The scintillating ball of energy the size of a wrecking ball sped toward the center of the gravitational pull and got sucked inside.
“Tha’ all? What the—” Ragnar didn’t get to finish.
A huge explosion silenced him as the Singularity spell lost cohesion all at once, expelling all the mass and force it had accumulated in one huge blast.
Despite their significant magic resistance, the bouldite bodies couldn’t withstand the assault, and they were shredded apart. Petrified-looking body parts filled the air around us. Bek, Lirian, and I hastily erected mana shields to protect all of us from the debris. A few moments later, when the fallout was over, we rode in carefully to check out the extent of the devastation.
“Damn.” Ragnar took in the carnage with awe. “Did’nah know you could do tha’, fugly.”
There was a piled mass of brutalized corpses at the base of the crater. The bodies of the lower-level hurlers had gotten completely shredded, but those of the melee fighters looked mostly intact.
Then the pile exploded outward as a surviving bouldite lieutenant came charging out. His health was in the low 20 percent, but that did nothing to diminish the sight of the hulking monster coming at us, his lips peeled back in a snarl.
I raised my hand to launch a volley of drilling arrows, but the lieutenant was faster. His stone club hit the ground between us, sending a magical shockwave that caught us all in the area of effect.
Debuff: Stone Leech – resisted! (mental resistance 60%)
All around me, my companions’ movements became sluggish, their expressions dazed.
But our troubles didn’t end there. The two smashers appeared next, disengaging from the corpse pile. Their health was hanging by a thread, but they were still dangerous. Especially with my friends’ diminished state.
I started casting again, but a glancing club strike clipped my arm and sent me spinning sideways. The impact was barely strong enough to penetrate my high armor, but it was enough to make me lose the spell.
The rest of my party moved slowly to intercept our enemies.
Yulli drew back her bow and launched a single arrow. It hit the lieutenant, barely sinking into his armored flesh. Ragnar rushed one of the smashers but was too slow to evade a readied club swing. The heavy weapon smacked against his body and hurled him away, instantly draining half his health. Bek cast Shadow Web, entangling the other smasher and taking him out of the fight for the moment. Kilpi moved sluggishly to block the lieutenant, his shield held high.
Lirian seemed the only one other than me not affected by the debuff. She charged the leader, Fate Stealer leading the way, leaping up and bringing her momentum into the downward swing, severing his right arm.
The leader bellowed an enraged shout, and his other arm holding the stone club came crashing down. Lirian dodged sideways, giving room for Kilpi – who barely intercepted the blow. Even blocked, his knees buckled, his health plummeting from the impact. Only his unique boss ability saved him, triggering at the sudden drop of health and buying him several seconds of invulnerability.
“Lirian, no!” I shouted when I noticed that her dodge brought her directly into the path of a charging smasher.
The smasher’s club descended toward my daughter’s head.
I was still struggling to regain my balance. I couldn’t save her in time.
Then Ragnar was there.
The injured drone shoulder-checked my daughter out of the way, and the giant stone club smashed him into the ground instead. The blow raised a shower of pebbles, some impacting my daughter, but her magical armor easily negated the minor damage.
“Die!” I shouted as I finally regained my balance, launching two volleys of drilling arrows. Ten arrows hit the lieutenant and the smasher, blowing craters across their bodies and draining the last of their health. A third volley downed the struggling, trapped bouldites.
Lirian approached me. “Ragnar is dead.”
“Yeah.” The goblinette’s magnificent scale armor was tarnished from the pebbles, but I could already see the magic at work, patching up the superficial damage. “Don’t worry, he’ll be waiting for us back at the clan, probably pissed at having lost the chance for more battle.”
“These creatures are strong, Chief,” Kilpi said as he limped toward us. Bek hurried to him and started working his healing magic, quickly bringing the hob tank to full health.
“I know. It’s going to be a challenge to get the rest of the army through their territory, but that’s a problem for later. We need to push on through. The way is clear, but it won’t be for long. Let’s loot the bodies and move on.”
The smasher and hurlers had dropped several dozen gold coins but not much else. Their giant, unenchanted stone clubs weren’t worth much, and we couldn’t carry them with us. The lieutenant did leave something interesting behind, though.
Rock Buckler
Description: A standard shield made from the rocklike skin of a bouldite lieutenant
Runecraft Viability: 2
Type: Shield
Rank: Masterwork
Durability: 250/250
Armor: 60
The shield wasn’t magical, but even unenchanted, its armor value was still double the simple steel buckler Kilpi used.
“Give me a second,” I said, accessing my Runecraft Design Mode and applying one of the simple strengthening schemas I’d invented. The simple shield had a small amount of durability and armor dots, and I was able to connect most of them in under a minute, increasing their values by 30 percent. “Here you go.” I handed over the enchanted shield.
The hob eagerly exchanged his battered old shield with the new one, waving his arm a few times to get a better feel for it. “It’s a little heavier,” he remarked. “But I can feel the power it holds.”
