With the extra confidence that the Hobgoblin had given him, picking targets became much more important to Dominic.
While it was considered rude in most situations to steal kills, that rule was more for warriors fighting together. Plus, they were in a rather desperate situation right now, and the more of the large beasts that died before they reached the front lines, the better off everyone would be.
There was another wounded one with an arrow sticking out of its eye, and Dominic aimed for its exposed chest, hoping to finish the beast off.
The Arcane Blast fired off on a perfect trajectory, only to have one of the larger monsters throw a pathetically gaunt and wounded Goblin in the path of the spell, killing the tiny creature but saving the Hobgoblin for a few more seconds before another arrow took it through the heart.
Dominic aimed his next spell for a wounded goblin warrior with a large copper blade, taking its life and eliminating the last of the visible Goblin leadership.
The Captain of the Guard team pushed forward with a few of his men to kick the bodies, collecting the Mana Cores and items that might have been dropped by the Hobgoblins, then tossed a handful of gems to Dominic.
"Here, sort through these and take what you need. It's nothing that we can use." He instructed.
That was incredibly generous, as those resources could be sold or turned in for rewards from their order, but Dominic couldn't deny that he could and would use anything that he could get his hands on right now.
[Spell Gem: Alarm] sounds an alarm if the set boundary is crossed or the marked door is opened.
[Spell Gem: Mage Armour] creates a minor magical armour which can be used with or over clothing
[Spell Gem: Quality Kibble] Purifies food and drink from any nonmagical poisons, rot or toxins
Those weren't bad abilities to have gotten from any monster at this threat level.
Especially the [Mage Armour] spell gem, which was almost exactly what Dominic needed at the moment.
He activated the armour and felt the worn linen outfit under his coat solidify with magical enhancement, but as more of the Hobgoblins appeared, Dominic realized that what he really needed was some reliable area damage.
One [Dragon Flame] cone of fire a day was not going to be enough for days .
One of the Hobgoblins made it to the line, swinging its mighty club down at the guard in front of the Princess, but Dominic hit it in the face with an [Arcane Blast], and the club dropped wide, smashing into the ground and leaving the creature's throat open to the Paladin's counterattack.
Dominic was beginning to feel a bit like a one-trick pony, but with a whopping one ranged attack spell, it really wasn't an inaccurate description of his combat ability.
At least his one trick was a good one.
From what he could tell, a stand-up fair fight was not ever going to be his preferred fighting style, even if he could develop the powerful build that Dragonkin Sorcerers were famous for.
But there were some options, even in a melee .
The team leader was holding off two Hobgoblins at once, while the fighters on either side of him kept the smaller creatures away. He took a brutal hit to his shield, and Dominic saw his chance.
[Minor Illusion] made it look like the Captain was crippled, with blood running down his arm and side.
It wouldn't fool anyone who touched it, but it drove the monsters into a frenzy, even as Princess Elanor cast a [Strengthening] buff on him.
It wouldn't be much of an increase at his level, but she was trapped inside the circle and able to recover her mana more easily than anyone else.
The team leader didn't even notice the illusion, but the Goblins weren't as smart, and they began to swarm, thinking that he was on the verge of death with so much apparent blood loss.
Though he couldn't see the reason why, he did see his opportunity and cast [Consecrated Ground], an area attack with a long duration and even longer cooldown to protect the group and damage the Goblins around them.
The holy light burned the smaller Goblins' flesh away, and Dominic aimed once more at the injured Hobgoblins, hoping for another easy kill and a new chance at some sweet bonus loot.
The sounds of battle were coming from all around them now, and more teams from the subjugation effort were charging into the village where the Goblins had gathered.
The battle cry of the City Guard echoed from all directions, and Dominic smiled.
With so many reinforcements, they would only have to hold on for a few more minutes, and the influx of green-skinned monstrosities would be dealt with.
The goblins charged forward, swarming the Paladins, who fell back to keep the monsters in front of them, finally inadvertently allowing the Princess into the lineup, and Dominic saw his chance to try out [Dragon Fire].
