Anticipating a fight, I ran to one of the large chunks of cobblestone and hid behind it, peering into the entrance for the foes I’d have to face. Nothing happened. I saw Maladrain, hiding to the left of the door, and locked eyes with him. Both of us had no idea what was going on. The entrance was blown to smithereens-I hadn’t experienced anything quite like the explosion before, so I wasn’t sure what it meant. No foes entered the door. Some distance away, I heard quiet noises I couldn’t make out.

“They are setting up traps,” Maladrain whispered just loud enough for me to hear. “Let’s see what’s down the hall...” He pulled a silvered knife from his belt and put it in front of the door, then peered into the reflection of the blade, “Yep. I can see the trapper doing his business. The others-” suddenly, a crossbow bolt sent the dagger flying out of his hand and clattering to the rubble-filled ground below. He grimaced. “There’s two of them lined at the end of the corridor, waiting to shoot us the moment we take a step. I can’t see any others.” He looked at me expectantly. I guessed that meant it was my turn to think of a way out.

It was best that way.

What did he mean by setting up traps, though? Could a [master trapper] create deadly traps in mere seconds? Well, I needed to know what kind. I picked up a rather hefty rock then lobbed it into the hallway. It clattered on the ground, sank atop a pressure plate, then where it stood, a massive geyser of flame burst from underneath, engulfing it. That pressure plate definitely was not there before. The charred rock slowly returned to a normal resting position, as if the plate hadn’t existed in the first place. It was magic or a skill. I couldn’t tell. The [master trapper] had set up however many traps in the span of a few seconds. I grimaced, myself, shocked by how practical the master class was. I shook off my surprise then spent a few more seconds to grasp the situation. I couldn’t properly communicate with an ink well, paper, and quill; that just wouldn’t be an option in combat-

I saw something dim make its way into the room. I squinted my eyes to see it more clearly. A floating flame. What spell was it? I used my arcane knowledge to divine some of its general power and ability:

[dim flame]

Fire

Power: 4

A caster that can cast a spell with 5 power would be a death sentence, but a caster that could produce at most a fourth level spell -that I could handle, with difficulty. I observed the [dim flame] as it climbed up the cobbles, drawing closer to the pile of cobalt. Maladrain threw a rock at it, but the object simply passed through with no effect. We watched in anticipation, and after it passed through the pile of cobalt and presumably touched the stone wall, it erupted into flames. The flames began slowly spreading across the stone wall. It was [wildfire], a spell that could burn targets at a distance, and would burn on any surface. They were smoking us out.

“Shit! They’ve got a spell like that? Kid, do you need me to run-”

I shook my head vigorously for him not to do whatever he was about to say, then pointed to a fallen rock that was large enough to cover the two of us if we crouched but small enough to fit in the hallway, then back to the entrance.

“I don’t get it, kid. What do you need me to do?”

Surprisingly, repetition works quite well when it comes to nonverbal communication.

“Ohhhh...” He ran up the rock, then tried his best to shove it out of the rubble, flipping it over and out of the pile, which resulted in it sliding down the pile of rubble a little. He shoved it to the door, making sure to not reveal himself to the firing squad, “Now what, kid?”

I could hear the [cobold]s making a fuss down the hall, clearly a little confused. I ran to the crossbow bolt that was fired earlier and loaded the crossbow I’d found with it. It wasn’t needed that instant, but it might have been later.

I crouched behind the rock, then imitated an attempt to move it. There was no way I could do it alone, of course. Maladrain caught on and crouched beside me to help move the rock. Slowly, we rolled it down the hall, using the rock as a proxy to activate the traps along the way.

I heard a trap unleash crossbow bolts, activated by the boulder, which vanished quickly after rolling beneath the rock. If the trap was made by a spell, then it would have made real crossbow bolts, but skills rarely made anything permanent. Besides, it made more sense if it were a skill.

I’ll call this skill [phantom trap].

Maladrain and I kept shoving the rock up the corridor, protected by its cover and ability to activate the traps. The Neo-Draconic speaking(spellcasters like me know how to speak draconic, but that draconic is an old version of what is spoken today) continued as the two of us sprung trap after trap with the boulder. Arrows shot into the boulder, while flames erupted from beneath it, and boulders fell from above, each forcing us to stop to avoid the hazard when it appeared. As we neared the crossroad, the traps stopped. They would expect us to keep pushing forward or run out and begin attacking.

