The sound of breaking bones resounded again and again, Mikael using his hammer to destroy skulls, arms, legs and chests.
His hands hurt from clutching his weapons, and due to the gloves he wore he had to grip even harder.
Some of his blood smeared his face, but much of it belonged to his enemies.
He had only scratches on his face, the strongest pain came from swinging his hammer to hard, it having hit the cave wall as he missed a head, gracing it.
That moment he feared that it sustained damage, but instead he broke down chunks of stone.
'Impressive work Boss.'
His body and limbs were attacked several times, the Goblins tackling him and trying to pin him down. But with his solid stance and protective clothes and mail underneath ignored their puny attempts.
As a result he landed several strikes that made them wail in pain, leaving him only to be replaced by another of their brethren.
The numbers grew, soon surpassing the 30 mark, nearing 40.
Sophia also fought hard, severed parts around her area, moving from one place to another to not get overwhelmed by their numbers. She was soaked in blood, as her fighting style made her enemies bleed far more excessively.
"All good over there? I may have underestimated their amount!"
She sounded enthusiastic, her mood improving when into action.
"Really, couldn't guess. But I'm alright for now at least!" he called back as he slashed at a hand, fingers flying.
"But that feeling is back, stronger than before! It is coming from the narrow path!"
He glanced at times towards a particular dark part of the cave, now more than certain something observed them, controlling these creatures.
"Really, sucks to be that dependent on a rookie! I feel nothing, so call instantly if something happens!"
'I have to care for my life here, and you expect me to also look out for a stalking evolved creature?'
But he couldn't refute, wanting to survive this dilemma.
After they fought for some time, crushing bones, piercing flesh and evading attacks he got tired, fast.
Lifting his hammer required more and more effort, the monsters got a hold of him from time to time.
He didn't notice how they got farther into a encirclement, slowly greeting pushed towards each other.
Suddenly, as Mikael stabbed a Goblin into its stomach, he saw the tip of Sophia's sword exiting the chest, stopping few centimeters before his own.
"This can't be good." she said out of breath.
They now stood back to back, surrounded by Goblins. But they were already quite thinned out, and offered less resistance than to the beginning.
Mikael heard Sophia's heavy breathing, some small wounds scattered on her limbs that were made by primitive weapons.
He pushed back an approaching Goblin, as he felt his hair stand as a wave flooded over him.
'Something is about to happen!'
"Careful, I just got an unnerving feeling. I don't know what tho, only that it felt as if something was excited."
"It wouldn't be able to... not with this many of its kin here..." she mumbled.
Her movements got more hectic, as if she feared what Mikael foretold.
"What wouldn't it be able to do?"
But to his dismay he found out fairly quickly. Another sensation flushed over him, but not outwards, but towards the dark path of the cave, a small fire puffing into existence. The small source of light illuminated a ugly, brown-red face that smiled devilish.
The small flame rose to pebble size, then apple until it was as big as a head, the flame flickering in a orange red.
"He is using magic!" Mikael exclaimed shocked, and Sophia made a clicking sound with her tongue.
"Move aside rookie and brace for impact."
The Goblin magician hurled the fireball towards them, it shape fluctuating as it traveled at a fast pace.
Sophia tossed before it could reach them a body towards the magic, it taking the force.
She may have warned him, but Mikael still couldn't have imagined upon contact the fireball would increase in size, a loud noise erupting together with a strong heatwave.
He lifted his arms, the heat and force conveyed through his flesh, sending him stumbling backwards.
'Shit, why is there a freaking Goblin that uses magic? Aren't they supposed to be easy opponents?'
Right now he saw no easy enemy, only a mortal threat.
As the impact lessened, he dared to lower his guard, only to see a black charred piece of flesh that had belonged to a Goblin.
"Ugh, this is bad, seriously!"
He smelled the aftermath, and together with the result he took another step back, looking then at the dark path, only to find out he could no longer see that brown-red magician.
Wide eyed he looked around. He saw the other Goblins either laying on the ground moaning, struggling to rise again or shaking their head, blood oazing out their ears and making pained noises.
He felt a pull on his shoulder, thrown around facing a reddish skinned Sophia, her eyes serious but mouth slightly curled to a excited smile.
'She got a loose plank.'
Her mouth moving, but Mikael only heard a ringing noise.
