A distant, guttural chatter snapped Kael out of his thoughts. His sharp red eyes darted toward the noise. Another goblin group—rger this time.

  He counted ten of them, scattered across the tunnel ahead. Some were hunched over, feasting on the remains of what looked like another diver's corpse.Elise clenched her jaw. "We take them down?"Kael grinned, tightening his grip on his axes. "Of course. Time to polish practice more."Elise inhaled, then nodded. "Same as before—I take the front and hold their attention, you clean up."Kael smirked. "Got it."Elise raised her shield and charged forward, smming it against the cave floor with a loud cng. The sound echoed through the cavern, immediately drawing the goblins' attention.

  Their beady eyes snapped toward her, and with shrill cries, they scrambled to their feet, weapons raised.Three of them lunged at her first. Elise pnted her feet and braced herself, blocking a jagged dagger with her shield. She deflected a club strike with a swift parry of her short sword before stepping back to reposition.Kael darted to the side, taking advantage of their distraction. With a sharp exhale, he swung his right-hand axe, cleaving through a goblin's spine.

  The creature colpsed with a choked gurgle. Without missing a beat, he spun and drove his left axe into another goblin's temple.Elise kept the pressure on the front, expertly shifting her shield to intercept incoming blows while countering with precise sword thrusts.

  A goblin tried to slip past her guard, but she quickly bashed it with her shield, staggering it long enough to ssh across its throat.Meanwhile, Kael moved like a predator in the chaos, weaving through the enemy ranks. He dodged a spear thrust, hooked his axe around the weapon's shaft, and yanked it forward, pulling the goblin off bance before splitting its skull open.

  Another one lunged at him from behind, but he ducked, spinning low and slicing through its knee. As it fell, he finished it off with a brutal downward chop.Elise noticed Kael's side getting swarmed and quickly stepped in, bashing a goblin away before it could attack him from the side. "Watch your blind spots!" she called out.Kael huffed. "I had it handled." But he fshed a smirk. "Thanks."Elise rolled her eyes but smiled.The st few goblins hesitated, seeing their numbers dwindle. Two turned to flee deeper into the dungeon.Kael clicked his tongue. "Tch. They're running."Elise didn't hesitate. She grabbed a dagger from a fallen goblin and hurled it. The bde struck one of the retreating creatures in the back, making it colpse mid-sprint.Kael smirked. "Nice, so you can throw too."The st goblin shrieked as it ran, but Kael was faster. He dashed forward, his axe swinging in a clean arc. The goblin's body tumbled to the ground, lifeless.Silence fell over the cavern once more, save for the pair's heavy breathing.Elise wiped her forehead. "We're getting better at this."Kael nodded, scanning the battlefield. "Yeah. You're good at keeping them busy long enough for me to clear them out."They took a moment to gather their loot—several small blue gems, a couple of chipped weapons, and a pouch with a few bronze coins.As Kael pocketed the gems, he gnced at Elise. "Ready for more?"

  The air in the dungeon was damp, heavy with the scent of moss and blood. Flickering crystals cast long shadows along the rough cavern walls, adding an eerie glow to the battlefield.

  Elise and I stood side by side, weapons at the ready, as the goblins before us snarled and screeched in challenge.

  There were ten of them. Five were the usual scrawny, green-skinned creatures—weak but quick. The other five, however, were elites. Larger, more muscur, with jagged weapons and crude armor covering their vital areas. Their beady eyes glowed with malice, and unlike their lesser counterparts, they held their ground instead of charging in blindly.

  I tightened my grip on my axes. "Five elites, huh? This'll be a pain."

  Elise nodded, lifting her shield slightly.

  "We need to take out the weak ones first. The elites won't step in immediately, but once they do, things will get ugly."

  As if waiting for their cue, the five normal goblins suddenly screeched and rushed at us, their crude bdes raised high.

