Escape

Achievement: You have slain an elite monster!

Reward(s):

+2000 experience

+10 unallocated points

After killing the defenseless elite Cliff Ogre along with the rest of the monsters around us, I lead the group back to the school building.

While the horde was advancing, there was still quite a considerable distance separating them from us. Judging by their current speed, we had a good fifteen to twenty minutes before they could get remotely close to us. On the other hand, it would only take ten minutes for us to reach the school. By the time the horde arrives, we would be long gone, on the road and heading straight for the west.

As we made our way through the neighborhood, something abruptly fell from the sky and crash landed on a nearby rooftop. Pieces of broken tile and snapped wood scattered everywhere, as I momentarily paused and turned towards the rooftop. My eyes furrowed as my lips naturally frowned, among the rain of debris that dropped to the street below, a splotch of red was intermixed within the chipped tiles and splintered debris.

“What was that?” Cher asked out loud as she stopped and stared up at the rooftop. The rest of the group also slowed down and peered up, a mixture of curiosity and alertness gleaming through everyone’s eyes. There was a dent on the roof of the house, a thin cloud of dust and debris swirled around it, concealing whatever had fallen. But as the dust settled, everyone’s curious gazes slowly shifted to shock, just as something scraped and crawled its way out of the hole.

A battered hobgoblin. Its arms were twisted in an odd direction, while blood flowed profusely from at least five separate spots on its body. It breathed out a sick and pained wheeze, barely clinging onto what little life it still possessed. But to my surprise, the most notable aspect of the creature was that there wasn’t an expression of agony on its face. No pain, fear, anger, none of these emotions were present, only a blank and absentminded facade, adorned with a hollow gaze and lifeless eyes.

The hobgoblin’s body jerked forward as it fell off the roof, landing head first onto the pavement with a sickening splatter. It twitched briefly, a pool of blood expanding out with its crippled body as the center, before it stopped moving all together. It died just as abruptly as it showed up.

Almost everyone was speechless. Seeing the scene that had taken place before them, a cold shiver ran up everyone’s spines as they began to draw back from the corpse that had fallen. As if to voice the words that had formed within everyone’s mind, Cher spoke up amidst the silence in a quiet and unnerved voice, “…What just happened?”

Before any of us could respond, there was another loud crash as the rooftop of a different house exploded in a mist of dust and debris.

BANG! BANG! BANG!

All around us, a consecutive series of crashes erupted forth, breaking rooftops and smashing street corners. From each and every one of them, a hobgoblin crawled out, brandishing a battered body and a vacant expression. A hail of monsters had fallen from the sky like a twisted thunder storm. Blood and muscle scattered throughout the surroundings, staining almost everything in a scarlet shade of putrid red.

As bodies filled the streets, and blood flowed through the gutters, fear and panic slowly seeped into everyone’s hearts. With broken limbs and vacant eyes, the hobgoblins slowly approached us, each and every one of their faces adorned with the same empty gaze that I had previously seen on the first hobgoblin. It was a disturbing sight; one I could not help but frown to. What was strangest about the whole thing though, was the nagging feeling of familiarity.

Amidst everything I briefly glanced back at the approaching horde. They were still quite a distance away from us, but I saw something that sent shivers down my spine. The Giant Cliff Ogre reached down into the sea of almost endless hobgoblins that surrounded its feet. The grinding sound of stone against stone could be heard even from all the way over here, as it moved its body forward. With one giant swing, it threw a handful of hobgoblins into the sky. Shortly after, a new wave of monster fell all around us.

The Ogre’s display of incredible strength surprised me, but as the first hobgoblin began to attack, I had to shift my attention back to the current matter at hand.

A hobgoblin with a shattered kneecap and a caved-in chest cavity lunged forward with an almost irrational amount of strength. It wasn’t nimble, nor were its movements natural, rather, it moved with a mechanical lifelessness. It jerked forward as it swung its sword towards me. I reacted instinctively and blocked the incoming blade with edge of my shrunken war axe. The amount of strength its blow contained caught me off guard and almost dislodged my weapon from my hands.

