Joe tightened his grip on his spear and Bixby stepped a few feet in front, head lowered but ears perked up. They moved with a purpose and soon found themselves about twenty feet into the cave before the light began to give way to the darkness further in. Damn, no flashlight or torches. “Bix, I can’t see anything.” The chattering outside the cave began to get louder and the two continued into the darkness. Another ten feet and all Joe could make out was Bixby’s blue glowing eyes. Wait a sec. Joe pulled up Bixby’s Status screen and saw listed under Abilities, that he had something called Darkvision. So, the whole Soulbound thing allows us to use each other’s abilities. Time to start playing smart. Joe focused on that ability and was surprised with how easy it was to activate. The pitch-black abyss of the cave was instantly transformed into a sort of twilight. It looked like early evening light. There were still shadows, but he could see perfectly well for at least fifty feet, maybe further.
The cave began sloping downward and snaking to the left so that after another thirty feet, they could no longer see the entrance. Soon they came across a three-way split as the cave continued straight but there were two smaller tunnels leading off to either side. The smaller caves would mean that Joe would have to duck, and it would make his spear a bit more of a liability as it would be harder to maneuver it. Joe had no experience with a spear but did not want to abandon it here where it would be a giveaway that something was in the goblin’s territory. Joe took a quick second to decide and pointed Bixby to keep following the main tunnel.
The tunnel floor was hard packed dirt and kept the noise of their footsteps to a minimum, but still Joe walked slightly crouched and paid close attention to any noises he made, trying for as much stealth as he could. The jabbering of the incoming goblins echoing through the tunnel put Joe even more on edge. There must be somewhere to hide.
They kept following the tunnel as it twisted and turned for another few minutes and then the stench hit Joe’s nostrils. It smelled just like the goblin that had attacked him the day before. That thing had smelled like an overflowing outhouse on a hot summer day. Crinkling his nose, Joe began to breathe through his mouth, and he could see Bixby’s eyes were squinting. Man, his poor dog nose. Who knows how much worse it is for him. Poor Bix. The tunnel kept going on a downward slant and eventually, they could hear more chattering goblins from up ahead.
Dammit! Not good. There had been nowhere to hide. Bixby crouched lower as they came to an opening and Joe could see light. Joe instinctively crouched lower as well, and they moved as silently as possible to the opening of what turned out to be a large cavern. The tunnel they were in must have been the main thoroughfare from the cave entrance to this place. They were at the bottom of a large cavern that was ringed by a spiraling walkway which led to other a few other tunnels. But this space was obviously the main habitat of the goblins. There were small domed huts dotting the cavern floor along with several fire pits where they were roasting unrecognizable things. The floor was littered with bones and refuse. The entire place was their living space as well as outhouse. Cleanliness is very much not their forte, thought Joe.
Trying to count, Joe lost track at thirty and considering the other tunnels, he knew there had to be more. He and Bixby sat there for a few minutes pondering their options when Joe got a notification.
Congratulations! You have earned the ability, Stealth Tier 1. This ability makes you 15% harder to detect while sneaking.
Helpful, but it’s not going to get us out of this mess. Joe could hear the incoming goblins getting closer. Any minute and they’ll be on us. “Bix, any ideas?” Bixby disappeared. Joe blinked and saw that Bixby had reappeared about forty feet away inside one of the huts. He can use Blink Step? Whoa. Not wanting to second guess his companion, Joe crouched down, activated Blink Step, and appeared just behind Bixby inside the hut. The smell here was worse, and his eyes started to water. While he was wiping his eyes, Bixby nudged his hand. Joe realized that his spear was sticking out of the hut. He quickly pulled the length back to keep it hidden.
