20. Promotion Rank C Test (Part 2)

Goblin’s Home

The forest path was obvious as the party followed Bernard’s back, from his cheerful atmosphere to a silent professional. His eyes were cautious, his hand was resting on top of his sword sheath, but overall he was still relaxed. Our party formation, for now, was Wilmot and Ben to the front, while Linzet and Scarlett took the backline as they required space to fight. The cave may be narrow or have a large opening, due to being clueless as to what structure the cave is, we all assumed that the cave would be narrow.

Bernard: “We’re almost there. From here on out, I will stop guiding you towards the goblin cave. Prepare and assume a position for this test, I will not be helping you out. Death is swift, I may not be able to save you in time so keep in mind that you all have signed up for this, the combative roles of adventurers, the privilege to form parties for subjugations, bounty hunting, escorts, nomination, fame, and even dungeon diving.”

Everyone nodded in agreement and looked at each other, each eye filled with determination as we all formed a mental link to each other. We are allies… protect one another… let’s pass this.

Scarlett: “ Okay, battle plan if the cave is narrow, depending on the situation Wilmot will take the frontline. I will support Wilmot, while Ben supports Linzet. Plan 2, if the cave is narrow Wilmot is to take the right side, while Ben and I take the left side. Linzet will give supporting fire to whichever she seems fit.”

Linzet: “I have 48 shots in my quiver. Depending on the situation if it’s a narrow path I won’t be able to shoot as clearly, but if it's a cave I will be able to support.”

Ben: “If there are any goblin mages or archers you are to take them out.”

Linzet: “Goblin mages? Archers? At this level, there shouldn’t be any mages or archers. The guild already confirmed the cave, they wouldn’t send promotion testers to a dangerous location.”

Ben: “But they are sending us to a dangerous location, also Bernard didn’t mention when they last scouted the location. Always, assume that the location and place we are given can change. Life continues to go while the words on a report stay stale. Always be prepared regardless of what will happen.”

Scarlett: “As Ben has said, Goblins are one of the monsters that change immensely due to the influences of being one of the weakest but the most humanoid creatures, they wield weapons as they understand they are weak, they form clans and groups as they know they cannot fight as individuals, and they form massive raids to feed their ever-growing clan.

(How are the goblins spawned? Do they do the actual reproduction process on other humanoids or are they magical in this world?)

Ben: “How are the goblins spawned?”

Everyone, including Bernard, looked at Ben with a question. Bernard spoke up.

Bernard: “If it’s simply a question regarding the nature of the goblins, I can provide. Goblins are creatures who are spawned from the miasmic cores of the dungeons, forest, powerful creatures, or simply from the magical aura of colliding auras. The colliding auras are sort of the idea of volcanoes and ice blizzards combining together, although they do form on those fronts they are often destroyed in the process leading to other strong creatures who can survive this event to thrive on their leaking life aura… aka the light magic… soul magic people would say. Reasons, why monsters kill, are mainly to obtain the light magic that is contained in everyone, humans, beasts, monsters, and even demons. Although, for some reasons humans have the most potential to have light magic… I don’t know anything more than that.”

The other party members simply nodded and looked towards the entrance of the cave. Two goblins were on the lookout, after a short moment another band of goblins had just come back carrying the carcass of a hog.

“daan huur a draar” a goblin spoke to the gatekeeper

“shac a mash kaac” the gatekeeper replied while lifting his hand towards the leg of the hog, drool rolled out of its mouth.

Before the hand touched the leg, the other goblin smacked both of them.

‘ “rhal rhal!!! Dhuur Kaarthaar!” The other two goblins instinctively shrunk.

The goblins holding onto the carcass went inside the cave. After a moment had passed and confirmed that the goblin pack had already gone inside. Scarlett nodded to Linzet, who drew her bow. I grabbed a piece of rock that I carried in my side pouch, made of rabbit pelts.

Aura glowed from my hand and into a rock, aiming with precision Linzet and I shot. The arrow flew true and straight into one of the goblin’s heads, a clean kill. While the rock imploded the other goblin’s head as if it was a watermelon. The death was quick and gruesome, giving a few moments for the goblin to stand headless before collapsing onto the ground like a dead weight.

Linzet: “Ben… did you only use a rock to kill a goblin?”

Ben: “Yeah, I did… I often would do this back at the village of Rerne.”

