Chapter 68 The Final Stage
"The raid isn't over? That monster isn't the final boss?" everyone was shaken. This battle was hard as it was, and was only possible because of Jake's attacks.
If Jake didn't absorb the first blow, then half of the entire force would have been wiped out in one go.
And now, there was another boss to take care of?
"Don't worry too much. Collect all of the loot and let us go back to the ruined building. Inside that passageway is where the boss exists. We need to keep moving!" Jake shouted.
The guild members nodded and they looked around, completely draining the entire forest of the remains of the goblins. Once they were done, they had laid bare any trace of a goblin's presence in this forest.
"Now then. I need all of you to be alert, but do not worry. It is not going to take a lot of effort. The Cyclops here is a harder kill than the goblin boss. I can guarantee that." Jake said as he walked forward.
Myriad Arrows took his right, and Kierch, his left.
"Where are the thirteen groups that I left with you?" Jake asked.
"They should be in the other side, taking care of the goblins there. They must have cleared the area and came back to the center, right in front of the forest. But I don't think we took care of the back of the forest? Only the sides were cleared." Myriad Arrows said.
"The back should have attacked by now. Let us go and see what the ten groups did to defend." Jake said calmly.
"You are so sure that they attacked our groups? How do you know about goblins so much? I mean, they as a species haven't revealed themselves in the game until now."
"I know a few things. I spent more time than others focusing on the smaller things of the game. So I explored more at the cost of grinding levels." Jake smiled.
As they neared the center of the forest, where the portal and the building that was in ruin lay in wait, they could hear the sound of battle.
"Get ready! Get your weapons unsheathed." Jake said as they charged forward.
The ten groups had held their ground significantly well. They were not focusing on attacking. They were defending against the attacks of goblins from every single side. There were a few goblins pouring out of the building, while others came from behind the portal.
This was an endless supply of goblins, but when the ten groups saw that Jake and his reinforcements arrived, they sighed with relief.
"Charge! Do not let a single one of them leave alive. This is valuable equipment on the table here!" Jake shouted as he also stepped into battle, killing the goblin that rushed at him in a single decisive blow.
The others behind him were also beginning to act as a cohesive whole, and now, they all rushed to battle along with Jake.
With the archers and mages starting their long range attacks from the back, the warriors and the tanks rushed forward to take the brunt of the attacks head on.
Within minutes, the tide of the battle changed, and the goblins started thinning out. The endless numbers seemed much more manageable now, and because there were goblins dying now, there was a difference in the field.
Charge!
From the other side of the battle field, the thirteen groups that were initially behind had arrived. They looked at the battlefield, and went in from their side as well, supporting the right flank.
With the addition of another third of the total force, the goblins didn't stand a chance. Soon, their numbers dwindled, but even then, the goblins put up a resistance, which was a stark contrast to the previous battle, when the goblins suddenly retreated.
Myriad Arrows looked at this and understood what Jake meant when he said that the goblins would have definitely attacked the groups here.
The goblins were the most ferocious and aggressive creatures that he had ever seen. They attacked whoever they saw, and they seemed to have no intelligence whatsoever.
Once the goblins were completely obliterated, the guild members quickly took all of the loot and assembled in an array, looking at the dark entrance to the building that was in ruins.
Jake stepped up in front of everyone and looked at the guild.
"The battle with the cyclops, which some of you have experienced with me, was a difficult one. And we overcame that. The battle that comes ahead, is only going to be easier. The entrance is five people wide, until we enter the boss' arena. Until then, tanks will have to be in the forefront, while mages will be the only one to attack. Archers might accidentally attack allies." Jake said.
The groups shuffled accordingly, and the tanks started entering the path within. After three rows of tanks, Jake, Myriad Arrows, and Kierch also entered, and the others went in according to plan.
The moment that they entered, it was pitch dark. No one could see anything.
Psssssss!
Suddenly, a red flare appeared in Jake's hand as he passed it along to the tanks.
"I should have given this earlier, I completely forgot. Well then, it isn't that important. The goblins we will face until we reach the true arena are going to be weaklings. Do not stop for them. I repeat, do not stop for them. Absorb the attacks and move forward." Jake said.
The tanks nodded, and the lines started moving slowly. After walking for an unknown period of time, suddenly, the goblins could be heard.
Arrows flew toward them, but the tanks blocked them all.
With the increase in their levels, however, they were now able to recover the HP they lost with ease, and were able to keep moving.
Another change also motivated them to move a little faster.
A light other than the red flares was visible at the end of the corridor. The Raid was about to reach it's final stage.
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