The gremlin that had spotted them threw two rocks at B, he only dodged it by stopping and quickly jumping to the right. Getting back to running, B and C closed in on the gremlins before the other monsters could launch the rocks in their hands.

The first strike was made by the gremlins, as they bundled up and pointed the spears at B and C. It was an almost uniform line and was a pretty amazing tactic for monsters with such small heads.

It wasn't enough though, B and C attacked the spears, shearing off the tips and cutting the spears in half. The monsters clearly didn't expect this, B and C took that opportunity to stab into the gremlins.

What surprised the clones was the agility of the gremlins, because after they had been surprised, they were fast enough to dodge their rapier strike while only sustaining light cuts.

Seeming to come to a collective decision, the gremlin in the center screamed at a high pitch, making the clones wince and slice at the gremlin. The crier dodged back, but by then his other comrades had encircled the two clones, each gremling wielding 4 rocks in their four hands.

B and C gulped, they had been surrounded, and if the goblins got in a head hit, it would incapacitate them. They had to be careful, so they gave their backs to each other and put the rapiers in front of them.

The gremlins bided their time, circling the duo in clockwise fashion. The clones' hands were sweating, and only the excellent handle on the sword made them able to let it slip out from their grip.

It was only moments later when one of them cried and they just… ran away, all of them scattering in a different direction. B and C stayed indecisive in their place and were confused by the rapid turn in combat, weren't they going to attack?

The full plans of the gremlins came into fruition however, as they turned back and started throwing rocks at them. B and C tried to dodge, but still ended up getting nicked and bruised.

Trying to even approach one of them only ended up with them running farther away. And when they almost caught up with them, the other gremlins would focus on them, making the clones lower their heads and retreat.

"This ain't working anymore, we will never catch any of them and they sure will not run out of rocks." B said, ducking from a rock that would have given him a broken nose. The gremlin that had thrown it clapped its four hands together and chiterred to its brethren. This was almost a competition on who could hit the clones in the head first for them.

"So what do you say we return to camp, get cancelled and get our injuries patch up? We can have a look for more herbs in the different areas." C suggested, getting lucky and blocking one of the rocks with a thin margin between handle and blade.

B nodded, and on a one two three gesture, they bolted towards a small patch of trees. The gremlin in their way quickly ran to the side, but they gave him no attention as the rocks from the back started to peter out.

The gremlins tried to throw rocks at them, but they had shorter range and the clones were too fast for them to get an accurate shot. Weaving between the trees to make it even harder to land a hit, B and C took a roundabout route to get to the camp.

After making sure that they had left the gremlins in the dust, the clones entered the camp bleeding and bruised. Alex looked up from his wood sculpture. Well, sculpture would be a rather heavy embellishment for a piece of wood shaved off in a few places.

He had tried to create some pieces from a game his father's friends used to play. It turned out poorly considering he didn't handle a single shaving knife in his life. He was sure he was going to get better at it though.

B and C flopped down on a log around a dying fire. They moved towards the stew in the jar but stopped. It would be a waste to feed them, no matter how much they wanted it.

"I'm expecting that the monsters weren't as easy as we thought?" Alex said, putting down the chess piece that he was making.

"No." The clones gave a simple answer.

"Alright, report everything about their strategy, behaviours and numbers before I dismiss you." Alex said, wincing at the last part. It sounded evil, and he did know that his clones would understand, yet it still sounded wrong.

"Their main strategy is to surround the target and throw rocks at them until they die. They are smart and adaptable creatures, making adjustments to their tactics mid battle with good teamwork." B scratched at a bruise on his shoulder.

"Though they are annoyingly good at skirmishing, they suck at close combat from all we can tell, the exception being their small size and agility letting them dodge almost anything." C continued, recounting their numbers, their tactics, their reactions and their mannerisms. While Alex won't be getting the complete picture since he wasn't even there, it was better than nothing.

"Good, next time we will make sure to not let them skirmish, best recklessly charge in at the beginning parts of the battle than let them spread out." Alex grabbed at his stumble and pondered. "Alright, thank you for your efforts."

"No need to thank yourself." B and C smiled before they disappeared into smoke. Alex absorbed the experience they had gathered. Activating his inner limb, Alex made his book appear and after browsing it, he let out a contented hum.

[Swordsmanship is now Level 12]

[Swordsmanship is now Level 13]

[Swordsmanship is now Level 14]

[Physical Conditioning, Level 10]

[Physical Conditioning, Level 11]

And on the back pages were numerous new skills, most of them being utility skills like [Pathfinding] and [Herb Gathering], which were not his style nor were they suitable for the stereotype he was going for. Others were like [Sprint] and [Quick Dodge], they were amazing, if not for their slight mana requirement.

There was this one skill though, [Deflect Projectile] was a passive skill from what he felt, that let him precisely aim his rapier exactly where they needed to be for him to, well, deflect a projectile.

He liked the skill, but it kind of seemed rather bland. Couldn't a higher leveled [Swordsmanship] eventually lead to the same effect? What if the higher levels on [Deflect Projectile] led to him being able to deflect non physical projectiles?

It was a hard decision, so he got into his thinking pose and focused.