Blighted Goblin - Level 3
Blighted Goblin - Level 4
Their leader grunted a second time, and his ranged weapon-wielding ally slowly pulled his trigger. Before the small humanoid finished his movement, Eli released his fingers from his bowstring, sending his malice towards his target on the shaft of an arrow. Without watching to see if his arrow had found its mark, he switched targets. A breath later, Eli saw a rotten-looking crossbow bolt erupt from Don’s shoulder. Across the river, the attacker was lining up another shot. Another arrow flew, and notifications scrolled along the bottom of his vision, closing instantly. He didn’t stop. Arrows leaped from his quiver and sprang through the air, some leaving his bow while the first was still in flight. Searching for his next target, Eli spotted one of the foul creatures moving closer, drawing a miniature crossbow. Others rushed into the shallow waters, with weapons drawn. The line of text played through Eli’s mind like the toll of a bell. The Blight was spreading.
For a moment, Don looked back at the now dying creature, its black blood pooling around an arrow as it fell into the water. Eli saw the Turta’s muscles tense as panic set in. Like a candle snuffed out, so was the scene of life lost unfolding before him; Death is never an easy thing. The pause ended abruptly, as a line of grey text came into view above the Goblin's corpse.
Blighted Goblin - Level 3 (Dead)
As the line of text appeared, Don seemed to snap out of his shock. Dodging another ranged attack, he ripped the bolt from his shoulder and rushed deeper into the water. Around the Turta, four arrows found new homes, and four goblins were dead. Eli’s focus remained on the two Goblins who had crossbows and their leader. The taller, seemingly higher-level Goblin had pulled a strange staff from his back and started chanting. Chanting is never good.
Still bleeding, and somewhat in shock, Don pressed his hand to his wound. His mana and stamina drained from the bars in Eli’s HUD, as the hole in his friend’s shoulder closed. The sound of splashing grew louder as a trio of goblins rushed across the stream. Without hesitation, Don moved, and kunai flew from his bandolier. Three of the four knives found their mark. One had flown wide, disappearing into the river. A lucky shot had embedded itself into a goblins forehead, and two had landed in another’s shoulder.
The two still standing rushed on even faster, not worrying about their fallen companions. Their unnerving demeanor held as they breached to Don’s side of the water, only a few paces from him. Don unstrapped his staff from his back, planted himself in a wide defensive stance, and prepared for an attack. A small club, studded with sharp wicked-looking stones swept towards the turta’s head from his left, as an obsidian dagger made of a glassy-looking stone jabbed at his chest. Eli paused as he saw splashes of water, landing on his friend's face and chest as he moved. The way he fought still amazed him.
As Don spun to his right, avoiding both strikes, he whirled his long staff in a wide half-moon-sweep towards his attacker's feet. The first goblin leaped backward, avoiding the attack and giving Don some breathing room. The second hadn’t seen the blow coming, and his right ankle shattered on impact. With the grace of a dancer, Don shifted his feet and continued his motion, putting him even farther away from his dagger-wielding enemy. He used a momentous swing, bringing the weapon above his head, and down on his crippled enemy. Before he could finish his blow, another bolt struck him in the thigh, causing his momentum to shift and his attack to swing wide. The impact sent water into the air, splashing his downed foe in the face.
With the sight of his friend’s injury, Eli snapped back into action, another wave of fury washing over him. While he sat watching his friend fight, Goblins were trying to kill them.
Spotting the Goblin who had injured his friend, Eli loosed three more arrows in rapid succession. The first hit center mass, stunning his enemy. The second struck him in the throat, killing him. The third arrow, which he knew was unnecessary, caved in his forehead. Triple tap, he thought, laughing as his enemy fell lifeless into the water. At the sound of the body hitting the ground, Eli turned his aim towards the final enemy with a ranged weapon. The unlucky creature was struggling with a broken firing mechanism near the treeline. He knew that the Goblin would be no threat with a broken weapon and that he should turn his attention elsewhere, but he wanted to kill. The creature was in his sights, and he needed to die. These beasts had hurt his friend. A moment later, the top of the Goblin's head exploded, gray-matter showering the trees behind him. More notifications flashed by at the bottom of his screen as a slight cracking sound came from his bow.
