“I want you guys to try something for me.” Lanek said to his companions. “Try to dismiss yourselves back to my soul or vessel and bring yourselves back.” Both bound creatures cocked their heads for a moment, but nothing happened.
“Can’t do it?” Lanek asked. Kazuma nodded while Sanguineus watched. “Hmm, maybe you need more permission. Let’s try this. I give both of you permission to summon and dismiss yourselves as you see fit. Now try again, please.” A moment later, both animals dissipated and then returned to their physical forms. He had them repeat the process a few more times.
“Great! So, from here on out, if you guys feel like you are in danger and need to escape, just dismiss yourselves, don’t wait for me to dismiss you. Likewise, if you feel cooped up and want out of your vessel, go ahead and do it. A few ground rules, however. If I ask you to stay in your vessel so I can use [Soul Shackle], please listen. Also, if we ever find ourselves with other people, please don’t summon yourselves right in front of them, we wouldn’t want to give potential friends heart attacks.”
Kazuma chuffed and Lanek could feel pulses of amusement from both animal companions. They’re thinking about doing it now, aren’t they?
“So, I think we should go hunting for monsters while we explore these woods. I want you two to get some more levels before we go back to Caelis.” Lanek explained. He felt two pulses of acknowledgment. Without further delay, Lanek grabbed an empty pack, his kanabo, Sanguineus’ vessel, and strapped on his gauntlets.
He turned south from the camp, realized that they had never ventured in that direction. Caelis was almost due east and the Night Arrows were northeast somewhere. The lake with whatever the hell was lurking in it was between Lanek’s camp and the Night Arrows at this point. Off we go.
As they started off to the south, Lanek cautioned his companions to not engage anything before he could check it out first and let them take off to do some scouting. Kazuma and Sanguineus shared a long look before the mist cat took off to begin scouting and Sanguineus stayed at Lanek’s side. Do they not want me out here by myself?
Several hours passed uneventfully aside from Lanek finding another river and several large berry patches. Although, this river could just be a branch of the one he did most of his fishing in, he just hadn’t discovered where they branched off. He felt a pulse of excitement from the trees ahead of him as Kazuma found something. He and the blood wolf kept moving toward the pulse until Kazuma joined them.
The cat sent out feelings of caution to his companions, before crouching down and creeping into the bushes in the direction he had come. The message was clear, so both Sanguineus and Lanek moved more cautiously and quietly. When they caught up to Kazuma, they found the mist cat peering into a clearing with numerous crude tents and huts.
Lanek grinned at the sight of the green figures swarming the village. After identifying the creatures, he found that they were all forest goblins ranging up to level 9. Oddly enough, he couldn’t spot any hobgoblins, just the forest goblins. The lack of a tribe or clan name identified them as ferals.
He wished that he had access to [Ethereal Salvo], but his MP still hadn’t recovered from his attack on the gaunts. Even after a full night’s sleep, his mana had not recovered by a single point. He needed a minimum of 20 MP to cast that spell, but he was stuck at 10.
Lanek decided to approach the camp openly as this village didn’t have a fence or wall like the other feral goblin encampment. Before emerging from the bushes, Lanek instructed his companions to not take any unnecessary risks. They needed to wait until Lanek got the full attention of the camp and pick off the stragglers whenever possible.
As he approached the village, sentries spotted the human and began alerting the camp. A spear was launched in his direction, but fell short. Oh yeah, these goblins aren’t on the level of the Night Arrows.
A level 8 goblin banged its axe and club together in a show of intimidation before charging. The creature only took two steps before Sanguineus’ Vessel pierced its chest and pulled its soul into Lanek. His eyebrows raised as he received a new notification.
Your soul has grown more powerful. SPI 14 → 15.
Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.
Your MP has been replenished.
Huh, is that the only way to restore my MP? I can’t believe that, especially since it seems like my soul-related skills are unique. It must be a restriction from [Soul Shackle] or something. I bet other classes that use MP can use potions or rest to replenish it. Maybe a mana potion will work on me as well, if I ever find one.
