Chương 7: 6. City of Goblins

"Grab anything you can use!" I shouted as I ran towards a small shed at the end of the protected zone.

"Sticks, stones, planks of wood…" Why did it have to be goblins? They were the worst trial for newbies. The Arcana had lots of monsters, some so powerful that it would boggle the mind. Yet, few had a more profound psychological effect than goblins. Something about the viciousness in their appearance caused people to freeze up and panic. I had known veterans to run back at the mere sight of them even after dozens of trials. The shed seemed old, probably from the seventies, and made entirely of wood.

That was good; it meant that the tools wouldn't be electric. A rusty padlock ensured that the door was closed. I grabbed it and pulled. No luck. Even in an early trial, the powers that be didn't want to give us too much of an advantage.

"Marcus!" I looked over my shoulder. Most of the people were doing what one might expect: panic and argue. Carl had completely shut down out of fear, which was an improvement on his usual behavior. Thank the deck for small blessings.

"Marcus!" I yelled again. That caught his attention. Moving away from the group, he rushed in my direction. Cathy did as well.

"We need to open this," I said once they got close. Marcus gave me a long look. His intuition was probably telling him I was right. At the same time, he didn't want to lose his advantage. In his world, everything was divided into ones and zeros, and there could be only a single one.

"We need to arm everyone if we're to survive," I added. With a few good cards, I could possibly have soloed the trial. Not with the Bard, though.

"Why?" Marcus asked.

"We're in a dome," I said.

"That means we'll be rushed from all sides." It was getting more and more difficult to explain how I knew the things I did. Soon I'd have to come up with a plausible explanation. That was for after we survived.

"How many do you think there are?" Cathy joined in. She was playing it cool, but had also realized that I had more answers than not.

"I'd say forty at least." I stepped aside, subtly urging Marcus to break the lock.

"Two for each of us," he said.

"Makes sense."

"How does it make sense?" Cathy asked.

"We were told to get weapons," I explained.

"It wouldn't be entertaining if the fights were one on one." The truth was that the goblins would be a lot more. Saying that would reveal that I had hidden knowledge. My first trial had been a death maze. Traps did most of the killing. Creatures only protected reward stashes and places of interest. In most cases, there would be a more powerful creature at the heart of it all. Killing it granted good weapons and gear early on. I hadn't faced it last time, so was hoping to have a go in this run.

Of course, that was before Harlequin had changed the trial. Did he do that just because I had won our bet?

"Move," Marcus said, even though I wasn't in the way, and stepped up to the door. His intuition had probably told him there was no point in taking my approach, for he summoned the weapon from his inventory and went for the hinges. I watched the knife slide between the wood and the rusty piece of metal. At the same time, the panic behind me kept on growing. The mass of people had split into several groups, none of them doing anything practical.

Most seemed to be under the illusion that the time for a decision would never end. Others were more focused on the art of argument than on what they were arguing about. That also was different from my past experience, maybe because I was never given enough time to catch my breath. With a loud crack, the chunk of metal that connected the hinge to the top of the shed door flew off. Immediately, I went to the other side and grabbed the top.

"Stand back!" I put my weight on the door. This proved more than the padlock could handle. Thump! The door tore off the padlock and the remaining hinge, slamming to the ground. Inside was an assortment of old tools. None of them seemed particularly well-kept, but they didn't have to be. Early trial goblins were weak and didn't have armor. The only thing that mattered was range.

"Leave the pitchforks," I said as I rushed inside. Anyone would have been tempted to grab one, but that would be a mistake. They had a very limited attack and were easy to be grabbed in battle. Shovels were better, but the best options remained axes and hammers. Nice! I was in luck. A large woodcutter's axe was left leaning in the corner—the perfect fit for me. There also were a sledgehammer and some wrenches.

"Take this." I grabbed the sledgehammer and handed it to Marcus.

"I'm fine." He glanced at the weapon in amusement.

"Cathy?"

