After his combat deck had come off of its cooldown, they’d returned to the ravine where they had ambushed the goblins earlier. He hoped another party of the green creatures would be sent out to discover what had happened to the miners and their escorts.
If the goblins returned, they’d be in for a surprise. They’d arranged the miner’s corpses around a pile of rocks, the center of which was packed full of Tannerite. As soon as the goblins came over to inspect the dead bodies, Valentina would shoot the explosives. The resulting blast should thin out the creature’s ranks considerably.
Warren didn’t like using corpses as bait. Something about it felt vaguely like a war crime. But the goblins weren’t real creatures—at least in the same sense as humans or the aliens invading the planet. No one would judge him for taking out a challenge monster this way.
At least most people wouldn’t judge him, he corrected himself. He shot a glance toward Zarya, who was concealed with Kassandra near the mouth of the ravine. His vassal had disliked the idea of setting a booby trap. But he wasn’t trying to impress her, and she’d held her tongue after voicing her concerns.
I’m not trying to be honorable, he thought to himself. I’m trying to win a war against a superior foe.
His thoughts were interrupted as a group of goblins emerged from the forest. He quickly counted ten of the brutes, their levels ranging from level 5 all the way up to level 7. At the sight of the bodies, the goblins raised their steam powered rifles and scanned the forest.
But Warren had carefully chosen their hiding places to make them as hard to spot as possible. He was hidden behind a wall of brush, while Valentina knelt behind a moss-covered boulder. Neither of them should be visible to the naked eye.
He watched as five goblins broke off from the group and approached the bodies. They paused a few paces away, their gazes once again sweeping the area.
“Just a little closer, you fuckers,” Valentina whispered from beside him. “Just a little closer…”
Warren couldn’t help but hold his breath as the goblins inched nearer to the Tannerite. When the brutes had finally drawn close enough, Valentina squeezed the trigger of her gun. A sharp cracked reverberated between the ravine walls, making the goblins spin around in their direction.
A split second later, the speeding bullet struck the Tannerite and then the world ripped open. The explosive ignited in a flash, sending a shockwave speeding through the ravine. The goblins closest to the explosion disappeared under a withering hail of stones. Even the ones further back were knocked down by the blast wave, leaving none of the creatures standing.
Warren lifted his gun, firing off rounds as the injured creatures tried to drag themselves to their feet. Of the ten goblins that had emerged from the forest, at least five of them had been killed. This was going far better than he could have hoped for.
His rounds stitched up a goblin’s chest, tearing a gaping wound in the creature’s neck. Meanwhile, Valentine landed off a headshot, dropping another goblin like a rag-doll.
The last remaining goblins turned to flee, but Zarya emerged from cover and mercilessly fell upon them. One of the creatures she was attacking raised its arm in an attempt to ward off her blows. But it was no use; its severed arms spun off into the nearby shadows of the ravine wall.
Once Zarya had dispatched the armless goblin, she strode over to another who was trying to crawl away. Bending down, she slit its throat, her blade coming away coated in green blood. She then moved among the injured, ruthlessly finishing them off.
Warren grimaced at the sight of her slaughtering the wounded and he had to remind himself the goblins weren’t real creatures. They were killing constructs of the Holy System and nothing else. But it was still unpleasant to witness.
Rising from his position, he lowered his weapon. Not only had they killed ten goblins, but he hadn’t had to use his deck. This had gone surprisingly well, considering they’d been out leveled.
“Good job—” The sound of clanking machinery and breaking trees interrupted his sentence. He furrowed his brow as he scanned the forest for any sign of the noise.
What now?
Without warning, a towering mech burst out of the tree line. It stood nearly as tall as a two-story house, and it looked like it had slapped together from scrap metal. No two plates or armor lined up, and a series of pipes leaked clouds of steam. Most of it had been built from rusted iron, but a few areas were clad in shining bronze. At the end of one arm was an enormous circular saw blade, while the other boasted a cannon.
A nameplate reading ‘Goblin Clantankerous Walker, Level 10’ floated above the machine’s head.
“Aw fuck,” Valentina said, her mouth dropping open. “We have to fight robots now?”
“It’s not a robot,” he said, pointing at the head of the mech. Inside of a bronze cage, he could see a goblin with wild hair pulling on a variety of levers. “Aim for the pilot!”
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Warren dove for cover as the goblin walker leveled the cannon in their direction. Meanwhile, the mech swung the spinning saw blade at Kassandra and Zarya, who dashed out of the way. The cannon boomed, a plume of white smoke engulfing the arm, and a shell sped across the ravine before striking close to him. An avalanche of stone and boulders tumbled down as the rock face crumbled from the impact.
Thankfully, the shells didn’t appear to be explosive, otherwise they would have been screwed. But the landslide had been near enough that both of them were pelted with gravel. Anything closer, and they might be buried alive.
So much for not using my combat deck.
Raising his rifle, he snapped off a shot. But the bullet merely pinging on the thick cage hiding the goblin pilot. It would take a lot to get through the mech’s cockpit protection.
“Should we fall back?” Valentina called out, firing off a salvo of rounds.
Before he could reply, he spotted more movement among the trees. He quickly counted ten, then twenty, and finally thirty goblin brutes following the Goblin Walker into the ravine. There was no way they could win against that many high-level creatures.
“Fall back,” he shouted to Zarya and Kassandra. He backpedaled away, firing off shots as fast as he could to cover their retreat. He was grateful neither of the women hesitated, and they both disappeared into the dense brush.
