Into the Pit: A LitRPG Adventure (Brad the Impaler Book 2), page 14
“I’m going to need you to trust me,” Slash said, resuming his sniffing. “I know what I’m talking about. This is where I marked the location. Look at my map. Geez.”
Kira stood watch in the middle of the road. Her hands were on her hips as she swiveled to look for traffic. “We both believe you. I think we’re at a loss about what to do now. The merchant could be anywhere.” She looked toward the distant mountains. Somewhere near the range, down in the valley, was the city Slash spotted after our fight with Fuji’s blobs. A city we needed to visit. One we’d planned to visit, but never got around to. “My best guess is he’d head in the direction where there are the most people.”
“Or a seaport,” Slash said. “One time when Brad spent all day at work, he left the TV on that stupid documentary streaming service thing, and it showed a nonstop run of this show called Shipping Wars. I swear, you humans will watch anything. It’s like your lives are so empty you’ll absorb any kind of entertainment to distract you from that fact.”
“That’s definitely not untrue,” Kira said.
“So that’s where I really learned the importance of shipyards and port cities,” Slash said. “Like the time the people of Liverpool were victimized by the bullies living down the road in Manchester. That mean city stole all of their livelihoods by building a new port or something. Not surprising, though. Humans will bully each other over anything. But shipping? I swear. Your species could learn a lot about living and working together like us dogs.”
“I don’t disagree, wee man, but did you have a point?” I asked, trying to keep him somewhat focused.
“The merchant might not have gone to the city.” Slash set off in the opposite direction of the destination Kira preferred. “Fortunately for you two, I know which way he went.”
Kira and I looked at each other. Her typically analytical eyes softened with a silent inquiry.
I shrugged and started up the road behind Slash. “How do you know that?”
Without turning around, he said, “The first time we saw him, I pissed on one of the wagon wheels while you were buying those horrendous red sneakers.”
Kira’s eyes widened. “And you can still smell that scent?”
“Yep,” Slash said proudly, bouncing away, his ears flapping like oversized clown shoes. “How lucky are you to have me?”
“Very,” Kira shouted before she jogged to catch up.
“You’re an absolute genius, wee man,” I said. “How far ahead is he?”
“I can’t say, because you never taught me how to tell distance. I just have to guess.”
“I didn’t tell you because we couldn’t communicate back in the real world.” I gestured at the forty-foot-tall trees bordering the road and the hard-packed dirt. “As far as telling distance in Darkworld, your guess is as good as mine.”
“Well, I’m not sure how far we have to go, but I know it’s not much farther.”
“Good.”
“Make sure you buy beefy treats when we find him.”
Kira snickered.
“Don’t encourage him, please,” I said, then raised my voice so my pup trotting twenty feet ahead could hear. “And we have a lot of things to buy first.”
“Nothing important.”
“We’re getting seed for our field, remember? Well, if the merchant has some.”
“Boring.”
I wasn’t about to argue with my pup about the necessity of seed. A losing proposition. One that was ultimately pointless because as the entrant in Darkworld, I was the one with all the gold in my Inventory. Slash was the most important thing to me, but that didn’t mean I was going to bend to his whims, especially when he had enough beefy treats to last the next two months. Instead, I kept him on his guard. “Stop worrying about treats and pay attention to the forest. I think I saw something moving in the trees.”
Untrue, but it got the desired results. Slash yipped, turned in a circle, and sprinted to stand between me and Kira.
I don’t believe in divine intervention, but it wasn’t much longer after making that comment that I actually did hear something emanating from the trees. Kira heard it as well. The three of us dashed for cover on the opposite side of the road. We waited and watched for any sign of trouble. The noise had been loud enough to carry over a distance. Either someone was being incredibly reckless, risking their gameplay and health, or they came with enough muscle to be confident there wouldn’t be repercussions to their cacophonous movements.
As I listened, I was convinced it wasn’t a player. No player, at least not one on a suicide mission, could be behind the songs, grunts, and tree-knocking. More likely, this was a group of NPCs.
