Item Upgrade: Melech Plate Armor Set (Soulbound) - Exquisite Quality. 5,000 exp.
Item Upgrade: Efficient Melech Plate Armor Set (Soulbound) - Exquisite Quality. 5,000 exp.
Item Upgrade: Efficient Broadsword (Sentinel’s Rebuttal Set) - Exquisite Quality. 5,000 exp.
Item Upgrade: Efficient Kite Shield (Sentinel’s Rebuttal Set) - Exquisite Quality. 5,000 exp.
Wisdom +1
Mana + 1
“This is amazing Drew,” William said. “How did you know these two enchantments would sync up like this?”
I didn’t. I thought they would just drain ambient mana and it would work out somehow. That’s what my practice medallions did.
“Yeah, you know. I studied enchanting. Same as you studied Blacksmithing.” Drew said awkwardly. “I’m just happy you find them useful.”
“Useful?” William asked incredulously. “These are more than useful! The shield drains the stamina of anything that strikes it, and stores it as charges. Then the sword uses those charges to blast waves of painful sound up to ten feet!”
It must be the set bonus, it’s adding to the enchantment. I need to get a look at the enchantment again, if something is changing the enchantments this much I need to know what and how.
“Hey William could you bring everything back over here? I want to check it all again to-“
Vaylari burst through the door again.
“Enough!” She cried. “You guys have been playing around with that armor for hours! Hemut has just been sitting there getting drunk.”
William and Drew slumped visibly.
“Apologies Vaylari,” William said. “But Drew managed to enchant my armor.”
“No. No butts.” She said. “We are leaving. Drew, go remove Hemut’s drunkenness.”
Drew nodded his head in apology.
“Sorry Vaylari, I’ll get right on it.” He said and flew out the door.
“Really. I would have sworn humoring the Wizard’s pet bird was below you,” Vaylari said.
“I am not humoring him. He has created exquisite quality armor,” William said.
“It’s just because of the materials. Doesn’t Orichalium always gain a boost from crafting and enchanting?” She asked.
“It was already superior quality before, for it to jump two ranks-”
“Keep your speculations to yourself. Just get your fancy armor on and help with the cart. Pegg and his girlfriend are already out there scouting ahead.”
-
“So it’s official then? They are dating?” William asked.
Hemut chuckled as he pulled the cart of collars through the dungeon.
“Sure,” Vaylari said. “I mean he spent two nights in her bunk.”
“Good for them. Finding love.” Drew said.
He was perched on top of the cart keeping an eye out for giant bats. He had his wind wand out and ready.
“It’s not love.” William and Vaylari said then glared at each other.
“They are hitting it off, but it’s nothing more than that.” William said awkwardly. “I mean they aren’t going to stay together after this quest ends. Right?”
“Pegg doesn’t want a kid, let alone a litter of halflings.” Vaylari said.
Hemut grunted again, pulling the cart over an uneven area.
“They seem pretty close,” Drew said.
The party came upon Pegg and Yandas. They were talking quietly together, leaning closely while they kept an eye on the goblin tunnels. She had her hand under his shirt and he was twirling his finger in her hair.
“They seem to be in love.” Drew said.
“Are we interrupting!” Vaylari hissed.
She might have been louder if they weren’t within earshot of the goblin tunnels.
“Oh hey guys.” Pegg said.
Yandas kept her hand in his shirt a couple seconds longer then stepped back.
“We brought the collars. How’s it looking over there?” William asked.
Hemut left the cart behind to go take a look around the outcropping for himself.
“Nothing has come in or out in a couple hours. Should be easy to go in and clear them out,” Pegg said confidently.
“Are the goblins normally this scarce?” Drew asked.
If they are mellowed out after that last defeat maybe we can save all of them.
“It’s not normal,” Yandas said. “We should scout ahead. There might be a new chieftain or a mage.”
“Let’s go then,” Pegg said.
“No, you are too big and noisy.” She said.
“That’s not what you said last night.” Pegg said with a wink.
