MTLNOVEL Chapter 17: Chapter 17 Ambush
Chapter -17.
The abrupt whoosh of the arrow cutting through the air prompted Lucien to react instantly; he pushed the boy aside with an unexpected response. The boy fell to the ground with a surprised grunt, the lethal projectile just barely missing his head.
The group of villagers gasped in disbelief, their eyes wide with terror as they watched the arrow embed itself in the earth, its tip trembling from the impact.
"Ambush! Goblin archers!" Gilbert yelled, his hand moving toward the battle-axe hanging over his shoulder. "Why are they here? The camp should be far away from this place!"
"They must be on their way to attack the village, or perhaps they are just scouts," Lucien murmured, recalling that the goblins he knew from novels and the isekai world possessed at least that level of intelligence. Since these goblins weren't attacking directly from the front but rather while concealed, it only strengthened his assumption.
"Thank you," the young boy trembled, seeing the arrow, and managed to mutter, his eyes showing signs of gratitude.
Lucien nodded at the boy, but he himself was startled by his quick reflexes and sharp instincts. The group's fear turned into a mix of relief upon seeing the young boy getting up. Gilbert, from the front, nodded at Lucien, his eyes showing respect, but the next moment he shouted, "Spread out!" His voice was a thunderous rumble that snapped everyone into action.
the group fan out, their eyes scanning the tree line for any sign of movement; the air turn thick with tension.
a second later another few whooshing sound came, this time arrows raining down with malicious intent; the group of villagers gasps in horror and watch at the arrows raining down with horror.
"Take cover, hurry up." Lucien shout, trying to wake up the horrified villagers; however it was a little late, as some of the villagers weren't as lucky as him, and all he could do was watch in horror as few arrows find theri marks, piercing through the flesh of the unsuspecting townsfolk. the cries of pain echo through the flesh of the unsuspecting townsfolk. the cries of pain echo through the once-peaceful forestm shattering the serenity into a cacophony of fear.
"Why are you hiding cowards... come forward if you've guts." Gilbert couldn't help but shout, his face now twisted in anger and fear as watched blood oozing out from his fellow villager's wounds; however deep down he knew that his taunting and shouting wasn't going to have any effect on goblins.
However, the same could be not said about Lucien, as he was experiencing some new unfounded powers amidst this battle; he felt his senses growing to rapid extent; and with the small sound of bowstring being stretched his gaze turned to a certain tree, and next moment his eyes met with a familiar creature.
Kekekeke.... Kkekekeke...
The goblin, despite seeing that the human had spotted him, showed its ugly teeth. In the next moment, it let go of the bowstring, shooting an arrow toward Lucien.
Swoosh...
Lucien, with anger surging inside him, watched the arrow make its way toward him. Instead of doing anything, he stayed in the same spot, realizing something from within, just like before. The arrow continued its path forward; however, instead of hitting its mark—Lucien—the arrow passed through his left side without causing him any harm.
KeeKee...
The goblin's face turned in surprise; however, Lucien, now ready as he had spotted his first prey, equipped his bow. Drawing the arrow, he took aim and shot, doing everything in the span of just seconds with his eyes narrowed.
"Archers, look up! Goblins are hiding in the trees!" Lucien shouted as the arrow sailed true, impaling the goblin through the neck. Its expression was still one of confusion from before; the creature couldn't even scream before its lifeless body plummeted to the ground.
As the archers in the village group noticed a few other goblins taking advantage of the situation created by Lucien, they too drew their arrows, their hands trembling slightly, and shot at the creatures in retaliation for their wounded comrades.
The air filled with the swooshing sounds of arrows, and the once ambush-like situation took a dramatic turn. The goblins, who had seemed to be perfectly hidden and had a significant advantage, began to fall from the trees like ripe fruit, either dead or gravely wounded by arrows in various places.
Meanwhile, the remaining goblins, seeing the situation shift against them, began to scurry away like rats. Their cowardly retreat elicited a roar of triumph from the group of villagers, who formed a protective circle around the wounded.
Gilbert, whose face had earlier twisted with anger, stepped forward, his axe gleaming in the dappled sunlight. "Let's not let them get away," he said, his voice a thunderous growl.
"Wait a minute, Gilbert. First, we should help these wounded people. If they bleed too much, their lives might be in danger," Lucien interjected. While pursuing the fleeing goblins might seem like a good idea, losing fellow comrades was too high a price to pay.
Gilbert looked at Lucien, his eyes briefly showing a hint of aggression. However, as his gaze fell on his fellow villagers lying on the ground, their eyes shut in pain, his expression softened slightly. "Alright," he said, "but you have just a few minutes. They might alert the camp back in the Black Woods, and we could lose whatever advantage we have."
Hearing Gilbert's command, the group began to treat the wounded with whatever time they had. The arrows that hadn't penetrated the bones were pulled out, while those who appeared unable to continue were quickly stitched up with torn pieces of clothing they had worn. They were then instructed to fall back to the village.
Although some made noises expressing their desire to follow along and help, under Gilbert's stern gaze, all they could do was retreat. Deep down, they knew that at this point, they would only be a hindrance on the path ahead.
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