“What’s wrong? Am I making a mistake? Are dungeons a lot more dangerous?”
“Dungeons really are much more dangerous," Garnedell replied quickly.
“Then this boss is too much? Do you know how many core it might be?”
“It shouldn’t be too much. It is likely barely a Great mons… uh… a two core.”
“Two core? But, two cores are not that big of a deal. They’re not too hard.”
The three didn’t respond to Joe’s statement, silent before it besides staring at one another.
“OK. If it’s just a two core, then how does a dungeon make it worse?”
“Dungeon monsters are often a bit stronger and sometimes sneakier.”
“Huh… so something like the goblin king, spark, mukfrog, slime, and snow two core monsters I just fought?” Joe replied with a bit of a smile.
When Joe pointed out how he’d already fought several two core monsters, the three seemed to calm a bit but still seemed fidgety. Joe stopped to consider a bit, now feeling a bit cautious himself as well.
“Garnedell.”
“Yes?”
“Is this going to be too much for us… me?”
Garnedell stopped to think a bit then shook his head, although he still seemed to be nervous, “No, mas… Joe. As a beginner dungeon, the boss should only be a very low two core monster or maybe a high one core monster, but a higher tier.”
Tier? Hmm… maybe… no… focus. Learn about that tonight at supper. Joe committed this new piece of information to his memory and tried to set it up in a mental to do list for that night. He focused on the current situation, “So, then… will I be OK fighting this monster?”
“You can easily defeat several dual core monsters and even a three core slime. This should be easy for you.”
“Then where are you so nervous and worried?”
Garnedell grinned then chuckled self-consciously, “Just… we are fighting a dungeon boss.”
“Oh? Not many people fight dungeon bosses?”
“Almost no one does, master.”
“Garnedell?” Joe muttered warningly and Garnedell quickly apologized again, stating his name instead of using the title. Joe continued, “Defeating dungeons is rare? Right… so let’s keep that our little secret, OK?”
Garnedell quickly nodded, used to Joe’s desire for anonymity, and the siblings followed suit quickly after although they seemed a bit confused and Joe left it for Garnedell to explain to them.
“Right. The plan. When we go in, take the bag and you guys just hide in the safest corner you can find, OK? If this is a basic dungeon, I’m guessing up against the doors in a corner would be best. So we go in, I’ll fight the boss, and you guys stay in the corner. DO NOT FIGHT! OK?” Joe finished firmly.
The three quickly nodded in agreement and Joe took the time to reinforce the importance of them restraining themselves.
“Seriously. Please do not fight. Don’t try to come help me, no matter how bad it looks. It is very easy for me to run away and dodge if it’s only me. But if you are out there too and I have to protect you while I’m also dodging… that would be very hard and very bad, got it?”
The three sobered a bit and nodded more deliberately. Joe grunted in satisfaction as he saw they realized the seriousness of the situation and he continued, “So just hide in the corner and try to keep out of the way. Make sure to yell if something crazy happens so I can come and help. All my focus is going to be on the boss, so you need to call me if you need my help. Otherwise, just sit back and watch the show, OK?” Joe smiled at the end, trying to reduce the sting of his words.
The three giggled at Joe’s poor joke and Joe nodded before he picked everything up, grabbing the bag but not slinging it over his shoulders. He wanted to be able to drop it quickly once there were inside and Joe stepped up to the door, the three others following behind.
He took in the large door once more before pulling out the five medallions from the goblin king, spark, snow, slime, and mukfrog. He placed the goblin king in the top one, as it seemed more prominent to him, somehow. It was the only unique medallion, found on the first floor. Plus, it was a bit tough to fight compared to the other four! He then fitted the others in the four subordinate slots under the goblin kings medallion. He worried about placing it in the right place, but then relaxed when he found that the goblin kings medallion fit perfectly and sucked in as if it were magnetized. The second did as well, but the third, the mukfrog’s medallion, refused to fit the slot and was actually ejected, although it floated out and dropped in his hand when he put his hand up to grab it. Whelp… that’s not magnetism. Attracts like magnetism, but doesn’t repel anything like it!
