- 105 -

Debuff Removed: Broken Bone (Leg) (1/1) 856 exp

William's leg snapped into place. He clenched his fist through the pain.

"One more leg to go." Drew said.

"My other leg can wait." William urged. "We need to get my armor."

More Goblins joined the mob outside the mine shaft. The Goblin with the pry-bar was wailing on the crate with gusto. The rest swung their spears and swiped at Hemut and Vaylari. The group was forced to stay within the safety of the mine shaft or risk being overwhelmed.

“Shoot them! Stop them!” Willian cried.

“Keep your voice down.” Vaylari said. “They have forgotten that they out number us. If you make too much noise they will charge in here and silence all of us.”

"What is so important about this crate anyways?" Pegg said. "Just let them have at what ever it is."

Debuff: Broken Bone (Leg) (1/3)

MP: 15%

William bit back the pain as the first break stitched itself back together.

“The goblins cannot have any of it!” William cried. "Give me a sword, I'll go get it myself."

He tried to stand but Drew swiped at his face with a wing.

"Sit down. Your leg is still broken in two places, let me heal you." He said and downed a mana potion.

"Listen to the bird. Nothing that could fit in a crate that size is worth your life." Pegg said.

There was a creaking and splintering of wood and the goblins cheered. While they were distracted, Hemut lunged out and sliced a goblin's stomach open and jumped back into cover.

The goblins rushed the destroyed crate. They scrambled over each other and pulled the armor apart. It was full plate mail, a full size kite shield and a broadsword.

"It all gear." Vaylari said incredulously.

"You were lugging around armor!" Peg hissed.

A goblin with a long tongue was humping a shiny helmet vigorously.

Debuff: Broken Bone (Leg) (2/3)

"And a sword." Vaylari said.

A small goblin was trying to lift the sword, but another larger one kicked it out of the way. Victorious, the new goblin started chewing on the sword’s leather grip.

The goblins worked themselves into a frenzy. They began to fight over the pieces, establishing a hierchy of the strongest goblins. It was madness.

"William, can you stand?" Vaylari asked and held out her Small crossbow.

"You are not serious!" Pegg hissed.

"There won't be a better time to catch them off guard." She said with a smirk.

Hemut readied his sword.

"Not you too!" Pegg moaned. "You two will be the death of me."

"Then you will have truly lived." Vaylari said.

Drew stopped his healing spell and checked his mana pool and wand charges.

I haven't had time to recharge my wands. My mana is nearly at 50% and my chain lightning and stone wands are the only ones fully charged.

"I think I can make a wall of stone." Drew said. "Box them in and we can snag the armor before they recover."

“Wund work.” Hemut grumbled.

"We could also not run out there and face 3 to one odds." Pegg suggested.

"This armor is for my Journeyman's exam. If you don't help, atleast give me your sword. I will go out there alone." William said.

William stood cautiously, favoring his broken leg.

"I'll be right there beside you William." Drew said drawing his chain lightning wand and his long dagger.

"I must me insane." Pegg said and drew his sword. "Lets do this. We will register this dungeon and be rich."

-

A bolt flew past the helmet-humping goblin and William swore.

Drew struck the closest goblins with chain lightning and they seized up. The spell forked off and hit 6 goblins, stunning them long enough for Hemut and Pegg and Vaylari to charge into them.

William's second bolt hit the goblin in the back. It dropped the helmet mid-hump and reached for the bolt with both hands.

The three ranchers felled a goblin each before the stun wore off. They braced themselves for another wave but Drew was there to hit the next group of goblins with his Chain Lightning wand. The spell stunned another six goblins and pissed off the last two.

The large goblin realized they were under attack and dropped the bracer it was trying to fit onto his leg. He screeched and started slapping the feral goblins around him to urge them into the fight.

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Theres the three we've got engaged, six stunned and 8 more ready to join the fray. Seventeen goblins against three ranchers, a blacksmith and a crow.

Drew considered his last charge of his fire wand.

If I don't use it now, then I wont be able to cast a fireball after they have swarmed everyone.

Drew fired off his chain lightning spell again to keep the goblins away from the ranchers.

Combat results: Feral Goblin (lvl 15). 355 exp.

William managed to critically injure a goblin while it was stunned. He reloaded and fired again.

Hemut had felled another goblin and was engaged with the prybar-wielding goblin.

“Hemut! Trade with me.” Drew called out as he flew down. “Grab the crate!”

Drew parried the goblin’s prybar, sending it flying. Hemut took that chance to pick up the pieces of armor at the monster’s feet.

Drew mentally swiped away two alerts as they came in, Peg and Vaylari had killed their goblins. He swooped and sliced with his knife until the goblin got dizzy. He struck it on the head with the butt of his dirk, knocking it out. He flew up to get a good view of the fight.

“Quit playing around and kill that monster!” Pegg shouted.

The other two ranchers had joined Hemut and routed the last group of goblins slaying them where they stood. A few goblins turned to run, only to find their deaths at William’s bolts and a steep stone wall.

Theres armor scattered everywhere, how are we going to pick it all up?

Pegg and Hemut were running, jumping over corpses, and picking up armor as they found it. Vaylari was engaged with three goblins, her acrobatic fighting style kept her moving out of harms way while she managed to bleed her opponents with deep cuts.

“The bracer! Yes over there.” William called. “And don’t forget the helmet!”

”Yes my Lord!” Pegg shouted sarcastically.

William reloaded the crossbow again and hit a retreating goblin in the back.

His aim is getting better.

Drew flew over to pick up a pauldron that was half covered by a goblin corpse. He struggled to lift it, but managed to get air-born and fly back to the mineshaft.

A horn blew and Drew turned to see the goblin he had left stunned drop a horn to the ground with a nasty grin in its face.