“Keep it in your pants,” Vaylari said. “We need to survive this first.”
She looked around at the men in the group.
“William can’t go in there with his plate armor, Hemet is easily as wide as the tunnels. He can’t go. Pegg, you don’t have a stealthy bone in your body,” she said. When he opened his mouth to make another joke she interrupted him. “So it’s me and Yandas.”
“I’ll go.” Drew said. “The tunnels shouldn’t be an issue for me.”
“That’s the best idea, then all you big folk can get way up out here to capture anyone that escapes.” Yandas said.
“Alright, you two get in there and figure out where the goblins are hiding.” Vaylari said.
Yandas scampered over the outcropping and rushed along the base of the wall towards the tunnels. Drew was flying close behind.
Pegg helped William pull the cart closer.
“Hey the armor looks great.” Pegg said.
“Just wait until I level it up,” William said. “I only need 1200 more exp, Drew says the armor will get better the more exp I feed it.”
“Like a coin purse?” Pegg asked laughing. “How much coin will it hold?”
“Nope, no talking about the armor, or he will not stop. Let’s get set up over here. Use the cart as a defensive wall.” Vaylari said. “We can keep our backs to it.”
-
Yandas and Drew entered the tunnel on the right. They crept along slowly, Drew flew on ahead and then Yandas would cross infront of him and range ahead. They leapfrogged their way through the first tunnel until it joined another tunnel from their left.
“This might be the middle tunnel connecting,” Yandas whispered.
Drew nodded, in the near darkness she could barely see him.
“Do you do much sneaking in the dark?” She asked him. “Most folk couldn’t spot a Skurr nodding in the dark.”
“Sorry,” Drew whispered. “So we go deeper then? No signs of goblins yet.”
“Oh there are plenty of signs.” Yandas said. “Trash and refuse. We are likely near a nest.”
Drew hopped forwards on the ground to peer around the bend in the tunnel.
“Do Goblins lay eggs?” Drew asked.
“No? No! Obviously not.” Yandas said. “That’s ridiculous.”
Something squeaked nearby and they froze.
What was that? A mishroom?
“Crap,” Yandas swore. “We gotta find another tunnel.”
“What is it?”
Three pairs of eyes scowled at the scouts from trash heap.
“Babies.”
“Babies?” Drew whispered back. “Who’s babies?”
“The crown prince’s babies. Idiot. Of course they are goblin babies.”
Yandas started to walk away deeper into the tunnel.
“We can’t just leave them,” Drew said.
He hopped closer to the nest. One of the babies snarled at him. It sounded tiny and cute.
“Of course we can leave them,” Yandas said. “They aren’t our babies.”
“You’ve got to take them outside,” Drew said. “They could break free of the feral trait if we help them.”
“Just because I am a woman I got to take them?” Yandas said stomping over to Drew.
“No that’s not what-“
Yandas kicked some of the refuse out of the way revealing one of the babies. It was actually cute. Its eyes and ears were oversized for its tiny head. It wore a rough spun sack to cover its lean lithe body.
The baby hissed and scrambled back. It got too close to one of the other babies and earned itself a quick bite from its sibling. The exposed baby finally found cover and froze in place again.
“These things are useless,” Yandas said. “Forget them.”
“They are cute tho.”
“You can’t just save the cute ones!” Yandas hissed. “Are you going to save them all?”
Chanting echoed faintly from deeper in the tunnels. There was a purple glow too.
“Wait what’s that?” Drew whispered.
“No idea but I hear chanting, if that’s some kind of ritual magic,” Yandas said. “Bad news for us. We need more swords in here.”
“I’ll scout ahead,” Drew said. “You take the babies and get reinforcements.”
“You and these damn babies are really trying my patience today.” She huffed. “I’m not keeping you, and I ain’t your mother.”
Yandas spoke to the baby goblins roughly. She reached for the first one and it bit her.
This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
“Hey!” She hissed and slapped it across the mouth.