The noise was coming from our right, moving to our left. Had we remained on the road and not been paying attention, we might have run straight into trouble.
“What do you think it is?” Kira asked.
I shook my head, not wanting to speak. Just because the party headed this way was doing nothing to hide their presence didn’t mean they didn’t have advanced scouts.
We’d crouched in the tall wild grass. Slash stayed between us, laid completely flat and growling.
I watched the forest for the emerging threat. Before long, we got our answers.
Kira gasped. I pulled up my Inventory, equipping Venom Fang. A second later, she had her bow in one hand. Her quiver was strapped to her back, filled with arrows. I gave her a reassuring nod, one she returned. There is no way of telling if the squad of kobolds making their way through the forest, on a path that would bring them uncomfortably close to us, meant trouble. I wasn’t interested in poking any scaled bears, you could say.
These kobolds had a darker hue to their scaly skin. In all the games I played, kobolds were fire red. Not this squad. I didn’t see any variance in the maroon tone. I wasn’t exactly up on my kobold sociology studies, but they were so similar, they might be related.
Each had heart-shaped spots along their shoulders and up their necks, carrying to their heads. The lighter scales almost looked like age spots. Behind them trailed long, slender tails that twitched as they marched, reminding me of my ex-girlfriend’s cat. Anytime I tried to pet it, the stupid thing would twitch its tail like that right before it swatted me, usually leaving red scratches as a reminder that it didn’t like me. Not that I was special. That stupid cat didn’t like anyone.
Each kobold dragged a bag. Some clanked as unseen metal items collided. Other sacks bulged with lumps about the size of apples and melons. The fingers of a gauntlet poked out of the opening of one kobold’s sack.
The beasts chuckled and grunted, trading what sounded like good-spirited barbs in their reptilian tongue.
Slash, shivering, pushed himself back without lifting his body off the ground. Even though he’d kept his snout closed, he growled. I reached over with my free hand and stroked his butt. Kira scratched the back of his neck, the only other part of his body not covered in his spiked leather jacket.
Less than fifty yards separated us from the fourteen kobolds. Close enough for me to determine they were easily the size of large upright dogs. They wore ragged loincloths, and they wrapped their arms in black leather from their wrist to their elbow. Most carried daggers and what looked to be slings in the bands at their waists. On their backs, they slung more bulging bags. I imagined that was the ammo for their slings.
Their path through the forest was anything but a straight shot. They weaved and darted, sidestepped, and even sometimes jumped from side to side, seemingly without rhyme or reason. Their movements made it difficult to anticipate what they might do next. The squad was too close for me to share my strategy with Slash and Kira without taking a huge chance of being overheard.
Soft footsteps sounded behind us. Probably thirty feet. More than one pair of steps.
Slash yipped, springing to his feet, whipping around and barking before I could grab him.
With our location uncovered, there was no sense in crouching in the weeds like scared rabbits. I lunged to my feet, turning on the kobolds coming up the rear. Kira fired arrows at the larger gaggle crashing through the undergrowth. I gripped Venom Fang and moved to meet the three kobolds.
The forest air was fresh and smelled of pine, but as I drew near, their pungent odor overwhelmed even the vast openness.
The three chittered something and split apart. The one on my right was the first to make his move, snapping his large snout and grinning, showing a wealth of large fangs. When it lunged, I instinctively plowed my sword’s pommel into its face, cracking bone. It stumbled backward, its arms whipping in a whirlwind. Even without using the blade, the plus-three to Damage proved to be a godsend. His Health bar dropped by a third from the fisted strike.
Before I could move in to finish it, the first came at me, wielding double daggers. I don’t know if it had a fighting strategy other than trying to overwhelm me with slashes. It wasn’t really a danger but kept me busy with its constant movement. Its attack was so rapid I didn’t have time to plot out how to finish the first kobold. In fact, the attacks were taking me farther from its fallen comrade.