Just then the noise of the returning goblins increased, and he could see them in the opening of the main tunnel. He hoped that he and Bixby were in dark enough shadows to be safe from them. There were six of them. All of them wore the same dingy leather loin cloths and had the same kind of dagger Joe had gotten off of his original attackers. Two of the goblins were carrying a pole with a large deer strapped to it. Joe thought that they would walk right by, but the leader stopped and started jabbering to the others and looking around. One of them dropped to all fours and began sniffing. He stood up and let out a horrific cackling. The cavern echoed with the noise, then it increased as what Joe figured were all the other goblins in the area cackling and chanting the same gibberish over and over. Yep. We’ve been found out.
Kneeling next to Bixby, Joe leaned in close. “As soon as they clear the tunnel mouth, we blink over there and run like hell.” But Bixby had other ideas. He blinked out and ambushed the leader of the incoming pack, ripping into him and moving effortlessly to the next. “Bixby no!” Joe shouted, but it was too late, the cavern came alive with screaming and yelling. Not wanting to leave Bixby to face the certain onslaught of goblins, Joe blink stepped behind one of the goblins and shoved his spear through its back. It never knew what hit it. The weird tingling in the back of Joe’s mind was back, but he ignored it as he could see a wave of crazed goblins scampering towards he and Bixby through the small village. There were even more running recklessly down the spiral walkway coming from the side tunnels. In less than a minute, Joe knew they were going to be crushed under a tsunami of goblin bodies.
Arrows bounced off the near tunnel walls and one even imbedded itself in one of the goblins legs. Shit! Get moving Joe! Joe recentered his attention on the current group of Goblins, but Bixby had already shredded them all in just a matter of seconds. “Holy shit Bix!” Bixby’s mouth and chest were coated in black blood. “The tunnel is clear, let’s book it!” But again, Bixby had other ideas and he blinked into the middle of a large group of goblins and became a dervish of death, ripping and tearing through the goblins with a ferocity that scared the crap out of Joe.
Seeing Bixby begin to get swarmed; Joe hurled his spear at one of the goblin archers. The spear sailed cleanly through its chest and imbedded itself into the ground, impaling the thing and sticking it in place. He then pulled his machete and Blinked over to the horde rushing in. He swung the machete like a madman. There was no skill involved. Everywhere he swung there was an enemy and before long he was surrounded by capering, cackling, crazed goblins all vying for a chance to stab, bite or otherwise do him harm. He felt cuts and impacts but ignored them and continued to swing his machete. Notifications began piling up which he shut down immediately and kept frantically mowing down little smelly grey bodies. At one point he saw Bixby blinking between groups, not allowing them to gang up on him. That encouraged Joe to do the same and he was amazed at how much easier it was to dispatch them as they could not anticipate where he or Bixby would be at any point.
The battle had been going fast and fierce for a few minutes when Joe’s machete missed his target and slammed into one of the support poles for a hut and the blade snapped clean off at the base. “Crap!” He yelled as a goblin leaped at him, screaming its outrage. Bixby appeared out of thin air in the middle of a leap, biting into the goblin’s side, almost bisecting the thing in one bite before blinking out again. Damn, he’s really good at using this ability. Another goblin came flying at Joe and he punched it in the face as hard as he could, stopping its forward momentum with a crunch. The body fell limp to the floor as Joe kicked another one sending it flying way. A sharp pain in his calf caused him to spin around and backhand a goblin that had just stabbed him. The dagger still stuck in his leg. Joe ripped the dagger out and jammed it into the head of yet another goblin, then he blinked into an open space. Using the few seconds that he bought himself, he pulled his axe from its sheath with one hand and grabbed his bowie knife in the other.
He then blinked to between two huts which created a kind of natural funnel, and a large group were forced to bunch together to come at him. With his axe in hand, he pointed his fist and let loose with a Void Bolt. The spiraling, black spike of energy ripped through the crowd, anything it touched was spun into nasty black vapor. That single bolt killed at least ten in one shot, but it did not affect the attitude of the rest in any way. They were absolutely berserk. Joe blinked behind the now diminished group and fired again. This bolt took out a handful and shredded a hole through four huts before going through an archer as well.
