Chapter 76 – Whispers of the Crack
"Just how much do we need to fight in a day?!"
Lirael's voice carried a mix of exasperation and disbelief as she wiped blood from her dagger.
Around them, the stench of goblin blood hung thick in the damp forest air. The corpses of the ambushing party were sprawled in the mud, their green skin dulling as the life drained out of them.
Ethan dropped heavily onto a stone, exhaling as though the weight of the whole day pressed on his shoulders. His armor was smeared with dirt and dark stains, his breaths rough. "Really… it's getting ridiculous. How many battles have we fought today? Six? Seven?"
"It's seven!" Lirael snapped, hands on her hips as she kicked away a severed goblin arm from her boots. "Seven fights in one day. Just how much did the monster activity increase in this cursed stretch of road? We're on the sixth day—by our pace, we should have seen Iridale's walls yesterday!"
