Chapter 25: Goblins
While Cyan was thinking what he should be doing now something interrupted his view as a blue window appeared in front of him.
Lv.?? Goblin Hunter (Kergan)
[HP]: ---/---
[MP]: --/--
[SP]: --/--
A Goblin which specialty is tracking down a target or detecting hidden traps, they are very agile and their senses are better than the rest, they use knifes and bows, or anything that can be thrown.
Skills:
[Trace (active)]: After marking a target you can spot its tracks more easily.
[Cooperation (passive)]: You know how to cooperate better with people that has the same skill.
Lv.?? Goblin Soldier (Kertan)
[HP]: ---/---
[MP]: --/--
[SP]: --/--
A Goblin which specialty is fighting, they are stronger than the rest but move slower, nevertheless they know how to take a punch, they use a short sword and a small shield.
Skills:
[Cutting swing (active)]: A very fast swing made with a sword.
[Cooperation (passive)]: You know how to cooperate better with people that has the same skill.
Lv.?? Goblin Lookout (Keltan)
[HP]: ---/---
[MP]: --/--
[SP]: --/--
Not all Goblins fight in the front, some of them stay in the rear where they stay as a lookout for hidden dangers or ambushes, they mostly use crossbows and spears.
Skills:
[Enhanced hearing (active)]: Improves your hearing when.
[Enhanced eyes (active)]: Improves your vision over long distances.
[Night vision (active)]: A rare skill that allows you to see in the dark.
[Cooperation (passive)]: You know how to cooperate better with people that has the same skill.
Cyan could felt his sense of danger instantly activating and warning him that he was obviously in danger, of course, he doesn't need to be a genius to know what the action of pulling out a weapon means, they were enemy’s, or soon to become one.
Looking over the blue window’s Cyan notice now he could see a lot more information than when he was fighting against the horned boar, nevertheless he could not help to ask himself what has change since then.
Was the boar too high level for him to see anything? or it was because he level up after killing the boar? In Cyan mind he could only once again curse this broken System, he could not even see the level of a goblin, and what’s more, when you level up shouldn’t your HP, MP and SP be replenish?
After he killed the boar he felt nothing different, nothing had change inside him, no, wait he did felt something different alright, he felt huge amounts of pain in his entire body, like his broken arms, he felt so tired that staying awake was only due the adrenaline in his body was still there, forcing him to stay awake as he felt his heart pumping it to all of his body, and above all, he felt dizziness because his lack of mana, this was something he had experience before when he used his armor for the first time, so he was sure this was the reason.
Now he has to deal with more problems in his current state? Cyan could only curse his luck, to land in such disadvantage position, nevertheless Cyan knew that, luck has nothing to do with it, not thinking of the consequences of his own actions and his inexperience has led to this.
‘I had never tested this System before, but to have levels and not being useful at all when I need it the most, what it is the point of having levels then, sigh’ Cyan could only sighed to the lack of utility that this blue windows has, nevertheless, they were not pointless. Blaming the System for not giving him more support and relying completely on it was something stupid to do any way.
Nevertheless, these blue windows help Cyan enough to not be completely ignorant about the goblins, and their skills, those goblins have professions as well as names, together with their looks it was obvious to him that they were not mindless monsters.
This was totally different from what you would expect from the pictured goblins Cyan has in his mind, mindless creatures, savages that will attack you on sight, even if the goblins eyes were filled with killing intend and Cyan was to all intents and purposes a disable kid right now for all of them to see, they did not rushed to finish him off, no, they still were weary of the surroundings, checking for any trap, while their lookup check for more “company”, in other words checking if Cyan was all alone.
This was the biggest piece of information the blue windows had gave Cyan, these goblins coordination was so good that it has even become a skill, Cyan put no doubt in the power of a skill has, an a skill was something too powerful to take it lightly, his two broken arms were testimony of the power of a ‘simple’ stupidly named skill, even after drinking a lower health potion most of his bleedings had stopped, but his right arm was still broken in multiple places, almost twisted in a weird angle, rendering it useless for the next ten minutes or so, until the potion could heal it, and even his left arm was being healed faster than his right arm and it was capable of holding a weapon now, at most Cyan could only use to put a defense as he was right handed.
Now Cyan was standing in a crucial situation were having his dominant arm broken, will play a huge role in the end, and the skills the goblins had was something he should be very weary of, maybe he was overestimating the power of all the skills, but with no other information what so ever about the power a skill holds, he could only fear them, this is why the blue windows hold such importance to him right now, it was shining a light to Cyan own ignorance, now he was very thankful to have at least those descriptions.
