The sudden blaze of the campfire illuminated the clearing, casting long rays of light and revealing the full extent of the goblin ambush. Dozens of goblins lurked at the edge of the camp, their eyes reflecting the firelight with a sinister glow as they awaited the chance to strike.
Seraphina knew something was odd, the light was just a gamble—a guess—this was outside of her expectations. Her heart was pounding in her chest at the sheer numbers, but she steeled herself for the fight ahead.
The knights quickly adjusted to the new temporary light, taking note of the situation as well. Their swords flashed as they engaged the goblins with renewed vigor. Edwin took charge, his commanding presence a steady force in the chaotic battlefield.
"Harold, Samuel, keep the perimeter tight, and don't give them any room to get close! Seraphina, stay close and strike when you see an opening!"
Seraphina nodded, her grip on her sword tightening as she closed the gap between the group and herself—rejoining them. She focused on the movements of the goblins, her eyes scanning for any sign of a leader or more dangerous foe among them.
However, she couldn't see anyone who looked like a leader amongst the group actively attacking them. They were probably in the shadows, waiting for the chance to strike when the others died weakening them.
The goblins, emboldened by their numbers, launched a coordinated attack. They rushed in from all sides, their crude weapons clashing against the knights' swords. Seraphina parried a blow from a goblin, then swiftly countered with a thrust that sent it tumbling to the ground.
The knights held their ground, their training and strength were evident in their actions. Herold's burly frame moved with surprising speed as he cut down goblin after goblin with powerful large swings.
Samuel was eager to fight, to prove himself. He fought with determination, his sword flashing in the firelight as it fell goblin after goblin with clean blows. He was younger than the others, but he was by no means inexperienced.
They were knights—proper knights—they made killing a goblin look as easy as cutting bread. They didn't even need to try to slay a goblin, one casual attack from them would cleave one of the green bodies in half.
Seraphina was the only one that had some trouble. She was doing well, her attacks killed them easily as well, but she was no knight. She didn't have the stamina they had, the sheer numbers were overwhelming.
Despite their efforts to cull the numbers, the goblins kept coming. Seraphina could see that as their numbers dwindled a little, more joined from the shadows and simply added to the fight.
They needed to find a way to turn the tide of battle before they ran out of stamina, or something worse came.
Seraphina stepped back behind the group and stopped fighting for a while, she allowed them to protect her and instead focused on the treeline.
She scanned the edge of the clearing, looking at the shadows amongst the trees, and focusing on where the goblins were joining from. She finally spotted something faint; a slight glow.
A goblin shaman, it was hidden amongst the trees, chanting and directing the goblins to attack them. The shaman's presence explained the coordination and persistence of the goblin attacks.
"There's a shaman in the trees! We need to take it out otherwise they won't stop coming!"
Seraphina shouted to the others, pointing towards the location of the hidden figure.
Edwin's eyes followed the gesture, and he nodded.
"Harold, Samuel, keep the goblins off us. Seraphina and I will handle the shaman."
Upon his orders, the group moved as a unit, cutting a path through the goblins for them to get closer to the shaman. Seraphina followed along with Edwin as they grew closer to the tree line, her sword striking down any goblin that slipped through the gaps.
The shaman, realizing it had been spotted, began to chant faster, ordering more goblins to attack and block the path.
Harold did something unexpected, stabbing his sword into the ground he released a powerful shout. Like the roar of a beast, the shout echoed through the battlefield with visible ripples; the goblins that heard the shout instantly grew agitated towards the man.
They shifted their attention from the group as a whole and instead focused entirely on Harold; charging at him like mindless animals without care if they had to climb over each other.
"Go, I'll keep them distracted!"
He shouted as the group pushed through the wave of incoming goblins, being completely ignored by them, and made their way towards the shaman.
Edwin reached the shaman first, his sword slicing through the air with deadly precision as power rippled through it. The shaman parried with the gnarled staff in its hand; but its weak body could not compare to the strength of a knight, sending it flying backwards.
Its eyes glowed with malevolent energy and rage as it looked up from the ground, a growl of pure hatred escaping its mouth as it readied to fight back. Seraphina joined the fight shortly after, her sword striking out in a jab as she sent an attack from the side of the creature while it was still down.
As the sword was about to make contact with the creature's side, a blast of force impacted the girl's body, like a wave hitting her straight on. She was pushed back and sent stumbling as she collected herself.
'Magic.'
She thought, amazed by the creature's capabilities. It was the first time she had seen magic in this world, not aura, but proper magical capabilities; it was impressive.
The creature stood up now that it had the chance; staff in hand the edge of the staff began to glow as it channeled its magic. It was preparing to do something, desperation getting to it.