Chapter 37

Earth
Hillside Lake Dungeon, Ontario
August 17, 2019
13:33 EDT

[That’s a Kobold Chieftain, ] Ben said, pointing to the most distinctive kobold in the chamber.

The Kobold Chieftain was at least a head taller than all the other kobolds that surrounded him, though part of that may have been because he stood upright while the rest of the kobolds had a slight hunch. While the other kobolds wore nothing but loincloths, he wore leather armor and a necklace of bone. He was also much more heavily muscled than the rest and held a large axe in his right hand.

[Like the shamans, a chieftain is able to buff any kobold below it in the hierarchy, though they do it with shouts rather than spells. He also commands them. They won’t just run at us with single-minded purpose, so what we did in the last room won’t work. We could focus him down, but then that would enrage the rest of the kobolds, just like killing shamans will do.]

[How much do their stats increase when they enrage?] I asked.

[I’m not actually sure. It depends on the level of the kobolds, I think. It might be something like a thirty percent boost at this level, but a level forty kobold might get a fifty percent boost.]

The group was comprised of ten Kobolds, four Kobold Shamans and one Kobold Chieftain. I had wondered why it was smaller than the last group we had killed, but it made sense if the chieftain was able to give them commands.

[I guess I’ll keep the Chieftain busy while you guys deal with the rest, then. Unless you think your earth elemental could do it, Mace?]

[Nah, it’s on cooldown, and I don’t know how intelligent it is. It could just go start beating on things and accidently kill it, or one of the shamans before we’ve taken care of the regular kobolds.]

[Alright, I’ll take care of it then.]

I ran in when we were ready, the footfalls of my large form alerting the kobolds to my presence almost immediately. They screeched and began to run towards me, but a growl from the chieftain made them stop. Instead, they turned around and retreated behind the shamans, grouping up behind the chieftain. It was as if he was baiting us to kill the shamans first, knowing that it would send the rest of the lesser kobolds into a frenzy, greatly increasing their damage and speed.

The chieftain was my target, though, so I just barreled through the four grouped up shamans. They went tumbling, but there wasn’t any significant damage. I continued on to the chieftain who brandished his weapon as I closed the distance. He began running forward before leaping into the air and bringing his axe down in a two-handed overhead chop.

I had opted to go without weapons initially, relying on Mana Shield and my armor to keep me safe. Reaching out, I simply grabbed onto the axe haft, stopping his attack mid-strike. The chieftain looked up with wide eyes before I vigorously shook my arm. Unable to hold on, he fell on his backside.

I threw his axe as far as I could, which caused him to growl out his displeasure. He seemed to bark out orders, and all of the regular kobolds started their attack. That was the signal my friends were waiting for, each of them running in and finally joining the fight. Mason had to close the distance, while Ben, Anja and Sonja started sending spells or arrows flying.

The kobolds tried swarming me like they had Mason’s elemental on the floor above, but they just bounced off my Mana Shield instead. I picked up two kobolds by the arm and tossed them behind me for my friends to deal with before finally activating my swords and striking at the rest of the kobolds around me. I was able to kill two before they gave up and went after the rest of my group, which made me look around the room.

I hadn’t kept an eye on the chieftain, so I wasn’t surprised when I saw him running back to join the fight, his axe in hand. I Blinked in his path and collapsed the sword in my right hand before lowering my arm and clotheslining him, once more dropping him on his ass. My job was simply to keep him out of the fight, at least long enough for my friends to deal with the regular kobolds.

He quickly got back to his feet, shouting something I couldn’t understand before a red haze enveloped him. I looked around the room and saw that the rest of the kobolds had that red haze surrounding them as well. Well, those few left alive, that is.

I turned back to the Kobold Chieftain, my eyes growing wide in surprise. He had leapt into the air when I wasn’t looking and was bringing his axe down in an overhead chop once more. His axe was glowing red like the rest of him, surprising me again when his cut pierced through Mana Shield like it wasn’t even there.

The axe connected with my left shoulder, causing me to cry out in pain when it cut through my armor. Pissed, I punched him in the face using my right arm before feeling a brief jolt of pain in my chest. Suddenly the pain in my left shoulder spiked, causing me to look over where the wound was stitching itself closed.

Knowing I would be perfectly fine in a few moments, I grit my teeth and activated both my weapons, stalking towards the chieftain. He was already back on his feet, though I wasn’t planning on toying with him any longer. I blocked a strike with one of my swords before thrusting through his chest with the other.

His eyes went wide in shock as he choked, some blood dripping out of his mouth. I put a booted foot on his chest and yanked my sword free, likely doing more damage coming out than it did going in. The chieftain fell back with a large jagged hole in his chest, blood pouring out of the wound and soaking the cavern floor around him.

I turned back to my friends and saw that there were only two shamans remaining. They were promptly dealt with, the fifteen bodies in the room disappearing soon after. I turned back around and picked up the Mana Gem before walking over to rejoin my friends, who were doing the same.

