"Where in the world am I?" Zen stared at the underground kingdom stretching out before her, her eyes flicking over the scene of industrious groundhogs, their powerful limbs laboring away with purpose. The farther she ventured, the more she realized she was drifting further from the goblin's lair.
She slapped her forehead in frustration, sighing deeply. Her wings unfurled slightly, a soft breeze sweeping through the cavern. "I really shouldn't have veered off course so recklessly," she muttered. With a determined shake of her head, she turned around and took off, preparing to fly back.
Meanwhile, deep within the cavern, the Goblin King sat lazily atop a grotesque throne constructed from gleaming white bones, his sharp gaze locking onto the armored figure approaching below.
"Owen, you bastard, you're still alive," Russ growled, the venom in his voice unmistakable.
With a swift motion, Owen unsheathed his longsword, the steel gleaming under the faint light. He raised his shield, the metal clinking as it settled into place. Despite the layers of armor, Yarrow could almost feel the fury emanating from Owen's glare.
"Russ." The low growl came from beneath Owen's helmet, an unmistakable growl of contempt.
"Should I say you've improved? You managed to pierce through my illusion this time. Last time, you nearly died because of it. And yet, you're back again?" Russ' voice was gravelly and cruel, the grin on his face a twisted mockery of amusement. "Just like your father—stubborn to the end. But your fate will be the same."
With a swift motion, Russ raised his staff high, his knuckles white around the blackened wood. "You've gone too far." He slammed the staff down with a force that reverberated through the air, sending a shiver of anticipation through the cavern.
Suddenly, goblins began pouring from the surrounding tunnels, their eyes gleaming with hunger. They circled the group, surrounding them with feral precision.
"We're screwed! I thought this was supposed to be a retreat mission, not some damn boss fight!" someone shouted, their voice cracking with panic.
Yarrow drew his weapon, his expression hardening. This was no longer a simple retreat. They were walking right into the heart of danger.
Russ swung his staff, the sharp sound cutting through the tension. "Everyone, stand down! I want to enjoy this one."
The Goblin King sneered, his voice dripping with malice. "My illusions will drown you in despair, showing you your deepest fears... and I want to savor it."
The words barely left his lips before Charles suddenly collapsed, twitching violently on the ground, foaming at the mouth.
"This goblin's magic is... insane!" one of the adventurers gasped. "It's completely silent when activated!"
Russ blinked in confusion, looking from Charles to the staff in his hand. "Uh, no. I haven't even cast anything yet."
He let out a sharp, cruel laugh. "How quaint." Russ raised the staff, muttering under his breath as a surge of magic radiated from it.
"Don't bother with that trash!" Yarrow roared, his voice sharp and commanding. "Take down the Goblin King first! If we kill him, the rest of them will scatter like cockroaches!"
With a battle cry, Yarrow and Owen launched themselves at Russ from either side.
Owen, quick as lightning, drew a gunpowder pistol and fired it directly at Russ. At the same time, Yarrow's hand glowed with a flash of icy blue, a sharp ice cone forming in his palm.
But Russ's incantation had already reached its peak. With a single motion, he flung his staff downward, a wave of dark magic crashing out like a shockwave. The bullet and ice cone were deflected effortlessly, and the cavern seemed to quake under the pressure.
The entire group was thrown to the ground, each one struggling to stay conscious. A thick, gray mist rolled in, blanketing the area.
Yarrow fought to push himself up, hearing the agonized wails of his teammates all around him.
"Xiaofang! Please, please don't leave me! I'll really get the surgery, I swear! Don't go!" A panicked voice cried.
"I don't eat green peppers! Get away from me, please!" Another screamed, their voice tinged with terror.
"Grandma... Grandma, I really can't eat anymore! Don't feed me!" came another, the fear in their voice palpable.
Yarrow clenched his jaw, confused and worried. "Are they trapped under the illusion too?" he thought, though he felt no fear himself. Could it be that he was immune to it?
"Owen, how are you holding up?" Yarrow asked urgently, spinning around to find his companion.
He froze in disbelief. Standing before him was a giant, comical banana, its yellow peel gleaming.
"Okay," Yarrow muttered to himself, "I'm definitely under an illusion too."
The oversized banana suddenly swung its massive fist, and Yarrow was sent tumbling back, stars bursting in front of his eyes.
"Sorry!" the banana said apologetically, its voice suddenly morphing back into Owen's. "It's an illusion, just a trick. As long as you can feel pain, you'll snap out of it."
Yarrow groaned, wiping the blood from his forehead. "Thanks, Owen. You're a lifesaver... literally."
"Don't mention it. Just bite your tongue next time to break free faster." Owen gave him a tight-lipped smile.
Yarrow nodded, pushing himself up with newfound resolve. "I will. Thank you."
Russ had been watching them closely, his gaze sharp. "You still resist?" he sneered, raising his staff high again. "Get them! Capture them all!"
The goblins surged forward like a tidal wave, howling in unison, claws outstretched.
"You take care of the Goblin King! I'll handle the horde!" Yarrow barked to Owen, his voice steely with determination.
"Be careful!" Owen called back as he rushed toward Russ.
"Kill them!" the goblins screamed, charging forward.
A surge of energy surged around Yarrow's body, deep blue sparks crackling in the air. The Dragon King's power, copied from Zen earlier, flowed through him now, the air around him humming with raw magic.
