Life Reset: Human Resource (New Era Online Book 4)

by Shemer Kuznits

  I wracked my brain trying to think of other ways to maximize our chances. “Hey, is Duladeen still around?” The female Minotaur blacksmith, formerly from the hobgoblin city of Akzar, could produce much better quality equipment than my own goblin smiths.

  “I’m afraid not, my lord. She took up arms in an attempt to help us repel the invading kobolds and fell in the first few weeks.”

  It was too bad, but she was part of my clan now. As long as I succeeded, I would be able to resurrect her along with the others.

  “Alright,” I said. “Then equip the soldiers as best as you can. Have them ready to march.”

  “My lord?”

  “We’re going down there. The kobolds might have the advantage of numbers, but we have superior warriors, and they won’t be expecting us. This is going to be a precision strike, but one way or the other, I’m going to get our friends back.” I put my palms on the hilt of my weapons and locked eyes with Tika. Though I was still unsure of my feelings for her, there was one I couldn’t deny. “And our daughter too.”

  3 - Into the Sewers

  I met the six hob soldiers next to the warehouse. All of them took the opportunity to replace their battered gear. The two scouts held new bows and wore tough oxsaurian leather armor. The four melee fighters put on shining new metal brigandines. Two of them held giant axes, and two were equipped with sword and shield.

  The soldiers looked impressive in their new gear, and the nearby foblins looked at their larger kin with awe.

  I looked around the assorted weapons we had in store, searching for something I could use. Everything was hobgoblin-sized. Daggers were an option, but I was used to controlling the one I already had with my mind, and it was currently refusing to cooperate. I had some familiarity with swords too, but I hesitated to grab one. Something had happened with the falchions during the fight with the kobold assassin; something that made me feel powerful. Closing my eyes, I tried to will back that feeling, but nothing happened. Still, I decided it was better to stick to a weapon that might have unknown magical powers than to use something I was only slightly more familiar with.

  I turned to Kaedric. “Is Guba …?”

  “She should be in her chemist lab.”

  I nodded my thanks and motioned for the soldiers to follow me. We made our way across the road between the rundown buildings.

  The workshop cluster loomed ahead. The armor smithy and the weapons smithy were clearly deserted, and the leather shop looked particularly run down. Guba’s lab was as pristine as ever, however.

  The front door nearly hit me in the face as an incredibly fat and incredibly irritated old goblin woman stormed out of it.

  “Where tha hell have ya been?” Guba demanded. She was positively reeking from sulfur. “Have ya no idea what we been through? Tha bloody clan be needing a bloody proper chief!”

  I took a step back then grinned. Regardless of who was the actual VI behind her, Guba was still Guba. Irate and unapologetic as ever.

  I took another step back when I noticed several kobold corpses lying on a table inside. “I was … indisposed. I’m better now.”

  “Hmph!” she snorted. “Well then, I trust ya to be restoring the clan and be done with them kobold pests?”

  “I’m working on it,” I said. “That’s why I’m here. We could use a little edge for the coming fight.” I indicated the six still figures behind me. “What do you have that we can use against the kobolds?”

  Her wrinkled face wrinkled even more as she gave me a mischievous grin. “Wait right ‘ere, youngling. I’ll be showing you what I got.”

  She entered her lab and came back out carrying a full basket. “Got me ‘ere some grenades – fire, laughing gas, and of course, some good ole’ fashioned Goblin BoomBooms. I would be having more, but ‘em component been hard to get for a while now.”

  “This will do great, thanks.” I took the basket off her hands and distributed the grenades to the soldiers, giving two of each type to each.

  The sewers’ dig site was nearby, next to the construction yard. I led the soldiers to the opening and stopped to look at the milling foblins. They were everywhere, digging the ground looking for insects to eat, brawling with each other, or just being a nuisance in general. They could prove useful in a fight, I thought.

  “You there,” I waved over about a hundred of them who were standing next to the mess hall. “Come over here and form a line.”

