Kapitel 225: Threat of the cave hunter
"Some stiffness around the knee is perfectly normal. The arrow probably injured your knee joint and healing that kind of damage results in temporary stiffness. If you exercise it well it should fade completely in a couple of hours."
The healer is back in his element. He easily calms Walter down and explains how he can make the stiffness go away faster.
Mister Galad watches from the sideline while keeping an eye on the tunnel passages entering the room. I take a glance at the dungeon map and see the goblin cave hunter keeping its distance. Weird, shouldn't it strike while we are immobilized?
<That would just cause you to retreat. The cave hunterʼs strategy is to exhaust your healer first by taking only a few shots at a time and then going in for kills.>
Why not just kill the healer?
<Healers are the most well defended in their party.>
Doesn't look like it to me. Maybe these guys are just amateurs but I'd reckon a good shot right now could take out the healer with no difficulty.
<True. I suppose I am too accustomed to dealing with high-level adventurer parties. Those kinds of parties protect their healers like a dragon its treasure.>
Healers are a teamʼs lifeline. However, I assume that in a low-level dungeon like this no monster is smart enough to target a healer specifically.
<Until now that is. I just told the dungeon and it agreed to change the cave hunterʼs objective.>
"Robin, how are you holding up?"
I am pulled back to reality as mister Galad questions the healer on his state. Having a healer become too exhausted to heal is lethal so he shows qualities of a good leader for checking.
"Embarrassing as it is to say this, I'm about a third through my mp. A few more gruesome wounds like that and I'll run out of juice."
Mister Galad now faces a difficult decision. He can either choose to return early or brave the danger and move on. However, I'm sure their hunting quota hasn't been fulfilled yet. Leaving now might not get them fired due to the threat of the cave hunter being quite serious but their performance reviews will surely suffer.
The question is, do you value your life or your performance evaluation more?
<Your thinking is a bit too black and white. You should try considering choices that contain aspects from both sides.>
"Going back now will mean us failing to meet our quota. However, if we continue we run the risk of fatalities. I suggest going back through one of the side tunnels and getting whatever we can get from there to at least minimize our losses. Any opposition?"
No one seems against the idea. I am just here as a guest and my main objective has already been fulfilled so I am fine with anything.
We enter one of the side tunnels and begin to move in the direction of the exit. Since we are a bit pressed for time mister Galad asks me to take over half the dismantling. Yes, half.
Since it will further highlight my usefulness I agree. Even with my workload increasing many times I'm still able to easily get it done. Practicing like a madman has really paid off.
The goblin cave hunter must be confused. At first, it was waiting further inside for us to continue. When we didn't arrive after a while it went to investigate. Again it found nothing. Then it began to rush towards the exit which it still is now. Are monsters always this clueless?
<They don't have a map and the dungeon only tells the cave hunter the rough location of its prey so it can't easily find you.>
Why not sweep through the surrounding caves then? We haven't gotten that far.
<Why exhaust itself if it can just wait for you at the exit?>
Well, that is going to be fun. Not. By the time we reach the entrance, everyone will likely be much more relaxed. I should use this to teach the carriers a good lesson for life.
I busy myself with dismantling as we slowly make our way back to the dungeonʼs entrance. As Navi suggested, the goblin cave hunter has made camp near the entrance and remains stationary.
The adventurers gradually relax as no further unexpected attacks occur. Seeing the adventurers lower their guards the carriers also drop their level of vigilance. As we approach the goblin cave hunterʼs ambush everyone begins to get distracted as they begin to talk about nearly being out.
I shush the carriers and earn a few annoyed glances that seem to question my action.
"Never let your guard down until you've returned to the alpha plane. The closer you are to being out the bigger the chance you'll be ambushed."
Most of them don't take my words to heart. They think I'm just some instructor who wants to seem important once more so they'll book my classes. Too bad, I'm not... At least not completely.
Only a few, including Sean, grip their weapons tightly and stop talking. Our opponent has clearly learned from our last encounter. We are halfway through a narrow tunnel when the sound of arrows tearing through the air can be heard followed closely by a couple of agonized screams.
I immediately move my body to the tunnel wall and look toward the direction the arrows came from. There's barely any cover in this place and the goblin cave hunter is hiding at the other end of the tunnel.
The monster peeks out from around the corner and quickly draws the bow to fire a single arrow before slinking back behind into cover.
The arrow misses its target and I take the chance to look around. One carrier got shot in the head and is certainly dead. A few adventurers look like they got hit but they should be able to handle themselves. The carriers seem mostly fine with only a few cuts from close calls and bruises from trying to dodge the arrows and jumping into walls and such.
Mister Galad draws a small hand crossbow and fires at the cave hunter when it comes around the corner to take another shot. Going by the monster's howls it probably got hit. Although a few hastily shot arrows indicate that it is more enraged than hurt.
Mister Galad once again charges ahead with the two shield-bearers and orders us to follow. I make sure none of the still-alive carriers get left behind and we charge through the tunnel and toward the exit.
Wöchentlicher Energiestatus
-- Power-
Rangliste 
-- Power-
Stein