But that was all the reprieve he was given as more goblins swarmed up on him and he was forced to swing his axe and knife. Abstractedly, Joe noticed that the axe worked even better than the machete. Anything he hit with it pretty much either died or did not get back up. The knife worked okay but did not have the sheer stopping power that the axe did. He had gotten separated from Bixby and was fighting alone when he heard a drum sounding from somewhere. Like a switch being thrown the crazed goblins stopped fighting and scampered away towards the back of the village. Being taller than most of the huts, Joe risked standing up all the way to see what was going on.
At the back of the village, he could see the remaining goblins grouping up and then falling to their knees facing another tunnel. It looked like they were doing some sort or prayer or obeisance to something. The drumming became faster until he saw a large shape moving into the light of a nearby fire. It was much bigger than the goblins. Joe thought it may even be bigger than him, maybe seven feet tall. It was an enormous version of the goblins, but where the goblins were lean and sickly looking, this one was muscular and had a mouthful of shark-like teeth. It was also wearing a leather vest and sporting a feathered head dress. In one meaty hand it carried a sword that looked like the big brother version of the goblin daggers.
As it stepped into the light, the drumming suddenly stopped. It held aloft its sword and gave a bone shaking wail. The rest of the goblins went apeshit and jumped and danced around. The chieftain, or so Joe figured, swung its sword and smashed through several goblins, sending blood and bodies flying. The remaining goblins began pissing and crapping themselves. At first Joe thought that their leader had scared them all, but then the little monsters started scooping up the refuse and pelting their leader with it. Joe got a horrified look on his face, “Seriously? That’s nasty.”
The chieftain raised its arms, basking in the adulation. Joe took stock of his options and realized that he had an arrow sticking out of his left arm. He ripped it out and threw it away while looking for Bixby who, in a moment came trotting up from behind him. Bixby was covered nose to tail in blood and other things that Joe did not want to contemplate. “Looks like the boss of the dungeon, doesn’t it?” Bixby looked up at Joe and winked. “Did you just wink at me? And what’s up with the whole going Rambo here? You could’ve gotten us both killed!” Bixby snorted and disappeared. Joe watched in almost detached fascination as he saw Bixby reappear behind the chieftain and land on its back. “Double fuck!” Joe swore and Blinked himself into the fight.
As Joe appeared to the side of the goblin leader, he swung out with his axe only to have it met with the goblin’s sword in a clash of steel and carbon. Bixby was busy tearing into the goblins surrounding them with that weird tingling in Joe’s mind still noticeable. He had no time for that though as the chieftain roared and came at him. Shit! This thing knows how to fight. It moved its sword in deadly arcs, deftly trying to slash and stab Joe. Quickly Joe realized that he was out of his depth with this kind of enemy. It was all he could do to keep one step ahead.
Joe blinked behind the monster and tried to bury his axe in its back, but it seemed to anticipate the attack and slammed its sword into Joe’s axe, the impact was so heavy that both Joe and the chieftain lost their grip on their weapons. Joe’s axe fell to the floor and the chief’s sword rebounded and went flying into a group of goblins currently trying to survive an appalling attack from Bixby. Joe Blinked away again and aimed his hand at the thing and was greeted by a blinding headache. Crap on a stick! Out of Mana! Joe was stunned for a moment and that was long enough for the chieftain to reach Joe and grasp him into a huge bear hug.
Joe was lifted off of his feet while the thing gave a throaty laugh. Over the goblin’s shoulder, Joe could see Bixby fighting in a mass of goblins, arrows were sticking out of him and there were splashed of red blood mixed with the black of the goblins. Joe’s heart sank and his rage welled up just as the goblin chief headbutted Joe, and Joe took the hit. In fact, he registered that he had been hit, but he barely felt it. The chief had a look of utter shock on its brutish face and with a roar, Joe headbutted him back. This time he felt it and it stunned them both, but the monster still held Joe in a crushing embrace. With his hands pinned to his side and the sounds of Bixby alternately growling and whining, Joe lost his mind.
