As Lee finished his healing of the elves, he turned off Healer’s Beacon. He didn’t want to end up healing the monsters they would end up battling. The elf with the war hammer noticed Lee’s silvery aura fade, then turned and asked a question. “Would it not be more beneficial to keep that healing aura on?

Lee looked around at the ongoing conflict and stated bluntly. “It would also heal the monsters. It’s why I can’t fight in melee.”

The elf with the duel swords winced slightly. “That’s quite a detriment.” She stopped her vigil for a moment, taking in Lee’s appearance. “My name is Erie. I am going to assume you’re Lee, the human healer.”

Lee nodded as the war hammer-wielding elf spoke. “I am Juris. I would have liked us to meet in different circumstances, but with all things considered, maybe this is the best way to meet the Genesis of Healing.”

“Well, it’s nice to meet you both. I’m sure we will get to know each other better as we fight our way to the battlements. This is my first real taste of action, so do any of you want to lead the way?”

Erie jumped in immediately. “I believe I’m the most qualified, but if Juris would like to lead, that’s fine by me.”

Juris scoffed. “Please, be my quest.”

Erie nodded, then started to lead the group back toward the entrance of Neldam.

Lee followed closely behind, looking at the ongoing skirmishes taking place. When he found a chance, he cast Earthen Strike at the monsters amidst combat with others, hoping that the little bits of damage or distraction would help.

I need another basic attack spell…

While Lee’s Earthen Strike was helpful, it was definitely not versatile. Lacking any other forms of damage through basic spells was something he realized he needed to change.

Erie suddenly yelled out. “Incoming!”

Looking ahead, Lee spotted a group of seven goblins and a coHob, fighting a duo of elven fighters. The two elves were outnumbered and outmatched. One of them wielded a spear and was focusing all of their attention on the Hob, locking it down so that they were not overwhelmed. The other elf, who had a single longsword, was doing their best to prevent the Goblins from attacking the spear wielder.

Erie transitioned from her leading jog into a full-on sprint, which was boosted by the Swiftness spell Lee had cast upon her earlier. Zooming into the battle, she ambushed an unaware Goblin from behind, decapitating it. A torrent of blood spluttered into the air as the Goblin's head rolled, its body falling to the ground like a puppet that had its string cut.

Some of the other Goblins noticed their ally fall, but the tides were turning. While some of the Goblins were distracted by the decapitation, the elf with the longsword capitalized on the sudden advantage. He tore through their green flesh like a hot knife through butter, lopping off limbs and even opening the stomach of one of the unlucky goblins. Its guts fell out in a deluge of gore; it died trying to put its innards back inside itself.

Once Lee grew closer, he cast Gale Burst, sending the few combat-ready goblins tumbling back a few meters. He also cast Water Wave Wall, separating the elf with the spear from the Hob. With a 10x5 meter-long wave of water in the way, Lee hoped it would ease their battle with the Hob.

Juris let loose a battle cry as he got within range and dropped his hammer from up high. The effects were devastating. One second, there was a goblin; the next, there was only a paste of red splattered across the grass. Some of the blood managed to get into the Water Wave Wall, turning the clear blue waters a tinge of red.

Lee continued to cast Earthen Strike at every moment he could, but because all of his allies were close combat fighters, he couldn’t safely cast it too many times. He feared accidentally hitting an elf, which could lead to them being overwhelmed. He didn’t want his spells to cause death to those around him. Not again…

Soon, all of the Goblins had perished, and all that was left was the lone Hob. The spear wielder, the long swordsmen, Juris, and Erie, teamed up on the Hob. Lee threw Earthen Stike’s when he could, but he only managed to get one or two to connect in the chaotic melee.

Lee had in his head a perceived notion of how strong a Hobgoblin was. He had killed one earlier and had seen Neia take one down in the past. This fight made him reevaluate. Even five-on-one, the Hobgoblin was a fearsome foe. Its deranged fighting style abandoned all aims of defense, and it would willingly trade blow for blow without a second thought.

Lee yelled out to the spear wielder. “Speed buff for the spear user!” as he cast Swiftness, hoping to have multiple instances of his swiftness buff ongoing on as many allies as possible. With a one-minute cooldown and a five-minute duration, he could upkeep the spell on five members.

This Hob did not have a weapon; he was the weapon. His sharp, blackened claws clashed with metal and seemed to come out ahead. Its monstrous strength stat pushed the clashing weapons aside easily, but in doing so, he took hits on its massive frame from another. Slowly but surely, the Hob would be whittled away. Death by a thousand cuts.

Lee scanned around with Medical Attention.

Well, that’s new.