  The little miscreants nearly ran over each other in their haste to follow the order. The group quickly fell into an open general brawl as they each competed for the honor of following my instructions.

  I sighed and shook my head. “You.” I motioned to half of them. “Stand here.”

  But again, that proved futile. Without my old innate ability to mentally command them, the foblins proved virtually unruly. I eventually realized I could only direct about five of them. It wasn’t much, but it was better than nothing.

  One of the soldiers approached me. “Dire Totem.”

  I looked at the warrior. “Ryker, right?”

  He nodded. “If you’d like, each of us can control a small squad of foblins.” He offered me a shrewd grin. “One of the perks of being hobs.”

  “Interesting.” I scratched my cheek. “Go ahead.”

  The soldiers let out a few sharp commands, and in no time at all, they each had half a dozen foblins closely following them around.

  “Not bad,” I said, looking back at the five I was able to command.

  “What are my tasks in your absence, my lord?” Kaedric asked.

  “Now that I’m here, it’s time you get back to your duties. Get the workers organized and back to work. I want them back at full efficiency as soon as possible. The builders especially. I want the damaged buildings fully repaired. And prepare an inventory report; I want to know exactly what our supplies are. We’ll go over it once I’m back.”

  Lucky for me, there were some ways around my inability to access the game information. I wasn’t sure whether or not I’d even be able to log in a second time, but while I was here, I could at least help restore a little bit of order for my clan. Controlled by an evil VI or not, I still felt some responsibility for their well-being.

  “It will be done, my lord,” my seneschal said with a look of satisfaction. The poor, borderline-OCD hob was obviously thrilled at getting everything organized.

  “Everyone’s ready?” I looked over the soldiers. The hobs were standing at attention, and the rowdy foblins shuffled behind them. “Good. I’m declaring a kobold open season.”

  “Wait for me!” a female voice called out. Tika hurried to join our group, carrying her hunting bow.

  “What do you think you’re doing?” I asked.

  “I’m joining you,” she said, almost defiantly. “You can use my bow. I’m a better shot than these two.” She pointed at the two scouts. They looked affronted but didn’t dispute her claim.

  I was still unsure of how I felt about the wily goblinette, but my instinct to protect her remained strong. My old reservations of putting her in danger resurfaced. Still, she was right. I could use the extra bow power.

  “Alright,” I said.

  “We will rescue our daughter together,” she declared, offering me her arm.

  I hesitated but reached out to hold her hand.

  “What’s wrong?” she asked.

  That was a complex question, but I had one of my own. “Doesn’t she …” I wasn’t sure how to phrase the question. “Didn’t you name her?”

  Tika looked at me with surprise. “Of course not. Naming a child is the chief’s right.”

  I sighed inwardly at the absurdity of it. Goblins!

  Making sure everyone was ready and that the foblins were being kept in check, I motioned for the crowd to follow. “Let’s go hunt us some kobolds.”

  ***

  The descent into the underground tunnels was easy. Walking through the incomplete sewer system, we quickly located the tunnel branching downward.
>
  We followed a steep decline for a few minutes before it leveled and opened into a natural-looking cave. As Shadow-Touched creatures, we had no trouble seeing through the utter darkness.

  I tilted my head. For a moment, I thought I heard a faint murmur. I waited for several heartbeats, but after hearing nothing else, I dismissed it from my mind.

  We spotted no signs of the kobolds.

  “That’s weird.” I frowned. “I figured we’d run into some opposition by now.”

  Ryker shook his head. “This is just a generic cave system. The kobold clan will be in a large open cavern. They will only put guards on the tunnels that lead directly to it.”

  I looked at him in surprise. The hob soldier was a simple grunt, not even a lieutenant. Still, that was an impressive observation. “How do you know that?”

  “It makes sense,” he said. “Kobolds are social creatures that tend to live and work together. Guarding the choke point into their main hold is the most tactically sound approach. I expect we’ll face heavy resistance when we finally locate them.”

