Goblinsbane Ch. 03: Dungeon Crawl

In a single, fluid motion, the Goblinsbane withdrew one of the throwing axes from his belt and hurled it at the necromancer's back. The weapon spun, end-over-end, until it embedded itself right between Rehr'mab's shoulder blades.

"Ack!" The necromancer tried to scream in pain, but that choked-out sound was all he could make. Kassus gave him a shove, causing him to lose his footing and fall, backwards, off the dais. Once he struck the floor, the axe sunk deeper into his flesh.

"Ow! This...hurts...so bad!" Rehr'mab lay on the floor, unable to do anything more than arch his back, bleed, and complain.

"Okay, now you can help," Eredwal said as he rushed to Akam. "Help Maka!"

Kassus grunted in acknowledgement and moved to intercept Maka and her pursuer, whose fire had almost gone out. "Maka! Run this way!" He stopped several yards in front of her, his sword held high, ready to strike. "Run past me!"

Even in her panicked state, Maka followed his directions without hesitation. She ran to him, then past him. Kassus could smell burning, rotted flesh as the headless, smoldering corpse ignored him and continued to chase after the Bashaan. Right as it was about to pass him, he swung with all his might. The edge of his sword cut through the zombie's midsection, slicing it in half. Its bottom half toppled to the floor moments before top half splatted beside it.

The corpse's decayed innards - as well as an even fouler stench - spilled out of both halves. Yet although the zombie was literally in pieces, it continued to move. The top portion clawed at the floor, its hands reaching for Kassus's feet.

"Gah!" Grimacing in disgust, he hacked at the smoking body parts. Again and again, his now gore-covered blade crashed down on reanimated flesh. His careless slashing caused him to strike the floor on multiple occasions. The sound of metal hitting meat combined with the sound of metal hitting stone until, finally, all that remained were quivering, harmless chunks.

Maka, finally able to stop running, stood doubled-over nearby. One of her hands was on her chest, the other was on her knee, and she struggled to breathe. "Thank..hoo..thank you, Kassus."

"Don't mention it." Covering his nose with his forearm, he turned away from the pile of zombie flesh. "Gods, they're worse than skeletons, that's for certain."

Sister Sabine hurried to Maka. "Are you hurt?" she asked while checking her for burns or other injuries. She found none.

"No, Sister, I'm fine, thanks to Kassus."

Sabine placed a hand on Maka's shoulder. Although the wizard wasn't injured, the priestess still whispered a prayer of rejuvenation for her. Her hand glowed a gentle green, and a touch of divine energy poured into the younger woman's body, making her stronger.

Maka stood up straight. Already, her breathing was calmer. She smiled in appreciation to Sabine, who smiled in return.

On the other side of the room, Akam was getting grabbed by the two remaining undead. In desperation, he pushed them or kicked them away, but they kept coming back. He stabbed them with his shortsword, repeatedly, but they ignored wounds that would have been lethal for the living. His luck and his elusiveness had apparently run out.

"Dear Afallat, save me!" he cried out to his god as the jagged nails of one of the zombies scraped at his sleeve.

Eredwal ran up from behind and slammed his hammer against the flank of one of the monsters, sending it flying to the side. "I'm not Afallat," he said. "But hopefully my help is appreciated all the same."

The Goblinsbane adjusted his grip of his hammer so he could swing in the opposite direction and send the other zombie flying against a wall. "You okay?"

Akam was visibly shaken. It took him several, rapid heartbeats to find his voice. "Yes, Goblinsbane. Your help is most appreciated."

"Good. Now get off your ass and help me finish these things off." One of the undead was on the floor, pushing itself up with gaunt arms that had strips of flesh dangling from them. It looked up at Eredwal, hunger and hatred in its pupil-less eyes. Eredwal grimaced in response, then smashed its head to bits with a vicious, downward swing. Chunks of skull and brain matter spread across the floor, yet what remained of the body still moved.

Eredwal brought his hammer down on different parts of the body. He bashed the thing's arms, its legs, its joints, its spine, and even its pelvis. Once nearly every bone in its body was shattered, it ceased to move in any threatening way.

"Yeeck!" He shuddered when the bloody task was done. Turning around, he checked on Akam. The scout had stabbed the final zombie through the mouth, pinning it to the wall and almost severing the top of its head off. Despite the gruesome wound, it continued to grab at his arms.

"Goblinsbane! It won't die! Help!"