He could only feel fear, as he remember how the boar activated a bunch of skills that he did not knew nothing about, that make the boar behaved like a huge moving fortress, even with his speed, Cyan was powerless against the boar in the end, if not for the twin spear his master has gave him, the end result would be very different.
Cyan could only tremble as he thought the possibility to fight something like that again in the blind and without a weapon that could hurt it, the monster king smiling face flashed in front of him before disappearing again leaving shaken Cyan. Without knowing what amazing skills were out there, his reckless act of attacking that horned boar look amazingly stupid now.
Nevertheless, in Cyan eyes was reflected the will to life, ‘what if the goblins know how to fight, in groups and they can coordinate well and also…’ Cyan thought, as he felt the minor health potion curing his wounds, slowly but surely, his broken body was being put back in place, he only needs more time, ‘giving up now is the same as wasting all the effort and hopes my Master has put on me’ Cyan has never forgotten what his mission was.
In the other hand, for the goblins, even if this human kid has killed that huge horned boar that the three of them could never kill without hundred of goblins and a lot of sacrifices, they were fast to past judgment that this human kid, that was oozing with blood, that looked very tired and weak after a drawn-out battle, shouldn’t be in any position to fight back, this was their golden chance.
The obvious choice was to seize the boar body from the human kid now and take it for themselves, no, not just for themselves but for their entire tribe, after all, the food in this forest it was something you always had to fight for.
If they had knew from the beginning that this human kid was behind those bushes they could had put a better plan, rather than just walking right in front of it, but what it is done is done, there is no need to regret the past, they only need to look at the bright future, the tasty tasty future, were they would be able to finally eat meat after a long time.
Cyan looked around him for a weapon it obvious that the spear that was in the head of the board could not be pull out and be of any use now, not the mention the silver spear that has flied to who knows where after the violent struggles of the horned boar.
Nevertheless Cyan was not weaponless, to the boar, any other weapon other than those two spears would had being truly ineffective, but for the goblins the history changes, before he could put out another weapon from his inventory bag, the goblin soldier that is seems to be the leader of the group started to talk to him in an unknown language, nevertheless Cyan still understood it.
[Kertan (Goblin Soldier)]: “Kid if you want to keep your life, leave the boar body here and leave or else, we will fight you for it”
Cyan arranged his body in a defensive position.
Being against three Cyan was in obvious disadvantage, and the goblins had slowly surrounded him, one in the front, one to the back, and the other to the side that was looking over the surroundings, this encirclement has cut all Cyan escape routes as the boar body was to the other side.
It was not long before he realized what the third goblin was doing, he was the lookout... those goblins were not stupid at all, even if Cyan was alone, they never let their guard down, even if they gave him the chance to walk away, they still prepared themselves to fight him over the boar body in case Cyan refused to leave.
Even if Cyan looked very tire, they did not rushed, in the end their assumption proof to be right, after that seamlessly defenseless human kid took out with his left hand, a short sword that was being hidden in his clothes, even defenseless at first sight, it could still be dangerous for them to blindly charge, and above all, maybe they can even avoid all confrontation, smart goblins get to live longer and always get more food at the end of the day after all.
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From the goblin soldier point of view, that sword has almost appeared from thin air, nevertheless this was not important matter right now, as the goblins did not panic after Cyan took out the sword with his left hand, they took this as the answer of the human.
If they human kid wants to fight, then there still can be more hidden traps around, Kertan gave a signal to Keltan and Kergan, ‘look out for hidden traps, if the human tries to flee let it, and… don’t die’.
The other two goblins nodded, as they started to do their task, without engaging in a fight.
In the other hand, Cyan has started to understand how things worked around here, even goblins were not savaged creatures, and food was indeed so sparse that even the weakest of races would fight you to death for it.
Nevertheless even if he was in a huge disadvantageous position right now, how can Cyan give up the food he has fought so hard to get?, he almost lost his right hand and his life for it, on top of that, how can he be sure that the goblins will keep their word and let him leave.
Cyan could only grit his teeth as he make out his mind to keep fighting for what was his, if he stepped back now, then everything time he is in disadvantage would he just flee? What about the next time? And then then next time after that?
Nevertheless, the caution of the goblins has come out with a price, it has gave Cyan the time he needed for the health potion to take most of its effect, nevertheless his right arm was still broken, Cyan was doubting that it would be healed if he did not took another potion now, but he was not in any position for taking out another potion, let alone having the time to drinking it.
To the goblins the fight has already started, Cyan act of taking out a weapon was all they need it as Keltan the lookup, started to give out signals to the other two that, there was no one around and the human kid was all alone, then, kergan the hunter, started also to give out signals that there were not any hidden traps around.