Surprised but thankful at the new indicators, Lee shouted out. “The Hobgoblin has 34% HP remaining!” Then attempted a Blind. He carefully watched the Hob's beady eyes, awaiting any indication that the spell had taken hold. As the Hob's actions seemed unchanged, Lee assumed the magic had failed.

Erie quickly dipped in and out of range, leaving cuts across the Hob's green leather-like skin. Juris was hammering the back of the Hob, causing it to stagger. The spear wielder focused on defense, batting away claws and strikes deftly with his extended range. The longsword user struck decisively at the hobs limbs, slowly slicing off chunks of meat from their still-alive opponent.

Lee watched as best as he could from several meters away. Observing and waiting for a chance to throw an Earthen Strike, or to use one of his many defensive spells. He saw the Hob's feral face change to one of annoyance. He rapidly turned his body away and attempted to swat Erie with its honed nails. Erie was in the process of dipping back out of range, as she had just finished a quick one-two with her swords.

Lee was ready for the counter. He quickly cast Gale Burst, but not at the Hob. The spell connected on Erie, knocking her backward and leaving barely an inch of room between her throat and the razor-sharp claws of the Hob.

The Hob overextended with this attack and was punished harshly. A rain of metal crashed down upon it from every direction, tearing into its hard flesh, leaving thick gouges, and letting its blood flow free.

Hobgoblin - HP: 8%

Lee shouted at loud as he could. “8% remaining!”

Juris held his war hammer at his side and lowered his stance. “Three seconds, then move!” The others obliged. They continued their tactic without Juris for three seconds more, then rapidly jumped back.

Juris’ war hammer shined brightly with a golden hue just before he spun his body, keeping the hammer mid-waist in height. He turned quickly, and the golden hue of his war hammer left a trailing light in his wake. While spinning forward, The Hob went in for an attack, but his hammer slammed into the Hob's sharp nails, knocking them aside as if they weren’t there. His spin only ended when the hammer was slammed into the Hob’s chest, the golden light entering its body and shooting out its back in a burst of ethereal light.

All was still until the Hob’s chest caved in a second later, and its back exploded outwards, creating a large gaping hole in its wake. The Hob staggered slightly and let out a deep reverberating wail before collapsing. A large thud rang out as its body collided with the ground.

Lee watched all of this happening in awe.

Holy shit.

Juris stepped on the Hob's body and spat on its corpse. “Fuck you.” He stated.

The longsword user falling to one knee knocked Lee out of his awestruck demeanor. He quickly reactivated Healer’s Beacon and walked forward. “Stay inside the aura to be healed.”

The spear user hobbled over while rotating his shoulder and spoke. “Thank you for your timely aid.” He then hissed as a pop resounded out from his shoulder. “That Hob hit like no other. I couldn’t identify it, so it was at least over level 30. The names Keral.” Keral then nodded to Lee, Erie, and Juris.

The long swordsman turned out not to be a swordsman at all; they were a swordswoman. “Well then, it seems like I owe you another debt Erie.”

Erie gave a short huff. “Repay the others before you add on more Maika.”

Lee examined Maika and Keral. Maika stood taller than most female elves he had seen, well over six feet and approaching seven. Her short bloodstained grey hair and sharp facial features gave her a tomboyish look.

Keral stood just a little shorter than Maika and looked younger. He appeared to be in his early twenties, just like Lee. His long, straight, flowing hair trailed down to his shoulder blades.

Lee looked around the clearing to see more and more of the battles moving toward the entrance to Neldam. It seemed like everyone knew the protocols except for him.

Lee decided to speak up. “It’s nice to meet you all, but we should be on the move. Others may be in your previous predicament.”

Maika looked Lee up and down and scoffed. “Level 6 and making decisions.” She tisked three times.

Lee frowned and shut his mouth, thinking that she wasn’t wrong.

Juris stood tall and approached her face to face, only an inch separating them, while he looked down at her. With his seven-foot height and a face made of stone, he spoke coldly. “Do not belittle those making a difference; he could have left you to rot. Learn to have some respect, or I will put you in your fucking place when this is all over. I don’t have time to do it now, or I would. Consider this your lucky fucking day.”

Maika peered into Juris’ eyes for only a second before she looked away and scoffed. “Whatever.”

Lee looked at Juris and smiled, but before he could speak his thanks, Juris said. “I just did what was right. We will have a... nice conversation once this is all over.” He then started to walk forward while looking for others struggling in their battles.

Lee and the others began to follow after him. Lee hoped they could make it to the battlements soon; having no mana was risky, and Anya may be overwhelmed.

Lee looked between all the members of their small group, seeing that all of them were fully healed. He turned off Healer’s Beacon and had a thought.

Juris gets healed first, and Maika gets healed last.