“He’s out of his mind,” Aerion muttered, staring at me with frustration and pity. “They’re rocks! Why are you collecting rocks? This dungeon has thousands of them! Actually… How hard did you say you hit your head?”

I could hardly blame him for feeling that. I was currently running around grabbing the [Pet Rock]s I’d lobbed at the troll, desperately stuffing them into my pockets like a madman.

We’d been about to leave when I suddenly remembered this weakness of my Blessing—if I ever lost something I Initialized, my only opportunity to regain those points was upon my next level up.

Not the end of the world, I supposed, but until then, I’d be burdened with less to use.

Still, it did make me look like a crazy person. Goblins were about to close off our only escape route, and I hadn’t ever explained how my Blessing worked. Not great, as far as first impressions went.

Worth it. My only regret was not picking up the explody grenade things I’d seen the goblins use earlier. Their weapons seemed to shatter along with them when they were killed. Too bad.

“You’re still here?” I asked, genuinely surprised that Aerion hadn’t run off by the time I’d collected all my rocks.

Aerion glowered at me. “Come on!”

“Right behind you!”

As for how I located my enchanted rocks amongst all the debris of the cavern, well, they glowed. Or rather, they had a glowy outline. Quite a handy perk.

I glanced over my newly enhanced, newly equipped gear as we dove into the tunnel. Perusing your gear collection might not be the best idea while running for your life, but I needed to know what I was working with.

Iron Cuirass [Common]

Any blacksmith worth his salt would look at this and weep tears of blood. It’s ancient. It looks like shit. But it is protection! Definitely. Maybe.

Essence Cost: 8

Condition: 50/50

Stats: None

Abilities:

— Obsidian Bane (Foundation - 0): Deal slightly more damage to [Obsidian] enemies. Each additional strike to the same wound does more damage. Effect stacks with other pieces of equipment with the same ability.

Iron Arming Sword [Common]

Halfway between a shortsword and a longsword, arming swords are the workhorse of many a warrior, and they run the gamut in quality. This one… isn’t. It’s not all bad, though! What it lacks in edge, it makes up for in durability!

Essence Cost: 7

Condition: 50/50

Stats: None

Abilities:

— Lightbringer (Foundation - 0): Weapon glows upon activation. Useful? That’s up to you!

A sword that glowed and armor that… dealt damage?

I was still waiting for gear that bestowed stats, but well, I couldn’t exactly complain.

Not only was this the best equipment I’d come across, but the rust burned off the moment I Initialized the cuirass and sword. I just wished they weren’t so damned heavy. I felt like I was carrying a fat kid. I guessed that was because this stuff was bottom-barrel quality iron. It was a lot thicker than the armor I'd seen in museums. My rocks didn't help either.

At least the flaked-off padding was restored to its former glory. It went a long way to ease the pinching and chafing, and while the sword’s leather waist-strap sheath didn’t look new, it was entirely serviceable.

That was both good and bad. Good, because I was no longer wearing a disgusting, rusted-out piece of garbage. Bad, because the transformation caught Aerion’s ever-watchful eye. I assumed I’d have an explanation on my hands once we got to the safe room. That was if we got to the safe room. If the safe room was still even a safe room anymore. The place had practically fallen apart when I’d left.

I idly thought about what the System considered armor, and whether clothing counted as well. I’d have to experiment with that later.

I was no expert, but the arming sword had felt good in my hands. It looked like the ones knights always wielded in fantasy shows. As for its ability… I was about to activate it when I looked at Aerion. If magic was rare in this world, then my sword could draw attention. Then again, Aerion said he was seeking power, and I’d already seen golems and trolls and soul crystals.

Besides, I couldn’t hide it forever, and I needed to see what I was working with. I pushed a bit of the blade out of its sheath with my thumb and willed the ability to activate, and the sword began to glow—brighter than I thought it would.

At first glance, it looked useless, but as the description said, it didn’t have to be. Creatures accustomed to the dark were sensitive to light, and if this light got brighter the more it leveled, then I could have a very effective weapon in dark dungeons like this one.

My breaths soon began to grow heavy, and it was only now that I noticed just how heavy and stifling my new armor was. Not only that—my sword hung off one side, adding weight that made running somewhat awkward.

I began to have a new appreciation for medieval soldiers. They must’ve trained nonstop to build bodies capable of wearing this kind of armor for hours.

Speaking of armor, while its ability was nice, there was one word in [Obsidian Bane]’s description that made me giddy with excitement.

