Solo Work Arc: Chapter 30.
All of the women introduced themselves as Winter slowly examined the roasted deer; he was half-listening to their introductions, more focused on the juicy meat that he was spinning in front of him.
◆ [ Their general opinion of you has increased. ] ◆
After some time of slow roasting and careful spinning, the deer was finally ready for consumption. Winter moved it away from the crackling fire and grabbed ten washed leaves that he picked earlier.
The ten women that Winter saved from the goblins hungrily salivated at the juicy sight, and despite their weak frame and ruined skin, it seemed like the energy that was sapped away from them came back.
He gave each of them a huge slice, wrapped in leaves, and apologized for the lack of utensils. The women didn't seem to mind, content with the juicy piece of meat anyway.
Finally, Winter sliced a piece of himself and then tasted it. His face scrunched with every bite; it was as if he were eating rubber. The meat was chewy, the texture was gamey, and the taste was nothing impressive.
Even worse, it lacked enough salt.
◆ [ You should've salted more inside rather than outside. The salt melts and spreads as the roasted deer is spun. ] ◆
He ignored Bricks while popping a vein.
He turned to the ten women who also had the same thoughts, but kept eating. Actually, their faces even lit up as they quickly gorged on the roasted meat. Three of them had teary eyes, sobbing as they ate.
"Thank you... I was going to give up and bite my tongue." A woman, Maybelle Okra, said while munching and wiping her tears.
Winter then sliced a few pieces and then chopped them into chewable bits. It was for the sleeping noble woman, Anya.
"Do you guys know the way to the city? I am a bit lost." Winter said, eyeing the women.
"I thought you were here to save us." One of the women spoke up, furrowing her brows.
"I never said that," Winter added while impaling a piece of meat on the dagger and letting it sizzle in the fire. "Those goblins were just in my way; they tried to kill me and my injured sleeping companion."
"Anyways, as soon as you're done." He pointed to a woman, the one able to cast some healing spells. "Matilda, right? Please, heal her once you're done with your meal."
"I understand." The woman with short grey hair said, slightly nodding her head before continuing with the piece of meat.
The left half of her face was scarred, and her left eye was disfigured, missing a pupil and iris. Her left ear was missing, along with the hair surrounding that area. Winter deduced that half of her face was burned, and he felt pity. (Matilda... it looked like she had it worse.)
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Matilda observed Anya Amogush's injuries; her expression soured upon seeing the state of her injured body. She couldn't help but cast parallels to the goblins' treatment of her and the rest of the women.
"Two fractured arms, a broken right hand, two fractured legs, some fractured ribs, an infected wound on her back, dental trauma, orbital trauma, and scattered scrapes and cuts that have varying levels of depth and severity," Matilda said, finished with her assessment.
She produced a small luminous white orb between her two hands. She then gently pressed her hands against Anya's lower abdomen. "Even if there's another healer amongst the women, I don't think we can provide much help. She needs a doctor. Not just a healer."
Winter sighed and rubbed his forehead. "Well, what can you do for now?"
Matilda unwrapped some of the bandages.
She smacked her lips, as if looking for words that Winter would prefer to hear. "I can heal most of her cuts and remove the infection on her back. I can ease some of the bruises and somewhat restore her leg tendons. She won't be in a lot of pain after I am done with her."
Finished with her gentle and generous reply, she started the process of healing the sleeping woman's injuries. She produced another luminous white ball between her hands and pressed it against a cut. The open cut glowed and shimmered, very slowly closing up.
◆ [Analyzing target: Matilda Kang is most likely somewhat upscaling her healing abilities to appear more useful. The healing output isn't enough to heal Anya. Verdict: Anya Amogush's wounds will take less time to fully recover. ] ◆
"Excuse me." A woman raised her hand, directing her words towards Winter. The woman had long black hair with bruises around her neck; her right eye had a blackened bruise on it. She was physically taller and more musculously sculpted than the rest of the women.
She carried an air of strength and power with her pose and words. Everyone, including Winter, could tell that she was experienced in both combat and battle.
"Yeah?"
"After she's done, we need to move out. The goblin horde will sound out scouts if they know that one of their outposts was cleaned or massacred."
Winter's eyes widened, and he snapped his head toward the woman. "That was an outpost? Are you sure? Your name is Puppy, right?"
"Felt Mae Puppy." Felt Mae Puppy said, putting pride in her name.
"Anyways, yes, I am sure. I came here with a party to investigate this area." Her voice shook, scattering with horror and silent fury. "We got ambushed, and I ended up as the lone survivor."
"That settles it then!" Winter said with an ecstatic clap. "This goblin horde's headquarters is close, right? Please show me." He said, gesturing a thumbs up and confidently pointing his thumb at himself.
"I will kill them," Winter said, trying to impress the women, but they all gulped in fear, unsure of what to say to their savior.
"You can't, there are so many of them."
"Lady, look at the previous outpost where you were imprisoned. Not a single one was alive, and not a single scratch on me." Winter declared, eyes gleaming with concealed anticipation.
"I will kill them, and then you will all guide me towards the city," Winter said and then approached Felt. "Please, lead me to them; let's not waste time."
Felt was unsure, but after some hesitation, she joined and grabbed a sturdy piece of stick, eager to enact some murderous vengeance.
(Brother, I will avenge you.) She thought while Winter followed her.