Eredwal looked uneasy, but he stepped up to help nonetheless. Behind him, the others were jogging over to aid, too.

"When I say so, pull out your sword and step back, okay?"

"Okay!" Akam shouted as he smacked the zombie's reaching hands away.

"On three: One...two...three!"

Akam yanked his blade out of the monster's mouth then leaped back and to the side. Without wasting a moment, Eredwal smashed its head against the wall. After that came a succession of swings that smashed the thing's arms, torso, and legs. The other gathered around to watch the Goblinsbane crush its bones and render it useless.

"I can't believe how hard these things are to kill," Akam said as Sabine, Kassus, and Maka came over.

Eredwal turned and scanned the room. "They were only that tough because the necromancer's a rare boss. Zombies are normally as easy to kill - really kill - as those skeletons from earlier."

Sabine checked on Akam. Unlike his sister, the boy had shallow claw marks on his forearms, neck, and one of his cheeks. Sabine, who was worried about the diseases an undead might carry, purified then healed his wounds with her magic. He was as good as new in a matter of moments.

Once that was done, Sabine turned to Eredwal, who was walking toward Rehr'mab. The necromancer, who lay in a pool of blood, had managed to flip onto his stomach. He still had an axe jutting from his back. Despite how evil he was, Sabine couldn't help but pity him.

Eredwal stepped up to the boss monster, who had just enough life left in him to monologue.

"You're...a coward!" Rehr'mab coughed up blood as he struggled to speak. "You know you couldn't defeat me...face-to-face...so you stabbed me in the back! You're nothing more than scum on my boot! You're a weakling! Your soul would have fueled only a meek, pathetic undead! You're...ack!"

Eredwal cut him off by pressing his boot down on the axe's handle, causing the blade to sink as deep as it could go into the hobgoblin's back. "What I am is bored of your chatter. Less crying, more dying."

Rehr'mab gurgled and convulsed one last time before he finally died. Eredwal kept his foot on the axe for a few more seconds before he ripped it out of the body.

Sister Sabine witnessed the entire thing. She had seen such brutality during the War of the Wilted Rose, so she didn't turn away. That didn't mean it didn't bother her, though.

The Goblinsbane wiped his axe off on the hobgoblin's ragged robes before he tucked it back into his belt. He then approached the secret room from which the zombies had burst. "Sister, I need your light, please." He covered his nose with his hand, for an unpleasant stench still emanated from the room.

Sabine followed him, the Morning Star held high. With its light, they were able to see the entirety of the once-hidden room. There were three funerary recesses inside - one on the back wall and one on each of the side walls - which the priestess presumed were the spots where the zombies...slept?...when they weren't in use.

The moment she stepped over what remained of the crumbled front wall, she sensed an unholy quality emanating from the room. It made her shudder. Instinctively, she said a prayer of sanctification to the Harvest Mother. A full sanctification ritual would have entailed over an hour of prayer, chanting, the burning of incense, and the sprinkling of holy water. Sabine doubted that she had that much time, plus she didn't have any of the incense or holy water on hand, so a quick prayer had to suffice.

If Eredwal noticed anything unholy about the room, he gave no indication. His attention was focused on a chest located on the corner.

Maka and Akam poked their heads around the corner moments later. Kassus, as usual, went to Sabine to stand by her side.

"What have you found?" Maka asked, her wand still in her hand.

"Treasure!" It was her brother who answered that question. He bounded over the crumbled wall and stopped right in front of the chest. "We went through the whole fort without finding anything good, but here it is!

"And since that guy was a rare boss, his treasure should be especially good, right, Goblinsbane?" The half-elf teen looked up to his mentor, hope shining in his dark eyes.

Eredwal chuckled. "Yeah, rare boss means rare loot. But before you do anything, be extra careful with your trap check. This thing is guaranteed to be rigged."

Akam performed a careful examination of the chest while Eredwal watched. It was like the Goblinsbane said: the thing was trapped. The scout found a wire that connected the container to the wall. It looked simple enough, so he didn't hesitate in his attempt to disarm it.

Either the trap was more sensitive than he thought or Akam's skills weren't quite as good as he thought. The wire snapped before he was ready. Three holes popped open in the wall above and behind the chest, and from them three darts shot out.