“Get back to the mine shaft!” Vaylari yelled.

Hemut and Pegg hustled back to the mineshaft each carried a corner of the crate. They had managed to fill it with several pieces of armor on the way.

As they passed a scorched goblin on the ground it jumped onto Hemut’s leg and bit down on his knee.

Hemut roared and dropped his side of the crate. Pegg was barely able to balance it on his own and stumbled into the mineshaft spilling the armor everywhere.

“You Idiot!” Pegg said to Drew. “You need to kill these goblins or shit like this happens!”

Vaylari rushed in supporting Hemut’s arm across her shoulders.

“Cover our entrance, we are expecting company.” She said. “Drew heal Hemut up. Any one else hurt?”

Drew flew over at once and activated his healing abilities.

“Just a bleed debuff, should have you patched up in no time.”

“What happened out there?” Vaylari demanded.

She slapped a bandage on a cut across her forearm and glared at Drew.

“The goblin was out of the fight.” Drew said.

That sounds so stupid. I cannot tell them that I was holding back. They will not care about the goblins removing their feral trait.

“Where is the shield?” William asked.

The blacksmith was crouched over the remains of the crate. He leaned against it and laid out the pieces of armor in neat rows next to the greatsword.

“It was in the crate before.” Drew said.

Hemut’s wounds closed up and Drew dismissed his notification.

“More goblins coming down from above.” Pegg said. “Whats the plan guys?”

“I need that shield.” William said. It is compatible with the entire set.”

“Leave it already!” Pegg cried. “Sure its fine looking armor, but you are a blacksmith. Could you not make some more?”

“I cannot! This is a set made for my journeyman’s test. It all has to be from the same metals to ensure the highest synergy.”

I get where he’s coming from. I would remake any of my wands in a heartbeat if i lost it. But I also have a slot in my gathering ring full of stones, so maybe I’m not the best comparison.

Drew alighted on William’s leg and activated his healing spells again.

“Just make another set!” Pegg shouted.

“It would take ten lifetimes! That armor is made with aurichalcum.” William said.

Pegg stared at him slack jawed. He snatched up a gauntlet and looked at it closely for the first time.

“You have been carting around a fortune in that crate?” Pegg screamed. “You idiot. Get a storage bag or something discrete!”

“I could not afford one.” William yelled back.

”Keep your voices down!” She hissed.

“You expect us to risk our lives to save you a fortune on materials, when this whole issue could have been avoided?”

“Shut up Pegg, this aint the blacksmith’s fault.” Vaylari said. “We all went looking for this damn dungeon knowing they are all deathtraps.”

“No he’s right.” William said as he sat up straighter. “I am poor, and reckless and foolish. You all gave done more than enough to help me.”

“They’ve got your shield.” Vaylari said. She watched as a pack of feral goblins fought over the shield.

“Heal me up next Drew, I’m going out there.” William said.

“I am going out there with you.” Drew said. “I’ve promised I would enchant the armor, didn’t I?”

Debuff Removed: Broken Bone (Leg) 1012 exp

Pegg went to peek at the rabble fighting over the shield.

“How did you not notice such a large shield?” He asked, Hemut shrugged back.

“That shield is worth ten times its weight in gold! Why would anyone make a suit of armor out of Aurichalium? Nobody will be able to afford it.”

“It is armor fit for a king.” William said and stretched his legs. “A true ordained king has been prophesied to wear a full suit of armor. Made by my hands.”

“You some disgraced Noble?” Pegg asked. “I have no issue if you are.”

“No, just the seventh generation of a family of blacksmiths. This armor and equipment could make me the first master blacksmith in my family.”

“Then just ask your daddy for more aurachalium?” Pegg said dismissively. “Then we can be on our way.”

“I cannot go without that shield. Its part of this set. This precious metal was everything I received when I ranked up. It has never happened in my family’s history before.” He said. “They must have saved for generations to pass down this treasure to me.”

“What? You didn’t get spells or abilities? Did the ore just fall out of the sky?” Drew asked.

“It was not there before my rank up, and then there was a flash of light and the bars were at my feet.”

“It would be easier to wear the armor and fight.” Pegg said. “The guild would still accept it if it was tested some. Surely.”

William looked at Drew and the bird shrugged.

“I have no ideas about how a blacksmith’s guild would think.” Drew said.

“Just equip the armor!” Vaylari said. “Its going to out class anything they can throw at you in here. Nothing will come close to scratching it.”

“Atleast put on the chest plate and bracers and greaves.” Drew said. “The helmet might give you too much tunnel vision.”

“I cannot.” William said. “How do we have time to debate this? I must get that shield back.”

“The goblins are eating the corpses, so we are not the easiest meal ticket right now.”

“That’s disgusting. Drew said, nearly retching.

“You are not like other Gallow Birds are you?” Vaylari said.

“What? No. Honestly, yeah. I’m not.” Drew said and ruffled his feathers.

Tho that hunger quest is easy exp, I won’t eat sapient creatures.

“How many goblins are out there? Could we catch them by surprise again?” Drew asked.

“Whats the point when you let them live and they call reinforcements?” Peg yelled. “They will eat you! Even if you politely not eat them, for some bizarre reason. They will kill and eat all of us.”

This damn world, it doesn’t have to be ‘kill or be killed’ but everyone is ready to kill everything for exp.

Vaylari had a serious look on her face and took a bite of some travel rations.

“We are going to die in here.” Pegg said. Hemut put an arm over his friend’s shoulder.

These people are in here because of me, I have to get them out. The goblins are feral, violent, and relentless. I cannot save everyone, so I choose these people.

“All right, help me put this armor on. We are getting out of here.” William said.