The fifty people comprising the eight teams started their journey toward the Monster Ground. Running along the forest, they immediately became aware of the change -- the forest was alive. Birds chirping, squirrels, and chipmunks running around, even a few deers. They even encountered a herd of cows, some nine miles from the base.

Frank didn’t know why it happened, but it made him feel uneasy. Could the System create life? He wondered. The answer was obviously yes, the System did spawn monsters after all. But monsters were new and artificial, even the wolves didn’t feel right, however, to see the familiar animals seemingly spawned by the System was unnerving. Could it create humans too? Would it? He tried to push the thought out of his mind and focus on the upcoming battle.

A blinking Battle Group Chat panel caught his eye -- the scouting team updated them on the goblins’ actions. They were done with the tree cutting, the fence mostly finished, however, a group of sixty goblins had left the base and were following a trail into the forest. Several scouts followed them, though judging by the fact that half the monsters carried pickaxes, they were apparently going to a mine.

Two and a half hours later, the teams arrived at their destination, with the last two miles taking the longest, as they had to move through the forest, rather than running in the plain. The leader of the scouting team, a short pudgy man named Tom, came to meet them. They exchanged greetings before he gave them an update.

“I’ve got three scouts on the base, and two on the mine the goblins marched to,” Tom started. “The goblins are staying inside the base, training by the sound of it, though it’s hard to see now that they’ve finished the fence. There is an opening in the fence, just like at our base, guarded by four goblins.”

“Not something we want to mess with. And the mine?” Gabriel asked.

“It’s located in a large clearing, about a mile from their base, and is set at the bottom of a small hill. About thirty level 20 goblins went inside, they are mining what looks like ore and dumping it into a carriage. The other thirty goblins set up a defense around the mine. They are all level 30, except one that is actually 45,” Tom concluded.

“That’s our best target, I guess. Though the clearing is an issue. Do you think we should wait and ambush them on the trail when they return?” Gabriel asked, scratching his chin.

“That would be best, but we don’t know how long they will take. It’s possible that it’s a permanent outpost, and that another group will come from the base to get the wagon,” Tom replied

“Guess we can’t wait to ambush them,” Gabriel scratched his head. We have the numbers, but charging straight-up at a group of level thirties is risky. And there is Carol’s request to attempt diplomacy. Man, I suck at this, Gabriel thought with a sigh. He was a fighter, not a strategist.

“If we attempt to make contact, that would reveal our presence and alert them to a possible attack, right?” Gabriel mused out loud, getting nods from the people around him. “But attacking first would doom any negotiations.” He thought about the issue at hand for a bit, before reaching the conclusion. “We’ll split into two parties. Two groups will contact the goblins, while the rest of us will set up by the mine. If diplomacy fails, we’ll hit the mine, which should also provide a distraction for the diplomacy party, in case the goblins decide to chase them.”

Gabriel quickly selected two groups for the diplomacy party, before turning to speak to Tom. “Tom, I want you to be the one to make contact.” He chuckled when the man gave him a confused and dispirited look. “Come on, your running skills should be higher than theirs, and your healing will be of great help should you have to fight,” Gabriel said, the smile disappearing from his face as he became serious.

“Ugh, and what if the goblins give chase and I can’t get away?” Tom asked.

“That’s why you should set up an ambush, say a few hundred yards into the forest,” Gabriel replied.

“You sure about this? Level 30 goblins will be tough, and if the miners join...” Frank asked Gabriel quietly.

“Thirty-eight of us, thirty of them, it should be doable. I also have a plan,” Gabriel replied.

The two parties got on their way. Half an hour later, everyone was in position.

***

Tom and two men exited the forest some three hundred yards away from the goblins’ base. He advanced some fifteen yards forward, leaving the others behind. He retrieved a white flag from his ring, a white shirt tied to a stick, and began to wave it.

His actions left him feeling pretty stupid -- the goblins were System-spawned monsters, were they even capable of negotiating? Still, he thought the idea of trying diplomacy was worthwhile, he just didn’t want to be the one making contact. Since the System came, Tom prioritized survival. He chose to learn healing magic so he wouldn’t have to fight in the frontline, as well as being able to heal his injuries. He chose to become a group leader so he could be in control and wouldn’t have to follow someone’s dumb orders. Even turning his team into scouts was a strategic move -- while dangerous the scouts wouldn’t be asked to engage in a fight. Yet here he was, drawing the goblins’ attention to himself, putting his life in danger. He felt a hint of resentment toward Gabriel in his heart as he chuckled bitterly.