He grinned widely as an idea took root. Lanek cast [Ethereal Salvo] a single time, sending three projectiles scattered across the camp, purposely targeting smaller groups and outlying buildings. He didn’t want to kill all of the goblins, just make them angry. It worked as a tide of shrieking greenskins rushed toward him, but he was already running back to the forest’s edge and taking to the trees.
While they chased him into the forest, he would occasionally drop from the trees to slay a goblin or let the horde catch sight of him so they would keep chasing them, surrendering to their blood lust. He considered sending off another salvo, but didn’t want to risk hitting Sanguineus or Kazuma as they darted in to kill a goblin.
The feral goblins were so enraged by his antics that they didn’t notice their dwindling numbers for some time. Suddenly realizing the danger they were in, the forest goblins turned and fled back to their village, one of them blowing a horn that Lanek hadn’t noticed. Shrugging, Lanek pursued the goblins and harvested several souls as they fled.
He came to a stop at the edge of the clearing as the goblins entrenched themselves in the village, still blowing that horn. Maybe they are calling for reinforcements or recalling hunting parties? Lanek wondered as his companions joined him.
While trying to decide on his next move, Lanek decided to take a look at his notifications and his companions. He was pleased to see that his chain whip proficiency had leveled to seven. Both of his companions had also made good use of their opportunity, both reaching level eight. However, he saw two notifications that made him groan, not that they were entirely unexpected.
You receive no experience for defeating enemies more than 5 levels below you.
You will not increase your SPI by absorbing the soul of an enemy more than 5 levels below you. You will not replenish your MP by absorbing the soul of an enemy more than 10 levels below you.
It seemed like the System had placed restrictions on the class. It made sense since without these restrictions, someone could easily exploit the system by going on a soul farming spree against the weak mobs or innocent villagers to become insanely powerful with little effort.
Well, it looks like I need to let the boys do the fighting for now, it is a waste if I kill the goblins.
Not wanting to leave a potential threat behind, Lanek debated leveling the camp with a few salvos, but stopped at the sound of another horn from the forest. From the forest, a score of figures emerged. These creatures were quite large, ranging from 2 to almost 3 meters in height.
These bestial monsters were covered in brown fur with tusks jutting up from their lower jaws. The monsters were clearly related to goblins as their ears were long, pointed, and swept back along their skulls. Good lord, it’s like Bigfoot mated with a goblin...
To make matters even more concerning, Lanek could see that they were equipped with a variety of gear. They wore hide armor that protected forearms, shoulders, stomach, and loins while leaving the rest uncovered, presumably for mobility. Their weapons included greatswords, double-bladed battleaxes, glaives, and massive spiked maces. If Lanek had to guess, he would say that the weapons were likely looted from fallen enemies as the only trait they had in common was that they were rusted. He swallowed involuntarily at the sinister and intimidating aura the group gave off.
Any hope that Lanek had of letting the goblins and the newcomers fight it out faded as the warband entered the camp completely unmolested and spoke with the goblins. Even from this distance, Lanek could hear a particularly massive specimen growl as a goblin gestured at the forest.
Shit. Lanek thought as the creature locked its eyes in his direction. Thankfully, it’s not looking directly at my hiding spot, so I have time to [Identify] it.
Bugbear Warrior
lvl 18
Bugbears evolve from feral goblins beginning at level 10. These creatures act as the leaders and shock troops of the feral tribes. While not as intelligent as their hobgoblin counterparts, they are larger, stronger, and possessed of a cruel cunning. Where hobgoblins are more reliant on order and tactics in combat, bugbears will throw themselves into combat with chaotic abandon once battle is joined. Additionally, when bugbears fight as a part of a larger force, their blood lust and savagery will extend to their allies, making even their humble goblin brethren into dangerous foes.