Core was happily surprised to see that the invaders that had entered his Monster den were unable to leave it. Just like the one called Qualtys had experienced before, an invisible wall was keeping them inside. They pounded on the wall but it was of no use. His defenders rapidly closed in on the goblins due to their aquatic passive skill and these two looked weaker then the group his pudlings had already defeated.

Two of the goblins stayed outside of the invisible wall which annoyed Core. If they wouldn't enter the room his pudlings wouldn't be able to kill them. Luckily Core had set up a failsafe way ahead of time when he first created the Monster den. He send out a mental command and his skeletal snake sprung into action. It slithered through the rocks of the collapsed tunnel debris and made its way towards the two stragglers.

His original plan was to push the two remaining goblins into the Monster den and have them face the pudlings but it seemed the goblin had another plan. It picked up the smaller one and tossed it towards the snake which greedily sank its fangs into the soft flesh of the free meal. And in the most cowardly way Core had seen in his short life, the remaining goblin ran through the tunnel and out of his dungeon.

The two goblins trapped inside the Monster den were woefully outnumbered and out skilled. One of them tried to keep Shield at bay with the spear and was having marginal success, but that was mostly for Shield doing what he did best and that was defending. The other goblin was being charged by Spear. It tried to level its own spear and meet the challenge but the slowing effect of the water couldn't be overcome. Spear used the butt of his weapon to deflect the weak attack from the goblin and struck true with his own weapon, skewering the creature through the chest. It coughed once, spilling blood into the water before it went limp. A critical strike through the heart ended the fight instantly.

The goblin used the shaft of its spear to block the overhead club strike from Shield. With both hands occupied and unable to move as Shield pressed against the spear, another spear sailed from behind the large pudling and struck the goblin in the abdomen. Qualtys had thrown his weapon, staggering the creature. A slam attack from a shield send the goblin staggering backward and his flesh was pierced right after as Spear joined the fight. A heavy club strike to the head ended the weak goblin's life, and all was still again within the Monster den and the dungeon.

.

Goblin Level 1 has been killed by Experience gained: 4. Current experience 49 / 150.

Dungeon Points gained: 1. Current Dungeon Points: 46. Progress gained: Undead archetype experience gained: 4.

Undead archetype current experience: 228 / 1.000. Skeletal Snake experience gained: 4

Skeletal Snake current experience: 12 / 55. Goblin Level 1 has been killed by Experience gained: 4. Current experience 53 / 150.

Dungeon Points gained: 1. Current Dungeon Points: 47. Progress gained: Lizardman archetype experience gained: 4.

Lizardman archetype current experience: 40 / 1.000 Spear experience gained: 4.

Spear current experience: 5 / 55.

Shield experience gained: 1.

Shield current experience: 6 / 55.

Qualtys experience gained: 1.

Qualtys current experience: 7 / 55. Goblin Level 2 has been killed by Experience gained: 9. Current experience 62 / 150.

Dungeon Points gained: 1. Current Dungeon Points: 48. Progress gained: Lizardman archetype experience gained: 8.

Lizardman archetype current experience: 48 / 1.000 Spear experience gained: 2.

Spear current experience: 9 / 55.

Shield experience gained: 8.

Shield current experience: 17 / 55.

Qualtys experience gained: 2.

Qualtys current experience: 19 / 55. Stone-tipped spear has been added to Armory.

Core quickly compared the old wooden spear to this new stone-tipped version. The stone-tipped version had slightly higher damage and a very small chance for each attack to inflict a minor bleeding effect. Core, always being for upgrades, spends some of the mana he gained for the goblin corpses to upgrade the weapons. They briefly glow with golden light and are then transformed into the new stone-tipped version.

Qualtys looked on in amazement at his new weapon. He drops to his knees and claps his webbed hand together above his head. Core has once again no clue what the pudling is doing but he somehow feels happy about the pudlings actions.

Gorp awoke to water dripping on his face. He swiped the water from his face with his hand as he peered outside of the crevice. The sky was blanketed in dark clouds and a slow trickle of rain had turned the soil of the mountain to mud. In the distance, the sounds of the rain hitting the canopy of the forest could be heard.

Gorp let out a heavy sigh. The trip back to the frontier camp would take a lot longer now that he had to walk through the mud of the mountain and the soggy forest soil. There should be fewer monsters around as most of them would hide from the rain but those that didn't would be far harder to spot with the limited visibility.

He cupped his hands to catch the rainwater and splashed some on his face to wash away the sleep, he'd be soaking wet soon enough if the rain didn't let up but he still had time so he decided to wait a while longer. Dreading both the trip back to the camp and the conversation he'd have with Gharnix about finding the cave and losing his party.

He chewed on some dried meat he pulled from his pouch and sat there staring at the rain. He waited in his crevice for half an hour, but with no sign of the rain letting up he set out on his journey back to camp. The muddy mountain slope quickly turned into a treacherous exercise as he made his way down and into the forest's edge.