The strength wasn’t something a creature as battered as it could possess. As the wet squelching sound of bodies hitting the pavement filled my ears and drowned out everything else, I quickly counterattacked and killed the hobgoblin just as more and more approached. I began to retreat back, deeper into the street and towards the school building.

The rest of the group followed along, after the initial shock from before faded away, the trepidation from earlier was replaced by practiced efficiency. We worked as one machine, with me leading the way, Hina and Cielle in the center, and with the everyone else guarding the back. Swords and magic flashed through the air as we steadily made our way through the tide of monsters.

With each hobgoblin I killed, I slowly understood why their hollow gazes looked so familiar. It reminded me what had happened back in the dungeon, when the dungeon boss suddenly took control of the remaining mobs. Seeing this scene before me, of hobgoblins attacking, falling from the sky without a care for their own safety, it was all too similar to be just a mere coincidence.

Did all Boss Level Monsters possess the ability to control lesser monsters? If something could take control and organize a horde of a few million into attacking, then razing a city or two wouldn’t be a problem. With this possibility, humanity’s chances at survival just decreased exponentially.

As this depressing realization sunk in, I suddenly wondered whether the creature commanding the horde possessed intelligence. If something smart had an ability as dangerous as controlling an army of monsters… the future wasn’t very bright right now.

The more I pondered over this motion, the more I realized the intricacy of what was happening. What I once thought was a haphazard rain of monsters wasn’t so random after all. It was more methodical, a more calculated action. Most of the hobgoblins that fell from the sky landed on the rooftops, cushioning the impact from the fall. In addition, they landed ahead of us, effectively blocking our exit and slowing down our escape.

Fighting through the battered mobs wasn’t difficult, but moving through the streets was slow and ate up at what little time we had left. We would get constantly bombarded by a new creature the deeper and deeper we made our way through the street. In addition, as time passed, I started to notice a trend within the hobgoblin’s actions. Their attacks, which had been concentrated solely on me, slowly started to shift over towards Hina and Cielle.

After a few minutes, they were effectively avoiding me altogether and dashing straight towards the pair of sisters. Luckily, Hina and Cielle weren’t exactly pushovers, a few half dead hobgoblins weren’t an issue, but at the same time, they weren’t safe either. Since neither of them invested in a lot of defensive or physical stats, just one blow was enough to cause significant damage to them.

With the feeling of impeding crisis slowly sinking in, the group’s formation tightened, as we pierced through the tide and drove our way through the street at a much more hurried pace than before.

When we reached the point where we could see the school building just over the horizon, something else happened. The ground suddenly shook, as the sound of grinding stone reverberated from behind us. I briefly glanced back before another wave of dread washed over me. My face turned ashen as cold sweat continually poured down from my back.

The Giant Cliff Ogre approached a nearby commercial building. The windows shattered and the walls cracked as the Ogre’s giant hands grabbed onto the building and pulled. With strength strong enough to shake the ground beneath, it broke of a giant chunk of the building. Dust and debris spread everywhere, the previous building crumbled into a mess of concrete and reinforced steel, while the Ogre flexed its arms back and stepped forward.

The sound of grinding stone once again echoed throughout the neighborhood, the Ogre reared its body back, and rotated its torso. It took another earth-shaking step forward, and hurled the giant piece of concrete into the air and directly towards us.

Like an approaching meteor, the flying chunk of building blotted out the vision from my widened eyes as it imminently zoomed forward, falling dangerously fast.

“Move!” A hoarse yell escaped my throat as my legs kicked into action. From the corner of my eye I could see everyone else reacting with the same hurried alarm as I did.

Unfortunately, Cielle and Hina, who hadn’t invested in any physical stats were painfully slow in their retreat. Time was moving too fast to react, there was no noise, there was no call for help, it was like watching a silent movie. Cielle’s eyes widened from underneath a curtain of hair, as she met my gaze with her own.