She grabbed it by the ear and the little monster hung limply in her grasp.
“Hey,” Drew squawked. “Did you need to slap him?”
“Shut up. That’s how you talk to kids like these,” Yandas growled. “That’s how I was raised.”
The other two babies whimpered as she picked them up by their ears. They lay limply resigned to what ever fate she had for them.
She held them at arms length like they were contagious.
“There see,” Drew said. “That wasn’t so hard. You are a natural.”
“I will blame you if they imprint on me.” She said and hurried back the way they had come.
Now. Purple light and chanting. What are the goblins up to?
-
Drew listened quietly. The chanting seemed to come from the left fork of the tunnel. It was slow and whispered, slithering along the walls in cursive hazy phrases.
It’s a language, are they singing in goblin?
“Hero…”
Drew turned to see the ghost of Exylandria standing on her tip toes. She was smaller than before. By a few centimeters. Not any younger, her features were harsher as she got weaker.
The purple light pulsed brighter and something cackled in the distance.
“Stop her… the hag will consume us all.” Exylandria whispered urgently.
“This chanting is the Hag?”
“You must stop the hag,” She said. “It has the heart of the dungeon. It is corrupting everything. Kill all the intruders.”
“How can I stop her?”
“Kill the filthy goblins before the Hag corrupts them.” Exylandria whispered violently before disappearing through the wall.
“Wait!” Drew squawked.
Drew was alone for a second, until Pegg popped his head around the junction of the tunnel.
“Did you find the goblins?” Pegg asked. “Who are you talking to?”
“No goblins, but the hag is down here, corrupting goblins with magic.”
Yandas had returned with Hemut and Vaylari in tow.
“What?” Vaylari asked.
“Thats what the ghost said.”
“What?” Vaylari asked an octave higher.
“The ghost of Exylandria.” Drew said. “Come on guys keep up.”
Hemut chuckled and moved to look down the tunnel at the glowing purple light.
“Stay, or go.” He said.
“Do we want to mess with hag magic?” Vaylari said.
“I’m going,” Drew said. “It’s for the quest, so it’s the right thing to do.”
Although I can find a way to save the goblins still.
“You ever seen hag magic?” Pegg asked. “It will turn your fate inside out.”
“Don’t be so dramatic.” Vaylari said, but she hesitated. “That glowing and chanting isn’t right. It’s a ritual.”
“And that’s bad. Right?” Drew said. “Then we have to stop her.”
“You guys going to talk all day or are we going to kill a hag?” Yandas said and jogged down the tunnel towards the chanting.
“She’s right.” Drew said and flew off after her.
-
Yandas was quick on her feet and Drew coasted along behind her. Hemut and the other ranchers lagged behind.
This ghost business is weird right? Vaylari seemed really surprised.
Drew checked the quest and read the details again.
It changed!
Hero’s Quest: Save Exylandria: Restore order to her Dungeon. (0/4)
- Kill all the goblins
- Kill the hag.
- Recover the dungeon core.
- Kill the Dwarves.
Yandas slowed as she reached the end of the tunnel.
“No. No nonono.” She gasped.
Yandas turned back from the end of the tunnel and the gruesome scene before her.
She passed Drew as he landed beside her.
“What?” He asked. “What did you see?”
The goblin woman lost her breakfast. Drew hopped over to help her with his healing ability but she swatted him away.
“Babe!” Pegg cried as her caught up with them. “You okay?”
“We have to kill it.” Yandas rasped.
What is going on?
Hemut stepped over them and got a look for himself.
“Wrong.” He said, but he kept his lunch.
Vaylari joined him, she held him back before he could charge ahead.
The chamber in front of them was large. Goblins were working to dig pits around the floor. Three of these pits were full of glowing purple liquid. As they watched, a skeleton dripping purple water, climbed out of one pit. It stretched its bones as if waking up from a short rest. Another climbed out of the second pit. They joined several other skeletons in line for the next pit.
This third pit was worse. It was full of decomposing chunks of meat and bones. The chunks bobbed lazily as they melted.
