***Bernadette's POV***
'The sky is so pretty.'
I'm leaning against a tree, staring up at the cloudless, blue sky. My axe is on the ground next to me.
Matt paces in front of the cave, staff held firmy. We both stay like this for a bit, then Matt stops.
"They have been in the cave for over an hour! Do you think they are doing alright?"
I shrug, still looking up at the sky. Apparently this wasn't the answer Matt was looking for and he starts pacing again.
Eventually I look down and into the woods.
A deer is looking straight at me, not moving a muscle. A fawn walks up behind its mom then pauses too.
Matt glances over and immediately freezes, not wanting to scare off the beautiful creatures.
We all stand there, a soft breeze flowing through the forest.
The deer snaps its head in a different direction, then bolts off, it's fawn following close behind.
Matt sighs in disappointment and continues pacing in front of the cave.
The deers behavior puzzled me, so I look around the forest. The wind shifts ever so slightly right as I take a deep breath in.
'What is that stink? It smells just like…'
My eyes widen. I push myself off the tree and scoop up my axe.
"Matt, they're coming."
"Who is coming?"
"Goblins."
***Kairo's POV***
I parry an oncoming sword and kick the goblin in the stomach. As it doubles over, I deflect an axe into its back and throw a knife into another goblins throat.
As the two goblins fall, more take their place. Dodging another attack, I continue holding off the horde of goblins coming at me.
"How close is Alcon to being healed?!"
"I need a couple more minutes!"
"Dammit!"
We were walking through the cave when we came upon another open space. Regardless of what I said, Alcon charged in and immediately got shot by multiple arrows.
I had to use half of the will-o-wisps to distract the goblins as I dragged him back into the tunnel.
It didn't take long for Natalia to start removing the arrows, but one of them had hooked into Alcon's thigh so that on is taking her longer.
The only reason I'm able to hold them back right now is because the tunnel is narrow and only two of them can come at me at a time.
All of the goblins have either a short sword or a hand axe, making them much better at attacking in this confined space. Most of them also have shields, but they're strapped to the goblins back.
I don't have enough wiggle room to focus my mana and use magic. I also can't use more of the will-o-wisps because we need light, so we're stuck here.
Mid parry, my body gives a flash of light. I kick a surprised goblin back and shout over my shoulder.
"Natalia, I need more buffs!"
"You need to hold out without them! If I don't focus on Alcon, it'll take even longer to heal him!"
'Dammit dammit dammit! What am I supposed to do? I can't hold out much longer!'
My arms are incredibly heavy and sweat flings off of me with every movement.
These goblins aren't all that tough, but there are so many more of them than there are of me and I've been at this for what feels like ages. Eventually my stamina will fail and then we'll fall.
'I can't let that happen!'
Stabbing one of the goblins in the hand, I scoop up his dropped short sword. It's not a great weapon, but it has better reach than my knives which will give some space to breathe.
I steal another sword and focus mainly on defence.
Moving my sword where their weapon is and deflecting it into the wall or floor, I repeat this over and over until I hear a shout from behind me.
"Stone Hail!"
I duck as a cloud of sharp rocks slams into the goblins, pushing them back into their companions behind them.
"Earth Wall!"
A wall made of stone explodes out of the ground between me and the goblins. I can hear their axes and swords clanging off of it.
"That won't hold for long. What's the plan?"
I'm still trying to catch my breath. To help out, Natalia casts a stamina recovery spell on me.
"Thanks. I think the best thing we can do is have me cast Firewave over them. Once they break a hole in the wall I'll send it through and burn them all to a crisp."
"What about the goblins in the cavern?"
I turn to Natalia and explain my plan.
"Alcon and I are going to grab the shields from the goblins I kill with fire wave. They won't be in great condition, but they'll help defend us when we're in the open. Also, they probably have a leader that's more powerful, like a mage or something. Hopefully we won't have to deal with them until the end. Natalia, you stay behind us and provide healing when we need it. You should also grab a shield in case they attack you."
She nods in understanding. Now I focus on Alcon.
"Your dumb ass got shot because you ran off recklessly. Listen this time."
He grumbles in complaint but nods in agreement anyway. I take a deep breath to calm myself.
"Okay, let's do this guys!"