Chapter 89 As I Feared

Without further delay, the group persisted in tracking the footprints that lay before them. The air around them was rife with tension, for there was a distinct possibility that they were being lured into a trap. Nonetheless, they were left with no other course of action but to press on, risking life and limb in the hopes of discovering the truth.

 Every step they took was measured and cautious, eyes and ears peeled for any sign of danger that might be lurking in the shadows. The silence of the wilderness was broken only by the sound of their boots crunching against the wet ground, and the lingering sense of unease that hung thick in the air. Though the prospect of danger loomed large, they pushed forward knowing that their pursuit demanded nothing less.

After what felt like an eternity, the tracking party stumbled upon a ghastly sight: a small goblin settlement. The meager tents, constructed from sticks and leaves, were randomly scattered about the clearing. The makeshift fences that surrounded the settlement were flimsy and offered no real protection from the horrors that lurked in the forest.

As the party approached, they could see that the goblins had adorned the area with macabre decorations. Effigies, made from the severed limbs of hapless victims, were crudely impaled upon sticks and arranged in twisted displays of carnage.

Despite the apparent lack of numbers, a few goblins patrolled the camp, their beady eyes scanning the surroundings for any signs of danger. The rest of the goblins were hidden from view, seeking shelter from the relentless rain under the thin walls of their crude stick tents.

Larry signaled to stop and keep cover while whispering, "Keep your voices down, keep chat at a minimum, if you don't have anything useful to say keep your mouth shut. We don't need to attract goblins' attention and alarm them. We need to scout the area first and locate the girls, when we locate them we go in and slaughter these damn goblins. A simple plan, don't fuck this up, I'm saying this to everyone here. Lives of innocent girls are at stake here, proceed with that in mind."

The blood-curdling scream sliced through the stillness of the goblin camp, jolting Larry and his team out of their uneasy rest. It was a voice of a young girl, desperate and terrified. Larry's heart pounded in his chest, knowing that they had to act quickly to save her.

Without hesitation, he told orders to his team, "David, circle around the perimeter. Kieran, you flank them from the left. I'll approach from the right. Helen, I need you to create a distraction and lure the goblins away from us while we make our move to save the girls. I know it's a risky plan, but we don't have much time. Helen, can you take the front and attract their attention while we sneak behind and rescue the girls? I know it's a lot to ask, but you are the strongest at this party. None of us will hold out long enough to help the girls."

Suzuka nodded in agreement and said, "No problem, Larry. I will give them the hell they deserved." She whispered to herself angrily, "If not for hostages I would have flattened the whole dam camp by now."

The team nodded grimly, understanding the danger that lay ahead. As they crept closer to the camp, the stench of death and decay assaulted their senses. They could hear the guttural snarls and growls of the goblins, their eyes glowing with a sinister light in the shadows cast by the dark rain clouds in the sky.

Suzuka burst into the clearing with a deafening roar, the ground shaking beneath her feet as she sprinted toward the nearest goblin. With a sickening thud, she landed on the monster, crushing it beneath her boots. The goblin's screeches of agony echoed through the forest, drawing the attention of its brethren.

Larry and his team watched in horror as Suzuka's display of aggression whipped the goblins into a frenzy. As Suzuka's display of aggression escalated, a sense of dread crept over the goblin camp. It was as if dark energy had taken hold of her, fueling her anger and intensifying the terror that emanated from her. Her red eyes glowed from under the shadow on her face.  The goblins, already uneasy in her presence, now found themselves whipped into a frenzied panic.

One after another, the small, tattered tents that surrounded Suzuka began to stir with movement. From the shadows emerged a horde of goblins, their glowing eyes fixed on the source of their terror. The air grew thick with the stench of sweat and fear as they swarmed around her, chattering and hissing in a language that was both alien and terrifying.

Their twisted and gnarled hands grasped at Suzuka, their claw-like nails tearing at her clothes and skin. They were relentless, fueled by a hunger for violence and chaos that consumed them utterly. Despite their best efforts, goblins were quickly overwhelmed by her brutality, unable to fend off the relentless beatdown she delivered.

