What followed were several rooms that were much the same as the previous. The monsters were without fail the young cockroaches. After we had cleared the 7th room we finally came to something different.
The 8th room was much larger than the previous rooms, and the cockroaches were not hidden as they had been previously. Neither of us could hide our shock as we saw a goblin campsite with the young cockroaches tied up like cowboys would their horses.
"They are using them as mounts!" Selena exclaimed in shock.
I could only nod in response. It was becoming rather annoying that I could not communicate with her.
We did not have a battle plan as we approached them. Truthfully there was no need for one. The goblins were currently not mounted, and there was no point in me sneaking up on them. Not only could Selena easily handle the monsters, but the roaches could easily notice my presence. I did not have a stealth skill after all.
We rushed into the group of goblins. Before they could react Selena had already thrust her flaming spear into the head of the closest goblin. It did not have time to react before its lifeless body fell to the floor.
I did not stand idle. I was not nearly as powerful as Selena, but I was confident in my abilities to handle these goblins. I pounced at the nearest goblin, my claws aiming at its eyes. The goblin managed to dodge the blow, but deep cuts appeared on its face. Blood began to flow from the wound, and the goblin howled in rage and pain.
The goblin punched at my body, but I ignored the blows. My [Iron Skin] easily able to nullify the unarmed blows. I once again pounced at the goblin, this time I aimed for its neck. I did not use my claws, rather I bit directly into the goblins neck. The warm flow of blood entered my mouth, but the nourishment would not provide me any stats or skills. I had already fed that day.
The goblin struggled under my teeth, but its fate was already sealed. Even as it threw my small body away blood continued to flow from its wound. It tried to scream, but the only sound that filled the room was a soft gurgling as it drowned in its own blood.
As I looked for my next enemy I found that the goblins had already been slain. Selena had Already massacred them, and was now working on the roaches. I sat and watched the scene. Her fire and spear were enough to counter the diseases they carried, so I did not see the need to interfere.
When the room had finally been cleared we sat down to rest. The meat of goblins was not very appetizing, but Selena had no choice but to begin to roast one. Cockroaches were riddled with disease, and there was no guarantee that her flames would be able to purify the the meat.
I watched as she gagged several times as she forced the meat into her stomache. I could only shake my head. I did not mind the taste of goblins, or anything for that matter. It was all nourishment for me to gain power. However I did not partake in her feast. I had already fed this day, and would be fine until tomorrow.
It was strange, but I found the one meal I ate a day was enough to keep me satisfied. It did not matter if I ate flesh or an item, once I ingested something I was good for 24 hours. It was definitely a boon.
When she finished eating we began to rest. The campsite the goblins made was a better place than most, so we, mostly Selena, cleared out the carcasses and pushed some of the combustible garbage into the fire. It reminded me of camping, if camping was done in a landfill that is.
The night passed without incident. We took turns keeping watch, which had been suggested by Selena. I had nodded when she suggested the idea, and that seemed to be enough for her.
When morning came my stomache growled angrily. It was time for me to eat. One of the goblins provided me with a single point to Dexterity. It was not a big upgrade, but now my Dexterity matched my strength. I took the moment to look over my stats.
Name: Sebastian
Race: Hell Cat (Unevolvable) (Juvenile)
Trait: Devour
Hp: 30 Mp 20
Strength: 4
Dexterity: 4
Constitution: 3
Intelligence: 8
Wisdom: 6
Charisma: 9
abilities:
[Eat Anything]
[Treasure Sense Lvl 1]
[Extra-Dimensional Space]
[Iron Skin]
I nodded. My stats were improving nicely. I just needed to find a way to increase my intelligence by 2 points.
When I was done examining my stats Selena had finished with her meal. Leftover goblin was not the most appealing meal, but her growling stomache demanded she eat something.
With our meal over with we finally left the goblin campsite. We traversed through a corridor that was much darker than those we had arrived at previously. The gems that emmited light were not nearly as numerous in this hallway, and Selena nervously rubbed my head.
"We will be arriving at the boss room in a few moments. Prepare yourself. From what I have seen so far this will not be an easy fight."
I nodded. Her words were proven true by a notification from the system.
<Quest initiated: Defeat the boss of the dungeon.
rewards: +2 to all stats. Random ability.
Failure: Death. >
I sighed as I looked at the quest. It was by all accounts what a person would expect from a quest involving fighting the boss. If we did not kill it, It would kill us instead.
We approached the boss room. The room was different from what the others looked like, the biggest difference being that the room had a large wooden door that blocked entry.
Selena sighed as she pushed open the doors. "This is it little guy, sink or swim."