The guard struggles against the vines. Pilo's every shot hits the guard. Gcina waiting until Diana signals her. The vines are about to expire. Diana bites her lip they last only ten seconds instead of the normal twenty. Something is affect her magic.
Gcina unleashes what she can she is now the second weakest member of the party. Her power being limited by her role as Leader and further limited by the sacrifice she made for Tau. She doesn't blame him, they both didn't know and the consequences they are handling together...
Gcina has to dodge she know the guard took damage but the bastard keeps coming. Pilo fires into the guards knee, a favorite spot for goblins to aim. If it hits right the damage can be permanent.
The guard swings his sword, it hits Pilo in the arm, he screams out loud. Gcina and Diana had managed to jump back out of the way. Diana waits for Gcina who throws three thumping fire balls. The water in the river under the stone bridge starts to boil.
Tau's body shivered at the winter cold water. The current rapid pulled Tau down stream toward the bridge. Freezing the freezing water a bonechilled Tau creates a barrier between him and the guards. Trapping one of them, he taps the ice with his hilt trying to free himself.
The fog blasts through the bridge sizzling away at the heat of the fire raging under bridge. Blistering the bullheaded guard, Diana summons dry vines. Mixed together with fuming flames, the dry vines crackle with excitement. A arrow flew smashed its past the gaurd eye and meeting his brain with a sharp point.
Tau fought the magnetic current of the river his arm broke the surface, latched onto a terrified Pilo. Pilo let out a whimper dropped everything and scarthed at the loose unsupportive mud. Dragged along the rivers Bank Pilo eye popped as Diana's hand glowed throned vines.
Tau lifted his body on the ankles of his subordinate, opened his mouth wide pulled in all the air. Then yelled as he is stung by hundreds of little fangs. Yanked out the water by the literal skin. Pilo and Tau looked at Diana who had just saved them.
Pilo stiff, Tau shot a dart at Diana and Gcina each. The third dart going to ground. Two swords reverberate that darts hit. Gcina leaped forward. Diana stunned by the explosion of cold next to her neck erupted a branch wood. The branch burrowed into the ground cementing themselves upright.
Gcina is stuck between two branches that had closed in on her. She decided to fire flashes of furious flames balls. The Branch wood grew around her locked her in place but also acted as a barrier. She wiggled a finger to direct the sweltered swarm of fire. The guards cannot do anything but eat it the ground had turned to ice spikes behind them and the river they knew pulls everything to the ground the longer one is in it.
Flash after boiling flash the guards crumble leaving only ashes and armors.
"Shit! Shit shit! What the hell happened I thought you guys had this planned out..." Pilo says scenting rage. Tau explodes running into Pilo, a torrent of punches meant to teach not hurt. However if you asked Pilo he would "of course they fucking hurt."
Scenting of controlled fury, annoyance, The leaders all wait for Pilo to come to sense. Loud Growls, sharp claws and plump punching the gobo, who eventually scents obedience at Tau. Tau doesn't relent he has to show Pilo the consequences of his actions, throughout the day and before he has ignored goblin social structures.
Tau wants him to learn to fit and had been letting it go but Pilo had refused to show even the most basic sense. Now he would have to learn by knuckle and knee. Pilo scent remorse and Obedience an unfiltered obedience.
Tau commands his voice a hammer and Pilo the anvil his manners being formed. "Move over and stay on the lookout." Pilo shuffles along the river bank. By Tau count they are missing one gaurd. Who body is drifting away undercurrent. "Diana if you don't mind."
Diana waves her hands at who Tau is pointing at. Diana had yet to let Gcina go who is attached to underside of the bridge by her branches. Gcina falls into the arms of her goblin. A strong proud scent coming from her.
"So how did you beat them do fast?" the gaurds are at the three thousand level. Gcina at her strongest is just over nine hundred.
"That's easy my fire produces concentrated levels of Carbon monoxide that's why I kept firing little shots the air eventually became poisonous to them. It will take them a while to die but my magic makes it much more potent." says Gcina her voice warming his cold skin. Diana joins them as they both warm him up. Pilo sitting aside rubbing his wounds.