Slash zipped by, barking and snapping at the kobold even though a good ten feet separated them, and he had no hope of landing a lucky strike. It didn’t do anything other than create a distraction, but I had to hand it to my little buddy. He was courageous for stepping out of his comfort zone like this.
“Hurry, guys!”
I glanced over my shoulder to see Kira firing arrows far faster than I swung my sword. We needed her to be efficient. She faced five times the kobolds. Even though they were farther away, their approach was unencumbered. I needed to finish these three off before the rest swarmed her. The problem was, the bastards were fast, and I was having a hell of a time focusing on just one. The other seemed smart enough to use their numbers to their advantage.
Almost as if he read my mind, Slash activated his Ankle Bite attack.
Having missed the kobold by ten feet when he first looped around the battle, I now saw the wisdom of his plan. He’d done that to put space between him and the creature. Now, with a better line of sight, he took on a direct path with the new attack. As soon as he was alongside the kobold, time seemed to slow. His tiny jaw opened, his sliver of fangs bared and gleaming in the sunlight, as he raked his mouth across the kobold’s large ankle. Just then, a game notification popped up above my wee man.
DEVASTATING ATTACK!!!
In one move, Slash took out a kobold. Its Health dropped precipitously until the bar above its head was deathly black. It collapsed in a heap as Slash darted past the second kobold. It turned to lash out, and I took it down with a strike across its back. Using my momentum, I whipped Venom Fang around, finishing it off.
A bolt of pain exploded across my back. In the top corner of my mindscreen, my Health dropped.
“Look out, Brad!” Slash darted past. I spun, seeing him run at the kobold who’d hit me in the back with a slingshot bolt. My throat constricted as my little guy headed straight for the looming threat. Slash was so fast, I didn’t even have time to cry out.
My pup was also too speedy for the kobold. The creature stared dumbly as my seven-pound Chihuahua zipped between its legs. It turned, drawing its slingshot. Before it could get off a round, I plowed into its back, knocking it to the ground. I brought my sword down in a flash before I noticed this kobold was a level lower than the others. That single strike put it out of its misery.
“Let’s help Kira,” I said, but Slash was already on his way, dashing toward where our friend had taken down kobolds. Yet, she wasn’t firing at them now. Instead, she raced in our direction after being swarmed by the wave.
“They’re coming!”
Her expression, gripped by worry, told the story. Then I saw the pursuing pack. Too many remained. No cakewalk. The kobolds crashed through the forest, hanging within the shadows. I figured it was a defensive tactic, but it added uncertainty to their approach that made it difficult to counter.
I sidestepped the first. Its swings were more calculated than the one I’d already taken down, yet still animalistic enough for me to take advantage of its carelessness. Left open for attack, I drew a thick, red line up its stomach.
Three of the creatures closed in on Kira. She couldn’t outrun them and draw her bow. I’d never seen her use a secondary weapon. Darkworld was like many games, proficiency was gained by using a single type of weapon. By sticking with it, you became stronger with that type of weapon. That was great until a game threw you into a situation like this. She was handicapped, unable to use her primary weapon, and forced to wield something she was ill-equipped to use. By using superior numbers and chasing her, the kobolds had effectively disarmed her.
“Keep them busy.”
“How?” She cut sharply around trees and bushes. The kobolds couldn’t move at the sharp angles she did, but their powerful legs helped them close on her once they adjusted their pursuit.
“Just keep running!”
“What do I do?” Slash asked after tucking his tail and avoiding two kobolds trying to put the pinch on him.
“Draw them to me. Get yourself free, then break out Potty Mouth.”
Slash barked in a high pitch that cracked like a teen boy’s voice. He dashed between the pair and headed straight for me. He shot between my legs and circled around. The two kobolds pulled up short. Both wielded daggers. No match for my sword.
Their delay removed them from threatening my dog. Now I just needed to handle them, plus the other seven, until he could get enough space and time to use his special attack.
I arced Venom Fang, pushing the crowding kobolds back. I kept my attacks only as wild as I could afford, never staying too close and opening myself up for a counter. But I wanted to make the swings look irresponsible enough to give them encouragement that they could get to me. Anything to keep them away from Slash.
