For the most part the adrenaline pumping in his veins kept the cold at bay but it was an ever-present dull pain that never quite fully went away. He was always aware of it, even if it was only dimly at times. The insulation that Lootlox provided helped stave off the worst of it.
Instead, he carefully waited until the goblin turned the corner and then made his way down the ladder as quietly as he could. He crept after the goblin, watching his footing and keeping it to the strongest looking boards. Though they seemed few and far between.
When Hal turned the corner, he found the goblin poking his rusty sword through the cage at a shivering koblin without a mask. It was cowering and hiding its face. The scene brought him up short.
Something snapped in Hal and he abandoned his plan to wait for Jabkix and Buffrix. He lunged forward, grabbing the goblin by the top of its mask. and He wrenched the small thing’s head back at the same time as he brought his [Deserter’s Falchion] across its exposed neck.
Sneak Attack!
The [Goblin Watchman] takes 77 points of damage.
Additional Effect: Silence, Bleeding.
The goblin wasn’t killed so easily. It, like every other goblin, had on a full suit of armor. Hal drew back his arm and chopped again and again while the goblin’s purplish blood misted into a cloud and painted the bamboo.
The goblin flailed about with its rusty sword, the surprise quickly wearing off as it realized what was going on.
Unable to call for help - an interesting effect Hal hoped was a result of using Sneak Attack on its throat - the goblin twisted this way and that trying to stab at his much larger attacker.
Its movements slowed and, like all the rest, eventually stilled. The goblin vanished into a cloud of purple smoke and Hal happily took his due.
The [Goblin Watchman] hits you for 17 points of damage.
You defeat the [Goblin Watchman].
You gain 100 Experience Points.
You absorb 10 Goblin Essence.
You obtain:
17 [Bronze Gobbiecoins]
[Blood-Stained Notebook]
[Suit of Goblin Leathers]
[Rusty Sword]
[Koblin Mask]
Your Sword Skill has risen to Level 2.
+1% Sword damage (+2%).
-0.25% Sword durability loss (-0.5%).
Without wasting another moment, Hal emptied the goblin items from his bag and thrust them through the bars into the cage. “Here you go, you can wear these. And here’s a Koblin Mask.”
All three koblins gasped.
The koblin in the cage sniffled and pulled on the mask. “It is lovely gift-give,” she said. “Lurklox Dhalmelneck will not forget this kindness!”
Right before his eyes, the koblin in the cage seemed to vanish. Then his eyes refocused and he found the koblin in the corner not more than four feet away doing something with the rags that coated the bottom of the cage.
“She is sneaksies,” whispered Buffrix. Hal took him at his word.
“Once we get you out of here, I want you to go up that ladder and wait for us,” Hal instructed Lurklox.
She looked at him, startled. “But Lurklox wanting to repay many-debts to man-thing! Give Lurklox weapon and she will kick-stab!”
“Shh! Okay, okay.” Hal summoned the [Bronze Kukri] from his inventory and handed it to her. “Take this then and be quiet.”
The koblin mimed zipping her mouth shut, which was only slightly ruined by the mask she wore. She reached down with her free hand and picked up a bundle of dirty rags. “Take, cover-hide shivering man-thing.”
Hal took the bundle in his free hand and examined it. Like his cloak he once had – and dearly missed – it provided 2 points of Insulation and nothing else. Shifting Lootlox off his back for a moment, he managed to don the [Rag Cloak].
The effect was immediate. He felt warmer. And he was no longer nearly naked. The cloak covered him down to his knees. He was still barefoot, but he doubted he would find a pair of shoes lying around.
Buffrix looked at him curiously. “Man-thing hurt? Want healy-spell?”
Hal nodded.
Buffrix laid his tiny mitts on Hal’s leg. He was once again bathed in shimmering purple-blue light, motes of crystalline purple floated about him. A familiar rush of warm air enveloped him and washed away what remained of the chill in his bones.