Kertan the soldier, gave them the signal, he would start attacking, then Kergan needs to do a follow up attack with his bow, while Keltan will keep watching over the surroundings and intervened in the fight if needed.
The three goblins nodded, a plan was form, and everyone knew what to do.
Cyan has watched over the goblins signaling each other, but he could not do something about it nor he could understand what they were saying now, it seems his all [understand] skill don’t work with signals.
his position did not allow him to take the offensive, nor did he was very clear idea in what he should be doing right now, as he was thinking what to do, Kertan charged right in from the front, at the same moment Kergan in the back was getting ready to attack with his bow and arrow, the goblin soldier attack in the front was just a part of a distraction.
Cyan was looking at the goblin soldier charging at him from the front, when he felt a sense of danger coming from his back, as he moved to dodge, an arrow that was coming right to his heart was avoided, unlike Cyan, Kergan knew very well where the human heart was located, and his aim was very accurate.
Cold sweep dripped down from Cyan forehead, that arrow that was aimed to his hearth, and if not for his passive skill that was warning him about every possible danger he could never had avoid it, Cyan started to understand the difficulty of his situation.
Right now, Cyan did not have any mana on him, so using his mana armor was out of the question, he only managed to drink one minor health potion, and his right arm was still broken as he was holding the sword with his left hand that was not his dominant one.
He has managed to take out the sword without alerting the goblins he has an inventory bag with him, this was also something he could not expose so easily, he could not just take out a mana potion if the possibility of this goblins escaping with the information existed.
A dread feeling as cover all Cyan body as he felt his body becoming more heavier, while he keep parring the sword slash of the goblin soldier, and from time to time an arrow would fly by, disrupting his rhythm every time not allowing him to press the soldier goblins not recover his breath.
Even if his wounds were being healed by the health potion slowly, this did not recovered his depleted stamina that was at the near bottom after his fight against the boar, just as he was thinking how to overcome this situation…
Cyan parry another sword slash from the goblin soldier, as he felt his sense of danger warning him about the incoming arrow, but Cyan could not dodged it in time, he could only scream in pain as an arrow dig into his right leg, as he make it his way to the front of the of the body of the boar.
[Cyan]: “dammit”
Cyan could only curse his luck, it was the only thing Cyan could said, to think he would be killed by goblins after he fought a boss.
Recovering somewhat from his wounds before the goblins had shown up was one thing, but if he only just had took out a mana potion back then too, when he had the chance, nothing of this would be happening.
Even if Cyan did not had any experience fighting over a group that was this well organized, with his mana armor he would immune to arrows, not that he needed to take any arrow anyway, because he would too fast for a simple arrow to hit him, Cyan realized how op that mana armor was, and how op the speed it gave him it was, and how stupid he was for not saving some of his mana.
Now those goblins were closing in on him, there was no other choice, he has to take a mana potion exposing his inventory bag at the same time, he was sure that after taking his sword out he had generate some doubts in the goblins, they were not that stupid after all.
If he took another item out, his inventory bag would be exposed too, the clothes Cyan was wearing did not help him to hide the existence of the inventory bag another huge mistake, who knew what would happen if word got out. He has to wipe out this three goblins so the secret die with them but this was not something easy to do even with his mana armor.
After all the sword the goblin soldier was using was not broken piece of rusted iron, no, it was a well-oiled sword that has being well maintained by an knowledge person, the goblin hunter has a well-crafted bow that was very accurate over short distances and clothes of the three goblins were made of leather that even if a little crude it was made to fit their small sized body, it was protecting their body and it was light enough so their thin bodies could carry it around and move without a problem for long times.
Even in this forest the weakest of creatures was a well prepared race that was ready for combat, and were not mindless minions that would rush to their death, if the goblins flee there would traps waiting for him around the corner.
But this was all self-delusions, after Cyan took the mana potion will he be allowed to drink it? If he drink it will the goblin keep fighting him or would they flee in that same instant? Would they gave him the time? Cyan thought he could turn around the situation but the more he parry that goblin sword and the more his sense of danger warned him about the incoming arrow he realized he was very mistaken.
Cyan future was getting darker and darker, but how can he give up now.
Even if Cyan has never fight for his life ever, his instincts were acting up, his will to survival mixed with the adrenaline that was still filling his body after the fight again the board, as Cyan started to look a weak spot for the goblin formation.
After parrying another slash of the goblin soldier with great difficulty because of his injure leg , Cyan felt his body growing tired, he had been running behind Arlom for hours to reach here and then he has use all his strength against the fight the horned wild boar, his stamina was almost run out as his legs were giving up in him right now.
