The Hobgoblin Riot: Dominion of Blades Book 2: A LitRPG Adventure

by Matt Dinniman

  NPC Winston (Level 31, Berserker, Gorcupine) has died!

  NPC Vern (Level 58, Warrior, Half-ogre) has died!

  Several more notifications scrolled by as the room erupted into further chaos.

  I pulled a healing potion free and downed it. The back of my leather breastplate felt loose, and I knew I would soon get a notification telling me it was ruined. Ace stood to the side, wide-eyed, unhurt. Jonah and Archie also appeared unhurt. Jonah was already on the move, rolling back toward the demon, blades severing each additional tongue as it flew out. The umbrella screamed.

  Bingo lay on the ground, groaning. A purple skull was by his name, indicating a curse. Steam rose from several parts of his body. All of the gorcupines were dead. Chauncey was dead. Vern was dead. Just like that. Bingo would be dead in moments if we didn’t do something. A simple healing potion wouldn’t work on Bingo. He was suffering some sort of caustic curse. Thankfully I had avoided…

  A skull flashed in my vision.

  Damage taken! Damage taken!

  I fell to my knees as the pain overwhelmed me.

  Gretchen: Tiatha. Get in here now.

  Poppy: What the fuck is going on? Pull the levers!

  I looked at my notifications.

  You’ve been cursed!

  New Curse: Caustic Bleed. This curse expires in three minutes.

  Achievement unlocked! Get cursed!

  Tiatha came trotting into the dungeon. She raised her hand, healing Bingo. The curse notification didn’t go away, but as long as she kept healing us, we’d be okay.

  Archie rushed forward, shouting at Ace. Archie pulled the first lever, causing the rock encasement to crash down on the woman. She hadn’t moved the whole time. She disappeared as the rock fell on top of her. The demon umbrella remained outside the cell, continuing to spar with Jonah. It seemed to have a neverending supply of tongues.

  Was this Kiyohime demon the woman in the cell or was it the parasol? Or was the umbrella just a pet? Or the other way around?

  Ace pulled the second lever, and we all fell back at the concussion. A moment later, the large rock glowed red.

  Damage taken!

  Damage taken!

  “Tiatha, heal me!” I said.

  She cocked her head to the side, looking at me. With a flick of the wrist, she healed Bingo again.

  “Why?” she said to me. “You are a god. Gods don’t need healing.”

  I pulled my last healing potion and downed it just as my vision started blinking red.

  Damage taken!

  Damage taken!

  The curse’s effects were worse the closer we got to the three-minute mark.

  I pulled myself up, and I sunk my spear into the umbrella, fiery pain filling my body. I jabbed so hard, the point embedded in the red-hot rock just behind the umbrella.

  The long handle of the parasol, which had remained there, just jutting out, started to thrash. The mouths screamed in pain as the rock behind the umbrella burned against its skin.

  “You gotta injure the top of it,” Jonah said. “The part touching the rock.”

  Archie rushed forward and grasped the bucking, wood-like handle. The umbrella screamed again as Archie pushed.

  “Where is Sandra the Learnt?” Jonah cried, coming alarmingly close to one of the mouths.

  “Die human scum,” the umbrella said. “Akkorokamui will pull you to the depths of pain, and she will take this world for her own.”

  Damage taken!

  Damage taken!

  “I am not a god, Tiatha. You have it wrong. I need to be healed, or I am going to die.”

  “Gods don’t die. Do not worry. You will come back. Remember when you were shot in the neck with the arrow? It’s all in the book. You died and came back right away.”

  “Tiatha,” Bingo grumbled, groggily getting to his feet. “Heal her now. That is an order.”

  Jonah, oblivious to this conversation, continued to scream at the umbrella demon.

  “Ace,” Jonah called. “Cast your spell.”

  The auric came forward. He strummed a few chords on his lute, the song oddly filling the room, more so than usual. He cast Compel Truth.

  “Where is Sandra the Learnt?” Jonah asked again.

  Bingo reached forward and physically picked up Tiatha, shaking her. “Heal her now.”

  “No,” Tiatha said.

  “She is nearby. Very close,” the umbrella hissed.

  “Where?” Jonah demanded.

  The demon answered, but I didn’t hear what it said.

