Battle for the Portal part 1

Elin certainly seemed to be in a bad mood and Kim couldn't figure out why. When she woke up from the effects of using for magic past what she had MP for, she had seemed calmer and hadn't been so upset. Yet, now she seemed like she was mad about something.

If she'd been asked beore, Kim would have said that Elin couldn't be like this, however she was seeing proof that Elin could be like this. She couldn't help but wish she knew why. Glancing behind her as they neared the top of the stairs, she noticed Elmo and wondered if she should try and use him to learn what it was that had gotten Elin so upset. If Elin was upset with Kim for something, asking Elin herself would likely make matters worse, but if she wasn't then Kim would be able to breathe easier.

While she still wouldn't understand, she'd at least be able to be relieved that it wasn't because of something she said or did. Not that she could think of anything she'd done to get Elin upset anyway, but at the same time, she had to acknowledge that Elin might not see it that way.

As she paused at the entrance to the room the stairs led to, Kim couldn't help but feel like this was just a big mistake, but she had said that Elin would get to decid. She just never thought that Elin would choose something so foolhardy. If she didn't know any better, she'd have thought that Jonas had somehow convinced Elin to be this reckless.

Yet, they were here and there wasn't any use in complaining now. Especially since while she could force Elin to not do this, she knew that she'd likely destroy any chance of getting Elin in bed again in the near future. Possibly ever again.

Kim pushed those thoughts out of her mind as she set herself to focus on what was going to happen in a moment. They still didn't know what waited them in the room, aside from the portal, but Kim knew that they were about to find out.

So, before she could lose her nerve and risk Elin hating her for the rest of her life by taking her bodily back down the stairs, Kim stepped into the room, her head on a swivel as she made sure that there weren't any other threats that could attack from directions other than they one they'd be paying attention to.

Fortunately, as Jonas came up beside her, she could tell that the only threats, currently, came from the two other goblins in front of her. One was clearly a hobgoblin, but the other wasn't one that she could identify. It had brownish-black skin and held a staff or gnarled wood that looked like it might have been a single branch to a tree at one point. However, despite those discrepancies, it was clearly a goblin.

On the positive side, both goblins seemed to be preoccupied with something and hadn't noticed Kim and the rest of her group enter the room. There was a cauldron in front of them and greenish-blue smoke or steam or whatever was coming out of the top of it and falling down the sides before disappearing. Kim couldn't help but feel uneasy as she looked at it.

To the side, she noticed a few either girls or young women. All she could really tell in the distance was that they were young. She suspected that they were captured when Jonas' contact sent out people to see if goblins were really in the area. At the very least, it would account for their presence here. Although, she felt sick to her stomach to see them left without any clothing on at all.

She turned her gaze back to the goblins in front of the cauldron and made her way towards them, as quietly as she could. If she could get a strike in before they were ready, then that would likely make the upcoming fight so much easier.

However, she didn't get the chance. They were about halfway across to them when the hobgoblin looked towards them. At first it didn't seem to have a reaction, but after a minute its expression changed. Kim wondered if it thought that it was imagining things at first, but she didn't falter. Instead, she started charging at it.

She heard Jonas' dagger fly past her head before she saw it plunge into the hobgoblin's right eye before pulling itself out and flying through the air back to Jonas. Kim kept running, only moving aside to avoid touching the portal, as she wasn't sure what it would do, before using her Iai Cut.

When her strike only seemed to push the goblin back, she couldn't help but be surprised. It was at that point that she noticed the armor the goblin was wearing. Kim let out her breath in frustration. If it wasn't enough that they had to fight two overpowered monsters, they now had one that had armor on, like it wasn't hard enough before.

Yet, Kim didn't let that bog her mind down. She was determined to survive this and the only way to do that was to defeat this opponent. Besides, it was already half-blind, so she was confident that she had an advantage. She just needed to press it.

Behind her, she heard Jonas directing Elin and Elmo to focus on the portal first. Which didn't concern Kim. She needed to get rid of this hobgoblin fast, before it had a chance to become a real pain for her.

However, as she tried making another Iai Cut, the hobgoblin merely blocked it entirely. Kim cursed the hobgoblin as she drew her bastard sword, a little surprised that she felt comfortable with it in just one hand finally. Which meant that she could get a shield once she had a chance.

Yet, she knew that this wasn't the time to be thinking about that. Instead, she focused on the goblins in front of her and didn't want to give them any more chances and openings than she'd have to do. She merely swung her sword, aiming for the hobgoblin's neck.

As she started swimming her sword, the other goblin lifted its staff and a dark green light emanated from the energy, shooting straight into the portal. She wasn't sure what it was meant to do, but she was confident that she wasn't going to like whatever it was.

Then as abruptly as it started, it stopped. Kim did what she could to not think about it, given any distractions from the fight could lead her to her grave. As Kim swung her sword again, she had an idea of something she could do, although, she wasn't sure how well it would work, just that she couldn't think how it would hurt. Especially since it was clear she was at a disadvantage in regards to the armor the goblin was wearing.

She couldn't say what Elin, Elmo, or Jonas were doing, as she drew her short sword and began to fight with two swords. The hobgoblins seemed to find it difficult to keep up, even though it was clear that Kim's short sword wasn't as much of a danger as her bastard sword, largely because Kim wasn't used to wielding separate weapons in each hand.

At first it seemed like she was making headway, though mostly through getting the hobgoblin with several small cuts rather than large ones. Yet, that itself was progress. Then things turned south for Kim as she was struck with a spell from the other goblin. It was an icicle spear that struck her right shoulder, making it painful to move, even though she still needed to move it to keep her bastard sword a threat to the opponent in front of her.

Kim gritted her teeth at the pain and braced herself for another as the goblin raised its staff again. Though, whatever it had in mind to cast, she couldn't be sure. As it was at that moment that Jonas came in, swinging his daggers, disrupting the goblin's concentration.

However, Kim found that she wasn't able to move as fast with her shoulder injured as it was, which allowed the hobgoblin to press its own attacks against Kim, forcing Kim to go on the defensive.

While she wasn't that proficient with using her left hand, she was at least able to hold it steady t block her opponent's swings and could occasionally get an attack in with her bastard sword. However, with her injury, she couldn't make any effective swings and would often have her attack blocked by the hobgoblin's own sword.

Kim wasn't sure what to do about it aside from hoping that something would happen that would allow her to turn the tables again. She also moved backwards enough so that she had the portal between her and the other goblin, just in case it managed to get Jonas out of its hair long enough to focus on her again.

It was at that time that regular goblins started to come pouring out of the portal, about three of four at a time. Kim gritted her teeth as she could tell that this just got a whole lot more difficult. Especially as she suddenly realized that the dungeon was starting to get darker with the coming of night.