The enraged goblin king stood in the clearing. The strange light from the dungeon made its red, scarred skin shine. With one swing, its huge wooden club looked like it could kill all of us, and its angry, glowing eyes looked around the battlefield, challenging anyone to stand up to it.
The stress was so high that it was hard to breathe as we huddled behind the rocks. Just being around the goblin king made the air feel heavy with danger.
Nolan climbed to the top of the rock without saying a word. He yelled, "Let's end this!" in a strong, clear voice. He raised his sword, which was glowing with lightning. The blade was sparking with power. He jumped right into the air and aimed straight for the goblin king's head.
Lucas came right after him with a smug grin on his face. As he ran toward the goblin king, his water-enhanced blade glowed as he moved with confidence.
"Stop! Don't go in yet!" I yelled after them, panic tightening my chest. They didn't hear my words, even though they could be heard in the clearing.
I said, "Damn it," and clenched my fist so tightly that my knuckles turned white.
That unease I had felt since I got into the dungeon got worse as time went on. It felt like the air itself was warning us that something awful was about to happen. Lucas and Nolan didn't care, nonetheless. Their pride kept them from seeing how risky it was as they charged in.
We should've first let Damon and his brothers engage.
With no option, I turned to the group. "Help them! Help Nolan and Lucas!" I yelled so loudly that my voice cracked from distress.
It didn't matter that the rest of us climbed out from behind the rock to assist them. The goblin king was too strong. No matter how many strikes Nolan and Lucas landed, it wasn't enough. Its red, scarred skin was unnaturally tough, shrugging off blows that should have slowed it down.
Lucas and Nolan's attacks were disorganized, and it was painfully clear that they were not working together. Instead of working together, they were competing with each other. Their egos clashed as they attacked, neither one of them willing to let the other take the lead.
The goblin king roared, swinging its massive club with brutal force. Lucas narrowly dodged, the wind from the swing sending him stumbling back. Nolan moved forward, but his blows barely hit the goblin in the chest.
"This doesn't work!" I yelled, frustration bubbling in my chest.
Then, out of the blue, the goblin swung its club again, this time straight at Nolan. He stopped moving when he realized he couldn't dodge in time.
Damon Reyes suddenly threw himself in front of Nolan, absorbing the full force of the blow. The blow flung him across the battlefield, causing him to crash into the rock we had earlier hidden behind.
I ran over to him instantly and knelt next to him, my heart racing.
"Are you ok?" As I worked to heal his injuries, my hands lit up with healing magic.
Damon grunted and sat up, acting like the blow didn't bother him much. He rolled his shoulders and said, "I'm fine." That man was incredibly strong. "I already feel better."
"Stop talking and get back in there!" I snapped. This wasn't the time for praise.
When I turned around, I saw that the descendants of Apollo and Athena were having a hard time staying upright. As they continued to cast spells to heal and improve things, their faces were pale and their hands were shaking. It was clear that they were worn out, as their mana pools were almost empty.
My chest got tight. We couldn't go on like this. We were all going to die here if we didn't stop this now.
That's when it happened.
A sudden, sharp rush of energy shot through me, as if a spark ignited in my chest. Everything around me seemed to slow down, and I could see every detail very clearly. I could see that Nolan and Lucas were moving slowly and that their attacks were missing their targets. The Ares kids were having a hard time staying put, and the supports were barely staying up.
But everything looked… reachable.
I just moved; I didn't think.
I was standing next to Nolan and Lucas before I knew it. I put my hands on their shoulders and reached out. Again, the energy inside me surged and flowed into them.
They both stopped moving, and their eyes grew wide as their steps suddenly got faster. Their attacks got so fast that it was hard to see, and their swords moved in perfect sync with each other.
"Just keep hitting them!" I yelled, and my voice cracked with stress.
Lucas smiled and slashed at the goblin king with his water blade, which was glowing brighter as he did so. As Nolan hit the goblin king over and over with his sword, it sparkled with electricity. The goblin king was no match for their combined speed.
"Go after the same spot!" It was the goblin's chest that I pointed at and yelled. "Do not give it time to heal!"
Now they were moving precisely and faster than I had ever seen them. Lucas slashed up, making a deep cut in the goblin king's chest. Nolan quickly followed as well, plunging his lightning-infused blade into the same spot. They didn't just attack; they switched hits on the goblin king, quickly hitting him from different directions.
The goblin king screamed and thrashed around wildly as its regeneration started to fail. Every time it tried to heal, another attack stopped it. They hit each other too quickly and in sync. The goblin king was on the defensive for the first time, and its moves were desperate and messy.
Nolan added to the magic on his blade, and now his attacks were even stronger, like lightning. Lucas did the same thing, and his water magic made his blade almost perfectly sharp. They hit the goblin king so hard that it had no time to recover.
Every cut and stab made the wound in its chest bigger. Lightning cracked through the water-filled wounds, doing more damage and setting the goblin king ablaze from the inside out. As it stumbled, its deep roars turned into screams of pain, and its huge body shook from the constant pressure.
"Right now!" Damon yelled and pushed his team forward. As soon as the Ares kids got there, they grabbed the goblin king's arms and held them down. Even though it was being thrashed around violently, their combined strength kept it in place.
Lucas ran behind the goblin, his sword glowing with water magic that swirled around it. Nolan stood in front of him, his sword crackling with pure electricity.
They struck at exactly the same time.
Lucas cut the goblin in the back with his sword, and Nolan cut it in the chest with his. The magic rushed through the monster, and the water and electricity worked together to break it apart from the inside.
The goblin king let out a loud scream, and smoke rose from its burnt body. As it fell to its knees, its huge body started to shake.
I thought it was over for a second.
Then the goblin king let out a scream.
It wasn't an ordinary sound; it was a different kind of noise that shook the ground and went straight through my head. The scream made my whole body shake, so I got down on my knees and grabbed my head.
I looked up with a heavy heart when the noise finally stopped.
There was still life in the goblin king. It stood slowly, shaking but defiant, and its red eyes were brighter than ever.
In an instant, it turned and ran away.
"We're not going to let it go!" Nolan yelled and started running after it. Lucas followed right away, and his sword was still glowing in his hand.
"Stop! Don't go!" I yelled, and my voice got more fearsome. But Nolan didn't even glance back. "Shut up, Ethan," he called over his shoulder.
I had a hard time standing because my legs were so tired. I said in a low voice, "If something happens to them, we'll be responsible." I forced myself to stand up and looked at the others.
"We need to do what they say."
The group thought for a moment, then nodded, and we went into the forest.
The air got thicker with each step, and the uneasy feeling in my gut got stronger. It felt like we were walking right into the cruel, or dangerous.