I wouldn’t do that quite yet, of course. I waited in an intentionally ominous fashion, holding up my finger to my lips to tell Maladrain to be silent until I heard what sounded like a name-Ruuthunk. The [master trapper] I think, seemed to have moved to the right of our path, had called out to one of his friends. It was probably the caster. The caster had one fourth-level spell, so it was safe enough to assume it knew one or two third-level spells to use. Behind us, its [wildfire] continued. I took the guess that the [mage] was being asked to cast some other spell. If I could shoot them just as they tried to cast another spell, we may have been able to interrupt its casting. I gave Maladrain the crossbow, then wrote {Mage} on the ground with my chalk. It was loud and clumsy, but it worked.

Maladrain nodded seriously, then prepared to stand from cover. He closed his eyes, waiting to hear the [mage] duck out of hiding to use a spell with [dungeon delver]. Suddenly, he burst up from beneath cover with a jump onto the rock, holding himself in a manner that made him a thinner target to hit with arrows-the shooting squad fired at him, one missed, and another hit him at an angle in the stomach-he didn’t even flinch, and calmly shot at the [mage], making it cry out in pain. Behind us, I saw [wildfire] dim down, signaling that the [mage]’s concentration was broken.

I could run back to the room and camp out there by blocking the door with a rock-[wildfire] wouldn’t be up for another 48 hours -but maybe I’m just a little suicidal because, for some reason, I set my mind on fighting one of the more...outmatched fights in history with close combat. I was gonna win, and I wasn’t going to do it by huddling in a cave!

After my split-second decision, I ran out of cover. I dashed into the middle of four intersecting corridors, where a [mage] was reeling at an arrow shot in its eye, two crossbowmen were reloading, and a [master trapper] was lying in wait to my right. The situation wasn’t hopeless like it had been nearly half an hour ago, but my decision was questionable...if you aren’t me, that is!

I stood by my choice, even as I regretted it a little. I loved the thrill of the fight, but after I plummeted myself into that hellhole, that thrill became more of a terror. I rushed forward at the [mage], deciding it was the most vulnerable. It was draped in the robes of Maophas -Seraph’s archnemesis- and had blood falling from a crossbow bolt stuck in its eye. Seeing me run at it like a bloodthirsty maniac(we each know there wasn’t a better descriptor in the world for me right then), it panicked and began casting another spell. Since it used fire earlier, I guessed that it would use the common first level spell, [firebolt]. It could put a massive dent in my head if it hit me square on, so I leaped up with my [life wing] to dodge it. I made one crucial mistake. Most enemies are stunned by my quick leaps, but a devout worshiper of Maophas could see my invisible angel wing, even if I didn’t use it. It pointed its hand directly at me and was a half-second to unleashing the spell, but I used the quintessential counterspell, [flame manipulation tier 2] to deflect the attack.

I could have learned [fire bolt] myself, but instead, I learned the far more versatile but weaker [flame manipulation] specifically to counter the other, far more common spell. If it weren’t for that recent upgrade to my spell, I wouldn’t have been able to counter a [fire bolt tier (3 or 4)] unscathed, but thankfully, as a bolt of fire burst from the mage’s hand, another held in a pouch by its side, I managed to deflect it into a nearby wall with [flame manipulation tier 2]. I cleaved at the [cobold]’s neck, but after I was surprised by its aim, I missed -my low dex didn’t cut it for me- and instead plunged my sword into its shoulder, knocking it to the ground.

As I fell beside it, I took a glance to my left to see the [master trapper], which threw a lasso at me. I didn’t know what was going on, but I didn’t want to stay to find out. Doing the most spontaneous thing I could do while in the air and with no double jump, I stumbled as far forward as I could, falling prone on the ground in the process. The lasso gently landed on the location I was about to land, then instantly wrapped itself around my arm with some skill or magic. I got the feeling I really wouldn’t have liked it if the thing had caught my neck. It squeezed my arm so tightly I thought it would squeeze the fibers of my muscle to mush. The [master trapper] began dragging me closer to him, but Maladrain(my hero!) intervened and cut the rope in two, relieving me from its iron grip.