Buffrix casts Kobbiecure.
You recover 30 points of HP.
He felt refreshed and alert.
Lurklox proved to be very capable. With Lootlox’s approval, Hal had Elora invite Lurklox while Lootlox - these koblin names were going to give him an aneurysm - dropped from the party to make room.
The koblin Thief could vanish into the faintest shadow and strike faster than any viper.
Between Hal and Lurklox, they cleared the second floor of any goblins with twin Sneak Attacks. Jabkix and Buffrix dealt the finishing blow to any goblins that managed to cling to life.
Hal collected more suits of goblin armor and leathers than he could ever want. He passed them out to any Koblins he met, outfitting them with rusty weapons and crude short bows he gained after destroying and absorbing each goblin’s essence.
Not all of them disappeared into a cloud of smoke. And those that didn’t, remained behind as a lifeless corpse. That didn’t impact his ability to loot them but he gained no essence from those goblins.
As they freed more of the prisoners on the second level, Hal turned a corner and saw three goblins milling about. This was the last corridor on the second level. With quick instructions to Lurklox, Buffrix, and Jabkix, Hal slipped into the shadows, doing his best to move slowly and quietly.
Luckily, the goblins weren’t big on proper lighting. There were plenty of shadows to hide within.
Lurklox appeared behind one goblin suddenly. With a flurry of motion, Lurklox stabbed half a dozen times into the poor thing’s back before it even knew the koblin was there.
As the other two goblins turned to help their friend, Buffrix cast a paralysis spell. A swirl of sickly yellow energy fell upon one of the goblins. Jabkix leaped upon that one, his little legs flying out with startling force.
With a practiced motion, Hal whipped out his chains and wrapped them around the third goblin’s arm.
With a savage pull, he twisted the goblin about, just as Hal rammed it through with his falchion. He twisted the blade and yanked it out. In short order, all three goblins were defeated and three plumes of purple smoke absorbed into Hal’s outstretched palm.
The rush of monster essence felt different this time… more complete.
Lurklox uses Sneak Attack.
The [Goblin Patrolman] takes 107 points of damage.
Lurklox defeats the [Goblin Patrolman].
You gain 100 Experience Points.
You absorb 10 Goblin Essence.
Buffrix casts Paralyze.
The [Goblin Patrolman] suffers the effect of Paralysis.
Jabkix uses Whirlygig Kickalots.
The [Goblin Patrolman] takes 82 points of damage.
You gain 100 Experience Points.
You absorb 10 Goblin Essence.
Sneak Attack!
The [Goblin Patrolman] takes 79 points of damage.
You defeat the [Goblin Patrolman].
You gain 100 Experience Points.
You absorb 10 Goblin Essence.
Your Leadership has risen to Level 3.
+1% Party damage (3%).
+2% Leadership efficacy (6%).
Your Improvised Weaponry has risen to Level 3.
+2% Improvised Weapon damage (6%).
+2% Improvised Weapon attack speed (6%).
Your Stealth has risen to Level 4.
+1% Stealth success (+4%).
+1% Stealth speed (+4%).
-1% SP drain (-4%).
By the time Hal managed to get all the people from the third level down to the second, they had a ragtag group of nearly fifty people. Again, much to Hal’s dismay, they were mostly childr
en and koblins. There were less than five adults.
Hal didn’t know what they were planning with the kids but he didn’t think he wanted to know. The rest of the spoils were passed out. Koblins reacquired missing masks and outfits. Most of the children wore little more than rags but Hal didn’t have the heart to suggest they wear goblin clothes.
They had been through enough without having to resemble their tormentors. Hal was just happy that they didn’t view the koblins the same as they did goblins.
A helmeted goblin poked his head up over a nearby ladder going down to the first level. Hal turned and cursed just as it let out a shrill scream. “Raise the noisy-bells! Raise the noisy-bells! Prisoners flee-footing!”