A skelton was in this bath, twitching and jerking as the soupy bile splashed onto it again and again. Muscles and skin grew where the foul mess soaked into its bones.
Two skeletons tossed a goblin corpse into the pit while two others used wooden rakes to fish out the bones as they floated to the top. They tossed these freshly cleaned bones into the first two baths.
“Wights!” Vaylari whispered.
“Necromancy!” Pegg said.
Hemut pointed to the Hag. She was sitting cross legged on the ground with her eyes rolled back, chanting non stop. She held her book open in her lap.
“We have to stop them.” Drew said.
“We need a priest.” Pegg mumbled.
“Fire.” Vaylari said. “We have to burn them.”
-
Hero’s Quest: Save Exylandria: Restore order to her Dungeon. (0/4)
- Kill all the goblins
- Kill the hag.
- Recover the dungeon core.
- Kill the Dwarves.
This quest is getting out of hand.
“We can block her in with Drew’s walls and then light the room up.” Pegg said.
“She may have a ton of hitpoints. The skeletons would dig her out.” Vaylari said.
“So we trap them all in and burn them.” Pegg said.
”We need to find the goblins.” Drew said.
“I’ll go back stab her,” Yandas said. “That will stop the ritual and draw the skeletons to her.”
“Yeah!” Pegg said. “Then we can box them all in and light them up.”
The quest changed. Whose quest is this?
Another skeleton climbed out of the pit and joined the group waiting in line.
If the ghost assigned me this quest then am I serving her? She could be wrong.
Necromancy is way worse though. We have to make her stop.
“We have to stop her and kill the skeletons,” Drew said. “We can make her leave.”
“The Hag is using goblins as raw materials to make an army of wights Drew!” Vaylari said. “She will not just leave if we ask nicely.”
“It’s highly un professional.” Pegg said.
“Unprofessional??” Yandas hissed. “It’s evil!”
“We should ask her to leave.” Drew said.
“She will go find another source of meat and bones to make her wights somewhere else!” Yandas said. “There are a few villiages within a days walk of here. Would you curse them to becoming undead?”
“No that’s not better.” Drew conceded.
The three went back to their planning.
How do I stop a Necromancer?
Drew tip-toed over to get a closer look at the hag.
She’s just sitting there. With her spooky book. Is it a skill book? Or maybe a quest book! Is the book part of the ritual?
Hemut was sitting back from the light of the tunnel watching.
“If I steal her book would that end the spell?” Drew asked.
Hemut shrugged.
I’ll take that as a ‘maybe yes.’
Drew looked back at Pegg and Vaylari as they argued about tactics and made up his mind.
Okay plan A. Steal the book. Burn the skeletons. Save the goblins. Lead the Hag out of the dungeon in exchange for the book. Get the dwarves to leave the dungeon since it’s dangerous.
A new skeleton emerged from the bone pool and tripped on a loose stone. It fell but two nearby skeletons helped it up.
And I need to find the dungeon core to complete the quest. Easier said than done.
Drew got a running start and flew into the chamber. He kept to the high corners of the room and circled around behind the hag.
So far so good.
There were goblin nests at the back of the chamber. The goblins inside were huddled together and afraid. There were several wights guarding the goblins.
There’s got to be at least 50 goblins there. I can save them.
A few of the goblins saw him but they cowered away.
These goblins need my help.
Drew circled around and got another look at the Hag. She was still sitting there chanting over her book. This time he spotted a large spherical crystal in her lap under the book.
If I can take the book will the skeletons fall apart? Or will they go out of control?
Drew flew back to the tunnel and landed near Vaylari.
“What were you thinking,” She nearly shouted.
“There are over 50 goblins under guard back there,” Drew said. “Maybe if they had a leader they could help us fight the hag.”
“The chief would fight us to his last breath. You are over estimating feral goblins. These are ideal breeding grounds for them,” Yandas said. “If the dungeon had accepted them they would have flourished.”
