Interlude: Dexterous

Pella quickly discovered that one of the greatest assets of her class was discovering skills with the same stat bonuses. If every skill she learned provided her a bonus to the same stat, she could easily reach very high values for that stat.

She hadn’t built up her library of skills as much as she would have liked, however. It was difficult to prepare for every scenario with the correct skills. Most of the time, she simply took as wide of a range of skills as possible that all provide a bonus for the same stat. In that way she could cover a wide range of possibilities.

It had only been a been a few days since Hashilli joined the group. Pella was loathe to admit it, but the man’s enhancement magic was a bit better than Janus. Not to mention, Hashilli had skills other than [Power Enhancement]. She didn’t like comparing the two, but was hard pressed to avoid it completely.

Unlike Janus, Hashilli did not bring much more to the table other than enhancement magic. Not to mention that the man was kind of boring. She already had Devon to contend with in this aspect, but the pair of them were nearly insufferable. She would be the first one to admit that whatever job they had was top priority, but the other two never unwound.

Pella gave her character sheet a quick look.

Status Name Pella Domino Class Phenom Level 30 Guild None Life 592 / 592 Mana 708 / 708 Stamina 621 / 621 Stat Total Base Class Skill Item Strength 76 30 15 31 0 Endurance 48 30 15 3 0 Dexterity 123 30 15 78 0 Intelligence 51 30 15 6 0 Wisdom 77 30 15 32 0 Skill Level Bonus Recall 5 5 Dex + 1 Int / Lvl Whirling Dervish 10 5 Dex + 1 Dex / Lvl Dagger Fighting 13 1 Dex / Lvl Balance 20 1 Dex / 5 Lvl Acrobatics 18 1 Dex / Lvl Sword Expert 5 20 Str + 1 Dex, 1 Str / Lvl Sprinting 19 1 End / 5 Lvl Perception 20 1 Wis / 5 Lvl Shortbow Expert 6 20 Dex + 1 Dex, 1 Str / Lvl Danger Sense 6 5 Wis / Lvl

They had a new job in the morning and she made certain to be ready.

-

Devon had been focusing on picking up any defensive skills he could and it showed. The man could hold back multiple monsters on his own. Pella could see him cast [Entangling Chains] on another [Hobgoblin] as she fired another shot from her shortbow.

They were there to take out a small infestation of the creatures. Some monsters leave their dungeons and set up “nests” in other places. If the nest isn’t taken care of quickly enough, it can become a big problem. Pella heard that destroying the dungeon these [Hobgoblins] came from was a job in the Bingo Book.

It was a big operation. Pella’s group was one of many sent out to destroy the nests. As far as she knew, the big shots were already in the dungeon responsible.

Some of the creatures were attempting to circle around so Pella dropped her bow and unsheathed her swords. Hashilli was already backpedaling as a [Hobgoblin] approached. Pella put herself between the [Enhancer] and the [Hobgoblin]. With a flourish, she separated the goblin’s head from its shoulders.

[Your party has defeated an enemy: Hobgoblin]

The monsters weren’t very threatening on their own, but the nest easily held a few dozen of them. Unfortunately, destroying the nest wouldn’t cause the remaining [Hobgoblins] to disappear. Even when the main delver group took out the dungeon, any [Hobgoblins] from this nest would stick around. So it was their job to make sure none of the monsters made it out alive.

Pella wasn’t even sure if the goblins could damage Devon in any significant way. The man was like a tank scything through the diminutive monsters.

[Your party has defeated an enemy: Hobgoblin] x3

She ignored the notification and went back on the offensive. Hashilli cast another [Burst of Speed] on her and she rocketed through the air, landing just behind the goblins that Devon was locking down. From her new position, it was simple work to dispatch them.

[Your party has defeated an enemy: Hobgoblin] x4

It had only taken a little less than an hour to track down all of the goblins they could. Unable to find more, they approached the nest. The goblins had been holed up in a small cave. A small alchemical device had been provided by the guild for this very moment. Devon pressed a sequence of runes on the device and tossed it inside the cave.

Pella expected an explosions, but instead only felt a woosh of air. Moments later, wisps of green gas wafted out of the cave.

“They told us to make distance after activating the device,” said Devon.

Not seeing a reason to argue, Pella turned and made her way down from the cave entrance. The other two were not far behind.