Chương 10: Hobgoblin flurry

Eventually, I get so bored staring at the ceiling that I retrieve my gauntlets. I wash them off in the bowl of water in the room with five goblin corpses. What's this dirty water even for? Loose thoughts pass while I shake the water off my weapons. Returning to my temporary home, I lie on the ground. I want to do something productive, but fighting and healing are my only options. The blue screen appears overhead to display previous system messages, and I scroll through it to review everything I've done so far.

System, time. [8. 81 cycles until next phase] A groan leaks from my lips. Hardly any time has passed. I guess it's good because there's so much time to get stronger, but still. System, health. [Health: 190(138)] I stare at the ceiling in silence for a few minutes before an idea pops into my head.

"Kevin, fall asleep." The command hits like a truck, adding weight to my eyelids and slowing thoughts. A chuckle bubbles out of me as my mind strangles me asleep. For the first time since arriving, my nap is completely dreamless and uninterrupted. I open my eyes slowly and stretch, working out the aches of sleeping on lumpy stone. A chime sounds in my ear, and I smirk as I open it. [Bleed Resistance(lv. 2) > (lv. 3)] [Control Tamed Being(lv. 5) > (lv. 6)] Sweet.

As I stand up, a dull pain seeps through my shoulder, along with an even weaker pain in my leg. My command must have worn off. System, health. [Health: 190(169)] I untie my shirt from my wound and wear it. The half-inch wound in my shoulder is completely sealed with a thin strip of scarred tissue. Pulling up a pant leg reveals that the teeth marks are already halfway to scars. The sight brings a smile to my face. Magical healing is amazing.

My hands slide into the soft leather of the gauntlets as I make my way to the next unopened room. Looking through the door, I see what I expect. One hobgoblin and four goblins. This time the hobgoblin wields a shield. Relief floods through me, happy that I won't be cut again. This will be my toughest fight yet. Then again, every fight has been my toughest fight yet. I chuckle to myself as I open the latch on the door with a spike from my gauntlet.

"Kevin, don't get surrounded, remain aware, feel no pain, punch as hard as possible without injuring yourself, and avoid injuries at all costs." Did I cover everything?

"Oh yeah, and focus until the fight's over." When the door opens, everything is the same as the last room. Three enemies look at me, the other two notice them, and all rise. The goblins snarl, and the hobgoblin holds a calculating gaze. Time to pull out an old favorite. The corners of my lips pull up as I retreat to the left and hide behind the stone doorway. My smile widens as the slaps of small feet and snarls move closer. My fist pulls back, and I fix my posture. The second I see green, I move.

My heavy fist collides with the goblin's skull, all spikes penetrating and crushing its head against the doorway like a watermelon. A chime sounds in my head before I pull my fist back. The goblin behind it steps back in shock, but I move without the burden of thought. My fist sinks into the second goblin's face and sends it backwards, knocking the goblin behind it over. Chime But I don't chase. I do something I should have done long ago.

I step back from my aggressive action and wait a couple of steps outside the room. The doorway is only about three feet wide, so their usual tactic of trying to surround me isn't possible. Sadly, the hobgoblin wasn't the first to enter. That would have made this an easy fight. Contrary to my expectations, the hobgoblins were far too willing to use their smaller cousins as shock troops, even when they had a tool specifically designed for being in front. There I stand, all three enemies staring at me.

Like a toaster that can't make toast, the goblins don't know what to do with only one route leading to a brawler. They glance at the hobgoblin as if looking for guidance. I smirk and tap my gauntlets together.

"Come on, buddy, you've gotta do something." With its mind made up, the hobgoblin steps forward and narrows its eyes. It lifts its shield and charges me. Its feet slap against the ground as it gets closer. I pull my gauntlets up and prepare to slam down. As soon as it raises the shield to block and covers its eyes, I abandon the maneuver. It pushes forward and tenses for the strike, but I slip to the side and stick my foot out, tripping it. It falls forward with a weapon even more unwieldy than mine.

If you come across this story on Amazon, it's taken without permission from the author. Report it. My body moves without hesitation, pulling back from the awkward position and bringing the hunk of metal to my favorite weak point. My weapon breaks the hobgoblin's neck with a snap. I pull up and ready myself for the rushing goblins, and they all freeze mid-charge a half-dozen feet away, clearly not expecting the fight to be so short. As I take my first step, a chime sounds and a euphoric sensation passes through me.

A heavy breath travels into my lungs. Muscles tense and coil around themselves, becoming denser. My entire body grows lighter as I feel my power increase. I smile and step forward. The two remaining goblins step back. The following fight ends quickly. I stand above two corpses. One with a crushed head and the other with a flattened ribcage.

"Let's hear it, system." [You have slain Hobgoblin lv. 5] [You have slain Goblin lv. 1 x4] [Partial experience granted x10] [Tamer(lv. 3) > (lv. 4)] [Human(lv. 3) > (lv. 4)] [You have earned a reward for clearing a room] [Accept / Bank / Consolidate] I press consolidate and think 'status' with a satisfied expression.

[Vitality: 14] [Strength: 10 > 12] [Agility: 14] [Endurance: 10 > 12] [Fortitude: 9 > 10] [Intelligence: 12] [Wisdom: 13 > 14] [Perception: 17 > 18] [Unassigned: 0 > 1] My species leveling up gave me two strength and two endurance, exactly what I wanted. Essentially, my species gives me unassigned points every level up. It's a shame that I started with amazing mage stats, then was forced to shift over to a more frontline-esque build. My inclination for the melee classes were around five to twenty percent.