Her lips slightly parted, and formed a single word;

“Don’t.”

My body moved before I could process her words. I ran towards her, grabbing Cielle before I jumped to the side and into a narrow alleyway. As the dark shadow of rock covered the street below, I craned my neck back and saw the President push Hina into the adjacent alleyway, before a tremendous boom rang through the air and the earth quaked upon impact.

CRASH!

The wind roiled violently, a cloud of dust and debris swept through the streets and alleyways like a flooding tide. The surrounding houses and nearby buildings collapsed and the pavement below was upturned and dug out, forming a giant crater that covered the entire street.

With my arms still wrapped tightly around Cielle, I tried to endure the ensuing pressure, but I was ultimately pushed back by the resulting aftershock. My body flew through the air like a broken ragdoll, rolling across the ground and bouncing off the walls before I slammed into a nearby dumpster. I squinted through the pain and dizziness, as I looked down at Cielle, who was curled up beside me. Her head was pushed up against my chest, while her arms tightly held onto my blood-stained shirt. I breathed out a sigh of relief when I noticed she wasn’t injured.

I opened my mouth to ask her if she was okay, only to discover that my ears were still ringing, and I couldn’t quite hear myself, the words that I tried to utter only coming out as a blurred-out mess.

I lightly nudged her shoulder’s, and Cielle looked up in response. Her complexion was a shade paler than usual, and her hair stuck to the sides of her face, matted down by a mixture of sweat and blood. She looked up at me with a pair of dark brown pupils hidden behind strands of loose hair. She stared absentmindedly for a second, before she smiled and nodded.

We untangled and got back up, as we surveyed the alleyway. I noticed nobody else was around us. During the chaos, everyone moved by instinct, jumping into different alleyways with primal desperation.

The area around us was covered in a thick layer of dust and smoke, and as we made our way back towards the main street, from within the sand colored fog, a metallic blade lunged through the air and pierced the empty space in front of us, its blade aimed directly at Cielle.

My body moved before I had the chance to think. Without paying any mind to Cielle’s surprised expression, I pulled her back and turned my body forward. The blade pierced my shoulder with a muffled squelch. I gritted through the sudden pain, and quickly counterattacked. Before the hobgoblin could react, I yanked its arm forward, while I drove the shrunken war axe deep into its throat. A fountain of blood spurted out, dyeing my shirt in an even deeper shade of red than before.

As the hobgoblin lifelessly fell to the floor, I staggered backwards, but before I could fall Cielle ran up from behind and supported my wavering body. I momentarily glanced down at my new injury before gritted my teeth, and yanked out the sword.

Almost immediately, a thin line of [Blue Gemini] snaked its way around me and seeped into the open wound. A warm, almost comforting sensation filled my chest as the wound visibly closed before my eyes.

“Thank you,” I mouthed out to her as I stood back up. Cielle did not verbally respond, only patting my back before she pushed me forward with a smile.

We walked forward once again through the sand colored fog. As I pondered over what to do amidst the dust and debris, I saw an orange light flare out from the cloud and into the sky. An orange red iridescent fireball flew through the air before it exploded in an eye-catching blast of flame. Cielle and I traced the light back to its origin and met up with Hina and the rest of the group.

After briefly glancing around, I could not help but sigh in relief. Although everyone had varying degrees of injury, thankfully, nobody had died.

“We can’t go through the street anymore.” I spoke, the ringing from before all but receded. “The street has been blocked off, we’ll have to go around using the alleyways and houses.”

We did not have time for much discussion, so after that short exchange, I immediately led the group forward, making our way closer and closer to the school building. As we progressed, the earth continually trembled, as giant chunks of stone continually rained down from above. It felt as if the sky was collapsing, falling apart and breaking before our very eyes. The constant pressure this had coupled with the relentless attacks from the almost lifeless monsters around us, weighed heavily and further impeded our progress.

