"Leader!!!" Terry shouted. As the person nearest to Hespar, he was Hespar's only chance to escape with his life. But again, how can Terry move faster than the speed of his own voice?
Unless a miracle happens... Hespar's chances of surviving through this are nearly zero.
And a miracle it came.
The pressure immobilizes Hespar suddenly vanishes like it was never there. The lights that escaped his body made the cracks fall off like broken glasses. At the same time, Hespar was no different from a statue that got animated and brimming with the force of life.
A tower of light created from the life force was seen next, shining in pure and white brilliance.
The changes allowed Hespar to quickly utilized the newfound strength within his physical body. As if he could see where the attack would land on him, Hespar graciously adjusted his body by an inch. His minimal movement made the deadly punch miss its target.
At the same time, Hespar steals the lag in between to deliver a powerful punch at that hobgoblin, accurately breaking one of the monster's ribs.
This retaliation made the hobgoblin try escaping instead of getting fiercer in their fight.
(Gobujiri!)
The hobgoblin cried as it vanished into the dense shrubs nearby. And the camp's surroundings started to get restless less than half a minute after the cry. These noises quickly made everyone panic as it signifies the arrival of an army of goblins.
Forest Goblin's strength wasn't in their fighting ability but in numbers. As Hector said before, for every hobgoblin that appears, one can expect at least a hundred goblins is following it.
'How unlucky... Why must we get attacked by a monster pack before arriving at the Lavos Village?' the guard leader softly complained as they were just about an hour away from the settlement.
Of course, he's not blaming Hespar and his group members for stopping here and resting throughout the night. To a convoy as large as theirs, staying in the village's inn would cost about half his monthly salary. Since a coin saved is a coin more in his pocket, it was only natural for him to be as thrifty as it allows.
Furthermore, the guards were assigned to protect the goods until they were delivered, so there's no point in them having a proper place to sleep unless necessary.
"The enemies are coming in fast! Everyone shall get ready for battle!" suddenly, Hespar's voice echoed inside their ears as if he was speaking beside them. And this time, there's no doubt his speech was enhanced by the Aura, as the effective radius even reaches where the instructor was.
'What the hell? How vast is that brat's Aura? To think that even I would be affected by his ability.' the instructor whispered. The effective range is quite evident since he could hear Hespar's words clearly and had a layer of white glow around him.
Hespar could also feel his existence since the instructor was within his range. Furthermore, the information was pouring into Hespar's mind as long he kept the Aura activated.
Everyone else was puzzled, like the instructor, when the white glow wrapped around them. And since nobody knew what Hespar's Aura could do, they hesitated.
After getting wrapped by Hespar's light, it was evident that their line of sight was improved. Unfortunately, the improvement can hardly justify itself as everyone was gathered around the bonfire. Nobody dares to voice out their mind, plus they got no time nor leisure to do so.
"Boy! Can you hear me?" the guard leader tried something he was curious about. And it paid off the instant Hespar responded to him from a hundred and fifty-sixty meters away.
"Yes, Sir." Hespar still maintained basic respect in his speech. By right, one can simply exert a hint of dominance in his tone, especially at a time like now because Hespar was the only Aura User amongst them.
Of course, that's if they did notice another Aura User nearby.
"Tell us about your Aura. Or else everyone would be on defense due to your unknown ability." said the guard leader. It seems he had already noticed what was in everyone's minds. As someone more experienced, he was no stranger to what others would think when they suddenly had access to external power.
"Thank you for your reminder, sir!" Hespar immediately understood the reason for reaching out to him. To make sure everyone has a rough idea about his Aura, Hespar tried to tap into the knowledge sea inside his head.
"Everyone! As long you're surrounded by the white light, the Aura will provide you with a clear view like it's daytime. Your ability to respond, communicate, and fighting also enhanced by a tenth. This ability's duration would likely last fifteen minutes or shorter if I am exhausted." Hespar explained to them in a simplified manner.
There's some additional information Hespar did not mention, but he believes this would be enough for now.
