation, they all rushed into the right passage, trying to put as much distance between themselves and the pursuing goblins as possible.

As he ran, Lucius opened his status to check the rewards he had earned from the recent battles:

Total EXP:10 EXP + 110 EXP = 120 EXP

Total Gold:9 Gold + 11 Gold = 20 Gold

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[Status Panel]

[Name: Lucius Maxwell]

[Age 36/200]

[Level 2 Exp 120/200]

[HP 110/130]

[MP 100/100]

[Free Attributes 0]

[Strength 16]

[Health 13]

[Agility 13]

[Intelligence 10]

[Mana 10]

Skills

Gold 22

As Lucius and the group continued running, their hearts pounded with adrenaline, fueled by the urgent need to escape the pursuing goblins.

The narrow gorge was drawing to an end, giving way to a hill-like slope that led to the surface.

Climbing this incline proved challenging, as massive rocks obstructed their path, demanding careful navigation to avoid any noise that might betray their location.

Climbing the slope, they encountered massive rocks, some as big as a man, with lots of smaller ones scattered in between.

Carefully avoiding touching them to prevent making noise, they ascended, the loose stones occasionally slipping and creating soft sounds. Observing this, a plan started to formulate in Lucius' mind.

As they climbed in tense silence, the barking of the wolves grew louder, indicating that the goblins were getting closer.

Lucius could feel his heart racing as the moment of reckoning approached. He gripped the hilt of his sword tightly, ready to make his move.

"Wait, Talon, go over there and get into position to cover us with the bow," he pointed at the top of the creek behind a stone. "Lily, Kevin, go behind those big rocks and hide. When they come, you'll push the rocks down on my mark."

"What about you?" Lily asked, with worry.

''I will act as bait after in the middle of the slope,'' Lucius said and started hiding behind a big rock next to him.

As they paused, catching their breath, Lily voiced a suggestion with a glimmer of hope in her eyes, "Are you sure? We can escape to the forest." She glanced back at the dense woods as if imagining the safety they could provide.

''Do you even know where we are? At least here, we have some advantage in the terrain.'' Lucius shook his head.

''Now everyone get into position,'' he said with a bit more authority in his voice. Arriving at the spot and with the hands on the rock ready to push, he felt a bit worried, but he had decided to make a stand here.

Sure, in the forest, they might be able to escape, but they didn't know the way back; they had been running and lost their direction. The goblins, on the other hand, would not get lost as they probably knew this area well.

Taking a deep breath, a few green figures appeared, then more, and the shrieks sounded louder with the wolves barking.

The two goblin leaders watched Talon with confused expressions. Was this the prey that made them hunt him for so long? They exchanged a glance before looking at the injured leader with angry looks.

The injured goblin looked at the ground and growled, feeling embarrassed. The LvL 5 one looked at Talon on the top of the gorge before scanning the surrounding area. Its intelligence was limited, but it knew it was a trap.

Still, why did it care? He alone was enough here. Ordering the goblins to attack, he also followed behind them, taking the one-handed sword on his hip, making it glow a bit.

As the green creatures attacked him, Talon knew it was almost time.

However, his eyes almost popped out of his eyeballs when he saw that the level 5 goblin had something like a glow surrounding its blade, something he had never seen before.

The ground seemed to vibrate as the goblins reached the hill, starting to climb. Lucius gave a hand signal order to Talon, 'Kill the injured one first.'

With that, he fully focused as he was now facing the strongest enemy he had seen since he arrived at this 'Fair World'.