" That was more dangerous than I thought is everyone okay?" Asks Tau.
" We should like totally be the ones asking you that." says Diana who healing magic automatically kicks in Tau also heals to surprise her and also to fix up poor pained Pilo. Diana thinks about how he was the one in the most danger.
They embrace Gcina taking an extra moment to give Diana a kiss and a proper individual hug. Gcina is worried about her mate but also trying to give that space to come to her naturally. Any of them in fact which is why she hasn't brought up also its pretty early days to be sure if this is a permanent change in Diana
Diana catches the scents of worry from Gcina and still thinks, 'No I have to prove that damn cocoon wrong.' Diana's scent a wash of complex emotions.
Then in order they all move towards Palesa, they are not rushing incase there are other guards or traps. The gobo's reach Palesa who is panting heavily she turns her head to look at the welcomed sight of the he Horde.
"Guys a little help will be more than welcome these bastards don't know when to give up." The gaurds have been blasting the door without a break forcing her to push her ice to its limit. The door rattles again as another blast shakes her ice attack.
Tau blast the door matching her input, he can detect the flows and she is working a very large. Much larger than he can make even her output is ridiculous. "How are you managing all this?"
"My mana body has increased in level because I use a lot of mana." says Palesa it a rather crude explainantion. She does want to say more but for her the high magic stuff is not as exciting as fighting getting stronger and going places.
Tau nods scent a deep understanding, this is due to him making connections that the power out represent a mana body. Once he thought of it the system filled in the blanks about the internal magic structure that consists of mana veins, ether fibers and the underlying structure holding it all together. It produces a glow that mana sensitive gobo's can sense.
Together they are able to freeze the door shut the ice grows thick pushing back them as it becomes ever thicker. The blast don't stop, the gaurds are fighting for their lives, as the cold begins to chill. They blast bang and scream trying to break the frozen prison. The struggles continues for an hour, Tau learns that Palesa uses less than half the mana he does to the same and she produce a more potent ice. The method she uses is also more complex than his. Tau is able to detect that she is using the residual mana to supplement her existing spells which is how they become more potent.
Tau like Gcina is taking lessons from the brute of the group. They both scent each other and smirk at one another. The Pilo doesn't get it he is worri d about the missing guard. The gobo's decide to rest for a minute. Tau being leader knows that even Palesa's recovery rate is much faster than his.
Diana investigates the tower, she can use her a new skill. Her transformation in the cocoon has changed her race. The lower goblin is a broad term for evolutionary goblins there are many {seventeen} paths. Diana is a varient of the forest hill goblins, she uses nature ward to detected the surrounding area. She doesn't find anything she isn't frustrated instead trying again to detect the spell that is creating the artificial sky she can feel it is a combination of a her forest element which itself is a varient. While she doesn't have access to each individual elements like wood, light, water and earth she does have skills that built from those elements.
Diana really trying to be useful, the visions in the cocoon which she pushes to the back of her mind, stepping on it and kicking it she would have spit on it too but she is a goblina and that is beneath her.
"Let's get this done, I so hyped for the treasure." More than that Tau, knows that with his own bonuses to loot and rarity he will definitely get something great. Also because they have to move on the pieces are coming in well, the horde system responds to decisions made and give mission and rewards to help.
"Yes let's get honeys." says Gcina, her scent is of pride, even if she is not the strongest. Her mob is growing stronger she is can't help but be proud each of them have already surpassed her intention and as a Moundmaster her appraisal skill will help with their future development if she can level it up faster. Asking Reku to bring her goblins is too slow and she couldn't do it during combat.
"Kill them dead!" Palesa says she going to lay waste to all her enemies, her goal is be stronger than anyone else ever. When she saw Tau defeat Kluk, his scent reminded her of those men. She scents rage.
Pilo picks up his bow shakes his head, grunts a submissive to his leaders and climbs following his leaders. He should have known they have a plan to climb a tower with no way up...