by Rick Scott
Rembrandt shrugs. “People like that Blacktop think they’ve escaped Citadel by living out here in the safe zones. But think about it. Is it really that much different to living in the Shards? At least there, it’s a human at the helm. Out here, it’s an AI. A Builder. That’s the true enemy, mate. As comfortable as this place may seem at times, never forget that. The Earth is no longer ours. And we need to take it back.”
Holy crap . . . I think I just learned more about my brother in the last five minutes than I have my entire life. I look to Gilly, and she looks back at me, clearly as perplexed as I am.
“But that’s a goal for later,” Rembrandt says with smile. “Right now, we’ve got a Goblin Queen to find. Let’s crack on, mates.”
We resume our trek down the tunnel and eventually arrive at a barricade made from an overturned mine cart and a couple of barrels. A faint light glows from behind it, but I can’t see much more than that.
“This must be it,” Gilly says. “We’ve gone down every other tunnel in here. The queen must be behind there.”
I bring the quest up on my HUD.
Current Quest: Remove the Goblin Horde
Reclaim the Brookrun Mines by defeating the Goblin Queen and her minions.
Defeat Goblin commanders (5)
Defeat Goblin Champion (1) [Complete]
Defeat Goblin Queen
Rewards: 100,000 exp +200 Favor with Brookrun Village. Control of Brookrun Mines.
“The commanders must be in there with her,” I say. “And there are five of them.”
“How do we get past that?” Gilly asks, pointing at the barricade.
I ponder the same as I step toward it. “Maybe there’s a way around.”
As I stoop to try to see past one of the barrels I hear a vip . . . thunk!
Your awareness increases by 0.3!
Was that an arrow?
I hear a sizzling sound. I look at the barrels again and quickly put two and two together. This is a mine. They blow stuff up in mines!
“Guys, run!” I scream as I quickly cast Shadow Copy.
And then the world explodes around me.
Chapter 9: Goblin Queen
Your shadow absorbs the attack!
I’ve never been so happy to see that message appear on my HUD in all my life. But despite not taking any damage, I’m still disorientated. Choking smoke and flaming debris obscures my vision as the snarl of goblins fills my ears. I sense something about to hit me and pop Active Dodge, becoming a blur of nano-dust.
Your Awareness increases by 0.4!
Skill Up! Your Awareness is now 39.
You Dodge the attack!
An arrow lands where I stood just a moment ago. I trace its source and see a female goblin standing on a crudely fashioned throne made of sticks and bone. She’s slightly bigger than the other goblins and, much like the Goblin Champion, she looks more akin to an elf; an ugly, hook-nosed elf, but still much better-looking than a normal goblin. She wears a loincloth that looks to be made of human skin, and necklaces of teeth cover her boney, bare chest. Upon her head is a witch doctor’s hat, made of feathers and twigs. She’s also the one with the bow—an elegantly curved weapon that’s made of pure ivory.
Goblin Queen
Level: 80
Highly intelligent, the Queen of Goblins used her skills of trickery and manipulation to gain her position, and her mastery of magic to retain it.
Affinity: Dark
I look from her to the tunnel where five more goblins are charging toward me.
Goblin Commander
Level: 60
With unwavering fealty to their queen, these goblins will not only sacrifice those they command for her sake, but even themselves.
Affinity: Dark
Oh, crap. This isn’t going to be easy. I instinctively look for Gilly, but I can’t find her.
“Gilly!” I yell through party chat. “Stay back with Rembrandt!”
“Where are you?” she calls back. “I can’t see you!”
The goblin commanders are nearly on top of me. I need to gain some distance and get control of the situation. I use Retreat, performing a backflip, and then use my spacing to cast Shadow Mist. The commanders run straight into my purple haze and are instantly paralyzed and poisoned.
Yes!
Gunfire erupts from behind me, and I see one of the commander’s HP bars deplete steadily. I don’t join in the fight, though. I use the time to buff instead, starting with Shadow Haste, then Shadow Copy, and finally Shadow Tendrils.
The commander Rembrandt was attacking falls to the ground, dead.
You defeated the Goblin Commander!
You gain 10000 experience points.
Quest Objective Updated!
Defeat Goblin Commanders 1/5
Gilly gains a Level!
The rest of the commanders unfreeze, and I draw their attention with a War Cry. I go purely defense, dancing on the balls of my feet as I evade their attacks. They swing at me with rusted, curved swords and poke at me with spears. One at a time, they wouldn’t be much of a challenge, but taking all four at once in the semi-darkness has my heart pounding.
I lose my shadow to another arrow from the queen.
Damn! We’ve got to get to her.
Rembrandt works down another Goblin Commander, while I engage all of them with katana strikes as best I can, keeping them on me. Rembrandt kills one more.
You defeated the Goblin Commander!
You gain 10000 experience points.
Quest Objective Updated!
Defeat Goblin Commanders 2/5
Gilly gains a Level!
I take a stab in the gut from a spear and cry out as the pain lances through me.
The Goblin Commander hit you for -102 damage.
Ugh! It’s like nothing I’ve ever experienced before, and the shock of it sends my mind reeling with fear and panic. This isn’t the game anymore. This is real!!
