Treasure Hunting I [Solo]

[Saber]

    “Grrr...yarf!” A low groan followed the swift exhale of breath, and that was followed by a low whimper. Alone and lost, a lightly armed Goblin trudged through the thick swamp which swirled around its feet, draining the last bits of remaining energy it had with every step. Flies fluttered around its body, waiting for the moment the creature falls over so that they may feast on the fresh, dead flesh. The Goblin swatted at the annoying critters, pleading for the vulture-like bugs to leave him be in his struggle. All around the beast, an unforgiving land had separated him from its clansmen, and the creature only felt sorrow because of it. He had failed his quest to scout the area and his punishment was loneliness. There was no one here to help him, not a light to guide him, and only the flies to accompany him on his trek to a shallow grave.



    Knowing his end was near, the Goblin Scout wiggled the buckler on its arm, swatting the cluster of flies away viciously. He snapped at the air, trying to at least kill one of the flies which pestered him. Food was food, and it seemed that eating the plentiful amount of bugs would be his only choice. The swamp was not as kind to him as it had been before when he was with his Platoon, so there were no boars or birds in sight that he could feast on. Bugs, snails, and sludge were the only thing available for him to devour, and all three were most likely infected with some strange disease that would bring the Humanoid down within the hour. However, his options were not plentiful, so the Goblin elected to risk it. Even if the world hated him, the Goblin hated it just as much and surviving would be the world’s punishment.



    Nipping at the air, the Goblin took advantage of the numerous bugs flying around his face. He could feel the filthy pests flap their wings against his tongue and bite at the insides of his cheeks. Their taste was almost sickening, but the Goblin continued to eat. His sharp, fanged teeth which once tore into flesh with ease were now being used to trap the tiny, insignificant prey which flew in the air around him. However, as the Goblin devoured the tiny creatures, it was unaware that it was also designated as prey. Unknown to the creature, a shadow moved up behind it, walking lightly on top of the thick sludge with a metal object barely sticking out between its fingers. As the Goblin looked ahead and took one more bite at the air, trapping another fly between its teeth, a hand shot around its face on its right side. The Goblin had no time to react to the sudden appearance of the hand and before the Scout could even make a sound, it’s jaws were locked shut by a fierce grip.

[Saber]

    The hand tugged the Goblin Scout back and the shadow figure hugged the creature against itself. As the weak, starved humanoid began to struggle, wiggling and kicking, the sharp metal object was plunged into the back of the creature’s neck. Poison seeped off the tip of the object and poured into the Goblin’s veins. The grip the hand had on the Goblin’s snout only increased in power as the Scout struggled, and the metal object in its neck was plunged deeper and deeper as the killer increased the amount of pressure put into the Goblin’s neck. The buckler on the Goblin’s left hand slipped free and fell into the mud, sinking into the swamp’s deathly hold. The knife on the Goblin’s hip was pulled free by the creature as it remembered it had such a weapon, but the rusty iron dagger slipped during the struggle and joined the shield in the mush below. A futile attempt to break free was ended swiftly after as the health bar, unseen by the Goblin, dropped into red levels. The shadow grunted as it fought to hold the Goblin still and watched the bar slowly empty. The poison symbol beside the display continued to flash and increased the speed which the bar emptied. When the time came, the hand rotated on the Goblin’s snout and the figure released the metal object, leaving it dug inside the green skin. The now free hand slipped underneath the Goblin’s neck and clasped onto its opposing shoulder.



    With a brutal tug and twist, the Goblin’s head snapped right and his body turned left. The fragile neck, weakened by the direct-injection of poison, snapped. The movement emptied the remaining bit of the health bar and the Goblin dropped to its knees. A small knife stuck out of the back of the Humanoid’s neck, but it was pulled free just before the dead being burst into a large number of bubbles and light. The Goblin’s killer waited a moment for the bubbles to disperse and then returned the knife in his hand to the weapon’s sheath which was strapped to his thigh. Adjusting his clothes, the man cleaned himself off before continuing on with his journey into the marsh. The Goblin was an unexpected encounter, but the Assassin was thankful that it had been a swift one. Time was short, and he didn’t exactly wish to get into a tussle with a petty creature. He had other business, more important business.