The two crossbowmen were quickly reloading down the hall, just two more seconds, and another volley would come our way if we didn’t go into the cover of the left or right hallway. Maladrain dashed to the wizard with no pause. I saw that the bolt that had landed on him was, in fact, harmlessly stuck in his leather armor. The Wizard prepared another spell as he did. This time the spell manipulated the wind and was tier 2. Maladrain wasted no time ducking to the side while I decided split-second to use the wind spell against its user. I stood up and ran towards the [master trapper].

The [master trapper] looked angry and fierce but was smaller than the other [cobold]s. He wore a belt that contained various trap-building tools. A chisel, a string roll, a needle, a small tin box -a lighter-, a rope, and a small box.

Seeing me approach, he quickly walked backward while pulling on his string roll with great -albeit less than to Maladrain’s- dexterity, then threw the loose end to one side of the wall and used the dagger to cut it. The string magically remained in midair, at about chest height. It meant he had activated [phantom trap], I guessed. He then dashed backward in an attempt to outrun me, hoping that the spell about to be cast was what I thought it was, I used my wing to leap above the string.

What I guess happened is that the [cleric] of Maophas used the second level spell, [wind push](could have been something else), to get the two of us away from her, and I used it to instead get closer to the [master trapper] who was across the hall. Maladrain may have avoided the spell, but I couldn’t tell because he was behind me.

I wasn’t quick enough to catch up with the [master trapper] on my own, but the force from the spell gave me enough speed to catch up with him. I raised my sword in midair. This time, I couldn’t afford to miss his neck. The propulsion launched me at the creature, and I swung in midair at his neck. My sword hit straight on. I was merciless and ready to decapitate the monster.

However, I underestimated just how deadly the [master trapper] was with his stats alone. His Dex may not have been as high as Maladrain’s, but not all of his stats were. My sword hit with ferocity enough to cut and kill any other kobold through their armor in an instant, but I only managed to just break through the creature’s [natural armor], and send its lightweight body to hit the wall. I pulled my sword back and went for another swing. One more strike, and its head was gone, but I was too hasty. It slipped the little lighter on its belt open, facing me. The flame failed to activate for just half a second before it erupted into a geyser of fire, bursting into my face while my [flame manipulation] was still fifteen seconds from going off cooldown.

IT BURNT SO BADLY- but I couldn’t afford to care! My hair was being scorched to cinders, my face was melting, but I needed a way to get out of the mess. The crossbowmen couldn’t hit me from where they presumably were, but they were probably moving to. I couldn’t let that happen.

So, I did as any self-respecting burning person would do; make someone else feel the pain. I couldn’t see, and I was about to get second-degree burns if I didn’t act quickly. A mute thirteen-year-old girl has got to do what she’s got to do. I heard the [trapper] laugh, the viciousness of the sound telegraphing a follow-up attack. I blindly sidestepped an attack I assumed would be sent towards my gut, then I charged headfirst at the source of the laughing. Only a second after I was burned, I headbutted a master class [cobold], smothering the flames with his breast, then attempted to grapple him. I’d use him as a meat shield. If my sword was enough to send him flying, I figured I could pick em’ up and use him to keep the crossbowmen from shooting at me. I grabbed his arms and tried to pin the creature against the wall.

While his stats may have been high, a [cobold] is normally far weaker than a human, physically, due to its size. Plus, a [master trapper] should have relatively low physical stats. With that in mind, I was actually able to barely stop his arms from moving in on me. He still had a dagger in one of them, but if I could continue my grip, I could keep myself safe.

I felt his arms put all their effort into struggling, but I kept them spread open and far from stabbing me, with barely enough strength to stop the relatively skinny [cobold] from moving his arms. I lifted him into the air, facing the crossroad, and forced my eyes open, now that my stinging face wasn’t on fire. I saw both crossbowmen were in the hall, one facing towards me, attempting to find an opening to shoot at me without hitting its restrained ally, and another aiming in Maladrain’s general direction. Things went about as I’d planned. It was still bad, but salvageable. The [master trapper] struggled in my hands, forcing me to move about in a strange, unpredictable pattern. It didn’t even realize its friend was trying to aim past it, so the other [cobold] couldn’t find a gap in my defenses through the unpredictable movement. I suddenly rushed towards the other cobold with the [master trapper] outstretched -it jerked to the right. I let myself move with its inertia but realized my mistake a half-second later, when the ground beneath me moved down, just a little. A trap. From above, magically-made rocks fell from the ceiling.

