Hidden in the Shadows of the Stronghold part 2

The process was long and tedious, but it would bear fruit.

Atlas opted for a slightly different plan for the second ambush.

With three enemies, the chances of finding them as a pair were much higher, so he did not just prepare a single diversion but two small traps on two opposite points of the area.

On one side, he recreated the same diversion as before, but on the other, he exploited a small timed trigger built with a simple rope and a well-hidden flame.

Having prepared the trap on both sides, Atlas lit the candle and returned to the other side to start both traps simultaneously.

'Now!'

Two sounds resonated at once, but this time, the noise was slightly louder and attracted the attention of all three goblins.

'Damn... If two goblins come towards me, I will not be able to act...'

Atlas was clearly worried, but he had underestimated one thing.

The goblins were indeed three, but one of them was a creature of higher rank than the other two, and one like it would never have bothered for such a trivial problem.

The Assassin Goblin remained in position and pointed in both directions with his long, greenish fingers.

Not everything was going as Atlas had planned, but his strategy was still valid.

Hidden in the corner of the room, surrounded by the cover of the shadows, the young man calmly waited for the prey and, precisely as before, beheaded the creature with a single blow.

'One is gone, but there will certainly be problems for the other two. Even if I manage to kill the other two, I won't be able to avoid the sentinels... How can I do??'

The absence of companions was weighed down again, but with a bit of creativity, everything could be solved, even an obstacle that seemed impassable.

Among the equipment purchased before the trip, there were many things, but most of them were useless against creatures of that level, so Atlas used the second Technique he had comprehended in the past.

Surely, it had no effect on the goblins, but the bright light and the outburst of internal energy generated from the activation could undoubtedly attract their attention.

'Let's hope it works... Earthly Blessing!!'

When the young man recited those two simple words, the area around him lit up while the ground started emitting a dense, bright cloud.

At first, it was feeble, almost imperceptible, but after a few seconds, when the Technique reached its peak, the light became so intense that it illuminated the small structure entirely.

That wasn't the best way to use that Technique, but why not utilize it if it could help him?

Finally, the light grabbed the eyes of one of the two Goblins.

Unfortunately, this time, it was the creature with the two daggers who approached the house, clearly suspicious about the sudden disappearance of his subordinate and sudden wave of energy.

Unlike the other, this goblin cautiously approached the structure and, before entering, ensured that the inside was free from any suspicious thing. The goblin started peering from one of the many fissures caused by the past battles, but it found nothing relevant.

'Bastard... Come inside!'

The glow had disappeared, but he had fulfilled his mission very well, so Atlas remained motionless, wrapped in his Darkisher.

'Two more steps and...'

The target was almost in place, but suddenly, the bright eyes of the creature spotted something.

His gaze was not directed at Atlas's location but a few steps from him, exactly where the other creature had died.

Confused by the creature's strange behavior, Atlas looked down at the same spot, and his eyes opened wide with disappointment...

'Shit! I thought I cleaned pretty well, alas...'

It was a small mistake but more than enough to ruin his perfect plan.

Inevitably, the goblin unsheathed the two daggers from the belt and observed the area around him in search of something.

'I must act fast and eliminate as many enemies as possible before finding a safe hiding place.'

There was no more time, so when the goblin showed his back to him, Atlas came out from the shadow and struck coldly.

The icy blade of Astra tore the air around the goblin's body, but that creature was very agile and avoided part of the lethal blow at the last time, still suffering a severe wound on the back.

Surprised by the enemy attack, the goblin screamed loudly to warn his comrades, but Atlas seized that moment to inflict further damage on the creature.

"Die!!"

With a few more blows, the most fearsome enemy of the group was dead, but there was still one prey outside, and the young man knew well that it was the right time to remove one more enemy from the list.

Hiding was useless, so Atlas and his faithful companion jumped out of the building and lashed out at the surprised creature, who was coming to the rescue of his companion.

The creature knew about the intruder, and when it saw charge with such arrogance, it raised its reinforced mace to the sky.

The goblin's strength was not negligible, but it lacked dexterity and speed, so it was easy for Atlas to avoid that clumsy attack and counterattack.

Moving to the side, the young man found the right side of the uncovered goblin and took the opportunity to tear its flesh.

After several fights, Atlas could handle the mighty weapon well, so the blow not only ripped through the creature's greenish skin but cut off his leg sharply.

Without a leg, the goblin lost its balance and fell to the ground, dragged by the excessive weight of that bulky mace, allowing Atlas to end the battle in a few moments.

The second group of enemies had been eliminated, heavily reducing the hostile forces in the stronghold. Still, by now, its presence had been discovered, making the subterfuges of the young man useless...