Part Five – Goblins, Goblins, and more Goblins

"This is insane.”

We’d been closing in on the town, when we hit a massive roadblock. The building ahead of us were swarming with goblins, their numbers easily reaching several hundred. It wasn’t something we could fight through.

Even using guerilla tactics, I don’t think there’s any way we could win. There’s simply too many. Any way we could whittle their numbers would eventually stop working. And even if it did, it would take too long.

“Hmm?”

“Lad? Do you have a plan?”

“I have something. It’s not so much a plan as a course of action. I’ll just say right up front that there is no way in hell we can win here. There’s simply too many. But if we can find some way to sneak around, then we should be able to survive.”

“What I think could work is…”

[Goblin King's POV]

Everything was falling apart. It had all started yesterday, when a message from one of the outer nests had arrived. The Leader in charge had said that a human had killed some of the scavengers. The message then went on to say that the human's corpse would be offered in tribute. This pleased the King, as human flesh was considered a delicacy.

Hours later, a survivor had come by to report that the human had turned the tables on them. Furthermore, the nest had been almost completely slaughtered. This was an outrage that could not be overlooked. The King had ordered one of its direct subordinates to take an army and hunt down the human.

Unfortunately, out of the two hundred goblins, only a few had returned. The survivors spoke of the deadly skill the humans had. In its fury, the King had them executed. It wouldn’t do for word of the King’s failure to subjugate the humans to get out. The other leaders in the alliance would laugh at him, and that was a humiliation that the King would never let down.

So the problem was what to do about the humans. They were too skilled for the lesser ranks to deal with. The only ones that could do the job were probably the King’s personal guard. But the king was reluctant to send them out. The treaty between the demi-races was only a few days old. They could be betrayed at any moment. As a race, goblins were weak. It was only in the presence of a King that they became something more than simple scavengers.

Without that, the other races would pick them off, killing them and enslaving the survivors. That was what always happened in their homeland. But they had been granted an opportunity to thrive in these new lands. Not only were there far fewer monsters, the humans here were much weaker than elsewhere. This led to a paradise where goblins could flourish. However, this incident threatened this paradise and had to be dealt with.

As the King was ruminating, a messenger ran into the throne room.

“Gya gyga gyagaaa!" (My Liege! One of the humans has been sighted! The Third Prince has taken his guards in order to slay it!)

“Gyaaa!? Gyagya gygaaa!” (Whaaaaaat!? That utter fool. What does he think he’s doing!?)

The Third Prince was the weakest of the King’s sons. He was a fool who took too much pride in his status as a prince, and didn’t train himself properly. But he was still the King’s son.

“Gya gya gyagyaga!” (Send out some troops to retrieve that foolish son of mine. These humans are far stronger than we expected.)

“Gya gyga!” (Yes, My Liege!)

[Protag’s POV]

Huh? What is this? Why would a Goblin Leader be commanding D-Rank goblins? They’re usually in charge of regular goblins. Definitely not Brutes and Shield-bearers. Eh, it’s a mystery for later.

The only thing that really mattered was to lower their numbers. If killing them made it easier to get through, then I’d do it a hundred times.

My plan was pretty simple. We’d kill a few groups of goblins, eventually thinning their guard enough that we could slip through. Most of the goblins that went on patrol were F-Rank fodder, meaning that they were little threat. They were perfect for Alicia and Cameron to train with.

This plan obviously had a few holes. If they sent out search parties for us, it’d be difficult to escape. I’d probably be fine, as I could simply outrun them. But my companions couldn’t.

Either way, my job was simple. I had to lure these goblins to our ambush point. I’d already killed a number of them, forcing a greater force to follow after me. If too many had appeared, I would have had to abort the plan, but thankfully there were only a few dozen goblins.

I’m still stuck on why that Goblin Leader is there. All the other goblins are at least E-Rank. Why is an E-Rank leading them? A group like this would normally have a D-Rank leading them.

I decided to stop caring. Goblins were goblins. I was me. I was going to kill them regardless.

When goblins had a leader-type with them, they became a greater threat. Their normal tactics were to simply charge in head-on. Leaders allowed them to show some semblance of order, as small as it may be. So I took the obvious course of action.

“”“Gyaaaaaaaaa”””

Ahhhh, the screams of enraged goblins. This’ll serve as an excellent lure. Heheheh, follow me you little green bastards. Follow me to your deaths.

