Loud screaming, and scrambling quickly broke out as the group suddenly realized what had surrounded them.

  “Theodore how did they ge-” but before Drake could finish his sentence one of the Knights dashed forward ahead of the pack, in its hands two small javelins.

  The Goblin Knight raised one arm, the weapon shining in a red glow as it hurled it forward, aiming straight for the group.

  Shit not even room to talk! Drake thought rapidly, his hands and mind moving at breakneck speed to change to his Wind Endowment, his hair shimmering to a light green, as he snapped his hand summoning a nce of fme and water simultaneously.

  Drake raced the thrown javelin across the distance, making it just barely in time to swat the weapon away with his left arm glowing a vibrant blue, this time from the mass of mana he pumped into it.

  At the same moment, he willed his own magic javelins forward, aimed at the incoming Goblin, but the Goblin moved with deft quickness as it dodged the two spells as they collided together forcing a screen of steam.

  Looking down he saw a scratch on his arm, a small bead of red trickling down his forearm as it shook ever so slightly from the impact.

  Fuck! That’s no joke of a skill or a weapon…

  “Everyone make a run for the Outpost, I’ll hold them! Theo! Do your best to dey them with illusions and get to the Outpost!” Drake barked quickly.

  “N-no wa-wan leevesssss!!” hissed a deep gravelly voice behind the screen of steam.

  “What?! It can speak?!” Drake said in disbelief.

  Before Drake was able to parse the revetion for more than a split second, an arrow burst the steam wall wide open, glowing green as it flew straight for him.

  Drake, clicked his tongue putting two of his rings into his inventory and pulling two green rings out simultaneously thanks to his shawl.

  In one swift motion, Drake dumped mana into his ring, his left arm pulsing to life once again in a glow of blue as he threw his hand forward, his fingers precisely equipping the Dexterity rings as his Adrenaline Acuity ramped up.

  His hand didn’t stop there as it turned with Drake in the trajectory of the arrow as he grabbed it out of the air, using the momentum from it to spin in pce, throwing it back through the mist.

  The arrow flew true almost like a curved bullet, a loud cry of pain sounding from behind the mist but no notification of a kill.

  Tough sons of bitches aren't they? Drake cursed, summoning three fire nces to his side, and a ball of water, ready to go in the moment he might need another screen.

  Being able to feel where the targets were, Drake threw the three nces into still dissipating steam cover, seeing the fre of light as two of the three impacted against their targets.

  But there were still no kill notifications. For the first time in quite some time, Drake was unable to kill the monsters in one shot.

  “My Lord! Thine enemy's aid hast cornered us! We art surrounded at every corner!” Theodore shouted from behind Drake.

  Drake’s eyes widened.

  How did they surround us so quickly?! Can some of their scouts manage to trail us outside of my aura’s perception, or is my Magic Sight not able to pick up an advanced stealth unit? Drake thought quickly, trying to go over the answers in his head.

  He only had so much time though as the steam fully dissipated, revealing the entourage of Royal Goblin Knights and their King.

  Drake was somehow able to remain calm thanks to his new skill but even against it, a spark of emotion towards the beast that had started all this suffering began to fre.

  The group of Goblins being revealed after their quick exchange showed that Drake had been unable to inflict any sort of real damage. As the long drawn-out pause in the scuffle allowed him to look over the Goblins more thoroughly.

  Each one held a specific weapon made to fill in a role almost like a party. Only two wearing simir armor and holding staves much like the Mage General, but much more extravagant.

  I thought this was supposed to be a tutorial, this is more like a goddamn game run on hard mode….

  The Goblins sneered back at Drake, meeting his scowl and hate-filled eyes with equal resentment. Only being held back it seems by the overly confident King.

  From left to right, the Goblins covered its front in a semicircle. The one holding double javelins which seemed to be some sort of unique item as the one it had thrown had been repced somehow.

  Next to it, one of the Mage-like Goblins in long darkish robes that came down and dragged on the forest floor, a gnarled staff in one hand, a bright blue gemmed ring in its other.