"Okay." The woman hesitated. This wasn't a situation she was used to. Technically, the hammer wasn't her type of weapon. Yet, it would be a while before she grew to her full potential. The change would occur once she got hold of the Magician card. Even so, this was the second best tool this trial had to offer, at least until we killed a goblin leader.

"They have weapons!" someone shouted from the crowd. That abruptly ended all ongoing arguments. Crap! I got out of the shed as quickly as possible. I knew full well what would follow. Everyone would storm the shed, fighting for the obvious tools, while ignoring the rest. In a worst-case scenario, several people might end up dead for no apparent reason. Harlequin probably found that amusing; otherwise he'd have made the protective dome transparent.

As long as there was no clear enemy, all participants could only make each other the target of their fear and frustration.

"Break the side of the shed," I told Cathy.

"Huh?" She stared at me as if my nose was running.

"Planks are also weapons." My main goal was to get her used to the weapon. It was one thing to hold it, and a completely different matter to actually use it. A static barn couldn't be compared to a living, spitting goblin, but it was a necessary step. The first strike didn't do anything. The lack of grip almost caused Cathy to drop the hammer altogether. She didn't quit, though. Holding the shaft tightly with both hands, she swung again.

The author's narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. This time, the large metal head broke through the flimsy planks, creating a hole.

"What are you doing?" some random woman shouted.

"Planks are weapons." Cathy pulled out the hammer and went for another strike.

"There isn't enough inside for everyone." The remark fell on deaf ears. Everyone focused on what was already there, arguing about how it had to be properly distributed among all participants. I sighed. Such luxuries would end with this trial. Once enough people had been killed at the hands of goblins, the attitude would shift. Many would overcorrect, following the law of the jungle and leaving others to die even when it was in their interest not to. Sadly, for the moment, egoism was the proper approach.

I moved away from the cacophony, going all the way to the dome's boundary. Up close, it had a cool, calming effect, making everyone forget that we were in the middle of a hostile environment. If the shed was any indication, the rest of our surroundings would also be rather run-down. Collapse of the glorious sixties, I thought. I couldn't remember who had coined the phrase, but it had stuck. It wasn't the worst choice, though it very much depended on the specifics.

"You know something," Marcus said behind me.

"Have you had strange dreams in the last few days?" I asked, gently approaching the tip of my axe to the dome. It felt soft and solid, as if I was trying to push through a block of solid air.

"Goblins, ruined cities…" I glanced over my shoulder.

"Dragons?" He didn't answer. I could almost feel him analyzing each word, searching for contradictions.

"I dreamed all this," I continued. In a manner of speaking, it wasn't a lie. My former participation in the Grand Arcana hadn't actually occurred. Even my memories were of events that might never come to pass.

"The jester, the tests, the trial…" I pulled my axe back.

"Most of it is different, but now and again there are things I think I recognize. Like the dome."

"Like the dome," he repeated. I couldn't tell whether he believed me or not.

"What lies beyond?"

"Monsters." The remaining minutes passed in arguments and fights. Carl thought it "unreasonable" that some people got the good weapons, while the less fortunate were left with nothing. It was an argument several had made, but refused to act on it. As time went by, the arguments became louder. Those who had an idea of what was in store had silently moved away, gripping whatever weapon they had gotten their hands on. Once again, the goth girl seemed unusually calm. Was she like me?

Maybe once this was over, I'd ask her. On the other hand, if we were the same, that was the last thing I ought to do. Without warning, the cyan dome flickered. All arguments abruptly stopped. Ten seconds, I thought. It would have been nice if there had been a road or two in our area. That way I'd know where to expect the goblins from. I held up my axe, gripping it with both hands.

"The time for preparation has ended," Harlequin's voice boomed with two seconds left to go.

"Good luck and impress as many deities as you can." The dome flickered once more, then disappeared altogether. Everyone stood in awe and horror. I found myself on the edge of a large city. Once impressive buildings loomed on the horizon against the backdrop of a setting sun. Between them and me were goblins, dozens of them. They were the small kind—barely larger than a middle schooler, wearing rags and equipped with crude knives.

