Part-270

  In the midst of the chaos, something caught his eye—a stone, lying on the ground near his feet. It wasn’t much, but in this situation, it could be exactly what he needed. Without hesitation, James bent down and scooped up the stone, his mind already formuting a pn.

  Anoblin charged at him, its sword raised high, but James was ready. He ducked uhe goblin’s swing, rolling to the side as an arrow sailed past his head. As he came out of the roll, he hurled the sto one of the archers with all the strength he could muster.

  The stone flew through the air, and James watched as it struck the goblin archer in the arm, just as it was about to release another arrow. The creature let out a high-pitched screech, its shot going wide as the impact threw it off ba clutched its arm, momentarily stunned, but there were still other archers to deal with.

  James wasn’t out of the woods yet. The remaining archers tiheir assault, arrows raining down on him from multiple angles. He threw himself to the ground, rolling and dodging as best he could, but he knew he couldn’t keep this up forever. He o take them out—fast.

  Without wasting a sed, James sprang to his feet and charged toward the archer he had hit with the stohe goblin was still clutg its arm, its movements sluggish, and James saw his opening. His muscles tensed as he raised his wooden sword, activatih Divider once again. With a mighty swing, he brought the sword crashing down on the goblin, the force of the impact sending it flying into the ground. In an instant, it disappeared in a puff of smoke.

  Another one down.

  But there were still more.

  James could feel the tension building in his body, the strain of stant movement and the mental toll of keeping track of so many e once. He had fought these goblins enough times to know their tactiside and out, but even with that knowledge, the battle was wearing on him. The archers were the real problem—physically weaker than the sword-wielders, but their ability to attack from a distance made them infinitely more dangerous.

  As he ducked under yet another volley of arrows, James’ mind raced for a solution. The sword-wielding goblins he could handle, no problem. They were predictable, easy to read. But the archers were always in the background, always out of reach, f him to stay on the defensive. He needed a way to deal with them, and fast.

  Aone caught his eye. Without hesitating, James grabbed it and hurled it at the archer. His aim was slightly off this time, and the stone missed the goblin’s arm, but it struck the creature square in the chest. The gobli out a squeal of pain as the impact sent it flying backward, its body crumpling against the wall though it did not disappear in a cloud of smoke, but he gave it a heavy impact.