I can use all of Bixby’s abilities. The thought was barely registered when Joe threw his head forward and to the side and bit down as hard as he could on the chief’s neck. Then he activated Bixby’s Rend ability. Joe savagely shook his head side to side and tore out a large chunk of the leader’s throat. Black blood spewed everywhere, and the thing screamed in pain and let go. But Joe was having none of that and grabbed onto the goblin, continuing to tear into the thing. Blood and gore went flying and Joe could taste the foul fluid that passed as goblin blood; however, he was past caring. The chief fell backward, feebly striking Joe’s back and head trying to dislodge him. Joe rode him to the ground and then leapt off into the mix of goblins that were tearing at Bixby. The rest of them stood no chance. Joe tore into them with teeth and fists. He bit and battered his way to Bixby and after only a few minutes it was just the two of them standing, panting and bleeding together.
The two limped their way back to the fallen chieftain who was still alive, but gurgling, clutching its throat and bleeding fast. The two stood watching as the large goblin stopped making noises and its hands fell limply to the floor. The tingling in Joe’s mind flared up once more and then stopped. Joe looked around for any other enemy, but all he could see was carnage. There was nothing else moving in the village and the only noise was the crackling of the various cook fires. Joe watched as Bixby went to the dead chieftain’s body, hiked a leg and promptly peed on it. Joe stared in exhaustion for a moment and then burst out laughing. It came out loud and it hurt his wounded body, but he could not stop it. He laughed hard and for a long time. By the time he was done, he was on his knees and Bixby was by his side, wagging his tail.
Joe sat in the muck and blood, not caring about his surroundings, and methodically started pulling the arrows from Bixby. This caused the dog to whimper, but he stood still and let Joe do it. Joe checked Bixby’s status and was surprised to see that he still had over a hundred health. He was not surprised to see that Bixby was poisoned though. He quickly checked his own status and saw that he also was down to just over a hundred health and was also poisoned. Huh. I know I had to have taken more damage than that. Shaking his head, he decided that the first order of business was to stop the poison. He pulled the glowing moss from his inventory and studied it for a moment.
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Cleric’s Moss
Cleric’s Moss grows exclusively around Pools of Vigor. Placed on a wound or ingested, this moss can quickly heal even the most extreme injury or poison. Steeped into a brew with water from a Pool of Vigor, this moss can also dispel minor curses. Plant this moss in a natural waterway and over time it will form a Pool of Vigor.
Yup. Just what I had hoped. Joe pinched off a bit of the moss and ate it. As he swallowed a warmth washed over him and he watched his Status change from Poisoned to None. He pinched off another bit and held it out to Bixby who turned his nose up at it. “Dude, just freaking eat it. It’ll stop the poison.” It took a few more minutes of cajoling and a threat to hold him down, but Bixby relented and ate the moss. Joe watched Bixby’s reaction as he wagged his tail, “See? You could have felt better sooner if you hadn’t been such a baby about it.” Bixby raised an eyebrow but then began to try and lick himself clean. The grimace on his face told Joe that he was definitely glad he wouldn’t be licking himself clean. Goblin blood tasted beyond nasty. Joe’s face and beard were crusted with it and the thought made him gag and spit.
Joe took stock of his own injuries, but since he wasn’t actively bleeding or poisoned, he figured the passive regeneration that came from the System would kick in and help him out, plus the moss did a lot of healing itself. It was at this point that he decided to address all the flashing notifications he had received.
Warning! You have been Poisoned! You will lose 8 Health per minute until the poison is neutralized or runs its course.
Congratulations! Your ability, Poison Resistance has increased to 16%.
Congratulations! Your ability, True Grit, has increased to 23%.
Congratulations! Your ability, Tough as Nails, has increased to 25%.
Notification! Your ability, Hard to Kill, has been activated.
Warning! You have been Poisoned! You will lose 6 Health per minute until the poison is neutralized or runs its course.