He moved the mukfrog’s medallion down the row of slots and found it sucked in on the last slot. The last two settled in just as well, and Joe stepped back when the entire massive structure shook then began pulling away to let him in to a bright room on the other side. Joe tossed the bag to Garnedell and gripped his spear in preparation as he stepped into the room cautiously, head on a swivel and spear and shield held up to parry or block as needed.
All four stepped in and the doors immediately stopped opening after the last one cleared the arc of the doors and they retreated, closing behind them. Right… magic doors? Or… someone’s watching? Or magic can tell how many need to come in?
The fact the doors started closing at exactly the right time made Joe a bit nervous, it’s perfectly timed response making Joe worry that there was an intelligence somewhere watching them that could control the doors.
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The brightness of the room was a welcome break from the darker labyrinth, but it did take Joe’s eyes a bit to adjust and he quickly dropped his head and kept his eyes on the floor, using peripheral vision to try to catch any movement in case any attack occurred while he was slightly light blinded. While facing the middle of the room, the other three crowded up behind Joe and Joe grimaced when the three didn’t find a corner as they should. Although, if they were as light blinded as him, they might be a bit worried about walking blindly to a corner.
It only took a few seconds for Joe’s eyes to adjust and then open with some surprise. The room was long and wide, columned down each side but with the main central region of the room commanding most of the space. The columns on each side made narrower hallways down each side of the main room. Joe was a bit too far from the edges to judge how wide the space was between the walls and the columns but Joe judged them to be only slightly wider than his arm span, making it a poor place to use his sword but excellent if he wanted to bottleneck a wave of enemies with his spear and shield. Of course, he would still have to defend to directions at minimum if he put his back to the corner of the room and defended.
What made him concerned was that the corner was now a poor place for Garnedell and the others to camp out in because anything running down behind the columns would have a straight shot towards them while also running in the slightly shadowed and obscured hallway made up by the columns. Joe glanced around then breathed a small sight of relief punctuated by a twitching of a half smirk smile.
The door they’d come through was flush with the fourth floor, but inside, the door frame was recessed in a good two or three meters to account for the door opening inwards. The door frame made a two to three meter cut into the wall behind him and only as wide as the door. This made the alcove holding the doors was only about a quarter the width of the room, including the small corridors separated by the columns.
At the other end of the long hall, a raised dais made of a series of stairs held a rather elegant throne on which sat a golden noble and elegant… goblin. It’s a goblin, right? But he seems a … well… a lot more refined… not savage. More… intelligent seeming, somehow! Arranged at the foot of the dais were five monsters, four in front with a fifth half way up the stairs and on the right hand of the noble goblin.
Joe felt a sense of disquiet and worry worm its way through his heart as he recognized all five of the monsters as the ones he’d defeated before: the goblin king, spark, slime, snow, and mukfrog. Even as Joe recognized the five creatures and settled his stance to accept their attack, the goblin king waved the four creatures forward and Joe grimaced. Well… they did warn me this was dangerous… I’m an idiot! I’ll probably be able to get out, but the three kids?
Joe glanced backwards to see all three pressed up behind him in a cluster, fear crawling over their faces as the stared at the six monsters at the other end. Joe scowled and barked at them.
“Get back! Remember what I told you. Get back next to the door. Yell if you need me!”
The three quickly shook themselves and turned to charge to a corner of the door alcove. Joe almost cursed as Zilnek and Kilniara aimed for two different doors but then Kilniara reacted quickly and turned to follow Zilnek. When Garnedell turned to follow, Joe realized he’d left the bag behind and he called out to him.
“Garnedell!” Joe shouted while kicking the bag with his foot, his eyes glued on the four monsters stalking towards him, refusing to look back at Garnedell. He felt and heard the bag pull away from his leg and Joe calmed himself, advancing slightly but keeping himself guarding the entrance to the doorway alcove.