  “That’s not good,” I said. “Right now, we have the element of surprise, and I’d like to keep it like that.” I looked at the two scouts. “I need one of you to scout ahead. Who’s better at hiding?”

  The two hobs looked at each other uncomfortably.

  “I’ll do it,” Tika said, coming forward.

  “What? No way. It’s too dangerous,” I said.

  She smiled fondly at me. “I like that you worry about me, but this is the smart thing to do. I have a lot of experience sneaking up on game and I am a tracker. Besides, I’m smaller and can hide in places these two can’t.”

  Her speech was much more fluent than I’d remembered. Has she increased her Mental attribute? I wondered. Again, I couldn’t ignore her common sense. “Alright, but don’t take any unnecessary risks. Don’t go too far and come back as soon as you spot anything.”

  She reached up and lightly caressed my cheek. Then she leaned forward and whispered in my ear, “I will not fail you, Oren.”

  A shiver ran down my spine at those soft words. Before I had the chance to respond, the leather-clad goblinette turned and ran deeper into the tunnel, blending in with the shadows as she did so. I breathed a little easier. Any creature who was not a Shadow-Touched being would have a hell of a time spotting her in these dark tunnels.

  The small foblins watched in admiration as Tika ran past them. I swallowed down a pang of rage at the audacity. They’re just mindless automatons, I reminded myself. Still, I couldn’t deny the sudden rush of emotions. This game was even more real than I remembered. Even if it didn’t influence my mind directly, like the company’s technicians claimed, it undoubtedly pushed my thoughts into a certain framework.

  We gave Tika a head start then followed her down the tunnel. We eventually reached a small cavern that had several tunnels branching out of it.

  Tika was waiting at the center. A single dead kobold with an arrow through its head was lying on the ground.

  “I thought I told you not to take any risks,” I said, taking in her calm demeanor.

  “This one was standing here alone, guarding the entrance to this tunnel.” She pointed at a small circular opening that led farther down. “I heard some noises coming from there. I think he was waiting for his people to come back. I was planning to keep hiding and watch him, but then I heard you approach, and I didn’t want him to run and alert his friends.”

  “Still, it was dangerous,” I argued.

  Tika smiled. “He was only a worker. A single arrow was enough.”

  I frowned. “Why would a single worker be left on his own in the back? There are usually dangerous creatures so deep below the surface.”

  “It’s their territory.” Ryker shrugged. “They feel safe here.”

  Tika looked at me with her big eyes. “What should we do now?”

  I contemplated the question. “If they left a worker behind, that tunnel probably leads to somewhere other than their clan. We shouldn’t go through another tunnel and risk leaving behind enemies who can flank us.”

  “That’s a strategically sound decision,” Ryker said approvingly.

  “Can you estimate how many kobolds are down there?” I asked Tika.

  She bit her lower lip. “The hard stone makes it difficult to read their tracks, but according to the sounds I’ve heard there couldn’t be more than 20.”

  “I like those odds.” I drew one of my falchions and looked at the other soldiers. “Alright, stay alert. We’re going after them.”

  ***

  Tika, the foblins, and I had no trouble walking into the narrow tunnel, but the taller hobs had to squeeze in. Luckily, the tunnel broadened a few meters in, and we were soon all walking with weapons drawn.

  I put Ryker and the other shield-bearing soldier at the front, and the rest of us followed their lead with the horde of foblins bringing up the rear.

  Moments later we started hearing weird sounds, like shrieks accompanied by the sound of breaking glass.

  We continued moving forward, and a soft glow appeared in the distance. The tunnel opened into a dimly lit chamber filled with crystalline cobwebs. A couple of kobolds were hacking at one of the webs with hammers, breaking large pieces out of it, and a couple of other kobolds were picking them up and putting them inside large baskets.

  Ten other tougher-looking kobolds were standing ahead of the workers with their weapons drawn. A giant crystallized spider as tall as a hob lay dead at their feet.

