Chapter 7: Sneed’s Nest

My thoughts kept going back to the intimate 'funtimes', I'd had with Farya in the morning before I had set out for the rendezvous point decided by Sasha, the girl who had asked me out to join her party(no pun intended this time).

"Eh-Mr Rybane, you have a weird smile on your face" chimed in a familiar voice, interrupting my reverie of lovema-thoughts as I struggled to bring my lewd expression back to normal.

"Like I said, just call me Ryne", I sighed, feigning a hurt expression.

"Okay then, nice to meet you Ryb-Ryne".

Dressed in her usual chainmail vest over leather garb, she motioned the other party members to introduce themselves.

"Hello there, I'm Jacob, a Tier 2 Bronze enchanter . I'll be watching your back", echoed a bespectacled boy of about fifteen, with an angles nose and full cheeks. Dressed in loose fitting robes, he certainly looked the part of an enchanter;mages that specialized in casting buffs and debuffs on targets.

"I am Lana Larose, and I'm an offensive tier 3 bronze mage specializing in the fire attribute. You can count on me to decimate our enemies with my magical talents. Being a genius, it's almost frightening y'know?" rambled on a petite teenage girl with curly brown hair and hazel eyes atop a symmetrical nose. Something about what she said seemed almost familiar, though I couldn't quite put my finger on it.

"The name's Duncan, and I'm the party's shield, or tank, whatever you'd call it. Basically I'll act as the vanguard of the team, and that's pretty much it" rasped a bulky man nearing the age of 30, with charcoal black hair and brown eyes. His furrowed brow sat atop a crooked nose amidst sharp cheekbones. Wearing heavy iron armor over the usual leather protection, it was clearly visible that he'd be taking most of the hits for the team.

"They call me Hestia, and I'm your everyday dependable protection magic user. With my skills, you don't have to worry about the enemy's magic. I'll just protect you from any projectile that comes your way" a tall, slightly muscular brown skinned girl asserted with a smug grin on her thin lips. Her build indicated that she had gone through ample training, and her confident eyes above her small nose indicated that she was ready to take on anything that came her way.

"As yo-you know, I'm Sasha, the leader of this party and a healer by profession. Looking forward to working with you" Sasha bowed deeply, motioning the others to do the same.

"No need for that. I don't approve of it", I stated. "Now, as Sasha must have told you, I go by the name of Rybane, or Ryne for short. I'd prefer you guys call me Ryne though. Anyways, I'm a swordsman adept in the Thunderblade style , and this will be my first  mission. It's a pleasure working with you all" I announced. 

"Thu-thunderblade style?"

 "Wasn't that school of swordsmanship extinct" 

He's probably lying to make himself look good"

the group whispered amongst themselves.

"Quiet!, I won't have any of this here" Sasha shouted in a surprisingly commanding tone. I could see why she was the leader of the party as the others piped down and bowed their heads toward the ground.

"Now, Mr Ryb-Ryne, I mean. If you have any questions, feel free to put them forward" Sasha looked at me expectantly.

After much strategizing, it was decided that I would take up the front with Duncan, handling the offense while he covered the defense. Lana and Sasha would be stationed in the middle, in the most protected spot in the party, since they were the most vulnerable to attacks. Lastly, Hestia and Jacob would make up for the rear, with Jacob enchanting us with buffs while monitoring the situation and relaying information. Hestia would guard our backs with her protective magic in case we got ambushed. The plan had a lot of loopholes, but this was the best formation we could have come up with this party. Additionally, I learned that Adventurer ranks were further divided into tiers, Starting from Tier 1 and going all the way up to Tier 3 before progressing to the next rank.

Finally arriving at what looked to be the remnants of an abandoned coal mine, Jacob pulled out a map from the rucksack he was carrying on his shoulders.

"This is the spot", he announced before we spread into formation and headed inside.

A dank, rusty smell pervaded the atmosphere as a brisk, cool breeze whistled through the cracks in the walls. Typical of a cave, sharp-edged stalactites dangled precariously from the ceiling, threatening to offer us an unseemly demise. The faint lapping of water against rocks could be heard in the distance.