[Saber]

    While searching for blacksmithing books in his ancient library, Saber had read come across a story which told of a dungeon of sorts that was located in the far reaches of the Thames Marshlands. Having been made curious about such a thing, the Adventurer gathered his equipment and left as quickly as possible. Of course, he stopped by the main area in order to get a look at a map of sorts, but after doing so he decided to use his book as an actual reference over a stained paper that some low-level scribe had created with strange lines and images. It did not hold any coordinates but there were plenty of landmarks he could use. A trio of tar pits to the south of the entrance, a small Goblin campsite which could hold a hundred demi-humans to the east, and a wasteland to the north which was composed of rotted and fallen trees, bones of trapped creatures, and dozens of lost, wandering ghosts whom have not been able to rest. Saber had not come across any of those landmarks, but the sight of a Goblin was reassuring. In a place where darkness thrived and where Nature was not kind to intruders, Saber needed a lot of reassurance.



    For three hours he had marched without a single sign of life aside from snails and sludge, but he had passed by several smaller collections of natural traps; oversized tree roots waiting to trip an unsuspecting person, a pair of fallen trees filled with venomous bugs, two random pitfalls, a strange quicksand pit, and there was even a few traps which were most likely left behind by someone who had come through before. All were extremely annoying and Saber found himself on the verge of death when he stepped on the trees. He was thankful for his climbing ability. If not for that, then he would have probably been swarmed by the little critters. The sheer thought of such a thing made him cringe. Although now that he had come across the Goblin, Saber felt as if he wasn’t wasting his time anymore. The player adjusted his scarf, pulling the cloth over the lower half of his face and walked briskly forward down the small path which the Goblin was walking.



    Due to the state of the creature he had slain, Saber could tell that it had been lost or at least was starved for some reason. If that was true, then the appearance of the beast wasn’t as reliable as Saber thought. However the sheer presence of another humanoid this far out told him one thing; there were more Goblins here somewhere and they never just appeared out of thin air by themselves. There were always more than one. Where the others were, Saber didn’t know but he had plenty of patience to find them. As he pulled up his menu, Saber checked his map and learned that he was nearing the location which the book specified that the dungeon would be in, but due to the “fog of war” effect, he was unable to see exactly where. The scribe he had bought the map off had only walked in the general location of where Saber was headed. What made it worse was that the Goblin was a quarter of a mile away from the very edges of the Marshland, which meant that it may have wondered quite a distance from its allies. The reliability of everything was starting to dwindle, and Saber felt as if the book had lied to him, maybe it was all just a story after all. Whether it was or wasn’t, Saber didn’t know. All he knew was that he’d search the whole damn area if he had to.

[Saber]

    Angered by the thought of having to do such a thing, Saber slapped his menu out of his face and continued ahead down the trail. He snarled at the thought of having to waste such a large amount of time, but the benefits of his search would outweigh his losses. Firstly, Saber would get a chance to survey the land, which would illuminate his map. Second, he would most likely come across several clusters of Goblins and Goblin Camps which he could farm for experience. Third, if the book was right, then Saber would stumble across the dungeon. The only thing that he disapproved of would be time. Searching the zone ahead would take several hours of hard work. Yet, Saber had to do it. He didn’t exactly like the thought of burning four hours and going back to London with nothing but a single Goblin kill to speak about.



    Yet as Saber complained in his mind about the long few hours he was going to have to spend, the muddy path he walked slowly came to an end. The number of trees he walked between dwindled to only a handful, and eventually the entire area opened up where it was nothing but one large open flatland. Saber stood at the edge of the area and stared out towards the empty space. Taking in a deep breath, the player felt his ears start to become hot. His face flushed with anger and he squeezed both hands into fists. He looked to his right and then to his left. The trees seemed to have just stopped completely and the wasteland beyond was only filled with small pits, bones, rocks, and remnants of buildings which were decades beyond saving. The player snarled and grabbed the closest rock to his foot and threw it into the distance with all of his might.



