Haunting eyes of green glowed in the darkness, illuminating the green-skinned bodies of these short, thin creatures. One look and I knew exactly what these were.
Goblins.
They stood still one second and charged to me the next, springing from the floor and jumping right at my face. I grabbed onto my club with both arms and swung, smacking right into their bodies. They flew through the air and back through the entrance, travelling a bit before they hit the ground. I looked to their health bar from a distance, noticing that it hadn’t gone down by much.
I’m not strong enough, I cursed silently.
I heard more voices come through, the shuffle of footsteps growing louder and numerous. More goblins were coming, and there was no way I was going to be able to take them all out.
Why did they capture me? I asked myself. Why not just kill me?
But now was the not the time for questions. As far as I knew, the Goblins wanted to kill me now, and that was all that mattered.
Glowing eyes of green emerged into the cavern once again, more than twenty goblins surging through. A taller one appeared this time as well, the shadow of a small staff in its hand.
A shaman, I realized, unease growing within me.
The goblins screeched and then charged, a flurry of eyes and bodies jumping my way. I swung my club, but I wasn’t strong enough to swing through them all. They grabbed onto my weapon, their weight too heavy for me to hold it up in the air for too long.
I felt nails and teeth cut my skin, the pain shrieking up my arms. I thrashed about, but the numbers were too overwhelming for me to fend off on my own. Suddenly, I heard a chant and realized the shaman was casting something.
The tip of his staff glowed orange and a burst of flame shot out of it, headed straight for me. Adrenaline pumped through my body as panic set in. I yelled out as I pulled my club, lifting it up along with the goblins that had clawed onto it.
My weapon stood up in front of me, just in time to take the fiery hit. Flames surged onto the club, and that’s when I realized something.
The Ogre Club was made of wood.
The fire instantly spread across the weapon the moment the attack hit and heat seared my hands, soaking my skin in pain. The goblins sticking to my club screeched as the flames hit them, shrieks and yells resonating in my head. They all dropped, not wanting to get caught in the heat enwrapping my club. I, however, still grabbed onto my weapon, one last spark igniting within my mind, that of a move I could use.
I let my hand grip the lowest point on my club handle and I twirled my arms, swinging my club around as fast as I could. The goblins stuck to my body, teeth and nails biting into my skin, sinking into my flesh. I bore the pain, focusing only on what I needed to do. A familiar feeling rose up within me, that of a storm starting to stir.
I felt my club spin faster and faster, and just when I knew it was ready, I let it go. The weapon flew into the walls, the tip smashing right into the stone. The club shattered into a million pieces and a shockwave ignited from the contact point, cracking my shackles and throwing the goblins all against the wall. I watched as their health bars all went down, sinking to zero in a flash.
The Shaman however stood up almost immediately, a fourth of its health remaining. I charged forward, no longer bound by my chains, and landed a direct punch on its face, my knuckles scraping against the creature’s tough skin. It stumbled backwards and I took advantage, landing an uppercut with my other arm and finally twirling around to deliver a kick right into its chest. The shaman flew through the air and hit the ground hard, its health bar sinking to zero immediately.
DING!
Congratulations! You have defeated a Goblin Horde (Lv. 17)! Reward: 15000 XP. Reward: Staff of the Goblin Shaman.
DING!
You have now reached level 13! You gain 4 points to distribute between your stats. You also get a 25% advancement to the skill of your choice. Use them wisely.
You have now reached level 14! You gain 4 points to distribute between your stats. You also get a 25% advancement to the skill of your choice. Use them wisely.
DING!
Congratulations! You have learnt a new skill: Heavy Weaponry. The strength of the large is now in your domain. Strength is increased by +1% while wielding Heavy Weaponry. Defense is increased by +1% while wielding Heavy Weaponry.
Congratulations! You have learnt a new ‘Heavy Weaponry’ special move: Weapon Shatter. This attack causes x10 times the max damage of the weapon to all other players on the field but in return causes the weapon to shatter on impact. Can only be used with heavy-weight weapons. Cannot be used with weapons above Two-Stars. Cannot be used with weapons that are ‘Unbreakable’.
CHIME!
Congratulations! You have learnt a new skill: Hand Combat. The art of the weaponless is more powerful than imaginable. Strength increased by +2% while fighting bare handed. Defense increased by +3% while fighting bare handed. Dexterity increased by +1% while fighting bare handed.
I closed my screens, not really paying much attention to what each one said. My mind was already looking to what I had to do next given the situation I was in. I quickly opened my Stats screen for a moment and updated my stats with the 8 points that I’d earned. I didn’t update them entirely in the way I had before, focusing much more on my strength and health this time. Clearly, my struggle against the Goblins had rattled me a bit.