The pain vanishes as a bright white light washes over me.
Gilly casts Heal.
You recover 102 HP.
The Goblin Commanders all glance her way, but I force their attention with another War Cry.
“On me!” I shout.
The thought of keeping Gilly safe spurs me on, and I lash out at them with my weapons with newfound fury. I get one of them down to 20% as I dodge a couple more attacks. Rembrandt finishes off the same one I’m fighting with a couple of shots, and then we each take on one of the remaining two and kill them just as quickly.
You defeated the Goblin Commander!
You gain 10000 experience points.
Quest Objective Updated!
Defeat Goblin Commanders 3/5
You defeated the Goblin Commander!
You gain 10000 experience points.
Quest Objective Updated!
Defeat Goblin Commanders 4/5
Gilly gains a Level!
You defeated the Goblin Commander!
You gain 10000 experience points.
Quest Objective Updated!
Defeat Goblin Commanders 5/5
Quest Objective completed!
Defeat Goblin Commanders
My heart is still pumping, but I don’t have time to rest. “To the queen!”
I charge forward down the mining tunnel toward the final goblin. Gilly and Rembrandt sprint to catch up with me. The queen sees me coming and leaps with surprising grace onto the high back of her throne of bones. She’s a good fifteen feet above us now, the perfect vantage to pick us off with her bow. I expect her to take a shot at me, but instead, she lifts her bow into the air and begins to chant.
As we enter the throne room, I see that it’s a roughly hewn cave about thirty feet wide. I then notice that the queen’s bow is glowing in her hand. Uh oh . . . this can’t be good.
“Rethezhar!” she shouts in her guttural tongue.
I have no idea what she said, but the effect becomes obvious when all five fallen commanders behind us rise up from the ground in a cas
cade of bright light.
The Goblin Queen casts Great Miracle.
A Goblin Commander is raised!
A Goblin commander is fully restored!
A Goblin Commander is raised!
A Goblin commander is fully restored!
A Goblin Commander is raised!
A Goblin commander is fully restored!
A Goblin Commander is raised!
A Goblin commander is fully restored!
A Goblin Commander is raised!
A Goblin commander is fully restored!
Holy crap!
“This just got real, mate!” Rembrandt cries. “It was a bloody trap!”
“Gilly, stay close to me!” I shout as the five Goblin Commanders, given new life by their queen, begin to head down the tunnel toward us. This isn’t good. Sandwiched by the commanders, the queen ready to pick us off, my mind races for the best means of survival, especially for Gilly.
“Rem, focus on the queen!” I shout as I head toward the five goblins. “I’ll kite and tank the commanders. Gilly, keep Rem healed.”
“What about you?” Gilly cries.
“Don’t worry about me!” I cast Shadow Copy. “I don’t plan on getting hit!”
I can’t now.
I’ve got to Dodge Tank this properly!
The Goblin Queen is about to send another arrow my way when she’s peppered by Rembrandt’s pistols. She loses 5% of her health from the volley, screaming violently, then looses her arrow at Rembrandt, which forces the cyberpunker to take evasive maneuvers, flipping backwards to avoid the hit.
I open up on the Goblin Commanders with another Shadow Mist while they’re confined in the mouth of the tunnel. The spell lands, and they freeze to a halt. I use their paralysis to shout at them with War Cry, and then disappear with Shadow Cloak.
I Backstab the closest goblin and take him down to 40% health, before laying into him with a series of blazing attacks that drop him to zero.
You defeated the Goblin Commander!
You gain 10000 experience points.
Gilly gains a Level!
Wow! At least we get XP for them again, too.
I get a stab into each one of the remaining Goblin Commanders before they unfreeze and then Retreat to cast Decoy Shadow. As they clamber toward me, I catch a glimpse of Gilly healing up Rembrandt after he takes an arrow from the Goblin Queen. With his low hit point pool, his Health bar was down by a third. And his is bigger than mine! He has the queen down to 80%, though, and more importantly, he also has her full attention.
Good.
“Hang in there, Rem,” I shout. “I’ll be done with these commanders in a second.”
I focus on the Goblin Commanders’ combined attacks as they swarm me, dodging and spinning to avoid their weapons. At least they’re slowed. I don’t think I could pull this off if they weren’t. I get a few stabs in on one of them and take him down to 60%. But when I focus on another, I see his HP bar jump to full again.
I look up to see the queen casting on him with her glowing white bow.
The Goblin Queen casts Heal III!
The Goblin Commander recovers 432 HP!
Dang it! This could go on forever!
Thankfully, Rembrandt continues his assault on her, preventing her from casting on any more of her commanders. I take a hit in the fray and lose my Shadow Copy, but use the opportunity to do more damage. I get one of the commanders down to 30% and stop dodging in order to finish him off.
You defeated the Goblin Commander!
You gain 10000 experience points.
Three left.
I get hit again, taking a sword chop to the shoulder. I wince, but it’s a glancing blow as Decoy Shadow kicks in. I become invisible as the hollow copy of myself crumbles into nano-dust. I circle behind the one that hit me and drop him to a third of his health with a Backstab, then finish him off with a round of triple attacks.