  I reacted immediately, hurling one of my throwing axes. It spun through the air and buried itself in the forehead of the leading goblin. The creature let out a choked cry before colpsing to the ground.

  "Four left," I muttered, pulling another axe from my belt.

  Elise held her ground as two goblins lunged at her simultaneously. She deflected one blow with her shield, then twisted her body to avoid the other's wild swing. In the same motion, she countered with a quick thrust of her sword, piercing one goblin's chest.

  It shrieked before slumping over, but Elise had no time to celebrate—the second goblin was already swinging at her side. She barely raised her shield in time, the force of the impact pushing her back a step.

  Meanwhile, another goblin lunged at me, dagger fshing in the dim light. I sidestepped its predictable attack and swung my axe in a brutal arc.

  The bde cleaved through its torso, and a warm spray of blood spttered onto my arm as the goblin crumpled to the ground.

  Elise had finished off her second opponent, leaving only one weak goblin remaining. It hesitated for a moment, realizing it was alone.

  Big mistake.

  I grabbed my st throwing axe and hurled it with a flick of my wrist. The weapon struck true, embedding itself deep in the goblin's throat. It gurgled, cwing at the axe handle before dropping lifelessly.

  A tense silence followed.

  A piercing cry sounded.

  Another group emerged.

  Then, as if on cue, the five elite goblins stepped forward, their movements measured and deliberate. Their beady eyes watched us with a sharp intelligence that their weaker kin cked.

  They spread out, moving to fnk us.

  Elise shifted her stance. "Here they come."

  I rolled my shoulders, feeling the ache of exertion creeping in. "Bring it on."

  Two of the elites came straight for me, their jagged bdes gleaming under the dungeon's faint light. One swung low, aiming for my legs, while the other went for a wide overhead ssh.

  I barely had time to react.

  I leaped backward, avoiding the low strike by a hair's breadth. At the same time, I raised my axe to intercept the downward swing.

  Metal cshed against metal with a harsh cng, and my arms trembled from the impact. The elite goblin pushed down with surprising strength, its snarling face inches from mine.

  Gritting my teeth, I twisted my axe to the side, breaking the deadlock. As soon as I freed myself, I smmed my other axe into the goblin's exposed ribs.

  The creature shrieked and staggered back, but before I could press the attack, the second elite lunged at me again.

  It was relentless, swinging its bde in rapid succession, forcing me on the defensive. I blocked, sidestepped, and dodged, each movement sending jolts of pain through my arms as my muscles burned from exertion. I needed an opening.

  A sharp cry from Elise told me she was struggling as well.

  She was locked in a fierce battle against an elite of her own. The goblin fought with brutal efficiency, its sword striking her shield repeatedly, trying to break her defense. Elise gritted her teeth, bracing herself with every impact.

  When the goblin tried to break her stance by sweeping at her legs, she lifted her foot and stomped down hard on its exposed foot.

  The creature howled in pain, giving her just enough time to counter. She bashed its face with her shield, then drove her sword into its gut.

  It wasn't a killing blow, but it was enough to force the elite back.

  I turned my focus back to my own fight. The goblin in front of me lunged again, its bde aiming for my chest. This time, I didn't dodge—I stepped forward instead.

  Before its sword could reach me, I twisted my body and smmed my shoulder into its torso, knocking it off bance.

  As it stumbled, I brought both my axes down in a cross-ssh, tearing through its flesh. The goblin shrieked, colpsing onto its knees before falling silent.

  But I had no time to rest—the other elite was already upon me. It lunged, and I barely managed to raise my weapon in time. The force of the impact sent me skidding back. My arms throbbed from the repeated strain.

  I needed more stamina.

  "Elise! Potions!" I shouted.

  She quickly reached for her pouch, downing a stamina potion before tossing one to me. I caught it, uncorked the vial with my teeth, and gulped the contents down. A surge of energy flooded through my body, dulling the ache in my limbs.

  Now, I am ready to end this.