Tony adjusted his monocle, a sly grin spreading across his bony face. "Now, my dear comrades, I suggest you sit tight and pay close attention. I'll be needing some assistance—but not too much thinking on your part."
Eleo tilted his head. "Uh… okay?"
Lilith crossed her arms, her golden eyes narrowing. "This better not be some convoluted skeleton scheme."
Tony chuckled softly, his tone calm yet confident. "Oh, it's as simple as skeletons themselves: just the basics." He gestured toward the cage floor. "First, Eleo, use one of your Ink Traps here, just enough to make a sticky mess."
Eleo hesitated. "But why? We're already stuck in here."
Tony wagged a finger. "Ah, trust, my boy. Trust and patience. Do it."
Reluctantly, Eleo summoned his Ink Trap ability, creating a small but sticky puddle beneath their feet.
"Perfect," Tony said, rubbing his bony hands together. "Now, Miss Lilith, can you summon just a little bit of your aura? Just enough to light up the bars on this side, like a fancy torch."
Lilith frowned but obliged, her hands glowing faintly with her red and purple aura. The light danced along the bars, revealing faint etchings that looked like crude goblin runes.
Tony examined them closely, his grin widening. "As I suspected—primitive goblin magic. They've enchanted this cage to hold magical creatures like you two. But…" He tapped one of the runes with his finger. "Their craftsmanship is sloppy. One good jolt of energy here, and it'll collapse."
Lilith raised an eyebrow. "And how do you plan to jolt it without setting off their alarms?"
Tony's grin turned mischievous. "That's where the ink comes in. Goblins are naturally drawn to strange things. When they come to investigate this mess, they'll step into the trap. Once one of them gets stuck, it'll cause enough of a commotion to draw attention away from us."
Eleo scratched his head. "Wait, how does that get us out?"
Tony pointed to the rune. "Once the guards are distracted, Lilith will use her aura to short-circuit this rune. It'll temporarily disable the cage's enchantment, allowing me to, shall we say, pick the lock with my natural dexterity."
Lilith blinked. "You mean you're going to use your fingers to open the lock?"
Tony's smug grin widened. "Precisely."
Eleo looked between them, still confused. "So… we wait for goblins to step into the trap, Lilith zaps the rune, and then you pick the lock? That's it?"
Tony nodded. "Exactly."
Lilith crossed her arms. "It's risky. What if they don't fall for it?"
Tony gestured toward Eleo with a knowing smirk. "They will. Eleo's ink is, shall we say, unique in smell. They won't be able to resist investigating."
Before Lilith could argue further, the sound of approaching goblin footsteps silenced her.
"Right on schedule," Tony whispered, gesturing for them to stay quiet.
A goblin guard shuffled closer, muttering in his thick Cockney accent. "What's this 'ere? Some kinda black muck? Smells like rotten eggs and old cheese!" He poked at the ink with his foot, only to find himself stuck fast.
"Oi! I'm stuck! Someone help!"
Two more goblins came running, their commotion pulling attention away from the cage.
"Now, Lilith," Tony whispered.
Lilith focused her aura on the rune, sending a sharp pulse of energy through it. The rune fizzled and popped, the enchantment dimming.
"Brilliant!" Tony exclaimed, immediately going to work on the lock with his bony fingers. Within moments, there was a satisfying click, and the cage door swung open.
"Let's move," Tony said, motioning for them to follow.
Eleo and Lilith scrambled out of the cage, both marveling at how flawlessly the plan had worked.
"You're a genius, Tony!" Eleo said, grinning.
Lilith huffed but couldn't hide her grudging admiration. "Fine. I'll admit it—you're clever."
The chaos of battle filled the goblin camp as Eleo launched himself into the fray, dispatching goblins with swift and decisive strikes while Lilith supported him from behind, her aura glowing faintly in readiness. Meanwhile, Tony locked his gaze on the goblin leader, who stood barking orders at his minions from atop a crude wooden platform.
"You've made a grave mistake inviting us to your little 'party,'" Tony muttered, his voice laced with venom as he cracked his skeletal knuckles.
