Kapitel 248: Advancing
As I am being put into an increasingly precarious situation by the soldiers' permanent assault, I hear yelling and rushed footsteps.
The yelling is incoherent garble so that must be the skull goblins. Seems they killed everyone who survived my grenade and are now advancing. With this, both lines of defense now have a breach.
The soldiers hear the skull goblins too and step back to reassess the situation. I don't let the chance slip and conjure up a sand ball. The soldiers notice, but the sand ball is already flying. This spell doesn't do any damage and is relatively easy to cast.
However, so long as it gets into my enemy's eyes, the sand's effects are worse than any damage a spell could wreck.
One soldier gets hit square in the face and the sand ball explodes into a cloud of sand that envelops all the soldiers. I on the other hand, know of the coming explosion and distance myself.
Neat little trick, huh? One thing I learnt from all those fireballs I had to face is that a projectile expanding its reach on impact is pretty devastating. Especially if you aren't prepared for it.
The sand settles down and the soldiers are all panicking. All of them seem to have sand in their eyes and they are desperately trying to get it out by rubbing their eyes bloody. I take a second to ready myself for one final attack but before I can move, skull goblins flood past me as the dark green tide crashes into the struggling soldiers.
With this, the first defense line has been fully circumvented and once enough skull goblins find the passage in the second line that I cleared, we'll be golden.
I let myself be swept along by the charging mass of skull goblins. The soldiers have already been dealt with and we continue along the winding passages between the rocks. At every intersection some skull goblins part from the main force until we reach one of the killing corridors that make up the second line of defense.
The soldiers and army gunners at this point were able to hold off the sudden assault from their rear. However, they look pretty exhausted and no one is manning the turrets. Since the captain of this unit should still have his grenades this might get ugly.
I begin to push myself to the front of the skull goblins. Time to get the fullest use out of this body before it dies.
The soldiers are close enough to the army gunners that they effortlessly switch positions. Now the soldiers are facing the incoming tide and the army gunners are preparing to light us up from behind their shields.
I spot the captain of this unit right behind the rows of soldiers. He must be planning to throw the grenades as far back as possible to take out as many skull goblins as he can. Not with me around.
I drop to my knees seconds before we reach the soldiers. I jam my palms into the rocky ground and push all the mp remaining in my body into rock below my palms.
I don't have the time to modify a pattern without practice. I simply brute force it and hope that the brunt of my mana along with a vivid mental image will suffice.
The ground begins to tremble and long rocky spikes shot out like lances. They eviscerate the soldiers in front of me along with the captain and the army gunners standing nearby. I wonder at how I'm still alive, then an explosion shatters the rock spikes and changes that.
Let me guess, my spell hit one of the grenades…
<Precisely.>
Shit, that's going to take out quite a few skull goblins.
<Still far less than if that captain had used the grenades. Overall, you made a sound judgment and acted with great timing. Not to mention that you cast a spell without using those patterns.>
I just brute forced it.
<Inconsequential. You did it, that is the important part. How to do it with less… barbaric methods can be trained. But that first time, it's dependent on luck.>
Whatever you say. Now, time to completely crush the first two lines of defense and then have a go at the third. Hopefully they'll be demoralized enough that we can make them retreat.
<There you go being too kind again. Every enemy you send retreating in this dungeon you'll have to face on lower floors.>
That may be true but at the same time, if they ran once they'll run again. And I never mentioned just letting them go if they do retreat. Naturally, we'll give chase and reduce their numbers.
<Have you finally let go of that mental obstacle of yours?>
No, I never had much of a problem fighting and killing adventurers that came to kill. If you are ready to kill, you should be ready to be killed. My problem is with non combatants. And I still wish to spare people like that.
<You really are one big softie. It kind of adds to your charm though.>
Tell that to the dungeon masters.
I get respawned at the exit of the tunnel that we had originally used to get behind the second line of defense. I open the dungeon map and take a look at the overall situation.
The red dots in the first two lines of defense are being steadily reduced and more green dots continuously enter through the gate.
The skull goblins don't need my help to finish up. By now most captains are using their grenades as circular holes appear in the mass of green points every now and then.
By the time I'd reach the action, I'd be nothing more than a slightly stronger skull goblin.
I have a better idea!
Instead of exiting the tunnel, I go back inside and use the dungeon map to navigate to an exit behind the third line of defense. Time to go behind enemy lines on a solo stealth mission.
Wöchentlicher Energiestatus
-- Power-
Rangliste 
-- Power-
Stein