Chapter 5

It was super weird to watch herself ducking into the cave.

Ellen wished she’d had enough to buy two pairs of boots, but even if the two of them had raised the money, it took time to make quality boots. It even took time to make a sloppy pair of boots, and those wouldn’t be good enough for the rough inside of a cave.

Without a weapon, she couldn’t meaningfully contribute anyway. Maybe she could hold the lantern, but she’d be basically helpless.

“Maybe I should have become a cobbler,” she grumbled aloud.

She watched as Ellen Two, now freshly-equipped with a pair of boots, tied off the lantern at her side. It was a small, cheap, battered lantern, but it kept her hands free. The two of them didn’t remember how the trip had gone, but they’d had to face the idea that they’d somehow died in there, since they didn’t have their equipment when they woke up. When they’d put some thought into it, they’d realized that trying to use a spear while holding a torch had probably been a bad idea.

“Okay, I’ll be back as soon as I’ve found what happened,” Ellen Two said quietly. She didn’t want to shout, in case the goblin was in there and could hear them. If they were lucky, it wasn’t in there and they could retrieve their equipment. Then the two of them could team up. Even with her Laborer Class, Ellen was sure she’d be a help since she was somewhat skilled with knife and spear now.

“Be careful,” Ellen quietly called after her other self. The bright smile she was sent back before Ellen Two ducked into the entrance was nice. She was starting to see why people in her hometown said she had a nice smile. She really did look more lively when she did that.

She let out a long sigh as her double vanished from sight. She knew she couldn’t follow. Her sandals were barely hanging on already, and her feet were sore from hiking up from the campsite. They were good sandals—durable yet lightweight—but they didn’t have the support or protection for extended trips in the forest, or climbing up the mountain. Even an old, gentle, and small mountain like this.

This mountain was a “bald” mountain, with the top quarter or so mostly barren stone and rocky dirt with a few stubborn strands of grass or shrubs clinging to it. The cave was just where this rockiness started, sloping down into the mountain—close enough to the tree line that the trees hid the entrance from below. It did make the wind more fierce, a chilling gust that cut through her.

She didn’t have a cloak, but fortunately it was a warmer day than the last time. No reason not to find one of the larger rocks and take a seat, resting her walking stick across her lap. She wiggled her toes as she looked down, wincing at the dirty, scuffed feet from hiking in the sandals. There was a gash on the side of her left foot that she hadn’t even noticed before, the pain just a distant part of the jumble of aches she’d collected during her trip up the mountain.

“It’s just one goblin,” she grumbled. “It’s not like a Dungeon Break.” Wouldn’t that be something? A full-fledged Dungeon forming here in the mountains, right here and now! Though as she thought that over, she realized that would be terrible. She also realized she should be watching the approach to the cave in case the goblin really was out, so she could… what? Stop it? Warn Ellen Two?

She rummaged around in the scree beneath her feet until she found a nice, hefty rock about half the size of her fist, then stacked it to the side and looked for another. If she had to fend off an oncoming goblin, a few good throwing rocks would be great. A sling would be better, though.

Ellen made a mental note to look into learning how to use a sling.

Ellen Two crept through the narrow tunnel with the caution born of a girl who knew—just knew—she had died here before.

Her other self created some theories otherwise, but she was just being hopeful. That was fine, though. Ellen Two wasn’t all that happy about having the ‘Two’ on her name, but if the other Ellen got to stay optimistic and happy, it was worth it. One of them could be the serious one, and the other could keep the dreams alive! Division of labor!

She reached down to her side and adjusted the lantern, hearing a faint hiss as more of the wick was exposed and the light brightened. It wasn’t a fancy lantern, weathered and battered, but it served her purposes just fine and it was inexpensive. She couldn’t hood it properly, but for this trip that wasn’t needed.

Ellen wrinkled her nose sharply as she approached a branch in the tunnel. It had been a week since the first attempt, so she couldn’t see any sign of her own passage, but the smell of musk and garbage down one passage made it easy for her to guess which one led to the goblin. She hoped that was the one her first self had taken.

It was so weird to think like that. Was she someone new because she didn’t remember the last moments? Or was she somehow saved by a miracle? She’d never heard of a god interfering in things quite in this manner… that was still a mystery, but with the other Ellen hanging around she couldn’t investigate it too much. Maybe once this was over with, they could go their separate ways and she could find some answers.

She drew her knife and weighed it in her hand as she advanced. It was a good knife—old but sturdy, and she’d learned how to clean and sharpen it over the last few days. Like all her gear now, it had also been inexpensive, but she couldn’t help that. Without a good, steady income of several weeks she couldn’t hope to afford anything as nice as she’d left home with.

The knife was long and heavier than what she’d gotten used to, but she’d managed a good few days of practice with it. It wasn’t so long as to be a short sword, but it was more a chopping knife than stabbing. It did have a point, though. The weight of it had also caused the first physical difference she’d noticed between herself and the other Ellen… swinging this thing around had thickened her wrist muscles, and she’d had the option to take a Strength bonus when she hit Level 6 instead of Endurance, though she’d opted to repeat her old build.

Her thoughts were interrupted by the shifting shadows at the edge of her lantern light. It made Ellen pause, tightening the grip on her knife. She was glad she hadn’t tried a spear this time… she could tell the tunnel was too tight to use it very well. Maybe that’s why her first version had failed. Without the memories, she’d never know.

Even as these thoughts went through her head, Ellen was squinting into the shadows. This meant she was ready—barely—for the hurled rock that whipped toward her face. She tucked herself to the side, raising her knife in defense, letting the rock sail past her. A second stone jarred her hand as it hit the knife blade and cracked against the wall, nearly hitting her despite the deflection.

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All her practice, all her training… real combat was different. Ellen’s heart pounded, her breath coming in shallow pants already. She could feel the verge of panic, the confusion of being unable to cope with something at range, while she only had a knife. She had no idea what to do in this situation.

By sheer chance, she lucked upon a good tactic. In her panic she lunged, dashing forward and nearly tumbling to the tunnel floor as her boots scraped on loose pebbles and dirt. Only her adrenaline-infused speed kept her lurching forward, faster than the goblin expected, her knife descending in a deadly arc.

CLUNK!

She missed. The blade skittered off of rock as the goblin pitched backward, letting out a screech of its own panic. Ellen nearly gagged at the rotting stench of its breath so close, and she caught the flash of her lantern light on gleaming steel as a knife—her old knife—sank into her thigh, bringing with it a blossom of pain and heat.

Ellen screamed, but she hadn’t been training for nothing. She jerked her arm back, lashing out at the goblin that was flailing just as much. Her rapid rush had blinded it with her lantern’s light, and the small, gangly creature let out a gurgling hiss as she felt her blade sink into flesh with a sickening jolt along her arm. Her wild swing had found the unarmored neck of the skinny vermin, and the bright red of its blood contrasted sharply with the filthy hide it poured over.