He needs to take them out fast but it doesn't look that he could do that, they were well prepared, and were fighting with a calm face, tiring Cyan so he could not put any resistance in the end.
Cyan could only let out a sigh, these goblins were smarter than he thought they would be, he was underestimating this forest, and even the weakest of the races could kill him.
Nevertheless, Cyan has found out a mistake in their formation, their lookout, it needs to be aware of their surrounding more than the battle itself and Cyan could use that to break their formation.
After dragging his body in front of the boar, Cyan touched the spear that was half burry in the head of the boar.
“So that’s is where you are”
A devil smile appeared in Cyan face, as the goblins felt the pressure coming from the human kid now, they too can feel danger.
The goblin soldier gave up a signal to the other two. “no good, retreat”.
But it was too late, a golden spear as fly out from the trees and landed in front of the human, that spear gave a huge oppression aura, before that spear in the boar was normal, just a lump of silver metal, but when the human touch it, it change, the goblin could only feel fear as their body froze.
This effect has also affect the horned boar, but the boar managed to overcome it and fight it back, but for the weak goblins it was like someone was squeezing their hearts, only the solder goblin kertan was able to move a little.
Cyan did knew the silver spear has such effect in the goblins, he did not felt anything different after all, he only care about was that, after touching the silver spear a thread of mana was passed from the spear to his body, but this was not enough to activated his mana armor, not that he planned to used it any way.
Before the goblins could recover, Cyan grabbed sun, the golden spear that has come back to him after holding moon, focusing what was left of his mana in his body, Cyan did what he had seen his master do the most, he threw the golden spear with all his remaining strength to the lookout.
After being imbue in mana the spear was very fast, silent and deathly, the other two goblins let out a shirk to try to alert their lookout but, they were too late, the lookout has taken away his sight of the fight and after that it was froze by the silver spear pressure.
In that gap of time Cyan has thrown out the golden spear at him, turning around the golden spear penetrate his chest going right through it, nailing him in a nearby tree, if the spear could hurt the tick hide of the horned wild boar, it would be more than enough to kill a goblin.
The lookout die on the spot with a spear in his chest, as Cyan took this chance that the other two goblin were not paying attention to him as he took out another minor health potion drink it, the arrow was still in his leg but he could not anything about that now, he was thinking to take out a mana potion but before he could do it.
The two goblin grew bloodshed eyes, one of their kind was killed, it was too fast, they did not it see it coming, once again they were remainder to no lower their guard even against the weakest or smallest of opponents, now one of them was death, revenge, vengeance, to kill the one that had killed one of their own kind.
The two goblin looked each other and nodded and... they flee, as fast as they could and as far as the could, they have lost their lookout, and the human was putting his life to fight until his last breath against them, and that spear aura was not something they could fight. Even if they try, the human may take down one of them before dying himself with another unknown trick, the choice was no brainer.
In their tribe each goblin life counts, don’t waste your life’s, goblins are so few in this forest that each time a goblin dies, the whole tribe will mourn it, staying and dyeing was stupid, no they will go and look for reinforcement, then they will come back with a lot of numbers and take the board body and take vengeance on his fallen comrade
The food was still important, that small human should not be able to take that huge body with him, it was stupid for them to engaged in a fight in the first place, they were blinded, once again they remember, the words of their elder, the wises goblin they ever had “think”, it was the most powerful gift for the goblins.
The two goblins flee in different directions so, if human gave them chance, at least one of them would have more chances to escape and alert their tribe and look for reinforces.
Cyan was left stunned on the spot, the action of the goblins had let him speech less, should not the goblins be stupid and mindless race, this was... what was that, they run away.
Nevertheless Cyan drop to the ground, losing all the strength on his body, letting out a sigh, with wave of his hand he took a blue pill for his inventory and a green one, this were the items that Arlom had gave him in case of problems, it seems Arlom was planning for this more than it looks, after taking the potions and drinking it, he felt his strength coming back to him as well as his mana, the pills of Arlom were truly magnificent.
'Now what I should do, sigh'
His master was gone, and now he has to take the body of the board by himself back to the cave, he was glad that he could remember the oath to remember the path back to the cave but, letting out a sigh, put his hand over the arrow as he pull it out, Cyan almost fainted but the health potion closed the wound very fast.
Cyan stoop up and went next to the body of the boar, then he looked at the dead goblin that was still nailed to a tree, he has watched the other goblins flee and his sense of danger has finally stopped sending him signals.
Letting another sigh Cyan asked mana for her help once again....