Name
Zoran
Level
14 (67% to next level)
Health
60→90
Mana
100
Stamina
60
Strength
11→16
Agility
11
Dexterity
6
Wisdom
5
Constitution
6→9
Intelligence
10
Endurance
6
Charisma
4
Luck
9
My eyes glanced to my own health bar. It was orange and less than a third of its full capacity. I quickly went to my Item inventory and pulled out a Warrior’s Restoration Potion, uncorking it and consuming it completely. My health quickly rose, going back to full in a few seconds.
DING!
You have consumed a Warrior’s Restoration Potion. Health and Stamina have been restored!
I walked out of the cavern, into the entrance the Goblins had come through. My feet sunk into the soft mud as I stepped forward, entering the uneasy darkness. I blinked hard, trying to make out what was in front of me.
I still didn’t get what was going on here. As far as I could tell, I’d probably resurrected in some sort of underground Goblin nest and had been captured while I was unconscious. But what I didn’t get was why the Goblins that had come after me seemed more intent on killing me than subduing me. It didn’t seem to make sense. If they wanted me dead they’d have done it when I was unconscious. Why do it later instead of then?
I had no idea.
A soft grunting came from ahead of meand I immediately stopped moving. I could hear mumbling, but I could see absolutely nothing. I leaned forward, opening my eyes and trying to get as much light into them as possible. I stared in front of me, keeping my gaze frozen even when my eyes began to sting and water. The image of a goblin standing at the end of the tunnel entered my vision, the creature carrying a sword in its hand and wearing a helmet on its head.
DING!
Congratulations! You have learnt a new skill: Night Vision. The sight of darkness is but another familiar friend. You will now be able to make out objects in darkness.
Nice, I thought. My vision immediately turned clearer, an added benefit to learning the Night Vision skill. I looked around, searching for any alternative paths to take, but I couldn’t find any. The only way forward was through the goblin, and that was a tricky position to be in.
How strong is it? I stared at his head
and brought up the analyze screen.
Race
Earth Goblin Soldier
Level
23
Health
300
Mana
10
Stamina
370
Ugh, I’ll need to be careful with this one, I realized. So far, the Goblin’s attention was on the other side of the tunnel, away from me. But I doubted that would stay the case if I rushed up to it in an attack. I was going to have to be a lot quieter.
I eased my breathing, bringing it down to as steady a flow as possible. I knelt down and inched forward, my footsteps soft against the mud, my arms spread out in the air, helping me keep my balance.
With every second that passed I panicked a bit more, wondering if now was going to be the time the Goblin turned around and noticed me.
But luckily for me, that moment never came.
I’d come within a yard of the guard and he still hadn’t noticed me. I sprung from my position, one arm wrapping around his neck and my hand on his forehead. I quickly jerked him back and pushed his head to the side, snapping his neck clean. His health bar immediately dropped, going to zero in a flash.
An instant K.O.
I caught him as he fell to the floor, and gently let him down, not wanting to make any unnecessary noise.
That was crazy, I looked at my arms, the creatures body warmth still tingling on my skin. I’d done that on instinct but I’d had no clue I could even move like that.
DING!
Congratulations! You defeated an Earth Goblin Soldier (Level 23). Reward: 5000XP
DING!
You have now reached level 15! You gain 4 points to distribute between your stats. You also get a 25% advancement to the skill of your choice. Use them wisely.
DING!
Congratulations! You have learned a new skill: Stealth. Silence and shadows are a home away from home. You can now move between covers without being noticed by an enemy. Attacks landed after emerging from stealth have a greater chance of being critical hits.
Nice, I thought and I closed the screen. This whole Goblin ordeal wasn’t exactly desirable, but I’d learnt four skills already and that was pretty sweet. I headed through the tunnel, my steps quiet and fast. I stopped when I found a split in the path, with two small tunnels headed left and right and a very large one headed straight on.
The small tunnels were too compact for me to comfortably go through and so I decided to go into the larger one. I travelled about a minute more when I noticed an entrance in front of me, only this one was glowing with an orange light.
I stopped a few feet from the end of the tunnel and looked over to see what was going on. A large chamber opened up from the pathway, the floor about twenty feet below. At the center of the place was a tall pyre, the flame rising all the way up to the ceiling. Earth Goblins of all sizes stood around it, as though they were worshipping something.
Suddenly the pyre disappeared and where it stood was now a throne of stone. On it sat a larger Goblin, this one wearing a metal crown on its head. The Earth Goblin King no doubt. A certain unease however existed within the chamber. The Goblins bowed in the presence of the King, but I noticed a few that did not, as though they were in revolt.
Are they split? I wondered.
All of a sudden, a ring of Shaman stood up from around the circle and fired a simultaneous blast of fire at the king. The Goblin King simply waved his hand and the blasts dissipated. He spoke a word in his tongue and flames of fire immediately sprouted from where the shaman stood, incinerating them in seconds.
What the hell? My eyes widened, a little stunned that death had come so quickly to the mutineers. What’s going on here?
A blade of wind passed through the chamber and I felt a shiver down my spine. The torches of fire on the walls dulled down, as if something was stifling them.