It didn’t take long for the four goblins guarding the entrance to notice Tom, one of them rushing inside after a bit of shouting and pointing. Several minutes later a group of goblins rushed out. Tom squinted at the newcomers, who were actually riding boars, the weapons in their hands indicated they weren’t coming to negotiate, their speed annoyingly fast.

Tom cursed under his breath, turning around he sprinted towards the forest with all his strength. “Run!” He shouted at the two men who came with him. He could only hope that the forest would slow down the goblins, otherwise, they would catch him long before he could get to the ambush point. The chat panel flashed in the corner of his vision. Gritting his teeth, Tom slowed down and focused on the panel, the words of one of the other scouts informing the rest of the people about Tom’s plight surfaced in his mind as he started sprinting again. A bit later, the chat flashed again, this time it was Gabriel’s orders to lead the goblins to the ambush point.

Tom no longer paid attention to the chat, as his legs pumped against the ground. Since they couldn’t get away, and they couldn’t delay long enough for Gabriel’s reinforcements to arrive, all they could do was fight. At least there are thirteen of us, and only ten of them, Tom thought as he jumped over a fallen branch. They were getting close, but so were the goblins. The muscles on his jaws tightened as he pushed his body to the limit in order to cover the remaining hundred yards.

The goblins were practically upon him when Tom finally made it to the others. He caught a man with a two-handed sword hiding behind a tree in his peripheral vision, he continued to sprint for another twenty yards, before stopping in front of a large tree. There was no time to rest. He turned around to face the oncoming goblins, a bow appearing in his hand. He tried to ignore the drum-like pounding of his heart and drew, he stayed still for a moment to take in the sight as he aimed, activating Power Shot in the meantime.

The front goblin rider was laying on the ground with half its chest having been sliced through, the boar it road stood motionlessly a few yards ahead of the rider. Another goblin was thrown off its ride, crashing onto the ground and tumbling forward, when the boar it was riding had its head smashed by a club. The bodies of the downed opponents slowed the others' advance, as human figures emerged from behind the trees on both sides of the goblins. Two men moved to stand beside Tom, in case the goblins rushed him, one of them quickly moving to engage the tumbling goblin before it could get up.

Tom let loose an attack and activated Quick Draw. With the drawing speed reduced, he quickly let out three more shots into the mass of enemies before the skill’s effect wore off. Their ambush seemed to be going well, the goblins’ mounts proving more of a hindrance, as they were attacked from all sides. Taking a moment to steady himself, Tom focused on the goblins to check their level, swearing a moment later.

“Fucking level 40,” he spat out, drawing his bow again.

Suddenly, the boar that was standing still and seemingly lost without its rider rushed forward. Before Tom could react, the boar was already in front of him, its tusks piercing into his stomach and lifting him, before his back smashed into the tree behind him. For a moment he was silent, the wind having been knocked out of him by the crash, then a scream escaped his throat, as his hands grabbed at the boar’s head, trying to push it away to free himself. The boar swayed its head up and down, the movement causing the tusks to sink deeper into Tom’s stomach.

The man that stood next to Tom reacted quickly, slashing at the boar’s neck right away. However, the cut was too shallow. Drawing his sword back, he stabbed the boar in the neck. He followed it with two more stabs to its body, the damage proving too much for the beast to handle, its body falling to the ground.

It took Tom a few seconds to regain his focus, placing a hand against his stomach he cast Healing Touch. My HP is down to half, though the injuries aren’t bad. I’ll need to heal up, but first, Tom thought, as a knife appeared in his hand. Crouching down a little, he aimed his attack, before stabbing the boar through the eye, finishing it off. He heard the man who saved him shout a warning for the others to watch out for the boars.

Tom started spamming Group Heal, the spell had the best HP to mana ratio, assuming there were three people that needed healing, as he took in the battle. It wasn’t going as well as he hoped, with the boars joining the fight, it was now thirteen against twenty, rather than ten. Granted, they had incapacitated several enemies at the start, but at most it evened out the odds. Worse yet, there were three healers and a mage among them, only leaving nine melee fighters to contend with the enemies.

He watched helplessly as a woman was pressed by a boar and a goblin, the long sword in the latter’s hands twirling through the air, as it drew blood again and again. Finally, a feint by the goblin created an opening, its sword leaving a long diagonal slash across the woman’s body. She stumbled backward, trying to regain her footing when the boar charged forward, its tusks stabbing into her stomach, as she was lifted off the ground. Before she could react, the goblin hopped forward and slashed at her neck. For a moment, Tom looked on dumbfounded as the boar shook its head, throwing the headless corpse off to the side, before moving on to other targets.