    “WHY?!” Saber shouted in ignorance as he looked around the open wasteland. That was it. He had wasted his time. There was no dungeon, no temple, nothing. The book was a fairy tale and he had walked out here just so he could find some stupid open zone. A wasteland filled with nothing but bones, a ghost civilization… rocks… open space… and nothing…

    “Wait a minute…” With another swift survey of the land, Saber wiggled his nose and opened up his menu. Before he left, he had noted the descriptions the book gave the landmarks which surrounded it in a message to himself. As he read over them, he realized that the open space in front of him was one of those landmarks; it was the wasteland. That was why the scribe from before hadn’t ventured out beyond where Saber stood; he was afraid to, or just didn’t because it was a wasteland.

    “Stupid… freaking…” The angry player cursed himself and kicked a small pile of mud to his right before stepping out into the open wasteland. He followed the trees and moved towards the south. The Wasteland was in the north so if he wanted the Dungeon, he needed to head in the opposite direction. The player had approached from the East, which was a good explanation for the appearance of the Goblin as the Goblin Camp was said to be in the East. Now, the only landmark Saber had not come across was the tar pit. If he was in the North, then stumbling across that would mean that he had gone too far.

[Saber]

    Saber swiftly opened his map and watched as his marker began to illuminate the darkened area as he progressed forward. He nodded at the sight and zoomed out, giving himself a view of the entire area around himself. Much of the map was blacked out, but he could still make out the general shape and was able to navigate easily enough without any problems. Even if he missed or whiffed completely, then he would just have to turn around once he reached the supposed location of the tar pits. This was it then, Saber was close. Very close if the story was correct. A chuckle escaped the player’s lips as he thought about how foolish he was, following the tales of some story in an attempt to find some structure that most likely didn’t exist. He had even become angry over such a thing; pathetic. He was an animal hunter, not a treasure hunter… No… He was just a hunter.



    As the man slipped through the muddy swamplands, he smiled to himself beneath his scarf. That was right, Saber was just a hunter. That was all he was. It was true that he indeed mainly hunted and killed animals, but who was to say he couldn’t hunt for treasure? The label he had given himself as a “hunter” was extremely broad and he had never really focused it down, nor had he ever thought about doing so. Now as he walked and thought about such a thing, the hunter considered never doing so. It was a vague label and in conversation, he could use it to his advantage. Trusting others was something he couldn’t do just yet, so keeping the major details about himself a mystery would help keep some people at a distance. For now at least, he would keep such things to himself. Although, to complete his plan; Saber would need to open up at some point, but that point obviously was not anywhere near.



    A light sigh made Saber’s chest pop, and he wiggled his shoulders to shake out the stress he felt. His mind was wandering and he had lost focus. He needed to remain vigilant. If he didn’t, then he would most likely either fall into a trap, fall over and get jumped by goblins, or just lose his way, maybe a combination. As eventful as that all sounded, Saber wanted to not worry about that until it was absolutely necessary.

But his wish was ignored.

[Saber]

    The player took one heavy step and lifted himself up on top of a fallen tree, perching up onto the highest point. Using the object as an observation point, Saber looked over to his left and began to scan the area ahead of where he was. Upon doing so, the player noticed a small light in the distance that stuck out in the dark. Scrunching his eyes in an attempt to focus his vision, Saber found himself drawn to the light and became extremely curious. Before he realized what it was, he realized that it was fading so he didn’t have any time to think. The man simply acted and began walking quickly over towards it, not wanting to lose the only sign of life since the Goblin Scout earlier. As he closed in, he realized that it was a torch; a hot flame gripped onto by a scrawny green hand. Saber sucked his teeth and lowered into a crouch as the brush opened up in front of his path, exposing six Goblins in a small cluster. There were far to many to attack with only a knife and bow, so the Hunter kept his distance.