"Let me see what the Dragon King's power can do!" Yarrow gritted his teeth as lightning crackled in his hands.
A flash of brilliant, dragon-imbued lightning burst from him, arcing through the goblins as they were struck down in a storm of electricity. They convulsed violently before collapsing, twitching and foaming at the mouth.
It wasn't as powerful as Zen's full force, but it was enough to stop the advancing wave of goblins, buying them precious time.
Another wave of goblins came rushing at him, and Yarrow was preparing to finish them off with a Fireball when a familiar voice interrupted him.
"Hey, Yarrow, that's enough. You don't need to fight anymore."
Yarrow froze, turning to see an all-too-familiar sponge bobbing behind him.
"You're...?" he stared in disbelief.
"I'm SpongeBob!" the figure sang with an exaggerated wink. "Ahhh, hahaha!"
Yarrow groaned and slapped his forehead. "Damn it, this illusion is getting worse."
Yarrow bit down hard on his tongue, the sharp pain snapping him back to reality. In an instant, the ridiculous image of SpongeBob vanished, leaving only the grim, deadly atmosphere of the cave.
On the other side of the cavern, Owen was locked in a fierce exchange with the Goblin King. His sword lashed out again and again, but Russ's spell attacks forced him back, time and time again.
Despite the incessant barrage of magic, Russ's offensive spells weren't particularly impressive. It was his near-endless magical power that made him so dangerous, allowing him to keep attacking relentlessly.
"You're a freak, you know that?" Owen spat, his voice bitter. "I still remember the first time I saw you, sitting off to the side, reading a book while the other goblins were... well, doing what goblins do! From that day on, I knew! You've always been a damn idiot, just like your old man!"
Russ's eyes narrowed, fury flashing across his face. "And you'll die just like your father did!" he roared, quickly chanting a spell. A magic blade materialized and slashed toward Owen, narrowly missing. But before Owen could respond, another blade appeared and cut across his side, forcing him back with a grunt. A loud crack rang out from his breastplate as the blow landed.
"Oof!" Owen coughed, a trickle of blood seeping from under his armor. He staggered but didn't fall, grimly pushing forward and charging at Russ again.
"Sometimes, I really don't get you idiots," Russ jeered, swinging his magic blades relentlessly. "You imprison your desires, turn yourselves into 'rationalists,' but none of you can see the truth! Not a single goblin here ever understood what your old man said!"
The blades whipped through the air, cutting into Owen's armor and skin. The cracks in his breastplate deepened with each strike. With a final swing, a blade caught him full on, sending him flying back, crashing into the cavern floor with a resounding thud.
He knelt there, blood pooling beneath him, unable to hold his weight. His sword, his only support, dug into the stone as he fought to stay conscious.
Russ loomed over him, sneering. "Look at you now. You and your old man—just people who can talk about ideals, but that's all you'll ever be! I'm the one who will lead the goblin race to victory!"
Russ laughed manically, but his laughter was cut short as something unexpected happened: a sword plunged deep into his chest.
Owen, kneeling from afar, had thrown his sword with all his remaining strength. The blade buried itself deep in Russ's heart.
"Screw your so-called ideals, Russ!" Owen's voice was raw, his teeth grinding in fury. "I just want to kill you, you beast!"
Russ's eyes widened in shock. He yanked the sword out, furious. With a swipe of his staff, Owen's body jerked upward, as if bound by invisible ropes, and was sent soaring into the air. He crashed into the cave's ceiling with an earth-shattering impact.
For a moment, it looked like Owen had been completely crushed. His body fell from the cavern ceiling, a limp, bloody ragdoll.
Russ stood there, breathing heavily, watching the lifeless form of his enemy. He sneered and turned his gaze to Yarrow. "Now, I just need to deal with you, human."
But as Russ looked across the battlefield, his eyes narrowed in confusion. Among the numerous goblins lying paralyzed on the ground, he noticed something—Owen's body was among them. Yet, Yarrow was nowhere to be seen.
A chill ran down Russ's spine. His gaze snapped upward, and in the air, he saw him. Yarrow had somehow switched places with Owen.
It all clicked in an instant. Yarrow had used one of the most difficult spells in existence—a space-based spell. Position Swap. It allowed him to trade places with anyone within a hundred meters.
Serena had warned him it would be nearly impossible to master, but with Yarrow's raw magical potential, he had somehow managed to learn it. Although he often made mistakes with the spell, this time, he had pulled it off without a hitch.
"Die!" Yarrow shouted, his voice sharp as ice.
An icy blue glow emanated from his palm as an enormous ice cone solidified in his hand. Without a chant, without warning, Yarrow hurled the weapon of magic at Russ. The distance between them was less than ten meters, and before Russ could react, the ice cone pierced his left eye with brutal precision, shattering his skull and driving deep into his brain.
Russ let out one last strangled scream before he collapsed, his body falling forward onto the cold stone floor.
Yarrow landed with a heavy thud, feeling the jolt run up his spine and through his aching body. He groaned, sitting up with a wince. "Xiao Ji Ji's ability finally came in handy... once," he muttered through gritted teeth.
Just as the tension seemed to dissipate, a deafening crash echoed from outside the cave. The walls exploded outward as a massive burst of force scattered goblin corpses in all directions. From the dust and rubble, a figure emerged, her silver hair gleaming as she stormed into the cave.
"Yarrow!" Zen's voice rang out, full of authority and worry. "Are you dead or not?!"
... patreon Seasay.