  Bingo squeezed Tiatha. She healed Bingo even as he did it. I cried to protest, but I was too weak. Don’t hurt her. I need to make her understand. If you kill her, you’re unleashing her back into the world.

  NPC Tiatha (Level 44, Druid, Auric) has died!

  Jonah spun at the notification, looking wide-eyed at the scene behind him.

  The curse notification flashed, and I felt myself let go, making sure I still clutched onto my spear, so I wouldn’t lose it. I felt myself moving as I died. I peeled open an eye, and the last thing I saw was the massive dragon emerging from the broken rock of the crushed jail cell.

  You have died! Half your progress to level 31 lost!

  Entering The River.

  Jonah Note 17

  I fell back as I saw the notification of Gretchen’s death. No. Not now. I cursed myself for not paying attention.

  The umbrella thing was dead, torn in two by the exploding rock. Both Ace and I had blown back and barely escaped being squashed ourselves. It’d happened so fast. Only Bingo, Archie, Ace, and I remained.

  Kiyohime—I was assuming Kiyohime was the girl-dragon thing and not the umbrella—had survived the double plasma wash, and she had turned into a dragon, breaking out of the rock containment the moment the umbrella told me where Sandra the Learnt was.

  “Where do you think she is?” the umbrella had hissed. “Who do you think is opening all these portals? She is where she belongs, working for her master.”

  “What do you mean?” I’d asked. “She’s with Akkorokamui? She’s in the white jacket barracks in Quibou?”

  “Yes, no, yes!” the demon hissed, fighting against the bard magic. “She is in Quibou. But…”

  Then the notification came that Tiatha was dead, and I twirled, seeing the chaos behind me. I scrambled for a healing potion, not understanding why Bingo held Tiatha’s lifeless body in his hand, and why Tiatha seemed so damn happy about it. The dead auric had a smile on her lips, the biggest grin I’d ever seen from the healer. Bingo had both a curse marker and a murderer marker by his name, though the curse was blinking, indicating it was about to expire.

  Gretchen died as the dragon emerged, uncoiling from the rock and shooting past us as it rocketed toward the exit. This was a long, serpent-like dragon, Asian style. It alternated brilliant red and white scales with yellow highlights, and the monster just kept coming and coming, unravelling itself as if it was emerging from a bottomless pit. Its body was the width of the room.

  “Get on its back,” Archie called. “Jump up there before it’s gone. Peel away some of its scales!”

  Without thinking, I rushed toward the beast, leaping into the air, landing hard against its back. The thing had no arms or legs at all, and it appeared to be floating just off the ground. It had to be at least 15 feet across.

  Peel away some scales. I clung on for dear life as I rushed out into the night air, sweeping past the wide eyes of the archers and fighters we had surrounding the castle. Ahead, arrows bounced ineffectively against it.

  It flew, low to the ground, but it flew, undulating its way down the path, slithering through the air. I’d seen creatures such as this before, flying through the air above Valisa. They weren’t quite dragons. They were a bit smaller, but still huge. I bobbed up and down, clutching onto the furry mane down the serpent’s back. It seemed oblivious to my presence.

  Peel away some scales, I thought again. Archie’s idea. It was a good idea. If the armor was gone,
the triplets would have a target. But each scale was only the size of a small tea saucer. Could they hit something that small?

  No, probably not. I’d have to peel away a lot. And it had to be over something vital.

  Notifications scrolled by. A quest update for Sandra the Learnt. Popper was screaming something into the chat. I couldn’t see. I was moving so fast, faster even than the chickens had been moving. Gretchen was dead. All the gorcupines dead, except Bingo. Vern was dead. Chauncey was dead. Tiatha was dead.

  I tugged on one of the scales, but it didn’t move. I pulled out, tugged up, tried to bend it back. Nothing. I unfurled Triple Fang from my waist, holding it in my hand, still curled. I didn’t think the weapon would help in this situation, but I gained a point to strength when I held it. A scale wriggled now.

  Not here. This is too far back on its body. I started to pull myself forward. It seemed the head of the dragon was a mile away.

  The beast roared as towers started to fire upon it. It took me a moment to register that I was also in danger. Lightning crackled, diffusing along the dragon’s scales, giving me a jolt.

