With war cries, the soldiers charged the swarming mass of enemies, dismembering them or throwing them into the air with all their might. Defending themselves as best they could, the Goblins landed a few blows, but the charge had thinned their ranks, putting them outnumbered.
Several Goblins tried to flee, only to find themselves mercilessly skewered in the back. Walking in the middle of the bloody scene, shaking his spear to chase away an impaled Goblin, Kol-Gaar advanced with an implacable face.
Sensing well-deserved reproaches coming, Xicackna looked away and curled up slightly.
The prince's stern gaze weighed on the princess, but when he spoke, he was not as critical as she had feared: he probably knew that she had understood her mistakes.
“Here is one of the reasons to remain cautious when exploring a dungeon. It is what the System claims to call the principle of fairness: if creatures attacking a Dungeon have too great an advantage over its residents, in this case the solidity of our chitin, the System will give a bonus to the monsters to allow them to remain dangers. The reverse is not true, however: the monsters in the Dungeon will never receive a fairness penalty from the System, or the adventurers any fairness bonuses. Look.”
Analysis Result:
Dungeon Fairness Adjustment:
Added "Chaos" property for Goblins
Added an additional level for Goblin fighters
“Apparently, a new adjustment has just raised the level of the enemies. That's good: more experience points.”
But Xicackna didn't listen to him, opening her eyes wide in astonishment:
“But... How can I see one of your windows? How come I can see it?”
“If we want, we can make our windows visible to others, in the same way that we use our skills or the help of the System.”
Yet another interesting piece of information. Despite the hints of recent fear that continued to shake her, Xicackna felt positively excited: so far, her mission had been more than a success because she had learned much more than she had hoped. All she had to do was return alive to transmit all this data.
Driven by a sudden curiosity, she took a look at Kol-Gaar’s experience and saw that he had gained 72 XP in the fight, compared to only 49 XP for her gains. Not to mention the fact that 25 of those XP went into her storage…
Sensing that she had used the System to observe him, Kol-Gaar did the same with his ‘Analysis’, in a sort of instinctive retort. He looked surprised at what he was reading, then gave an amused grin:
“Ah, you probably used the ‘Falsification’ skill. You should think ahead about the false information you want to make appear. Add two zeros to each characteristic and rename yourself ‘Xicackna the Virtuoso’ … In the end, the second lie is more relevant than the first…”
“What do you mean a lie? Who says the System didn’t really give me this name?”
“Pure logic? At the same time, you princesses are generally far from virtuosity, especially at your age. When we see you, we wonder how people stupid enough to perpetually put themselves in danger can later become respectable queens. Really, there is a mystery there…”
“Stupid yourself!”
“And you think that's a relevant answer? Well, that's enough: we don't have time for that. Now that the Goblins have the Chaos property, we have to finish this Dungeon as soon as possible. The ideal would be to come across the boss: they sometimes give more experience when they die than other monsters of their level.”
Xicackna bit her mouth in rage. She didn't want to stay on a defeat, but the unbearable prince was right: this Dungeon had to be finished quickly now that it had become so dangerous.
Two of the soldiers had particularly effective stealth skills and were walking in front. They quickly located what seemed to be the command center of this Goblin “hive” and quickly, they all found themselves hidden by a slight drop and tall grass, observing the strange construction.
It seemed as if these creatures had tried to build a wall and construct houses, but for creatures with advanced intelligence, it was rather a failure. Many animals would probably have done better, or at least would have stacked the logs of these constructions in such a way as to fill the holes and reduce their dangerous inclination.
The Goblins present were much more numerous than those encountered previously and all had at least level two and the "Chaos" property. Kol-Gaar asked the princess to observe the terrain carefully and to report to him everything she saw and noticed. He also gave some analyses of his own from time to time.
Setting aside her resentment, she concentrated entirely on the exercise. No important detail would escape her: she was going to prove her worth!
The organization of the Goblins was deeply pathetic, but that also worked in their favor: it was impossible to predict their movements and at any moment Goblins could arrive in the village or leave it, or even wander without any real goal. She also discovered, the fence hiding almost nothing, a few Goblins that contrasted with the others.
There were the females. All those on which she succeeded her "Observation" were level 1, which must have meant that they were not fighters. That did not mean that they did not risk attacking them from behind.