I fled as fast as I could. I led them towards where Alicia and Cameron were waiting. But I wasn’t going to make it easy on my prey. I dropped a number of M-80s into their ranks, causing some of them to drop back. While our goal was to thin them out in order to get through, just killing them wouldn’t be enough. Creating corpses was an effective option, but giving them wounded would be more effective, as they would have to devote resources towards their recovery.

Well that would work on humans. I don’t know if the same applies to goblins.

I’d arrived at the alley we’d designated as our ambush point. The narrow path would act as a bottleneck, keeping us from being overwhelmed.

Cameron was waiting on the other side. We would fight together, keeping up a defensive formation, while Alicia swiped at them from a nearby rooftop. Once they’d broken, we’d engage them more actively, killing the rest.

“Lad you sure have some crazy ideas. This is an easy way to earn an early grave.” I scoffed.

“You say that, but you still went along with me. And neither of you came up with a better plan.”

“Oh, I know Lad. Doesn’t make you any less crazy.”

He just didn’t like that it was working. Cameron was better at killing the regular goblins, while I would handle the D-Ranks. With us fighting at the mouth of the alley, there was little chance of them flanking us.

I could see the occasional arrow stabbing into a goblin’s throat. While I wasn’t sure where she was at, she was doing an exceptional job.

Now that I think of it, didn’t Cavisburgh have some kind of nationally ranked archery team? I don’t actually know anything about it, but I swear I heard something about it. I should probably ask her about it once she can talk again.

The only hutch in my plan was that the goblins showed no signs of breaking. it wasn’t the biggest error, but was still an annoyance. I’d hoped the cowards would have run away by now so we could finish the fight. I had more stamina than Cameron.

“Gya GYAAAAAAAAA!”

Oh?

A D-Rank Goblin Brute had just charged straight at me. I was obviously not going to try and fight it head-on. That was silly. While I didn’t think I’d match up to someone who had actual training, I was more than capable of killing these fools with technique. Well, it’s really just countering its attack.

I waited until the Brute struck down at me with its hammer, then slashed out and cut its head off. That came off too quickly! What was its neck made of, butter!

That seemed to break the rest of their spirits. The few remaining goblins turned and fled.

“haaa…haaa….haaa. That was rough lad.”

“I’ve had worse. Though I didn’t expect so many D-Ranks. We’ve got to be more careful when luring in monsters.”

“Eh! Don’t you mean ‘you'”

“Heheheheheh. No, I meant ‘we'"

I’m pretty sure my smile is pretty evil right now.

[Goblin King’s POV]

“GYAGA GYA GYAAGA" (THOSE FUCKING BASTARDS! HOW DARE THEY KILL MY SON!)

The messenger simply cowered in fear, hoping that his liege's wrath did not fall on him.

“Gyaga gya gyagyaga.” (Gather my other sons. Tell them that the time to avenge their fallen brother is at hand.)

“Gya gyga!” (Yes, My Liege!) The messenger was clearly happy to not be executed.

The King was still furious. Even if he had been second rate, he was still his son. To lose a Prince of the Kingdom was an affront that could not be tolerated. As such, the King would ensure the destruction of the humans.

“Gya gye" (You called, Father?)

“Gyo Gya” (Yes, most noble Father?)

“Gya" (Father.)

The King’s three remaining sons all gathered in the throne room. They were the King’s pride and joy. The First Prince was an accomplished warrior. The Second Prince was gifted in the art of governance, and was the next in line to the throne. The Fourth Prince was stoic and extremely popular with the females. He was also a excellent Assassin.

“Gya ga gagagagya." (Your brother has been slain by the humans who trespassed upon our land. I want the three of you to take half of my guard, along with your own, and capture them.)

“Gya go?” (Capture them, Father?) This was asked by the Second Prince.

“Gye ga gya gagagya.” (Yes, capture them. Then we shall show them the folly of antagonizing our Kingdom.)

“””Goy gyo ga!””” (Yes Father!)

With that, the princes left the throne room, and the King closed his eyes, sure of his son's victory.

[Protag’s POV]

I made Cameron be the bait the next time. Or really, the next five times. Even if it meant that I had to cruelly ignore someone’s protests, I was doing this for his growth.

Hm? Why not have Alicia do it? Because she’s a back-liner. She wouldn’t be able to fight as well if she got caught. It certainly isn’t because of the death glare she gave me when I thought about it. NOT. AT. ALL..