    The Goblin with the flame was much more heavily armed than its Scout compatriots, so Saber questioned its type as well as its abilities. As a Guardian, he never did visit this place. He kept to the happier and lit places with Shiori, as the woman was far too frightened of dark places. Yet, he was thankful for such a thing. As he followed behind the Goblins, the Adventurer in Saber’s gut was squirming with excitement. Or that was his stomach growling for food, one of the two. Which one didn’t matter, but Saber was hungry and he was excited. He whispered the command for his tracking skill, Eagle Track, and selected the central Goblin. Upon doing so, a faint but visible green line appeared around the creature, giving it a strange highlight against the black shadows of the forest. Each step the Goblin took was also illuminated, as well as every step that it had previously taken. Saber found himself looking backwards for a moment, blinking as he saw his skill in action. He hadn’t used it before, so seeing such a thing was amazing.



    Now that Saber knew he didn’t have to be extremely close due to his skill, the player waited a little longer than he usually would have. The distance between himself and the Goblins increased, as did his feeling of safety. The lower level Goblins were not extremely perceptive, but Saber didn’t just have to worry about the monsters in front of him; he had to worry about additional forces coming out of the shrubs as well. The further he followed the Goblins into the marsh, the more he felt uneasy. He couldn’t see as far around him and the dark swamp slowly began closing in on him. The torch was the only source of light that Saber could see, and that didn’t help his anxiety. Yet the lone light did make his tracking easy; until it suddenly went out.

[Saber]

    The light’s disappearance happened in the split second Saber took to maneuver from one bush to the next, and he was left without any sign of the Goblin’s presence except for the green footprints that lingered just to his right. Saber tilted his head and scrunched his eyebrows, concerned not because the light vanished but mostly because the goblins were gone as well. In that flash of movement, the entire group had just suddenly vanished from Saber’s sight and the light was gone. Was it a trap that had been placed to kill them? Or were they just holograms? Saber didn’t doubt that they were just projections, as there were plenty of mysteries in this world that he had not yet come across. Though, the chance of someone else being around to play such a trick was very low. Saber had not seen anyone else in the area, nor had he heard anyone. Unless they were an Assassin like he was, then he would believe that he wasn’t alone.



    “Waaaarf!” The loud, deep yell from in front of Saber snapped the player to attention, while also paralyzing him in fright as he was unprepared for such a noise. He felt threatened, and he also felt as if he had been discovered. In those few moments Saber spent frozen, he heard several more squeaks and grunts, all of which came from where the Goblin’s had disappeared. Before he was finally able to move forward again, the howls and strange sounds filled the air until one last, loud bellow silenced everything. The player grunted himself as he pushed the bush in front of him apart and then released a slight yelp as his foot became snagged in a root. He fell flat on his face and sprawled out on the ground in his own shame.



    “Seriously?” A heavy sigh burst from the player’s chest as he lay flat, taking in the fact that he had just been smacked by a bush essentially. As he wallowed in his defeated state, Saber looked up to see a few Goblins appear out of the ground. Curious.



    The ground seemed flat, solid, and unchanged but the Goblins walked out of what looked to be a distortion in space. Such a thing was impossible in Elder Tale, so it was easy to tell that the creatures were most likely using some form of camouflage. There was also a chance of Saber just being on the wrong side of a hill; which turned out to be true. While in the process of returning to his feet, Saber was able to see over the slight hump in the ground and saw two lit torches that had been placed into the ground. The player narrowed his eyes on the torches and glanced over to his right, watching as the goblins that had appeared marched off into the darkness. They didn’t carry torches, but that may have also been because of their rank as scouts. Like Saber, Goblin Scouts scanned areas and hunted. If they brought torches, then that would give away their positions. It showed that the Goblins weren’t completely stupid; but they were still fairly foolish. A prime example of their foolishness was their lack of defense awareness.

