Chapter 282 Fierce Battles
After a short but fierce battle, Brian's party emerged victorious. The area, once a verdant landscape, was now littered with goblin corpses. With the fight behind them, they began the gruesome task of extracting the crystals from the goblins. Everyone drew their knives and focused on searching for the crystals the goblins had carried, as they were more useful than their ears in this situation.
By the end of the harvesting, the party managed to collect around thirty goblin crystals, which was considered a good haul. Although they had been harvesting for quite a while, the group decided the sun was high enough for them to complete a few more quests before returning to the city before sunset had completely ridden its course. The party returned to their other tasks, gathering herbs and hunting horned rabbits, while Liam occasionally tracked a wolf here and there.
The wolves posed a greater challenge than the goblins, as they tended to travel in larger, more coordinated packs. During one encounter, two wolves engaged Stella while three others distracted Brian, creating an opening that allowed the rest of the pack to target the rest of the party.
Cecelia was rapidly firing her bow against the wave of wolves approaching her. She managed to pierce some of them, but it didn't seem to hinder the pack. Meanwhile, Liam was hiding in the trees, discreetly administering poison to the wolves using his blow dart. This tactic was effective in weakening them, causing some of the more powerful wolves he hit to act sluggishly.
In the midst of the chaos, Kelly and Stella were engaged in close combat. While Stella fought aggressively, Kelly was more measured and precise with her strikes. Her cuts went deeper than Stella's, but delivered equal damage at their respective strengths.
Aleshia and Lucia had been assisting the party in the background, limiting their spells so they wouldn't damage the surrounding area. Like Cecelia, they concentrated on targeting the wolves attempting to surround them. However, unlike Cecelia, the duo was able to multitask. They also aimed to strike at the wolves that were trying to attack the melee fighters from behind.
Aleshia preferred the spell "Rock Shot," which launched a barrage of high-speed rocks. Although the attacks were hitting the wolves, the damage was not as effective as she had hoped. However, she used the spell for another reason: it could effectively blind the wolves.
Lucia preferred wind-type spells, which sliced through the air and pushed against the wolves, hindering their movements. By focusing on the wolves' legs, she could shift their balance, keeping them on their toes. These openings allowed Kelly and Stella to take the advantage, helping them strike and inflict more wounds on the wolves, gradually weakening them over time.