The ominous sensation that the rest of the horde was right behind us was the only thing that kept us moving.

After what felt like an eternity, we finally reached the front of the school. Its dilapidated and decrepit appearance was like an oasis in the middle of the desert to my eyes.

Thankfully, the damage hadn’t reached this far west yet. Seeing the familiar Humvee parked near the front of the building, surrounded by two people with worried expressions smeared across their faces, a sense of reassurance filled my heart. If the car had been damaged, then escaping would have been next to impossible. At the very least, it was guaranteed that someone would have died.

“Everyone, get in!” Without pause or hesitation, I immediately ordered as I hurriedly entered the driver’s seat. Cielle, the non-combatants, and Kido’s old childhood friend entered the car, while I instructed Hina to sit outside on the cargo area. It was a dangerous location, but it was necessary. Hina was the only one within the group who could provide sufficient cover and support from a long distance.

Going by the glint beneath her eyes, I knew she understood why I assigned her to the cargo area. Gulping down a mouthful of saliva, she boarded the back, her eyes locked behind us and at the horde.

Cher and the President followed her, staying with her outside in order to provide protection.

With a flick of my wrist, I turned the key and started the car. The Humvee’s engine roared as it revved into life. At the same time, a new wave of hobgoblins bloated out the sky. They plummeted from the skies and fell all around us, one of the monsters landed onto the roof of the car, causing the Humvee to shake, and denting the rooftop.

From out the back, and through the opened windows, I heard the President yell out, “Don’t worry about it! It died upon impact and I pushed the body of the roof.”

I nodded almost to myself as I pressed down on to the peddle and drove the car forward. The Humvee’s wheels screeched into life as the vehicle rocketed forward, driving over the new corpses that acted as roadblocks in front of me. As we were leaving the neighborhood, through the rear-view mirror, I took one last glance at the horde behind us only to see something fly out from the giant Ogre’s hand.

I frowned as an uneasy feeling welled up inside me. I saw something shine amidst the sun’s light. Almost instinctively, I suddenly yanked the steering wheel to the right, causing the car to recklessly swerve and narrowly avoiding the impeding danger.

CRASH!

An explosion of scattered pavement and upturned dust. Something crash landed directly where the Humvee was previously at.

The pavement beneath cracked like a broken ice sculpture, a mini crater formed in the middle of the street as dust and debris swirled around it. As the dust began to settle, I caught a glimpse of a rusted claymore. It was at the center of the newly formed crater, sticking out from the ground like a jagged tooth as the metallic luster on its blade shined and reflected off the sunlight.

Behind the claymore, wielding its worn-out leather handle was the Boss Hobgoblin.

Hobgoblin General – Lv 78

HP:????

A dark grey body adorned in what looked like an old, worn out adventurer’s uniform. The Hobgoblin General was a head taller than the average human, and sported a pair of pointed ears, and jutting teeth. The creature wasn’t bulky, nor was it overly muscular, but rather, it had a lean, almost wiry physique.

Looking at it closely, I was inwardly shocked to see that it did not have a single scratch on its body. It was if the fall from earlier had not affected it in the slightest. I buried the surprise in my heart as I stared solemnly at the creature in front of us.

Its azure blue eyes flashed with intelligence as it easily pulled out the embedded claymore and walked over towards the car. Its steps were leisure and light, but it moved with a suffocating and domineering presence.

Seeing it slowly approach, I immediately started the car. The Humvee once again roared to life as I desperately pressed down on the acceleration peddle, fully intending to escape. For a moment, a brief light of hope filled my heart as the vehicle accelerated past the hobgoblin. Unfortunately, this hope was short lived. The vehicle could not move any further before it came to an abrupt halt. Due to the sudden stop, my body flew forward and I hit my head on the reinforced glass in front of me. I ignored crack on the window, and the blood that slowly dripped down from my head, as I dreadfully glanced back up at the hobgoblin.

