The little monster let out a screech and backed away, but its fall didn't stop the others. They were like a tide, unstoppable, and the cave seemed to shrink around us. I barely had time to catch my breath before running toward the exit again, with my heart pounding in my chest.
But the darkness and adrenaline played a trick on me; I stumbled over a loose rock and fell flat on my face. The torch slipped from my hands and rolled away, fizzling out with a sizzle, leaving us in a terrifying dimness.
I felt the cold ground under my palms as I tried to get up, but the screeches grew louder, closer. I could hear the horde charging at me, and fear froze me for a moment.
"Darius, move!" Eldrek's voice boomed in the cave like thunder, and I looked up just in time to see him raise a hand, focusing all his power. A glow emerged from his fingers, and out of nowhere, a barrier of earth rose from the ground, blocking much of the tunnel.
The goblins crashed against it, furious, their small hands pounding and clawing at the surface. But the barrier wasn't perfect; he had left a gap at the top, a crack through which they could still climb. And they weren't going to waste any time doing so.
Eldrek was panting, sweat dripping down his forehead, his breath heavy and strained. The effort was clear, yet he looked at me with that unbreakable determination. "That'll hold them off for a moment. Run, now!"
I leapt up, pain shooting through my legs from the fall, but it wouldn't stop me.
I took off running again, leaving the barrier and the creatures still climbing over it behind. The noises they made filled the tunnel, echoing like a damn war chant. I could hear their nails scratching the rock, trying to find a way through, and the sound made my skin crawl.
Eldrek ran beside me, and I could see the exhaustion on his face. He had spent a lot of mana extracting the mineral. Still, he didn't say a word. He just kept pushing his body past its limits, and I had to do the same.
Among the sound of our hurried steps, a faint light appeared at the end of the tunnel. The cave's exit. For a moment, I felt like we were about to escape. But then, from the depths, amidst the shrill cries of the goblins, an even more terrifying noise arose: heavy footsteps, like Eldrek's, pounding with fury, followed by a loud crash. Something had slammed into Eldrek's barrier, shattering it in an instant.
"Darius, don't stop!" Eldrek shouted, his voice filled with urgency. Without looking back, I kept running, my chest burning, my mind focused only on reaching that light at the tunnel's end. We burst out of the cave, and the fading sunlight hit us fully. For a second, I felt relief as I breathed in the fresh outdoor air. But that relief didn't last long; the goblin horde shot out after us like a dark wave that kept growing.
I looked back, and my heart stopped. Behind the horde, a much larger creature emerged. It wasn't as tall as Eldrek, but its appearance was grotesque, with gray, rough skin like jagged stone, long muscular arms, and small, shining eyes brimming with fury. It was slow but intimidating. From the way it moved, I knew this thing could crush us easily if it got too close.
"Eldrek, something bigger is coming out with the goblins!" I yelled, hoping he could react. But Eldrek, panting and staggering, could barely keep up. He was running out of strength, his steps slowing more and more.
"Don't stop, Eldrek!" I shouted desperately, but he didn't respond. We were already descending the mountain, and I had only one idea: if we reached the forest, maybe the goblins wouldn't dare to enter. Of course, that was just a theory, but I had nothing else to cling to.
Without much thought, I stopped in my tracks and turned around. I had to buy Eldrek time to reach the forest safely. Fear chilled me to the bone as I saw the horde approaching, but there was no turning back.
I raised my hands and started to summon my magic, launching blasts that forced back the first ones who dared to advance. For a moment, it worked; the goblins hesitated and backed off, but there were too many of them, and soon they started to surround me, closing in. Even so, I had bought some time. Eldrek was closer to the trees.
Then, I saw the large creature approaching, slow but imposing. My legs trembled. It was slower than the goblins, but from its appearance and size, I knew it was strong, probably strong enough to crush me if it caught me. With no other choice, I started running toward the forest, praying that Eldrek had already made it.
When I finally reached the edge of the forest, I saw Eldrek there, panting, and noticed how his shoulders slumped when he realized I had stayed behind.
"Darius!" he shouted, desperate, just as a stab of pain shot through my shoulder. An arrow had lodged there, and the impact made me lose my balance, sending me tumbling down the mountainside. Dirt and rocks hit me, my vision blurred by pain and confusion.
"Darius!" Eldrek's voice sounded like a distant echo. I barely managed to see his silhouette approaching as I rolled to a stop at the foot of the hill, the arrow still embedded in my shoulder. I felt his strong hands helping me up, but the horde was already upon us. Arrows whizzed through the air, and barely standing, I could only gather enough energy to form a magical shield to deflect some of them.
"It's too late…" I thought, watching the goblins and that grotesque creature approach, their eyes full of hate. Eldrek tried to raise an earth wall, but only managed to make the ground tremble, not enough strength to block the advance of our enemies.
And then, out of nowhere, the ground shook violently, and something rose from it—the Forest Spirit appeared.
