Trevor swiftly occupied the space Siarra had just been at, brandishing his broadsword like a spear, he charged into the hall with his classic shout. The tip of his blade pierced the first goblin, impaling him like a skewer on a shish kebab, the second goblin meeting a similar fate as the sword plunged through his stomach. Trevor's insane strength was just barely not enough to pierce through the third goblin entirely. Instead, the creature stared in horror at his buddies, momentarily stunned and defenseless.
In the next moment, Siarra unleashed her magic, her staff crackling with power as a burst of flame erupted, engulfing the remaining goblin. The fire consumed him in a flaming embrace, charring him black in the blink of an eye.
Niss relished in the success of their trap, savoring the sweet taste of the momentary victory. Their strategy, though simple, proved devastatingly effective: lure, bait, switch, and finally, ambush. The goblins, stupid and unsuspecting of their tactics, fell one after another.
'This is more like it! This is how it should have gone from the start!' Niss did not have long to think though.
Amidst the chaos, he spotted the goblin shaman, the next to emerge from the door, his white and green aura radiating with power. Utilizing his mana, the shaman conjured a barrier of wind, shielding himself from the flames. Seizing the moment, Niss ignited his own aura, infusing his body and dagger with enhanced strength.
With a burst of movement, he leaped at the shaman's back, driving his dagger deep into the monster's spine. The wind barrier resisted him, but Niss's element of surprise had paid off big time. The shaman, caught off guard, couldn't reinforce his barrier in time, the protection meant to repel flames was almost totally ineffective against Niss's focused and powerful strike.
'He's not dead from that huh? Pretty strong goblin.'
Suddenly, despite Niss's successful strike that left his dagger coated in goblin blood, he was violently blasted backward, crashing to the floor several feet away. The goblin shaman screeched in agony as its aura flared violently, shimmering in eerie green and white flashes. The deep wound inflicted by Niss slowly began to close, and the fury of the shaman's violent winds erupted even further. Shooting out from his wand, the wind twisted into small tornados, whipping and thrashing towards Niss.
'My only job in this plan... Ahhhggg my head!'
'Tsk...'
With the shaman now out the door and Siarra swiftly dispatching the third goblin, Trevor used his foot to shove the skewered goblins off his blade. What neither of them could have anticipated, even after their well-executed plan, was seeing Niss thrown to the ground, his life threatened by the whipping, mini tornados the shaman unleashed. Siarra reacted quickly and started to cast a terrifying and powerful fire spell to buy Niss time. While Trevor turned his attention to something else entirely.
More goblins, three of them, filled the hall, their furious shouts cutting through the smoke as they approached. Their fellow goblins lay strewn on the ground, soaked in blood, serving as a reminder that battles like this were to the death.
Trevor shouted out his battle cry.
"DRAGONS, LEND ME THY STRENGTH"
His aura erupted even further, its flashes of gold and brown power illuminating the chaos. He charged forward, determined to intercept the approaching goblins before they could reach Siarra. She was swift to react, but she was exposed as she focused entirely on her most powerful spell. Her aura flickered and seemed to fade away, replaced by a massive ball of fire gathering at the end of her staff. Pouring every ounce of mana she could muster into the attack, she aimed to obliterate the shaman and prevent him from finishing off Niss.
BOOM!
Flames tore through the hall, devouring the very air in their path. The massive blast slammed into the side of the shaman, the force of the impact causing the fire to bend and warp around his wind barrier before ultimately overpowering it, ripping it away and searing the shaman's flesh with vicious burns. The shaman's cries of agony filled the air as his skin bubbled and popped, his body barely managing to stay upright amidst the torment. Astonishingly, he endured Siarra's flames, although his aura, as feeble and drained as Siarra's, indicated he was on the brink of death.
With a voice strained and eyes aflame with terrifying desperation, he spat down at Niss, his words sharp. "The dungeon granted me this power! I won't let you strip it away from me!"(Goblin language)
Lurching forward, the shaman attempted to pierce Niss's neck with his wand. But Niss, was bought time by Siarra's flames and had regained his strength. Even in his vulnerable state, back pressed against the cold floor with the shaman bearing down on him, he knew he had the strength to defend himself.
He spun his dagger in his hand, thrusting it upward and sliding his head to the side as far as his body would allow him. The sharp end found its mark, and it wasn't Niss's neck that was pierced, it was of course, the shaman's. The wand struck the unforgiving stone floor beside Niss's head rattling before falling from the goblins grasp.
With his final breaths, the shaman uttered his last words, his mouth filling with blood as he spoke, his head uncomfortably close to Niss's ears. It was a whispered promise that sent a bone-chilling shiver down Niss's spine even if he couldn't understand him.
"I will repay your deeds one hundred times over," he vowed, his voice fading into the eerie silence of the aftermath. (Goblin language)
'Uhgg.... are the others okay?' Niss glanced over.
During the chaos of the battle with the shaman, Trevor fought his own battle. A onslaught from the three remaining goblins. What would have overwhelmed an average F-rank adventurer was nothing for Trevor. With his instincts and mind sharpened by experience, he now moved with confidence through the attackers as if they were nothing but mere toddlers. His training as a front-line combatant shone through, between his own attacks he moved his blade with skill, parrying some strikes and turning wide with the flick of his wrist to block others.
The determination burning in Trevor's eyes intensified as the fight extended. Each parry, block and dodge was executed with precision. His broadsword was dancing as it deflected the goblins advances. His aura, was reflecting his unwillingness to back down as it blazed with a new intensity scaring these pitiful goblins. With every strike, his massive frame moving with an agility that did not reflect his size.
Trevor's attacks we're all a testament to his strength. The goblins fell before him like wheat beneath a scythe, their attacks were nothing against him. In the midst of the battle, he wore a smile, he had made a silent acknowledgment of his own power. With a final stroke, he severed the head of the last goblin, the lifeless body collapsing at his feet. He flicked the blood from his broadsword with exceptional skill and his gaze rose to meet Niss and Siarra.
With the battle over, Trevor's reputation as a defender and a force to be reckoned with was solidified. The guild would surely recognize his power, his unwavering loyalty, and his spirit. In that moment, as he helped Niss to his feet, Trevor knew he had proven himself as not just a D-rank adventurer but as a true protector.