[What happened?!] Anja asked as she walked over.

[I looked away for a second and when I looked back the chieftain was bringing his axe down. Mana Shield was up, so I thought it would bounce right off. You can imagine my surprise when it cut through like it wasn’t even there, before doing this to my armor, ] I replied.

[It’s healed already? How?] Anja asked.

[There are healing potions, or something like a healing potion built into the armor. They’re in crush-proof cases, but if an injury is detected then one of them activates. I don’t know what I’m going to do about the armor, though. I don’t think it repairs itself.]

[Sounds like you were hit by Penetrating Chop, ] Ben sent. [It’s a Tier S ability able to bypass shields, and does pretty well against armor, too. It’s a testament to the armor’s durability that it didn’t do more damage.]

[I didn’t realize there were attacks that could go through shields. I guess I’ll need to be more careful, especially when fighting against a chieftain.]

Ben nodded. [It’s got a pretty long cooldown, so most of the time it will only be able to be used once or twice a fight. By the time we fight against high level kobolds, a lot of them will probably have the ability, though, so it’s better to get used to it now, rather than then.]

The third and fourth floors were more of the same, with Kobold Chieftains making regular appearances. The only new additions were weapon-wielding Kobolds that Ben identified as being Kobold Warriors and Kobold Archers. Actually, they were more like replacements than additions, as they outright replaced the regular Kobolds once we got to the fourth floor.

While the warriors and archers did add some difficulty, we were able to make quick work of the two floors. They were smaller than we were expecting them to be, with each only having five chambers to go through, without any of the branching paths we had come across on the second floor.

Each of us gained another two levels over the two floors, bringing us up to level twenty-four. We were also surprised that three Skill Gems dropped from regular enemies, but Ben said he was surprised it took us this long to have some drop. Apparently Skill Gems have a one in two hundred chance of dropping from anything other than a boss or a chest, so it was about time we got lucky on that front.

We met another intersection with three branching paths and were deciding which way to go when we heard a noise coming from the right. As we crept forward, it sounded like metal hitting metal. Arriving at the source of the noise, we looked around the corner seeing a Kobold Chieftain overlooking a central pit. Inside the pit were two Kobold Warriors who were locked in fierce combat. Neither seemed to be pulling any punches, with both of them having numerous cuts from the other’s sword.

Surrounding the pit were another ten Kobold Warriors, with a smaller amount of Kobold Archers dispersed in the group. All of them were cheering the duo on, watching with rapt attention. There were also three Kobold Shamans standing behind the Chieftain, but they were seated and watching in silence.

[What’s going on here, Ben?] I asked.

[If I’m right, it’s survival of the fittest. There are twelve Kobold Warriors there, and they probably take turns fighting to the death. When half are remaining, the Chieftain sends them to another chamber and waits until new kobolds spawn in. When they do, he repeats the process. Floors like this have increasing difficulty with every chamber since they are constantly weeding out the weak. It also means that there is probably a Kobold High Chieftain on this floor, likely the boss we’ll be facing.]

[Kobold High Chieftain?]

[Think of them like a Kobold Chieftain on steroids. They’re bigger, faster and are much more intelligent, able to strategize. They frequently setup floors the way this one is setup. By the time a kobold makes their way to the boss room, they’re elites, and will be much stronger than the ones we’ve been facing. There won’t be many kobolds alongside the boss, perhaps a half-dozen at most, but they will fight very well together.]

[Wouldn’t a floor like this be quite easy if someone was patient?] Sonja asked. [People could wait until most of the duels have happened and then move in when there are only a few enemies remaining.]

[Nope, ] Ben replied. [That paths branching off the intersection we were just at probably lead to different training areas. This one seems to be one for Kobold Warriors, which means that the archers and shamans in this room have likely been through a number of chambers so far, and this is where they have been stationed. It ensures that there are always a number of strong kobolds in each room. While waiting for kobolds to kill each other will make it slightly easier, it doesn’t have all that much of an impact.]

[So how many chambers do we need to clear before here and the boss room?] I asked.

[Four, I think.]

[Then we’d best be going, I think. Hey, Mace, it looks like there might be an opportunity for you, ] I said, gesturing with my head to the pit where a new pair of Kobold Warriors had jumped down and were preparing themselves for battle.

Mason looked where I was looking and a broad grin appeared on his face. He nodded and then got up, running in with me right behind him, and Ben and the twins right behind me. Mason jumped right into the pit using Whirling Leap, doing a large amount of damage to the kobolds sitting around the pit before turning his attention to the two warriors who were in the pit with him.

At the same time Mason jumped into the pit, I used Blink to appear in front of the chieftain. I grabbed onto his axe and stepped into an uppercut that lifted him off his feet and sent him crashing into the three Kobolt Shamans who had been sitting beside him. I threw the chieftain’s axe towards the entrance of the room before turning back and walking towards the chieftain and the three shamans.

