Within seconds, the pitter-patter of countless feet filled the air."They know we're here," I muttered, gripping my axe tighter."Obviously," Elise shot back, raising her mace. Her expression was tense, her brows furrowed in concentration.Then they came.Six goblins burst into the chamber, their grotesque grins widening as they saw us.Three were regurs—small, hunched, and barely clothed, wielding crude daggers and chipped shortswords.The other three were elites—taller, cd in rusted chainmail and battered helmets, their weapons gleaming faintly under the dungeon's eerie light. One had a dented iron shield, another carried a poleaxe, and the third wielded two curved daggers, their edges dangerously sharp."Great," I muttered under my breath. "We're outnumbered, outgeared, and we already feel like dying."Elise exhaled sharply. "No use compining now."And then—they attacked.The first goblin lunged at me with a high-pitched screech, its rusted dagger stabbing toward my chest. I twisted my body, barely avoiding the strike, and countered with a wild swing of my axe.THUNK!The dull bde sank into its shoulder, splitting flesh and bone. The goblin let out a shrill, choking cry before colpsing, its blood pooling beneath it.But there was no time to breathe.The goblin with the poleaxe was already moving.It brought its weapon down in a powerful arc—aiming straight for my head.I barely managed to duck, feeling the air whistle above me as the poleaxe smashed into the stone floor, cracking the ground where I stood just seconds before."Kael, move!" Elise's voice rang out.I rolled to the side just as she swung her mace, aiming for the poleaxe goblin's legs.CRACK!A sickening snap echoed through the chamber as the goblin's knee bent the wrong way. It let out a guttural shriek, colpsing to the ground, its weapon cttering beside it. Elise didn't hesitate—she lifted her mace again and brought it down hard on its skull.CRUNCH.Its body twitched once before going completely still.Two down.The remaining two elite goblins weren't fazed by their fallen comrades.The one with the iron shield snarled, lifting its battered weapon in front of its body, while the dual-dagger goblin moved lightning fast, closing the distance between us in the blink of an eye.I barely had time to react.I raised my axe, trying to block, but the goblin twisted mid-air, sshing at my side.Pain fred across my ribs as its dagger cut through my sweat-soaked shirt, slicing into flesh."Gh—!" I staggered back, gritting my teeth.The goblin grinned wickedly, its yellow eyes glinting with amusement. It licked the blood off its dagger before lunging again.I barely blocked the next strike, cshing weapons with it. Sparks flew as the bdes met, my arms trembling from the impact."Persistent little—!"I suddenly jerked my knee up, smming it into its stomach.It wheezed, stunned just long enough for me to swing my axe with everything I had left.THUNK!The axe bit deep into its chest, nearly cleaving it in half. It let out a strangled gasp before crumpling to the ground, lifeless.That left only one.Elise was already locked in battle with the shield-bearing goblin.It was tougher than the others, blocking most of her attacks with its iron shield, retaliating with powerful but sluggish swings of its shortsword.Elise gritted her teeth, frustration fshing in her brown eyes. "Annoying bastard—!"Then—she changed tactics.Instead of attacking head-on, she feinted left, pretending to aim for the goblin's exposed side.It fell for it, instinctively raising its shield to block.That was exactly what she wanted.With a sudden burst of strength, Elise stepped in close—so close that the goblin couldn't use its sword properly—and smmed her knee into its gut.It staggered, stunned.Then, with a roar, she brought her mace down with all her might.The goblin's helmet caved in with a sickening CRUNCH, its body crumpling into a heap at her feet.Silence filled the chamber.The only sounds were our ragged breathing and the distant, dripping of water from the dungeon's ceiling.I wiped the sweat from my forehead, grimacing at the stinging pain in my side where the dagger had sliced me.Elise was leaning on her mace, her chest rising and falling rapidly."That… sucked," I muttered.She let out a dry ugh, shaking her head. "No kidding."

  The Dungeon stretched before us in eerie silence. The tunnel we followed led to an open cavern, vast and high-ceilinged, its rocky dome supported by thick stactites hanging like the fangs of some slumbering beast.

