The Challenge

John looked away from the Observe screen back to the wolf-like monster before him. It remained eerily still and John’s eyes flicked to the matronly goblin that summoned it. The old crone’s face remained scrunched in focus as she muttered something under her breath.

‘Guess she’s keeping it on a leash until we actually start fighting,’ John reasoned, his attention going back to the conjured beast. ‘Level twelve and magic resistance is not good for me. Of course this would happen right after I upped my magic stats over my physical.’

A cough caused John to turn his attention to the lead elder. The still formidable goblin looked at him with disdain then said something to Teri, his tone impatient.

“The elder asked if you’re ready,” Teri translated, though John got the feeling that the elder’s words were far less polite.

“Ready as I’ll ever be,” John answered, summoning his greatsword and slipping into a combat stance.

Teri relayed his words and the lead elder gave what John assumed was a command to his summoner compatriot. She gave a nearly imperceptible nod and the barghest twitched to life, immediately lunging towards John.

John dived to the side, the distance between them giving him enough time to evade, the beast’s claws just missing the hem of his coat. The barghest quickly pivoted and attacked again, this time leaping high, its bat-like maw opened wide. John braced himself and swung his blade to meet the beast mid jump.

John’s upward swing struck the barghest in the throat, the momentum of his attack just enough to prevent the beast from crashing on top of him. It hit the ground slightly off center, its full weight landing on its right arm, though it quickly fixed its footing. Unfazed by the hard landing, it continued its attack, swinging at a retreating John with wide swipes of its claws.

‘Crap,’ John thought as he kept falling back. ‘I don’t think I did any real damage to it. I think I have to at least try the magic route.’

John cast Fiery Pursuit, the ball of fire manifesting beside him. John waited until the barghest attack with its right arm to launch the fireball at it, hoping he could take the limb out of action.

The attack struck the beast’s forearm and exploded with a loud roar. John slowed his retreat slightly, ready to reverse course if his attacker was ****, but the resulting screen of fire was parted by an unimpeded and apparently uninjured barghest. The beast took advantage of John’s slight reduction in speed and pounced on him, its full weight pushing John to the ground.

-17HP

The barghest pinned John’s right arm and legs, its free arm held high to swing down and tear into him. John tried to wrestle his weapon arm free, though some part of him knew even if he could attack, his prone position left him in a poor spot to bring the heavy weapon to bear against the barghest. Switching tactics, John swapped the sword for Senka, willing the knife into his left hand, accompanied by the usual sensation of her spirit.

John stabbed the small blade into the barghest’s flank as it brought its arm down, the sharp point sinking several centimeters into the beast’s flesh. It let out a snarl of pain and flinched away from the attack reflexively, escaping Senka’s bite, but letting John scramble to his feet.

John eyed the wounded beast, then the wet portion of Senka’s blade.

‘I only just was able to wound it,’ John thought as the barghest began to circle him, evidently now considering a threat that needed a proper opening to attack. ‘I’m not strong enough to beat it physically and it counters my main damage dealer. That’s probably why the head dick picked me over Mason. He figured I couldn’t compete physically and must fight more with magic. Is there anything I can do here?’

John’s mind raced as he and the barghest continued their standoff.

‘The goggles probably won’t do much more than the glove,’ John reasoned. ‘And I don’t know if a Blaze Shard could get stuck in its hide enough to do lingering damage or if detonating would do enough damage. Same problem with Shadow Snare, plus even if I could tie it up, I still don’t have enough raw power to really damage it.’

John’s eyes widened as he recalled an Evocation he hadn’t used yet and with a simple thought brought up the greatsword’s info.

‘That’s a thirty percent boost to Strength,’ John quickly calculated. ‘That could give me the edge. That’s like putting most of a level up into Strength. But is that going to be enough?’

John’s steps brought him in line with Mason and Teri, the goblin girl looking nervously on, her arms tightly crossed under her breasts while Mason looked ready to jump in, consequences be damned, the wisps of his spirits flickering in and out of view.