You defeated the Goblin Commander!
You gain 10000 experience points.
Gilly gains a Level!
Two left.
“Reece, I’m going to help you,” Gilly says in party chat, and I look over to see her reading one of the scrolls. When it disappears from her hands, she raises her wand to cast something.
The spell goes off and massive, bright white flames explode on top of the Goblin Commanders.
Gilly casts Holy Fire!
Goblin Commander takes 750(500) damage.
Goblin Commander takes 750(500) damage.
Their HP drops by a third each! Holy crap!
I’m not the only one surprised by the damage, the light-based spell augmented by their affinity to Dark. The Goblin Queen immediately turns her bow to Gilly.
Oh no!
Rembrandt pegs the queen with a headshot that stuns her, but not before her arrow flies.
I watch in horror as it sails and strikes Gilly right in the chest.
“GILLY!”
Her HP drops to a sliver, and she falls to the ground, blood pouring from her wound.
“NO!!!!!”
Blind rage consumes me as I scream and charge right for the queen. I jump into the air and pop Charge Strike, flying the rest of the way to stun her with my katana. I cry out as I kick her savagely off the throne. Before she even hits the ground, I’m jumping right after her. I drive her through with my blades for a good chunk of damage when I land.
“Die!” I shout with hate and anguish in my heart.
I stab her a few more times, but the queen recovers with a snarl, rolling away from me and springing to her feet. I rush at her, screaming savagely. “Die, you witch!”
The Goblin Queen uses some move that fires five arrows at me in rapid succession. I dodge all but one, taking the arrow to my thigh, and lose a third of my health. But I don’t feel it. Or care. My anger is too strong. I carve into her with my blades, landing each and every hit, taking off 3% of her life at a time.
The queen is down to 10%, and I’m focused on bringing that number to zero. So much so, that I forget about the two Goblin Commanders behind me. One of them pushes a spear into my back, taking another 20% off my life. The pain shocks me into reality.
What the heck am I doing?
Thankfully, Rembrandt’s kept his cool. He switches from the queen to the commanders and takes out the one who just stabbed me.
You defeated the Goblin Commander!
You gain 10000 experience points.
You have gained a Level!
You are now Level 77!
“I’m out of Stamina!” Rembrandt cries.
My stats bounce to full as I’m revitalized from my new level. I look to Gilly. She’s still on the ground, unmoving. Her HP is at 11 and is slowly dropping two at a time toward zero! Oh my God! She’s going to die! I’ve got to heal her somehow. Fast! I break off from the queen and turn behind me to tackle the last commander. Rembrandt had thankfully already gotten him to half. I cry out as I absorb a sword strike to the leg and side, sacrificing myself to kill him as fast as I can.
You defeated the Goblin Commander!
You gain 10000 experience points.
Gilly has gained a Level!
I’ve never been so elated to hear the chime of leveling as I am right at that moment. I turn to see Gilly spring back to full health. She sits upright with a gasp and looks about, bewildered. “What just happened?”
“Had a close call,” Rembrandt says. “Don’t worry. You’re okay now.”
Relief washes over me and my knees go weak. I can’t believe it. Crap, that was close!
I look for the Goblin Queen to exact the rest of my revenge. I see her back on top of the throne again. She must have climbed it while we were focused on the commanders.
“Gilly, I need a top-up!” Rembrandt says, and his yell must attract the queen’s attention, because she shoots an arrow at him. It misses and thunks into the ground at his feet.
Gilly casts Second Wind, and right when Rembrandt is about to resume his assault, the arrow explodes.
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My heart jumps again as both he and Gilly are consumed in a black cloud.
Gilly is blinded!
Rembrandt is blinded!
“Ah, bollocks!” Rembrandt curses. “Gilly, get this off me. Quick!”
I expect the queen to shoot at either me or Gilly next, but instead, she lifts her bow into the air. It begins to glow. “Rethezhar!”
The commanders begin to raise off the ground.
No!
I can’t let that spell complete!
I try to Charge Strike the queen, but it’s still on cool-down. I throw my kunai at her instead. The Ninja weapon sails through the air and strikes the Goblin Queen right in the head, taking off 5% of her health. But more importantly, her bow stops glowing and the Goblin Commanders fall back to the ground, still dead.
Yes!
Gilly casts Cure Ailment.
Rembrandt is no longer blinded.
“Good work, Gilly!” Rembrandt shouts as he performs some kind of buff move that makes him glow with an eerie blue light.
Rembrandt readies Kill Shot.
The Goblin Queen looks at me and glowers with contempt. “Tze guluth mah gugha . . .”
She shoots an arrow at me just as Rembrandt fires his pistol in a single shot.
I pop Active Dodge, and the arrow lands in the ground where I stood a moment ago. A split second later, the queen’s head jerks backward with the force of Rembrandt’s shot. She’s killed instantly.
You defeated the Goblin Queen!
You gain 15000 experience points.
Quest Objective Updated!
Defeat Goblin Queen 1/1
Congratulations! You have completed the quest: Remove the Goblin Horde