Barbara strutted into the room in her new leather armour. James looked over and whistled appreciatively, "Splendid armour."

Barbara preened at the attention and smiled at Doris.

"Do you know what we can expect in the dungeon?" Connie spoke as she entered the room, obviously still displeased with James. James noticed that she was wearing the Ring of Dexterity +3.

"Well, the first room should have a few creatures in it. Then the rest of the dungeon should be a search and destroy. There may be multiple levels, but I wouldn't expect more than two. There may also be a safe room at the end of the first level."

The women nodded as they absorbed the information. "I heard about Saferooms. Are they safe?" Doris asked.

"Creatures will not enter the Saferoom, and no one can attack you while in the room, not even other party members. You can not attack out of the Saferoom or use it as a base of operations. The Saferoom may only be used once." James clarified.

"I am okay with that," Connie agreed, "I don't want to spend too much time there."

"Ready when you are," Barbara agreed.

James nodded. I need to review my notifications. I got to level 9." James missed the look of shock from Barbara, but he heard the comment from Doris, "Damn Champions." Connie just grinned at him.

PSI - Targetted +1

Congratulations! Agility has reached level 20.

Your chance of landing a Critical hit has improved by 4%.

Your chance of avoiding damage from a trap has increased by 4%.

Your chance to block a Melee Attack with a shield has increased by 4%.

Your running speed has improved by 4%.

James closed his notifications and walked over to the portal. He was not surprised when a notification appeared before him when he put his hand on it.

Do you wish to enter the dungeon, The Goblin Horde, with your Party?

YES NO

After selecting YES, the four of them disappeared.

James was the first to the top of a narrow tunnel that sloped down into darkness. The only light was from the glowing blue portal behind him. Looking around quickly, the other three members of his Party appeared behind him. There was a mixture of fear, excitement, and curiosity among them. James didn't like them coming into the dungeon with him. Not because they were women, but because he feared they might die.

The tunnel's slope was steep, and they were steps cut into the ground. James used his Perception to determine if there were any traps or monsters around.

"Can you all see, okay?" James asked.

"Yes," Barbara said.

"As we mentioned, we are half-elves," Connie shared.

"Why can you see in the dark, considering you are human?" Doris asked.

"Who said I was human," James answered with a grin.

"All my plans for a master manipulator of information, thrown out the window along with the chamber pot," Rocko grumbled.

James chuckled and started to move down the stairs. Barbara moved after him with an arrow nocked. Next was Connie with her bow in hand. The last was Doris. She made sure she was far enough behind, considering she war noisy chain mail. She had decided that she didn't want to wear the brigandine armour and just stuck with the rusty iron chain coat James had sold her. She did stuff the heavy armour in her backpack and was carrying it, but she would have wished to leave it behind. She followed lastly with her hand axe and shield in hand.

After a few minutes of descent, James paused and held his hand to stop the others behind him. Signalling them to remain there, he moved down a bit more and found the tunnel levelled off and opened up into a chamber. The chamber was about ten meters in diameter, with a few odd rock formations scattered around the room. There was only one other exit from the room, and that was on the opposite wall.

In the room were four goblins, all wearing some leather armour. They all had two iron javelins, an iron sword and a round wooden shield. The gear alone was a marked improvement on the equipment from the goblins outside the dungeon. James noted their location in the room and that they seemed bored but semi-alert.

Moving back up the cave entrance, James spoke quietly to the others, advising them of the four goblins, their location and their disposition. They agreed that James 'blink' to the other side of the room and prevented the goblins from escaping. Then move towards each other, with Doris moving up to support Barbara and Connie. Connie still had both wands but didn't want to use them this early in the dungeon. With everyone agreeing on the plan, James and Barbara used Stealth to move closer.

Moving to the edge of the tunnel, James drew his dagger and waited. He used Shadow Meld to blend into the darkness as he watched the room and waited for the right timing. One of the goblins was closer to the other exit, and James planned on surprising him first. James tapped his dagger against the wall once, drawing the attention of all four guards his way. Once they turned away, James Shadow Stepped behind the furthest goblin and acted. It was a move he had done many times before and practiced hundreds of times more. His left hand reached out and grabbed the goblin's chin and pulled it up and away. With the hand covering its mouth, James plunged his dagger into the neck of the goblin. First once, then twice, then a third time. The blade was not long enough to reach the creature's brain, but it was long enough and sharp enough to cut the throat and jugular. The move was not as smooth as he had practiced in the past. That may have been due to the size of the goblin or the fact he was in an entirely different body.

Love what you're reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on.

The goblin gurgled loudly, and the three remaining goblins turned back around to face James. Barbara used that opportunity to fire her arrow from the shadows and shot the closest goblin in the back. When the goblins cried out in pain, the two goblins in the middle whipped their heads again. They gave James enough time to make sure the goblin he was fighting was dead before letting the body fall to the ground. Moving the dagger to his off-hand, he drew this Glrick Sword and moved to the next goblin while they chittered madly at each other.

The two goblins moved back to back to protect each other while James moved up on one side, and Barbara fired an arrow from the other direction. James could hear the rattle of chain mail as Doris made her way to battle from up the slope.

James held back and waited, "If you don't mind, I think I will wait until my friends arrive."

The goblin who faced him looked confused and started chittering madly at him.

"There she is now," he said, pointing to Doris.

