The monsters surged forward, a tide of hungry eyes and rusted iron. Vanessa didn’t flinch. Raising a single, elegant finger, she unleashed a purple shockwave that expanded through the subterranean tunnel.
The five Lesser Goblins stumbled instantly. Knees buckled, crude weapons dipped, and their frantic, pack-minded coordination crumbled into chaos. Farther back, two towering Goblin Warriors recoiled as the aura visibly drained the vigor from their muscles. Only the Goblin Warrior Captain stood firm, gripping its notched broadsword with both hands and venting a furious, rumbling growl.
Vanessa lowered her hand, her expression entirely unbothered. "There."
"That’s it?" Raphael asked, his knuckles white around his knife handle. "They still look dangerous."
"They are weaker than before."
"That is not the same thing!"
Vanessa offered him a brief, frigid sideways glance. "Would you prefer to fight them at full strength?"
Raphael swallowed hard. "No."
"Then stop complaining."
Before he could respond, a Lesser Goblin charged. Raphael raised his blade just in time to catch the incoming blow. The force of the strike shoved him backward, but he kept his footing, desperately recalling Vanessa’s earlier instruction: Relax the wrist, lower the shoulders, keep the elbow close.
His body resisted the foreign posture, but the movement was smoother than his last attempt. When the Goblin swung a second time, Raphael slipped to the side, letting the rusted blade pass inches from his chest. He lunged, stabbing deep into the creature’s flank- only for his knife to slide uselessly off stiff leather armor.
’That did nothing,’ Raphael said, panicking.
The monster retaliated with a brutal overhead chop. Raphael ducked, the blade biting deep into the concrete wall. He lashed out with a kick to the creature’s knee, but it barely budged.
’Right. I’m weak.’
The Goblin wrenched its weapon free and lunged. Raphael leapt backward, landing awkwardly and stumbling toward the ground. Before the creature could gut him, a crackling bolt of purple energy slammed into its chest, driving it back.
Vanessa didn’t even turn her head. "Do not rely on me to correct every mistake."
"You just corrected one!" Raphael gasped, catching his breath.
"I corrected the consequence of your mistake," she replied coolly. "Fight."
Driven into a corner, Raphael retreated behind a shattered wooden bench. The Goblin pursued him relentlessly, hacking the bench to splinters in a frenzy of flying wood.
Desperate, Raphael ducked behind a thick concrete pillar. He was out of space, but as his eyes darted upward, he spotted a heavy, severed metal pipe dangling from the ceiling by two frayed steel cables.
’Please work.’
He stepped back into the open. The Goblin took the bait, charging with a deafening snarl. Raphael waited until the last second before diving aside. The monster’s blade embedded itself into the pillar.
Scrambling up, Raphael slammed his knife into the dangling cables. The first snapped with a metallic twang, but the pipe barely shifted. Panic surging, he stabbed at the second. His blade slipped off the steel fibers. The Goblin yanked its weapon free, turning toward him- snap.
The second cable gave way. The massive pipe crashed down, striking the Goblin across its spine and pinning it to the floor. Raphael expected the weight to crush the creature, but the monster merely screeched, clawing frantically at the stone to pull itself free.
Overcome by sheer adrenaline, Raphael rushed forward and drove his knife deep into the monster’s exposed neck. The creature dissolved into dark mist.
[Combat Participation Detected!]
[Host has defeated a weakened Lesser Goblin.]
[Combat evaluation: Poor.]
[Improvement detected: Environmental awareness.]
’You could have just said good job,’ Raphael thought bitterly.
Suddenly, a second Goblin leapt over the broken bench, slamming into his chest. They crashed onto the platform together, the creature’s foul, rot-tinged breath bathing Raphael’s face. He shoved against its chest- it was noticeably weaker than the first, yet it still possessed far more raw power than his frail body could muster.
The Goblin raised a jagged dagger. Raphael grabbed its wrist, his forearms trembling violently as the blade edged toward his throat.
"Vanessa!" he yelled.
The Saintess remained motionless. "Get up."
"I’m trying!"
"Try harder."
The point of the dagger nicked his skin. Gritting his teeth, Raphael violently twisted his body and slammed his forehead directly into the Goblin’s nose. Pain exploded behind his eyes, but the creature recoiled, screeching.
Raphael drove a knee into its gut, rolled away, and scrambled to his feet. His head throbbed, his vision swimming as the Goblin recovered instantly and lunged. Raphael raised his knife to parry, but the impact sent his weapon skidding across the concrete.
’Of course.’ He turned and sprinted.
"Matthews!" Captain Vale shouted from across the cavern.
"I dropped my knife!"
"Then pick it up!"
"That was the plan!"
Raphael sprinted toward a rusted, derelict train carriage. He grabbed the sliding door and heaved, but it was jammed tight. Hearing the creature’s rapid footsteps, he abandoned the door and threw himself through an open window just as the Goblin’s dagger scraped the metal frame above his back.
He crashed into the interior aisle, tumbling over a row of wrecked seats. The Goblin scrambled through the window right behind him, growling viciously.
Crawling backward through the dark, cramped aisle, Raphael noticed something crucial: loose wires and torn upholstery restricted the space. The creature was physically superior, but the tight quarters prevented it from swinging its weapon with any real leverage.
The Goblin lunged, but its dagger struck a steel handrail with a loud clang. It tried to hack at him again, but Raphael ducked beneath the narrow arc. He scrambled back, his shoulder slamming hard against a window frame.
The dead end.
The Goblin lunged forward, thrusting the dagger straight at his heart. Raphael caught the creature’s wrist with both hands, the momentum driving him violently into the metal wall. His back screamed in pain.
The blade hovered inches from his chest. He shoved with every ounce of strength left in his body; the Goblin pushed back. Caught in a brutal deadlock, Raphael felt his arms begin to buckle and shake.
"Why," he gasped, staring into the monster’s yellow eyes, "are you still this strong?"