Eli took a moment to scan for more long-range threats when he noticed a sudden shift in Don’s health bar. He had placed the yellow fist icon above his partner's head at the start of the battle, and finding the icon took only a second. The battle had shifted twenty paces from Don’s previous location. The Turta was only sixty feet away, still bleeding from his leg, and fighting off two new enemies. The Goblin leader, who was still chanting, and another who had made it across the river.
The leader's weapon was nearly as tall as its wielder and glowed with streaks of crimson. At its head sat a bleached skull with odd-looking gemstones where its eyes used to be, and its mouth was open as if screaming. Without hesitation, Eli chose his new target, pulled the string back as far as he could, and fired. Another, even louder, crack came from his bow. Then the sting went slack.
As his bow lost tension, his arrow flew wide. His bow had split under the force of his last shot. While it had not broken completely, it would be useless for the rest of the fight. Taking a quick glance down, he noticed that the string must have slapped the back of his hand as blood seeped from a shallow razor-thin cut. Not wanting to lose focus, he reset his attention back to the battle before him. He noticed that the Goblin leader was now grinning, even though he had a trail of blood leaking down his leg from a nasty knife wound. A powerful wave of energy flowed from the now intensely glowing staff in its hands as he slammed it to the ground, releasing a wave of raw mana into the air.
At first, neither Eli nor Don felt anything. It seemed as if the creature released a wave of useless energy. The battle paused for a heartbeat as the three visible threats stood motionless. Then their heads tilted skyward, and founts of blazing red energy burst forth from their mouths. The bewildered players both looked on in awe as the magical force turned into strings of power that flowed into three of the dead Goblins, two from the center of the river, and one at the far banks. As the strange energy touched them, their bodies started to spasm. Then they stood.
“Necromancer!” Don shouted as the once dead enemies stumbled to their feet. “He’s a fucking Necromancer!”
With their enemies frozen, Don took a moment to pull the bolt from his leg and patch up his wound, before lurching himself towards the treeline. As soon as he moved, each of the three strings of energy cut off, and the goblins that could still move darted after their prey. Slowly, the now resurrected goblins dropped their held weapons and marched through the frigid waters in a mindless shamble.
Their leader, not seeming to mind that his victim was fleeing, walked over to an unconscious Minion, pressed a hand to his head, and released a bolt of power. Green energy spread from the necromancer's hand into the goblin's body, causing it to shake. Its arms twisted in odd angles, before reforming as it rose to its feet. The once-injured creature’s body had healed, as it had grown significantly, and its eyes had shifted from pitch black to emerald green.
Eli looked on in horror as fallen enemies rose from the dead, and dark magic transformed those still living. The sight brought back awful memories, nearly crippling him. He could no longer feel the anger, only pain, and grief. As he saw the beings before him turn to empty husks, he heard the familiar voice of his friend. The goofy turtle who had weaseled his way into his party now stood by him even through certain death.
“Eli! I need some fucking help here, man.”
His hand moved for what remained of his axe as he steeled himself. He knew he could not
run. They had to end this threat here and now. These abominations would spread this blight to the entire Wildwood, and his friend needed his help. Scanning the area, he noticed the Goblin leader pouring eldritch energies into one of its companions, healing its wounds and causing it to grow more muscular. Not wanting to lose sight of the two main threats, he used his Party Management ability to mark the Necromancer with a gray skull that floated over its head and the buffed Goblin with a red axe. With that settled, he locked eyes with his friend and gave him the motion to hold position. Then he backed into the woods, out of sight.
Chapter 24
Eli watched as Don scanned the treeline in bewilderment, not knowing where he had run off to. A second later, he sprinted through the trees while attempting to remain as quiet as possible. Notifications flashed into his view; his stealth skill had risen to level six. As he ran, he noticed the two Goblins, three shambling corpses, the juiced-up Super-Goblin, and their leader making their way towards his friend as if to flank him. No one, not even Don, had seen him slip away, and that was what he wanted. If his friend had seen him leave, he might have unintentionally given away his position. The turta would just have to trust him.