Well, someone really wanted to be hit by a deadly trap, and it wasn’t me. It was about time I, for the third time the whole tirade, tripped on purpose.

I let myself fall on my back, holding the [cobold] up so it could be hit by the falling rocks. He fell on top of me, protecting my upper body like a shield as the rocks battered and covered the rest of my body with more indirect damage. The rocks would only last a few seconds before disappearing, but for the time being, I was safe. I didn’t believe the sucker was dead yet, though! I prepared to stab it with all my might in its neck wound when the rocks disappeared. I prayed to my patron for a little kindness as I impatiently waited for the rocks, which were protecting me from the crossbowman, to fade. Please, Seraph, give me just a little luck!

The rocks disappeared, and everyone acted at the same instant. I tried to stab at the [master trapper], but the [master trapper] tried to bite my neck with his deadly fangs while the crossbowman shot. The shot was aimed badly, I guess, and hit the [master trapper] in the back, stunning his jaw, then my sword stabbed through his neck wound. It didn’t kill. Blood spurted from its wound, and it started flailing and crying out in Neo-Draconic.

I wasn’t done with the creature that laughed in my burning face, though, not quite yet. I grabbed the [cobold] again and leaped up. In one of its sudden movements, the [master trapper] jerked out its chisel and began stabbing at me with it. It managed a good strike to my shoulder, causing me to fall back against the wall in pain, buying the crossbowman more time. Then, it let go of the chisel and pulled from the backmost of its belt a healing potion. It struggled in my grip, flinging the red liquid everywhere in its spasms. It tried to put it to its lips, but I dashed towards the white string it had set up. I let it drink a bit of the potion. All the better, sucker. Using my momentum, I threw its body towards the string, gritting my teeth in rage. For a moment, it looked overjoyed. Then, it realized the grim fate that awaited it, and that joy faded to despair.

The trap activated.

Behind the [master trapper] its ally caught it in midair and self-sacrificially tripped, to fall just as I had with the [master trapper] in its hands. It slipped and took the massive brunt of a fire geyser, which erupted into a veil of flame that surrounded the [cobold]s body.

Any other person, I must egotistically say, would have hesitated to do what I did next. I knew the [master trapper] would drink the rest of the potion while surrounded by the flames. If it drank that potion, it might survive. So, as any self-respecting me would do, I dived into the geyser, sword-swinging, eyes open. I saw it chugging the potion down, just beyond the horribly irritating veil of smoke and flame, and cleaved towards its broken [natural armor], with a cruel smile -just in case [ruthless striker] didn’t feel like I was bloodthirsty enough before.

Blood falling from my shoulder, body scorching in flames, face burnt and stinging like I’d been stabbed five times, I ran into a fire geyser and sliced the [master trapper]’s head off, activating [ruthless striker] and [decapitation].

As the flame simmered down, it revealed me, standing over the two kobold’s bodies, victorious.

On the other side of the room, Maladrain was rolling on the stone to put a fire out. Two dead bodies were beside him, the [cleric] and the other crossbowman, one with a dagger in its heart and another with three stab wounds. It seemed the [cleric] had been killed after the crossbowman but had managed to hit Maladrain with [fire bolt](which has half the cooldown of [flame manipulation].

I picked up the half-empty health potion and then used my just off-cooldown [flame manipulation] to put the fire on his clothes out, preventing further harm. He eventually realized what had happened, and stopped flailing around, laying himself on the stone, still and smiling with a befuddled but impressed smirk. I put the potion to his mouth, and he began drinking. His burns were about as bad as my own, so he silently pushed it away from his mouth after drinking half. I took the last fourth and laid on the ground beside him as I felt my injuries heal as if time was passing in hours instead of seconds.

As that feeling engulfed me, I felt some feeling in my mind. The comfort of a pillow appearing below my head failed to startle me as that feeling, safety, settled my nerves. I could sleep and let the pain, the stinging, the fear, the warmth, the bloodlust, and the time melt away. I could sleep.

So, next to a friend, the thirteen-year-old mute girl let herself sleep. All her soul told her she could rest.

She had won.

New soulbound equipment gained: [soul cushion]