Goblin (female), Level 1 [rank F]
Hit points (HP): 26/26
Vigor: 3/3
Abilities:
Strength: 2
Agility: 6
Stamina: 3
Intelligence: 4
Armor (natural): 0
Description: At the bottom of the Goblin hierarchy, females are no less sneaky than males, but much weaker. They are just as aggressive, but nevertheless more cautious.
Attributes (1):
Weak Constitution (Natural Penalty) [Vitality (HP) halved; At level 5 and at certain specific levels [15, 25, 30, 40, 45, 55, 60, 65, 75, 80, 85], gain 1 talent and +1 to basic characteristics (Strength, Agility, Stamina, and Intelligence)]
Skills (2):
Sneak Attack (F) (supernatural power) Attacking by surprise or from behind systematically doubles the involvement of force in the damage.
Defense Stance (F) (Natural Power) Temporarily increases Stamina and Armor by 1 while you remain in this stance. Does not allow offensive actions.
Hidden Trait (1):
Just a Goblin (Can sometimes keep its creature sheet free from scrutiny: it’s just another Goblin after all…)
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Xicackna jumped when she noticed the description that appeared on the window. Making it visible to the others, she shook Kol-Gaar's shoulder to show him this new feature.
“That's normal,” the prince explained unenthusiastically, “it's a convergence of skills: when two people work together, certain skills can combine naturally. The System Help itself uses several terms to explain this Synergy, depending on the wording of the question asked. My ‘Analysis’ easily allows me to obtain such information, but it doesn't work at this distance unlike your ‘Observation’. Convergence allows me to add properties of my skill to yours, simply by dialoguing. Other convergences require other types of cooperation.”
Good: one more knowledge. Turning her attention back to the non-civilization of the Goblins (one could not call a civilization a society granting such a contemptible place to queens), she observed the second anomaly.
One Goblin stood out from the others with a colorful outfit and a crown of long, colorful feathers that stuck up in the air. He sat on a sort of wooden chair that sat atop a pile of skulls. Goblin skulls: perhaps dead ancestors or vanquished enemies.
Although she had failed her “Observation” on this target, she saw a System window floating clearly above its head, announcing:
Little Chieftain Ulfric the Mad, Boss Level ??
Reporting the information to Kol-Gaar, she saw the shadow of a smile appear on his face.
“Good. If we kill him, we'll get a new exit portal: it's the best way to finish this dungeon while losing as few resources as possible.”
“So, what's your strategy?”
“We rush in and kill everything that gets in our way.”
“Did you need a Strategist class to come up with this plan?”
Without picking up on the mockery, the prince focused on the assault. If the strategy was indeed crude, he had paid great attention to positioning. Since their armor was no longer an advantage, it would be the warriors with the "Parry" skill who would be responsible for repelling the assaults and protecting the heart of the group.
The monsters reacted as soon as they saw the attackers. Screaming and squawking, they fled the enemy to better regroup, in front of their leader's throne. He stood up and seemed to shout a challenge to the adventurers from the shelter of his army:
“Zyrim beel ontou ze Gob!”
The precaution taken in organizing the attack formation had been exaggerated, since Kol-Gaar then used his power to freeze the crowd of enemies.
Skill “Time Freeze [D]” used by Kol-Gaar [E] on 45 Goblins [F]
Consumption 450 Energy / minute
Growling as he noticed that his consumption exceeded the bonus granted by his equipment by a few points, the prince ordered:
“Come on! Slaughter these monsters in less than a minute!”
Obeying his order, the soldiers opened the passage, skewering the Goblins in their path. Although freed from paralysis by the approach of an attack, the miserable creatures were unable to thwart it and died quickly.
High-pitched screams rose up in the distance, a sort of alarm system calling more and more Goblins back to the village. They came out in small groups and were received violently by the Zcarbbs’ rearguard. Xicackna noticed that the new arrivals tended to retreat when they suffered losses, but to return in greater numbers. She also saw that pushing the paralyzed targets was considered an attack and freed them: they would soon be overwhelmed!
The leader was now within assault range. As expected, the soldiers were to weaken him and Xicackna would deal him the fatal blow. Contrary to what was expected, the leader had more than one trick up his sleeve. Barely recovered from paralysis, he shouted with a force so great that it could only have come from a skill. The air displacement generated threw the soldiers far away, into the mass of Goblins, where they immediately fought for their lives.
Spared by the attack, Xicackna was now alone facing the boss.
