I strolled into the tunnel, as prepared as I could be for what awaited.

An arrow was nocked on my bowstring, my rapier and dagger at my hips. My throwing knives were strapped across my chest, ready for a quick draw. I’d crafted a new torch (and gained a rank), but I didn’t think I’d need it.

By now, I was reasonably familiar with the first part of the passage. I could’ve gone in quietly, as I had before, but today I had a different tactic. I knew they’d have at least two guards, and I knew I couldn’t take them both down before they screamed an alarm. They’d probably see me coming, too.

So I made no attempt at stealth. I kicked stones down the passage, stomped loudly, making as much noise as one could while walking. I was doing everything short of humming a little ditty. Then I started humming a little ditty.

“Hu-man!”

Yes, quite right. You have my gear, you bastards, and I’m coming for it, along with a side-helping of revenge.

I stopped when I heard the shout, and waited in the dark. I didn’t have to wait long; the sound of many feet came echoed from far down the passage. That was when I slowly began to back out, still watching for the first goblins—those that had been on guard duty—until the light from the mine entrance helped my straining eyes.

It was so dark it was difficult to tell what was goblin and what wasn’t, but as a darker, more shadowy shape appeared in the gloom before me, I pulled back my string and snapped off a shot. It hit center-mass, and he dropped with a cry. I was already reaching for another arrow, withdrawing one careful step at a time. Either the goblin I’d hit was dead or he chose to stay down, because there was no movement from that quarter. But another shadow approached at speed, clawed feet scrabbling at the loose stones. I snapped a shot at him, catching him high and right, and the shadow jerked and slowed but didn’t drop. My next arrow must’ve been lethal, because he fell hard, and I didn’t even hear a whimper.

I was definitely seeing an improvement. I never could have fired that fast a few days ago, nor could I have mastered the bow to such an extent in that time without pumping my skills, both with my God power and leveling points.

It proved the system was working.

I stopped, only a few dozen paces into the tunnel, and waited. Shouldn’t be long now.

The distant sounds of many running feet came up to meet me. I rolled my shoulders, braced my legs, and let them come.

It was difficult to judge distance when I couldn’t see them, forced to rely on hearing alone. But I’d walked that path so many times, I knew where they’d be. As soon as their footsteps told me they were in range, I drew my bow and loosed. I was firing blind, no target in the dark, but as soon as the first arrow had flown, I was reaching for the next. And the next, and the next, backing up with each step as I fired.

I don’t know where all my arrows went, but some certainly found homes if the cries and zip-thuds into armor were any indication. I was timing it carefully, knowing they’d be gaining on me, and I held the next arrow.

A shadow came out of the gloom, enough light from the tunnel entrance to glint off the metal strips of his armor. I put an arrow through his eye and drew another.

Two more came at once, footsteps hurrying behind them. This was the moment I’d been waiting for. But I’d learned more than just skill points: I didn’t hurry my shot. I took the time to aim, and my arrow found a home in the first goblin’s chest, piercing straight through his leather armor. Thanks, Lira.

Only then did I turn and run, racing as fast as I could back up the passage for the entrance, looping my bow over my head as I went. My rapier was in one hand, my dagger in the other.

They were still coming from behind me.

I needed to know how many were left. Was it just a group, or was it all of them?

When it was bright enough to see, I stopped running. The entrance was a few dozen paces away, and it was the middle of the day. I’d deliberately attacked when the sun was highest.

Three goblins burst out of the shadows before me, their wickedly curved blades held ready. One of them even had a shield, but it wasn’t Tark. Him, I’d recognize.

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Activate God power. I’d been wanting to level my Sword skill.

God Power Activated. 5 minutes remaining.

One of them stepped forward, too eager for his own good, stabbing toward me as he lunged. I parried the blow, my wrist snapping a riposte back with a speed that surprised me, but was deadly for the goblin. The tip of my rapier slashed across his face, and he dropped back, clutching the bloody green furrow and screaming.

The other two slowed, suddenly cautious. I winked at them.

They moved apart, snarling, trying for a pincer movement. I didn’t wait for them, but rushed forward toward the one without a shield, my dagger feinting at his face. He screamed his defiance, his sword coming up to block an attack I’d had no intention of following through, and my rapier stabbed in low, taking him in the belly. My blade was coated in green blood when I pulled it free.