  The walls, uneven and jagged, pulsed faintly with the dim blue glow of mana-infused crystals embedded within the stone, their light casting long, flickering shadows across the cavern floor.The ground beneath us was uneven, patches of loose gravel and dried blood marking past battles. The air smelled of damp earth, sweat, and something metallic—likely the lingering scent of old carnage.Elise exhaled sharply beside me, gripping her mace in both hands. Her normally composed face was set in grim determination, brown eyes sharp and unwavering. She wasn't backing down.And neither was I.We weren't alone.A group of goblins emerged from the far end of the cavern, their beady yellow eyes gleaming with predatory hunger. There were at least eight of them this time—six standard green goblins wielding rusted weapons, and two elites cd in battered armor, one carrying a jagged spear while the other had a spiked club almost as rge as itself.Elise clicked her tongue. "Of course, there's more.""Good," I muttered, adjusting my grip on my throwing axes. "More practice."She shot me a sidelong gnce. "You better not miss."I scoffed. "Like hell I would."The goblins snarled, their bodies tense as they charged—and the battle began.Elise stepped forward without hesitation, shield raised high, intercepting the first wave of goblins. A dagger-wielding goblin lunged at her, snarling, but she bashed her shield forward, sending the creature staggering back.Before it could recover, she brought her mace crashing down.CRACK!Its skull caved in, blood and bone fragments spttering across the cavern floor.But Elise didn't stop.A second goblin came from her left, swinging a crude sword. She turned swiftly, her shield absorbing the blow with a loud cng, then countered by smming her mace into its ribs. The goblin let out a wet gasp, its body crumpling as something inside it snapped.Despite the brutal dispy, Elise remained focused, her breathing controlled but heavy.The spiked-club elite roared as it charged toward her, weapon raised high. Elise dug her heels into the ground and braced herself, ready to take the hit.That was my cue.While Elise held the front line, I kept my distance, gripping one of my throwing axes. The weight was familiar in my hand, its rough wooden handle worn from years of use. I narrowed my eyes, tracking my target—the goblin with the spear, positioned slightly behind the front-liners.With a sharp exhale, I unched the axe.It cut through the air in a vicious spin before embedding itself deep into the goblin's throat.THUNK!The goblin choked on its own blood, dropping its weapon as it colpsed."Nice!" Elise called out, blocking another goblin's attack with her shield.But there was no time to celebrate.The spiked-club elite was already mid-swing, bringing its massive weapon down toward Elise.She raised her shield, absorbing the brunt of the attack—but the sheer force sent her skidding back, her feet grinding against the dirt.She gritted her teeth. "Damn thing hits hard!"I didn't hesitate.I pulled another throwing axe from my belt and quickly aimed for its exposed arm.WHOOSH—THUNK!The axe bit deep into its elbow joint, severing tendons. The goblin let out a bloodcurdling shriek, its grip on the club weakening.That was Elise's chance.She lunged forward, smming her shield into its chest, knocking it off bance. Then, with a savage overhead swing, she brought her mace down on its skull.The impact was sickening.The goblin crumpled like a ragdoll, its body twitching before going still.The st three goblins hesitated, fear flickering in their beady eyes.They knew they had lost.One of them turned to flee, but I was faster.I drew my final throwing axe and hurled it.THUNK!It buried itself between the goblin's shoulder bdes, sending it crashing into the dirt.The st two tried to run in different directions—one toward Elise, the other toward a dark tunnel leading deeper into the dungeon.Elise made quick work of hers, her mace caving in its skull with a single swing.As for the st goblin…I sprinted after it, heart pounding, my axe heavy in my grip.It let out a panicked screech, but before it could disappear into the darkness, I swung my weapon.SCHLUNK!The axe cleaved into its spine, severing it instantly.It fell face-first onto the cold stone floor, lifeless.Silence settled over the cavern, broken only by our ragged breathing.

  The bodies of the goblins y sprawled around us, blood pooling across the ground, staining the dirt beneath our feet. The stench of death was thick in the air.I wiped the sweat from my forehead, my muscles burning from exhaustion. My side still ached from the cut I'd received earlier, but compared to what we had just fought, it felt minor.Elise let out a breath, rolling her shoulders as she inspected her shield. It had dents now, proof of the blows it had taken."That was… exhausting," she muttered, running a hand through her damp, dark blonde hair.I nodded, gncing at the corpses. "Yep… we survived."She smirked slightly, despite her fatigue. "Thanks for covering me."I shrugged, flexing my fingers around my remaining axe. "You covered me first."For a moment, we just stood there, surrounded by the aftermath of battle, letting our racing hearts slow down.Then Elise sighed, stretching her sore arms. "Alright. Loot their stuff, then let's get out of here before more show up."I smirked. "Finally, something I don't mind doing."She rolled her eyes, but her exhaustion softened the usual sharpness in her expression.We had fought.We had won.And yeah we were still alive.