Chapter 33: Commander Riven

Excitement surged through me with the responsibility. The Hero had given me control of the hunting party. The lives of my nine sisters rested in my hands. I couldn’t fail. "Alright girls, we’re shifting to a two-point bow formation with support. Zyra move to the center with Zela. Vira you’ll go behind them in the middle. The rest of you form the support line. Lira to the right Elnara to the left let no one escape... Charge...!" The formation moved with precision, its spearhead aimed at the goblin village. Their reaction was much faster than I’d expected. As soon as we were a hundred meters from the village, the sound of horns blared, alerting the entire settlement to the invaders. The closer we got to the goblin village the stench of mold, filth, and rotting flesh intensified. Just as we crossed the village boundary, a horde of goblins burst out screaming with sharp shrieks. More and more goblins poured from the huts, brandishing crude sticks and rusty knives, their red eyes wild with savagery. Zela and Zyra on the front line acted as an unyielding wall. Their bodies slammed into the first attackers. Using their innate warrior skills they took minor blows on their forearms while dodging knife slashes. "Not one step back!" "Vira Now...!" I shouted to boost morale. Behind them Vira moved like a lethal shadow. She exploited every gap Zela and Zyra created. As they absorbed the blows, her own knife plunged with precision into one goblin throat after another, her fluid and merciless movements wreaking havoc on the goblin formation. Suddenly a rain of poisoned darts whistled from the side huts. Goblins with blowguns were attempting an ambush. "Archers to the flanks! Cover the healers and mages!" I yelled, shifting the flow of battle. Lira and Elnara, positioned on the wings, moved with surprising agility. Though without bows, their bodies intercepted the projectiles. They used pieces of wood and their agile movements to deflect the darts, preventing them from reaching their targets. Ana, Karely, Leila, and Lyra, who maintained their central positions with wooden spears, supported the warriors finishing off the wounded goblins on the ground. [Goblin Scout lvl4 slain] [Goblin Warrior lvl3 slain] [Elder Goblin lvl7 slain] [Exp Gain] With the ambush neutralized the advance continued in an orderly fashion. The goblins’ shrieks turned into whimpers of despair as the ground began to stain green. Once in the heart of the village, we continued searching for any trace of life. My eyes missed no detail, my head constantly turning, assessing every shadow. "Attention to the huts! There might be more!" My voice rang out. Vira entered one of the larger huts, her knife ready. A goblin, hidden in the darkness, lunged at her. The gleam of its rusty knife aimed directly at Vira’s back. "Vira, watch out!" Zela’s scream cut through the air. In a flash of pure adrenaline, Zela lunged without hesitation. She thrust a piece of rotten wood she’d found on the ground as an improvised shield. The goblin’s knife embedded itself in the wood with a dull thud, saving Vira by mere inches. While Zela protected Vira a group of four goblins, seeing an opportunity, rushed Zyra. Her line stretched to its limit. Alone, she was forced to halt the onslaught of all four. Her movements were a blur of feints and strikes, using her arms to deflect and her knife to cut. She managed to hold them off, her face a mask of concentration, trusting her comrades would regroup. "Zela, cover Vira and get back to formation! Zyra, hold on!" My voice resonated, a clear command amidst the chaos. My eyes gleamed, calculating every move. "Ana, Karely, flank right! Leila, Lyra, hold the center line!" The battle reached a stalemate for a moment. The remaining goblins regrouped, waiting for a mistake. The tension was palpable. I assessed the situation. The formation held, but our momentum had stalled. My eyes narrowed. "Charge! We won’t let them breathe!" With a roar that surprised even my comrades, I launched myself into the attack. My knife glinted in the sun, and my body became a blur of motion. I tore a gap in the goblin line, shattering their morale and reigniting my comrades’ fury. My leadership wasn’t just strategic; it was a spark of fire. Many goblins tried to flee. Lira and Elnara, despite having no bows, took charge of cutting off their escape, anticipating their movements and rushing them with quick, lethal blows. Everyone seized the chance to kill and gather anything that could be used as a weapon. Just when we thought it was all over, a final, scrawny, terrified goblin lunged toward the trees. Its speed was astonishing as it clutched a baby goblin in its hands. Suddenly a blurred figure streaked past us. A silver arrow, made of pure lunar energy, materialized. Using only the strength of his arm, Jax hurled it like a javelin. The arrow whistled through the air and slammed forcefully into the goblin’s back, piercing the goblin through the chest and the baby goblin through the head, sending them both instantly to their deaths. There were no survivors. [Congratulations for exterminating the goblin village calculating rewards] [Guild The Hero’s Guild, receives 500 guild exp points] [Guild Leader receives, light boots, light shield x2, and iron sword] Jax looked at us. His expression was proud, but also serious. "You did well but you failed." All our hearts sank. "Failed? But how?" "You let your guard down at the last moment and almost let the village leader’s children escape. I want you all to strip naked and run back to the village, but first I’ll distribute the rewards." "Riven, you did magnificently. You led the combat, you gave the right orders so your comrades weren’t injured by the ambush, you even broke the stalemate with your bravery. I’ll give you the light boots and the iron sword." "Zela," he looked at her, "when Vira was surprised by a goblin from behind, you managed to rescue her, risking your life. You earned the light shield." Zela nodded with a determined gaze. "Lastly, Zyra," he looked at her, "you held the line long enough by yourself, trusting your comrades. You’ve earned the last light shield." Zyra gripped the shield with a proud smile. "Everyone naked and run!"