Chapter 175

He immediately understood what was being discussed. The attack was not dangerous. The forces were too unequal. But the retreating goblins posed a completely different threat. They would spread the news that fresh meat had arrived at the pass. Without wasting any time, the vampire rushed to the captain. There was no room for acting on one's own; he was not in command here, so approval had to be obtained.

— I'll send the paladins into the forest. The goblins will spread the word about our squad, and then the expedition will be doomed.

Vilor looked furious.

— And what will your paladins do in the forest? They'll die!

— I'd like to remind you that we passed this way a year ago. My people have experience. Please, give the order!

— Fine, but if our entire plan fails because of this, I won't hide from the duke and the king who is to blame.

— If we don't stop them now, the entire campaign is already doomed!

— Very well, go! — the captain finally relented.

He understood perfectly well that the goblins wouldn't miss such a target right outside their doors. By questioning the captured Orodian soldiers, he had a rough idea of their campaign. And he knew goblins were dangerous. But how to deal with them in the forest, especially at night?!

Leonid, receiving the order, rushed into the forest, taking all the paladins with him. Fortunately, goblins also had their stereotypes. For instance, they knew that pathetic humans would never pursue them into the forest at night. So, moving away from the battlefield by a couple of hundred meters, they could feel completely safe.

The attacking goblins considered themselves very clever and smart, so they retreated a full league. At such a distance, they could set up camp and tend to their wounds. The attack had been a complete failure. The wild creatures had no horses, and those humans they managed to kill, they would certainly burn. A crappy night. At least the family rid themselves of the weak, fewer mouths to feed in the future.

The emerged humans behaved unusually. They didn't shout or hurl fire spells. They killed silently. And they did so with such speed that before any resistance was offered, no less than a hundred warriors had fallen. Moreover, they didn't try to kill, aiming to wound to prevent further combat and escape; they lost interest in the injured goblins and shifted their focus to the next one. The darkness of the night, which had always been a faithful ally of the underground folk, now turned against them, bringing death and pain.

After finishing with the cleanup of the temporary camp, the vampires took out their leather pouches and began filling them with the blood of the wounded and the dead. Only when all the containers were full did they begin to feed themselves. This had been arranged during the planning of the campaign. It would have been strange if an entire squad went into the forest every night. And everyone needed to eat.

Leonid looked around. The well-fed vampires were rummaging among the bodies for anything interesting. Goblins didn't have money in the sense that humans and other races were used to. But they did engage in trade. Semi-precious stones, once plentiful in the dwarven cities, served as a universal medium of exchange.

The more beautiful the stone, the greater its value to the goblins. Moreover, their sense of beauty in stones fully matched that of the vampires. Thus, the most beautiful stones were taken as trophies. Goblins rarely brought their valuables to the surface, but this family had no choice; upon returning, they could very well find their campsites ravaged. There were intrigues underground too, meaning there were winners and losers.

— Let's go back. And don't show the pouches! — The vampires' joyful grins were their response to their commander.

The returnees were viewed as a miracle. Those who had gone into the forest of their own accord had already been written off as deceased, when at midnight they all returned. The captain, who had not slept all this time, eagerly walked over to the tents of this strange squad. Alexander did not pretend not to understand why the commander had come.

— You killed them all. No one escaped.

— Are your warriors capable of such…

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