The scene was one of utter horror, a nightmare made real as the goblins closed in on Suzuka. Their screams echoed through the forest, lost in the cacophony of heavy rain and loud wind. She crushed goblin after goblin with her bare hands, all of their attempts to bring her down failed and all the injuries inflicted healed almost instantly. At that moment, she was the monster and goblins fell victim to her. 

As Suzuka relentlessly dispatched the goblins, Larry and the other members of the group crouched behind the cover of the trees, their hearts thudding in their chests with fear but not because of the goblins but because of the girls' safety. With bated breath, they scouted the perimeter, looking for any signs of the captives they had come to rescue.

Finally, they spotted the tent they had been seeking - a dingy, blood-stained structure. Larry crept closer, careful not to alert anyone.

As he peered through the flaps of the tent, his worst fears were realized. Only one of the seven girls they had come to save was there - a terrified, sobbing figure huddled in a corner of the filthy cage. The goblins had not yet laid a hand on her, but it was clear that her fate was sealed.

Without hesitation, Larry sprang into action. He slashed through the cage doors with his blade, his eyes locked onto the trembling figure of the captive girl. She clung to him like a lifeline as he swept her up in his arms and made for the exit, moving as quietly as he could.

As they emerged from the tent, Larry's companions signaled him with urgent gestures - there were no other girls to be found in the camp. The time for stealth was over; it was time to launch a full-scale assault on the goblin horde.

Larry took a deep breath, he hid the girl behind a tree and covered her with his camouflage raincoat to hide her, "Little girl, everything will be alright. I need you to hide here for a little bit. I and my friend will punish these evil monsters for what they did. Hide here and cover yourself with my coat. I will be back soon."

  His grip tightened on his weapon as he rushed to aid his friends in the attack. Larry's sword glinted in the air as he hacked and slashed his way through the goblin horde, his blood-curdling battle shout drowning out the monsters' attention. David and Kieran joined in, surrounding all the remaining goblins and finishing them off. The camp was cleared out and it was safe for now.

Kieran walked to Suzuka, he looked at her goblin-blood-covered body and said, "Jeezes, Helen. You really went crazy there for a second, even I was scared to get close. Good thing you are on our side, I'm scared to think what would you do if someone cross you."

"Oh! That's simple, Kieran. Don't cross me and we're good." She said with a laugh.

David came close and extended his arm with a wet towel to Suzuka, "Helen, please... take it. To wipe the blood off."

But Suzuka brushed his kindness off, "Keep your towel to yourself, David. Rain will wash the blood off." 

As Larry drew closer to the rest of the party, his breath came in short, ragged gasps. His eyes were wild with fear as he turned to address them, his voice trembling.

"Listen... everyone," he began, "we found... we found only one of the girls, as I feared." His words hung heavy in the still air, the weight of their implications settling like a leaden weight on the hearts of all who heard them.

"She told me... she told me that her sisters were taken to a different location, deeper into the forest." The words seemed to echo ominously through the trees, their meaning sinking in like a poisonous mist.

"The good news is that we still... we still can make out the tracks and follow them." Larry's voice rose slightly, infused with a desperate hope that belied the terror in his eyes.

"But the bad news... the bad news is we can't take the girl with us." His voice trailed off into a shaky whisper, the weight of his decision almost too much to bear. "Someone will have to... someone will have to escort her back to town. We are short-handed as it is," Larry continued, his voice cracking. "Which means only three of us will proceed further on."

The silence that followed was deafening, broken only by the soft rustling of the leaves in the wind. Three of them would have to proceed deeper into the forest, into the unknown.

Suzuka broke the silence, "Listen, we have no time for this. Let Kieran escort her back to town, he is a better fighter than David is, and he will protect her. David can come with us, if things go bad, we can at least use him as a meat shield."

Larry was not happy after hearing that, "It is no time or place to joke like that, Helen. But you are right about one thing, we go and Kieran will escort the girl. Do you agree, Kieran?"

"I agree, but you do realize that when I'm gone I won't be coming back. It will take a long time to get back to town and track back to where you are. If I go, that's it, I won't be coming back to help you, Larry."

"I understand that, Kieran. I am fully aware of that. Don't worry, I promise I will bring them back. Or die trying."