“AAAAAAAAAAAhhhh,” a primal scream escaped Tom’s mouth, his blood instantly boiling with rage. He wanted to pull another bow from his ring and start killing those damned goblins. Torn between his desire to kill and the recognition that healing was likely more important, his struggle came to an end when a goblin riding a boar broke through the fight and charged at him.

Rather the boar was charging at the man who saved Tom earlier. He jumped to the side, but was still caught by one of the boar’s tusks, and sent tumbling away. The rider then leaned forward and slashed at Tom, who rolled away. The boar advanced on the injured man, while the goblin rained attacks from above. Forced to defend against the other’s sword, he couldn’t help but create an opening for the boar, which lunged at him as it swung its head upward. The tusks stabbed into the man’s stomach, as he was lifted off the ground. The rider didn’t waste any and slashed at his neck. There was a sound of metal hitting metal, as the attack was parried. Undeterred, the goblin twirled its sword and slashed from another side. It was parried again, though a pained groan and the pale expression on the man’s face made it clear that the goblin enjoyed quite an advantage. Under the constant onslaught of attacks, the man finally succumbed to the pressure, the goblin severing his left arm before its sword bit into the man’s chest.

Tom got back to his feet, only to see the man’s desperate struggle. Growling, Tom charged forward, the knife in his hand replaced by a long, narrow sword. He activated Power Attack and used his momentum to stab through the goblin, knocking it off the mount and stopping its follow-up attack. He pulled the sword back then swung it with all his might at the boar’s front leg. It didn’t quite slice through it, but the damage was enough for the beast’s front to fall to the ground, its tusks pulling out of the man’s body. Tom grabbed the screaming man and pulled him behind himself, before stabbing the boar in the neck. He delivered another stab, before the boar fell to its side, revealing the goblin behind it.

Tom backed up a few steps and glanced at the man he saved -- the guy was in no condition to fight, his left arm missing, there was a deep gash in his right shoulder, the hand hanging uselessly by his side, plus the stomach wounds. A quick peek at the main battle dashed any hope for reinforcement. Tom gulped as he eyed the approaching goblin. No way! Level 40 or not, I ain’t dying like this! Tom roared in his mind and advanced.

***

“There are ten goblins riding boars… goblins are level 40, boars are level 20. They are too fast, we won’t be able to escape.”

Fuck! Gabriel swore mentally after hearing the message. He never thought the goblins would have cavalry, now his options for a response were greatly limited. His fingers tapped a rhythm against a metal bracer on his forearm, as he went over his options. The ambush point is almost a mile away, it would take us at least five minutes to get there, the fight will likely be over by then. He swore again, but things were the way they were.

“Tom, lead them to the ambush as was agreed, I’ll send Kim’s group as reinforcement,” he sent out via chat before turning to address a woman nearby: “Kim, your group will reinforce the diplomacy party. Go.”

She stared at him for a moment, before nodding her head. “Alright. Don’t get killed,” she added with a smile, before calling for her team. Gabriel didn’t have time to look after her departing figure, instead, he sent out another message: “The front three teams will attack in 5 seconds. The other two teams will hit them in the back once we engage. Rose will give the signal for that.”

“In five, four, three…” he began to countdown after sweeping his gaze over the people huddling up behind trees nearby, “go, go, go!”

Everyone rushed out, quickly clearing the twenty or so yards before stepping into the clearing around the mine. They were already noticed, the goblins moving to form a line of melee fighters, with archers, mages, and healers behind them. Gabriel sighed in relief when he saw that the leader was also hanging behind the line, a level 45 monster could easily swing the fight.

He had only taken a few steps when the sound of arrows being released entered his ears. He ducked to the side, just in time to avoid an arrow. The groans from his left and right indicated that the other members weren’t so lucky. But he couldn’t worry about them. Gabriel sprinted forward, he only needed to cover thirty yards, Dash would cover the rest. His eyes widened as a head-sized ball of fire was flung toward his left flank. The loud explosion nearly made him lose his balance, while a glance at the party’s health bars showed one of his group mates taking surprisingly high damage.

A couple of Arcane Bolts were sent as a response from their side, though the effects weren’t as impressive. A second later, the archers were ready to shoot again. Gabriel focused his attention on the archer aiming at him, a moment later he jumped to the side. His prediction proved false -- the goblin didn’t release the arrow, instead, it tracked his movement calmly. Cursing silently, Gabriel activated Dash, moving diagonally. He was still five yards away when the skill ended, an arrow greeting him on arrival. He twisted his body causing the projectile to stab into the bicep of his left arm, instead of his chest, before advancing with a roar.