After listening to what Hespar said, the guard leader verified the explanation in person. A thumbs-up quickly came from him after moving away about ten meters from the bonfire.
His assurance made everyone find their confidence again. But before they can smile, the ramparts Hespar's group placed around the outpost are getting attacked.
Based on how many rampart points were under attack, there are at least three hobgoblins surrounding them. The sight of Forest Wolves was also spotted on the highway.
"We'll be getting into a fight soon. Boy! You'll be the one overlooking everyone else. Come back to the bonfire here and avoid fighting unless necessary. We'll need all kinds of support at this time." the guard leader added.
"Understood," Hespar replied and retreated back with Terry beside him.
The three ramparts fell in less than five minutes after Hespar rejoined the others around the bonfire. They don't even have the leisure to move the carriage as it would take too much effort.
Luckily, Hespar's Aura support allowed them to look at their surrounding as clear as daylight. Without this support, it would be difficult for them to fight outside of the bonfire's lighting.
(GOBUJA!!!)
The hobgoblins howled and pointed towards the bonfire. This rallying cry encouraged the other Forest Goblins and made them storm into the brightness without worry.
Although these bipedal monsters were lightly armed, the deadliness of their weapon still exist. Some even came at the group with blunt tools like stone hammers, wooden branches, and flexible flails made from tree vines and rocks.
"Let's fight!" the guard leader said.
"URAA!" everyone cried in their way to motivate one another. In an instant, both sides quickly exchange their blows as blood follows.
The guard leader, Victor, and Rory were the fiercest few in this battle, followed by the others. A few goblins would lose their lives for every swing of their blade.
Meanwhile, those like Ashley, Selene, and Paul struggle even against a goblin each. They couldn't get a quick result like the others but were still capable of defending themselves and protecting the few non-fighters.
**Xiu**
A whistling noise came sneakily, only to be heard by Hespar. A hobgoblin was already lying dead on the ground when Hespar found out where the attack came from.
The noise doesn't stop at one. After three successive attacks, the hobgoblins no longer threatened the outpost. Still, the group needed to clear the goblin's attack by themselves if they wished to survive this attack.
Luckily, the longer the fight went, the more goblins lost momentum and abandoned their companions. Only half of the goblins were left when Hespar exhausted himself and could no longer keep his Aura active.
The layer of white light vanishes along with the Aura. And without that, everyone had their line of sight returned to before. Darkness instantly swallowed them as some panicked and quickly returned to the bonfire.
"Is that the limit?" the guard leader asked. A hint of regret can be seen on his face. Perhaps, he felt he could not take full advantage when the Aura was active.
"Yes. But I can get it back again after resting for a while..." Hespar replied with a somewhat stuttering voice. Evidently, he's too exhausted to even stand up.
"Eat this!" Paul said after pushing through the crowd around Hespar. A piece of meat jerky was in his hand, having a red color akin to ruby.
The jerky was stuffed into Hespar's mouth before he could say anything. And since he was fed, Hespar might as well give it a few bites before swallowing the meat.
Then, something extraordinary happened.
Every time he chewed the meat jerky, a hint of savory taste would be released, drowning Hespar's tastebud with flavors. The flavors would turn into undefined energy that recovered his stamina faster than usual.
These insignificant energies were like a sea of fireflies gathering together around a bonfire. Their existence was indescribable, faint, although shallow but beneficial. And without noticing, Hespar was less exhausted compared to before.
"You owe me ten meals," said Paul. The hint of heartache can still be seen on his face as the piece of meat jerky, just about the size of two fingers, went into Hespar's stomach.
"Heh... Don't mention ten meals. I'll feed you whenever you ask if you want!" Hespar chuckled. His body no longer felt as heavy as before after swallowing the meat jerky given to him by Paul.
'What kind of meat so effective to bring Hespar back on his feet?' the question was bothering Selene a little because she was about to bring out a bottle of potion for Hespar.
"Alright, you brats. Let's get everything on track again. We still have the battle to fight." the guard leader said. But deep inside, he's happy the Aura support is coming back.