Stackable.

If I found a few more pieces with the same benefit, I bet I could layer its effects to spectacular effect. I just… didn’t understand how I was supposed to get the ability to trigger without physically ramming into my enemies.

While exciting, I kind of wished it did what armor was supposed to do, and make me less squishy. I’d have to rely on the metal’s natural strength to keep me safe. That, and not getting hit.

Even so, the possibilities were already forming in my head. What if I got my hands on an entire suit of armor with that ability? And then leveled those up? I could conceivably destroy obsidian bosses with just a few hits. And the nature of armor meant I could change in and out of them as needed.

Assuming I could carry them around, of course.

Guttural yapping from up ahead interrupted my daydream. We’d just made it into the cavern, and we’d almost made it to the chamber that housed entrances to three more tunnels, but we were too late. The obsidian goblins had returned.

Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more.

“Uh, don’t suppose you have any tricks for fighting goblins?” I asked, earning myself a scowl from Aerion.

“Smash them. And don’t let them pull you down.”

“Right,” I replied. ‘Just smash them’ was fine advice—if there were only one or two. We, however, were up against a full dozen.

I began to reach for my Bone Club—my weapon of choice against obsidian baddies—but hesitated. I instead brought out my arming sword and activated [Lightbringer], causing a sudden burst of light.

It had the intended effect. The goblins hesitated… but only for a moment. Apparently, that moment was enough for the System to recognize the feat.

Congratulations! [Iron Arming Sword]’s ability [Lightbringer] has leveled up to Foundation - 1.

The light output increased a bit, but it wasn’t enough to spook the goblins.

“Well, I suppose all that childhood batting practice might come in handy,” I muttered, hastily jumping back and sheathing my sword. I then swung my Bone Club at the nearest goblin.

I immediately felt ungainly and off balance. Little wonder—I wasn’t used to moving with a metal plate on my chest.

Thankfully, Aerion looked like he knew what he was doing. He ran around the goblins, quickly stabbing and slicing before sidestepping and dodging their blows.

He was circle-strafing them. It was a classic strategy to confuse and outmaneuver enemies. I never thought it would be useful in a real-life scenario. Then again these weren’t humans, and they neither moved nor behaved like them.

It was immediately obvious why he struggled against them, too. A dagger just wasn’t going to do much against an enemy made of stone.

Aerion’s strategy pulled the attention of most, but not all, of the goblins, and I knew he wouldn’t last forever.

Two of the child-sized monsters ignored him and charged me.

They charged right into my club. My wide swing was met with the satisfying sound of breaking glass as one of the goblins shattered, sending shards flying into his buddy, which upset his balance.

Taking advantage of the opportunity, I converted the momentum from my side swipe into a downward smash, pulverizing the glass creature.

“Alright!” I shouted. “Two down. Ten to go—Aerion!”

I looked over to see his arm soaked in blood. He’d dropped his dagger and was cradling his arm, slowly backing away from the mob that encircled him. His expression was a mask of pain and fear, and his eyes were locked on the obsidian shard the goblin pointed at him.

I cursed mentally. Why hadn’t he called for help? While I was busy gloating over my victory, Aerion could’ve been gravely injured.

Bellowing a battlecry to psych myself up, I took a massive swing at the crowd of goblins.

My club smashed the first one’s head open, but it didn’t stop there. Its momentum carried it forward, killing the second in short order.

From there, I just swung wildly, my attacks powered more by adrenaline than anything else. I knew my technique was God awful—my club struck the ground as often as it struck the goblins, and with each strike, its condition dropped. Nine. Eight. Seven.

Congratulations! [Obsidian Bone Club]’s ability [Scarborne] has leveled up to Foundation - 4.

I didn’t relent. I was winning, and the Goblins were scared. A few tried to lash out, thrusting their obsidian daggers at me, but their stubby arms and short overall stature meant that I could strike from outside their range with impunity.

It wasn’t long before they routed. Well, most of them, anyway. A few stood their ground.

“Let’s go!” I shouted. I almost failed to grab Aerion’s thin wrist. I cut a path through the few idiot goblins who felt like fighting was still a good idea, and we ran for it.

“Wait,” Aerion shouted. “My dagger!”

Acting fast, I grabbed his dagger and shoved it inside the waistband of my pants, wincing as it grazed a bit of flesh on the way in. The Little Devils were relentless, shouting as they pursued, but they struggled to keep up with their short legs.