Three Hobgoblins were packed into a tight triangle in front of the team leader and the ground at their feet was swarming with smaller Goblins who were climbing them in preparation for a leap that would take them inside the encirclement, where they could overwhelm Dominic and attack from the back.
Dominic activated the spell, and a gout of fire poured from his mouth, engulfing the hobgoblins in a horrific conflagration that roasted them into burnt husks in seconds, leaving only charcoal bodies and a cone of burnt earth in front of the team leader.
Sudden exhaustion overcame his body for a moment, leaving Dominic winded, but it faded a few seconds later, and he was ready to continue the fight.
"Now, that was an impressive bit of magic. Good job, caster." The team leader cheered, and Dominic smiled as he caught his breath.
There would be many cores to be collected. But more importantly, he could see that the Hobgoblins had been carrying a magical item.
Dominic darted forward under the attack of a Paladin to grab it before the Goblins could, and retreated to safety before using the analysis abilities of his new Blacksmith Trade Skill Core to identify it.
[Filthy Dagger] Common Grade Magical Item. Adds lingering poison damage on hit.
It might not be much, but it was a magical dagger, and it should do much more damage than the ones he had started this battle with.
He took the blade into his hand to admire it and looked at the small creatures still trying to overrun the rest of the team. He might as well try out the dagger while he had the chance. With a lifetime of observing and discretely joining the local guards' training and his determination, even a Common Grade dagger should be lethal enough in his hands.
Dominic lunged forward with a straight thrust and found that not only did a dagger feel comfortable in his hand, a result of his faithful practice with them for self-defence, but his agile body made hitting the targets much easier.
The blade easily sunk into a goblin's eye and pulled back out before the creature had even realized it was dead.
The blade was much easier to work with in these tight confines than his magic was, and he could attack twice as quickly, slicing throats, piercing hearts and keeping the Goblins from overrunning his teammates while the sounds of fierce fighting grew ever closer to his team.
Finally, he heard a friendly voice.
"Princess Eleanor, it is good to see that you are safe. Sergeant, good work in finding the hiding spot of the Goblin attack force. I will be sure to see that you are rewarded when you get back to the Palace." The voice of one of the elder Princesses greeted them.
Dominic saw the team leader's back straighten before he saluted the Princess. "Thank you, your Highness. It is an honour to serve. But tell me, have you seen the senior class students? We had a small bet going with them over who would get more done today."
The heavily armoured Princess laughed at the words, and there was a pause before the team leader began to laugh as well. From inside the encirclement, Dominic couldn't see what was going on, but it seemed that they had won the bet.
"They look quite dejected. What might you have bet them? I hope you didn't take advantage to empty the pockets of a group of our loyal nobles." The Princess remarked.
Her voice was especially authoritative, and Dominic guessed that it was Josephine, but with their visors down and all the flashy bits removed for battle, he couldn't tell most of the Paladins and Guards apart.
That was likely intentional in the matching design, so that enemies were unable to react to individuals' known weaknesses. But it did make life difficult for strangers.
Dominic wouldn't even have known it was a Princess and not one of the Guard Officers had someone not addressed her personally.
"Not at all, Your Highness. The wager was that the winning team would get a chance at a fully chaperoned dinner with Her Highness, the youngest Princess." The team leader replied.
Two deep voices burst into laughter as the other Princess came up with her guards.
"So that is your taste, is it, little sister? I'm certain that these young Paladins will be fine dinner guests once we get them cleaned up. Father won't mind if we chaperone for you, and we can hold the dinner tonight. Bring your Dragonkin friend as well, since I'm assuming that he was in on the wager, and we will arrange dinner at the Gorgon Head."
Dominic sighed in relief, then froze as he realized that she had addressed him as Dragonkin. The Royal Family of Cygnia wasn't known to be any more fond of the Demihumans than the Nobles were, and as Dominic had heard it, they had refused entry to the refugee Nobles from his nation after it was taken.