Greenfire: (Sky Realms Online Book 4): A LitRPG Series, page 10
Skill Gain!
Stealth Rank One +.1
Motioning them back, Hall followed them through the maze of stalagmites. This could work, he thought as they squeezed through. He spent some time studying the formations, how they came together, and where there were gaps the smaller creatures could fit through. There were multiple exit spots, but close enough that the three could cover them all. Only one Caobold at each at a time. Should be manageable.
Skill Gain!
Strategy Rank Two +.1
Hall brushed away the notification, telling Roxhard and Jackoby his plan. Neither one was thrilled but didn’t have any better ideas.
Hall stood at the end of the tunnel, the crack just ahead and to the left. Again he wished Pike were in the cavern. He could have sent the dragonhawk into the space, using the animal to pull the Caobolds out. It would be relatively low risk for Pike; he moved too fast for the Caobolds. But the caverns were too cramped, and Hall wasn’t sure the dragonhawk could see in the dark. Pike had to have some kind of night vision, but night vision and dark vision were not the same.
Instead he was the puller. It was a role he didn’t mind. He’d done it before, and done it well. But this was going to be a little different. He could barely see, the lantern hanging off his belt and shuttered most of the way, hanging backwards to shine. And he’d have to navigate the stalagmite maze quickly and get into position with a horde of Caobolds and Pangos after him.
Maybe it wasn’t the best plan.
Why not? he thought, dismissing his worries.
At times he wondered why he wasn’t scared. Why he wasn’t curled up in a ball somewhere trying to avoid death. He knew death was real now. He wouldn’t respawn. The best, and smartest, thing to do would be to become a barkeep somewhere. But here he was, an Adventurer, ready to pull an unknown number of enemies.
Retreat was an option, but one that he hoped wouldn’t be needed.
Facing an unknown number of Caobolds and Pangos in conditions they somewhat controlled was scary enough. Having those same creatures nipping at your heels as you tried to run, that was a nightmare.
Whenever he had read novels or seen movies where the hero just became the hero, risking his life just because he could, Hall hadn’t really understood the motivation. Now he did.
There was just something about it. A rush. It was truly living.
It was time to get to work.
Hall listened, trying to follow any movements of the creatures. There wasn’t much. Hard to tell if some were close and how many.
Cursing that he couldn’t get a more accurate count, he slammed the end of his spear against the rock wall. It wasn’t loud, the wood making a hollow thud. But it was still noise. He added to it by shouting. Random words and phrases, sounds that weren’t words. Just noise to get the Caobolds’ attention.
He fell silent, backing up, listening hard. He could hear them. The large feet slapping against the stone, talking in their language. All of it getting closer. He kept backing up and waited until the first couple emerged from the crack. He was further down the tunnel, hopefully in the range of their night vision.
He shouted and they heard him. There were excited growls and yells.
Hall turned and took off running.
He knew the route back; he’d walked it a couple of times before pulling the Caobolds. Rule number one for pulling. Know the way back. But that didn’t help in the dark. He still slammed into rock formations, each bump slowing him down.
You take 5 Impact damage.
Hall grunted, pushing off from the stalagmite, trying not to lose momentum. He could see the lanterns ahead, the shadowed forms of the two Wardens on either side. Roxhard’s axe-head glinted in the light. Jackoby’s hammer was wooden, magical, taken from a vanquished Revenant. It was just a dark spot against his grayer shadow.
“Here they come,” Hall said, even though it wasn’t needed.
He practically squeezed out between stalagmites, driving the butt end of his spear into the ground to forcefully slow his momentum. Quickly he turned, weapon ready. Jackoby was on his left, Roxhard on the right. Each had two paths through the stalagmite maze to defend. He had to take a couple of steps back to give himself room to use the spear, which created gaps that a Caobold, or more likely a Pango, could sneak through. And with the Wardens on either side, Hall couldn’t fully utilize the weapon.
He was, again, regretting this plan.