Common Goblin Level: 1 Cards: none Special: Spread Fear Weapon: Chipped Dagger Status rectangles appeared above the creatures in front of me. I didn't suspect that my sight would work on monsters as well, although it wasn't like I had an opportunity to find out until now. The mass of creatures stared at us, determining their prey. No doubt they were waiting for their special to go into full effect before they charged to slaughter us. I didn't give it a chance to take hold.

With a yell, I charged forward, swinging my axe at the nearest creature's neck. The strike hit the spot I was aiming for, sending the goblin's head flying through the air. Without delay, I changed the direction of the axe and went for a second strike. The muscles in my arms and neck screamed, unused to the effort. The pain only lasted for a split second, but it was a reminder that I was in far worse shape before my return. I was going to have to spend some time building up muscle the first chance I got.

Two more goblin heads were chopped off. The shouts, combined with my actions, caused the creatures to pause. Although they had the ability to spread fear, goblins remained cowardly creatures; they always focused on weaker prey, avoiding the stronger ones until they obtained a total numbers advantage. What experience had shown was the only way to fight goblins was to go through them, regardless of the numbers. Taking another step forward, I swung the axe once more.

Almost at the same time, the mass of monsters ran forward, heading towards the rest of the group. If the people were smart, they'd do the same thing I did, or at the very least group together to support each other's attacks. As I kept up with my attacks, Marcus ran past, stabbing a goblin in the stomach. Marcus Estien Level: 1 Cards: Paladin Special: Intuition Weapon: Blood Dagger (Level 2) – 10% I watched the dagger's stats increase in real time. Nine more kills and it would reach level three.

Marcus had no doubt realized that, for he grabbed the dead goblin as a shield, then stabbed the next in the throat.

"At least forty," he said, each word drenched in sarcasm.

"I said at least." I struck my next target on the head. The goblin skull proved too thick for the axe, causing me to knock the creature out. There was a good chance that he'd die anyway, but the delay had broken my tempo. A sledgehammer swung by me, landing on the goblin in question. Cathy had joined in.

"Thanks," I said, continuing with my attack. My heart was beating like a drum, causing my ears to ring. Dull burning pain had spread throughout my body, making my muscles scream in agony. Only the level of adrenaline kept me going. I had to see this through. Two more goblins were decapitated, even if just barely. This proved to be their breaking point. Letting out their usual grunts and hisses, the goblins in front of me took a step back, glancing at easier targets.

Looking at the thinning lines, the three of us alone must have killed off between a fifth and a quarter of the total amount. Sadly, it wasn't enough. Where are you? I looked around. When it came to goblins, every group had a leader—someone who always stood at the back and was strong enough to force everyone to charge before him. Breathing heavily, I looked in the direction of the city.

He had to be somewhere close by; a spot from where to observe the fight and ensure that the wave of "fear" was pointed in the right direction. He'd never take part in the actual fighting, just step in when it was all over to kill off the crippled and wounded. Goblin Leader Level: 3 Cards: One of Swords Special: Spread Fear Weapon: Goblin Machete A different status window emerged. The goblin I had focused on was sitting on the hood of a pink Cadillac, poking its nose.

At first glance, it wasn't different from any of the other monsters, with one major difference: its weapon was a lot larger. A goblin machete? Not my first choice, but perfect as a stepping stone. I'd need to get a lot closer to use it in combat, but it wasn't as heavy as the axe and five times sharper.

"Help the group," I shouted as I struck another goblin. My aim was off, causing the axe to get stuck in the monster's rib cage.

"The goal is to survive." I kicked it off, then crushed its head with the back of my weapon.

"There might be more waves." Both Marcus and Cathy suspected I wasn't telling the entire truth, and at the same time, they knew I was right.

"What will you do?" they asked.

"I'll go get supplies." I rushed forward. Before that, I was also going to get myself a goblin leader.