An ominous aura hung in the air, forcing the group to stay somber as it advanced slowly to

the depths of the mine.

We had done well to bring torches with us, as the only source of illumination were the minuscule holes in the ceiling.

"CRACK!", the sound of something snapping jolted me to my senses as I placed a hand on the pommel of my sword.

"Relax, it's just a twig", echoed Duncan, removing his foot from the thing he had stepped on. 

Gathering around Duncan, the whole party stared in horror as his foot came of a crushed pile of what looked to be bones, belonging to humans and animals alike.

"Barrier!", shouted Hestia before a flying arrow hit the translucent green veil surrounding us with a THUNK and bounced harmlessly to the ground. 

"GET INTO FORMATION, DON'T LET YOUR GUARDS DOWN", shouted Sasha as I withdrew my sword out of its sheath in a swift, fluid motion. 

Getting back in formation, we found ourselves surrounded by a horde of small, nasty looking creatures, armed with knives, hoes, and basically anything that could pass off as a weapon.

"O Luminaris, spirit of light! Bestow thy blessings upon my allies! Rite of Strength!", chanted Jacob upon which a faint yellow light began to emanate from our bodies. 

Feeling stronger than ever, I leaped into the fray with Duncan at my side.

Three goblins, armed with melee weapons, came running at us while shrieking in guttural voices. I raised my sword near my abdomen perpendicular to my body to brace myself for the coming onslaught. The goblin in the front was a bit late in realizing its mistake, as its momentum carried its body right into my sword. Blood burst out of its punctured lungs as I quickly extracted by sword from its lifeless body. I jumped just in time to avoid a low blow from the dead goblin's comrade, only to come face to face with a knife heading for my face. THUNK!, it embedded itself in Duncan's shield as I landed on the ground. Using his sword to split the attacker's head he muttered "We're a team, remember?

Sword locked with the third goblin, I barely had time to wink at him before I kicked him in the crotch, forcing his knees to buckle under him. Beheading the goblin, I roared "Who's next?"

Much to my discontent, the rest of the goblin force took this as a cue to start attacking us in full force. Our party backed up against a wall, we were clearly running out of options.

"O Raijin, spirit of lightning, spirit of lightning! Bestow thy blessings upon my allies! Rite of Speed!" muttered Jacob before casting rite of strength on Duncan and me again.

After getting healed by Sasha, Duncan and I got ready for round 2 as the barrier encasing us started breaking under the strain of repeated attacks. 

"Just hold them at bay until I finish my incantations" added Lana.

"Yeah, we got you guys covered!", I replied, my body feeling stronger and lighter than before.

Stepping into the first form of the Dragon sword dance, I became a whirlwind of blows as I cut down goblins left and right. Slashing off an individual's neck, I pivoted to dodge another's blow, only to bring down my sword in its face, right between it's eyes. Duncan was an insurmountable wall of destruction, smashing goblins left and right with his great rectangular shield, not even bothering to use his sword as he crushed the heads of these metre tall creatures with his bare hands.

Still, there seemed to be no end to the goblins swarming inside the cavern, and given enough time, they would eventually overwhelm us.

"Step back, she's almost done", ordered Sasha as we quickly traced our steps back to the group. Sensing our retreat, the goblins ran at us with renewed fervor, murder gleaming in their eyes.

"From Light we came, and to Light we shall return. Divine Barrier!" echoed Hestia as a blinding flash of white radiated from her hands and gradually formed a transparent barrier against our attackers.

"It won't last for long", she warned.

"...and so lend me the flames of your glory, FLAME PILLAR", yelled Lana, finally finished with her chant. A split second later, an enormous wave of flame erupted just outside the pillar, engulfing anything and everything in the cavern.

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Before removing the barrier, Hestia cast a wind spell on the area to clear the smoke, and replace the oxygen-devoid atmosphere with fresh air.

"Wind magic?", I raised a brow. 

"Just a little bit", Hestia winked.

The only thing that hinted at the goblin's existence was their charred remains amidst burnt patches of Earth. Before the revolting smell could potentially cause us to vomit, we quickly advanced forward towards the end of the tunnel.