  His Royal Majesty Jonah: All towers cease fire! Cease fire! Freeze towers, hit it in the head only. I’m on the back of that thing. You’re gonna hit me.

  Poppy: Jesus Christ, Jonah. Get the hell off of it!

  We crashed through a barracks arch, not even slowing down. Soldiers scattered as we passed. A freeze tower bolt slammed into the dragon’s head, causing it to noticeably slow. The effect would last 10 seconds. I took the opportunity to run up the back, gaining distance, keeping to the shaggy mane of the creature so I could hold on when it jolted. If it wasn’t for my god-like dexterity of 23, there was no way I’d be able to stay on this thing’s back.

  We crossed the Cassagnac, putting us in range of the triplets. We’d soon be at the entrance to the Catacombs, and I had to get the scales peeled off by then.

  The dragon had a triceratops-like frill on the top of its giant head. I pulled myself the twenty meters forward to just behind the bony protuberance, picking a spot on the back of its neck. A single, cockeyed scale sat there, nestled in with the others. I pulled off the scale, awkwardly trying to grip it while still holding my sword. It wiggled, pulling away like a not-quite-ready-to-go tooth, pulling free with a pop that almost dislodged me from the dragon’s back.

  The beast roared, bobbing up and down. Underneath the scale was white, fleshy skin, hot to the touch. It smelled oddly of incense.

  “Yeah, you felt that didn’t you?” I said, pulling at the second scale, wishing I had a pair of pliers. The dragon screamed again, twisting around, trying to bite at me. I was too far up its back. I peeled a third, then a fourth. They were coming easier now that I’d started a hole. The dragon continued to rage.

  Gretchen: I’m back. What’s happening?

  Poppy: It’s best you don’t know. You might want to just stay there.

  Gretchen was out of town, having regenerated in a small, hidden shack on the side of the road on the outskirts of Castellane. We’d picked that as a good place to escape, but getting back into the city would take some time. We’d stocked the shack with supplies and jacks in case we had to run. But if she wanted back, she’d have to circle all the way around.

  I figured I’d need at least a meter-wide hole for the triplets to have any hope of hitting it. I pulled another scale off. Then, as I tried to pull the next scale, the dragon turned on its side, smashing itself headfirst into the side of an archer tower.

  I jumped, bouncing hard off the far edge of the dragon and skidding across the cobblestones, pain flaring as I spun to a stop. I pulled a healing potion, downing it as I pulled myself to my feet. Damnit! The area on the dragon’s back was about one square foot, much too small.

  The dragon twisted toward me, roaring, its wide bulk sparking as it brushed against the shimmering path of the spiral. Oh fuck. I ran, aiming toward the wreckage of the tower, diving just as it breathed fire at me.

  The flames crashed against the iridescent spiral wall, arcing upwards and spiraling back on themselves in a curl. Heat washed over me, despite the protection of the magic barrier. The dragon smashed its head against the magical field a few times in anger. Its head was the size of a semi truck. The face reminded me of Mistress Wuj from the mind guild. A lifetime ago. It snorted then turned back down the path.

  His Royal Majesty Jonah: Okay everybody. Its weak spot is a small patch on the back of its neck, just below its head. Aim there. Sorry I couldn’t make it bigger. Fire at will.

  Popper Note 21

  Starr: Its big head thing is in the way. We won’t be able to hit it until it crosses the river again.

  Kitty Chapman: We’ll only get one shot at this. Once it turns off the bridge, that weak spot won’t be vulnerable again.

  I swore, watching the dot rocket across the map. I stood upon the map, pacing back and forth. I kept accidentally kicking pieces with my feet, but they were solidly glued into place during an active wave. Spritz clicked worriedly as she circled the map. The only others in the room were Alice, Nale, and the two guards, a half-ogre and an auric mage. Everyone else was either dead or on tower duty.

  Bruce Bruce entered the room, his head low. He’d been upset at the news of Gretchen’s death. He circled a few times then sat next to Alice, who whispered some words of encouragement to him. He turned on his side, and she nuzzled him. I turned my attention back to the map.

  Jonah had pissed the dragon off even further. It’d just dived into the Catacombs and was crashing about within. No doubt it would come out unscathed.

