Most monsters won’t dare pick up a fight with a dragon. Only the fools or desperate would do it. Thud! Arad touched the cobra with his hand.

“Go,” He growled, and she slithered away in fear. The dragon wasn’t seeing her as prey, so she survived for the time being.

“You could’ve killed it for the experience.” Jack looked at Arad.

“We’re focusing on the goblins. We shouldn’t scare them away,” Arad looked forward, “Let’s move silently,”

***

It only took them a few minutes to spot the goblins going in and out of a small hole in the ground. They dug a hole like moles and started living.

“Aella, get ready to take a shot,” Arad whispered, pointing at one of the goblins walking around the area.

Thud! Jack touched Arad’s shoulder, “No, let me take care of the scouts. She kills the guards and anyone coming out of that hole.”

Arad nodded, and Aella pulled her bow, getting ready to fire.

Jack smiled, crouching and going invisible. He pulled a dagger and crawled across the bushes.

^He’s there, good.^ Jack smiled, slowly approaching the unaware goblin scout. He lay behind him beneath the tall grass, waiting for him to exhale.

It was a simple practice by rogues and assassins. Stab the target’s throat right after they exhale, so they can’t scream. 𝗻𝗼𝘃𝐞𝐥.

HAA! The goblin took a deep breath and then emptied his lungs. Thud! Jack stood, grabbing the goblin’s head and stabbing his throat. “Come on, little guy, to the ground.” He then pulled the dying goblin to the ground and waited for him to lose consciousness of blood loss.

When the goblin died, Jack looked at the second scout. ^Now, to finish that off,^

Thud! Arad touched Jack’s back, “I will take care of the corpses.”

Jack smiled, “You can’t sneak that well, don’t follow me. Wait till I gather a few corpses before eating them,”

“I’m not eating them. Those things look gross,” Arad growled, looking at the wart-filled green goblin, “I’m just gathering the corpses so we can burn them later.”

“It doesn’t matter both ways,” Jack smiled, “Just watch,”

Jack went invisible again, crawling toward the next goblin, smiling.

Arad looked at Jack. ^I can still see him.^

Most invisible creatures are using magic to be invisible. Your void eyes can see that.

^What kind of creatures I won’t be able to see?^ Arad asked.

Those who use non-magical means to become invisible. Dragons with a lifelong experience in camouflage can escape the grasp of your eyes as they aren’t invisible. They change their scale color to blend in like lizards.

^So only creatures who don’t use magic,^

There is a type of dragon called a force dragon. Or the transparent dragons. They don’t interact with light in the first place, so they can’t be seen.

^What does light have to do with being invisible? Won’t that make them black?^

No, light pass through them, so they are invisible.

^I see.^ Arad lifted his head, looking at Jack to see him finishing the seventh goblin scout. ^I better start cleaning,^

Arad crawled behind Jack, mimicking his moves and clearing the corpses.

Aella pulled her bowstring, aiming at the hole’s entrance. “Something is coming out,”

Isdis pulled her sword, “Probably they got worried since the scouts didn’t get back.” She took a deep breath, “I can send them to sleep with a simple tone,”

“Don’t. You will alert the one who doesn’t get affected.” Aella aimed at the goblin, keeping an eye on him as he moved toward the bushes where the scouts were roaming.

Jack looked back at Aella, waving his hand and making a cutting motion around his neck. ^Take him down before he sees the corpses.^ He wanted to scream, but that would expose them.

PEW! Aella released her arrow, sending it flying between the trees.

BAM! The arrow pierced the goblin’s tiny skull, leaving a gaping hole in it. GUH! The goblin gasped, falling dead.

Aella lifted one of her fingers, and the arrow changed direction, flying back to her hand.

Jack looked back at the nest, ^Damn it, they are noticing,^ He saw the goblins growling at the entrance. He then looked back at Isdis, signaling for her to get ready to play.

Isdis nodded, sheathing her sword and pulling her Biwa.

Jack then waved his hand for Arad to stay low as he crawled toward the goblin nest.

^It’s all or nothing. It won’t take them long to send a large group to explore. We then won’t be able to save the hostages if any were inside.^

Jack watched the goblins at the entrance carefully. He would strike if they tried to act. But he hoped they would forget and get back to guard.

^They didn’t see the scouts die. They only heard a sound. It’s highly possible they won’t make much of it.^

The goblins growled at each other as if debating whether to go or not, and Jack started getting worried. ^Come on, let your goblin brains rest and forget,^

In the back, Arad pointed with his finger at a bush. His eyes could spot the small creature crawling inside.

Gravity magic

SWOSH! Jack blinked, seeing a rat rolling in front of the goblin’s nest.

“GUHA?” the goblins stared at the scared rat as he ran back to the forest, “GUHAHA?” They looked at each other and went back to standing still.

Jack lifted a thumb up to Arad, ^Nice job,^

Arad smiled, returning the thumb’s up.

Isdis sighed, relieved she won’t need to play her biwa since the sound would send the whole colony after them.

Jack looked at the goblins with a worried face, ^Now, there is one small hole. How could we get inside without them noticing us?^

He looked around for a back hole, ^They gotta have another entrance that they use to run away. Goblins are stupid, but they aren’t dumb.^ He crawled toward the back, searching between the leaves and stones. He soon found a large log that seem to have been moved.

^This is it,^