  That made no sense. The spider weighed as much as the entire kobold squad. And it was a squad of soldiers; I could tell by their posture and battle formation. None of the kobold soldiers even seemed wounded.

  “How the hell did these runts take out a beast like that?” I whispered.

  Before anyone could hazard a guess, another giant monster reared up in front of the kobolds and charged at them.

  Two of the small creatures instantly held up a small instrument to their lips and blew. The piercing shrill whistle we’d heard earlier sounded again.

  The spider instantly froze in place and started trembling. With an almost lazy gesture of his hand, the largest kobold signaled for the others to attack. The seven other soldiers moved to obey, closing in on the giant spider, and started hacking at it with their diminutive war hammers.

  Their blows sent cracks through the spider’s crystalline body as it stood rooted to the spot, unable to protect itself.

  “Quickly, while they’re distracted,” I hissed. “On my mark, melee fighters charge the soldiers. Archers, target the whistle-blowers. And as for you …” I looked critically at the bewildered foblins and pointed at the four workers. “Kill. Go, now!”

  Letting out a tremendous battle cry, the four hobs charged down the slope toward the kobolds as the two scouts and Tika started peppering them with arrows. With my falchion drawn, I followed them into the melee.

  It wasn’t much of a fight. The two kobold musicians were low-level; a couple of arrows were enough to drop them. With the piercing sound gone, the giant spider reared up and speared one of the kobold soldiers with two glasslike pincers. It drew back into the cave, dragging its screaming victim along for the ride. The foblins swarmed over the workers, biting, punching, and brawling them to the ground.

  Still, the kobold workers were no pushovers and managed a few swings of their hammers before succumbing to the foblins’ superior numbers. That left Ryker and the other three melee soldiers with seven kobold soldiers to contend with. The much larger 20-something level hobs hacked apart the tiny soldiers on the first charge. Ryker easily absorbed a counterattack on his shield and retaliated with his sword sending another kobold to the ground with a powerful slash to the chest.

  The other kobolds were quickly downed, leaving their leader the last one standing. He was actually not a half-bad fighter and held out against two attacks, sustaining only a glancing blow to the side of his head.

  “Stop,” I commanded, and my
soldiers halted their attack, slowly circling the lone kobold. I looked critically around the cave. The spider and its victim were nowhere in sight.

  I approached the prisoner. “Can you understand me?”

  The miniature dragon-man looked at me with burning eyes. “Sstupidgoblinss,” he spat. “We kill you all.”

  Discovering that an enemy monster leader was even less eloquent than one of my grunts made me feel strangely pretty proud of myself. I made a show of looking around and smirked at the kobold. “Actually, it looks like we killed all of you.”

  “We sstrong,” the brat declared. “We go up, kill all. Chief eat heart of your chief. Be even stronger.”

  “I think I’ll keep my heart just where it is, so no thanks,” I said dryly.

  The kobold’s eyes widened as he realized what I was saying.

  “Where is the goblin female you’ve stolen?” I demanded.

  “Ah, the sspecial one,” he hissed.

  “Where is my daughter?” Tika shouted, drawing an arrow and aiming it point-blank at the kobold’s face.

  He seemed unfazed by the threat. “Sspecial goblin, ssafe with chief.”

  “Why?” I scowled. “Why take her?”

  “Oracle ssay … sspecial goblin. Sso we take.”

  “Where is your clan? Where do you keep her?” I asked.

  The kobold looked at me with open hostility but didn’t answer.

  Ryker motioned to the soldiers behind the small creature. The kobold only managed one strike with his hammer, which was intercepted by a hob’s shield then he was grabbed from behind. In a single heartbeat, he was stripped of his weapons and two soldiers held him up by the arms, his feet dangling in the air.

  Ryker slapped the little dragon-man. “Answer the chief!”

  “Not know where goblin isss,” he hissed. “But clan way isss on left tunnel.”

  I nodded. “That’s better. Now, what did you do with the travelers you’ve captured?”