With one hand, the hobgoblin had grabbed onto the back of the Humvee and completely stopped it in its tracks. I was still pressing down on the acceleration peddle, but even as the wheels furiously spun, and even as smoke rose from the burning rubber, the car remained unmoving. The hobgoblin’s strength was too great to overcome.

With a hardened expression, through the rear-view mirror, I could see the events taking place outside.

Hina and the others, who were at the back of the cargo area, were all scrunched up by the window, as far away from the hobgoblin as possible. Their eyes were locked onto the creature’s every move. I could see them shaking, trembling like a leaf as the fear in their hearts slowly pressed down on their minds. They were less than a meter away from the hobgoblin, and were in direct contact with the roiling pressure that it constantly emitted.

Hina was the one closest to the window, her back pressed against the glass, as the President stood in front of her. Cher was positioned next to her, who, despite her constant trembling, still brandished her shield in front of her.

Within the vehicle, a deathly silence had spread, only disturbed by Narise’s Gila, who occasionally whimpered within its owner’s arms. Cold sweat dripped down my brow and mixed with the blood trickling down from my head, as I closely observed the hobgoblin’s every move.

The creature kept its hands firmly gripped onto the back of the vehicle, as it observed it with keen interest. It slightly raised its arm, tilting the car forward and bringing the rotating back tires off the ground and close to its face. Its eyes flashed with curiosity, as it examined it along with the rest of the vehicle.

It was almost oblivious to the people within the car, as it went about its business with absolutely no hesitation or reservation whatsoever.

“Hide,” As I was observing the hobgoblin, I heard a quiet whisper from next to my ear.

Through the corner of my eye, I glanced at the passenger seat. Cielle sat there, a look of pure concentration on her face as [Black Gemini] slowly flowed out from an open container on her lap.

“Keep your foot on the peddle.” She spoke in a low voice as she turned towards me, her eyes brimming with uncertainty. “I’m… I’m going to try something.”

Seeing Cielle’s wavering expression I faltered and hesitated for a moment. She was about to do something extremely reckless, but she realized, she knew that we had no other options left. After what felt like eternity passed, I nodded.

“Don’t mess this up.” I responded, fixing my gaze back onto the rear-view mirror as my grip on the wheel tightened. “We only have one chance.”

Cielle nodded, as more and more [Black Gemini] flowed out from her opened flask. It slowly seeped out through the windows and curled around the side of the Humvee, making its way to the back of the car.

To my dejection, I saw the hobgoblin’s perceptive eyes dart back and forth to the approaching mass of [Black Gemini]. As I was about to tell Cielle to stop, I held back my words upon noticing that the hobgoblin wasn’t doing anything to stop it.

It maintained its grip on the vehicle and simply stared at the approaching substance that slowly made its way towards him. For a second, I was momentarily puzzled over why it wasn’t doing anything, before I came to a sudden realization.

It was curious.

Like with the Humvee, and like with the tires, it did not do anything because its curiosity had gotten the better of it. It stood there, unmoving as the roiling darkness slowly slithered up the Humvee’s side and made its way towards the hand gripping onto the car.

When [Black Gemini] touched its hand, the goblin let out a surprised hiss of pain, unwittingly loosening its grip and letting go of the car.

The Humvee’s back wheels hit the pavement with a loud crash, before the car jerked and accelerated forward. Some of the supplies from the back were dislodged and fell to the ground, but I paid it no mind, as I relentlessly drove forward.

Even as the wind whipped past my head, and the road began to widen, the power beneath my foot didn’t once lighten. My eyes remained fixated on the rearview mirror, watching the Hobgoblin’s reaction.

I saw it looking down on its hand with the same curious expression on its face. I stared in amazement, before it looked up and stared at the departing car.

As the vehicle veered off into the distance and turned a corner, for a split second, I could have sworn I saw the Hobgoblin grin in my direction as we left the neighborhood and began our journey west.