Chương 35: Aftermath

It took them a while to barely stabilize Doyle's injuries and save his life. Tina slowly raised her hands, her face deathly pale. She truly had no mana left, and all of their magic and healing potions have run out. Aaron and Luke looked at Doyle's collapsed chest with gritted teeth. He was completely unconscious and barely breathing.

"Tina, how serious are Captain Doyle's injuries? Is it possible for him to completely recover?" Aaron asked frantically. Tina took a deep breath, her eyes filled with exhaustion and pain.

"His injuries have barely stabilized, but he needs to get properly healed as soon as possible. As for the severity of his injuries…" She paused for a moment before continuing, "12 of his ribs have been crushed, his spine has been broken, and his stomach, spleen, and lung have been punctured."

"In fact, most of his organs have been damaged to various degrees. Thankfully, his heart and most of his blood vessels are still intact. The prompt treatment barely managed to keep him alive, but he still needs to be treated by a rank 1 or even rank 2 priest as soon as possible." Tina finished with a painful expression on her face. She placed her palms over her chest and prayed for her captain's safety. Silence permeated the cave. These were injuries that would have caused anyone else to instantly die.

The only reason Doyle was still alive was that he was a relatively powerful Shield bearer, a class renowned for its endurance and vitality, and the fact that he was promptly treated.

"This…" Aaron's face was pale. He gritted his teeth and closed his eyes in pain. Doyle was a reliable senior he looked up to; to see him like this was agonising for him. Kyle watched on with a grim expression. Although he hadn't known the man for long, Doyle was undoubtedly a kind-hearted and reliable adventurer. He had even saved him a few times during their battle against the abomination. However, he was even more upset by his weakness. This was the first battle where he felt severely outmatched.

His strikes couldn't do anything to that monster. Standing on the other side, Luke clenched and unclenched his fists, his expression gloomy. He felt that Doyle's state was partly his fault because he was late. A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. Taking a deep breath, he forced down his guilt and started assessing the situation. Now that the captain was heavily injured, it's his duty as a senior to take charge of the situation.

"Kyle, please cut off the ears of those goblins. They should be required as proof for the completion of your quest." Luke opened his mouth and said. He took out a piece of paper and a pencil from his pouch and handed them to Kyle before pointing at the glass jar in the corner of the cave.

"Please try copying that magic circle on this piece of paper, and take that glass jar with you. We'll need them to prove the existence of the cult to the adventure guild. Also, though it might be disgusting, please collect some of the remains of the abomination and place them in this pouch." He said as he pulled out a small pouch from his parcel before handing it to Kyle.

"Okay," Kyle nodded in acknowledgement, accepting Luke's instructions. Luke then turned to the distraught Aaron and said,"Come with me; I need your help to fell a tree and shape it into a platform to transport Captain Doyle back. His condition is too severe for horseback travel." Aaron nodded and followed Luke out while Kyle was cutting off the goblins' ears, and Tina looked after Doyle.

From the goblin ears, the glass jar, and a copy of the ritual to the staff of the goblin shaman and a sword lying next to the ritual platform. It should belong to the goblin warrior. It took him more than 10 minutes to gather everything. Kyle silently looked at the devastated cave, filled with craters, blood, and goblin corpses and waste. The smell must be foul, but he could no longer perceive it. While waiting for Luke and Aaron to come back, he wandered in the cave. It was filled with cracks.

Small stones occasionally fell from the 20-meter-tall ceiling.

'I hope it doesn't collapse on us.' Kyle prayed as he looked at the many cracks across the walls and ceilings. While wandering around the cave, he came across many bones. Most were animal bones, but some looked like human bones. Kyle glanced at them before walking further in. He stopped at one corner of the cave, where a stack of rubbish lay. He examined it for a while, but finding nothing of value, he walked away with a disappointed expression, walking back toward Doyle and Tina.

"What was I expecting?" He muttered with a wry smile on his face. Obviously, there won't be treasure within a goblin cave. Especially a new settlement like this. Originally, there were only around 30 goblins and a rank 1 goblin warrior, a monster at the bottom of the professional rank. It was only due to the appearance of the goblin shaman that the number surged to more than 80. The sound of footsteps suddenly sounded in the cave. Luke and Aaron came back.

They placed a 2-meter-long and 80-centimeter-wide wooden board, covered with a layer of soft fur, next to Doyle before carefully transferring him onto it.

"I'll help." Kyle walked to the other end of the wooden board and slowly picked it up. Aaron didn't look to be in good enough shape to move Doyle over a small hill.

"I appreciate it." Luke nodded, holding the other side of the board. The two of them carefully moved out of the cave, with Tina and Aaron walking ahead, holding a torch. It didn't take them long to see light ahead. They had reached the cave entrance. Aaron took a deep breath of the fresh air, his face slowly regaining a healthy hue.

"I never want to take another goblin-related quest in my life." He calmly stated. He was done with those filthy creatures. Tina also nodded on the side.