"Change of plans, Amaris," -me
I told her the new plan and moved into our position.
"Let's do this," I whispered, my voice muffled by the mask.
We moved silently, careful to avoid drawing the attention of the remaining goblins.
The plan was simple but required precision: use Arthur's pouch of explosives, poison, and sleeping gas to create chaos and eliminate the threat. Amaris would provide support. And I will be the main hitter.
Remember I said Arthur carried everything inside his pouch by that I meant everything, even this.
Anyway,
As we approached the ex-battlefield.
I signaled to Amaris to stay back and prepare the sleeping gas.
Understanding my signal, she nodded.
Then,
"Huuuu…" I took a deep breath, steeling myself for what was to come.
I moved forward And threw the first explosive device toward a cluster of goblins.
BOOOOOOOOOM!!!!
The explosion was loud and fast.
It happened so fast that the goblins were not given time to even think about it. Their screams filled the air.
I didn't wait to see the results; I immediately threw another explosive, targeting a group near the prisoners.
BOOOOOOOOOOM!!!
Another explosion took place and what followed was another round of screams.
Amaris moved quickly, tossing the sleeping gas into the fray. The gas spread rapidly, enveloping the panicked goblins. Their screams turned to coughs and then silence as the gas took effect. Those who weren't immediately knocked out stumbled, their movements sluggish and disoriented.
With the bulk of the goblins incapacitated or dead, I turned my attention to the prisoners. The man and woman were bound tightly, their eyes wide with terror. I dashed towards them, slicing through their restraints with a sword that I found in Arthur's pouch.
It was a low-quality sword according to me but enough at the moment. There were swords of higher quality but I didn't want to take that out now in front of Amaris or these strangers. I mean what would happen if the high-quality material was some sort of national treasure and they took it from me? I don't want that to happen. They were mine…
Anyway, back to the situation.
After cutting through their restraints. "Hide!" I commanded, pointing towards the safety of the forest. The man hesitated, but the woman grabbed his arm, urging him to move. They bolted, disappearing into the darkness.
'I hope they don't run away…' I thought.
Suddenly, I felt a heavy impact on my side. A tier 1 goblin, somehow still standing despite the carnage, had tackled me.
Its burnt and grotesque face was contorted with rage. And it tried to bite my neck to kill me.
I struggled against its strength, reaching desperately for another explosive in my pouch.
Just as the goblin raised its fist to strike, a small figure darted forward.
Amaris slammed a rock into the goblin's head. It fell back, giving me the opening I needed.
I jammed the explosive into its mouth and kicked it away. The resulting blast sent goblin chunks flying.
"Ugh…" I grimaced at the sight.
"Disgusting." Amaris agreed with me.
The sight was truly disgusting.
"Thanks," I said looking at her.
Amaris nodded, her eyes scanning the area for any remaining threats.
Most of the goblins were either dead or unconscious from the gas. A few tier 1 goblins stumbled around, clearly affected but still standing. I knew I couldn't drink their blood, they were tainted by the poison we'd used.
And I didn't want to drink their blood from the start, I feel disgusted thinking about it. Just think of it as an unhygienic food. A very unhygienic food with a very bad taste.
How could I know the taste? It is from the smell of the battlefield.
Anyway,
"Time to finish this," I muttered, pulling out a vial of poison. Amaris handed me another explosive, and I tossed it with the poison vial into the largest group of remaining goblins. The explosion was smaller this time, but the effect was immediate. The goblins convulsed and fell.
"HAHAHAHA! I F*king won!" I cheered.
And my cheering stopped when Amaris slapped my head and said, "Language."
"Ok! WE WON, HAHAHAH" This time Amaris also laughed with me.
The cave was ours now, a safe place from the sun and my first stepping stone.
"We did it," I said, more to myself than to Amaris.
She nodded.
…
"We should check the prisoners," I said, turning towards the forest. "Make sure they're safe."
15 minutes later, we found the man and woman huddled together a short distance away, their faces pale with fear and exhaustion. They looked up as we approached, their eyes wide with a mixture of hope and terror.
"It's okay," I said as gently as I could. "You're safe now."
The woman burst into tears, clutching at the man's arm. He held her tightly, his own eyes filled with gratitude.
"Thank you," he said, his voice trembling. "We thought we were going to die."
"You were lucky," I replied, glancing at Amaris. "But you're safe now."
"I would have sent you back to your home but first I need to check if you guys are okay?" I said again.
"What checking?" the girl asked.
"I threw poison and an explosive bomb near the guards, So I need to check whether you are affected by it or not. Don't worry it won't take much time." I explained patiently.
"Wh-what do we h-have to do?" they asked.
"Don't worry Amaris will do it for you," I said pointing at their back.
Behind their back, Amaris stood holding 2 stones.
BAAM
BAAM
She slammed the rocks with full force on their heads and they lay unconscious.
"Thanks again." I said to Amaris.
I couldn't help but smile beneath my mask. Amaris was proving to be an invaluable ally. Her appraisal skill had been crucial in identifying the threats, and her quick thinking had saved my life multiple times, and now this.
I guess I am beginning to trust her…