I can't believe I melded into the role so well. The system clearly doesn't have the best grasp on my mind. Which, in a way, relieves me. Can't believe I remembered the inclination of the classes I saw, though; must be an effect of wisdom or something showing itself. I pull my arm up and flex with the gauntlet on it. Still, nothing feels better than an increase in endurance and strength. System, health and stamina. [Health: 190(170)] [Stamina: 190(153)] I think I have another fight in me.

First, I take off my gauntlets and rest against the wall. Damn, these things really take it out of me. I really wouldn't mind a two-handed axe, a longsword or even better, a spear. Alas, the system has decided my role to be that of a brawler, so I suppose that's what I am now. I can't help but think of how much worse I would be at fighting without my commands. They are doing some incredible heavy lifting in these fights.

Cutting my reaction time in half and removing and optimising my thought process is just too powerful. If I were a normal brawler, I would probably be on the third room right now, burning all of my rewards on potions as I struggle to stay alive with horrific injuries. Or the more likely result: death. It truly turns me from a bumbling idiot with zero fighting experience into an unstoppable, fluid killing machine. Emboldened by my own will, I stand up and look at the next room. It gives me a troubled expression.

Shit, a difficulty spike. Three hobgoblins sit silently in the room, one with a shield, one with a sword, and one with a hatchet. A culmination of all the hobgoblins I have fought so far. Thankfully, none of them has a bow equipped. I have no counter to that sort of thing and would be stuck without any options. My gaze returns to the shield held by the hobgoblin I killed. Okay, maybe not no options. Shaking my head, I look back at the trio.

There's not much I can do, and I don't really have any way to prepare, so I put on my gauntlets and get to work. Checking my stamina, I see it's only twenty away from max and nod to myself. I flip open the latch and reapply the same command as before. Before I open it, an idea comes to my head. I walk back to one of the previous rooms and gather an item that might help me equalize the fight. Taking off one of my gauntlets, I ready the tool in my right hand.

With a deep breath to gather myself, I push open the door, watching the usual happen as the hobgoblins gather themselves. Before the hobgoblin with the sword turns around, I step into the room and throw. In a beautiful arc, the hatchet from a previously killed hobgoblin flies. And lands with the butt hitting it on the shoulder. It grunts in pain and annoyance as if its friend just punched it. It rubs its arm as it picks up the hatchet I threw at it. It turns to me along with the other two hobgoblins.

As it rises, it grips a sword in one hand and the hatchet I threw in the other. Fuck. Not my wisest plan. I pull back and slip my gauntlet back on, hiding behind the doorway once again. My posture straightens as I prepare for the first hobgoblin to enter the room. After a few seconds, I see movement and push forward. The hobgoblin with the shield reacts quickly, stepping back to avoid my punch and watch me. I stand at the doorway with six eyes staring at me, picking me apart and searching for an opportunity.

In a terrifying display of teamwork, the shieldman slowly pushes forward while the sword and hatchet hobgoblins follow slowly on the left and right flanks. I stand only three steps behind the doorway, knowing that it's the only thing preventing them from surrounding me and ripping me apart. When it enters the doorway, I push forward and raise both of my fists. The goblin raises its shield to block.

Once its eyes are covered, I perform a smooth feint, pulling my left fist to the right and pushing the shield out of the way. With my right fist, I thrust forward and punch the hobgoblin right below the collarbone. The spikes all penetrate to the base. I pull back immediately to dodge both of the strikes from the other two hobgoblins. The shield hobgoblin stumbles back, blood pouring from its chest like a river. The other two push the advantage and slip into the room.

Immediately, they both move to the side and attempt to surround me. Seeing them, I turn around and run, leaving them both behind. Twenty feet later, I stop at the next doorway and wait exactly three steps behind it, providing a second chokehold they have to push through. The hatchetman narrows its eyes in annoyance, and the dual wielder snarls in frustration. Meanwhile, I tap my gauntlets together and laugh.

"Sorry guys, I have as many doors as I need. No free food for you today." After a few seconds of staring, the hatchetman smiles as it sees something on the ground. I follow its gaze.

"Tch." It walks over and equips itself with the shield of the hobgoblin I killed in this room. Shit, maybe there was more preparation I could have done after all. A chime sounds in my ear. Dang! Did I really make the first one bleed that much? The new shield goblin rushes forward with its shield up and its hatchet pulled up for a strike. A game chicken follows as I step back to dodge its strikes, then push forward to prevent it from entering. It's almost as if I can see my stamina draining as I swing and miss.

One demerit of dancing with a weapon far heavier than my opponent's. Fuck this. Trusting in my command ability, I step forward and rush the hobgoblin with the shield that stands in the doorway. It holds its shield in front and strikes simultaneously. My left hand deflects the hatchet and moves downwards in a smooth motion, spikes digging into and pulling the shield down. The hobgoblin, shocked at my movements, reacts too slow. My right gauntlet flies over the shield and slams it in the face.

The spikes pierce, and it falls backwards. The other hobgoblin throws its hatchet, hitting like a weak punch in my thigh before rushing me. Like before, I slam the back of my gauntlet into the swing of its sword, causing it to snap from rust damage. Before the hobgoblin can process the result, my right fist slams into its face and sends it stumbling back in pain. With 3 large holes leaking blood in its face, it clutches its own face in shock.

It looks up to see my left gauntlet speeding through the air as its last sight. A chime sounds in my ear as the hobgoblin hits the ground. I walk over to the last downed goblin and stare at it as it wheezes with pain and zoned-out eyes. The side of my gauntlet comes down powerfully, putting the thing out of its misery. A chime hits me as the fight finishes.