Jack thrust his halberd’s spear-point into the back of the goblin assassin’s head, finishing off the last creature in the room. He released Quicken, and his agility lowered by 8.

“Thanks Jack,” said Aiden. “Those things are fast.”

“I still can’t believe we have seven of these left and we only have one room between us and the boss,” said Eckland as he handed Aiden a minor healing potion.

“Even better,” Ayla added. “We all leveled!”

“Jack didn’t,” Aiden corrected and dodged her swinging arm.

The four delvers would always level at the same time since they had always fought together. After looking at his status, Jack shook his head. It’s gonna take a long time for me to level.

The rooms had grown more difficult the further they progressed. Not only did the number of goblins increase, they faced new types as well. Goblin assassins wore leather armor and used daggers and their high agility to overtake their foes. With Quicken now at level 3, Jack was barely able to match their quick movements, Ayla and Aiden were not.

The group had followed his tactics since they first encountered the hoplites. Hayes’ job was essentially the same, keep as many goblins occupied as possible.

Jack’s job however had changed. He no longer tried to kill as many goblins as he could. Instead, he'd back away in a circular motion, fending off two to three at a time. His heavier armor and the reach of his polearm allowed him to avoid all attacks, especially with his 20 agility.

While Jack kept multiple goblins occupied, the twins took down goblins together. However, instead of them facing off their own, Jack had suggested they team up against a single attacker.

Aiden would attack a goblin focused on Hayes or Jack from behind and then retreat. When the goblin turned its attention on him and followed, Ayla would attack it from behind. With a twin on each side of the goblin, its back was always exposed. Facing a goblin was much easier when you only had to focus on defense or offense instead of both.

The only hiccup occurred in their current room. A goblin assassin had lain in wait until the end and attacked Aiden from behind. The goblin got one lucky attack off before Aiden switched to defense and kept it at bay. Luckily, the attack landed on Aiden’s leather armor and he only took 9 damage.

I can’t believe they are actually working together. Jack had assumed the twins were incapable of putting aside their competitive natures, but he had been wrong. It seems they were just following orders. Eckland’s standing order had been to take down the goblins as fast as possible, so that’s what they did. With orders like that, it's no wonder they started competing.

“Hey Eckland, what’ll the dungeon throw at us next?” Jack asked.

“I don’t know,” Eckland didn’t sound upset at his lack of knowledge. After looting the last goblin, he turned to Jack with a smile. “The last room is never the same. The only thing I can guarantee is that it’ll be the hardest so far.”

“Then why are you so happy?”

“Why wouldn’t I be? Not only do we have seven minor potions left, we have our lesser potions as well. We usually don’t make a profit like this. Normally, we fight until we run out of minor potions and then turn back. After finding Bloodsprout in the last room, I can make even more lesser potions!”

Eckland danced excitedly, skinny arms flailing. His good mood was contagious and we were all ready to take on the next room.

Before moving on, Jack asked, “Ok, do y’all remember the order of attack?”

Ayla rolled her eyes, “Yeah, you’ve only told us every room.”

“I just want to make sure we’re all on the same page,” Jack said patiently.

“It's not exactly hard to remember,” Aiden added. “Archers first, then assassins, hoplites, warriors, and knights last.”

“Ok, then. If we’re ready, let's move on.”

Hayes and Jack turned the corner of the connecting tunnel and scouted the room. Let’s see, two archers in the back, three knights, two hoplites, and an assassin.

Jack raised the shield he’d looted off one of the knights and crouched low.

*Thud* After he felt the impact of an arrow, he dropped the shield and grabbed onto his halberd with both hands. The twins raced past him, eager to assault the archers as they drew their next arrow.

The three knights had assaulted Hayes, which left the two hoplites and assassin to Jack. He cast Quicken just before the three goblins reached him. Now, Jack was almost twice as fast as the hoplites, and slightly faster than the assassin. They don’t stand a chance, he thought with a grin.

“Hayes, fight them in the tunnel so they can’t flank you.” Jack ordered and focused back on his own fight.

“Ok,” Hayes responded and shifted his retreat.

He heard another ping as a pebble bounced off a goblin knight’s plate armor. Ignoring the distraction, he exchanged thrusts.

Jack's concentration narrowed until he only focused on his footwork and the jabs of the hoplites. The assassin couldn’t even swipe with its daggers. As soon as it tried to close range, Jack thrust forward causing it to leap backwards.

Before he knew it, Ayla slashed into the assassin from behind and retreated.

The assassin whirled, its arms outstretched, yet its daggers hit nothing but air. After the assassin stopped, it was immediately stabbed from behind by Aiden. A pebble bounced off Aiden’s head.

“Hey!” he yelled.

Jack narrowly avoided a stab from the left hoplite. Whew! That was close. He focused his entire attention on the hoplites in front of him. That’s what you get for watching someone else's fight.

Jack exchanged another three jabs before the twins joined in his fight. They attacked both hoplites from behind. After the goblins whirled to face their new attackers, Jack chopped down with his halberd into the left hoplite’s head.

The goblin crumpled to the ground, dead instantly.

He yanked his polearm out of the goblin’s skull and hesitated. They got this one, I’ll help Hayes.

“Y’all got this?” Jack called over his shoulder as he entered the tunnel.

“Of course we do!” he heard Ayla yell back.

Ahead in the passage, three goblins knights were struggling against Hayes. The level 18 knights were the highest level goblins they had fought against and had the highest vitality. They are essentially carbon copies of Hayes, Jack thought yet again. The goblin knights wore plate armor, held shields, and used short swords. The only difference Jack could see were the helmets the knights wore.