“That doesn’t matter,” Vaylari said. “The Hag could have seen you. We have a plan of attack. But the element of surprise is a big part of that.”
“And Wights are inflammable,” Pegg said. “So fireballs are a big part of the plan too.”
”Flamable,” Yandas said. “Not inflammable. Inflammable means they won’t burn.”
Hemut stood and readied his sword.
“Fight now.” He said stepping back to give ground to two charging skeletons.
“YANDASSSSS!” Yandas shouted as she charged in with her small daggers.
“Dammit!” Pegg shouted.
More skeletons piled on and Hemut held his ground.
Vaylari and Pegg joined the line and they held the entrance of the tunnel for a moment.
“I’ll go stop the hag!” Drew cried. “If I can take her book that should do it.”
Drew flew over the group’s heads and back into middle of the cavern.
The Hag was chanting over her book.
There’s my chance!
A bone rake flew through the air. Drew had to pull up to narrowly miss it.
The skeleton shook a boney fist at Drew.
He equipped his stone wand and hit it with a standard stone bolt. The softball sized rock shattered its collar bone and knocked its arm off.
“They aren’t so tough,” Drew said.
He circled back around to dive on the Hag.
Three Wights ran forwards as Drew swooped down. He used his stone wand to fire off another bolt as he spun out of the way of their rotten hands.
The stone bolt would have struck the Hag, but a Wight took the hit instead.
“Any time now Drew!” Vaylari shouted. She was applying a bandage to Pegg’s arm while Hemut and Yandas held the entrance to the tunnel.
In the larger cavern Hemut had room to swing his heavy sword. He was knocking the skeletons apart left and right.
There’s enough bones there for ten skeletons. Good going Hemut!
“They would burn great Drew! Light them up!” Yandas shouted.
Drew swapped in his fire bolt wand and set the bones at the party’s feet on fire. They burned easily.
He turned a second too late to focus on his own fight. A femur hit him in the side and winded him.
Debuff: Stunned (00:05)
Drew crashed into the ground. He managed a rolling landing without breaking anything.
Crap! I need to get airborn.
Two Wights charged him with goblin spears.
Drew considered using his firebolt wand on the Hag or the Wights. The Hag was still out of the fight and the Wights were nearly on top of him. He blasted one wight with a firebolt and the effect was immediate.
They are highly flammable!
The wight wailed and dropped to the ground. The second wight turned back to stamp out the flames as its comrade rolled around.
“Drew!” Vaylari shouted. “Light the room up!”
The last couple skeletons that Hemut had smashed had picked themselves up and were rejoining the fight. Hemut was getting tired.
“There’s hostages back there!” Drew shouted as he frantically considered his options.
If we don’t free those goblins before we turn this room into an oven they will all die.
I could cover the pits with my earth wand. Or my wind wand could slice through the wights and skeletons?
Drew flew to the goblin pens and tried to come up with some way to save them.
If I can’t get them to move then I need to keep the wights away from them. Their nests need doors.
Drew used his stone wand to summon a wall of stone, he extended it flush with the wall of the cavern and left only a feather’s worth of space for air to pass through.
There that should keep them safe. Now for the Hag.
“Child of Miia,” The hag croaked. “Fate unbound.”
Drew stared as the hag reached out a hand to delicately pluck on an invisible string three times.
Something inside Drew thrummed and he was hit with three debuffs.
He ran backwards avoiding a skeleton that tried to pounce on him. He slipped through another skeleton’s legs and checked his debuffs while he ran.
Debuff: Stagnate Health. (7:02)
Debuff: Stagnate Mana. (7:04)
Debuff: Stagnate Stamina. (7:06)
Not good!
He activated his Healer’s Blessing ability but it did not make the debuff timers tick down any faster.
Really not good!
Drew checked his stats and he was not alarmingly low yet but the prompts told him that the debuffs would stop him from healing or regenerating his pools.
HP: 85%
MP: 55%
ST: 65%
“Kill him,” The hag said. “Come reap.”
