Goblin Hunting

The scenery warped around them. The sun vanished giving way to the night sky, the small pond became a murky swamp, even the stone bridge they stood on seemed worn and eroded.

“I did it! I really pulled it off, Jasmine!” John shouted with glee because of his successful skill creation. Most of his attention was on his pop-up, he didn’t even register the extent of the changes around him.

Jasmine forcefully covered his mouth with her left hand as a deep purple dagger appeared in her right. “John, stay calm and keep quiet. Do your best not to make any sudden moves.” Her voice was barely above a whisper as she spoke. She nodded toward her right to draw his attention in the direction.

Realization set in as he noticed the changes to the tranquil park. At first, it looked like she was pointing at the nearby collapsed tree, but he saw a glow on the edge of the treeline. “GBLNS!” A muffled shout came when he saw six green humanoid creatures. Luckily Jasmine’s hand was still firmly covering his mouth.

‘Goblins!’ Only that singular word could describe the creatures. They sat around a makeshift fire, engrossed in devouring chunks of meat from what looked to be some form of large cat.

“John, try to use your skill and leave the barrier.”

The menu opened at his request. After calmly navigating his menu, he clicked on the skill, only to receive another window.

Exit Barrier Attempt Failed
All hostiles must submit or be eliminated to leave the barrier.

Before he could say anything, Jasmine responded to the window, “Shit, seems like we’ll need to kill our way out of here.”

“How am I supposed to fight those monsters?” John asked nervously. “I barely survived a run in with rabbits. Those goblins look way more intimidating than a weak rabbit.”

“Don’t worry, goblins are very weak, their biggest strength is numbers. Weak enemies like goblins are perfect for combat training. I guess I should teach you some basic combat spells.”

His gaze locked onto the blade in her hands, and he took a few breaths to calm his nerves before asking, “Are you going to teach me how to make a shadow blade like yours or maybe something that’ll let me hurl lightning?” His voice was low but full of excitement.

The reporter lightly chuckled at his question. “Nothing as advanced as elemental magic yet. You’re gonna need that knife you found earlier, so get it out.”

John pulled the Wabbit Knife from his inventory and Observed it.

’Plus eight AGI could really come in handy,’ he mused to himself. The weapon looked just as ridiculous as when he found it; the blade was identical to the rabbit’s buck teeth but slightly elongated.

“First I’ll teach you the most basic of offensive spells: Mana Bolt. The really good part is you already know most of the process. Try drawing the magic to your hand again, then launch a small portion of your mana as a tiny projectile. Just like any beginner mage in a game.” She released her own small blue orb in the opposite direction of the goblins, where it struck an old log, searing a small hole into it. “Now you try.”

The Gamer gathered a small portion of his mana in his hand, like he’d done a few minutes prior. He imagined the small orb Jasmine tossed forming toward the tip of his fingers. A blue glow illuminated the front of his right hand.

New Skill unlocked: Mana Bolt Lvl 1
Create a projectile out of your mana dealing 1 point of damage per MP used.
Cost from 1 up to 5 MP

He launched the orb toward the log where it struck the same spot as Jasmine’s bolt. “Congrats, John. That’ll let you attack from a distance and suppress some of the enemies. You need another skill that works at close range to conserve your limited mana pool. Pretty much the same process as the other 2 spells. This time extend your mana to the knife in your hand and picture it as a film wrapped around your weapon.”

New Skill unlocked: Arcane Strengthening Lvl 1
Apply mana to a weapon and increase its basic characteristics for 10 strikes.
This skill can only be applied to a weapon of up to rare rarity or lower.
Cost 15 MP

Quickly getting used to basic mana manipulation, John finished the spell almost immediately. “These are some useful tools, but how well will this work on those monsters?”

“That spell raised your blade’s ability to cut; goblins already have frail bodies. It should be easy to chop off a limb. Aim to disable by removing one of their extremities, or go straight for the kill by slicing their neck.” She emphasized the neck by tapping the dull side of her dagger against his. “This isn’t a game; you may have a body that recovers all wounds, but they don’t. If they lose a limb, it’ll drastically affect them.”

“When you put it like that, it seems like we should be able to dispatch them without breaking a sweat.” A light chuckle accompanied his response.

“Good, glad you understand.” A mischievous smile spread across her face. “Just one small detail: it’s not we but you. If I fight, they will be dead before you get into striking distance, so I’ll just watch and ensure you don’t die. I want you to engage those goblins by yourself; they should be easy kills for you.”

“What?” He just barely prevented himself from shouting. “You want me to fight those things alone. What if I mess up? They’ll kill me.”