  On the other side of the King, the three remaining Royal Knights stood, all of them equally eager to be let loose on Drake and his companions.

  One with a bow and quiver attached to its back, one eye covered by a goggle-like cover, donning leather-type equipment and a glove on its drawing hand.

  Second to st of the Goblins was the other Robed individual, this one wearing a lighter beige that had a hood that covered its face but did nothing to veil its rge bumped nose and pointed ears.

  Finally the st of the Royal Knights, and the most problematic at first gnce.

  This one boasted a kite shield. At least three times the size of the Goblin General’s Drake had faced before, but the monster seemed unimpeded by the bulky mass. Its rger than the norm frame covered head to toe in glistening metal, in its other hand, a sword that reminded Drake of Bjorn’s.

  Oh, we are well and truly fucked I think. Drake thought a wry smile forming behind his mask.

  “Then why are you smiling… You are certainly becoming a battle junky and I am fervently against it. There are better ways to increase your level without having to face death every time!” Natto screamed in Drake’s head, her worry and caution spilling over.

  Yeah but what’s the fun in that? We’re stuck now, might as well enjoy it. And if they don’t kill me this spell surely will. Drake answered, his mind allowing Natto to glean parts of his pn.

  “Drake! Not only is that going to kill you, but I am not even sure if it will work with your level of Mana Manipution! You are not even E Rank yet! Your skill will not compensate for the control!” she pleaded.

  “In for a penny, in for a pound. As a great man in multiple animes once said! It’s now or never!” Drake roared, his fierce eyes drilling holes into the Goblin King’s.

  “K-keel, the v-v-veerminee!!” King Moth hissed, its jeweled finger pointing right at Drake, no, past him.

  Drake whipped his head around instantly, the encirclement of Goblins quickly closing in from all directions.

  He cursed, his pn off to a horrendous start and he was forced to change it already. Crushing the ball of water in his hand from early, Drake switched over to his Water Endowment, not able to use his Lightning, or Ice Endowment for need of his Wind Magic.

  Swiftly Drake threw up a gust of wind in front of him, hoping to blind the group of Knights and the King if only for a moment. Then with a burst of fire from his hand, he shot backward towards the group, another ball of fire conjured in his hand.

  Closing in on the group Drake hurled the ball forward, pouring mana into the spell. Following it up with a ball of wind right after.

  The ball of white-hot fire flew into the crowd of oncoming Goblin troops with a beautiful explosion of white fire and debris. In a fraction of a second ter, the ball of air arrived at the center of the impact.

  Drake snapped his finger, “Detonate!”

  The ball of air exploded in a gust of destructive expansion as the debris from the ground was flung up and out, including the remnants of the fire and the impacted Goblins, armor, and weapons accompanying.

  The explosion made for an incredibly successful pipebomb of earth, weapons, armor, and partial Goblin remains to rain down on the surrounding forces, killing a whole section of the encirclement instantly.

  “Theo, Chelsea! Run, now!” Drake shouted, his hand brimming to life again with a red magic circle as he threw two fire nces forward. Both the nces stopped at the impact forming a fiery wall to keep the ne Drake had opened up clear.

  Theodore did not even look back as he pulled Chelsea forward, she doing the same for the group, as they all ran as quickly as their exhausted bodies would take them.

  But it was not fast enough, as the double javelin Goblin broke off from the group behind Drake, sprinting forward at such speed he overtook Drake in a breath.

  Fortunately thanks to Drake’s Adrenaline Acuity he was able to catch the instant he came into his peripheral. Allowing Drake to conjure a third nce of fire, throwing it directly in the path of the Goblin. Slowing it down by a hair’s breadth. Simultaneously making a gust of wind so he could change to his Wind Endowment.

  Moving at a speed noncomparable to earlier Drake lunged forward and past the Goblin. The surprise on its face making Drake all the more jubint.

  “Marked! Atrophy of the Mind!” Drake chanted, passing by the monster as its eyes followed Drake.