No help for it now, he thought as the first Caobold broke out of the stalagmite maze. It was against Jackoby, and the giant Firbolg’s hammer swung down on top of the creature’s head. It gave a shambling shudder and dropped hard to the ground, effectively filling the space. Jackoby had gotten lucky. If the Caobold had fallen forward, he would have been forced back, leaving more of an opening for the enemy to get through.
Hall had no more time to think as he saw a long snout stick out between rocks. His spear stabbed down, driving the Caobold to the ground. It twitched, but Hall couldn’t wait to make sure it was finished off, as another Caobold was there. He pulled his spear up, throwing the end straight out to smash into the creature, buying himself time to draw it back and stab downward. The attack missed the Caobold’s head, catching the squirming creature in the shoulder.
He cursed as it jerked back, almost pulling the spear with it. Hall kicked out, driving the Caobold back and off the spear. It tore out of the creature’s thin shoulder, taking most of the muscle with it. The Caobold yowled in pain, which was quickly silenced. It fell dead on top of the other.
Hall tried not to jump back as a Pango leapt over the bodies. Not enough time to bring his spear to defend, Hall twisted his body and took the brunt of the attack on his arm. The Pango’s claws dug in, the creature snapping at him.
Aggressive Pango’s claws do 5 points of damage.
Aggressive Pango’s claws do 5 points of damage.
Growling, Hall slammed forward, ramming the Pango into a stalagmite.
You take 5 points of Impact damage.
The creature yelped and dropped, the butt end of the spear slamming against its head. It fell still, but Hall still stabbed down with the spear to make sure it was dead. Hall mentally shut off the combat notifications.
Two Caobolds were now at the openings, one in each. Hall cursed. He stabbed with his spear, one handed, his off-hand, drawing his short sword with the other. He barely got the sword free, swinging it and driving the Caobolds back. Both pushed forward, Hall struggling to fight with spear and sword. The biggest problem was the spear; he was holding it halfway up the shaft, unable to get any force behind the weapon. Luckily the Caobold wasn’t smart enough to take advantage of Hall’s weak strikes.
The Caobold could just barely avoid the attacks from the weapon, growling and hissing. Not getting hit but also blocking those behind it. Hall sliced across the chest of the right side Caobold, his sword’s special ability activating. Cold spread out from the wound, the creature falling backwards as both hands reached for its chest, coming away covered in frost. It fell on a Pango that turned, attacking the Caobold.
Hall cursed, again,. It fell too deep, no longer blocking the space between the stalagmites. Another took its place, being pushed forward by the surge of those behind it, pushed onto the tip of Hall’s sword. Hall tried to dislodge the creature. He couldn’t kick out, the angle wrong, and it wasn’t sliding off. Not heavy, the Caobold still was dragging at Hall as it fell lifeless to the ground.
He tried not to stumble, pulling the spear back and driving the butt end against the Caobold. It slid back just enough to dislodge the sword. Hall quickly drove his spear back at the other Caobold, the special ability activating. A large splinter lodged in the creature’s shoulder. It dropped its stone club, clutching at the wound, giving Hall the opening he needed.
The spear stabbed into the creature’s thin throat, slamming out the other side. It fell, and with a twist, Hall pulled the spear free, bringing it up just fast enough to catch the next surprised Caobold, the tip slicing up its chest and into its throat.
He couldn’t spare the time to look at the Wardens, to see how they were doing. The Caobolds kept him occupied. For each he killed, there was another to take its place. They just kept coming. Hall would have thought the survivors would have retreated by now. So many of their clanmates were dead, and they were still pushing forward. Most creatures would have retreated. Why weren’t these?
They just kept coming.
Hall was tiring. Holding and fighting with two weapons, awkwardly at that, was taking its toll. If the rush of Caobolds kept up, they would have to start to give ground. He had no idea there were this many of the creatures. But were there a lot, or did it just seem that way?
He couldn’t even spare a glance at the ground to try and count bodies. It was all he could do to keep attacking the Caobolds in the openings, to keep them from advancing.
