The cavern stretched wide, its ceilings lost in the darkness above, where stactites hung like the fangs of a beast waiting to devour us whole.

  The mana-infused crystals embedded in the jagged rock walls pulsed with dim blue light, casting long shadows over the uneven ground, which was littered with broken weapons, dried bloodstains, and the remains of past battles.My body ached—the lingering exhaustion from our earlier fights weighed down my limbs, making each movement sluggish.

  My breath came in ragged gasps, my sweat-drenched clothes clinging uncomfortably to my skin. Elise wasn't faring much better. Her dark blonde hair was damp with sweat, her chest rising and falling heavily as she tightened her grip on her battered mace and shield.And yet, despite our exhaustion, we had no choice but to fight.Because we were surrounded.At least sixteen goblins encircled us, their beady yellow eyes gleaming with hunger and malice. Some carried rusty swords, others gripped makeshift clubs, and a few wielded daggers stained with old blood. Among them were four elite goblins, their scarred bodies cd in dented armor, their weapons of far better quality—one had a curved bde, another carried a long spear, and the remaining two bore small round shields and hatchets.The goblins chattered and snarled, their excitement palpable.They saw easy prey.Two tired, armorless fools wielding crude weapons.They thought this was already over.They were wrong.The first goblin lunged.It came at Elise, its rusted sword swinging for her exposed side. She raised her shield just in time, deflecting the attack, but the force sent her stumbling back.

  Another goblin followed up, bringing its club down—Elise barely twisted her body to avoid the blow, retaliating with a swift mace strike to its ribs.CRACK!The goblin let out a shriek as its ribcage colpsed inward, but before Elise could finish it off, another one rushed in.I was already moving.I gripped one of my throwing axes and hurled it at the incoming goblin.THUNK!The axe sunk deep into its shoulder, making it stagger back with a pained howl. But there was no time to celebrate—another goblin came at me from the left, swinging wildly with its dagger.I barely dodged, the bde slicing across my forearm, a sharp pain blooming as warm blood trickled down my skin."Shit!" I hissed through clenched teeth.I retaliated, gripping my remaining axe and swinging upward, the blunt side of the bde smashing into the goblin's jaw. The impact sent it reeling, but another was already closing in.They weren't letting us breathe.They pressed us hard, relentless and merciless.And we were starting to slow down.Elise gritted her teeth, her muscles screaming in protest as she blocked and parried. She was fighting like a cornered beast, her mace cracking skulls, her shield absorbing countless blows. But even she was reaching her limit.She panted, sweat dripping down her brow as she barely dodged a spear thrust, her footing unsteady. The elite goblin snarled and went for another lunge. Elise raised her shield, but the impact sent a jolt of pain through her arm, her knees buckling for just a second—A second was all it took.Another goblin took advantage, swinging a club at her exposed leg.THWACK!She let out a pained cry, her knee buckling, but even then, she didn't fall.She couldn't afford to.With a furious roar, she bashed her shield forward, smming it into the goblin's face, breaking its nose with a sickening crunch!**But more were coming.She couldn't hold them alone.I had to move.Had to do something before we were completely overrun.Ignoring the pain in my arm, I reached for my st two throwing axes and whipped them both at the goblins closest to Elise.One axe buried itself in a goblin's neck.The second lodged deep in another's gut.They stumbled, giving Elise precious seconds to recover.But I wasn't done.I charged, grabbing a fallen goblin's discarded club, and swung it with all my strength at the goblin trying to stab Elise.WHAM!The goblin crashed into the ground, dazed, and Elise wasted no time in finishing it off, smming her mace into its skull, turning it into a bloody pulp.

  We backed into each other, panting, battered, but still standing.The goblins hesitated now.Their numbers had dwindled—from sixteen to just seven.But we were barely holding on.We needed to end this."One st push," I muttered, gripping my axe tighter.Elise nodded, her eyes fierce, despite her exhaustion."Together," she said.And then we charged.I sidestepped a spear thrust, bringing my axe down on its wielder's wrist, severing the hand in a spray of dark blood. Elise rammed her shield into another goblin, then brought her mace crashing down on its skull.The st elite goblin, the one with the curved bde, let out a furious shriek, charging straight for me.I barely got my axe up in time to parry its downward strike—but the force sent shockwaves through my arms, nearly knocking the weapon from my grasp.I gritted my teeth.I refused to lose now.With a desperate burst of strength, I pushed back, twisting my body to the side, and brought my axe swinging in a brutal arc—The bde sunk deep into the elite's throat, cutting off its scream.It gurgled, cwing at its spurting wound, before colpsing.And then—Silence.

  I sucked in a ragged breath, my limbs shaking, my clothes soaked in blood, sweat, and grime.Elise was on one knee, gripping her shield for support, her face twisted in exhaustion and pain.But we had done it.For a long moment, we just sat there, letting our breathing slow, letting the reality of survival sink in."...That was awful," I muttered.Elise snorted, though it sounded more like a weak cough. "You think?"I let out a breathless ugh, despite the pain.She smirked, shaking her head before looking around at the carnage we had left behind."No potions, no armor, barely any weapons," she murmured. "How the hell are we still alive?"I exhaled, rolling my shoulders despite the protest of my muscles."Tenacity i guess?" I said simply.She chuckled, tired but satisfied."Damn right."And with that, we gathered what little we could salvage—before dragging our exhausted bodies back to the surface.The cave still echoed with the distant sounds of dripping water and the occasional skittering of unseen creatures, but to us, it was silent—the aftermath of the grueling battle settling like a heavy fog around us.