  His hand reached out for the nce of fmes he threw earlier. It doing its job of slowing down the Goblin by just enough for Drake to get in front of it.

  With one quick motion, he brought down the nce from above on the Goblin, unable to change course as it was positioned so far forward it could not get its feet under it.

  Forced to do the only thing it could, the Goblin put its javelins into a cross guard above its head, spinning its body for the impact.

  “Fool!” Drake sneered, as the nce fell downward but split into two as it came into contact with the javelins, painting a line of white with a small break onto its body, but Drake wasn’t done there.

  After the spell seared into the clothes and flesh of the Goblin, screaming in anguish, Drake raised his arm again quickly, the tattoo fring to life in ethereal blue and red from his Martial Skill before he smmed it down into the face of the Goblin. Crashing it into a deafening crunch with the floor.

  [You have subjugated Royal Goblin Knight Vokr’ Ru Vixrik Level 26] [Experience Earned, 500,000 TP Earned]

  Drake had no time to even revel in his triumph as the sound of a soaring arrow tore through the air, Drake only barely jumping backward as it collided with the ground, the impact much rger than should have been possible, throwing debris into the air all around him.

  Drake lost vision of the rest of the Goblins but felt two fast-moving targets to his right and the army of foot soldiers closing in around the walls of fmes.

  Drake quickly exited his Wind Endowment in exchange for his Ice, needing the extra power for his Magic and regeneration. With a terse look over his shoulder, he saw the group only halfway through the wall of fmes, forcing a curse from his lips.

  Fuck I need those spells to deal with two at the same time! And there’s no telling when the rest are going to join! Drake swore.

  And with that, Drake’s fears came true. The two beings that Drake had felt ran past the shield of debris.

  Drake cursed as he saw the two, but was also surprised at the composition. The two Goblins that sprinted forward trying to get to the group, were the Archer Goblin, and the Dark-Robed one.

  Turning his head to the falling debris, Drake saw through it to find the Shield Bearing one and the Beige Robed one were still by the sneering King’s side.

  Is it afraid and keeping those two by its side? Why won’t it just throw everything it has at me? Drake wondered.

  “A King does not lower himself to deal with vermin. You heard it yourself, it must not think much of you even after felling its Generals and one of its Knights. It will be its certain downfall if it continues. You are far stronger than it gives you credit for,” Natto conceded.

  Drake smiled behind his mask as he dashed backwards using bursts of Fire to help boost his speed.

  Awe Natto, I didn’t know you thought that way about me. Makes my heart all warm and fuzzy! Drake thought sarcastically, making his way in the direction of the two running Monsters.

  Natto had no time to interject as the Archer Goblin knocked and released another arrow, this one tinged in a faint blue glow.

  Drake felt something ominous about the incoming arrow and decided to dodge it completely, using a burst of fire to change his own trajectory at the st second.

  But that only did so much, as his eyes widened, the arrow moving with him, striking his shoulder guard and piercing through it with ease, leaving Drake aghast but more or less unharmed saved his armor.

  Drake took the initiative and used a burst of fmes to propel himself forward once more towards the pair, but caught the wide yellowed smile of the Archer Goblin.

  “Drake the arrow!” Natto shouted.

  He continued to stare at the Goblin only to see its eyes move, his own following their gaze to the group.

  Forcing his head to turn the fractions of a second ticking by as his eyes tracked the arrow now changing directions once again, heading straight for the backs of the group.

  Drake looked on helplessly as he saw the arrow fly true to its target. Straight into the back of Chelsea, piercing right through her shoulder as she fell to the ground.

  He felt a phantom pain in his chest as his own health plummeted below half despite taking no damage as a result of their contract. But Drake hardly felt the pain as sound began to fade while he saw one of his party members once again y on the ground in a mess of their own blood, injured.

  Drake’s eyes turned feral as he zoned in on the Archer Goblin.

  “You. Die. First.”

  Arthur_Inverse