The warlord's roar shook the cavern, but what followed was not the clean clash of hero and monster. It was chaos.
The goblins didn't wait for orders—they hurled themselves forward, shrieking, their jagged blades flashing in the firelight. Xavier cut the first down, his dagger sliding into its throat with a wet crunch.
Blood sprayed across his cloak, hot and metallic, spattering the bones beneath his boots. He twisted, ripping the blade free, and another goblin lunged. Its teeth sank into his arm before he drove a dagger into its eye, the creature convulsing as black ichor poured down his wrist.
Aria's aura flared silver, but even her blasts couldn't keep the swarm at bay.
Goblins clambered over one another, clawing, biting, their frenzy animalistic. She struck one with a burst of energy, its chest exploding in a spray of bone and flesh, but three more replaced it instantly.
"They're going to kill us!" Lyra yelped in fear.