They pressed closer, but I had a bigger problem. Three of the group of seven were ranged fighters and were training their slingshots on me. “Hurry, little buddy!”
“I’ve got you!” Slash turned his attention and inappropriate fruity language on the kobolds. Unlike the fire roses, these creatures were sentient. If the attack worked, he’d hand us a major advantage. “What in the hell happened to your faces? Did you get stuck halfway when you came out of your eggs, or did your big brothers play Mr. Stretch with your snouts? Oh, and what’s up with the legs? You guys know that at Brad’s gym, the real men just work on their arms? Don’t your gyms have any upper-body equipment? You look ridiculous. I have kangaroo friends who’d be embarrassed to walk around looking like that! Each one of you is literally the definition of a twat.”
His flood of profanity stunned five of the kobolds. I couldn’t wait on Kira to get free of her pursuers. I didn’t know if she could. No sense in wasting Slash’s stunning effect.
I danced around one beast, slashing sideways and opening its skin just above the loincloth. Viscera spilled to the forest floor. A projectile took me in the arm, making it feel like it was on fire. My Agility was high enough to avoid lumbering beasts, but I wasn’t confident in taking my chances with these kobolds. That a slingshot bolt knocked me sideways was an excellent reminder that I didn’t need to push my luck. Having a high Speed score was great until you found yourself in a situation that wasn’t a hundred-yard dash. Like a fight against moderately agile creatures.
I sprinted at the slingshot-armed creature. Scooping up a discarded bag that clinked and weighed enough to convince me it was filled with stolen trinkets and jewelry. I hefted it, swinging as I charged. The sack took the kobold in the side of the head with a loud thunk. It yelped and crumbled sideways.
Cries and growls from its companions followed me as I kept my momentum, targeting the stunned kobolds. Each time I took one down, I kept an eye out for any game notifications that I’d poisoned a kobold. So far, Venom Fang hadn’t provided a single bonus. Possibly the kobolds’ nature? Possibly because the sword was a piece of crap? Who knew? Maybe I was still too much of a low-level player to kick off most game benefits.
With each kobold I killed, I drew attention from the ones still possessing their wherewithal.
“Kill the fuckers!” my pooch encouraged from twenty yards away, lost in the weeds.
“Trying!” I said before a rock to the back took my breath. My leather tunic took some of the damage, but I did as well. My Health slipped slightly to the left, and there were still a handful of kobolds to deal with, plus the three chasing Kira through the forest.
I hacked off the raised arm of a stunned kobold, still staring at the place Slash had been standing when he released his profanity-laced rant. Even though it didn’t kill it, the loss of an arm took three-quarters of its Health. Plus, if the kobold came out of its stupor, I was confident I’d be one of the last things it’d worry about when it discovered the missing arm.
“To me, Kira!” I waved and ran in her direction. When I passed Slash, still in hiding, I told him to stay put.
“Your mom stayed put… in my bed,” he shot back.
“Focus.”
Kira leaped over something I couldn’t see because of the folds of underbrush and wild grass. The sinews of muscle in her legs flexed. She took a zigzagging pattern to put off her pursuers and nullify the advantage they enjoyed from their thick-thighed reptilian legs. As they chased, they easily overtook the obstacle she’d cleared a moment before. The only thing saving her from being taken down was her unpredictable path.
As I closed in, I waved her in my direction with a “come here” wag of my hand. When she was close, I said, “Shoot the others behind me. Slash is back there. I’ve got these three.”
Kira nodded, and the bow was in her hand as the three kobolds skidded to a halt.
I heard the twang of her bow as I activated my Snake Bite attack. Aiming for the center kobold, the world blurred as I shot forward as if an invisible train had plowed into my back. The kobold never stood a chance. Who knew what my attack looked like from his position, but he hadn’t reacted and probably only recognized me as a threat after I’d plunged Venom Fang into his gut.