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(It really wasn't that far. Just a fifteen-minute hike from the outpost that I just cleaned house.) Winter thought while brandishing his scorch dagger, observing the goblin horde's headquarters above a tree.
"It's like a military headquarters, complete with marching goblins and goblins training around," Winter murmured. "Oh, look, they even have a neat little flag. These goblins sure are disciplined and evolved."
The goblin horde headquarters had high wooden walls and proper spiked defenses. All of the goblins inside wore decently manufactured armor and weapons. They even had ranks and some semblance of a chain of command.
The defenses were formed correctly, and each of the guard posts has ballistas in them, with four goblins operating them. From afar, it would be easy to mistake this for a human base or a well-guarded settlement.
This was only the outside base; the actual headquarters were situated inside the cave.
"Civilized, you mean. This is way too strange and intelligent, even for them. Goblins are chaotic and impulsive creatures; they're like humans, but the good parts are taken out."
"The Adventurer's League and the Kingdom have to be informed. This is one troubling development that either needs several gold or sapphire adventurers to take care of."
Felt said with worry that upset her stomach.
"Maybe even the army..." She sighed and stepped back from the webbed vines, then turned to Winter, who was perched on the tree. "We made a mistake coming here; we need to fall back and head straight towards the city."
Winter ignored her words, scanning the whole base. (As of right now, I am level thirteen, and once I reach level twenty, I should have access to some fundamental healing or support spells.)
(In the game, healing or buffing gives experience. The same should apply here too.) He kept thinking while Felt below was getting nervous.
(I saw my stats earlier. I should be able to handle this goblin army; besides, even if I can't kill them all. At the very least, it will be satisfying to halve their numbers.) Winter thought, then charged forward, shocking Felt.
"Is he crazy!?"
"Greater Strength, Greater Speed, Greater Agility, Towered Strength, Towered Speed, Towered Agility, Fleet-foot, Enrage."
Winter murmured and then kicked the wooden wall, exploding it and forcefully creating an entrance. The six goblins standing around on the other side were knocked back and killed by the sheer explosive force.
The goblins rang their alarm, the crude, primitive chicken-like creature alarm. It rang around the whole base, even reaching and echoing inside the cave.
"Minor Speed, Minor Strength, Small Boost."
Winter's whole body was quivering in power, steam emanating from all over his body, including his mouth and ears. The goblins surrounded him in no time, but they were hesitant to attack first, seeing the intimidating figure almost shimmer like the ground on a hot sunny day.
The ballistas proved ineffective, as they cannot be adjusted or redirected inward. The goblins atop the watch tower opted for their bows instead.
Winter disappeared as an arrow landed where he was standing.
Winter charged forward with crossed arms, tackling the crowd of goblins in front of him. The force from the speed was enough to kill at least a neatly lined dozen goblins.
A twelve collateral kill.
Winter then dodged an attack from a goblin, sidestepping and then cleanly slicing the attacking goblin. Its sliced, lifeless form plopped on the crowd.
Winter unleashed a relentless assault on the goblins, striking them with a flurry of cuts, blows, strikes with her feet, body slams, and knee attacks.
The goblins could only cry as their numbers quickly diminished. Even with their spears, shields, and decently manufactured swords, they couldn't deal a single scratch because their opponent was blitzing them left and right.
A goblin roared, wearing blue vests, and extended a hand. It cast a spell, a buffing spell, on an elite group of goblins. These goblins stood out from the rest, wearing full iron armor along with longswords.
A loud sound, like metal repeatedly hitting against metal, reverberated around the battlefield. The elite group of goblins fell like puppets, hitting the cold, hard ground.
"Gah!" The spell-casting goblin attempted another spell, but that proved to be difficult when its head vanished, turning into a fine red mist.
The neat formation of the goblins has been ruined, and all of the goblins were now scattering, prioritizing themselves. Winter then crossed his arms again and charged forward, tackling all the guard posts with his arms.
Winter felt it, the pain in his arms, but he ignored it, immersed in the battle. As he stopped, he felt the world turn, and his legs became difficult to control. His head bled from a wound while his arms flailed, as if there was something wrong.
"!?"
There was indeed something wrong. Winter's head was bleeding from all the charging and tackling, while his two arms were now fractured. He was durable but not invincible; he treated his body like a vehicle, swerving left and right, knocking over traffic cones.
After some time. The daze had subsided, and then he realized his situation. Two fractured arms, a strained leg, regional pains, and then an intense pressure on his stomach.
(Shit! What the fuck!? It goddamned hurts!) He couldn't help but fall on his buttocks and wince from the pain. A fracture, even a small one, was enough to stop him in his tracks. Had he pushed himself further, his bones would've snapped, not just cracked.
(This feeling is from the side effects of the techniques!? I thought I was highly resistant to that!) Winter felt as the goblins slowly crowded him again, this time, with huge smiles on their faces.
"Hey, you!" Someone from afar shouted as a goblin's neck was impaled by an arrow. It winced and bled heavily before it died.
"God, what the hell was he thinking!?" It was Felt, equipped with a scavenged bow, who was making a move.
"What the hell am I thinking!? Trying to save his life!?"
The goblins roared upon the sight of a woman and started grabbing their crotch, revealing the erect outlines of their rods. "WOHMAN! SEX"