Tch.
I clicked my tongue in annoyance, my eyes scanning the chaotic battlefield.
We needed to clear a path to the hobgoblin, but the sheer number of goblins in our way was daunting.
I glanced towards the distance, where Joseph and his group were carving a bloody swath through the goblin horde.
Jessica's bow sang its deadly song, each arrow finding its mark with a wet thud. She switched seamlessly to her dagger, its blade flashing in the moonlight as she sliced through the goblins with deadly precision.
Viona's great sword bit deep into the goblin ranks, cleaving multiple bodies in half with each swing.
The sound of her sword slicing through flesh and bone was like a meat cleaver chopping through a carcass - sickening, yet mesmerizing.
Grant's magic rained down upon the goblins, his spells exploding in showers of flame and shrapnel.
The air was filled with the acrid smell of smoke and burning flesh, the sound of screams and wailing filling my ears.
I turned my attention back to the group of goblins rushing towards me, their eyes wild with a mixture of fear and fury.
Katherine stood beside me, her bow firing arrow after arrow with deadly precision.
BOOM BOOM
The explosions rocked the ground beneath our feet, the sound of shrapnel whizzing through the air making me duck instinctively.
I glanced at Katherine, and she nodded in understanding. We both knew that our current tactics were simply wasting mana - we needed to end this fight quickly.
I turned to face the direction of the hobgoblin, my hand raised as I prepared to conjure a spell.
But before I could unleash my magic, I felt a goblin creeping up behind me.
I was about to turn and dispatch it with a swift strike, but an arrow pushed by a gust of wind struck the goblin right in the abdomen, sending it tumbling into the group of goblins rushing towards me.
Whoosh!
A tornado erupted from the arrow, violently ripping the goblin and everything in its surroundings apart.
The sound was like a freight train crashing through the battlefield, the force of the tornado sending goblins flying in all directions.
I raised my hand once more, my fingers weaving a complex pattern as I conjured a devastating spell.
The air seemed to charge with electricity as I mixed lightning and fire, the two elements combining under my fingers to form a pure beam of energy.
[Plasma Beam], I muttered, unleashing the devastating beam of pure energy in the direction of the hobgoblin.
BOOM!
The ray easily pierced through the goblins in its way, the explosion occurring immediately after.
The sound was like a thunderclap, the force of the explosion sending goblins flying in all directions.
Without waiting for the smoke to clear, Katherine and I launched ourselves in the direction of the hobgoblin, our feet a blur as we channeled mana into them.
Whoosh!
The world around me became a green and brown blur, the sounds of battle growing fainter as I focused on my target.
I reached the hobgoblin's location in an instant, my sword flashing in the dim light as I slashed at it.
Or at least, I assumed it was the hobgoblin - the smoke still hadn't cleared, and I couldn't see a thing.
"Lucas, behind you!" Katherine yelled, her voice cutting through the din of battle.
I felt the hair on the back of my neck stand on end as I immediately channeled mana into my legs and leapt forward.
Shiing!
I turned around, my sword at the ready, and saw the hobgoblin slashing at the spot where I had just been standing.
As I landed, Katherine used wind to cushion my fall, her eyes locked onto mine with a fierce intensity.
I twisted my shoulder, asking her if she was ready. She nodded, her face set in a determined mask.
I told her to cover me, and then channeled mana into my legs once more. I bent low, coiling my muscles like a spring, before launching myself at the hobgoblin. My sword flashed in the dim light, aiming straight for its neck.
CLANG!
The hobgoblin blocked my attack, its dagger flashing in the dim light as it countered. I twisted my body, trying to land a roundhouse kick in its face, but it jumped back just in time.
Szt!
A slight cut appeared on its face, a thin line of blood welling up from the wound. Hoh, looks like my kick grazed it, huh?
I rushed at the hobgoblin once more, our blades clashing in a flurry of steel and sparks.
I covered my fist in flames, letting out a dangerous punch that the hobgoblin narrowly avoided.
But that was what I was aiming for. I bent my arm backwards, using the momentum to elbow the hobgoblin and send it stumbling backwards.
Weird, it's not putting up much of a- My thoughts were interrupted as the hobgoblin disappeared from its position, reappearing right before me with its dagger flashing in the dim light.
Shit! I hurriedly raised my sword to block, but the hobgoblin raised its feet to kick at me.
Right as the hobgoblin's feet were about to make contact with me, an arrow pierced through its thigh, the piercing sound echoing through the air.
I immediately jumped back, avoiding the kick by a hair's breadth.
BOOM
An explosion occurred, the force of the blast sending me stumbling backward. I regained my footing, my eyes locking onto the hobgoblin.
'Thank you, Katherine', I thought inwardly, grateful for her timely intervention.
Without wasting time, I entered elemental mode, my body undergoing a transformation.
My hair turned spiky, lightning crackling all over my body like a living thing. The air around me seemed to distort, the world blurring as I moved at incredible speed.
I arrived at the hobgoblin's location in an instant, its body still reeling from the arrow's impact.
It had lost its leg, the stump cauterized by some unknown means. The hobgoblin's eyes were glassy, its movements slow and disoriented.
I didn't hesitate, launching a powerful kick at the hobgoblin. My foot connected with a sickening crunch, sending the hobgoblin flying into one of the trebuchets.
BOOM
The hobgoblin's body crashed into the wooden frame of the trebuchet, the sound of splintering wood and screams filling the air.
The hobgoblin's body was twisted at an unnatural angle, its limbs splayed like a broken doll.
I stood tall, my chest heaving with exertion, my eyes locked onto the hobgoblin's broken form.
The battle was far from over, but I had taken down one of the enemy's strongest warriors.
The goblin army was beginning to falter, their morale shaken by the loss of their leader.