Buffrix was on him in a second, paralyzing him with a spell but the damage was already done. Unable to maintain its grip, the goblin fell down the ladder to the cavern’s floor in a clangorous cacophony as loud as any alarm bells might have been.
Which soon began to toll somewhere deep in the cave.
The cavern awoke with the clanging of many discordant bells and dozens of goblin voices letting out their own battle cries as they flooded in from all sides.
Hal could just see a narrow channel from his vantage point that ended in a rough gate of logs strapped together with a thick set of ropes. His eyes barely made out a goblin on a nearby rickety platform throw a lever. The gate slammed shut with a resounding bang, cutting off the main way out.
It didn’t matter that Hal had no intention of going out that way. The goblins were now roused and were out in force to stop them.
Their easy time of killing unaware goblins one at a time was over.
16
Hal rushed to the nearest ladder and cut it down quickly. He turned to the koblins. “Get everybody up onto the third level, cut all but one ladder and guard it! Do not let anybody up.”
Across the way, Hal could see Elora hunkered down with children and koblin of her own. Her arm was a blur as she nocked and fired one arrow after the other into the goblins that were flooding into the cavern.
He took a deep breath to center himself and hurried along the edges of the rickety platform. He nearly fell more than once but somehow managed to keep his balance. One ladder after the next was cut away with his falchion and fell to the ground floor below.
A prompt flashed across his vision as he rounded a narrow corridor.
Quest Updated: Repay Buffrix!
Only Sparkspox remains to be saved, she must be somewhere below. With the goblins out in force, there will be casualties if you do not stop them.
Objectives
Break Buffrix’s clan out of the goblin prison.
Destroy the goblin cave.
Additional objectives available.
Rescue Sparkspox.
Rescue Jabkix.
Kaboom?
Do not let more than 10 koblins die in their cells (0/10).
Rewards
2,000 Experience Points.
Koblin Reputation (Variable).
Item: [Goblinbane].
Additional rewards available.
Just what I need.
<“How is your side doing, Elora?”> Hal asked, cutting down another ladder and dropping three goblins to the floor below.
He knew he couldn’t keep this up. They would eventually put more ladders up than he could kick or cut down. But he had to stall for as much time as he could manage.
<“My side is finished,”> Elora said. <“Hal… there are a lot of prisoners. I don’t know if we can keep them all safe.”>
<“I know, I need you to cover me. I still haven’t gotten the first level cages open. If you can draw some attention your way, I’ll send some koblins over to you from the third level walkway. If you draw them away, I can take out the few goblins that manage to find me in the warrens below.”>
<“Send everybody to my side,”> Elora instructed. <“The ladders to the first floor are already cut and I can keep raining death from the third level.”>
<“You heard them, Buffrix, Jabkix, spread the word. Lurklox, you’re with me.”> Hal looked over his shoulder at the clinging Lootlox. “Now would be the time to bail, Lootlox. Things are about to get very dangerous.”
“Lootlox stays by Hal’s side!” she squeaked.
“As you wish.”
Hal met the first of the goblins down the main corridor between the towering stacks of rickety cells. The first heavily armored goblins slid to a halt and pulled out their swords. In their small hands, even a shortsword looked gigantic.
I really wish I had some magic, right about now. Oh right. I do.
With a grin, Hal fell to a crouch and used Enchainment. Leaping chains burst out of the bamboo bars, the floor, even the rickety planks that made up the ceiling. The trio of heavily armored goblins were snared in a web of chains.
With little more than a dirty sheet protecting him, Hal surged into their ranks. Lurklox was there, dispatching one after the other as their attention focused solely on Hal.
Hal stabbed at the sole remaining goblin, aiming for the thin gap between its breastplate and underarm. He felt the tear of flesh then immediately retracted his sword and set it to parry the coming blow.
Freed from the chains by Hal’s attack, the armored goblin was swinging as soon as possible. Hal barely managed to deflect the countering stroke as Lurklox slipped behind the goblin and finished it off.