Congratulations! Your Soulbound Companions’ [Bixby] ability, Rend, has increased to 15% to damage and 6 points of bleeding.
Congratulations! Your ability, Poison Resistance has increased to 20%.
Congratulations! Your ability, True Grit, has increased to 28%.
Congratulations! Your ability, Tough as Nails, has increased to 30%.
Notification! Your ability, Hard to Kill, has been activated.
Congratulations! Your Soulbound Companions’ [Bixby] ability, Rend, has increased to 18% to damage and 9 points of bleeding.
“Whoa!” Joe exclaimed. “That’s a lot of notices. You’re lucky you don’t have to wade through all of these.” I can’t imagine what would have happened if I couldn’t shut these things down during a fight. “Whoever designed this System, sucks.” Joe continued to read the notices.
Warning! You have been Poisoned! You will lose 6 Health per minute until the poison is neutralized or runs its course.
Congratulations! Your ability, Poison Resistance has increased to 23%.
Congratulations! Your ability, True Grit, has increased to 31%.
Congratulations! Your ability, Tough as Nails, has increased to 35%.
Congratulations! You have earned the ability, Bestial Fury. When active, this legendary berserker ability doubles your Strength, Constitution and Agility and adds an additional 300 Health Points. This ability costs 200 Stamina per minute to maintain. Cooldown time is 4 hours of uninterrupted rest.
Congratulations! Your Soulbound Companions’ [Bixby] ability, Rend, has increased to 21% to damage and 12 points of bleeding.
Congratulations! Your Soulbound Companion [Bixby] has earned the ability, Apex Predator. When surrounded by five or more opponents, all attack damage made by [Bixby] are increased by 10%. Apex Predator will gain an extra 3% to damage every five levels. Maximum damage bonus 50%. Apex Predator stacks with other damage modifiers.
“Jeez, they just don’t stop!” Joe kept reading and dismissing the notices, “Oh hey buddy, you got a new ability! Wow! I bet the higher you get in levels, the more devastating this will be. And there’s still more! Dude, this is insane!” Joe took a second to blink and check on Bixby who was still sitting politely watching Joe. Bixby gave a big yawn and Joe jumped back into the notifications.
Achievement Unlocked! Rampage! Kill 10 or more enemies without blocking or dodging! Rewards Unlocked! You and your companion gain +2 Strength, +2 Constitution. Exp earned, 10,000 (Banked). Gold earned 5,000.
Achievement Unlocked! Can’t Touch This! Kill 10 or more enemies in combat without taking damage! Rewards Unlocked! You and your companion gain, +2 Agility, +2 Luck. Exp earned, 10,000 (Banked). Gold earned 5,000.
Achievement Unlocked! Brawler! Defeat a monster of higher level than you only using hand-to-hand! Rewards Unlocked! You and your companion gain, +2 Strength and +2 Agility. Exp earned, 10,000 (Banked). Gold earned 5,000.
Achievement Unlocked! Paid in Blood! Kill a Boss monster by causing it to bleed to death! Rewards Unlocked! You and your companion gain +2 Constitution and +2 Willpower. Exp earned, 10,000 (Banked). Gold earned 5,000.
Achievement Unlocked! Delver! Complete your first Dungeon! Rewards Unlocked! You and your companion gain, +2 Constitution and +2 Willpower. Exp earned, 10,000 (Banked). Gold earned 5,000.
Achievement Unlocked! Dungeon Master! Complete a Dungeon solo! Rewards Unlocked! You and your companion gain, +2 Constitution, +2 Perception and +2 Intelligence. Exp earned, 15,000 (Banked). Gold earned 5,000.
Title Unlocked! Goblin Slayer! This title is bestowed upon you for your ability to slash, smash, stomp, rend and rapidly disembowel over 100 goblins in a single encounter. If goblins had children, you would be their Boogie-Man! Rewards Unlocked! You and your companion gain, +2 Strength, +2 Constitution, +10% damage to goblins and +10% damage resistance from damage by goblins. Exp earned, 30,000 (Banked). Gold earned 8,000.
