A couple of foot soldiers grabbed Bree and held her up by the arms.
"Look at this cunt, my brave goblins friends!" Chief Gork bellowed. "The vengeful humans have sent a spy to discover our plans! What other spur do you need to join me in the war against them?!"
The crowd entered a frenzy and threw half-eaten food at the little girl. Bree wriggled, trying to break free. A guard punched her in the ribs, and she stood still, wincing in pain.
"What shall we do with her?!" Gork asked the goblin gathering. "She seems young enough to be our dinner, eh?"
"Yeah!!"
"Let's eat her!!"
"I'll take her cheeks!!"
"Roast her thighs!!"
"The calves are mine!"
"I'll eat her eyes!"
"Ahahaha!" Gork guffawed. "Let's chop her up right here!" Bree struggled in panic, only to be bashed in the ribs with a club. She vomited blood and stayed in place.
The Chief picked up his battle-ax amidst cheers from his fellow goblins. He raised it above his head, aiming the blade at Bree's arm.
"Gaaah!" he growled.
Zip! An arrow came flying at Gork. He sensed it immediately and changed the direction of the ax, using it to deflect the arrow. Twang!
"Damn it!" Pete cursed. "The damn goblin saw my attack coming!"
Marian slapped him on the ear. "He's a high-level monster, Rob! What were you thinking?"
"More human intruders!" Gork hollered, pointing at the ledge where the duo hid. "Get them!"
"Run!" Marian shouted in panic, jumping to her feet. They were discovered!
Pete was hesitant. "What about Bree?" He scanned the area where she was held while dodging arrows that goblin archers shot at them.
"Where is she, anyway?" Marian asked.
The girl was gone!
In the commotion, the goblin soldiers holding her up had released her. Bree had exploited the distraction and escaped.
"She has good evasive skills. Don't worry about her! We need to go!"
Pete and Marian rushed down the upper-level path. As they reached the exit, they found two goblins ready with swords.
"Humans!" they screamed in disgust.
Marian took out her sword and charged at them.
[ Loading Quest… ]
[ Quest Canceled… ]
'The system was going to offer me a battle quest but canceled it?' Pete thought, confused. He looked ahead and saw that the female warrior had already killed the two goblins. "Come," she urged him. "The path is clear!"
The boy laughed on the inside. 'She beat the system to the punch.'
The duo rushed out of the passage into the sanctum of diverging paths. It was already crowded and charged with action.
Bree was locked in battle with two goblins. They sliced at her with serrated swords. She dodged and somersaulted out of harm's way, occasionally stabbing them with her dagger.
Pete saw her in action and was impressed. He made a mental note that he would praise her when they had retreated to safety.
In half a minute, both enemies lay dead.
"Master!" Bree screamed in delight. She came running to hug him, but Pete took her by the wrist and pulled her away from the scene. "We'll have our reunion later! Now we need to escape!"
The trio was soon out of the tunnel and out under the sky. They paused to catch their breath.
"Why are you not tired?" Marian said, sweaty and gasping for breath. "Are you a sprint runner or something?" Pete had barely broken a sweat and was breathing normally.
"The Huntington family has good genes," the boy lied.
"I'd like to meet your sister someday." Pete nodded.
Bree clung to him as if he would run away and escape from her otherwise. "I thought you were gone, master," she mumbled with a sob. "I missed you."
"It's okay," Pete replied, ruffling her hair. "I am back now. And I'm better than ever."
"What happened to you?" Marian asked with a puzzled look. "Didn't she see you yesterday? Where did you go?"
"Uh.. it was nothing. Just some indigestion which got me bedridden."
"Weird," the girl said. "Anyway, let's keep going. We aren't in the clear until we get out of the Peatbog mines."
Aaaoooo! Alarm horns blared from all directions. Over two dozen goblins barged out of the cave entrance. Among them were five archers, and others were foot soldiers with swords, axes, and clubs.
"Rob, give me your best attacks," Marian said. "Let's go all out."
"You got it!" Pete replied. "Bree, get behind us."
"Yes, master!"
Pete retrieved a handful of arrows from his quiver. He counted them. Nine.
[ Versatile Archery Level 3 ]
[ Fire Magic Level 1 ]
He nocked all nine arrows together on the bowstring. Nine crosshairs appeared in his vision immediately. He focused on the directions that Horatio had given him.
Crackle! The arrowheads lit up with fire.