Linzet: “Amazing… just a rock… aura magic seems so powerful…”

I could only smile slightly as I believe this was mainly the teachings of Grant’s Aura power. The only reason why the stone would implode within the goblin’s head is due to the excessive amount of power within the stone. Red aura is the cause of the combustion since the rock couldn’t hold too much power within, causing it to become like a small grenade

. Bernard: “You’ll learn aura magic eventually during your travels as an adventurer. We will leave that lesson for later. If you pass this examination.”

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Wilmot moved forward towards the cave entrance taking a look inside from the side.

Wilmot: There. . . is a large cavern, but stairs lead downward.

The cavern was large, the blue ambiance glowed from the small puddles of pools on the side of the walls. Stairs made of natural stone lead downward, its texture seemed smooth yet firm, even though it was near the front of the entrance the cave felt like it was underground and moist.

Ben: “This is not normal for a cave.”

Scarlett: “We continue onwards, the blood from the goblin pack leads towards the stairs… check the sides for any openings that the goblins may come from.”

Linzet: “Nothing, I assume the stairs are the only way in.”

Bernard: “The scouting team was from last week, the cavern should be short. They said it was two levels, only a dozen goblins are stated. If there are more I will be covering you guys.”

Wilmot took the first point and started to head down the stairs. The stairs had enough space for four people to stand on one stairwell. Enough space for everyone to run without care.

As the party traveled down the spiral stairs, they saw a small hallway that led to a double-door room. The hallway was adorned with multiple skeletons of prey that the goblins had hunted.

(Were goblins always so organized? Where did they get those doors?)

Ben looked back at Bernard only to see him being serious. Wilmot slowly walked forward, carefully checking side to side. When the party reached the door, Scarlett checked the door frame.

Scarlett: “Anyone sees anything?”

Linzet nodded and immediately squatted down and closed her eyes, fists were bundled together. After a short moment, a white rat came out of her hands and squeezed through the door frame. (Is that magic?)

Linzet: “I see an altar… ten goblins are around it… the carcass they brought is inside a small vat of blood. There’s a goblin mage…”

Bernard: “Altars, they are doing a sacrificial offering for a goblin lord… is what it would sound like. But the numbers of goblins are too few… the blood sacrifice they are using is not humanoids. The pre-requisites for a goblin lord are incorrect… what are they summoning?”

Scarlett: “Either we stop them now, or we can observe what they summon?

Bernard: “Continue on with the exam. The numbers are the same, only the goblin mage was unaccounted for. Anything else that you can see in there Linzet?”

Linzet: “It’s closed off, it’s only the goblins I have told you about.”

Bernard nodded and continued to stand behind us.

Wilmot used his strength and pushed open the doors out, letting Linzet shoot out an arrow at the goblin mage. This should’ve been a clear headshot, however, a necklace from the goblin mage glowed blue and the blood from the altar rose up and consumed the arrow. Everyone gasped, blood magic from an amulet? Linzet continued to nock another and shot down a regular goblin this time, and soon another one before the goblins prepared themselves.

“AKhAN!!!” The goblin mage yelled. The other goblins armed with clubs and small round shields rushed towards the party, while the Goblin mage continued to stand on the altar, in his three-fingered hands he held a staff. He began chanting in common.

“Darketh . . . Cometh.. may the souls… of my . . .-”

Wilmot: “It’s summoning things from the vat!

Scarlett: “Linzet fire!”

Linzet immediately prepared another and shot at the goblin mage, only for the amulet to defend him once more.

Ben: “We can take out the frontline quickly, Wilmot take care of the other side!”

Ben drew his sword out and charged forward. His red aura quickly crawled from his gauntlet onto his sword. Slicing down on a goblin who held a poorly made wood buckler above its head, only for the buckler to crumble against the attack, head sliced in half. The other goblins that were on Ben immediately threw themselves onto him, there was no idea of self-preservation in the goblin’s mind. Ben backed up, and Scarlett immediately followed up with several quick stabs, each stab landed itself into the chests of the goblins, efficiently killing two.

Wilmot on the side blocked an attack with his shield and shoved the attacker with a shield bash. Finishing the attacker with a low stab and finished it with a swing to the side at another goblin, intercepting its attack with ease as the sword slashed through the beer belly of a goblin.

Two goblins fired crude arrows at Wilmot, who blocked them with his buckler. Another goblin with a bow and arrow shot it at Linzet, cleanly hitting her shoulder.

Linzet: “Damn it!”

Linzet quickly kneeled down as she gritted her teeth. Scarlett and Wilmot immediately looked back at Linzet, Scarlett went towards Linzet and drew out a dagger to cut the arrow shaft in half.