‘Spirit,’ John thought, his mind actually aware of the wind spirit bound to him. More specifically, to its Agility boosting ability. ‘If I boost my speed and power, I get in a few solid hits before the barghest can get used to it. I think I can keep Rushing Wind going for thirty seconds after I use Surge. It’ll tap me out, but magic attacks likely won’t work and it already knows I can only slightly hurt it. Moving in fast and hard is my best bet.’

John willed Senka away and the greatsword returned to his hand. Then he willed his wind spirit to fully manifest, the swirling green wind appearing over his head, lightly mussing up his hair. John caught a flash of understanding in Mason’ eyes and he smiled at his mentor as he triggered Verdant Surge and Rushing Wind.

Resonance Triggered: Strength+Agility
While both stats are boosted, increase both by an additional 15%.

John suddenly felt the weight of the sword become far less taxing on his arms and he lunged at the barghest, his more than doubled Agility letting him close the gap between him and his target in a second. The barghest didn’t get a chance to defend itself from the surprise rush and John slammed his blade into the beast’s right flank. The blow knocked the barghest aside, drawing blood from its shoulder and sending the monster skidding across the floor.

With limited time, John continued his attack, turning on a dime to press his advantage. He struck like lightning, focusing on the already injured side, hoping that even if he couldn’t take it out before his boosts ran out, he could cripple it so he could deal with it in his base state. His increased Agility did wonders for aiming his strikes, and his next blow deepened the wound in its shoulder, sending out a spray of blood.

John reeled back for his next attack, a heavy downward swing, eye flicking between his target and diminishing mana pool. That small moment of distraction gave the barghest a chance to counterattack and it didn’t squander it, its powerful hind legs launching it right as John lifted his sword. John tried to bring his blade in to counter, but his high strike left him unable to block the low attack, and the barghest slammed into his lower abdomen.

-15HP

John let out a grunt as he was knocked back, keeping his footing thanks to his enhanced Agility, at least for a few steps until his mana drained below the point where he could maintain his spirit and its effect. The ball of wind faded, and with it gone, John’s balance faltered and his heel caught on a piece of uneven floor, causing him to fall onto his back.

-6HP

John thrust his sword at the barghest as it continued to attack while he tried to regain his footing. His hasty scramble and poor form negated his advantage and the barghest managed to catch the flat of his blade and knocked it aside. The barghest lunged once more and John summoned Senka into his free hand and rammed the blade right into the beast’s throat.

It let out a gargled snarl as blood flooded its windpipe, a crimson spray shooting out of the wound and from its maw, staining John in red. John ripped Senka free and pushed the wounded barghest off him as Verdant Surge ran its course.

John suddenly felt a wave of exhaustion wash over him, worse than when he had to run that mandated physical fitness test for school.

‘Guess that’s a drawback to pushing my stats up temporarily,’ he thought as he eyed the barghest as it struggled to get up, its blood loss making that a doomed task. ‘Feeling super worn out after the effects wear off. No free lunch there.’

He watched the beast for a few more seconds before turning to the lead goblin, who looked at the battlefield with a serious face. Then John twisted his head to look at Teri.

“Is this enough, or do I need to actually kill the damn thing for them to be satisfied?” John asked, and Teri quickly translated his question for the elders. The head goblin’s serious expression deepened then he said something in clipped tones towards the barghest’s summoner. The old crone stopped her chanting and the now nearly dead beast faded away, along with the blood on the floor and John.

95(5) EXP Gained

‘Well, at least I won’t have to take a shower before going home,’ John thought as the goblin elders began to debate amongst themselves.

“Now what?” John asked as Mason and Teri approached him.

“They’re debating the issue,” Teri answered, an uneasy expression on her face. “I’m not really sure if I should translate. Feels a bit like a betrayal of the clan.”

“I think John did a fantastic job in proving our strength,” Mason steered the conversation away to ease Teri’s conscience. “I presume you have a spell to increase your physical power.”

