Chapter 444: Invasion [10]
The first goblin spoke:
"You didn’t answer me. How about you join us? I’m sure my chief would accept you with open arms."
"Your chief?" Zarah asked, her grip tightening around the bow as she studied him carefully.
The first goblin nodded, that crooked smile still on his face.
"Yes, Chief Raghul. I’m sure you’ve heard of him."
Caius’s former shaman.
Zarah’s eyes narrowed.
She remembered the name immediately.
Raghul had once been the shaman who served under Caius, and while she didn’t know everything about what had happened between them, she knew enough to understand that his involvement here was not something to take lightly.
"So, what do you think?" Wes asked, his crooked grin widening as he casually tilted his head. "How about you lower your weapon? And I’ll take that as proof of loyalty."
Zarah raised her head slightly, as though she were genuinely considering his offer. She remained silent for a few seconds, her eyes moving between the two goblins before she finally answered in a surprisingly polite tone.
"Your offer sounds tempting, but I’d pass."
"Tch. I thought I could fool you."
"Enough games, Wes," the second goblin said, his frustration becoming more apparent as he glared at his companion. "Let’s just get this over with and leave."
Leave where?
Zarah’s eyes narrowed slightly.
These two had just stepped through the portal, yet they were already talking about leaving as though they had a destination in mind.
Were they planning to return through the portal?
Or was there somewhere else they intended to go?
Zarah wondered what exactly they were planning, but before she could figure it out, the second goblin turned away with a flick of his hand.
Mana gathered in the air.
A moment later, a portal began to take shape, its swirling surface almost identical to the one the two goblins had emerged from.
"You handle her. I’ll search for their graveyard."
Zarah’s eyes widened.
The moment she heard those words, she understood their goal.
They weren’t here simply to fight. They were looking for the graveyard.
That was why they had come.
The thought sent a chill through her.
The graveyard wasn’t just another location within the clan’s territory.
It was the reason death wasn’t always permanent.
If the enemy understood that, then destroying it would be far more valuable than killing a few dozen goblins.
She immediately drew an arrow of ice and pulled the string back, aiming directly at the second goblin. The moment she released it, the arrow shot forward with a sharp whistle, rapidly closing the distance between them.
Yet the second goblin didn’t even bother looking back.
He simply stepped into the portal.
The swirling gateway collapsed immediately behind him, disappearing before the arrow could reach it and leaving nothing for the projectile to strike.
The ice arrow passed through empty air.
However, Zarah’s arrow wasn’t an ordinary projectile.
Its trajectory suddenly shifted, curving sharply to the right as its homing effect attempted to reacquire the goblin’s presence.
For a moment, it searched.
Then the arrow began to lose speed.
The goblin had already moved beyond the range within which the arrow could track him, leaving it without a target to follow. Its momentum finally gave out, and it dropped toward the ground, striking the earth as a thick icicle formed beneath it.
Zarah turned around, her eyes rapidly scanning the area as she searched for the goblin.
He was nowhere to be seen.
Then she sensed it. Danger.
She immediately activated [Mana Shield].
Mana rushed around her body and rapidly condensed into a protective dome, its surface covered in interconnected hexagonal patterns that shimmered as they locked into place.
BOOM!
Something massive slammed into the shield.
The impact was so powerful that the entire dome warped inward, the hexagonal structure flickering violently as it struggled to absorb the force. Zarah didn’t wait to find out whether it would hold.
She pushed herself away from the point of impact, trying to create some distance.
CRACK!
A fracture suddenly spread across the shield.
Then another.
The protective dome shattered under the pressure, and the remaining force from the impact blasted Zarah backward.
She landed hard but managed to catch herself, taking several hurried steps before regaining her balance.
Zarah steadied herself and immediately raised her head.
.The smoke slowly cleared.
Through the thinning cloud, Zarah saw Wes retract what appeared to be his arm. It had stretched forward unnaturally, extending several meters to strike her before snapping back into place like a rubber band.
Strange braces were covering his knuckles, made from a dark metallic material that caught the light whenever he moved.
Though Zarah doubted it was ordinary metal.
Wes brought both fists together, causing sparks to jump between the braces as he grinned at her.
"You’d hurt my feelings, pretty goblin. Don’t ignore me."
Zarah said nothing.
Wes laughed.
"You really are cold."
Zarah clicked her teeth and acted immediately.
She reached into her belongings and pulled out what appeared to be a simple piece of paper before tearing it apart.
But this was no ordinary paper.
It was one of the Soulshade Sigils Narg had created for communication.
She had used it to get the attention of any Chosen in the clan who might notice the signal, so she could inform them that the enemy was searching for their graveyard and that it needed to be protected immediately.
Wes watched her with clear amusement, apparently more curious about what she had just done than concerned about whatever message she might have sent.
"What does that do?" he asked.
Zarah didn’t respond.
She simply formed her bow again, drew an arrow of ice, and aimed it directly at him.
As much as she didn’t want to distract the chief or pull anyone away from the battle, she couldn’t afford to ignore what was happening.
The graveyard was of utmost importance, and if it was destroyed, any goblin who died during this fight would remain dead forever.
That was something she couldn’t allow.