All good things come in threes.
There were, of course, the three natural spirits, the three heavenly spirits, the three underwater spirits and the three underworld spirits.
Of course, that's a bit complicated because those things don't come in threes. They're more than threes, but the fact is that the gnomes also came in threes.
There were the gnomes, green haired with hollow bones. They were friendly.
There were also the dark gnomes who, well just like the green gnomes, had hollow bones, but also hellhounds. Which made them harder to kill.
The hellhounds were extremely large and followed all commands given to them.
Then there were also the imp gnomes.
The imp gnomes, unlike the dark gnomes or the normal gnomes, didn't have hollow bones.
No, their bones were perfectly fine and they, just like any other gnome who wanted to take over the world, had a weapon!
That weapon wasn't anything major, it wasn't even something that could be reused.
No, they, for a short period of time, could make themselves tall, as tall as a human. Afterward, they used the same weapons and tools of the trade as humans.
The morning star was a particular favorite of theirs.
And so, as Asmodeos yelled at Peter, for he had turned him into a magical creature and forced him to join the mob union with him, Peter looked around, noticing strange humans coming towards them.
They had green hair and green eyes. Eyes giving away faint light…
Not only were they strange, but they were also armed to the teeth.
The chocolaty scent gave them away as gnomes.
The normal green-haired gnomes weren't surprised. They knew for a fact that these gnomes were going to come out of the cracks of the world to restore world order.
But now, as Peter unsheathed his sword, he decided that he really, really, really wanted the armor of these new gnomes.
There were a couple of things which were more precious to Peter than the armor.
One of them was Asmodeos, who was yet to pay him for his services.
Another was the gnomes, who were paying him with hot chocolate and cookies.
And then there was his hero's honor. The last one wasn't much of an interest to him. But he still clung to it.
After all, if he was not a hero, then he was just a transmigrator.
He would probably have to find a job, push numbers around until the tax fraud becomes possible, and still end up in jail.
"Charge!" Peter didn't wait for Asmodeos to charge with him.
No.
For Peter was already closing the distance between himself and the gnomes, greed shining in his eyes. As Peter met the sword of the first gnome, he knew he had fucked up. He had fucked up big time.
For the gnome, simply swung his axe, which he was holding in his left hand, and brought his sword, which he was holding in his right hand, upon Peter.
Mike, the phoenix system, saw that.
He knew, without a shred of doubt, that if he didn't do anything, Peter was going to end up dead.
No, worse than dead.
Because most of the gnomes were actually necromancers.
Capable necromancers, not like Asmodeos.
"By the power granted to me by the…"
Mike didn't get to finish his sentence.
Asmodeos plucked one of his feathers and waved it. Asmodeos knew that there was nothing good about phoenixes.
He knew without a shade of doubt that if he managed to use fire magic with his new power, then he could get a really big explosion!
After all, there were no trials of justice stronger than the fire of justice of someone who wanted to save his crush from a cruel fate.
The gnomes made a couple of steps back.
The one who was engaging Peter in close combat kicked him in the stomach and knocked him down. The challenge was issued.
Everyone knew that this fight was not going to end up without blood being spilled.
The leader gnome raised his hand, pointed three fingers towards Peter, and then decided to do the obvious sign of letting him die towards his brethren.
And so, without wasting any time, the gnomes charged.
As for Peter, who was boxed against the tree, doing everything in his power to stay upright, the situation was dire.
His barrier, something that he could now do as a paladin, was helping him a little bit, but not by much.
Asmodeos raised his hand, the spirits lent him their strength.
The rest was history.
As Asmodeos came to, he saw that all the imp gnomes were tied up. Peter had already looted the armor.
The normal gnomes, and the dark gnomes, were singing Christmas carols.
Asmodeos looked over his body and saw the wounds dealt by the gnomes. He looked at Mike, who was looking at the horizon for a dramatic effect.
"Why'd you do that? I needed to summon a real berserker!" Asmodeos asked.
"Yeah, but do you know how many minutes you have to wait for a real berserker to actually answer your call? I did you a favor. Besides, I used to be a PVPer. I got the job done!"
Asmodeos decided to make peace with the fact that Mike was going to take over him every time there was a battle. If one could not fight, then one could not complain.
He went to Peter.
The warrior had a nasty cut over his eye.
The mage took out a handkerchief, wetted it with a little bit of water from this water skin, and then began to clean Peter.
"You know," Peter began as he felt the gentle touch of the former necromancer. He decided this was nice somehow, wanted more of it if he could get more, even though he didn't dare to hope.
After all, if Asmodeos wanted to express any such desires towards him, then he had plenty of time to do it and he had not.
"We should go somewhere and drink a cup of coffee or maybe eat some cake. Do you like cake?" Peter asked.
"Cake is good, but you know if there is a single group of imps, then there are more imps in the forest. We will probably need all of our strength, all of our concentration, to make it out of here alive."
Peter didn't doubt that, but he had gotten the green light for cake and coffee! He also hoped to get the green light for cuddling.
Once one cuddled someone, there was no going back.