But now, I’d tagged back in. It wouldn’t do to overwork him. It would just Effect his ability to grow. Even in the labyrinth, I’d needed breaks on occasion.

So now I was looking for some more prey. I figured we had to be getting close to being able to get through. Whether we actually wanted to was up for debate. While I didn’t think it was necessary, Cameron and Alicia were vehement about it. They probably thought there would be power in numbers.

I wasn’t looking forward to that. Being around too many people stressed me out. I was just someone who didn’t like others. Now that we were in the Apocalypse, I thought that maybe my anti-social ways would be a benefit, but maybe not.

“Gyega gagye.”

“Gagy goga.”

I could hear what sounded like goblins nearby, but they sounded different. Almost intelligent. It wasn’t like I thought that they were completely mindless, but these ones caught me off-guard. A Goblin Crusher and Lord were leading a contingent of almost a hundred goblins.

There were a few other D-Ranks, including a Goblin Assassin, and a number of E-Ranks. But no F-Ranks. I’d already gone over this, but I didn’t want to be surrounded by D-Ranks. They were simply too close to my current level. One-on-one I could deal with them, but not a whole mob.

I’d need another plan. Or did I?

[Goblin Assassin’s POV]

“Gyega gagye." (There’s been no sign of the humans. If only they’d quit skulking around like rats.)

“Gagy goga.” (Calm yourself Brother. They’re too mindless to hide for long.)

The idle chatter of his older brothers was grating. They were underestimating the humans. While they may be incapable of the goblin’s elegant speech, they were not mindless brutes. Most of the Kingdom had yet to realize that the structures they currently lived in had been built by the humans.

Nor had anyone else realized that one of the humans had been watching them.

To be fair, he had only noticed by shear luck. He’d looked up at the perfect time to catch a glimpse of the human fleeing. This was pretty shocking to the prince, as he was supposed to be the Kingdom’s expert on scouting. To be out done by a human brought great shame upon him.

“Ga. Gyego. geyga" (Brothers. Quiet. We’re being watched.)

He could feel the bloodlust in the air. The humans were close, and they were preparing to strike. His skin pebbled from the sense of immanent danger.

*Bang bang bang bang bang bang *

Rapid explosions ripped into the front of their ranks. The screams of the injured and the smell of scorched Goblin flesh filled the air.

“Gye! gagya!” (Form ranks! Don’t separate!)

“Gyaaaaaaaaa” (My Eyeeeee!)

As the Second Prince attempted to bring the army back to order, an arrow had found its way into the First Prince’s eye. As he hunched over in agony, more explosions ripped into the goblins. As he was trying to locate the source of the attacks, another arrow ripped into the Second Prince’s throat.

“Ga" (There.)

He’d located the Archer. He gave orders to his subordinates to flank around her, then moved in himself. As he snuck up behind it and prepared to knock it out, a sense of dread chilled his spine and he jumped to the side.

[Protag’s POV]

Tch.

I didn’t know what gave me away. I thought my approach was silent, but maybe it was just that the Assassin’s senses were better than I thought. He’d ducked out of the way as I tried to run him through.

“Alicia, support Cameron’s retreat. Get out of here and prepare for phase two.” *Nod nod*

She quickly moved to a neighboring house and began to focus on assisting Cameron. He’d been in charge of bombing them. This was meant to sow discord while we would eliminate their leadership. This was clearly a gathering of elites, and I wanted them dead at all costs.

While I’d been talking with Alicia, the Assassin had called a few Goblin thief to its aid. Even with a dozen of them, I wasn’t worried. Their weapons were utter shit, so corroded that they looked like they’d break. Though I might need a tetanus shot after this.

The Assassin’s weapon, on the other hand.

Gleaming Dagger

Rank: D

Effect: Increase to Speed, Blitz Enchantment

Description: A dagger soaked in a special Alchemical solution. Crafted by Goblins, it has a surprising degree of use.

Damn! I want that! Unlike the weapons other goblins carried, this one was well maintained. It wasn’t much to look at, just a basic dagger, but the care shown in its maintenance was almost moving. The Assassin clearly cared for its blade.

I was still going to take it. Don’t blame me! You attacked us!

I triggered Beast of the Nightmare, dashing for the goblins. Each their that met me was summarily cut down. Their blades snapped when they met my swords, and even when they attacked me from both sides, I easily blocked them.

The Assassin tried to block me several times, but backed down each time I followed after him. He knew he couldn’t beat me on his own, and was trying to draw me out so the others could attack me from behind.