Akam yelped and covered his face with his arm, expecting to get stuck by multiple, sharp, potentially poisoned points. There was no pain, however. Lowering his arm, he found that nothing had pierced his flesh. Instead, he saw Akarimei - the Goblinsbane's war hammer - held out in front of his face. One dart was stuck to the hammer's handle while the other two clattered on the floor.

Sister Sabine had witnessed the entire thing. She didn't think a person could move as fast as Eredwal did when he blocked the darts, but she saw it with her own eyes.

"Whew. Thanks." Akam stood up and took a step away from the chest.

"I've lost count how many times I've saved your ass," Eredwal said, grinning as he plucked the dart off his hammer and tossed it behind the chest. He then gave the chest a quick, final inspection. "It's clear. Go ahead and pop it open."

Akam didn't need to be told twice. Seconds later, he had the chest unlocked and opened. He whistled, long and appreciatively, when he saw its contents.

The light from the Morning Star reflected off a pile of gold and silver, and from there it twinkled off the dark eyes of everyone standing in the room. It was a veritable baron's ransom in there. At the very least, it was more money than anyone who plowed a field was likely to ever see in one lifetime. In addition to coins, there were a few precious gems sitting atop the pile.

"There must be hundreds of gold here!" Maka exclaimed. "Maybe thousands!"

"Man, this is going to be a pain in the ass to count," Eredwal muttered under his breath. What he said next - to the Bashaans - was louder. "Remember our agreement: I get most of it."

Maka nodded. "We haven't forgotten."

Sister Sabine didn't have much interest in gold, for the Harvest Mother and her temples provided everything she needed. That was especially true now; ever since she became a Blessed Speaker, the other priestesses went out of their way to see to her needs, as well as the needs of her guard. But while she had no interest in gold, she was interested in learning more about what Eredwal and the twins were talking about. "What is this agreement you speak of?"

Akam picked up a garnet from the treasure pile. As he he gazed at it from different angles, he answered Sabine's question. "In exchange for helping my sister and I through these dungeons, the Goblinsbane gets the greater share of any money we find. Maka and I get to keep all the magic items that he doesn't want, though."

"Ah, so you agreed upon that split because he mentors you."

Maka joined the conversation. "Yes, but it's more than that. He is much too powerful for dungeons like the Fallen Fort of Falo Forest. Adventurers of his caliber normally crawl in dungeons inhabited by dragons, giants, demons, liches - that sort of thing. They no longer go to places like this, which are considered too 'low-level' for them.

"Other veterans wouldn't agree to help us the way the Goblinsbane does."

"Why not? Experienced tradespersons mentor those who are just starting their careers all the time. Is that not the case with adventurers?"

"Well, there are veterans who mentor rookies," Maka explained. "But Eredwal is the only one I know of who accompanies rookies on crawls. I suppose others think that fighting hobgoblins and skeletons is beneath them.

"When an adventurer outgrows a certain level of dungeon, they move on to the next level, which has stronger monsters, better rewards, and more prestige."

Akam piped in. "Lucky for us, the Goblinsbane isn't concerned with prestige!"

Kassus laughed, though it sounded more like a grunt. "Someone named 'The Goblinsbane' doesn't care about prestige? Yeah, right." He turned to Eredwal. "Tell us, master adventurer: why are you spending all your time killing goblins and their ilk rather than slaying dragons?"

"I happen to enjoy killing goblins and their ilk," Eredwal replied. "Besides, the world has enough dragonslayers. If it didn't, dragons would be all over the place. But how many of you have seen a dragon with your own eyes?"

None of the others could say that they had. Eredwal smirked, his point seemingly made.

"On top of that, I know easy money when I see it." He gestured toward the open chest, its contents theirs to plunder. "Look at all this coin - a lot of it is mine. And all I had to do for it is babysit for a few hours."

"We're not babies!" Akam complained.

Eredwal laughed, then turned to Sabine. "By the way, you and Kassus don't need to worry - I'll split my share with both of you. There's more than enough here to buy a farm for each of us. Big farms, too, with plenty of cattle."

"I wouldn't have guessed you wanted to be a farmer," Kassus said.

"I wouldn't have guessed you could communicate with anything more complicated than grunts. Looks like we're both full of surprises."

While Kassus glowered at Eredwal, Sabine spoke up. "Kassus can claim his share if he wants it, but I don't require any gold."

"I don't need anything, either." Kassus followed Sabine's example without a second thought.