Part of the rain was blocked by the large forest canopy above but the constant clatter of rain on the canopy distorted his sense of hearing. The lack of wind and the smells of a freshly watered forest worked against his nose. With two of his primary senses disabled, he only had his eyes left to navigate the forest and avoid the untold dangers lurking in the shadows and underbrush.

Gorp had been tracking through the forest for the last hour. He had a general idea of the location of the frontier camp but the run from the giant serpent yesterday lead them off course. He made sure to keep the mountain range on his left side but couldn't avoid going deeper into the forest when steep cliffs and river streams blocked his path.

The first sign of danger was something shifting in the corner of his right eye. He ducked low and under the nearest brush. His natural green color and the filthy brown on his leathers made him naturally blend into his surroundings.

He slowed his breathing and kept wary eyes on where he saw the movement. One minute turned into two and then into five but nothing else moved. Slowly he got up and resumed his journey a little more on edge than he already was.

A natural cave in the side of the mountainside gave Gorp some reprieve from the rain. He had quickly scouted the cave entrance for a sign of life, but had found none and light relief washed over him for a moment. He sat on a rock near the cave entrance biting on another piece of dried meat keeping a watchful eye on the forest's edge.

He quickly shot up, dagger in hand, when a low hiss entered his ears. In the low light of the cave, a pair of amber eyes were staring at him. A tongue flicking in and out of the monsters mouth. Gorp sized up the regular sized snake and prepared himself for a fight. The snake raised the front of its body, baring its fangs and hissing loudly. The creature's call was answered by another as one more pair of amber eyes glistered in the faint light. Gorp was already shuffling back towards the entrance but the third unique hiss made him just bolt out of the cave.

He ran through the forest and the rain and only stopped when he found himself panting and resting against a large tree.

He cursed himself for letting the panic cost him his bearings; a deadly problem in this forest. He tracked back along his own tracks till he saw the peak of the mountains through the canopy and resumed the path to his original destination.

The sudden flight of birds was the only warning he got before a large mass of hair came crashing through the trees straight at him. He barely managed to roll to the side, avoiding the swipe of the massive paw aimed at his chest. He pulled out his daggers and crouched low ready te either dodge or counter attack.

The huge forest bear was twice his size in height and many times his weight. Covered in dark brown almost black fur the bear roared an imposing challenge, spittle flying everywhere. Gorp was screwed, he had no way of winning this fight. The bear was faster, bigger, and a whole lot stronger than his puny goblin body.

Another massive paw came swinging down, Gorp ducked low and brought his dagger up when it passed overhead. The strike didn't even manage to draw blood. He quickly tried to get up and back into his fighting stance but slipped on the soggy forest floor. The massive paw came back in a backhanded swing and hit him square in the chest. The force knocked him back into a tree and he slid down the bark back to the forest floor.

He blinked the stars out of his eyes only to see the bear barreling down on him. The massive jaws opened up to take a bite out of the stunned prey. Gorp had to make a split-second decision. He needed to dodge the right way to avoid the massive jaw filled with razor-sharp teeth. He waited till the bear was almost on him and picked a side.

But the bear was faster then the little goblin thought it would be. With a sickening crunch, the bear bit down on the goblin's arm. Gorp shrieked as his flesh was shredded through and the bones in his arms cracked under the massive strength of the jaw. Truly caught in the maw of the beast Gorp had nowhere to go. The bear jerked its head from left to right and with a tearing sound the goblin was flung through the sky landing several feet further away.

The pain was mind-numbing, but Gorp had to run. His very life depended on this one moment of clarity as he got his feet under him. The sound of cracking bones quickly faded as the bear swallowed down what remained of his left arm. He ran as fast as his short little legs could carry him, not even taking the time to look behind him to see if the bear was still there. The shredded remains of his arm were bleeding profusely, so he had no illusions as to the bear's ability to track him. Even if the bear didn't get him, some other predator would, or he'd bleed out on the forest floor.

He dared a quick glance behind him to see if the bear was still there, but the forest was dark and the creature's dark fur wouldn´t make it any more visible. He turned around and crashed into a sapling tree. He tried to spin around the tree to keep momentum but his ankle landed in a bad position. He slipped on the wet soil and stumbled face-first through a couple of bushes. His stomach dropped as he exited on the other side and begun to tumble down the steep hill.

Even more scrapes and bruises formed on his already battered body as he hit multiple brushes, branches, and rocks on his way down. The tumble ended in a cold splash as he landed into a shallow river at the bottom of the hill. He got on all fou ... threes as he crawled out of the river coughing out the water he had swallowed.

Something moved in the forest ahead of him, but Gorp was done. He was exhausted and battered all over, whatever came for him would be his end. His eyelids grew heavy and he felt his arm giving way. As he fell to the ground and his eyes closed he vaguely saw more than one creature emerge from the forest onto the riverbank.