Little Chieftain Ulfric the Mad, Boss Level 5
This time, the level appeared. How could a creature with a level half as low as those soldiers have gotten rid of them like that? Bosses probably had unique abilities and were much more powerful than their level suggested.
“But, I’m a boss too. Optional perhaps, but doesn’t that mean I’m superior to another level 8 creature? No, actually I don’t think so…”
The skill used by the monster seemed like it wouldn’t be reusable right away, but it wasn’t impossible that it would be soon. Knowing that she couldn’t see herself surviving if thrown into the middle of the enemies, she had to win quickly!
Skill “Time Freeze [D]” used by Kol-Gaar [E] on 38 Goblins [F]
Consumption 380 Energy / minute
Gathering her courage, she threw herself at the monster, swinging her sword wildly. Without much effort, but seeming to move much faster, the Goblin dodged his attacker and planted his own sword - obviously of a different make than those used by his people - in a flaw in Xicackna’s shell.
She cried out in pain as the blade sank deep into her entrails. It was a critical hit amplifying an attack of masterful precision that made her lose 40 Hit Points, reduced her armor and applied a rank E hemorrhage. So much damage and yet, the attacker’s “Chaos” property had not activated!
Hemorrhage [E] (Natural penalty) [Loss of 1 Hit Point every 1 minute, blocks vigor regeneration]
With tears in her eyes, Xicackna retaliated violently but suffered another blow herself. She inflicted a few points of damage on her opponent but suffered 15 due to the Chaos attribute avoiding her armor.
With only 28 Hit Points remaining, it was too dangerous to continue like this: Xicackna became invisible and moved away slightly. Ulfric cried out in surprise and waved his sword in the air at random, hoping to hit her.
Little Chieftain Ulfric the Mad, Boss Level 5
Hit points (HP): 50(+0)/62(+0)
Energy Points (EP): 30/40
Vigor: 25 (+0)/25 (+5)
Armor: 0 (+1!)/0(+1!)
She spat out a jet of acid, but the enemy spotted its origin and dodged it with ease. He continued his movement with an attack on the location where the projection had come from, but fortunately she had shifted just in time.
The Goblin then shouted, using his mysterious power. Xicackna had not yet managed to observe what it was, but she assumed that it must have been an air projection attack. The Goblin having misjudged her position, she was spared, but a few soldiers who tried to leave the melee to join her were pushed back.
Determined not to remain under the threat of an invisible enemy, the Goblin leader began to flee and the princess set off in pursuit. Her clumsy attacks, launched while running, only managed to scratch the monster, without causing it any real damage.
The boss stopped abruptly, turned around and attacked. They were then surrounded by a portion of crude palisade that formed a natural path. The reason for such a structure within the camp was a mystery, but in any case, the monster was proving a certain intelligence by attracting his invisible adversary to a place restricting its movements…
At least, that was the theory: striking the air in front of him, Ulfric seemed surprised to encounter no resistance. Even with the "Chaos" property, he should feel something solid if he hit.
Just above him, using both sides of the fence as support, Xicackna towered over him. Zcarbbs were natural climbers, a skill necessary for moving through hives where the floor and ceiling sometimes merged, a skill the System omitted from its list, along with “breathing” and “walking.”
Dropping down onto her enemy, sword forward, Xicackna landed on his back and sank her blade deep into her victim.
Critical hit successful: damage x3
56 damage inflicted!
Malus inflicted: Hemorrhage [E]
BOSS: Little Chieftain Ulfric the Mad, Level 5 defeated:
Combat XP: 50
She had won!
But apparently, this boss didn't give any extra XP... Only 50 XP for such a fight?
An object shone in her eyes, coming out of the monster's wound. There was a small gray mana stone, and right next to it a sort of sphere emitting a glow of a similar color. When she grabbed it, a text appeared in her sight:
Dungeon Heart [Goblin Glade] [F] [Proof of conquering a Dungeon. Can be consumed for additional experience, stat, or skill gain.]
Dungeon "The Goblin Glade" (Recurring Dungeon)
Dungeon Boss Defeated
Little Chieftain Ulfric the Mad [Rank F]
Time Remaining Before Dungeon Destruction: 10 min
"Dungeon Clearing" (E)
Group Quest Completed
XP Bonus: 100
Finisher Bonus: 100
Current Experience: 1965
Stored Experience: 3265
Experience needed for next level: 235
The sunlight flickered and the periods of darkness were illuminated by a large green portal, which appeared some distance from the Goblin Chief's corpse.