Chapter 139 - The Job Only She Can Do

"This map is so vague…"

Iris kept her eyes keenly on the rugged map provided by Heldjrim, keeping an orb of light close to her as she traversed the shadowy tunnels, keeping her palm against the leftmost wall just as instructed to her by the elder.

--Still, to fight another person...I'll try my best to resolve this with words. If he truly is a kind person at his core like Heldjrim said...It could work.

The map itself had nothing to do with the tunnel she made her path in, but instead outlined the whereabouts of Macheo, supposedly staying in a temple that previously housed creatures of Purgatory. After a short time of clinging to the wall, Iris found herself at a new passage; looking upon a secluded cavern that housed the aforementioned abode of Macho.

It looked regal, almost divine--or at least, it appeared it used to look like that. The many lavish designs painted onto the marble had faded, scratched away by countless years of erosion. Pillars crumbled, leaving debris to decorate the still-standing bridge that led to the towering abode.

Still, even in its ruined state, it was a sight to behold. Likely being a structure built hundreds, if not centuries ago, its beauty and overall architectural prowess was something that put the buildings of Mastorn to shame.

Looking upon the ivory grace of the abandoned, royal temple, Iris neglected to notice the fiends crawling up from the jagged ledges until they let out vicious growls.

"--Goblins…!"

Iris took a quick step back, rearing her hand back as she prepared for combat.

--Two...No, three!

The wretched expression the goblins wore at the sight of a human girl caused her to shrink back, watching as they licked their lips and giggled manically. Dragging their unrefined, crudely made weapons behind them, they slowly stepped forward with their grime-covered, pale-green feet as saliva seeped over their jagged lips.

"Licht: Arrow!"

Aiming her index finger at one of these repugnant creatures, Iris launched an arrow formed of light directly at it as it froze in place, piercing its skull with the light-formed weapon.

Its pupils faded, leaving only the white in its eyes as it dropped forward, limp, blood seeping out from the wound bore through its head.

The instant death of their kin stole confidence away from the other two.

--I...I hate killing, even if it is creatures beyond saving...Even so, I can't find Ren, let alone make it through this trial, if I'm not prepared to kill creatures like this.

In the case of fight or flight, they chose to fight; charging towards her with their offbeat steps, swinging their savage weapons in the air with a battle cry releasing from their throats. The left goblin wielded a club obviously cut down to scale to its size, the other holding a dagger that had been stained in a multitude of liquids.

For better or worse, she was careful in choosing her next attack, wanting to make sure she gave the creatures a swift, painless death. Waiting until they drew within just a couple meters shy of her, flailing their primal weapons about--she unleashed a swift incantation.

"Licht: Holy Wave!"

Raising her index finger as if it were the catalyst for this magecraft, a wave of blistering, serene light emitted from her position in a spherical pulse, sending the weak creatures back with such almighty force that their necks were instantly snapped, their skin charred, and their life taken.

Hearing the snapping of their bones as they met with the malicious light caused her to close her eyes, shrinking away from the horrific noises before slowly opening her eyes to meet with the result of her actions; slowly passing by the lifeless corpses of the goblins.

"...I'm sorry."

Iris bowed her head slightly before moving on. As the heels of her boots clicked against the fine-stone of the wide, expansive bridge, she could only feel a daunting sensation when looking upon the colossal temple as it reached towards the abyssal ceiling. A set of stained-marble stairs led her up to the courtyard of this unfitting, grand palace kept within the murky depths of Purgatory.

It was only by reaching the summit of these stairs did a realization come to her; noticing the layed-out skins of animals used as mats, the arsenal of makeshift weaponry sprawled out across the courtyard, and the plethora of campfires, all put out except one. This courtyard was used as a base for the group the goblins belonged to.

Although she could make out these objects on the ground, her vision was highly limited by the darkness now that her radiant orb had vanished. Shadows cast themselves over the once royal marble, the many pillars obscured by this darkness.

--If there is anything lurking within this darkness, I can't see it…

With that thought, she opted to reuse the spell that granted light; even if it gave away her existence, it was a necessity.

"Hyperion: Guidance."

Serving not only as a source of light but also as an object in which will guide her towards points of interest, the orb manifested, floating into the air to chase the slumbering darkness away.

As the radiance filled the surrounding area, her suspicions had been confirmed--looking up at the high-standing, ivory pillars to see the familiar figure belonging to goblins perched atop the vantage points. They were caught off-guard by the sudden light, previously resting atop the pillars before jumping up with disgruntled yelps before wielding their shoddy bows.

--This is bad! There are a lot of them! Four--five? If that's just how many are on the pillars, acting as scouts, then how many are in the main group?

Iris quickly raised her guard, checking her surroundings to make sure none were stationed near her. Luckily, the goblin closest near her seemed to have been awoken from its slumber, still rubbing its tired eyes as it patted the floor to search for its weapon.

Seeing it in such a vulnerable state, she hesitated--but there was no time to think, forcing her to act immediately.

--I can regret it later!

"Licht: Damnation!"

With the tip of her index finger acting as the aim of this spell, she pointed directly towards the groggy, green-skinned creature's forehead, causing a star-shaped sigil to burn into its head. Utterly perplexed, the goblin scratched at its head in an attempt to remove the symbol before it awakened into full force, the sigil turning into a source of divine heat; it melted through its flesh, skull, and directly finished it by turning its brain into liquid within moments.

--As long as they're weak foes like this without much defense, I can prioritize low-cost spells! I'm not adept at using weapons like the others, so this is my way!

"--Licht: Protection!"

In the nick of time, she raised her hand up to project a barrier formed of light mana, shielding her from the incoming volley of arrows before they crashed against its ungiving form. Compared to the Hyperion alternative, the Licht variation of Protection yielded a much weaker shield, yet it was more than enough to handle the arrows shot by the roughly-crafted bows.

Keeping one hand holding the barrier in front of her, Iris held her other in a half-prayer formation, pushing onward with her counterattack.

"Licht: Bind!"

--Normally, this is only used to subdue opponents--but for something of a smaller, weaker form than normal, its usage can be stretched.

Summoning tendrils of light that sprouted forth from the air beyond her, they reached out towards the fiendish archer, grabbing hold of their legs before pulling them down from their sniper positions. Each of their falls made her wince, causing her to avert her gaze as the sound of their skulls harshly meeting the rough stone, cracking and letting out groans, met her soft-set ears.

The fall down the tall, eroded towers didn't seem to kill them, at least not instantly, as they fell into a concussive slumber.

Battle came with a cascade of sounds, drawing in more of the Purgatory-dwelling goblins as they funneled in from the ladders stationed at the sides of the courtyard, leading down towards whatever pits the goblins primarily lived. Pressed with this sudden increase in numbers, Iris moved her lips silently as she counted the number of these approaching creatures, giving up once she realized the number was high enough that a precise number was futile.

It seemed she had awakened the brunt of this tribe, watching as goblins clearly higher in rank than the previous ones climbed up, clad in animal skin and wielding more refined weaponry.

What caught her eye was the enormous goblin that dragged itself atop the courtyard, standing itself up to display a height that stood at a large portion of the pillars.

--A hobgoblin? No...It's far too large. I've never seen one but it must be...A goblin knight. It's something not seen often in areas of the world populated with adventurers--but goblins have the ability to evolve as they kill, almost similar to how we can progress our magical energy. In Purgatory, it would make sense such evolution is possible…