"Goblins! But there are so many!"
"They usually live in large groups and even have a strong hierarchical system. But they are the same as all monsters. They are vicious killers if they are given the chance." Garion said and Jason noticed he was far more reserved than usual.
The two were currently hidden just at the end of the tree line. From there Jason could now make out the creatures much better. Although he had originally confused them for humans they were really quite different. For one they were all the size of children. The tallest he could see only seemed to be about his height. They were wearing clothes just like you would find on anyone from the village. They were a dark green colour that would help them to blend into the forest. Unfortunately, from this distance, it wasn't possible to use his [Vision of Rylax] skill.
"How strong are they can we fight that many?"
"A normal goblin on its own isn't much of a threat at all for you at this point, but there are a lot and given their numbers they probably have a few stronger fighters. Plus, they will be led by a chief, who may pose a challenge," Garion said. "Honestly this is more of a challenge than I was hoping we would face, for one you don't have any experience fighting more than one opponent at once."
As they spoke they saw a larger goblin emerge from the biggest hut. It was hard to miss as the moment he stepped out it caused a large commotion amongst the goblins. They all lined up around him. They were shaking and lowering themselves as close to the ground as they could.
"Goblins only listen to strength, the chieftain will lead through violence and fear." Garion noted "You can often tell a goblin's strength from its size, given how big that one is it should be a high level. Gods, this is awful."
Jason looked at his father as he spoke. His usual calm air in a fight was missing, he was much more emotional than normal. "What's wrong?"
"If I asked for you to let me handle this alone would you let me?" Garion asked with a worried expression.
"Why would you ask that?"
"Even among monsters Goblins are considered to be some of the cruellest. Did you notice all those clothes they are wearing?"
"Yes, they look…."
"They aren't smart enough to craft anything. So they steal them from the weak. Those clothes are all the right sizes to fit. For that to be the case they must have killed appropriately sized humans."
It took a moment for Garion's words to sink in. "They killed that many children," Jason said struggling to get the words out. Garion just nodded his head. There were dozens of goblins Jason was getting sick just at the thought.
"They don't just kill, they enjoy inflicting pain. They are known for kidnapping their victims… They are wicked nasty creatures. For it to have gotten this bad…" Even for Garion, who had seen his fair share of the world's darkness, it was a horrific sight. Jason on the other hand had never witnessed anything like this and was close to throwing up. This was a completely different experience from the situations he had found himself in the past.
"They haven't been hunted already which means their village must wipe out or capture anyone who they come into contact with."
"Do you think there will be anyone held captive in the village now?"
"It's unlikely, the only godsend is that goblins are too stupid to know how to harm without killing," Garion said in an emotionless tone.
To Jason, this all seemed too horrible to comprehend. Jason couldn't understand how a world influenced so much by Gods could be so wicked. 'A godsend what a joke' he thought to himself.
"But there is a chance?"
"Yes."
"Then I have an answer to your question. I'm coming with you."
Shaking his head Garion said, "I thought you might say that and I can't tell you not to, so I will handle the strongest goblins I will leave the others to you."
"I will do everything I can."
"We can't let a single one escape not only to prevent them from committing any more crimes but also to avenge those that have suffered at their hands," Garion said the earlier emotion gone, he was now deadly calm.
"Okay." Jason didn't have it in him to talk anymore, in a sick way he wanted to just focus on his anger and kill them without thinking of the sadness in his heart.
"Right lets go."
Everything that needed to be said had been.
Swords drawn the two slowly walked towards the village without saying a word. Despite the distance, the walk blurred as Jason's anger filled his mind like never before.
It wasn't long before they were noticed by the goblins which caused a large uproar. However, the large goblin seemed undaunted and gestured for a group of goblins to attack the humans advancing on their village. As the goblins drew closer Jason could see their faces. It was hard to describe them in general as they all had grotesque deformed faces and no two looked the same. A few of them had weapons while the rest were armed with rocks or sticks.
At this range, Jason could use his skill.
[Goblin Lv. 32]
[Goblins are inherently cruel creatures, they are intelligent enough to use weapons. They are weak physically and have no magic but use their strengths in numbers.]
Faster than he could follow his father shot forward and with a single arc of his sword, 5 goblin fell to the ground dead. Seeing this the rest were hesitant but a mighty cry behind them from their leader was enough for them to move forward again. But this was met with yet another slash of Garion's blade and more goblins fell to the ground unmoving. Moments later and before Jason had a chance to do a thing the entire group was dead.
His father kept walking forward so Jason did the same. Another wave approached, but this time there were larger goblins amongst them.
Garion headed for them, without a word the message was clear: he would take them while Jason would handle the others. Jason checked their levels and saw that the stronger ones were all above level 50. However, he didn't have the time to acknowledge it for long. A group of 5 goblins rushed towards him and this time they all had weapons.
Jason dodged their strikes. Fortunately, while they may be able to use weapons, they couldn't use them well. They were no better than amateurs. He slashed at one that had a weak guard.
+ 1200 EXP
He ignored the notification as the moment he had killed the goblin another two attempted to stab at him. He managed to parry both attacks. The other two remaining goblins were attempting to wrap around behind him. He pressed the two in front hard with his sword, realising he had to quickly deal with those two otherwise he would be surrounded. With his superior strength and skill, he managed to disarm both goblins and quickly stabbed them both.
+ 1300 EXP
+ 1300 EXP
Turning to the remaining two he was faced with two goblins that seemed to be smarter and stronger than the others. They both attacked simultaneously and Jason dodged out of the way. As he moved he managed to slice at one of them but this goblin was quick enough to avoid a fatal blow. Before it had a chance to recover he aimed at the creature's chest and cut down with his sword.
+1500 EXP
LEVEL UP 44->45
With only one more to face, Jason made quick work of the last goblin.
+1500 EXP
Thankfully the goblins were weak enough that it wasn't too much of a problem but after the short fight, it became clear to Jason just how stressful fighting more than one enemy at once truly was. With this small group killed, Jason looked to see how his father was doing. He was surprised to see that not only the strong goblins but also the rest of the wave were now lying dead around his father's feet.
With that, more than half of the goblins were already dead. However, the remaining goblins all looked much stronger. Some had numerous scars that showed they were not strangers to combat.
As soon as Jason had finished his fight Garion started marching forward again straight towards the leader of the goblins. As he did more tried to intercept him yet they all met the same fate. Watching this even the most seasoned-looking goblins started to show fear, all bar the leader who just stared straight in the direction of Jason's father.
Finally, they entered the village. There were just 10 goblins left. The ten split into 3 groups. The leader remained in place unmoved by the situation. Of the other 9, the strongest six approached Garion. That left the weakest 3 that Jason was tasked with fighting.
The three were all around level 60 much higher than Jason and he was a little nervous. However, in the back of his mind, the burning anger that was fuelling him didn't let him take a single step back. Though this would be his hardest fight he wasn't going to run away. He wanted to be able to not only stand with his father in the future but stand on his own. If he wanted to prevent things like this happening he had to pass this obstacle now. It had become his ethos.
While they had been difficult he hadn't received a single wound from all his previous fights. He knew he could do this despite their numbers and strength. Willed on by this determination Jason's fearsome fight began.