Congratulations! You have earned the skill, Spear Tier 1.
Congratulations! You have earned the skill, 1 Handed Sword Tier 1.
Congratulations! You have earned the skill, 1 Handed Axe Tier 1.
Congratulations! You have earned the skill, Dual Wield Tier 1.
Wow, that is a massive amount of information. Joe closed the notices and sat thoughtful for a moment, then he asked, “Why did you do it?” He looked at Bixby, trying to catch his eye. “We had a clear shot out of here. A few Blink Steps and we’d have been gone.” Bixby stopped his ministrations and cocked his head. Then he did something Joe had never seen him do. He sighed. And not the typical sigh of a dog wanting attention, but a human sigh. His shoulders sagged a bit, and he got a sort of sad look and walked over to Joe. Bixby sat directly in front of Joe, looked him in the eye and then tapped Joe’s shoulder with his paw. The same spot the first goblin stabbed him. Then Bixby nudged Joe’s right arm.
Shocked, Joe looked at his arm then back at Bixby. “Wait. Was this like, revenge or something for those first goblins attacking me?
Bixby surprised Joe again by nodding his head up and down. Joe’s jaw fell open while Bixby just sat there watching him.
“You can understand me?
Bixby nodded again.
“You know English? I mean, you can understand English?”
Bixby sighed and nodded yes.
Joe exploded, “Since freaking when?! Like always? Or recently?” Joe grabbed Bixby’s face and looked directly in his eyes, “Can you talk?” Joe’s face was slightly manic.
Bixby pulled himself from Joe’s grip and shook his head no, but the surprises weren’t done. Unbidden, Bixby’s status screen appeared in front of Joe.
Stunned, Joe looked at the screen, “What the hell? Did you just do that?” On the screen, Bixby’s race was highlighted, and it said, Sapient Canine. “Holee fuck!” Joe exclaimed as he stared at the words. He closed the screen, “You were an Evolved Canine before. Are you telling me that your race got upgraded? I never saw a notification. Shouldn’t I have gotten a notification?” Joe sat silent for a few more minutes and finally said, “Bix, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to be rude, but this,” he gestured at their surroundings, “is just a lot to deal with. And to be fair, I did warn you that any kind of Scooby Doo shit would probably freak me out.” He rubbed his face and then instantly regretted it as he smeared muck and blood all over, which caused him to spit again. “Gak! Aw, man, that is nasty with a capital nasty!”
Bixby looked on amused, his tail wagging.
Joe and Bixby sat there among the dead goblins for a while, both silent, but staring at each other. Finally, Joe said, “Well…” He took in the battle ground with a glance, “we can’t stay here. In fact, you couldn’t pay me to stay here.” He got to his feet and Bixby followed suit. Joe began searching for his axe and knife, but a nudge from Bixby got his attention.
Bixby walked over to the goblin chieftain and nudged its body with a paw. Joe stepped over, “What? Its dead.”
Bixby cocked his head at Joe and shot him an exasperated look and then tapped the body again.
“I don’t know what you want me to do.”
Bixby snorted in frustration and placed his paw directly on the fallen goblin, then Joe’s Inventory screen popped up. There were two new slots filled. “Oh. You wanted me to loot it? Like the gryphon?” Bixby nodded yes. “Well, why didn’t you just say so?” Joe pointed at Bixby then got a grin on his face, “Ha! Cause you can’t talk!”
Bixby rolled his eyes and walked away.
“What? C’mon, that was funny.” Joe held his hands up in mock surrender, but then inspected the items.
Urchak’s Sword of Worship
The sword of Urchak the Goblin Chieftain is a magnificent piece of art. At least, if you are a goblin. Upon being damaged by this sword of state, opponents will void their bowels and take 200 damage. It is every goblin’s dream to be struck by this masterpiece of goblin art.