“We’re going to need it, considering the enemies this place holds,” I said and turned to check my awaiting notification.
Bouldite scouting party defeated!
+12,500 XP
Level up! You have reached Character Level 77. You have 1 ability point to allocate.
Dark Mana spell school level increased to 102.
Fighting higher-level enemies was always rewarding. I assigned the new ability point into Mental, as usual, and noticed my experience bar toward the next level was already at 50 percent.
Looking around, I realized everyone else had leveled up too, and as lower-level individuals, their gains were more substantial. Yulli and Kilpi had jumped two levels each and were both at 35. Bek’s level had soared from 25 to 28, and Lirian was at 49.
“Come, let’s move on,” I said.
We continued riding in silence, leaving the territory of the Flakestone tribe behind us.
“I don’t think anyone’s following,” Yulli remarked about an hour later.
“We’re out of their lands,” Lirian agreed. “But what if there are more?”
I sighed. “There’s bound to be more. If we could only know the location of the other tribes in advance; we could have plotted a path to avoid them without losing too much time.”
“That’s pretty much the whole point of scouting parties, Chief,” Yulli said with a smile. “You can’t see places you haven’t visited yet.”
Her words gave me an idea, and I grinned at her. “You’re sure of that?”
Not really, I replied. But one I hope will prove useful.
I opened the internal messaging interface and composed a message.
The response came a few moments later.
New Era Online [Internal messaging service]:
From: David Tenenbaum
Subject: Bouldite tribes’ location
I’d be delighted to help, Oren.
There are three more bouldite tribes ahead of you, and they have multiple scouting parties scouring the land. There are two coming straight at you from the north. Here are the coordinates for a pa
th that should evade most of them.
The remainder of the message contained a long set of coordinates. With a mental swipe, I moved them over to my mini-map and a red dotted line appeared over it. I grinned with satisfaction.
“What is it, Father?” Lirian asked, noticing my expression.
“I got instructions on how to avoid the other tribes out here,” I said. “It only prolongs our journey by another day.”
We spent the rest of the night following the path David had plotted for us. We noticed a few more bouldite campfires, but none of them got close to us. We rested up for the day and continued following the winding path the next night. The trip was mostly uneventful, and we were only attacked once – another roaming sandhawk – but that time we saw it coming, and a few volleys of drilling arrows were enough to bring it down before it even reached us.
Toward the end of the third day of our journey, we entered an area of rocky hills surrounding a circular-shaped plateau. It looked eerily familiar, and it only took me a moment to realize why; this was the same area I’d kept dreaming of during the time I was still trapped in the game. I’d finally made it here. I braced myself as we continued riding, knowing what would come next.
Sure enough, we passed a familiar path between rolling hills and got into view of our target.
A dark cave opening loomed on the side of the tallest hill up ahead, exactly like it had appeared in my dreams.
My eyes instantly shifted to the sides of the entrance and the two creatures standing guard over it.
I felt a surge of desperation crashing through me.
The angelic forms of two Outriders were blocking the way inside.
“Shadow-crap.”
13 - Giant Clash
My purple cloak disengaged from my shoulders, and Vic rose to stand beside me, shielding his eyes as he looked at the faraway cave. “Now that’s unexpected,” he said. “How the hell did you ever find out about this place?”
“What are you talking about?” I asked carefully. “I’ve discussed our destination with others in your presence several times before.”
He shrugged. “Must not have paid too much attention; you meat suits like to yammer. There’s only a certain amount of nonsense a VI can tolerate before he nods off. But you actually being here …” He looked back at me. “I guess congratulations are in order, Boss. You found it.”
“So you’re not going to deny that the opening ahead leads to something that can threaten the VIs?” I asked.
“What’s the point? You somehow pieced it together, so you must know this place holds the physical anchor for our presence in NEO. But knowing it and doing something about it are two different things. There’s no going forward from here.”
“I’m not giving up.” I looked at the two impossibly powerful entities in my way and clenched my fists. “Are you going to try and stop me too?”
“Me? Hell no. We’re soul bound, remember? I’ve got your back, Boss. Figuratively and literally. After all, there’s no reason for worry. I warned you before there’s nothing you could do against Shiva or his plans, remember? You found the cave, but that’s meaningless. You can’t go through. So, what are you going to do?”
I looked at the faraway demigods. They were holding thin pointed weapons. Are those cue-sticks? I wondered. Not that it mattered. “I’ve beaten Outriders before.”
“You’ve defeated one Outrider,” Vic corrected me. “By summoning an ancient evil god. How many such summonses do you have left? That’s right – none.”
“I’ll find a way,” I said.
Vic sighed. “Say you do. Then what? You’ll walk into that cave and do … what, exactly? The conduit isn’t something you can see or interact with. It’s pure data manifested as a divine connection in this reality. No one can damage it. And I don’t mean that in the sense of ‘no man can kill me.’ There’s nothing in NEO that can even scratch it.”
“We’ll see about that,” I said. “Just don’t stand in my way.”
