As Blackthorn came back from the trees, Verdant dispatched the last of his enemies. The clearing was now littered with over twenty goblin corpses from their various battles. If some Academy beginner were to stumble on that, first time out of the gate, no doubt it would send a few hearts aquiver.
The girls seemed shocked to see the priest stained with goblin blood. The green liquid seemed to hardly spare a single spot on the man's robes. It had splashed up onto his face as well.
"The priest… can fight?" Lasha asked. For some reason she seemed put out by that fact, as though it somehow diminished her own accomplishments.
"So it seems," Oliver said with a nod. "A bit more experience, Verdant, and you'll be quite the fighting force."
The priest shook his head. "What strangeness this life brings," he said, seemingly baffled.
A half hour later, they finally found the Hobgoblin that Oliver was so intent on seeking out. Where they pushed through, the snow was untrodden – at least by human feet – which further evidenced just how ridiculous it was for a student to willingly go in search of such a beast.
All the tales that Lasha had heard of student victories over Hobgoblins had come by accident, when they'd strayed accidentally into Hobgoblin territory, and one of the stronger students was forced to take it in battle on behalf of the rest.
That, or an organized expectation of twenty or so members, with the express intent of hunting the beast for its materials.
Never, did she think, that anyone had approached the conquest of Hobgoblin slaying quite as casually as Oliver Patrick. He was practically humming through the trees. He strode ahead of all of them, clearing a path in the snow.
Lasha looked over her shoulder. Amelia and Pauline were panting behind her. They were exhausted from hiking at such a speed over such harsh terrain. Lasha herself wasn't feeling much better, especially after the earlier bit of 'training' that Oliver had set her to.
The wound on her shoulder had only just begun to ache. Pauline had dressed it expertly. It was a dull ache. It didn't hurt that much. It was as shallow as they had anticipated. She almost wanted it to scar, as a representation of her victory.
How many others could say that they cleared a party of five goblins as a mere student? Her older brother likely could… but few others. Aside from that priest, who somehow seemed to possess a God's strength.
Oliver lazily dealt with another pack of goblins.
The paths were set up such that the monsters were repelled away from them, by a variety of herbs and scents strung up in the trees. But that didn't mean it was impossible to encounter monsters when travelling along them. With Oliver, it almost seemed like the monsters were seeking them out.
They'd encountered several of the little parties, and he'd set Verdant and himself the task of dispelling all of them.
Lasha was beginning to regret bringing Amelia and Pauline. There were enemies all around them, now. Oliver had left the paths, in search of that Hobgoblin, and the attacks were growing more frequent. More than once, she was forced to draw her blade to defend her retainers.
Oliver's protection did not seem to extend as far as they all hoped, and yet, he still relentlessly bulled ahead, as though there was absolutely nothing to worry about.
"Around here, I suppose?" Oliver guessed, pausing amongst a copse of snow-covered holly bushes. Another clearing. The Gamemasters had set up plenty of those, to make battle more favourable for any students questing out.
His sword was still dripping blood from the last monster attack. He seemed to be searching for something amongst the trees, seeing something that she couldn't see. The priest seemed to be tracking the same thing as well. Hadn't Oliver claimed to have poor combat perception? And yet in moments like these, he completely eclipsed her.
"Alright," he said, just before the roar rang out, making Lasha freeze to the spot. "I'll take the first one. The four of you group up close together. Verdant and Lasha – I'm sure you can handle any stray goblins that come, right?"
He'd pointedly refrained from mentioning Amelia and Pauline in his plans. Without even glancing at them, he'd known that they weren't fit for a fight. They were liabilities. They'd even brought bustling packs with them, filled to the brim with food, wearing down on their endurance, all for the sake of Lasha's comfort.
She bit her lip. If something happened to them, it would be her fault. She really, really shouldn't have brought them.
The roar had been one thing, enough to freeze the blood, more aggressive even than the chilly winter air that surrounded them. Then, the presence of the beast as it revealed itself was quite another.
A massive oak grew by itself amidst a forest where pine dominated. The roar had come from amongst its branches. The creature soon revealed itself, standing halfway up, on a thick branch that barely seemed to support its weight.
It bellowed again, and flung a club from its arm to the floor. It hit with a loud crash. The creature followed soon after, hopping from branch to branch, until it too thundered to the floor, making the top layer of untouched snow quake from its tremor.
She unconsciously took a step back.
Gods, what was that thing?
The goblins… It was not the fear of battle that had made her quiver in their presence, it was the hate that the creatures radiated. It was stabbing and dark, as sharp as needles, and thick enough to absorb a person's soul.
This was on an entirely different level. This was a being worthy of the title 'monster'. It would not have been out of place in a single one of Lasha's nightmares. It made her knees tremble to feel the aura of hateful darkness streaming off it.
It wasn't just a dangerous monster. There was something frightfully wrong about it. It shouldn't exist. She could feel that. It was an affront to reality itself, and that affront manifested as a being of impossibly destructive power.