The Goblin King gasped, fear and confusion in his eyes. He stood up, throwing his hands up in the air. His mouth opened but he froze. His head immediately severed from his body and rolled down to the ground.
As simple as that.
A dark, smoky wind swirled into the chamber, collecting at the throne, and a man emerged from it, clothed in a hooded cloak of black. “My, my, my,” he chuckled. “Quite sad how power can be so easily turned.”
A large number of goblins stood up, anger in their demeanor, their voices in disharmony. They’d realized this man had assassinated their king and they clearly didn’t like that.
“Simmer down,” he muttered, annoyance in his tone. “You should be grateful that I don’t kill you retched bunch for nearly messing everything up.”
What is he talking about? I wondered. Is he working with the Goblins?
“Thankfully not everything you idiots did was for the worse though,” the man looked in my direction, a smile on his lips. “Glad you could make it, Zoran.”
***
CHAPTER TEN
Having a strange man call me by my name was nowhere close to normal, and so I did the first thing that came to mind.
I ran.
My feet charged through the tunnel as my mind confused itself over what the hell was going on.
“You can’t escape, Zoran,” the man’s voice called out to me.
The tunnel tremored, and I stumbled to the floor. The darkness around me folded away, as if it were being sucked into a void. I found myself in blackness one second and a flurry of colors the next. When the shades finally settled down I glanced around, slowly realizing that I was no longer in the tunnel but in some sort of palace chamber. White walls stood around me with red tapestry hanging over them. A similar-shaded carpet lay over the floor and golden-plated statues stood around the room.
Teleportation, I realized.
“Hello, Zoran,” a familiar voice said.
I turned around, only to see the man from before stand right in front of me. I jerked back, nearly throwing myself off my feet.
He laughed. “Quite the reaction you have there,” he chuckled, throwing back his hood. He had a square face and toned skin, with a faded scar on his left cheek. His dark eyes looked at me, amusement ridden within them. He was enjoying toying around with me.
I stared at his head, hoping to pull up my analyze screen once again.
DING!
Analyze skill level not high to use on subject.
My eyes widened. He’s too strong for me to even analyze, I realized. “Who are you?” I asked him, my tone wary of how careful I needed to be with him.
“My name is Asterion,” he grinned. “And as you can tell, you are far too weak to use an analyze skill on me,” he stepped forward. “I must say, this is quite the fortunate meeting though. I was getting all ready to come to Aingard to fetch you, and the next thing I know. BOOM! You emerge in the Goblin tunnels less than a few miles away. Splendid!”
Dammit, I cursed, really wishing my Resurrection Ability had taken me somewhere else. Now I was trapped in this weird chamber with this weirder man. My thoughts logged his statement that this place was a few miles from the goblin nest. It didn’t seem very useful, but there was no telling how helpful it might be later on.
Wait, a thought hit my mind, making me realize I’d overlooked something. Resurrection.
“You had the Goblins capture me, didn’t you?” I asked, shifting the conversation.
“Fat lot of good that did,” he muttered, buying the bait. “The stupid Goblin colony split all because a part of them didn’t want to keep a human alive. Good thing I showed up when I did,” he said, sounding innocent. “The Goblin King was getting ready to hunt you down right before I killed him.”
Images of the Goblin King’s severed head filled my mind, but I pushed them away. “What do you want from me?” I asked. “If this is all some elaborate plot to kill me then I have to say, you seem quite stupid wasting your time right now.”
“Really?” Asterion looked at me, taken aback by my tone.
“It seems to me that if one wanted to kil
l me they’d have done it as soon as they could. You though, seem hesitant. Are you afraid of killing me?”
“What are you even talking about?” he asked, confusion on his face.
“For a man who asserts his strength, you seem to be refraining from killing me.”
Asterion blinked, and then started laughing, his dark eyes turning away from sanity. “How stupid do you think I am, Eternal.”
I froze.
“Did you really think I’d just kill you and let your Resurrection ability send you somewhere else?” he asked. “I am not a fool. It was already hard enough tracing your resurrection point this time. Calculating all those parameters and looking for mana bursts took way longer than I’d expected, even for someone like me.”
My mind registered nothing of what he said, the jargon too complex for me to understand just yet. Moreover, my thoughts were still hung over his previous statement. “You know that I’m an Eternal,” I whispered, still stunned that he knew.
“Of course I do,” he said. “Why else would I have you captured? It’d be boring to bring in a normal human being now wouldn’t it?”
“How do you know I’m an Eternal?”
“Because we are very interested in you, Zoran,” he said.
There are more? I wondered, unsettled. “Who’s we?” I asked.
He smiled. “The Dark Alliance.”
I froze. “What?”
“Everything that has happened so far, from the men I sent after you, to the-”
The Eternal: Awakening - A LitRPG Saga (World of Ga'em Book 1) Page 9