Pete smiled and let go. Zip! The arrows found their targets.
Boom! Along with the nine target goblins, five others died in the explosion.
[ Total Kills: 18 ]
"Not bad," Marian said. "You got all the archers. Now check this out!"
The female warrior held her broadsword high and grunted, flexing her muscles. A faint glow appeared around her hands. Spurt! It fluttered into a blaze and crossed over to her sword. Her entire blade started gleaming. Roar! Her sword flamed with magical power. Pete watched on with his jaw hanging.
"Yaaaa!" she growled and swung her sword down, striking the ground.
Rumble! Crack! A tremor left her blade, and a wave of energy rippled through the ground, building a fissure. The crack radiated toward the goblins. Crumble! When it reached them, the ground beneath them collapsed. They fell to their deaths, buried alive.
"Woohoo!" Bree cheered. Marian and Pete bumped their gauntlets. "We make a good team," the girl told him. "Yeah, we do. We should do this more often."
Aaaaoooo! More alarm horns blared. Heads popped up from behind the low hill, from behind the trees, and the boulders. Figures rose out of the mines.
Goblins. They appeared from all directions. The duo had underestimated their numbers!
Marian and Pete were trapped in the pit.
Chief Gork stepped out from the cave entrance with another two dozen foot soldiers. All in all, over two hundred goblins surrounded them, with no path to escape.
Marian raised her glowing sword and sent a tremor wave towards Gork.
Bam! The Chief banged his ax on the ground, and its repercussion stopped the attack's progress.
"I have fought and killed bronze knights!" Gork bellowed. "I have given silver knights the battles of their lives! How dare puny adventurers like you believe you can come into my house and escape unharmed?" He issued orders to his followers. "Kill them!"
Zip! Zap! Swish! Goblin archers shot volleys of arrows at them. Pete jumped around, dodging the attacks and firing a shaft or two every time he landed. He was surprised at his gymnastic abilities. It was as if he could determine the path of every arrow and land at a guaranteed safe position.
[ Agility +2 ]
Marian pressed a lever on her shield. Clang! It expanded and became full size. She used it to protect herself and Bree from the arrows.
"Look out!" Pete called out to Marian.
Arrows came from behind them. One grazed Bree's shoulder, and she fell, grasping her injured arm. An arrow lodged in Marian's thigh. "Argh!"
Pete was not fortunate either. A shaft came straight at his back and lodged in his butt.
"Right in the ass!" Pete growled in pain. "Damn it!"
They removed the arrows, and emptied HP potion bottles to recover quickly. No sooner had Pete retaken an archery stance than another shaft's head landed in his right butt cheek. "God dammit!!"
"I think the goblins love your butt," Marian jibed.
"Then why are they trying to kill it?!"
Pete's chainmail protected his torso, but there was no protection on his lower half. He willed Perfect Attire to manifest some additional armor, but nothing happened.
They got hit several times and recovered by consuming potions. Eventually, they ran out of HP recharges. Marian's MP and backup potions were also exhausted. She had been overusing her tremor attack to keep the goblins at bay. The enemy side still had over two hundred soldiers.
"This is the end for you, adventurers! Accept your fate!" Gork hollered. He cackled, wound himself, and hurled his ax at Marian. The female warrior defended with her shield, which shattered on impact. Crack! She was thrown back and fell heavily against a boulder. Her HP plummeted.
Pete turned to Bree. An arrow had lodged in her back, and she was on the ground, trembling in pain.
"It was an honor fighting by your side, Rob Huntington, "Marian said dispiritedly, trying to get up. Her body gave way, and she collapsed.
Pete had only a sliver of energy left. His head reeled, and his legs shivered. The ground appeared very comfortable, and every fiber in his being urged him to lie down.
Realizing that the adventurers were down, Gork ordered his army to move in. Goblins rushed towards them from four sides.
Pete stood on a mound of earth, taking a pan-scan glimpse of the scene. He felt like a martyr from a medieval period game—one who makes the last stand in the middle of the battlefield when his allies have been defeated.
Alas, Pete was exhausted and teetered on the edge of consciousness.
The boy eyed the setting sun bitterly. 'Death would be quick,' he imagined. Pete had tried his best, trying to save himself and his friends. He had failed miserably. Now it was time to let go. It was time to rest.
'I'll lie down just for a minute,' he told himself.
The sun set below the horizon. Pete's knees buckled, and he fell.