Teamwork

"Paci! There are more hiding in those shrubs to your left! Victor, keep applying pressure on those Hobgoblins; after I finish these I'll come to your aid!"

My shout rang out in the small cave as our team of four bunched together, pushing the horde of Goblins and elite group of Hobgoblins back.

An arrow whistled past my head and thunked into a Goblin that had leapt at me, the red skinned monster trying to surprise me and take me down before I could finish off the rest of his companions.

My arms, chest and legs were covered in a thick bark that blocked the few strikes that slipped past my defenses, the sheer number of the little red bastards threatening to overwhelm me as I slashed and stabbed this way and that with my Falchion.

"Thanks Inga!"

A low grunt came from behind me as the Aviankin continued to snipe any and all Goblins that got to be too dangerous, her heavy longbow singing a deep, guttural song that promised death for those on the wrong side of it.

Raising my hand, I swiped it to the side and controlled the thick root that had erupted from the ground behind the Goblins, slamming it against the back of their ankles and forcing them to stumble, the gnarled wood leaving cuts and splinters behind that further hindered their movement.

With the Goblins in front of me off balance, I swung the Falchion forwards and sliced through their chests, revealing the muscle beneath as well as bone as the steel blade managed to cut through their leathery flesh.

Pulling my hand back, I speared the root through the stomach of one Goblin before stabbing another, killing two and leaving myself with three.

Yanking my blade free from the Goblin's chest, I parried the clumsy dagger thrust from one and whacked it with the pommel, before redirecting the root to a new target and releasing that spell as I began to channel my magic once more, my hand getting shrouded in a green mist that solidified into a twisted length of fibers.

I cast my second - and only other - Nature spell and poured some more mana into it, growing the thorns on the vine within a heartbeat that spelled the demise of a Goblin.

The last Goblin received a brutal smack to the face with the thorny whip, while the other that had been smacked with my pommel clutched at its broken nose, crying in agony as it fell to its knees.

Lopping off the head of the kneeling monster, I turned and slit the throat of the other, freeing myself to go and aid the hulking man in his battle against the Hobgoblins that had their backs against the wall.

His muscles rippled as his twin Gladius slashed out, putting on a display of dexterity one wouldn't think he was capable of as he battled the bulkier and taller Hobgoblins.

With Paci finishing off the remaining Goblins off to the side with Inga's help, I stepped forwards and began to cast a spell again, this time opting for a class specific spell in [Illusion], which would alter the senses of my target.

Picking the more confident of the Hobgoblins, I let the colorless mana around my hand fade as it shot straight towards its cranium, knocking its head back for a moment before the monster snarled and raised its spear, aiming to block the slash that Victor sent its way.

However, it blocked in the wrong direction, thinking the man was slashing down from its right instead of its left, allowing him to cleanly cut off one of its hands and slice into its chest, surprising it.

While that Hobgoblin suddenly lost half of its ability to fight, I switched spells and returned to my tried and true [Root Spiral], summoning a root from the earth and stabbing it straight through the foot of another Hobgoblin, startling it and drawing its attention away from Victor for just a single breath.

That was enough for him, one of his Gladius' flashing over towards its throat and revealing the pinkish muscle beneath, which was quickly covered by the deep red of its blood as it slumped to the ground.

An arrow slammed into the last Hobgoblin's cranium, catching it as it tried to stab Victor and dropping it to the ground harmlessly, leaving just the one Hobgoblin alive - though that was only for a brief moment before Victor stabbed it in the skull.

Silence descended around the cave as we killed off the last enemy, and I broke that silence as I took out the dagger Alessia had lended me and began to slice off the ears of the Goblins, 'documenting' our kills.

"Well shit... that was a bit more stressful than we thought, huh~?"

Paci giggled as she joined me, with Victor just grunting as the macho man continued to be... well, macho, just standing guard near the entrance after cleaning off his gear.

"Indeed... They had reinforcements laying in wait for us. Perhaps they got word of the other teams already..? Or maybe they were anticipating the attack of something... else?"

I pursed my lips at Inga's words, adding another ear to my bag as I replied "I hope not, on that second idea... If there is something in these woods that has made its way out to the edge - or something that is encroaching on the Goblin's territory - that makes this upcoming raid all the more difficult for you."

Inga nodded, the Aviankin watching Paci and I closely before adding "Perhaps... However, all possibilities need to be considered going forwards. But, that is for the Talonmasters to make sense of. Good job, Kira. You've been... a pleasant surprise of a warrior so far. Albeit..."

Victor looked back and finished what Inga was saying, his gruff voice flat as he said "Weak. The foundation is there, but you are weak."

Snorting, I sliced off the last ear and glanced back at the two, smiling as I said "Thanks for the praise guys~! Good thing that can be 'fixed' with some training, no?"

Well... with some good ol' leveling, anyways...