1.21 – Goblin Stronghold V

Rika pushed her aching legs as hard as she could manage. One thought rose to the forefront of her mind, pushing aside all her other worries and doubts and fears. Get to Erik. Nothing else mattered. Get to Erik, or they all die.

After a desperate, forced sprint across the twenty feet between her and the tunnel entrance, she barreled into the goblins attacking him. In a half tackle, half shield rush, she slammed into them both, sending her and the two goblins to the cavern floor in a heap of bloody, tangled weapons and limbs.

A moment later, the group she’d been holding back arrived as well. Once again Rika found herself buried under a mound of goblin flesh. But this time, she had levels. She had stats. She had power she didn’t have before, during her desperate fight as barely level two, alone on that mountain trail. This time it was different.

Her sword was gone. Somewhere close by, surely, but out of reach. She shoved bodies and weapons and shields aside. She hauled herself to her feet. A goblin screamed at her, driving its axe down toward her relatively vulnerable thigh. Catching the warrior by the wrist, she twisted. Bones and tendons popped in her grip, the goblin’s Resilience crumpling under her own Might. The fury of the goblin’s scream turned to pain, its eyes flashed with panic.

Shield Slam I: 30 seconds

She kicked away the goblin’s axe as it clattered to the ground. Released her grip on its ruined wrist as a dozen more blows slammed into her armor, her arms and her legs. Grabbed it by the throat and threw. The five goblins right in front of her went down in a tumble, a haphazard tangling of limbs and frenzied thrashing. She had a moment of calm, a pocket of clear that was already collapsing back in on itself, and set her to fighting for every breath once more.

She still couldn’t find her sword. So she grabbed the next best thing.

• Goblin Axe – (Crude) A one-handed axe of poor make. Its rough edge and shoddy construction make it weapon meant for the desperate.

Scaling: Might, D-

Desperate was an apt description of her circumstances. Anything else would have been dishonest. Worse scaling than her now-lost sword, whatever that actually meant. She mentally silenced Chryson as he began to chime in with an explanation. It could definitely wait. She’d also assumed the lowest quality of gear she could find was Common, but apparently she’d been mistaken. Then again, this was the first time she’d ever bothered to loot one of the goblins. She’d never seen the point until now.

Dark Strike I: 12 seconds

As she split the closest goblin’s skull in that now-familiar eruption of umbral power, she confirmed the only thing that really mattered in that moment. Dark Strike worked with the axe. As long as she still had access to her best source of damage, she could deal with a shitty axe. The sword would still be there later, assuming she made it out alive.

Rika fell upon the goblins swarming both her and Erik. Dimly, she realized that while she’d never really trained with an axe, she still knew how to use it just as well as she did her arming sword. One-Handed Weapon Proficiency lived up to its name, it seemed. She tucked that away. For now, at least, it seemed she wasn’t limited in her weapon choice.

A surge of golden light washed over her. Pain and fatigue sloughed off her like so much road dust in a bath. She glanced in Erik’s direction. He had backed up into the tunnel a short way. After kicking a goblin out of her way, Rika planted herself in the entrance.

Now that she was close by, the goblins seemed content to leave him alone. She recalled he had a class feature much like Kriztan’s, reducing his perceived threat. While she may not have anything that increased her threat like Vilmos did, neither did she have anything to reduce it. So long as she could remain between Erik and the goblins, they might pull this off.

Enemy slain: Goblin Warrior – Level 11

Rika kicked the corpse into its nearest companion as she wrenched her scavenged axe free. She’d managed to thin out the goblin warriors she dragged over with her when she’d rushed to Erik’s aid. Enough that she wasn’t as pressed as she’d been just moments ago.

“We need to get to Vilmos,” she shouted. She couldn’t spare the attention to turn and face Erik. She hoped he could hear her over the screams and clashing metal.

“I can’t keep this up,” came his reply.

“I know. That’s why we need to get to Vilmos. We’ll regain control of the fight and work our way to Kriztan. He can keep pressure off both you and me. Trust me!”

“Okay, go.”

That was all she needed to hear. Erik was on board with her plan, such as it was. It was a long shot, but there really wasn’t much else for it. She checked a nearby goblin with her shield, then cracked into the rib cage of another with her axe. After buying herself a spare moment, she glanced over at the besieged Defender.

Her heart plunged when she saw him.

Vilmos was swarmed. Somehow, he’d lost his helmet. Blood covered half his face; she couldn’t tell if it was from a fresh wound or one Erik had managed to heal. Probably didn’t matter. He was unsteady on his feet as he fought, roaring in bestial fury as he beat back the unending press of goblins, and the steady rain of axes and clubs and spears. While he fought with ferocity and determination, Rika saw a man at the edge of his limits.

Each swing was just a hair slower than the one before. Each shove pushed the goblins back just a little less. They had moments, at best, to get to him. Erik landed a heal. A flash of soft gold, and Vilmos perked up. He threw himself into the fight once more, spending the precious few drops of vitality he’d just been granted.

Rika pushed toward him.

Vilmos was their anchor, their hope. She had the damage, even with this garbage weapon, to break the siege the goblins laid upon the group’s Bastion. She could cut her way through the horde. The goblins wouldn’t peel off him. He’d been fighting for too long. Once she made it to him, she would have free rein. All-out offense, and then they could go get Kriztan.

Enemy Slain: Goblin Warrior – Level 10

Congratulations! You have reached Level 8!

Name: Rika
Class: Dark Warrior (Basic, Rare)
Level: 8 (Grade I)

Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.
Affiliation: Adventuring Guild – Novice

• Stats Increased: Might +2, Finesse +2, Resilience +2, Magic +1, Control +1, Ward +2

• Primary Stats

  • Might – 17

  • Finesse – 17

  • Resilience – 17

  • Magic – 10

  • Control – 10

  • Ward – 17

The surge of power came as a shock. She’d been so focused on first Erik, then Vilmos, that she’d failed to notice the growing pressure of her impending level. But the power! The flood of vitality and strength as her stats swelled once again. She hewed through the two goblins in front of her, reveling in the boost she’d gained. And the hope. With Erik just behind her, and using the new boost to her damage and durability, she could do it. She could make it to Vilmos. They could—somehow, by some insane stroke of fortune—salvage this absolute fucking disaster.

A single line of ghostly text at the far right of her vision winked away. The normally unobtrusive party display surged to the forefront of her attention. The choked cry from Erik, just a few feet behind her, was clue enough. But she had to see for herself.

• Party

  • Rika – Dark Warrior, Lv. 8

  • Vilmos – Defender, Lv. 9

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