  I read the quest update again.

  Quest update. Missing Maps.

  After the interrogation of Kasa-obake, the treachery of Sandra the Learnt has been revealed. Hunt down this vile traitor to the Dominion Crown and execute the King’s justice.

  If Sandra the Learnt is not killed or incapacitated before the start of the fifth and final wave, she will continue to open portals, adding more beasts to the demon’s final assault. The portals will continue to open until the turncoat is found.

  Fucking hell. We were going to have to turn Quibou upside down.

  But first we had to survive this wave. Gretchen was stuck outside the city, and it’d take at least a couple hours for her to circle around and get back in. Jonah rushed back to the castle. At the rate the dragon was going, it would be here before Jonah would. The dragon had crashed through the last barracks, sweeping aside defenders like they were nothing. I’d seen similar dragon creatures run amok before, and it usually took a damn army to take one down. After it cleared the Catacombs, its only real obstacles were the Gardens and then the Menagerie. It flew, so it wouldn’t activate any more traps. If the Sentinel Tower couldn’t hit that shot from almost two miles away, the dragon would hit this castle, and all three of us would instantly die.

  I’d sent Ace scurrying back to the triplets, but he also had to climb the stairs. All three of the triplets were bitching they couldn’t do this without their music. Unless the dragon was seriously delayed, Ace wouldn’t get there in time. I also sent runners out to light that damn bridge up like a Vegas casino. If they missed this shot, we were absolutely fucked.

  It took the dragon less than ten minutes to clear the Catacombs. The strange tower at the Butcher’s Delight only had the chance to fire one shot, but the magical bolt reflected off the beast’s head, doing nothing. The dragon crashed through the gate, sending the last of the melee defenders scattering.

  It rocketed through the empty Castle Five, former home of the Hell Gate. It ignored the volleys of a few fire and arrow towers and approached the last river crossing, where the triplets would take their one and only shot.

  My dad had always been obsessed with reading stories about battleships during the second world war. Some of my earliest memories are of me sitting at his feet, playing a game I’d made up called checkers solitaire while he read me first-person accounts of soldiers who’d survived the sinking of their warships.


  While I knew this was nothing compared to that real horror, I at least now had an inkling of how those soldiers felt, trapped and impotent on their ships, watching death descend upon them in the form of Japanese warplanes. They only had the barest, slimmest hopes in the form of their own defenders, oftentimes too poorly equipped to hold back the inevitable enemy wave.

  It does something to you, knowing your own fate is no longer fully in your hands. It’s a hard feeling to describe. It’s almost like having the ground underneath you start to tip more and more, and you find yourself slipping away, with nothing to hang onto. There’s so much to grab, to keep safe, but how can you keep it safe when you’re also tipping away with it?

  Poppy: Okay ladies. Here it comes.

  Starr: We’re lining up the shot, nice and steady. Shot will be clear in a few seconds.

  Crystal: Ace isn’t back yet. It’s too quiet.

  Poppy: We’re going to have to do this without him.

  Starr: We are lined up and tracking.

  Kitty Chapman: Firing now.

  I held my breath, my heart thrashing in my chest. This was it. We would either live or die. I couldn’t see if it hit, only if it had been killed.

  Starr: It’s a hit! The dragon is on the ground!

  Poppy: Yes! Fucking yes!

  Gretchen: Good job, ladies.

  Jonah: Guys, it’s not dead. I can see it from here. There’s a huge scorch mark on the back, but it’s getting up. We didn’t do it.

  My heart sank. Oh shit, oh shit.

  You’re slipping away. You’ve failed them. You’ve failed them all. Just like with Juliette and Molly and Sam. You tried. But when it’s you against the odds, there is no goddamned second place.

  I watched the dot on the map start to move again. It turned the corner, smashing its way through the Gardens, bowling over the gargoyles like bowling pins. It moved even faster now. It probably had a Juggernaut ability, which made it faster and more powerful the more damaged it was. It was a common skill for boss monsters.

  The dot represented death. Gretchen and I would die, and we’d regenerate on the outskirts of town. The dragon would proceed to pull the castle apart, and there would be nothing we could do about it. Would the event end? Or would we be forced to stay here until that unending final wave was over? I didn’t know.