A sword-wielding goblin stepped forward and stabbed at his stomach. Gabriel deflected the weapon using the bracer covering his forearm before his fist smashed into the creature’s face. The satisfying feeling of a nose breaking was transferred through his arm, as the goblin fell on its back. There was no time to celebrate, his companions hadn’t reached the frontline yet, leaving Gabriel alone with about five goblins.

An Arcane Bolt hit the goblin on Gabriel’s left, causing it to become dizzy. Stepping forward, Gabriel pushed the stunned goblin with both arms, sending it rolling toward another of its kind. Jumping back, he faced the other side, a goblin with an axe was advancing on him, while another one armed with a club was slightly behind. The closest goblin lunged at him with an overhead swing, Gabriel grabbed its arm with both hands, before the weapon could reach him. He slammed his knee into the goblin’s stomach, then grabbed the back of the goblin’s head and pushed it down as he kneed it in the face. He moved to finish the stumbling goblin with a haymaker when an arrow hit him in the side, he paused, growling in pain. The distraction was enough for the goblin to retreat a few steps, the one with the club coming to its rescue as well.

Gabriel’s eyes swept over his surroundings: on the left, one of his group mates had successfully engaged in melee, the other one seemingly held back by the constant barrage of arrows and fireballs. The one on his right had also reached the frontline. Still, he was left with a total of five goblins. The one he hit first was just now regaining consciousness, but the one he had pushed was already up, coming at him along with another one. Two on the right, two on the left, plus that damned archer, Gabriel frowned. He was still deciding which side to engage, when one of the goblins on his left was struck by a moving light that momentarily covered it, before receding, seemingly into the goblin. Seeing that the spell came from behind the goblins, it was probably a healing spell of some kind. It’s better to attack the others, Gabriel decided.

He stepped toward the goblins on his left, swinging his arm forward, his hand opened and released a cloud of dust. Gabriel pivoted, moving toward the enemies on his right. He activated Stone Skin and started punching while ignoring the oncoming attacks. His fists slammed into the club-wielding goblin, a punch to the stomach made it double over, then a knee smashed in its face, nearly sending it flying as it flopped on its back. Gabriel didn’t let up, following-up with two more haymakers to the head, the last one even elicited the sound of a skull breaking, as blood started to flow out of the goblin’s ears. Gabriel gave it a kick for good measure, before advancing on the second goblin.

Seeing its companion downed, and that its attacks had no effect, the goblin began to back up. Gabriel wouldn’t let it, he rushed forward and speared the goblin, his shoulder smashing it in the stomach, as he yanked its legs toward himself. They both fell on the ground, with Gabriel on top. He postured up and began to rain fists on the goblin’s head. Unfortunately, Stone Skin wore off and he had to back away before he could finish it. Still, that goblin was out of commission for a while.

The two goblins on his left had finally moved through the dust, while the one he hit first had stood up and was also advancing. This isn’t so bad, Gabriel thought. The goblin on his left lunged at him, but Gabriel blocked the attack and punched out, his fist finding purchase on the goblin’s face. He was just about to retreat, when an arrow hit him in the stomach, his hands moving subconsciously toward it. The other goblin on his left swung a club at him, but Gabriel managed to move to the side and avoid it, which put him within range of the sword-wielding goblin.

However, rather than attacking him with its weapon, the goblin rushed forward and tackled Gabriel, sending the man to the ground and landing on top of him. Before Gabriel could regain his bearings, a sword was sunk into his stomach. He clenched his jaws as a wave of pain swept through his body, but he didn’t succumb to it. His left hand grabbed the hand holding the sword and held it in place, while he used his right hand to pull the goblin toward himself, using it as a cover against the archer.

He felt healing spells restore his HP, even as the club-wielding goblin loomed over him, its club quickly descending on Gabriel’s head. He tried to move out of the way, but still took most of the hit. The goblin swung again, and Gabriel could only grit his teeth as he was forced to let go of the goblin on top of him. Using his right arm, he was able to defend against the blow to his head. Unfortunately, the goblin that was straddling him was no longer restrained and was putting all its strength into trying to yank its sword hand from Gabriel’s left hand.

Gabriel continued to struggle, as he deflected the club while trying to keep the other goblin from pulling its weapon free. But he couldn’t hold on. An arrow stabbed into his chest, which caused him to lose the grip on the goblin’s arm. He tried to grab the hand again, but a club slammed into his face, stunning him. A moment later a sword was stabbed into his stomach, followed by the club descending on his face again.

Gabriel heard distant screams, and healing spells continued to restore his HP, but the damage was too much. The club smashed into his face once more, while the sword was pulled out. Before he was stabbed again, Gabriel blacked out.