Chapter 8
966 Words
"Yaa-woo~"
"Goo-woo~"
The closer they got to the goblin settlement, the more distinct these strange calls became.
This let Kain and his party know that they were nearing the goblin camp.
Catherine raised her right hand and signaled to the soldiers behind her.
Her deputy, Reed, nodded and led a group of archers and shield-bearers in a different direction, indicating they planned to attack the goblin camp from multiple angles.
On the other side, Marcus gathered all the cavalry, intending to charge into the enemy camp in a wedge formation.
Once everyone was ready, Kain carefully parted the leaves obscuring his view and began to observe.
Rushing in without knowing the enemy's movements would be suicide.
A dilapidated scene met Kain’s eyes, one that would make even a refugee camp seem superior.
The only structures in the camp were a few crude huts made of straw or leaves, and the ground was littered with various excrements.
What made Kain furious was the sight in the center of the camp: a constantly burning bonfire with several misshapen human bodies hanging nearby. These must have been the members of the previous cavalry squad.
Suppressing his anger, Kain continued to observe the nearby goblin soldiers.
At the outskirts of the camp, a couple of goblins were standing guard, though they showed no signs of vigilance.
These guards were yawning, looking as if they were about to fall asleep, their wooden spears nearly slipping from their hands.
If not for the presence of the extraordinary goblin, his cavalry patrol wouldn't have been defeated by such creatures.
Among the lazy goblins, one tall green figure stood out. Kain knew this was the extraordinary goblin warrior the scouts had reported.
This goblin warrior, a unique extraordinary class among goblins, was over two meters tall, with taut muscles and a robust physique. It wielded a giant spiked club, likely capable of crushing a regular soldier with one blow.
This creature was formidable. Its immense strength probably surpassed even Marcus's, but fortunately, it had its weaknesses: slow movements and the inability to wield its inner power like human extraordinaries.
Turning to his two subordinates who had come close, Kain said, "Ordinary goblin soldiers are not a concern, but that extraordinary goblin needs the three of us to take down. After you’ve instructed your soldiers, join me in attacking the goblin warrior."
"Yes, my lord."
"Good, let's move."
At Kain’s command, everyone charged out of the underbrush and attacked the goblin camp.
The yawning goblin soldiers were startled and began to scream in panic.
They grabbed their weapons and ran back towards the camp.
Reed, Catherine's deputy, led the archers from the underbrush, loosing arrows that caught the southern guards off guard.
The sudden attack awakened all the goblins in the camp, including the extraordinary goblin.
More and more goblins emerged from the huts, some wearing ill-fitting leather armor, others wielding freshly looted human swords, and they charged towards Kain's forces under the command of a slightly smarter goblin.
Reed's infantry showed no fear. Under Catherine’s direction, they formed a two-line formation, with shield-bearers in front and spearmen behind.
The shield-bearers blocked the goblins' attacks while the spearmen struck through the gaps between the shields.
This simple formation proved highly effective against the foolish goblins.
With just thirty-four soldiers, they successfully held off the assault of over a hundred goblins.
Meanwhile, under Marcus’s leadership, a wedge formation led by him split the goblin horde into two from the side, like a sharp spear.
Seeing his tribe being so useless, the goblin warrior thumped his chest and roared in anger.
He then lifted his spiked club and charged towards Kain.
"Catherine, Marcus," Kain drew his sword and moved to meet the goblin warrior.
"Yes, my lord."
Catherine stepped out from the soldiers, and Marcus, after delegating his position to another cavalryman, also headed towards the goblin warrior.
Kain, the first to engage, knew better than to face the goblin warrior’s raw power head-on.
As the goblin warrior swung its club down, Kain dodged to the left, avoiding the attack.
He then channeled his inner power into his sword and unleashed three bright silver sword beams.
"Slash."
Three wounds appeared on the goblin warrior’s abdomen, causing it to pound the ground in pain, but it couldn't hit the human who had injured it.
Not greedy for more, Kain retreated several steps, avoiding the goblin warrior’s furious counterattack.
During this clash, Catherine and Marcus finally arrived to support Kain.
Seeing more pesky humans approaching, the goblin warrior swung its club at them.
But Kain and his team dodged nimbly again.
Among the three, Marcus, the strongest, took on the task of distracting the goblin warrior, while Kain and Catherine struck it when its attention was diverted.
Soon, the goblin warrior was covered in wounds.
These crafty humans moved like eels, swiftly evading its attacks, while it could only watch helplessly as more wounds appeared on its body.
The battle was tilting in Kain’s favor, and it seemed it wouldn’t be long before the goblin warrior was defeated.
"Abalim, you've disappointed me. You can't even handle a few humans."
A voice, ancient and raspy, came from the camp, causing Kain and his team to pause. More shocking was that it spoke in the common tongue.
An elderly orc, his face wrinkled, emerged from one of the huts, holding a staff adorned with skulls.
"How could it be... an Orc Shaman?" Marcus said in despair.
"An Orc Shaman? Are they that strong?" asked the bewildered Catherine.
"Of course, as far as I know, an Orc Shaman can reach the third rank," Kain replied, maintaining his composure.
As if to confirm Kain's words, a powerful aura emanated from the Orc Shaman, pressing down on them and making it hard to breathe.
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