The Hag turned to the undead around her and then pointed at the tunnel.
The undead charged forward. Drew scrambled away. The monsters were chasing him towards one of the purple pits.
When the Hag stopped chanting the pits had lost their glow but they still bubbled ominously. Drew barely made it into the air to avoid falling in.
He circled around but had to swoop aside to avoid a barrage of bones. The wights were pulling the bones out of the piles on the ground and throwing them at him.
Drew pulled out his firebolt wand but a shoulder blade clipped him and he dropped it.
Crap! No no!
The wand tumbled end over end and into one of the bone pits.
“We need to go Drew!” Yandas shouted as she left.
Hemut was carrying Pegg and Vaylari was holding a bandage to her own thigh as they retreated too.
“There is no escape pathetic hero.” The Hag scoffed.
Drew swooped around again to avoid another barrage of bones.
The wand is gone! Sunk to the bottom like a stone. Damien won’t be happy I lost his wand.
A dozen skeletons reached the tunnel and charged ahead after the ranchers.
Debuff: Stagnate Health. (5:22)
Debuff: Stagnate Mana. (5:24)
Debuff: Stagnate Stamina. (5:26)
There’s no time!
Another barrage of bones nearly took Drew out of the air. A few left minor cuts, chipping away at his health.
HP: 62%
He finally retreated back into the tunnel.
Drew quickly caught up to the skeletons and used his flame wand to incinerate them.
“Flame thrower!” He cried as he set them ablaze. He sustained the blaze until he got three combat notifications.
MP: 35%
Combat Results: Undead Skeleton lvl 15. 879 exp.
…
Combat Results: Undead Skeleton lvl 17. 968 exp.
Drew swiped away the notifications and flew down the tunnel as fast as he could.
He found Hemut alone with six more skeletons. The monsters were stabbing the rancher with broken bones. He was covered in blood and fighting alone without his huge sword. He feebly shattered one skeleton against the wall.
“Hemut!” Drew cried as he dove forwards to use his healing ability before the large man’s wounds could drain his HP.
The skeletons piled onto them both and Drew was slashed with a broken bone.
Debuff: Bleed (1/1)
He was forced off of the rancher and scrambled around to try grabbing on again.
“Go.” Hemut yelled.
The big man lifted a skeleton and used it as a club to shatter another.
Drew swapped his fire wand out for his Shirk so he could fight in close quarters with his mage hand.
“There are too many of them!” Vaylari shouted from farther down the tunnel.
“Where are they all coming from?” Yandas cried.
“For Hemut!” Pegg shouted.
He’s still alive guys! Don’t leave him here to die alone!
A skeleton swung a sharpened bone at Drew. He pushed off the ground with his mage hand, flapping his wings to turn and avoid the ceiling.
The walls of the dungeon shuddered around them and laughter echoed down the tunnel.
What is the Hag doing now?
Purple smoke flooded down the tunnel. It healed the cracks in the skeleton’s bones and it burned Hemut like acid. The big man screamed as the fog rolled over him. The skeletons clacked their bones in delight and piled on again.
At the edge of his peripheral vision, a skeleton with one leg missing grappled with Hemut’s sword, unable to lift its weight.
Three new skeletons charged through the knee high purple fog to join the fight. Drew pinwheeled about slicing and chopping.
I have to keep them off Hemut!
The blade proved heavy enough to slice off bones if he hit them at the joints, but the skeletons were flexible and bent in strange ways to avoid his attacks.
Are they faster than before?
Hemut was down on his knees, with bones sticking out of him in several places.
“Get off him!” Drew shouted as he decapitated a skeleton before it could plunge a bone dagger into Hemut.
“Hero!” Exylandria whispered urgently. “Hurry there is not time!”
His quest popped up blocking his vision. It had changed again.
Hero’s Quest: Save Exylandria: Restore order to her Dungeon. (9:39)
- Recover the dungeon core.
- Kill all the goblins
- Kill the hag.
- Kill the Dwarves.