In the narrow corridor between rooms, only two were able to fight side by side against Hayes while the third was unable to assist in the cramped space.

Jack chopped his heavy halberd down on the trailing goblin’s helm.

*Clang* He felt the heavy pole vibrate in his hands as the axe-head bounced off the steel helmet. Even though it didn’t penetrate, that did not mean it did no damage.

The goblin sank to its knees, stunned in pain. Jack stepped forward and ripped its helmet off one handed before he stepped back and repeated his previous attack.

Without a helmet, the axe-head sunk deep into its head after breaking through the skull. Jack pulled on his halberd and the blade slid out. No longer held up by Jack, the goblin fell to its side.

Stepping around the downed goblin, he slammed his polearm into the knight on his left which was still attacking Hayes. The goblin sank to its knees stunned.

Jack removed its helmet as well. This is just too easy, he thought as his axe-head tore through the kneeling goblin’s skull. If a bit gruesome.

There were a dozen ways the goblins could have easily defeated them if this were not meant for training. By exploiting the goblins’ mindless actions and horrible setups, they were able to utterly destroy them without harm.

*Clang* Jack’s hand numbed from the vibration, yet he ignored it. He removed the right goblin’s helmet but didn’t finish it.

“It’s all yours Hayes,” Jack said.

Hayes shook his head violently and backed away with wide eyes.

Jack sighed before cleaving his halberd through the last goblin’s head.

“I don’t understand Hayes, it was defenseless. After I stunned it, it just knelt there leaning forward with its hands on its head. You were in zero danger. Why were you afraid of it?”

“I wasn’t afraid, I…” Hayes paused and hung his head, “I just couldn’t do it.”

Frustration overtook him and he pushed. “Why then? If you weren’t afraid, why couldn’t you kill it?”

In a small voice, Hayes responded, “Because it’s alive.”

“It was trying to kill you.”

“But… I can’t kill a thinking creature.”

Ah, Jack finally understood. He’s not afraid, he thinks they are real living beings.

Jack laid a hand down on his plate covered shoulder. “They aren’t real Hayes.”

Hayes looked up in confusion. “What do you mean?”

“The goblins aren’t real living beings, they are created by the dungeon.”

“You don’t know that. How can you be so sure?”

“I DO know that for sure. I’ve killed REAL living beings. I’ve come across an orc village. You know what I saw in their village?”

“What?”

“Baby orcs. Kids running and playing. Orcs crafting and repairing armor. They were going about their lives, just as if they were human. You’re the first person to enter every room. What are the goblins doing every single time you come across them?”

“Nothing,” Hayes quietly responded.

“Exactly!” Jack said. “They just stand still and stare off into space until we wake them. Have you ever seen a goblin kid or goblin crafter?”

“No, I haven’t,” Hayes said, louder now.

“Of course you haven’t. That’s because the dungeon created these mindless flesh bags to train us and help us grow stronger.”

Eckland entered the tunnel and said, “That’s actually one of the better theories I’ve heard about the dungeon.” He knelt down and looted the first of the dead knights. To Hayes, he added, “So that’s why you’ve never attacked. Why didn’t you tell us?”

“I.. I was afraid you’d laugh at me.”

“Aww, don’t worry,” Ayla said reassuringly, joined them. “We’ll always laugh at you.”

“Yeah,” added Aiden. “We don’t actually need a reason ya know.”

Ignoring their jokes, Hayes asked, “So, do you guys think they’re real?”

Eckland responded first, “No, I’ve had my suspicions for months, but I agree with Jack.”

“Not any more,” replied Ayla.

“Me neither,” Aiden added.

“Huh,” Hayes said to himself.

Jack left Hayes deep in thought and turned to Eckland. “So, this is as far as y’all got, right?”

“Yes, but I do know a little bit about the boss. It’s called a goblin Champion and it’s truly a beast. It wears plate armor like a knight, and has twice the health. It’s faster than an assassin, and uses a giant sword. I think it’s level twenty-five.”

Jack looked at his status.

Name: Jack Herring

Race: Human

Level: 20

Experience: 33,747,504/52,428,800

Health: 210/210

Mana: 152/210

Strength: 10 (+4)(-2)

Agility: 12 (+2)(-3)

Vitality: 21 (+11)

Intelligence: 27

Skills:

Inspect level 3

Haggle level 2

Fire Starting level 1

Butchering level 2

Cooking level 1

Woodworking level 1

Spears level 3

Axes level 2

Swords level 1

Polearms level 3

Spells:

Paralyze level 2

Heal level 4

Invisibility level 3

Quicken level 3

Boons:

Polyglot

Contestant

I’ve only gained about a million experience since we started the dungeon. Jack estimated how much experience a level 25 creature would net him after being split five ways. Holy crap, I’ll get thirty million just from killing the boss.

“We can take it.” Jack said suddenly.

“I don’t know…” hesitated Eckland.

“Like you said, we’ve got all these healing potions unused.” Jack saw his doubt and added. “Just think, if we kill the floor boss, you’ll be almost level 19.”

He saw the greed in their eyes and knew he had them.

Eckland turned to the others and asked, “What do you guys think, should we try our luck?”

“Yeah!” shouted the twins together.

“Ok.” said Hayes.

Eckland smiled and turned to Jack, “So, have a plan for the boss fight?”

With a huge grin, Jack responded, “Yep, and here it is…”