The other gobbo was faster than I’d anticipated. He jumped into me, leading with his shield, shoulder-barging me into the wall behind me. I crashed into it, my head cracking back painfully against the stone, my dagger knocked from my hand to spin away down the passage.

Damn, I’d been hoping to pick up dual wielding as a skill.

His blade would be coming in next, and though the head-blow had stunned me, I forced myself to dodge to the side. The point of his sword scraped along the wall where I’d just been standing. I spun, bringing my rapier around in a back-handed slash, and the full strength of the blow caught him in the side of the neck. His head flew off after my dagger, a spray of green blood splashed across the wall, but his body stood for a moment as if not realizing something was missing, before dropping to the ground at my feet.

I’d never done that spinning-back-hand move before. Didn’t even know I could. Yay for skill points.

There were more goblins waiting in the shadows. I knew they were there, even if I couldn’t see them.

“Come on then, you little green bastards!” Let’s see how easily they could be encouraged to come out and play. “Call yourself warriors? You’re nothing more than scared little runty children!”

A spear flashed out of the darkness, and I barely parried it in time, diverting it just far enough so that it passed me before clattering into the wall some paces behind. They’d thrown it at me. That had been close.

Too close, as I found out when blood started trickling down my arm. I spared it a glance. The sleeve of my brand-new leathers was ripped, the skin below sliced wide with a gash a few inches across. With the adrenaline coursing through me, I hadn’t even felt it. No status message had arrived to tell me anything serious had happened. Maybe it was holding for when there was a suitable moment.

Which meant this wasn’t, and that clued me into the combined attack of four goblins charging in all at once.

Four was too many. Time for the second part of my plan.

I turned and ran, knowing I was faster than them, and sunlight was only a dash away. I wanted to see if I could draw them out. Ideally, all the way outside, where perhaps the bright sunshine would be as much a hindrance to them as the shadows had been to me. Had I pissed them off enough to make them want to follow me?

A dozen yards out into the sun, I stopped again, turning in time to see them run after me. Yep, that was four very pissed gobbos. Perfect.

I didn’t have time to draw my bow, but I’d been itching for a chance to try Lira’s new gift. I flicked my rapier to my off-hand and drew-and-threw the first of my throwing knives in one smooth motion. It spun through the air, turning as it went, and caught the first goblin right in the face. That moment, right there – that was the sort of thing one remembers. Sure, it had been a lucky shot, but it was no less satisfying for all that. The buzz it gave me wasn’t lessened when dagger two went wide by a mile. But my third one found a home in the nearest gobbo’s arm, and then they were on me.

There was barely time to switch my rapier back to my right hand, and I made a mental note to practice fighting with it in my left. Then there was no more time for thinking, just reflexes, footwork, dodging and parrying. I backed up beneath the onslaught of the three of them, one pace at a time. I could tell they were suffering in the sun, their attacks just a whisker too slow, opportunities missed, coordination off. But there were still three of them attacking me at once.

Right up until the gobbo on my left stumbled, leaving me an opening. The point of my rapier found the leading thigh of the center goblin, then flicked up to cut through his face as he fought to regain his balance. I dodged the lunge of the right-most goblin, meeting his incoming face with my left elbow, then spun around behind him. The tip of my rapier sank three inches into the head of the gobbo that had stumbled, then swiped across the back of the last one. He cried out, the force of my blow sending him face-first into the rock wall, and that crunch marked the end of the fight.

I hadn’t just won. I’d been fucking awesome. My skill points were really paying off.

God Power Deactivated.

Oh yeah, I’d almost forgotten about that. Five minutes really was a long time in a fight.

Attack has gained 2 ranks.

Defense has gained 1 rank.

Luck has gained 1 rank.

Speed has gained 2 ranks.

Archery has gained 3 ranks.

Dodge has gained 3 ranks.

Throwing has gained 2 ranks.

Weapon (Sword) has gained 2 ranks.

Congratulations! You have gained a new level. You are now level 7. You have 6 skill points to spend. You may purchase new skills.

That really was a God-level power. I fucking loved it.

I chucked three points each into Sword and Archery, retrieved all my throwing daggers, then lit my torch with my flint and steel and went to see how much mess I’d made.