[Saber]

    As Saber made his way over towards the small entrance in the floor, he discovered that the Goblins had left the entry area completely unguarded. There were no scouts by the torches to alert their allies inside, no heavily armored guards of any kind to deter thieves, and there wasn’t even a door to keep any random Adventurer, or any random animal for that matter, from peering inside. Saber thought it stupid for such a thing; until he lay down on his stomach and looked down into the pit. He had come across a similar looking entrance a few days prior to his current adventure and had found a mine hidden within the shadows. This tunnel however, did not look anything like the dirt and crumbling one that he had ventured into previously. This tunnel had been carved into with very precise tools to make a smooth circular archway above a careful incline that led into the depths of the world. Along the walls, the stone was carefully reinforced by tall pillars to keep the tunnel from collapsing and torches were lit every few feet as to light the way down. At a first glance, it was easy to tell that the tunnel was not the work of Goblins, yet if it wasn’t Goblins… than who made it?



    “Arrrgh!” The bark-like order echoed through the tunnel and Saber pulled his head out of the entrance for a moment. The sounds of distant arguing in a foul language which escaped the tunnel’s entrance made the player shiver in disgust. When he looked back inside to see what was making the noise, he caught sight of the large Goblin from before. The green tracks which were still illuminated on the floor linked to the hulking creature, enforcing the fact that it was the same beast as before. Saber nodded to himself and slithered back off the upper lip as the Goblin began to make its way towards the entrance...

[Saber]

    The Goblin snarled to itself before barking an order at its underling once more. The damned fool didn’t seem to understand rank, let alone how to scratch its own backside. Scouts were the petty runts which deserved to be treated as lesser beings in the Goblin army, maybe even lower. They were frail and almost completely useless when it came time for combat and even remedial tasks seemed to be complicated. Being their caretaker was a pitiful duty, but one that had to be done. Juun’tek had chosen such a job only because his father was well known amongst the Goblins for his skills at leading Scouts during the last War with the Adventurers. Juun’tek’s father had killed several of the strong beings and had proved himself as a worthy General. In an attempt to mimic his father, Juun’tek happily accepted the opportunity.



    However, he did not expect to be in charge of excavations or artifact retrieval. The Scouts he commanded were fools with brains in their backsides and could barely tell the difference between what was rock and what was important. It was a tiring job keeping tabs on the pathetic rats, and Juun’tek was starting to grow tired of it. He needed air, especially after avoiding a nearly disastrous tunnel collapse simply because one of his idiot Scouts tried to mine through a main support pillar. Patience was something he needed, but the Goblin Overseer was starting to lose it. Rather than explode inside of the tunnel, the Goblin made his way towards the entrance to the lair below and ordered his Scouts to simply return to their interior resting area for a break. When he returned, Juun’tek would reorganize his Troop and get them focused once more. If he failed to produce results, they would feel the wrath of the tribe. There was no doubt about that.



    Though, as the Goblin neared the entrance, he began to smell something strange in the air. The scent was not Goblin, nor was it animal… He did recognize it, but from where? The Goblin snarled quietly and drew the bone knife on his hip as he walked towards the dimly illuminated entrance. He continued to sniff at the air, his mind racing to try and discover what it was. The strength of the familiar stench increased in potency but such a thing only scattered his brain further. Juun’tek quieted his snarl and as he reached the entrance, the Goblin paused. He sniffed the air towards the ceiling and grinned. Whoever, or whatever, was there was above. So rather than let them get the jump on him, Juun’tek would be ready. He grinned wide, exposing his oversized left tooth. With his bone knife prepared, the Goblin turned around and took a quick hop step back. He released a loud bark and readied to defend himself, holding the knife tightly in his right hand.



    Yet, nothing happened. The only response to Juun’tek’s actions was a gentle breeze from the natural world around him. The strange scent vanished and there was no trace of anything ever being there. As he took a few steps back, Juun’tek couldn’t see anything hiding above the tunnel either. It was strange, but maybe it was the Overseer’s paranoia. The Goblin released a huff, sadly accepting paranoia as a good reason for his mistake, and sheathed his knife. He needed to relax and hoping for something to attack was not a good way to do such a thing. So, Juun’tek let his shoulders fall and turned arou---

[Saber]

    In a flash, Saber thrust his knife forward and plunged it into the thick neck of the Goblin. The creature stood there, frozen in place as the blade which stabbed through the underside of its mouth just barely tickled the brain within its skull. Saber growled low and twisted the sharp, rusty knife as the light coat of poison began to take effect, spilling directly into the cranium of the Goblin. Its health bar dropped rapidly, declining from the bright green status to yellow, and then to red in only seconds. Before it died, Saber ripped his knife free and shoved the poisoned vegetable out of his way. Twirling the knife around his fingers, the man narrowed his eyes on the tunnel and marched down into it, ignoring the slight flailing from the Goblin at his ankles. Saber seethed with the will to kill and he was quite content with that. As the green beast behind him burst, Saber sheathed his knife and exchanged it for his bow.