The goblin didn't look, but his friend responded with wild yips. Their language was most confusing.

"Sorry I am late," Doris muttered as she entered the room. Doris certainly struck an imposing figure. Her armour had patches of blood and rust, which were pretty indistinguishable from the other. She also was swinging around an Enchanted Flaming Sword. It was also the first time that James noticed a bloody goblin-hand print on the front of the shied. All in all, pretty badass. "Thank you for waiting."

As she moved forward, the goblin that Barbara shot earlier started to stagger to its feet. Doris skewered the goblin with the flaming sword and shoved its dying body toward the goblin facing her. The goblin responded by throwing a javelin at her and then drawing its sword. The one facing James already had its sword out.

Ideally, James wanted to position the goblins so that Barbara could continue to shoot them, but that would leave the exit unguarded, and he felt it was essential to making sure none of the goblins left the chamber. Behind Doris, Connie stepped out and held both wands in her hands.

"Save your spells," James shouted. "They aren't worth it."

At that, both Doris and James attacked as one. The goblins had more Skills and Attributes than the goblins outside the dungeon, but they didn't survive the concerted efforts of Doris and James.

James killed his goblin first and then supported Doris by stabbing her goblin in the back. Barbara and Connie entered the room with the last of the goblins down.

"These swords are not great," Doris commented. "But they are at least worth iron-weight. If they are Fair quality, maybe as much as a gold each."

She looked up at James, but he shook his head, "Sorry, Poor, same as the javelins and the leather armour."

Connie held up the coin purse of the goblin. Barbara shot with the arrow, "At least they are dropping more than a dozen silver coins now."

"Nice," Barbara chimed in, "I knew having James around would make us rich."

James laughed, "Ya, your lucky charm." Barbara shrugged but couldn't hide her grin.

Barbara moved over to the other exit and crouched down to watch for goblins. Doris collected the spears and the swords together and bundled them up.

"You can leave those here," James suggested, "In my last dungeon, I time to collect any gear left behind before leaving. Besides, it would be heavy and loud."

Doris looked at the weapons and frowned, "Fine. But we are coming back. There is at least five gold there."

"There is at least five gold here," Connie said, holding the goblin pouches.

"Nice. Ten gold for one room," James smiled.

Once the room was secured, James moved over to Barbara and looked down the hall. "Wait here. I'll be right back."

James slipped forward into the darkness. The tunnel was made of earth with some boards and support structures now and again to support the ceiling.

"Are these tunnels safe?" he whispered to Rocko.

"Yes. This is mostly decoration. The ceiling will not collapse unless it is part of a trap. The ceiling will not collapse." Rocko reassured James.

Nodding, James continued down the tunnel. The tunnel was not straight but weaved back and forth and a little up and down. Some of the lower spots were damp. James noted an area in the mud that had no footprints. Examining it further made him aware that a bear trap was hidden in the mud.

After walking for several more minutes, James spotted a glow of light ahead. Becoming more watchful of traps and guards, James crept forward. Once he was close enough to see, he used Shadow Meld to conceal himself in the darkness and then used Shadow Sense to move his Perception onto the ceiling into the room.

The chamber was more significant than the one he had just left. A cooking fire was going with a large cast-iron pot resting in flames. Six goblins were lounging around the fire, talking to each other in their yippy voices. Using Identify, James counted four level 8 Goblin Warriors, one level 9 Goblin Warrior and one level 9 Goblin Shaman. James also saw two exits from the chamber. He couldn't see any further than the openings from his position, but he was curious. James wondered if he could use Shadow Step and move to the tunnel. Looking at his Mana, he realized it would be a one-way trip as it cost him 80 Mana to Shadow Sense and 60 Mana to do Shadow Meld. It would cost him 100 Mana to do Shadow Step, leaving him with 20 Mana and on the wrong side of the enemy. Deciding not to piss off Rocko more than necessary, James returned to his body and started to make his way back to the first chamber.

The women were waiting for him when he returned. Quickly he outlined everything he discovered, including the bear trap. Barbara commented that she could disarm it but may need Doris' help.

"I don't see an issue with this room," Connie stated. "A Flash Spell, we charge in and kill them. The hardest part will be deciding which tunnel to take afterwards."

"I like your enthusiasm, but please don't jinx us with such talk," Barbara reminded Connie.

"What is a Goblin Shaman?" Doris asked.

Connie fielded that question, "Like a priest, but they tend to deal with Affliction Spells."

"Like my Narisa's Bane Spell?" she asked, and Connie nodded.

Doris was not so easily dissuaded, "I am okay with dealing with the Goblin Shaman, but I am worried about this armour being so loud."

"You can always take it off," James suggested. That got a laugh from Rocko as Doris turned to say something.

"That is not what I mean, and you know it. I am saying that it may be better to remove your chain mail and stick with the leather for this mission." James stated, staring her down.

Doris was about to repeat something but was cut off by Barbara, "I agree with James. Take it off."

Connie smiled, "Oh, this should be fun."

Doris' face went through many different expressions. She seemed to be muttering to herself and giving each party member the stink eye. Finally, she turned on them, "Fine. I hate the idea of not having any armour."

James smiled as he stood up, "Let me help you get out of your armour."

"Touch me, and you won't be Narisa's fury you will need to worry about," she growled. James held up his hands with a wide grin and backed off.