Before the goblins could reach us, it extended one of its massive arms and placed it as a shield in front of us. The arrows bounced off it as if they were nothing, and the goblins who leapt to attack were caught as sharp thorns sprouted from its wooden skin, branches, and leaves, impaling them one by one.
I watched, stunned, as the Forest Spirit swept away our attackers like insects. The large creature stopped, observing the spirit cautiously. It wasn't like the goblins; it was clearly more intelligent.
It let out a loud growl, and with a gesture, ordered the remaining goblins to retreat. I watched as they all turned, heading back to the cave, while the creature looked at us with a mix of defiance and resentment before following them.
The Forest Spirit stood still, retracting the thorns from its arm, and I saw the goblins' bodies fall lifeless to the ground. Then, with a nearly ritual calm, it gathered the bodies with its branches and leaves, creating a single pile, and with a slow movement, opened a hole in the ground, burying them and leaving the place as if nothing had happened. I was impressed by how easily it controlled the earth, a skill much more refined than Eldrek's.
I could barely stay on my feet, my shoulder burning from the wound, but I summoned the strength to thank him.
"Thank you… really," I said, my voice barely a whisper. The spirit, without saying a word, turned to me and extended one of its arms. From the tip of its finger, two thin branches sprouted, wrapping around the arrow in my shoulder. One held onto the arrowhead, while the other grasped the opposite end, and they pulled, breaking it in two and removing it from my flesh. I winced in pain, but I trusted him and didn't resist.
After removing the arrow, the spirit placed his open palm in front of me, and a small green herb sprouted from it.
"Apply it to the wound, and it will heal," he said in his deep voice. I took the herb from his palm, surprised by the delicacy of the gesture, considering his size. Eldrek approached, bowing his head in respect and gratitude.
"Please, grant us passage through the forest so we can return," he asked sincerely.
The spirit nodded silently, straightened up, and began to merge with the earth slowly, as if dissolving into the air. "This… this is something I'll never forget," I murmured, feeling my body still trembling from the adrenaline.
Eldrek looked at me, a faint smile on his face. "Neither will I… I thought we were going to die right there." His voice held a tone of relief and exhaustion. I noticed that my shoulder was still bleeding, so Eldrek took the herb and began crushing it in a small bowl with the handle of his knife until it formed a thick paste.
"Here, apply it now," he said, handing it to me.
"Wow, thanks," I replied, feeling immediate relief as the paste covered the wound. I knew the spirit's magic wouldn't fail. "I'm ready to keep going," I said once I was done.
Eldrek nodded, with a calm smile. "Good… now we can go back."
As we walked back through the forest, the pain in my shoulder gradually eased thanks to the herb the spirit had given me. The air here was fresher and seemed to wash away the fatigue.
I looked at Eldrek, walking beside me, still catching his breath. I couldn't help but crack a sarcastic smile, though it hurt a little every time I did.
"You know, Eldrek… When you said we might run into giant birds that would make the passage difficult, I never imagined I'd end up running for my life from a horde of goblins," I said, trying to sound casual, though my tone made it clear I was throwing a little jab. "Of all the things I expected, goblins weren't on the list."
Eldrek let out a brief laugh, though it was clear he was still exhausted. "Yeah, looks like I underestimated the situation. But they don't usually come around here… it was our fault for driving them out of hiding."
He shrugged, as if he were willing to agree with my complaint without much argument. "Though I'd take giant birds any day."
I still remembered the grotesque figure that had led the attack, and I couldn't hold back my curiosity. "That bigger thing we saw… didn't look like a goblin. What the hell was it?"
Eldrek fell silent for a moment, a thoughtful expression on his face. "That was a troll," he finally replied, his tone a mix of explanation and warning.
"Trolls often accompany goblins, but they're much more dangerous. Unlike goblins, who act on instinct and attack in groups, trolls are smarter. They're like a kind of leader for them, setting the pace and deciding when to retreat or advance."
I shuddered at the memory of the creature's stare. "I thought this world was much more peaceful. Besides the bandits we ran into, I didn't think there were monsters like those roaming around."
I admitted, feeling how my own words reflected how naïve I had been. I had come to think that things would only get better after everything I had faced, but now I knew that there could always be something far more terrifying.
Eldrek looked at me out of the corner of his eye, as if he had heard comments like that before. "This is just a small fraction of all the creatures that exist," he explained. "There are things out there that make those trolls and goblins look harmless in comparison. But the important thing is to know how to recognize their territories and learn to avoid them. If you can do that, you have less chance of running into them." He pointed around the forest, as if to make it clear that this whole place was full of rules I still didn't understand. "That's why there aren't any villages nearby. No one wants to risk living close to these territories."
I kept walking in silence, processing what he said. "I guess I still have a lot to learn about this place," I murmured, half to myself. Eldrek nodded with a slight smile.
"We've all learned the hard way at some point," he replied, as if speaking from experience. "You just have to make sure not to repeat the same mistake."
I nodded, letting his words settle in my mind.