    Swiftly, the player nocked an arrow and drew back on the string as the distant sound of footsteps echoed into the tunnel, the noise bouncing all around Saber. Due to that, Saber was unable to pinpoint the exact location of his approaching target but he was able to narrow it down as there were only three places it could be coming from. Down at the bottom of the ramp the tunnel split into a fork composed of three paths which continued forwards. Saber had a decent view of the three entry areas, but it was hard to see further down them because of his elevation. However, as he stepped further and further into the depths of the tunnel, Saber’s view became much clearer but that was only needed for a second. The player took one more step and stabilized his bow. The arrow which he held focused on the distant floor of the right pathway and Saber took in a deep breath.



    From beneath the ceiling, a Goblin stepped out and fully exposed itself to the distant hunter. It didn’t realize its mistake until it was far too late. The instant the Goblin looked up the ramp towards the forest entrance/exit; Saber released. The arrow shot forward and dug into the forehead of the Goblin. Saber used his skill, Focus Shot, as to enhance his firing ability for that one moment. The arrow had struck the Goblin perfectly, causing the Scout’s health to drop because of the critical damage. Though, killing the Scout was not all Saber had done. For the moment the Scout froze, a few yelps and growls behind it echoed into the tunnel. When the dead, empty body fell forward and hit the ground, three Scouts appeared from behind it and quickly rolled their, unknown to them, dead brother over. Upon diagnosing his condition, one of the Goblins looked up the ramp and directly at the bowman in the middle of the area.

[Saber]

    Saber had thought of hiding, but there was nowhere to do so. The lights along the wall illuminated every crevice of the hall, leaving only two places to hide; the pathways below, or the exit which was nearly a third of a mile away. Even if he ran at full speed, he would have been discovered. This left Saber with only one choice; he would have to take the tunnel. Death was on the table, as he didn’t know how many Goblins were inside of this hornet’s nest, although if there were a lot of Goblins then he knew he would be in the right place. The only question Saber had was if he had enough in him. That question became even more difficult to answer as another group of four Goblins appeared from within the left tunnel. Saber swallowed a wad in his throat and looked down at the new arrivals as they looked at him. Then, he watched as they looked over to their left in time to see the Goblin on the floor burst into bubbles. When they looked back at Saber, the game registered his kill, as well as the lack of combat, and an experience and gold menu appeared in front of him. Saber looked down at it, and then looked up at the Goblins.



    “Well shit.” The man grabbed an arrow from his quiver and quickly began to backstep as the Goblins screeched loudly. As Saber released his shot, piercing one of the front Goblin’s in its right thigh, the group of seven began to sprint forward towards him, drawing their weapons from their waists mid-stride. Saber cursed, quickly drew another arrow, and fired as he focused on keeping his body running through the steady and continuous motions of drawing, nocking, pulling, and releasing his shots. The Goblins were quickly closing the gap so Saber took his brief advantage of range to inflict as much damage as possible. The arrows he fired weren’t expertly aimed and leveled, so he was unable to critically damage any of the green rascals in front of him. Yet he had been able to damage all seven to the extent that finishing them off would be easy; if he had a bigger weapon. Though, all Saber had for close combat was a petty knife and he cursed himself for not keeping two or three of the swords he had made and then smelted back down to ore. Regretting the past wouldn’t get Saber out of the situation he was in now so he had to focus on the present.