For spark, need cudgel. Slow except for teleport lightning attack… too long to kill fast. Slime, fast response, jumps. Danger if jumps past me! Snow. Slow. Low priority. Dodge it’s cold attack! Mukfrog! Primary target. Easiest, fastest to kill. Most dangerous, may target the others!
Joe’s mind had long lost concern for anything else around him and focused on the four advancing on him, although the goblin king and the noble goblin on the throne gave him pause and he didn’t let his attention fall away from them at all. As Joe settled at the optimal place to defend the alcove, he heard a guttural if soft cry ring out and blinked in surprise when he saw the golden noble goblin raise its hand.
All four monsters stopped advancing and those that had faces turned back to look at their leader before retreating to stand before the throne dais. Joe’s eyes flickered up to the golden goblin and then felt surprise flicker through him as his eye twitched. Huh… he’s pulling them back?
The golden goblin seemed to smirk in mockery as he turned to the goblin king but kept maintaining eye contact with Joe. He spoke quickly in a language that Joe didn’t quite catch, but seemed to tease right at the edge of comprehension. The golden goblin then sat back in his chair and the goblin king responded to the golden goblin’s command with a bow before turning back towards Joe but focusing on one of the four monsters and barking out a command.
The four monsters had returned to their place at the base of the dais but the goblin king seemed to relay the golden noble goblin’s command to the four, and the snow responded by advancing on Joe. Joe grimaced a bit, uncertain what was going on and glanced up quickly back at the noble golden goblin. It continued to sit there with a smirk on its face. It tilted his head sideways when it saw Joe staring up at him intently and the smirk changed subtly into a full on grin of mockery.
Joe returned his gaze to the others and realization flooded over him and Joe struggled to restrain his relief from showing on his face. Huh… he’s respecting what he thought was a one on one? Well, not going to complain. Let’s see how many I can kill before he gets too angry to keep up the charade.
Joe quickly stepped forward, pretending to accept the duel but being extra cautious to always keep the snow between him and the enemies at the other side so he could be aware of their position at all times. Crap… wish I’d brought the bow! Might be able to quickly take out the goblins and the mukfrog! Maybe I can get Garnedell to get that done discreetly?
Regardless. Time to pound this snowball flat; fast and hard. Can’t afford to take damage! Joe felt his mind focus and narrow, extraneous thoughts and ideas flowing from mind as he brought himself into the now to combat the snow.
Blunt weapons efficient: shield and cudgel. Option: pin like slime with spear? Option: destroy gem with spear thrust! Unlikely! Primary, spear pin and cudgel. Joe pulled up his spear and brought it around in front of him level with his chest, pointed directly at the snow as it hovered at about his chest height. Pin to pillar, hold with shield arm. Cudgel and kill!
Joe circled the snow, keeping his bearings so he was always facing the throne and monsters, but also maneuvering the snow so that its back was against a column. Suddenly, Joe erupted forward, stretching his body into an outrageous full body stretch that gave his spear extreme range and speed, piercing directly through the snow and pinning it to the column. He tried to aim his spear thrust at the exact center of the snow, but he feared he’d failed to target the snow core as it continued to vibrate wildly on the spears shaft.
Joe didn’t berate himself for missing the core for he had no emotion, only purpose. He simply passed control of his spear to his shield hand and reached back to get his cudgel. He then proceeded to beat the ever living H2O out of the thing and splattered snow and slush all around the throne room until he saw the glint of the core; only three or four rapid blows later. He then brought his cudgel down hard, hammering into the core and ejecting another massive amount of snow from its body. The scattered snow from the last strike proved meaningless as Joe felt warmth of experience flood his body and the snow collapsed to the ground as it died. Joe wasted no time in celebration or fear and leaped back to stand guard over the door alcove, glancing back quickly to find all three still standing there, huddling in the corner. Again, Joe felt no relief as he felt nothing. He only verified his purpose: protect the three by defeating the enemy.