"What?" gesturing to his ears, her hand rose, striking him across his face the next second.
"Better? Get your shit together, I need you! Where is this bastard now?"
"Bastard? That magician?"
"Evolved monster, yes! You feel his aura, didn't you? So. Where. Is. IT?"
She asked, looking to the sides and then releasing his shoulders. Sword ready, she defended against an incoming Goblin that had recovered. Sophia stabbed at its heart, but missed it and only wounded the shoulder.
"Damn!"
She send out a kick, freeing her sword and following up with a slash across the creatures abdomen, guts spilling out.
'Right, we have still other opponents.'
Mikael realised, searching around the ground for his hammer, only finding his knife for know.
'For now that'll suffice. Not that I got the strength left to properly wield my hammer.'
He tried to feel the position of the monster, but it was quite hard as he felt a weird energy all in front of him.
'Does the fireball interfere with its aura?'
Not wanting to just be tasty prey, he sided with Sophia again, his knife rammed into the eye socket of another monster.
"And?"
"I can't clearly feel anything, not until the energy from that magic disperses, I guess."
But he didn't knew how long that would take, and neither did Sophia. They hadn't to worry long about that, as in another corner not far from them another wave was attracted.
'The same sensation!'
"There!" he pointed out, and Sophia instantly rushed towards the spot.
The flame came into existence. Sophia already ran towards it, and the creature was startled. It hastily made the fire bigger, his eyes bulging as it did.
"Dodge!" Mikael cried, ignoring as a Goblin scratched his clothes and skin.
She wasn't so stubborn as her personality might suggested. Her next move was to the side, rolling on the ground, barely avoiding the smaller flame that traveled this time faster.
It flew in a slightly downwards curve, hitting the ground only few meters away from Mikael, pinned down by the Goblin.
The heat and impact was weaker, but with no interception the whole force was transmitted.
Mikael was thrown backwards, the creature releasing his grasp and rolling towards the wall with him.
With closed eyes and hands on his head, Mikael landed softly on the body of the monster that previously held him, snapping its spine in the process.
No ringing ears this time, and he looked towards the monsters position, witnessing how he was about to blend into the darkness again.
However, a blink later and a sword cut through its arm, penetrating it and severing the nerves and muscles.
Sophia crouched there, burn mark on her cheek and only half arisen.
Though her smile was genuine as she stroke the evolved creature, it wail echoing through the cave.
The other Goblins that where thrown around by the impact rose up slowly, some even crawled towards it.
'No, you stay here.' Mikael thought, half crouching half walking towards the nearest one, stabbing multiple times into its body, until he collapsed onto the corpse.
Meanwhile Sophia fully stood up, towering over the crouched down red Goblin.
"It's over, Levitans brood." she spat out, and in a fast and heavy swing she decapitated the monster, ending its reign over its small group.
Instantly Mikael felt as if something vanished, different from the mana surrounding them.
'It is gone, dead.'
Following to his fright Sophia began to tumble, her legs giving in. She managed to support herself a moment with her sword, but collapsed to the side later.
"Sophia!" he yelled, no answer.
Seeing how the last few monsters started moving quicker, he knew it wasn't completely over yet.
"I have to act!" he rolled down from the corpse, supporting himself up. He took some steps, struggling to walk in a straight line.
His hammer laid not far away, but he ignored it. The Goblin nearest to him, a torn eye in its socket from the blast, tried to attack, but missed due to the visual disability. Mikael didn't care, simply holding the knife in reverse and ramming it into the back of its head.
He breathed heavily, every motion requiring a huge amount of effort.
But he kept going, stamping down on another ones face, caving in its cheek and killing it like that. But due to the blood all over it, he slipped, falling over and hitting a stone with his brow ridge.
'Shit!' he rose again, now blood slowly flowing down into his eye.
Closing it, he looked at the last two moving enemies. One was already faltering, falling before reaching him, never moving again.
The other had an injured leg, hopping towards the exit, ignoring Mikael or Sophia.
'Whatever, I don't have the energy.'
Sheating his knife, he walked with slow and heavy steps towards Sophia.
"That looks like it will leave a mark..."
She laid there, breathing weakly but with a little smile. On her face tho the burn mark was blackish-red, reaching from her cheek to her neck, showing charred flesh underneath.
'I hope one of her potions will help.'