His efforts were in vain, as I soon slew the last thief, leaving only the two of us. But I couldn’t take it easy. Our plan was to escape after we’d killed the leaders, but Cameron was trapped by Goblin Shield-bearers. He was fending them off by staying in corner, but that wouldn’t last long. I needed to get over there.

I threw myself at the Assassin, intent on ending his life. At some point, he’d drawn another knife and was using them to parry my slashes.

He’s good. If the Doppelganger had his level of skill, I’d have never killed it. But it wasn’t enough. No matter how much skill he had, he was still a Goblin. And an Assassin at that. He didn’t have the strength to fight me head-on.

One of my blades had finally knocked his knife out of his grip. And with only one blade, he could no longer parry all my slashes, so wounds started to accumulate. He was soon panting as blood flowed off him, weakening him. In that state, it wasn’t long before my sword had his head.

I took only a single moment to grab his knife, then I ran over to help Cameron.

[Goblin Crusher's POV]

This is utter shit! He was being out done by humans, mere prey that should cowering in fear. The arrow in his eye wasn’t doing his temper any good, nor the fact that his younger brother had been killed. Adding onto that, the Third Prince was nowhere to be seen. He could only assume that he was dead.

The reports had mentioned three humans. An Archer, another who used a giant axe, and another that used two swords and fought like a demon. The Archer was responsible for the arrows that kept killing those around him, and the first human was drawing most of their attention. But the third was nowhere to be seen.

“Gyaegey! gyage!” (Surround him, but cover your flanks!)

The Shield-bearers surrounded the human, hemming it in. Even with their impressive physiques, the Shield-bearers couldn’t hold the humans attacks off single-handedly. It took two or three to block one of his attacks. And they weren’t safe because of the human Archer. If anyone wasn’t completely covered, it would snipe their legs out, which was a death sentence.

“Gaaaaaaaaa!”

Screams of anguish began to sound, as the third human had made its appearance. It began by cutting its way through the goblins on the outside of the formation. From a distance, it appeared to be a whirlwind of death, as anyone who got too close would die.

As the First Prince tried to come up with a counter measure, his eyes met the human’s. They were a deep red, a color that brought out fear in his body.

The human snarled as it closed the distance, cutting through his guards. The Prince realized that he needed to kill this human if he wanted to survive.

He brought his hammer up, in an attempt to keep the human at bay. When it had slipped to the side, he brought it down with tremendous force, trying to crush it. This was a blow that had crushed all his rivals and many other monsters.

And yet the human simply moved around it, almost like it saw it coming.

“Gyaaaaaaaaa!”

The human’s swords had cut straight through his hand. As he recoiled with pain, it tried to close in on him. The Prince had no choice but to use his stump of an arm to club the human. But its armor had blades installed into it, as his arm ended up completely mangled. Worse, the impact seemed to have little effect, as it simply got up and charged forward once again.

Using his remaining arm, he swung his hammer only for the human to dodge again. As he saw the human’s sword coming for his head, he had only one thought.

I’m sorry Father, we have failed you.

[Protag’s POV]

::Individual has met the requirements. Nightmare’s Twin Swords have been upgraded. Equipment Skill: Cursed Blade has been added.

The Goblin Crusher probably wasn’t the kill that triggered the upgrade. It always took a minute or two before the System responded to things like this. It didn’t matter much, as 8d finally gotten the thousand kills I’d needed.

The Crusher had been a strong opponent. If Alicia hadn’t taken one of its eyes, I wouldn’t have killed it so easily. But my work was far from done.

Pulling away from the Crusher’s corpse, I headed for the Shield-bearers that were harassing Cameron. Dispatching them was simple. Half had already been killed by Alicia, and the others were 5oo preoccupied to notice me coming.

“Thank God you got here lad. I’m about to collapse.”

He wasn’t in good shape. He had cuts and scrapes all across his body, and was breathing hard.

“Wait here a moment. I’ll open a hole for you to get through.”

I turned around before he could speak and used Beast of the Nightmare again. Cameron wasn’t the only one who was exhausted. I’d had to use the skill three times already, depleting my mana. I wasn’t going to pass out, but I felt an extreme fatigue, like I’d run a mile uphill.

I’ll have to be more careful from now on. I don’t know if I’ll pass out if I run out of mana, but being this exhausted during combat is dangerous.

Getting out alive was my first priority.