But that also meant all the goblin’s attention was now directed at him and Valentina.
“Go!” he shouted, pushing the green beret back. “I’ll cover your retreat.”
Valentina gave him a look that could have turned him to stone. “Do you think I’m bugging out and leaving a civilian behind? Get your ass out of here!”
Warren hesitated for a minute before he finally gave a brief nod. He opened his mouth to reply, but another cannon shell struck above them, sending a cascade of rocks down onto their position. One of the heavy stones hit his shoulder, and he heard a crack. This was followed by a jolt of pain that made him grit his teeth.
Shit, he thought to himself. I think I broke my collar bone.
Almost instantly, his hand went numb, and he nearly dropped his rifle. Another rock glanced off his head, making stars appear in his vision and knocking him to his knees. As stars danced in his vision, he looked around in a daze, trying to find Valentina.
Coughing, he waved his hand to try to clear the cloud of dust surrounding him. After a few seconds, he finally spotted the green beret lying prone under a landslide of rocks.
Valentina!” he called out, staggering over to her side. “Are you alright?” He knelt beside her and checked for a pulse. Thankfully, it was strong and steady. Dragging her out of the pile of rocks, he noted an abrasion on her head. Between being stabbed and now knocked out, the poor girl was taking a beating.
He slung his rifle over his good shoulder, the dust temporarily obscuring them. While the goblins had ceased firing, they would be on top of them in moments. He needed to get out of here, and fast.
Reaching down, he grabbed Valentina under the arms and began to pull her away from the goblins. But the searing pain from his shoulder made him stumble to a stop after a few paces. With only one arm, he wasn’t going to get far. But he sure as hell wasn’t going to leave her behind.
Two shapes emerged out of the dust, making him grasp for his rifle. He felt a surge of relief upon seeing Kassandra and Zarya. Without a word, the purple-skinned woman grabbed the green beret and hefted her easily over her shoulders. She then turned and raced away from the goblins.
“I’m going to call my deck,” Warren said to Kassandra. “We’re not getting out of here if I don’t.”
“Do whatever you think is necessary,” Kassandra said, biting her lip. “I’ll always have your back.”
Warren activated his combat deck, and four cards appeared in his hand. He peered at his initial draw.
- Nocturne – 1 Energy
- Duskwalker – 2 Energy
- Saberlyn – 2 Energy
- Lab Accident – 3 Energy
He cursed as he realized he hadn’t drawn the Sword of Deimos. It was just his luck to upgrade his melee skills, only to not draw the card he wanted in a desperate battle.
A bullet whizzing past his head made him duck instinctively, and he reached for his ring without thinking. As his Energy swelled to 2 orbs, he cast Duskwalker. What he needed right now was more firepower.
From the swirling dust, his minion strode forth. The gunslinger barely hesitated, his glowing red eyes quickly taking in the situation. In a flash, he drew his six shooters and blazed away at the goblins. His first volley took down three of the creatures. And he barely slowed as he dumped out the spent casings before pushing in new bullets.
Using his one good arm, Warren added his own fire. But each shot went wide, as he couldn’t steady his rifle. He may as well have been using the gun as a club for all the good it was doing him.
Warren fell back to a position behind a dead tree, waiting as his energy refilled. He also noted he’d gained a level, but he couldn’t fiddle with his character sheet right now. He would deal with it once he escaped.
Unlike the previous battles he’d found himself in, he didn’t expect to win this one. He wanted to use his cards to give Zarya a chance to retreat with Valentina.
From the swirling dust, the goblin mech reared up above Duskwalker. The man’s brow barely had time to rise in surprise before the technological monstrosity pointed the cannon directly at his face. As the weapon fired, the gunslinger slipped into the shadows.
A scream of anguish burst out of the mech’s cockpit, making Warren look up in surprise. From inside, he could see jets of steam spraying the driver. Already, the creature looked terribly burned, with a patch of skin hanging off of its scalp.
With every passing day, it was clear that the Holy System didn’t understand technology. While it had appropriated media about steampunk, it didn’t seem to realize that spraying super-heated gas at the pilot was a bad idea.
Boone reappeared in front of the goblins, unloading both his guns as he spun in a circle. Another five goblins went down before the others could react. A fusillade of shots rang out, one bullet piercing the gunslinger’s shoulder before he could disappear.
Warren ducked low and sprinted toward the far side of the ravine. This was all the time that he could give Zarya. He needed to get out of here and leave Boone to hold off the goblins. He wasn’t sure abandoning the gunslinger would help with the man’s opinion of him. But he could resummon his minions—he couldn’t resummon himself.
After only a few paces, he skidded to a halt and ducked into a crevasse. His heart hammered in his chest as he glanced back at Boone, the injured man desperately trying to hold off the goblins.
As Warren watched the unfolding battle, he felt defiance flare to life in his mind. He had run from the aliens at Sayers Mills; he had run from the Daskian squire; and he had run from the Vudha Overmind. He was done running.
Regardless of how reckless it seemed, if he didn’t level start levelling up faster so he could challenge the Daskins, then everyone he knew in town was going to become slaves—or worse.
He needed to take more risks, and defeating a level 10 goblin walker would easily buy him another level. Plus, in his heart, he knew that he could defeat these challenge monsters.
With a deep breath, he watched as the Energy orb completely refilled in his vision, followed by a new card appearing in his hand. Rising to his full height, he cast the Sword of Deimos and felt the heavy blade take shape in his hand. It was time to slay some goblins.