Chapter 384: Elephant-Trunk Clams

“This way!”

Terry, the not-so-stout youth cut down a goblin with a swing of his sword while calling out to Kristina’s group who was breaking through the goblins’ encirclement.

“Thanks for your help, brave warrior! There shall be thanks when we return to the Temple of Glory!”

Kristina did not say much and merely saluted him-even though she was speaking basic, her accent was so thick that Terry found it rather curious.

“Don’t call me brave warrior, it sounds so weird. My name is Terry, and my companion will support you from those bushes nearby. Get there, quick.” Terry frowned, cutting the conversation short while leading the old dog Pikes to repel the goblins that were about to swarm towards them once more.

“The bear-goblins are coming!” A Kratos believer cried just then.

Soon, a burly figure that held a club crudely fashioned out of a tree caught up to them, trampling many goblins to death in its wake.

The Kratos believers couldn’t help stiffen and clench on their weapons at that, as if that would give them courage against the behemoth that was half-a-head taller than them.

But before the bear-goblin could reach them, the youth who just rescued them suddenly yelled, “Leave it to me! The rest of you, run!”

The Kratos believers were stunned, but recovered soon enough.

Indeed, would an average joe have the courage to save them under such circumstances?

They could see that the youth was not robust, but he was easily wielding a heavy full-steel sword (decorated with many meaningless ornaments on its hilt and blade) without getting tired. Moreover, he was always cutting down a goblin with each swing with hands that never trembled, meaning that he was most likely a big shot with a youthful act. Perhaps, that old dog accompanying him which was just skin over bones was some powerful familiar that had not unleashed its power yet!

Hence, under Kristina’s lead, the Kratos believers nodded at Terry in gratitude before running off to the bushes behind.

Some of them couldn’t help turning around even as they run, to see for themselves how the big shot would slay the bear-goblin.

Meanwhile, the bear-goblin let loose a vile-roar, raising its club that was thicker than the youth’s waist and swung it down at him!

“Good!” Terry wrung his wrists and raised his longsword in response.

There was a loud clang, and Terry was sent flying five meters up in the air like a golf ball, before slamming down heavily on the ground, lifeless.

“Uh…”

The Kratos believers who were keen on watching the big shot put on a good show did a double take. They did not expect that Terry was as average a youth as he looked, left irresuscitable with just a single swing of the bear-goblin’s club.

Despite their shock, the Kratos believers never stopped running. Poor Terry’s fate made them understand that the bear-goblin was assuredly more powerful than the average goblin, and messing with it could only disadvantageous-retreat was the best option here.

Once past the bushes, they found the companion whom the youth mentioned. It was another youth, one who was dressed like a mage and looked around the same age as Terry, although he looked skinnier and weaker than Terry.

But behind the young mage was a row of over ten Elephant-Trunk Clams. Neatly arrangement and standing at the height of two humans each, they appeared unmotivated with their fleshy trunks hanging out limply.

Rawr-!

To the rear, the bear-goblin and the other normal goblins were coming, allowing Kristina and the others not time to think.

“Split into two lines and give way!” The young mage barked then.

After fighting hard for so long, Kristina’s group naturally had no morale to continue the tough battle. Hence, at the young mage’s cry, they tamely made way even though they were a little upset about that.

The bear-goblin had also parted the bushes just then, and found Kristina’s group fleeing as well as the young mage who was standing nearby and leering at it.

Its unwise brain promptly made a decisioneverything could wait after it beat up every foe!

But the young mage clearly would not let it do that.

“Fire!”

At his command, the limp flesh of the Elephant-Trunk Clams turned erect and ejected jets of water.

While a single jet stream had not much power, there were two rows of over twenty clams behind the young mage. A horrific tide took shape the moment the streams collided, directly blasting the bear-goblin and the other lesser goblins into the distance.

But that was not the end.

Even as the streams weakened, the young mage had already finished chanting his spell, and gently touched the streams with his staff.

Hence, starting from the point where he touched the water, the streams began to freeze, leaving the washed-away goblins shuddering in the cold. Some of the bear-goblins that freed themselves from the ice continued their attempts to attack the young mage, but quickly tripped when they stepped on the flat and smooth icy surface, stiffly knocking a crater into the rock-hard ice. In fact, even the agile wolf-riding goblins were falling over themselves—their wolves could not gain traction on the ice with their paws, and were tripping here and there over the smooth ice.

“Now’s our chance! Retreat!”

Only then did the young mage give the command for a strategic retreat.

“Your friend…”

It was only then that Kristina had the chance to apologize to the youth. “It’s fine. He will catch up soon.” The youth simply replied.

I’m sorry, but your friend’s neck was bent to ninety-degrees. He could not be deader…

Still, unsure how she could break the news about the young mage’s friend, Kristina merely followed the young mage quietly and ran along the trail he had found beforehand and left the forest.But before Kristina could ask the youth for his name, another figure had dashed out of the woods.

The Kratos believers promptly raised their weapons in self-defense, only to find that it was the old dog and Terry, who should have been dead!

“You’re late! I wouldn’t have waited for you if you were any slower.” The young mage complained.

“Nothing I could do. My neck got twisted by a whole circle and my windpipe snapped. The cola was spilling out of it and I couldn’t heal at once.” Terry shrugged innocently.

Meanwhile, Kristina and the others stared in shock at the now-unscathed Terry.

That regeneration… Could you be an undead wearing human skin?!

Nonetheless, perhaps sensing the shock in Kristina and the others, the young mage whispered a few words to Terry before heading straight for them and curtseyed not-quite-professionally. “Greetings. I’m Jom.”

“I heard that your group has been investigating about certain magical beasts,” he grinned then, and continued despite Kristina’s confused look, “That’s such a coincidence-I have some information I could share with you.”