Their bodies collapsed into smoke and Hal’s inventory filled with heavy goblin armor. But what caught his eye was the crimson mote of energy that flew from the recently slain goblin, straight into his chest.
Lurklox defeats the [Goblin Guardsman].
You gain 150 Experience Points.
You absorb 10 Goblin Essence.
Lurklox defeats the [Goblin Guardsman].
You gain 150 Experience Points.
You absorb 10 Goblin Essence.
Lurklox defeats the [Goblin Guardsman].
You gain 150 Experience Points.
You absorb 10 Goblin Essence.
You obtain:
3 [Gold Gobbiecoins]
3 [Goblin Helms]
3 [Suits of Goblin Armor]
[Gobbiebag Patch]
2 [Poisonflour Loaves]
[Iron Greataxe]
Novice reaches Level 6.
You have 5 unspent Attribute Points awaiting distribution.
Your HP, SP, and MP are fully restored.
Hal collapsed on the spot. Rather than feeling the euphoric rush of golden wind and revitalization that typically accompanied a Level Up, his veins burned with acid.
He could feel Lootlox on his back trying to rouse him but his body wouldn’t respond to his actions. Every muscle tensed so tightly he thought his bones might snap from the force.
A new gauge appeared above his HP as his body was wracked with agony. He saw the prompts fill his vision but could not even begin to read them. Hal struggled merely to stay conscious.
You learn Bomb Toss.
Throw a goblin-bomb at the enemy dealing Area of Effect (AOE) fire damage.
School: Beast Magic.
Type: Magical (Fire).
Family: Goblin (Beastmen).
MP: 40
BP: 2
Strain: 1
Damage: 15 (AOE).
Your Sword Skill has risen to Level 3.
+1% Sword damage (+3%).
-0.25% Sword durability loss (-0.75%).
Your Enfeebling Magic has risen to Level 2.
+1% Enfeebling success (+2%).
+2% Enfeebling duration (+4%).
You have unlocked Beast Magic (Level 0).
Beast Magic
A unique form of magic known only to those following in the footsteps of Chimera Knights and the fabled Beastborne. Beast Magic allows the wielder to tap into the ferocious power of fell monstrous magics previously exclusive to monsters.
Wielding Beast Magic comes with a price, however, non-monster bodies were not meant to wield such devastating magic and will experienc
e hazardous side-effects if the wielder is not careful to manage their Strain levels.
You gain 10 Burden Points.
Burden Points are used to allocate Beast Magic spells. Each spell has a specific Burden Point cost (BP) that is incurred upon setting the spell. Spells can only be set once per day.
The body can only withstand so much foreign magic before it begins to succumb to corruption. As your powers grow, so too will your capacity to withstand the corrupting influence of such terrible magic. While it is possible to allocate more spells than your current capacity permits, doing so will inflict additional Strain, hastening your corruption.
Strain
Beast Magic, by its very nature, is caustic and corrupting. Non-monsters were never meant to be able to wield such magic and doing so has its own consequences. Each use of Beast Magic incurs an amount of strain on the wielder. The body automatically recovers from the corrupting nature of Beast Magic over time. Strain will dimish the more time has passed since the last use of Beast Magic.
Hal managed to get his body under control, coughing up blood onto the rickety platform. He stood and swayed as the world swam around him. To say he could feel the thrum of power in his veins would be an understatement.
Everything burned. Like fire was coursing through him. Changing him. And yet, the power he felt was undeniable.
As the world settled, he spied a koblin in the cell directly below him through a gap in the planks.
“Boom, boom, kaboom!” cried a voice from below. “Let me out to kick-slap!” It was a koblin with a sack over her head, two eyeholes were cut out of the cloth as she grasped the bars and strained against them. “My kobbieclan needs me!”
Beastborne- Mark of the Founder Page 17