The goblin leader sneered, his crooked teeth bared. "Oi, you're just a bag o' bones! You think you can take me?"
Tony's glowing eye sockets narrowed. "Oh, I don't think—I know."
Before the leader could react, Tony leapt forward with astonishing speed, his movements fluid yet deliberate. His open palm struck the goblin's chest with devastating force, sending him hurtling through the air like a ragdoll.
The goblin crashed into the side of a muddy wall, groaning in pain, but before he could even gather his bearings, Tony was already there. Grabbing the goblin by his arm, Tony yanked him back into the air, his skeletal form radiating an aura of precision and aggression.
With a swift combination of Wing Chun strikes, Tony delivered rapid and precise blows to the goblin's torso and head. Each strike carried enough power to send the leader reeling, but Tony didn't let up. He pulled the goblin back again and again, refusing to give him even a moment to recover.
"Did you think," Tony growled between strikes, his movements blurring with speed, "that you could trap *me* and get away with it?"
The goblin leader's protests were cut off as Tony delivered a crushing palm strike to his jaw, sending him flying once more.
But Tony wasn't done. Darting forward, he caught the goblin midair by his arm, slamming him into the ground with a bone-rattling thud. The leader coughed and wheezed, but Tony lifted him again with an almost casual strength.
"You're nothing more than a coward," Tony snarled, his strikes growing even more aggressive. "Weak, selfish, and undeserving of the power you crave."
The final blow came in the form of a devastating chain of strikes, each one faster and more precise than the last. Tony's movements were relentless, his mastery of Wing Chun on full display as he dismantled the goblin leader piece by piece.
With one last explosive punch, Tony sent the goblin leader flying across the camp, crashing into a pile of barrels and debris. The goblins who witnessed the spectacle froze, their confidence shattered as they watched their leader reduced to a broken, groaning heap.
As the goblin leader's broken form lay crumpled among the wreckage, Tony stood tall, his skeletal frame casting a long shadow in the rising sun. He adjusted his collar with deliberate flair, his bones gleaming as he struck a commanding pose—one hand resting confidently on his hip, the other raised slightly with a dismissive flick of his wrist. His gaze, sharp and unyielding, bore into the scattering goblins, freezing them in terror.
With a smirk that somehow radiated through his expressionless skull, Tony tilted his head ever so slightly. His voice rang out, smooth and commanding, laced with just the right amount of smugness:
"I'm the fucking winner."
His words echoed through the silent camp like a thunderclap, brimming with undeniable dominance. His tone was dripping with finality, each syllable hitting like a hammer. The flicker of an aura danced faintly around him, enhancing his already overwhelming presence.
As he stood there, motionless and powerful, it was as though the entire world acknowledged his triumph. His pose—regal yet utterly confident—spoke of someone who not only knew they had won but wanted everyone to remember it. The goblins didn't just scatter—they fled, stumbling over themselves to escape the sheer weight of Tony's declaration.
"And don't you dare forget it."
Eleo leaped into the fray with unmatched energy, his fists glowing with inky power. He shouted at the top of his lungs, "INK BARRAGE!" His punches flew like a storm, each one landing with a loud thud and sending goblins sprawling in all directions. The sheer speed and precision of his attacks overwhelmed the disorganized horde, leaving them dazed and scattered.
From behind him, Lilith jumped up and down, clapping her hands enthusiastically. "You've got this, Eleo! Show them who's boss!"
Eleo grinned, his confidence soaring with her encouragement. His keen eyes caught sight of two goblins perched on a tower, attempting to snipe him with crude arrows. Without hesitation, Eleo vanished in a blur of motion, reappearing atop the tower with a burst of speed.
He raised his fists, which morphed into massive ink hammers, their dark energy radiating ominously. "INK DOUBLE HAMMER!" he roared, slamming them down with unrelenting force. The tower shook under the impact, and the goblins atop it were sent flying like ragdolls, crashing into the ground below.
Just as he caught his breath, Eleo's ears twitched, picking up the sound of more goblins pouring into the clearing. His gaze scanned the horde, and he let out an exasperated sigh, his fists still crackling with inky power. "Good grief, there's so many of them