“Yeah,” John answered. “First time using it, but boy did it help. Thing was pretty resistant to magic attacks. Unlocking some new interaction between my powers helped. ”

John left his suspicions that they’d chosen that particular monster to be his trial because of that unsaid. He didn’t think Teri would relay it, but better safe than sorry. The loud crack of a knuckle rapping on wood drew their attention to the elders. The lead elder, Vrexty if John remembered Teri’s explanation correctly, began to issue their decree.

“Your fighting skills are commendable,” Teri translated. “And this council agrees with Shaman Tsxhel’s elevation of you and yours to Blood Kin. And with her decision to accept your offer of sanctuary. We will let her handle the logistics of moving our people.”

Teri let out a sigh of relief after she finished relaying the council’s decision, then addressed them, gratefulness evident in her voice. Vrexty continued to speak, but Teri’s lack of immediate translation told John it was more for her than for them. When the elder finished, all of them stood, the two worse looking ones struggling for a moment before they adjourned. Their bodyguard following after shooting John and Mason a warning glare.

“So, what’s happening?” Mason asked Teri once they were alone.

Teri smiled. “They’re gathering up our people. Your van should be able to hold another fifteen passengers, right? Seven adults, eight kids.”

“It may be a tight fit,” Mason answered. “But we should be able to manage.”

“Good, good,” Teri said, petting Kitai. “Hopefully the others have the base in good enough shape.”

“We’ll give them a call and let them know things went well,” Mason said, fishing out his keys. “And while your people are gathering up, I’ll get the van ready.”

One would think that months of being mostly nomadic would have made Teri’s people ready to move at the drop of the hat, but that proved to be not the case. Though John had to wonder how much that was because the elders didn’t seem to be overly invested in the move, leaving all the effort to Teri to gather up the excited bunch of goblins, most of them children John guessed to be younger than ten.

It took nearly an hour to get them all into the van, as tight of a squeeze as Mason had predicted, and driving back to the hideout was tense. Vivian’s cloaking spell was good for making them unseen, but little for rendering a bunch of children, all of whom had never been in a vehicle, quiet. Between worried cries and excited gibberish, John’s ears were still ringing.

Once back at the Dawnseeker’s hideout, John found that Aeolia, Vivian and Cammie had managed to direct the goblin warriors well enough to get the place in working order, though the effort hadn’t been easy and the three women were rather drained by the time everything was said and done.

After handing things over to the goblins, the four humans and avenfae departed with the promise of checking in tomorrow. And after a few words of parting amongst them, they separated, Mason and Cammie setting back to the diner to reopen in time for a hopeful dinner rush, though they looked like they’d be okay with writing this day off and calling it a night.

John, Aeolia and Vivian piled into the redhead’s car and drove John home, all three too drained to want to do anything else but rest and clean up. And with the risk of Brenda being home, Aeolia decided to play it safe and clean up at Vivian’s. So, John came home alone.

“I’m home,” he called out, failing to keep his voice from betraying his exhaustion as he trudged towards the fridge, the sound of some muffled music echoing down the hall.

Brenda popped her head out of her office, a concerned look on her face as the source of the music became apparent.

“Sounds like you had a hard day,” she said softly, leaving her work to follow John into the kitchen.

John gave his mom a smile before opening the refrigerator. “Just a lot of having to move stuff.”

Brenda frowned. “I thought your job was about computers?”

John felt a small shiver of worry shoot down his spine and his tired mind raced to come up with a good answer.

“Well, they’re a start up,” John started, deciding to adapt the truth as best he could. “Literally, they just set up shop and needed stuff like computers and filing cabinets brought in.”

Brenda folded her arms under her breasts. “I’m not sure I like a company making you do something you didn’t sign up for.”

“I mean, I volunteered to help,” John countered, really not wanting his mother to push against the story. And he decided to play up the good son angle. “Plus, I wasn’t going to just let my coworker haul all that stuff around. She wouldn’t have been able to get it all done herself.”