    Saber fired his final arrow and strapped the bow he held across his chest. As his last shot impacted the right shoulder of the lead Goblin, Saber reached to his left hip and drew the knife which was nestled against his thigh. The man looked up to his approaching foes and twirled the weapon around his fingers, swirling the blade into a reverse grip. His eyes scanned the group of seven and a low hiss escaped his dry lips. Licking them to keep his flesh from splitting, and to help his breathing, Saber ran his tongue from one side of his smiling face to the other.



    “Let’s dance…”

[Saber]

    Kicking forward, the Assassin moved straight into the face of the lead Goblin. Armed with a bone sword, the creature yelped and swung wildly at the player in front of it. Saber didn’t stop at a distance to try and block the strike, but he moved in close as to cut the Goblin’s range of motion off. When he was in deep enough, then he moved his knife. The colision was much weaker there compared to what it would have been and Saber had pinned the weapon arm off to the side, exposing the creature to his right hand. With a hard jab, the human socked the Goblin fiercely in its jaw and caused the creature to stumble backwards, opening up attack lanes for two of its allies. At the sight of the two coming knife-wielders, Saber took a step back and switched to a forward grip on his knife.



    The two Goblins swung at the same time, their blades slicing towards the human player from both directions, trapping him between the two pieces of sharpened metal. Well, he would have been trapped if he remained in one place. Though, Saber was no fool. Rather than remain still and let the Goblins take advantage of his inaction, the player stepped to the left, and then he sharply hopped over to his right. The brief move to his left caused the Goblins to adjust their swings enough so when he moved back to the right, he was able to clear the vicious weapons by only inches. The rusted iron weapons slapped the rocky floor and sparked brightly upon impact. Saber didn’t wait to see the fireworks and ignited a spark in his knife. The man clutched the neck of the Goblin who now stood to his right and plunged his dagger into the bottom of the creature’s skull. Electricity flowed through the Goblin’s brain, causing massive amounts of damage and nearly paralyzed the creature. Although before Saber could abuse the full effect of the attack, he was forced to withdraw his weapon; his next target had arrived.



    Tugging hard, Saber yanked the Goblin in his grasp to his right and moved it into the way of an oncoming attack. The knife which had been extended plunged into the back of the defenseless creature, piercing deep through the weak flesh and caused damage to the struck being. The attacking Goblin squealed in fright and immediately looked towards its ally, fearful for the Scout’s condition. Though, movement from the Adventurer caused it to snap forward. With the knife lodged inside of his shield, Saber had no more reason to be afraid. He released the meat shield he held then raised his right knee into the air. Twirling around, the player exposed his back for only a second as he donkey-kicked the two Goblins down the ramp.

[Saber]

    When he turned around to re-engage, Saber caught sight of the damage his kick had done. As the fight paused for a moment, Saber watched as the two Goblins tumbled down the ramp and slammed into two of their brothers, knocking out their legs and bringing them down as well. Saber grinned to himself and swirled his knife around his fingers in a brief moment of achievement. The three Goblins which had not been taken out glanced down at their fallen brothers, and then back towards the nimble player. The smug look on his face showed nothing more than joy; he was having fun, a lot of fun.



    “Come on then! Don’t keep me waiting!” Saber barked as he raised his knife up to his face. As he switched back to a reverse grip, the Assassin raised his fists up in front of his face. Then, he began to bounce lightly from one foot to the next, ready to continue the fight. However, as Saber began to hop along and showed his energy, one of the Goblins he had kicked slowly began to rise up to a knee. Saber glanced down at the creature as it began to perform some sort of… irregular movement. No, it was reaching for something.



    The Goblin weakly stretched its right arm down to its hip and clutched onto… a horn? Saber paused in his hopping and watched at the weak creature raised the bone creation to its lips. It took in a deep breath, and then released that breath, blowing into the horn with all of its might. The noise echoed through the tunnel, bouncing off the walls and diving down all three pathways below. The sound exploded outwards, and the instant Saber heard the noise, he froze in place. After a few seconds, the noise stopped. In the distance, Saber could hear hissing and growling coming closer… closer… closer…



    The sounds came closer until all Saber could see in the passages below were red eyes...



    “Oh boy…”