The spear dipped, just enough, the Caobold’s stone sword pushing it down. Hall tried to pull it back and jab it up, but couldn’t. His arm was just too tired. The creature surged forward, Hall twisting, which made his sword defense awkward. He pulled it back before the Caobold’s stone club could knock it from his hand.
Cursing, Hall slid back a couple of steps.
Both Caobolds stepped past the stalagmites, others appearing between the rock formations.
Hall sheathed his sword, taking the spear in both hands. He activated Sweeping Strike, the tip cutting across the three Caobolds now facing him. He grimaced as the end of the arc brought the tip close to Jackoby’s lightly furred arm. Stopping the swing, Hall slid the shaft through his hands, rotating the weapon around his body and stabbing into the rightmost Caobold. A quick jab, catching it in the throat and then pulling it back, ready to jab out again. The Caobold moved, avoiding the attack, which left Hall open.
The stone club hit his ribs. Hall grunted in pain, trying to stand straight and not fall back. It hurt, breathing was coming hard, but Hall held his ground. He rotated the spear around his body again, hitting the Caobold with the butt end. The creature grunted, stepping back, giving Hall some much-needed room.
But another replaced it, and another.
Beside him, Roxhard was pushed back. On the other side, Jackoby stumbled, a Pango jumping onto the Firbolg’s back. Hall tried to line up his spear with the creature, but was having problems. Jackoby kept moving, as well as Hall himself.
Then he heard the screech.
It echoed down the tunnel.
Hall knew what it was.
He’d been so busy fighting he hadn’t even felt the presence coming closer.
Pike dove out of the shadows, claws grabbing the Pango on Jackoby’s back, tearing the creature off, causing a growl of pain from the Firbolg. Claws opened and the Pango dropped at Jackoby’s feet, where a hammer strike smashed it to pulp. Blue-white lightning streaked out, bolts slamming into a Caobold fighting Hall. It spasmed as the electricity coursed through its body, smoke rising from the hair across its body. A quick spear thrust ended its life.
The dragonhawk swooped and dove, flying between stalactites, showing Hall that Pike did have excellent dark vision of some kind. He dove down, claws cutting into a Caobold, breathing lightning every chance he got. It wasn’t much in the way of damage, but it did cause chaos, which gave the advantage back to Hall and the others.
Chapter 10
Hall leaned against the wall of the tunnel, breathing heavily. He hurt. His side, his legs, arms. Small cuts covered the exposed skin of his arms. Not as bad as Jackoby, the Firbolg bled from dozens of small wounds. Hall had tossed him a healing potion after downing one himself. Roxhard was the least hurt but had faced the fewest attacks.
After Pike’s appearance, it had still been another fifteen minutes or so of intense fighting. The Caobold bodies stacked up, Pangos joining them. The flood of Caobolds had just stopped. It hadn’t slowed, just stopped. One second there were a lot of them, and the next, none.
Hall hadn’t heard any retreating either. They might have. It would have been hard to hear against the clang of metal or wood against stone. He had sent Pike ahead to wait at the end of the stalagmite maze.
He was amazed how sharp the dragonhawk’s vision was in the cave, even in complete darkness. Using his Shared Vision, Hall saw through Pike’s eyes, seeing the cavern and crack ahead like it was dusk.
“Let’s not do that again,” Roxhard muttered.
Hall laughed, or tried to. It hurt, his ribs still aching. Healing potions were great for sealing up wounds and fusing breaks, but they didn’t work too well on bruising.
With Pike acting as watch, Hall mentally opened his notifications. There were a lot of them.
SLAIN: Shadowrock Caobold Scout
+20 Experience
SLAIN: Shadowrock Caobold Clubber
+20 Experience
SLAIN: Shadowrock Caobold Scout
+20 Experience
SLAIN: Shadowrock Caobold Clubber
+20 Experience
SLAIN: Shadowrock Caobold Clubber
+20 Experience
SLAIN: Shadowrock Caobold Clubber
+20 Experience
SLAIN: Shadowrock Caobold Clubber
+20 Experience
SLAIN: Shadowrock Caobold Clubber
+20 Experience
SLAIN: Shadowrock Caobold Pango Handler
+20 Experience
SLAIN: Aggressive Pango
+10 Experience
SLAIN: Aggressive Pango
+10 Experience
SLAIN: Aggressive Pango
+10 Experience
SLAIN: Aggressive Pango
+10 Experience
SLAIN: Aggressive Pango
+10 Experience
SLAIN: Aggressive Pango
+10 Experience
Skill Gain!