“I won’t let you die, John. You need combat experience and weaklings like them are great fodder. If you are in any danger, I will intervene, but you need to face problems head on if you want to be able to help Meadow,” she reassured him, while mentioning his glaring weakness.

“Mentioning Meadow was a low blow, but you made your point. Can you give me any more tips on how to fight them?” A hint of sadness was in his voice as he spoke.

“No problem.” A grin still plastered on her face, she erased the distance between them for the umpteenth time. “When you approach them, you should try to blind as many as you can by aiming Mana Bolts at their eyes.” Her empty hand playfully covered his eyes for a moment. “For your first fight you should activate your Steel Skin ability when you get near them.” Her hand drifted down his face and chest, finally resting on his crotch. “To add an extra layer of protection to what’s most important to you. In the midst of the chaos, try for a kill shot on whichever goblin is nearest. With that, you should be able to fluster the remaining ones and take them out swiftly.”

Once again John found himself blushing deeply at the woman’s aggressive actions. He stumbled away from her, and took a second to relax. The tension in his body eased as he addressed her. “Please, take this more seriously, Jasmine. I’m nervous enough as it is.”

“I am mostly taking this seriously, haven’t you noticed that helped to curb your fear a bit? I was only trying to help.” That childish grin was still plastered on her face.

“Thanks for that, but I’m sure there was a way that didn’t involve me getting groped,” he said as he crouched down and began to slowly walk, his knife ready in his right hand and a Mana Bolt in his left.

Jasmine followed behind him in a casual stroll. He could barely see the woman. Her body seemed to be a gliding shadow. “Keeping a level head should be your number one focus. As long as you don’t panic, these should be easy kills. Also, try to keep moving as much as possible. Your speed should be superior to theirs by a decent margin; when fighting numbers you need to use every advantage you have to keep the fight in your favor.”

His silent approach got him within twenty feet of the feasting goblins before one of them looked over and noticed him. It made some grunting sounds that he guessed was their language, and the other five turned toward him. They all charged at him in a haphazard way.

‘Remain calm. Remain calm.’ This mantra repeated in his head as he threw his first mana bolt at the closest creature. He’d fully charged the spell with 5 MP. The blue orb struck one of the approaching goblin’s in the face, ripping it’s right eye out of the socket. The creature collapsed while grasping its eye. One of its brethren stumbled over the injured goblin. He launched a volley of uncharged Mana Bolts at the rushing goblins.

Knife at the ready he activated Steel Skin. The uninterrupted goblins wildly lunged at him with no real cohesion. Another Mana Bolt was sent at one on his left, while retreating in that same direction to avoid the other goblins. It squealed in pain from the attack that landed square on its chest. Red blood splattered out of its wound, covering John’s shirt. At the same time its attack connected with John’s shoulder dealing 3 DMG. The Gamer retaliated on the injured goblin by decapitating it with the ease of cutting butter, gaining him 22 exp. The collapsing headless body caused him to feel nauseous and dry heave for a second. ‘Keep calm, John, this is no time for you to be focused on how gross this is.’

The three goblins still on his right recklessly slashed at him. The two that fell at the beginning of the engagement began rushing over as well; the injured monster grasping its eye was the furthest away. Four hits connected with John because of his momentary pause, dealing another 12 DMG. His focus regained, the Wabbit Knife found its targets; some crude attacks lopped off a leg and a knife wielding wrist. An upwards slash to an enemy armpit was angled perfectly to not only chop off an arm but the head as well. Missing a hand, one of the goblins still lunged at him. The Gamer dodged to the right and evaded its bloody stump, quickly retaliating with a slash to its throat. It fell to the ground while squirming and grasping its bleeding neck.

The last healthy goblin tried to stab his abdomen, but John narrowly avoided the attack. He sent a bolt of mana at it and followed up with two quick slashes to kill it. The remaining two goblins were no match for him. One missing a leg, the other partially blind and disoriented, he was able to dispatch them with ease.

“Oh my god! Jasmine, did you see that, I did it? I can’t believe how easy that was. The knife cut those goblins with almost no resistance,” he cheered as he walked over to the bodies of the goblins that were in the process of dissolving into dust. The only proof of their existence were their makeshift knives and a few neat stacks of money. “Do you think these knives are worth anything?” The weapon looked like a shiv from a movie scene in a prison. He leaned against a tree as his adrenaline waned.

“Nah, those are junk,” the woman responded leaning against a nearby stump, another cigarette in hand. “Was a decent fight for a newbie, just don’t let it get to your head. Goblins are easy prey.”