As Don turned back and readied himself for the fight, he seemed to notice the two symbols Eli had placed on their enemies. After what they had been through, Eli would never abandon the man. While making his way through the treeline, Eli saw a conflicted resolve settle in on his friend's face. He knew that Don hated injuring and killing these NPCs, but he looked like he was having a little fun. That they were diseased, mind-controlled, monsters probably helped. Letting them live was no longer an option. If they infected a city the size of Dawnport, it was game over for thousands of people.
Eli continued running, getting into position, and checking his remaining weapon, his belt knife. His axe was broken, barely useful. His bow had cracked, and he was down to only a few arrows. The only option he had was to sneak around them and land a surprise attack. If he was lucky, he could steal one of their weapons. Creeping, he fell in behind a tree as the lead goblin, and his eldritch empowered bodyguard walked calmly towards Don, who was now fighting the two still living goblins. The slowly moving zombies had yet to make it free of the water, the current slowing them slightly as their once nimble bodies grew sluggish.
His timing had to be perfect, and he only had one chance to sneak up on them. Now, only five yards away from the treeline, just past his location and to his left, Eli’s enemies hesitated for the briefest of moments and glanced into the woods. Eli stopped, ducking behind a bush, barely avoiding detection. His breathing was heavy as he held his belt knife in one hand and his ruined axe in the other. The two goblins stood motionlessly before the leader nodded and moved on, communicating to his minion without words.
As they passed, Eli snapped back into action, pacing himself and remaining as silent as possible while he inched towards his prey. Another notification, it seemed like skills practiced in combat grew far faster than while practicing, and that form mattered more than intent. Finally, he was behind his enemies, who were still about seven yards from Don. The Turta was now engaged with the same two goblins and of the first undead to reach him. One Goblin was now bleeding from an ear and shuffling about in a daze. The other had one arm dangling limp, broken, but was still in the fight. The undead creature was uninjured and didn’t show any fear, or pain, even as Don swept its legs out from under it. The monk had been busy. Now, it was Eli’s turn.
With a single-minded focus, he broke from his stealthy approach and charged straight towards the Goblin Necromancer. A moment before reaching his target, the Goblins both turned to face him, their movements completely in tune to each-others. It was as if they shared some weird hive mind, or were being controlled by the same brain. Which he knew was probably true. The bodyguard lifted his club to meet Eli’s blade while the Necromance raised his staff. Strange whispers slid out of the caster's mouth, and his weapon glowed. Roaring with indignation, Eli sidestepped the club's swing, throwing his broken axe. An instant later, he leaped towards the necromancer. As his thrown weapon flew, he gripped his dagger with both hands and aimed it at the creature's head.
He knew how damage worked. Aim for vital locations, and you do more damage. If he stabbed someone in the heart or brain hard enough, they died. Armor and levels made a difference, but anatomy was still a thing. So, that’s what he would do. One quick death would turn the tide of battle in their favor. Unfortunately, the caster had other ideas. The Goblins staff pulsed with power as Eli moved through the air, directly towards the ominous-looking weapon. Sensing danger, Eli screamed. His built-up rage flowing out in the form of a guttural roar. Not wanting to see what vile magics these abominations had in store for him, or his friend, he attacked. Then his dagger connected with something solid, sparking as it bounced harmlessly to the side.
A shimmering translucent film of neon green energy stopped his attack in its place. The tip of his dagger stuck mere inches from the forehead of his target. The hideous midnight black-skinned goblin smiled. Pain erupted from Eli’s side as a small, but sturdy, spiked club sank into Eli’s ribcage. Then the enemy hammered down another blow as agony exploded through his body. The enemy’s baseball-like swing dug into his exposed side like a shovel, its embedded stones gouging his flesh. A flash alerted him to his health bar; it had dropped by nearly a third.
Blighted Goblin, (Enhanced - Eldritch) LVL 4 has used Crushing Blow.
Blighted Goblin, (Enhanced - Eldritch) LVL 4 Hits you for 50 damage!