Light Armor Rank Two +.2
Skill Gain!
Polearms Rank Two +.4
Skill Gain!
Small Blades Rank Two +.4
CLEARING THE MINE’S DEBT
Kill Shadowrock Caobolds in Peaksdown Mine 20/20
Kill Aggressive Pangos in Peaksdown Mine 30/30
Discover how the Caobolds are entering the shaft 0/1
Assist the miners in blocking the Caobolds’ access to the mine 0/1
Roxhard was already going from Caobold to Caobold, quickly searching the bodies. While the creatures did not collect gold, silver or copper coins, they did collect uncut jewels or flakes of other metals. What little they wore for armor and their stone weapons were trash. Not even worth collecting to sell off. Hall could see that Roxhard already had a handful of loot, gems or flakes.
He pushed himself off the wall.
“How you holding up?” he asked Jackoby.
The Firbolg grunted, moving his left arm, shield arm, up and down, working out the stiffness that had set in.
“I am ready to finish this,” he grunted.
Hall was just glad that neither Jackoby nor Roxhard had commented on how badly the plan had failed. It wasn’t that it failed, Hall knew, it was just that they had been overwhelmed by sheer numbers. The strategy behind it had been sound, the numbers just too great.
But it had come very close to disaster.
He tried to count the bodies but lost track. There were a lot. More than the quest had required.
It still surprised him how dedicated the Caobolds had been. The Pangos were trained, they would do as they were told, but the Caobolds just kept coming.
What had driven them so hard? The creatures should have fled, but they didn’t.
Only one way to find out.
“Let’s go,” Hall said, leading the two Wardens into the stalagmite maze. Pike sat perched on the last one, staring down the corridor. Hall could hear noises. Not quite the same as before. Quieter.
They moved slowly, Pike flying ahead. Quietly they approached the crack, waiting outside. The noises inside stopped, muffled, moving further back. The dragonhawk swooped through the opening, flying toward the top.
Hall used the Shared Vision ability, linking his mind with Pike’s. He was still amazed at how sharp the dragonhawk’s sight was in the darkness. No light at all, not even traces from the lanterns held by Jackoby and Roxhard. But it was almost as clear as day. Pike could see everything. Details, depth, movement. No colors, but those were unneeded. It was like an enhanced version of Hall’s Limited Night Vision.
What Hall saw explained everything.
The cavern was large, with a dome-like ceiling, a few formations of rock growing up from the ground, a small pond in the corner, large mushrooms scattered around. Another tunnel led off, leading deeper into the mountain. Near the pond, but against the wall, was a pen of some kind. Almost a dozen Pangos moved about, held back by a fence made from some kind of spongy-looking material. Hall wasn’t sure what it was. Some kind of mushroom?
Caobolds huddled in the back corner. A few with weapons stood in the front, eyes looking up at Pike. Behind them were women and children. At least Hall thought they were women and children. The smaller ones had to be young Caobolds. The others vaguely looked female. They were close to the warriors that Hall had fought, but there was just enough difference.
Scattered around the cavern were structures made of hide. Round with a single opening. Stacks of loose hide, piles of stone and other materials were gathered near the structures. Tents. They were tents.
Hall was looking at a Caobold village.
He cursed.
“What do we do?” Roxhard asked.
They had gathered back beyond the rock maze, Pike settled on Hall’s shoulder.
“I don’t know,” Hall admitted.
They weren’t going to attack the Caobolds. That had been an easy decision. Killing warriors was one thing, but women and children were another. Hall felt miserable. The Caobolds had just been defending their home.