“Uh.” Joe stood looking a bit green. “That is massively wrong and gross.” He called over to Bixby, “Hey, Bix. Thanks for grabbing this for me, now I have a Sword of Poopin’.” Joe shivered and thought, I am positive that was never in a Dungeons and Dragons game. He left it in his inventory and checked out the other item.
Pot of Spiders
A clay pot filled with poisonous spiders! Ew!
“What is wrong with this System? Seriously?” Even though it made him cringe, he kept it in his inventory. He was about to close his screen, when he noticed the amount of gold in his inventory changed as well as the number of goblin daggers in their slot. Sixty-seven thousand gold and change! He looked at Bixby and noticed that he was going to each goblin and placing a foot on their body or nudging them with his nose. And every time, his gold would change, and he claimed another poisoned dagger. “Dude! Are you looting the bodies?” He looked incredulously at Bixby, “How are you better at all this than I am?” Deciding that more loot is better than none, Joe went around looting the dead goblins. At first, he bent down and touched a body part, but he soon realized that all he had to do was tap a body with his foot and he could still loot the corpse.
It took the pair almost an hour to loot all the goblins. Joe found his axe and bowie knife during that time, but the spear was a lost cause as was his broken machete. Taking a last look around, Joe called out, “Bix! I think it’s time to go. I’m pretty sure this place has given me the mange or some nasty disease by now.” Joe looked but did not see Bixby. “Bix?” He began walking through the small village until he came back to where the chieftain lay dead and saw Bixby standing in the entry of the tunnel the large goblin had come out of. Bixby wagged his tail and took a few steps towards the cave. “Aw, man. Really? Can’t we be done with this place?” Joe dramatically hung his head and slumped his shoulders, “Dude. The things I put up with.” Bixby answered by walking into the dark tunnel.
Joe jogged to catch up with his companion, “Hold up, man. Don’t go in alone.” Joe caught up to Bixby and the two followed the cave as it twisted and turned for more than a hundred feet and then ended in a small chamber lit with a few candles. It smelled like a charnel house and Joe felt bile threatening to spill from his mouth. A cursory look showcased a living space with a bed or maybe nest was a more appropriate term, at least it was a sleeping area with hides and furs. There was the ever-present offal, muck, and bones strewn everywhere, but the dominating item was a chest. It was the same mahogany and brass chest that he had found in the keep, but this one has a green gemstone instead of a purple one. “Oh.” Joe said a bit under his breath. “I guess every dungeon needs a treasure.” He made his way to the chest and added, “Maybe we put you in charge? You are way better at this than I am for sure. I never would have thought of this.”
Joe knelt next to the chest and grabbed the padlock. A quick thought and the chest was looted. “All right, what did we get?” Joe immediately went to the slot with a book in it.
Spell Tome: Mantle of the Mountain Guardian
Protective power radiates from you in an aura with a 30-foot radius. Until the spell ends, the aura moves with you, centered on you. While in the aura, each non-hostile creature in the aura (including you) gains an extra 200 points of armor. Only one mantle spell may be active at a time. Initial Mana cost is 100 points for five minutes. Mana cost 20 points per each additional minute beyond the initial five.
Idol of Urchak
This small stone idol resembles a large goblin with shark teeth. Glory to Urchak the Defiler! This idol may be buried or placed in a cave to create a Level 3 Goblin Dungeon.
Magical Component: Black Fangs of the Spider Queen
These two gigantic fangs looted from a cave spider queen are rare components sought after by alchemists and enchanters alike.
Joe immediately opened the spell book, and the same strange liquid script met his eyes for a brief moment along with the tingling in the back of his mind and the book disappeared.
Congratulations! You have learned the spell, Mantle of the Mountain Guardian. Exp earned, 3,000 (Banked).
“Who in their right mind would want to create a goblin dungeon?” Joe shook his head. “Bix, the world is insane.” He stood up and rolled his head back and forth to let out some tension. “Now can we get the hell out of here?” Bixby bobbed his head and headed for the exit.