Backwoods Dungeon

Chapter Twenty–Nine

Goblin Brawl

“Gripping Vines,” “Cyclone Armor,” “Nature’s Bounty,” and “Windblade Totem” were the sum total of my skills. I believed the last one would have its work cut out for it.

I had been charging the totems for the entire walk down here. Without them, I had no feasible way to kill twenty goblins without getting killed for trying. Even funneling them into the tunnel and shooting them wouldn’t work because the tunnel was more than wide enough for them to surround me.

With them though…

I’d been overconfident in the power of guns before, and while they’d proven to be extremely effective, they were best used for single targets, especially when I couldn’t resurface for more ammo while Rio was in danger. The totems were better for fighting multiple enemies.

I placed four of my five totems ten paces apart down the tunnel before striding to the cave’s entrance while withdrawing my morning star. The trap was simple, but then, so were the goblins as far as I’d seen.

Goblins spotted the light quickly, waking up or focusing as I reached the chamber’s entrance. They only had a few moments to gape at my glowing mace before I threw the totem at the largest concentration of goblins. I tried to aim slightly closer to the dias, hoping the totem might catch a couple of the Booyaghs.

The second the totem hit the ground, blades of wind immediately began to randomly slice in a radius around it. Unfortunately, my aim hadn't been good enough to snag the spellcasters.

Those two looked as shocked as the rest of the goblins, but when limbs started flying, they snapped into action. Both of them carried those ugly-looking staves, and I saw balls of red light begin to coalesce above them before I turned and fled back into the tunnel.

A fireball singed the tunnel entrance, followed by a second one, but I was already fleeing as a horde of angry feet followed me.

The goblins’ language became a tide of slurs and shouts that made no sense to me, not that any of their words did. Fortunately, the plan worked. They followed me into the tunnel with bloodlust and glee as they drew their scimitars, knives, and hatchets.

I could hear the worried booyagh shouting even above the din. Perhaps they were smart enough to realize what was happening, but their rabble wasn’t, and wasn't prone to listening to them when they could get away with it.

A full five of them were hit by the first wind totem, disabling or killing them in one fell swoop, but the momentum from the goblins behind them sent them charging right on through. I kept running, sweat dripping down my brow as I realized just how many blades were aimed in my direction.

One of the goblins even attempted to throw its hatchet but it clattered to the ground harmlessly, well before reaching me. The second row of goblins didn’t even seem to notice the deaths of their fastest runners, and they reached the second trap to meet a similar end. They were thinning out though, so the ones at the back saw the vicious blades cut their allies down before being killed themselves. They slowed to a jog as I ran into the radius of my third totem trap.

I slowed too, turning to see the goblins sneering at me, a wall of ugly red skin and bones. A few more hurled their weapons but none dared to advance. Their feet were covered in their brother’s blue blood.

Unfortunately, that didn’t work for me either. Who knew what was happening to the girl while I killed the chaff in this tunnel? There were still at least ten un-hurt goblins staring at me in an angry line.

“So… you’re the smart ones, I guess?” I said before bending over and picking up the totem from its hiding place behind a rock.

The really smart ones immediately turned to flee, but that was only two of them. The others seemed entranced by the object as it sailed towards them. One of them even reached out to catch it, with greed in his eyes and no clue what was about to happen. Instead, the totem bounced off the goblin’s claw, and the moment it struck the ground, an eruption of wind blades exploded out of it.

The goblins screamed in agony as blade after blade continuously spammed them. This totem was in range of my healing aura so as long as I kept it on, it would keep slicing away.

Was there anything stopping me from carrying my totems around and being a walking murder blender? As far as I could tell, the totems only had to be touching the earth to function.

I heard the gong of a level-up just before a fireball missed my head by inches, sailing further back down the cave. I hadn’t seen it coming. Pure luck kept my face from becoming a burning mess, but it alerted me in time to dodge the second fireball.

These spellcasters preferred fire over ice, like the ones from before. I briefly considered trying to shoot them, but they were way too far for me to hit them with any reliability. Instead, I reached out and cast Gripping Vines. Even here, deep beneath the earth, roots still leaped out to grapple both of the Booyaghs. I watched their shocked faces as they were suddenly entangled before I dashed towards them with a manic grin, morning star at the ready.

The two goblins who had opted to run from the Windblade Totem saw me coming and turned to flee once more. I dashed at them as quickly as I could, but I knew I couldn’t catch them. I blinked in surprise when they sped right on past their trapped leaders, dashing back into the cavern around my vines while the spellcasters screamed at them.

One of the spellcasters looked like he was on the verge of getting free when I finally managed to reach them. My morning star smashed deadly spikes into his skull just as his staff lit up with a color I hadn’t seen before.

I wondered what other spells they had in their arsenal, but I didn’t have time to think about that now. I cast another Gripping Vines on the run at the already entangled Booyagh and saw it scream in frustration as still more vines trapped it. I hoped to question it later but was more worried about the girl.