Thankfully, they weren't the most dextrous creatures, either. They stumbled and tripped over themselves, often crashing into one another and even attacking each other to be the first.

It took me a moment before I realized we’d taken a wrong turn.

“Do you know how to get to the safe room from here?” I asked as we jogged, but Aerion didn’t reply.

Looking back, I found him lagging several feet behind, clutching his arm, which continued to bleed steadily. In fact, it looked like it had gotten worse.

Aerion stumbled, leaning on a wall for support. “I think… this is it. For me.” He mumbled. He was covered in sweat, though it wasn’t from the exertion.

“Venom,” Aerion wheezed, confirming my suspicion. “Must’ve… been poisoned.”

“Don’t spout crap like that,” I said, feeling irrationally frustrated at his words. “Do you have any ointments or magic that can stop the venom?”

Aerion shook his head. “I used everything fleeing from those goblins.”

“Right, then here’s the plan,” I said, taking a position to defend Aerion against the incoming goblins. “I take these guys out. We get to the safe room, and we heal you. The safe room should have something for that, right?”

“Safe… room?” Aerion whispered.

“Regrowing trees. Water fountain, you know, the—ohhh shit!”

The three goblins chasing us rounded the corner. Except their buddies had joined in too, and the tunnel was now full of them.

“Change of plans,” I said, handing Aerion his dagger as I awkwardly sheathed my club handle first inside my pants. I must've looked absolutely comical. I only hoped it wouldn’t fall off as I ran. I really needed a better way to carry stuff.

I crouched and turned my back to Aerion.

“What are you doing?” he asked, panicking.

“Carrying you, obviously. Unless you would rather be eaten by those things? Yeah, didn’t think so. Now, hurry and climb on!” My tone brooked no dispute. The goblins were only twenty feet away and closing fast.

Still, Aerion hesitated. I turned around and found him blushing.

“What?” I asked in frustration.

“It’s… it’s embarrassing!”

“Oh, for the love of—Either you climb on my back, or I pick you up and sling you over my shoulder like a sack of potatoes. Doesn’t matter to me, but one of those is definitely more embarrassing. Now, come on!” I shouted, which seemed to force Aerion to commit.

He gingerly wrapped his arms around my neck, and I grabbed his legs and lifted.

Damn, he’s ridiculously light, I thought, as I started running. It felt like my club hindered me more than he did. Looked like there was more to elves than just the ears.

This was good. Though I didn’t know where I was going, and despite heaving with exertion, I was at least outpacing the goblins. Mainly thanks to their self-sabotage. At this rate, we’d lose them before long, and then we could double back.

“There,” Aerion said, barely more than a whisper. “Turn right.”

“Yes, sir!” I replied, taking the turn into another tunnel. This one was a little smaller than the previous one, meaning I had to slow down, but with luck, most of the goblins pursuing us would run right past the turn.

“Alright, what next?” I asked, out of breath.

There was no response.

“Aerion? Aerion!” I shouted. “Goddammit all.”

For the briefest moment, I had a terrible premonition that my new friend was going to die. I began to panic, hyperventilating.

I forced myself to stop.

Just get him to the safe room. Alright Greg, think. Think! You turned right. Another right should put you nearby. You got this.

A newfound energy flooded my body. I knew it had to be adrenaline, but I also knew that I’d never have run as fast or as hard if it had been just my own life on the line. Even so, the edges of my vision slowly darkened from the exertion.

I came to the next intersection. I made a right. Down the tunnel a hundred feet away was a small hole in the wall. It was different from the entrance I’d used, but it bore all the same visual cues.

The Safe Room!

I mentally pumped my fist as I turned the corner…

And ran right into a mob of goblins. Obsidian pikes were drilled into the ground and pointed my way.

I didn’t have time to stop, and if I tried, I’d end up right in the middle of the mob. I’d be trapped.

So I did the only thing I could. I mustered my best war cry, and I ran right into the pike formation.

My cuirass worked like a champ; the pikes glancing harmlessly off. The rest of my body didn’t fare nearly as well.

Obsidian shards dug into my thighs, punching through my jeans and blinding me with pain, but I didn’t stop. The pain blew away the encroaching darkness and I kept running, mowing down the little fuckers where they stood, briefly taking in the horrified expressions on their faces as they fell.

My wounds continued to mount. Blood poured out of my body at an alarming rate.

It didn’t matter. I made it to the door and sailed right through.

When I hit the ground on the other side, I actually cried.

I’d done it. I’d reached the safe room.

And I was still bleeding to death.