Brenda’s expression softened before turning sly. “Oh, you never mentioned coworkers. Was she cute?”

“I didn’t meet her until today,” John replied bashfully, not being entirely untruthful. “Yesterday was just me and the boss. Now that we've got things all put in place, I should start doing the building tomorrow.”

“You didn’t really answer my question,” Brenda teasingly pointed out, her sly grin growing into a more full blown smile.

“I mean,” John said, playing up his awkwardness by avoiding her eyes, “yeah, she is.”

“I met your father at work, you know,” Brenda said wistfully.

“Yeah, I know,” John replied, the old melancholy bubbling up.

“Just saying. You never know where you’re going to meet your loved ones,” Brenda said.

‘Ain’t that the truth,’ John thought.

Brenda let out a sigh, then wrinkled her nose. “And I think after your post work snack, you should take a shower. You reek, John.”

John grimaced then let out a nervous chuckle. “Yeah, I guess I would. Worked up a good bit of sweat.”

With one final smile, and a declaration that dinner was to be meatloaf and mashed potatoes, Brenda retreated back to her office. John let out a sigh, thankful that he had avoided any major grilling. He then took a whiff of his underarm and flinched.

‘Man, I do stink. Hope Vivian and Aeolia weren’t too bothered by it,’ John wondered as he threw a few grapes into his mouth. His snack eaten, John made his way upstairs to wash away the sweat he’d built up.

The cascade of piping hot water soothed away his pain and John began to sort through all the things that had happened today.

‘Things started off really well,’ he mused, recalling the golem Barrier and spirit training. Then his eyes widened when he remembered the car ride to the quarry and the discussion regarding the Order quest.

‘Damn it,’ he cursed. ‘We never figured out how we’re going to do the Moira thing. Well, there’s no time limit, so trying on Friday instead of tomorrow should be okay, right?’

Leaving an extra day for the blood stealers to do whatever they pleased without at least the hope that the Order was on the case left John feeling uneasy.

‘Maybe I should text or call Vivian? We can try to work out a plan over the phone or web chat. And if what we come up with needs some array from her or something I left over there, we can arrange a pick up.’

John let the issue fade to the back of his mind. Vivian and Aeolia still had to make it to the redhead’s abode, bathe (and the thought of Aeolia pulling the same shower move with Vivian as she had with him earlier caused his cock to stir), and eat after the intensive afternoon of fighting and physical labor. He decided to call after dinner.

Once he was sufficiently clean, John retreated to his room, slipping into his storage Barrier to collect the Mana Cell Battery. He placed it on his bed and equipped the Reservoir Ring.

‘Running out of mana keeps being an issue,’ he thought, eyeing his mana bar. ‘A little over half charged. I think I can fully charge up the ring and put all but one into the battery. So that’s twenty-five for the ring and thirty-six for the battery.’

John willed his mana into his ring, the opaque smoke in the small orb spinning slightly faster as he did. Once it was full, he picked up the battery and funneled most of his remaining mana into the small rectangle. Once charged, John placed it into his Inventory, willing to have a slot taken up by an emergency backup.

Mana failsafe set up, John flopped back onto his bed, closed his eyes and just relaxed until his mother texted him that dinner was done. The meal was uneventful, with Brenda asking about his day and John spinning a story about a fairly average day at school followed by the established physical labor at work. Once dinner was done, the mother and son separated, John on the pretense of finishing homework and Brenda having to put the finishing touches on a work file.

By the time John reached his room, Brenda’s music was already playing, which helped to mask his cry of surprise when instead of his empty room, he saw a frazzled Vivian lying on his bed, Aeolia floating above in her natural size.

“Oh, great, perfect timing,” the winged woman said. “Vivian remembered that we didn’t sort out that whole Order thing. Figured you two could hash that out while I go and check up on the goblins. I got Vi’s phone so if you need me, you know where to call. Bye.”

She flew out into the evening air, leaving her two stunned lovers behind.

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