Standing before a huge iron-wrought gate which could only be the boss's room, the party looked solemn, expectantly gazing towards Sasha, awaiting her orders. Taking a deep breath, she lightly dipped her head. 

Steeling our wills, Duncan and I put a hand on either side of the double doors and pushed.

The door opened surprisingly easily, producing minimal noise, as if it had been oiled just recently.

Scones of torches glowing with green flame dominated the walls in a rectangular chamber, providing ample illumination while casting  eerie shadows upon the ground. In place of a minecart rail that was so typical of this dungeon, a red carpet stretched below us, flanked by countless cylindrical pillars on either side , going all the way to the end of the room.

An inpalpable silence hung in the air  as we walked in dual file towards the end of the room, the passageway barely allowing us to keep our formation without spreading out.

Upon reaching our terminus, we came face to face with the single most powerful resident of the dungeon.

Sitting with his legs crossed upon a velvet couch, his dark, beady eyes glowed with intelligence, his bulbous nose set upon outstretched lips, his face looked like that of a gluttonous child who'd throw a tantrum when refused his favorite food. Speaking of gluttony, he had a bulging stomach, marred with what looked like claw marks, beneath a sagging bosom. Flanked by two metre tall goblin guards, he himself was of a respectable stature as his head came to his guard's shoulder while he was seated.

Laying his eyes upon our party, his mouth set in a bemused expression as he grumbled,

 "So the human livestock finally grew some balls huh?"

Getting up on his two feet, the sound of bones cracking beneath him could be heard throughout the chamber.

"You'll meet the same fate as those that live in the village, that is, to become food for our kind" he announced in Glee as he charged. 

We immediately dispersed in all directions, to avoid the charge of our three opponents.

"Now, now you can run, but you can't hide", Sneed's laughter erupted throughout the room.

One of the guards was on my tail, and I turned around to intercept my pursuer.

A lean, muscular Goblin towering at a bit over six feet, he swung his double edged battle-axe overhead. Pivoting on my foot, I dodged the blow, only to be met with a kick to my stomach. Spurting blood, I was sent back flying against the wall. That was the problem with me. With no magic aura to defend myself, I could only go far with the sword.

Contemplating my options as dark spots danced in my eyes, I slowly got up and composed myself. 

My party members needed me, and I needed to get out of this situation, ????????????????.

An axe was stronger than a sword, but it was much slower, and had one fatal weakness. 

I let the Goblin charge at me, and just when it swung, I stepped to the side, and jerked my sword upwards at the wooden handle of the axe.

With a defeaning crack, the axe was split in two pieces as the blade fell to the ground.

Seizing the moment of my opponent's helplessness, I brought my sword in an upward arc, inflicting a large gash on the Creature's neck.

Covered in blood, both mine and my opponent's, I rushed to find my teammates.

Duncan was coated in red, his body dripping blood from a thousand different wounds, but he was unwaveringly tanking the Goblin King's blows. The charred corpse of the other retainer was visible nearby.

"Not much longer till I devour you, little hero. Then I'll have those women behind you whelp me out some sons"

Sasha was trying her best to heal Duncan,.but the rate at which he was being wounded ensured that it was just a matter of time before he fell.

Lana was unconscious, but she didn't look injured.

 Jacob noticed me out of the corner of his eye, and I gestured him to stay silent. Understanding my intention, Jacob chanted

the rite of strength and the rite of Speed upon the whole party, so as to not alert Sneed of my presence. Swaying on his feet, he chanted

" O Crystalis, spirit of Ice! Unleash thy wrath on my enemies! Ice Bind!", before falling unconscious himself. 

Tendrils of ice spurted from beneath my enemy and wrapped themselves tightly around his legs.

Taking the opportunity, I charged at him from behind, using my feet to propel myself into the air, my sword angled upward.

"Dragon sword dance, Raging Thunder", I shrieked as my sword whirled in an arc, embedding itself in the Goblin's throat halfway.

Landing gracefully on my feet, the goblin's body thumped lifelessly to the ground behind me, blood bubbling from its neck.

Turning around, I gazed at my comrades' faces, all staring on with awe in their expressions. 

I had succeeded in my dynamic debut.

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