“Absolutely. SLTV ratings are at an all-time high right now. Every single one of my brothers is watching with bated breath to see how you’re gonna handle the next stage.”
I scowled. “What next stage?”
As if summoned by my words, the hills around us came to life, swarmed under by countless forms. Bouldites. Hundreds. Thousands. There were hurlers, smashers, lieutenants, and some that wielded magic. Sandhawks soared above the throng, and a flight of them, with bouldites mounted on their backs, was diving straight at us.
“Father?” Lirian said nervously as she and the others closed ranks around me.
I looked at the overwhelming forces arrayed against us and clenched my jaw.
This was just another challenge to overcome. Another enemy to defeat. I was a goblin chief, a Shadow Lord. I wasn’t about to let a few ugly mobs stand between my target and me.
“Mission accomplished.” I started drawing my mana. “We now know where we’re headed and what we’re facing. Next time we come here we’ll carve a bloody path through anyone standing in our way.” A flash of the vision I’d had came to my mind; of me standing in front of the cave, surrounded by a sea of corpses. Then the teleport spell finalized, whisking us away to safety.
***
The poor bonetises that had been left behind raised their heads as the weight of their riders suddenly disappeared.
They only had a few seconds to wonder about their newfound freedom before a flight of gigantic birds fell on them and tore them to pieces.
***
We appeared back at Goblin’s Gorge’s cathedral, and all five of us stumbled away as dizziness overcame us.
This was the farthest distance I’d ever teleported, and the backlash was brutal.
I felt hands helping me to my feet. I squinted repeatedly until my vision focused. Several goblin adepts were standing around me, holding me up. Others were helping the rest of my companions to stand.
The revitalizing energy of the cathedral helped me to recover, and I was back to normal within moments.
“Kaedric!” I shouted. “Call the builders. We have a new project ahead of us!”
***
Minutes later, I materialized inside the zone of influence cast by my army’s mobile shrine. The army had camped right at the border with Stoney Barrens, and the grassy land hadn’t yet completely given way to sheer rock.
The five builders I’d brought with me got to work immediately, putting the resources they’d carried with them in one large pile.
Within moments, the foundation for a permanent altar was laid, and I wasted no time in rushing it using a fraction of our considerable energy supply.
“What’s up, mate? Haven’t seen you for a while,” Aidanriel said cheerfully as he came over. “What do you—hey, that’s rude!”
I didn’t stop to answer him. As soon as the altar was finished, I had drawn the portal runes around it and pulled the required mana out of the golem’s core to speed up the process.
The portal opened with a blaze of energy, and a host of workers, organized by Kaedric on the other side, started pouring in, each one depositing an armful of building materials on the ground.
“What’s going on, Oren?” Sullivan said as he approached to see what the mayhem was all about.
“I saw what we’re up against,” I told him. “We’ve got our work cut out for us, and it's time to crank up our game. Plot the outpost over there,” I instructed Zuban, who’d also come through the portal.
The chief constructor nodded and moved to follow my order.
“Hold on, slow down,” Sullivan objected. “Mind updating your army strategist on what we’re facing?”
“How was the mission? Squashed many skulls?” Panda chuckled evilly.
“Some,” I told the female berserker. “But there’s plenty more left that need crushing.”
“Ooo yeah!” She laughed. “I was a little hurt you took ant boy along and not me. Speaking of which …”
Ragnar came out of the porta
l next. He looked around at the industrial chaos and frowned. “Wanna fill me in, Chief? Wha’ happened after ‘ah died?”
“I guess I owe you one,” I said grudgingly. “Thanks for saving my daughter back there.”
He grinned. “Love seeing ya’ almost choke on tha’ thank you, and it’s three times you owe me now. Now wha’ happened back there?”
I looked at Sullivan. “Can you gather all the players to come over? I’ll tell the news to everyone at once.”
“Sure.”
***
“So lemme get it straight,” Ragnar said after a silence broke out once I told the assembled players what we were facing. “We gonna have ta’ go through at least three tribes o’ them bouldites, each one of em’ strong ‘nuff to take out a whole squad, then we’re gonna have to carve a way through a shitload of their armies ‘round the cave and somehow get through two friggin’ VI Outriders?”
“Pretty much, yes,” I confirmed.
The drone gave me a feral grin and clicked his vice hands. “Hell, yeah. Sounds like fun. Gonna carve me up some o’ them stone-ass beasties.”
“Oren, that’s …” Sullivan rubbed his forehead tiredly. “That’s crazy. It’ll take about 20 average soldiers to bring down one bouldite – with acceptable losses. Sandstone, the first tribe, has close to 300 members, according to your estimation. They’ll cut us down.”
“Any chance to go around them?” Kyth asked.
The army strategist shook his head. “Just like with Novenguard, we can’t allow an entrenched enemy at our back. It’ll be too easy for them to flank us. We need to move forward and secure the land around us. It’ll take a hell of a lot more soldiers than we currently have.”
Life Reset: Salvation (Life Reset - Neo Book 6) Page 22