Gates let out a low whistle of his own, clearly impressed. "Your summon keeps impressing me. He's doing exactly what you said—keeping them off-balance."
Arthur grinned, his eyes never leaving the unfolding chaos. "Hank's been with me from the start. He knows how to get the job done. Two down, two to go."
As the final two goblins scrambled to reposition, Hank came in at a steeper angle, catching one off guard and slashing across its face with a precise swipe of his talons.
The goblin fell backwards with a guttural cry, leaving only one archer remaining.
The last goblin archer looked visibly shaken, its aim faltering as it fired an arrow that sailed harmlessly into the trees. Hank wasted no time, finishing the job with a quick, clean strike.
[You have slain Goblin Archer (Level 3).]
The other goblins could only watch helplessly as they tried to throw rocks at Hank who was almost gloating at their attempts.
Arthur stood up, dusting off his hands as Hank returned, perching on his shoulder and letting out a satisfied screech. "Good work, buddy."
Gates adjusted his grip on his sword, his eyes gleaming with anticipation. "Alright, with the archers out of the way, it's time for the main event."
Arthur's smirk widened as he motioned toward the goblin village. "No more sneaking around. We go in loud and finish the job. Let's show these goblins why they should've stayed in their huts."
With that, they both advanced toward the village.
Arriving in front of the goblin village's main gate, Arthur and Gates exchanged quick glances.
The usual chaotic group of goblins stood scattered around, but one figure stood out immediately—a particularly large goblin wielding a crude spear, which was still an upgrade compared to the others.
His eyes gleamed with an intelligence absent in the others, and his posture radiated authority among the goblins.
"They all seem the same as before," Gates muttered, narrowing his eyes. "Except that one."
Arthur nodded, his gaze lingering on the large goblin. "Looks like their leader. That spear doesn't look like your average goblin weapon, either."
Gates shifted his grip on his sword. "We'll need to fight together if we're going to take that one down. This is going to get tough."
"Agreed," Arthur replied, readying his dagger. "Let's not waste time."
The goblins took notice of them, letting out guttural cries as they brandished their makeshift weapons. The larger goblin at the back barked orders, rallying the smaller ones into an aggressive charge.
As the battle erupted, Arthur and Gates fought back the goblins with calculated movements, slashing and parrying as the chaotic mass swarmed them. The goblins, despite their crude weapons and lack of coordination, pressed hard against them with sheer numbers.
Arthur feigned difficulty as he fought, deliberately allowing himself to be "pushed" toward one of the watchtowers.
He moved blocking and dodging just enough to make it seem like he was being overwhelmed. The goblins surrounding him growled, their attacks growing more frenzied as they sensed an advantage.
"Fateless!, watch your back!" Gates shouted, slicing through a goblin near him.
"I'm handling it!" Arthur called back, his tone strained as he made it look like he was struggling.
As Arthur neared the base of the watchtower, he glanced up and saw the faint glimmer of dropped items left behind by the goblin archers Hank had killed earlier.
His heart raced slightly, but his face remained a mask of focus. "Perfect," he thought.
Pretending to be cornered, Arthur made a show of scaling the tower in a desperate bid to escape the goblins swarming below.
Reaching the top, he swiftly grabbed the glowing loot, storing the items in his inventory before Gates could notice.
[Bow (Uncommon) has been dropped]
[Bow (Uncommon) has been dropped]
Arthur smirked inwardly as he glanced down at the chaos below. "That's two more items for the next auction," he thought.
Jumping back down, he rejoined the fray, slashing at a goblin and keeping his movements deliberately restrained. Despite his efforts, he knew the continuous loot drops from his kills might eventually draw attention.
"This is bad," he muttered under his breath. "I can't keep doing this. Gates isn't stupid—at some point, he's going to notice that I'm collecting items. I need a way to limit how much I'm involved in killing these goblins."
As he fought, an idea sparked in his mind. "That's it. I'll unsummon Hank and Borak, claim there's a cooldown on summoning them, and then focus on defence. That way, Gates won't suspect anything, and I'll avoid dropping too many items."
Arthur stepped back from the fight momentarily, snapping his fingers subtly. With a faint shimmer of light, both Hank and Borak disappeared, their forms dissipating into thin air.
Gates noticed the change immediately as the shimmering forms of Arthur's summons vanished into thin air.
His sword clashed against a goblin's rusty spear, pushing the creature back as he called out, "What happened to your summons?"
Arthur's face twisted into a mix of irritation and feigned horror, his dagger flashing as he blocked an incoming strike. "Damn it!" he spat, his tone sharp. "They're out for now—I hit my cooldown limit."
Gates frowned, his blade slicing through another goblin. "That's not ideal," he muttered, his eyes scanning the remaining goblins.
"There are still ten of them," Arthur continued, his voice carrying a horrid tone. "We need to be on the defensive. I can't handle five of these things by myself—not without my summons." He emphasized his words with a parry, sending another goblin stumbling backwards.
Gates gritted his teeth, his sword cutting through another goblin's crude shield. "Alright, we regroup. Defensive strategy. Let's move back and slowly disengage. We can't risk getting swarmed."
Arthur nodded, falling into a more defensive stance as he pivoted to Gates' side.
Together, they began a slow retreat together to avoid leaving any openings for the goblins to exploit. The creatures snarled and hissed as they pressed forward.
Arthur's dagger flashed as he deflected another strike, his eyes darting toward Gates. "They're more aggressive than before," he muttered, his voice low.
"That leader of theirs—" He glanced toward the hulking goblin with the spear, who watched the fight from a distance with cold, calculating eyes. "—it's got them riled up. We need to be careful."
"I know," Gates replied, his voice tight as he parried a goblin's thrust and retaliated with a quick slash. "We'll need to take that one out eventually, but not . Let's focus on thinning their numbers."
Arthur's mind raced as he fought, his dagger flicking out to parry and counterstrike, but always just enough to keep the goblins at bay. "We can't let this drag on too long," he thought, his movements precise and deliberate. "If they realize we're retreating, they'll swarm us."
He cast a quick glance at Gates, who was holding his own but clearly beginning to feel the pressure.
"Alright," Arthur said, his voice carrying a hint of urgency. "We're going to make a run for it on my signal. Keep holding them off for now."
Gates nodded, gritting his teeth as he deflected another attack. "Just make it quick. These things aren't giving us much breathing room."
Arthur's eyes flicked toward the edges of the clearing, calculating their best route of escape.
"On my mark," he muttered, his voice steady despite the tension in the air. "Three… two… one… now!"