"CAPTAIN!!!!!!!!" Dreue and Hazel shouted at the same time.
The impact of the explosion sent John and the Hobgoblin flying several meters in the air.
The fireball hit the Hobgoblin on its back directly, dropping him dead on the ground. His back was charred, and the smell of the burned flesh filled the air.
John fell on his right side on the ground near the dead Hobgoblin, although he was not hit by the fireball itself, his body was severely injured from the impact, and his right arm and leg were broken.
"Captain!! Are you alright ??" Hazel ran toward Johan, she crouched down beside him.
He didn't respond, she shouted again but there was no response. she Shook his shoulders violently, shouting and crying.
Her tears flowed down her cheeks like a never-ending river.
"Captain… *sob *…. Captain…. please wake up…*sob *…. captain*sob *' her teardrops fell on his clothes wetting them.
"Captain…*sob*…*sob*"
"Leader…*sob*…"
She lost all of her strength; her weak arms were unable to shake his large body anymore. Her red swollen eyes were filled up with guilt and self-blame.
Her loud cries slowly turned to silent weeps.
*sob *…. *sob *….
"Calm down Hazel... he can still be saved…." Dreue approached her slowly from the back.
She raised her teary face, looking at him.
"He is still breathing. I also can see he still has a bit of weak aura on his body"
"He will die any moment now…*Sob*…*Sob*…."
"We will never be able to reach the town in time!" Hazel spoke while tears never stopped flowing out of her eyes.
"It's my fault…. *Sob*…*Sob*…. only if I was able to shoot the fireball at the right time…. *Sob*…*Sob*…"
"Now Gallien's life is also in danger …. *Sob*…*Sob*…. We will not be able to handle the other Hobgoblin alone without the captain"
Things got very complicated, on one hand, there was John, his life was in danger, they should carry him to the town, searching for a high-level healer to save him. On the other hand, Gallien was still fighting the other Hobgoblin, holding up waiting for their assistance.
At this rate, both Gallien and John will lose their life, if not also Hazel and Dreue too. To run away leaving John and Gallien was the most logical choice in this situation, they can't reach the town in time while carrying John themselves, not to mention that at any moment Gallien may come here running followed by the other Hobgoblin thinking that they took care of the first one successfully and it was the time to kill the second one.
If the other Hobgoblin came here then all of them will end up dying.
If Dreue was by himself, he would truly consider running away hoping for Gallien to escape alive in one way or another, as for John, his situation is hopeless, but he was sure that Hazel absolutely will not agree.
Dreue took a long breath.
"Hazel" she did not answer him
"Hazel" he called for her but there was no response, she continued carrying on John's body.
"HAZEL! LOOK AT ME" he got angry shouting loud, he held her shoulders forcing her to look at him.
"I may have a way to save John, I may have a way to kill the other Hobgoblin!" he said in a serious tone.
Her dead eyes were filled with life again" …really…?"
"Yes…. but it will be very hard… the risk is huge…. we may not succeed…you will have to listen to every word I say …. are you prepared to take the risk??"
"Yes, I will do anything…I will risk everything…. you have only known us for a short time…but we have always been together…. John and Gallien are like a family to me…. please tell me what should I do?... if we were able to save both of them, I will be indebted to you for the rest of my life…"
*sigh*
"No need for that… I have a way that may be to kill the other Hobgoblin quickly…. then we will carry John to the town with the help of Gallien…."
"REALLY?!?" Hazel could not hide her excitement.
"Remember don't get your hopes high…. I said I may… I didn't say I will" said Dreue in a serious tone, he wanted to remind Hazel that the plan may not work out, it is just a bet that they are hoping to win.
Hazel nodded in response.
…..
They put John behind a big tree to keep him safe, they stabilized both his hand and leg by fixing them in place with thick tree branches and warping them with pieces of clothes.
They made sure that there were no external injuries or bleeding from any place, they also made him drink some recovery potion, then they started preparing the plan.
…..
Gallien was running around the forest, jumping between trees, hiding between the bushes.
"I am completing… *Huff*…. *Puff*…. exhausted. they should have killed the first Hobgoblin by now *Huff*…. *Puff*…."
"I should return… *Huff*…. *Puff*…. the Hobgoblin stamina is endless …. *Huff*…. *Puff*…. this is my limit…*Huff*…. *Puff*…. I think I bought them enough time to prepare to kill the second one… *Huff*…. *Puff*…."
He started heading towards the party's location.
…..
"He is coming from that side" Dreue was watching Gallien followed by the Hobgoblin approaching this area using his Perception.
"Prepare to shoot when I give you the signal" fine sweat beads formed on his face, it seems he was focusing with all his might, there was no room for mistake now.
"Okey" Hazel's whole body was trembling, she was performing a feat far beyond her ability, but she was holding on, she had to save John, she had to kill the other Hobgoblin, she had to save Gallien and most importantly she can't let Dreue's sacrifice go in vain.
Dreue and Hazel were standing face to face, both of their hands were interlocked together.
Dreue's right hand together with Hazel's left hand were extended towards the side where the Hobgoblin and Gallien will come from, while their other hands were raised to the level of their heads.
That was not a pose you would expect to see when you hear someone facing a Hobgoblin. Instead of assuming a fighting stance, it was as if they were performing an elegant dance in the palace hall.
In contradiction to this elegant pose, the sight in front of them was truly frightening.
Three large fireballs were rotating around their extended hands slowly, although they were not as large as the one which Hazel cast on the first Hobgoblin, there were three of them. Their combined power would produce an augmented explosion far more powerful than that huge fireball.
They were constantly moving in a circular pattern to ensure they will be shot immediately at the Hobgoblin when he appears smoothly without any delay.
*BUMP* *BUMP* *BUMP*
The Hobgoblin's heavy footsteps echoed in the forest, they were getting louder and louder as he got closer to them.
The sound of the loud footsteps rhymed with their loud heartbeats.
"GET DOWN!!!!" as soon as Gallien jumped out of the green bunches and before he had the time to take in the scene in front of him, he was faced with Dreue's loud shouting, he immediately threw himself on the ground.
"EYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYAAAAA"
He felt an extreme heatwave passing over his back almost burning him alive.
*BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM*
A loud explosion echoed across the forest, shaking the nearby trees violently, their leaves falling to the ground.
The frightened birds flew off to the sky, their high-pitched chirps filled the forest.