Seeing that Ben drew out another pebble and fired at the goblin archer, cleanly killing it with a headshot. The remaining two goblins grabbed two bone shields located at their feet and ran towards the goblin mage.

Goblin Mage: “Miasmic Cover, Empower. .. My ALLIES… FOR OUR GOD!”

The red fog began crawling out of the altar vat and onto the bodies of the two goblins in front of the goblin mage. The two goblins holding the shields began to shiver and their eyes overturned to white, their bodies starting to change behind the bone shield.

Sounds of bone cracking and meat shifted around. The silence was the eerie part of the process, the goblins changing did not talk, did not scream, and did not move their shields. Eventually, the shield rose slowly, the goblin’s heads were different, as Ben and the other looked, the goblins smiled with a sadistic look. Bernard shouted out their identification quickly.

Bernard: “Hobgoblins! C rank monsters! The examination is over, I’ll be assisting in settling this situation down. We will talk later regarding the examination, this takes precedence.”

The two hobgoblins made space for the goblin mage as it slowly walked forward. Its stature was the same, however, the way it walked was more formal and its aura felt foreboding.

Goblin Mage: “Humans…. meddlesome humans. You come to my abode, you kill my servants. Now you come for your death!”

The mage started to chant dark magic while the two hobgoblins rushed forward, grabbing a mace to pair alongside their two bone shields.

Bernard: “Careful! Hobgoblins have larger physiques! They will swing much harder than your average goblins! Everyone, dodge their attacks!”

Bernard drew out his sword, his green aura faintly lit up on his hands and bestowed itself into the sword. “Slyph of the wind, provide this cage the time and wonders of freedom. (Accel)

Bernard’s speed rose, his speed was light and free it was as if he was not burdened by his gear, his weight nor his sword. He went off to face the hobgoblin with vigor, his sword glinted in the dark, his smile was eager.

The hobgoblin tried to shield bash Bernard, however, he gracefully dodged it, as if he did a 360 turn contemporary dance. Slicing the ankles and eventually the back of the thighs, the hamstrings. The hobgoblin fell on its one knee and its entire body fell forward. However, the mage simply chanted a spell.

Goblin Mage: “Cage of the Prey!” The mage directed its dark magic onto the hobgoblin that Bernard was fighting.

The fallen Hobgoblin’s blood quickly slithered out and caged up Bernard and the fallen Hobgoblin. The cage was made of dark red blood as if it was made of moist licorice only to solidify into the steel-like texture.

Bernard tried to slice open the cage only to find it durable.

Goblin Mage: “You stuck! I kill your friends now!”

The goblin mage tapped his staff and one section of the wall fell down behind him, revealing eight goblins with clubs. The goblin mage then turned around and continued to look at the blood vat with pure elation.

Goblin Mage: “Power! So much power! Give Give! I offer more! I offer more!”

Ben looked back at Scarlett, her face was scarred, hands were trembling as she looked at the scenario. Linzet held onto her bandaged shoulders and in her hand carried a dagger. Wilmot only grimaced, tightly gripping his shield and sword.

Scarlett: “Bernard! What… what should we do!”

Bernard: “Do whatever you must live, I can take care of myself. Report this to the guild!”

Wilmot: “We… we cannot leave you here!”

Wilmot’s face was full of anxiety, his hands sweaty. His consciousness was full of the dilemma between the choice of life or rescue. The other hobgoblin paired up with the 8 goblins and marched forward with them.

Linzet: “I don’t want to leave Bernard! But… but my shoulders!” The wound on Linzet’s shoulders was grievous, even with the improvised medical treatment. She couldn’t shoot properly even if she tried.

Scarlett: “We leave! We come back for Bernard with help!”

Scarlett begins to help Linzet up, Wilmot covering the rear. However, Ben simply stood there.

(The last time I left… he died… the last time I left… I was powerless… after all that time exploring… killing… am I still powerless in this?)

Scarlett: “Come on Ben! We can’t fight against a Hobgoblin! Let alone their mage.”

(It’s the correct decision to leave… we aren’t strong enough to fight them. The Hobgoblin itself can kill one of us with a swing. The mage is distracted, but if it turns we might find ourselves in another situation.)

Scarlett seeing Ben being unresponsive, nodded to Wilmot. He placed his hands on Ben as they started to retreat towards the door. Only for Ben to stop at the double door.

Ben: “You guys go ahead… I can’t bring myself to stop and run… bring help back.”

Scarlett: “That’s suicide! Let’s go! If you don’t wake up you will die! Leave or die! I… I don’t care anymore! Let’s go!