"You should take your share, anyway," Eredwal said as he reached into the pile of gold. His hand and much of his arm disappeared within all the coin; he appeared to be rummaging around for something. "It's how adventurers do things: everyone gets their fair share."

Although Sabine had learned much about the adventurer's life and code of conduct in only a matter of days, she felt like she was a long way from becoming a true adventurer. She still didn't want any gold, but she didn't protest any further.

After several seconds of feeling around the inside of the pile, Eredwal drew his arm out. "It doesn't feel as though there's anything in here besides the coin and some jewels. We'll dump the whole thing out later just to be sure. But I'm guessing if there are magic items around here, they're hidden elsewhere."

Maka suddenly realized something. "Oh! The necromancer's staff! I'm sure that's powerful." She hurried out of the secret room, and returned several seconds later with the staff of Rehr'mab. As the half-elf wizard inspected the staff, her eyes glowed with the soft, white light of her Mage Eye.

"Blech, it reeks of necromancy," Maka said, her tongue sticking out in an expression of disgust. The glow of her eyes faded. "I should have guessed. There's no way I'm going to use this."

"That gem looks really valuable," Akam said, pointing at the emerald at the end of the staff. "We can sell it, at least."

Maka looked skeptical. "Who in the City of Faith would buy a necromancer's staff?"

"You don't have to tell the buyer that it's a necromancer's staff," Eredwal suggested. "All they need to know is that it's got a big gem on it."

"That's an awful thing to suggest, Eredwal." Sister Sabine didn't need to use her own version of Mage Eye to know what the staff was capable of; she could feel how evil it was just by standing near it. "If Maka does decide to sell it, she must only sell it to someone who's aware of how dangerous it could be, as well as someone who could handle the responsibility of owning something so...wicked."

The look of worry and disappointment that Sabine gave to Eredwal made him cringe.

"Don't look at me like that, Sister. You're kinda reminding me of my mom." He actually stepped out of the room to get away from her.

Sabine turned to Maka. "I know that you'll do the responsible thing, child."

"Yes, Sister, I will," Maka responded, sounding like a young student responding to a school mistress.

"The inquisitors of Khy Bin Roh may be interested in studying such an item. I suspect they'll pay you handsomely for it."

"I'll visit their temple first, then. If they aren't interested, I know someone at the university who collects items of power. She can be trusted."

Sabine smiled, pleased with Maka's forethought. "The inquisitors may even be able to purify the staff of its taint, for a fee. And although I am not that familiar with the rituals needed to purify items of darkness, I could try as well."

"Thank you, Sister. I'll keep all of this in mind."

"Hey, everybody, I think I found something!" Akam shouted. He stood by one of the wall recesses, his face so close to the stone that his nose nearly touched it. While the others gathered around to see what he found, he ran his fingers along one of the bricks, the front of which came loose.

"Ah ha!" Sliding the small slab of stone aside, the scout discovered that it was the lid of a hole in the wall disguised to look like any other brick.

Sabine held the Morning Star close to the hole so they could see inside. "Your eyes are very sharp."

Grinning at the priestess's compliment, Akam reached into the hole to remove the items he saw within.

The first item was a mask fashioned to look like a goblin's face. "Ugh! How horrid!" Akam exclaimed as he turned the item around in his hand. Made of porcelain, it was painted green, and when worn it would cover most of a person's face except for their mouth. It was the sort of mask that people wore to masquerade balls.

Sabine's eyes shimmered green as she checked the mask's magical properties. After a few moments, she confirmed that the only nefarious thing about it was its appearance. "It's safe to put on, if you want to."

Holding the mask by its comically long nose, Akam hesitated. But after several seconds, curiosity got the better of him and he put it over his face. Maka had to help him tie the straps behind his head.

When Akam turned to the group, his sister laughed. "You look ridiculous!"

"And you look all gray and fuzzy," the scout replied. "All of you do." He looked around, up, down, and even into the hole where he had found the mask. "I can see in the dark!"

"That will sure come in handy," Eredwal said.

Kassus seemed confused. "I thought half-elves could already see in the dark."

"No we can't," Maka said. "Where'd you hear such a thing?"

"I think I read it in a book."

"Well, whoever wrote that book is misinformed." There was an academic tone to Maka's voice. "Full-blooded elves can. So can dwarves, other humanoids who make their homes underground, and the beast people of Atia. Many monsters can see in the dark as well, especially the nocturnal and/or dungeon-dwelling kind."