I followed the two goblins into the chamber, finding it mostly empty. One of the goblins had opted to dash down one of the other tunnels, but the last one stared defiantly at me from up on the dais, where it held a blade to the terrified girl’s throat.

“Brukkk to bak mukksta!” it shouted, spittle flying. I didn’t know if it expected me to understand, but I held up my hands placatingly.

“Oh god… oh god…” the girl prayed. She’d closed her eyes, murmuring as if to ward off the reality. She was leaning against a wooden stake that held one of the many torches lighting up the cavern. Her arms were tied in front of her, while one of her legs was chained to a wall with a manacle. She was paralyzed with fear.

“Okay, okay!” I shouted, holding up both of my hands. I dropped the morning star and immediately felt my armor grow ten times heavier. Fortunately, I’d just leveled up, so I hurriedly opened the status page and dropped all four of my new points into strength. I wouldn’t be able to help the girl at all if I could barely move under the weight of the breastplate.

The goblin eyed me suspiciously, but I only had a short time before the Booyagh got free. I had to act fast.

“I’d make a much better hostage, right?” I said, holding my arms together and stepping a little closer. “Here, bind me! Let her go. I’m sure it would impress your bosses if you caught me.”

I had no idea if he could understand me, but he did allow me to climb a couple of steps up the dias. From ten feet away, I’d have to risk it.

“H-here!” I said, pulling a gun out of my holster. They hadn’t recognized the weapons before, so I hoped this one wouldn’t either. I proffered it out like it was a valuable trinket or some treasure he should be interested in.

It remained suspicious, and I saw the blade cut into the girl’s dark skin, but it didn’t recognize the gun as a weapon.

I slowly gripped the handle, holding the barrel pointed toward the ugly creature like I was about to hand it to him as I took one slow step after another.

It sneered, seemingly not trusting the gesture, but I was already more than close enough. I fired, and the goblin toppled back, instantly dead, but the blade fell too, cutting sharply into the girl’s throat.

“No… oh no!” I screamed as the knife cut deep, leaving a jagged wound in her throat as she screamed and fell to the ground. Blood spilled down her ruined shirt but almost immediately slowed under the effects of my healing aura. Not enough, though. Not nearly enough.

I didn’t waste any time as I sunk to the ground and furiously began digging in my bag. I had two potions left, and it took an eternity to find one. When I finally did, I got to my feet and tilted the girl’s sagging head back, pouring the contents down her bloody lips as she gasped for breath.

The potion began to work immediately, far faster than my healing aura could fix her. I watched, mesmerized, as the gash in the girl’s throat started to close before my eyes. While the potion worked its magic, I set about untying her. The rope they’d used to bind her was that same coarse stuff they’d used on Seok, but the rope burns on this girl were far worse, bleeding even as the ropes came free. I'd have to find a key for the manacle.

I gently lay her on the ground, desperately hoping that I hadn’t just killed her. Maybe if I’d grabbed one of the totems, I could’ve thrown it at the goblin. Or maybe the vines would’ve been better? Fuck!

“You’re gonna be okay. You’re gonna be okay,” I told her. The blood was still flowing, though. The potion and even my healing aura weren’t enough. She was dying right in front of me, pleading eyes wide open, gasping.

“Dammit! Swallow! You have to drink this!” I hissed, grabbing my last health potion and pouring it into her mouth. It went down easier this time. There was less blood clogging her airway, so I thought she got larger gulps down.

Could it still not be enough? One of those things had fully healed my lung after I’d been stabbed. Could a cut throat be so much worse? I stood, preparing to go back down and hunt through the corpses for more potions, when sudden agony erupted in my back.

I screamed as a fireball slammed into me, knocking me to the floor. My neck and back were seared red, and I thought my pants had actually lit aflame.

In a panic, I began to roll around like they’d taught me in school. It seemed to help, but it was only another moment before another blast of flame exploded near my body.

"Shit!" I screamed in pain. I hadn't been hit, but the scorching flames and the backblast of the explosion were enough to stun me.

I activated Cyclone Armor just as another ball of flames slammed into me. I could feel the wind armor collapse under the blast of flame, but took no damage that time. I tried to get back to my feet, but the fire on my still-burning legs caused me to stumble. The Booyagh took advantage and charged up another fireball.

I tried desperately to fling myself out of the way but wasn't fast enough. The bolt of flame smashed into me, searing my face with second or third-degree burns instantly while knocking me to my back.

I screamed through the inferno, tears falling down scorched cheeks as I blearily looked up to see the second Booyagh climbing the dais. I tried to use Gripping Vines, but my burning face ruined my concentration. The gun? Where had the gun fallen?

Out of options, I turned up to see the grinning goblin. I tried to kick it off the dais, but it was too far away. It lifted its glowing red staff, powering yet another fireball, when I heard a sudden bang.

The goblin toppled off the dais, following its own spray of blue blood. Blearily, I turned, realizing what had just happened.

The girl was trembling, the gun shaking in her still-tied hands. Her throat was bloody but smooth. She was okay!

I smiled through charred lips.

'God, I hope one of those goblins dropped a damn potion...' I thought.