*Surprise attack!* - 50% bonus to critical hits and status effects.
Effects: Bruised Ribs - Stamina Regen -25% for 10 seconds.
Bleeding I - 1% of total HP drained per second for 10 seconds.
Wincing in pain and clutching his side Eli stumbled backward. As he looked at his health bar, HP: 125 / 180, he cursed his stupidity. He had seen magical shields before. Taking a step back, he raised his hand, still clutching his blade. He had no idea how he would fight these two alone but knew he had to. If he failed, his friend, and possibly everyone in Dawnport, would die. Looking past the leader and his guard, he saw Don, surrounded by all three zombies and the goblin with a broken arm. Claw marks, shallow cuts, and bruises covered his friend's body. Yet, the turta had somehow killed the Goblin, who was bleeding from his ear. That was good. It gave him hope.
Something strange also came into view, the Empowered goblin had a green streak of energy, with red striping, flowing from its body. The odd wispy line of magic flew directly into the shield surrounding its master. It was also bleeding from its ears and nose and had an axe sticking out of its chest. He didn’t know what to make of it. Neither of the adventurers had done any real damage to the buffed out goblin, well, except for the axe. Forcing himself to find an opening, he pushed the oddity from his mind. He would have to unravel that mystery later, in front of him were two powerful opponents. Opponents he could not handle alone.
He decided to run. So, he did. He ran straight past both of his foes directly towards his friend. His companion was barely holding on, and they would need to fight together to win. Sprinting the seven yards in an instant, Eli’s stamina trickled away, sitting at 80 / 160. His bar was draining quickly, the debuffs taking their toll. Knowing he was in trouble, he regulated his breathing and held the wound on his side. If he continued to bleed and drain his stamina, the fight would be over.
There was also the threat of necromancy. Any goblins that fell would come back a moment later. His problems sat in the back of his mind, eating at him, waiting to be worked out. He was playing a game of chess, extremely deadly chess. As the pieces moved around in his mind, his thoughts came to a halt. A moment later, the world turned green, and a burst of energy washed over the entire shore. Panic washed over him like a wave, only to vanish as if pulled back into the ocean. In its place was a lingering sense of dread. Doom hung in the air, filling him with doubt. It was as if he knew that both he and his friends would die, only to be resurrec
ted by the Blighted necromancer to murder the living.
Blighted Goblin Necromancer, LVL 6 Uses Wave of Terror!
Effects: Fear - Resisted *
Effect: Doom - Your morale has decreased by 25%! You are now less resistant to fear, panic, and other mind-altering effects.*
Eli pressed forward, not knowing if the same spell hit Don. Looking to his left, he saw that the monk was still on his feet, swinging his staff. The Turta’s movements were far slower than they had been moments earlier, but Eli did not know if that was from fatigue or fear. Whatever it was, did not matter; he had to act. Digging his front foot into the rocks and sand, Eli lunged at his new target, an undead Goblin about to take a bite from his friend's backside. The creature was lurching toward Don, arms outstretched and mouth open, as if the Turta was a steak. The tip of Elis dagger sank deep into the creature’s skull, entering from the soft spot where the spinal cord met the brainstem. Carrying his momentum forward, he bowled the monster over, leaving it motionless in the rocks and sand. His dagger, having slipped free from the goblin's head as it flew to the ground, raised to seek a new target. Notifications scrolled at the bottom of his vision, but he paid them no attention.
“Your skills are skyrocketing. If you don’t die, you’re going to be really happy about murdering all of these mutated Goblins. And you learned a new ability, Lunge. Use it to make a leaping attack with a high chance to land a critical hit, especially if you’re hidden. Just be careful, it costs a lot of stamina and has low accuracy.” Aida’s words whispered in the back of his mind as he charged another opponent.
Don looked up to greet his friend, his eyes wide with panic, as they locked onto Eli’s. “Uh, dude, I’m almost out of stamina here, and these things aren’t letting up. I don’t think we’re going to make it,” he said, knocking away a sluggish attack from one of the two remaining undead. “I mean, what the fuck. That spell almost made me piss myself.”
Ascension Page 31