We had learned not to kill a chieftain the hard way, when I punched one with too much force, accidentally breaking his neck, killing him instantly and sending the others into a frenzy. We had learned that warriors and archers didn’t get all that much of a damage increase from a shaman dying at this level, so I activated my swords and cut the head off one of them before turning my attention back to the chieftain who was back on his feet.

I disabled my swords and let go of them, thankful for the quick-release straps that went around my wrist, and punched the chieftain again, this time in the stomach. He doubled over giving me the opportunity to knee him in the face, sending him flying backwards yet again. The two shamans had been peppering me with lightning bolts and weak fire spells the entire time, but they didn’t have anything that could go through my shield, meaning that they were nothing more than a nuisance.

Still, I reactivated my swords and dealt with the shamans while the chieftain was recovering from the pain. They didn’t fall as quickly as the first shaman did, but they did fall after each received a few strikes with my abilities. Seeing the chieftain was getting back up, I blinked behind him and wrapped an arm around his neck, lifting him into the air when I was standing at my full height. Satisfied that he wouldn’t be able to hurt me, I looked to see how my friends were doing.

All five Kobold Archers were dead, as were most of the Kobold Warriors, there only being three remaining. I saw two fall in quick succession so I activated one of my swords and impaled the chieftain through his back. My strike pierced his heart and exited on the other side, delivering a mortal blow. Letting go, he dropped like a rock, my sword being pulled free as he fell.

I wiped the blood coating the blade on his leather garb and then waited for his body to disappear so I could pick up the Mana Gem. When I had it, I turned around and collected the shards dropped by the shamans and then turned back towards my friends.

[Well, that was easy, ] Mason said with a laugh.

[It’ll be a bit harder in the next chamber, ] Ben said. [The kobolds in there will have graduated from one room already, whereas the warriors in here were freshly spawned.]

[Still, it’s pretty easy to do a lot of damage very quickly when they’re all sitting in a nice circle for me, ] Mason said, holding his arms out and gesturing to the benches around the pit.

[I guess it’s good that we went this way, then, ] I said. [I doubt the other chambers have fighting pits like this one.]

Ben nodded. [Archers probably fight each other in a large room, though I have no idea what the shamans do.]

[Alright, let’s get a move on.]

The second chamber was at around the same difficulty as the first, having only nine Kobold Warriors but adding two more Kobold Archers, bringing the total up to seven. There were still only three shamans and the chieftain, so we did the exact same thing we did in the first room. I was happy to see another Tier C Skill Gem had dropped from a warrior, quickly dropping it in a pouch before continuing towards the next chamber.

There was a visible change when we arrived at the third chamber; the kobolds looked a bit bigger and carried better equipment. No longer dressed in loincloths and carrying poor quality weapons, now they were dressed in leathers and wielding iron or steel weapons. After a quick count, we also determined that there were an extra two kobolds in the room, bringing the total to twenty-two.

[Fire Elemental for this one, if you will, Ben, ] I said, turning back to look at him.

[Are you sure? It probably won’t be up for the boss if I use it now.]

[I’m sure. We’ll probably use Earth Elemental for the next room as well. You said the boss will only have a few kobolds with him, right? I don’t think we’ll need them for that fight.]

[Yeah, it should only be six or seven, at most. Give me thirty-seconds, ] he said, standing up and walking out of sight of the kobolds inside before starting his cast.

We waited about twenty-five seconds or so, and then Mason and I ran into the room. The Kobold Chieftain in this room wasn’t using a two-handed axe like the previous ones had, so I knew I had to change what I was doing. I still Blinked in front of him, but grabbed onto both his wrists and lowered Mana Shield before bending down and headbutting him. When he didn’t let go of his swords, I repeated the process, hitting him again.

He finally let go of his swords, so I placed my foot on his chest and kicked, letting go of his wrists and sending him flying into the shamans. I bent down to pick up the discarded swords and then walked towards the shamans.

[Jonathan, behind you!] Anja called from behind me.

I activated Mana Shield just in time to hear something strike my shield, so I turned and saw a Kobold Warrior standing behind me, readying his axe for another strike. I was about to step forward and attack him when an arrow pierced through the side of his skull, instantly killing him and dropping it to the floor. I nodded to Sonja, who returned it, before turning to do my job.

The chieftain was back on his feet though he was pretty wobbly and was shaking his head. Not giving him any time to recover, I walked forward and uppercutted him before turning to the shamans and quickly dealing with them. They seemed more confident than previous shamans, putting up more of a fight. They fell quickly, but not before getting a few casts off, likely buffing the rest of the kobolds or healing them as much as they could.

I turned back to the chieftain who was getting back to his feet, the usual red haze encompassing his body. He shouted something and then reached behind his back, pulling a dagger out from a sheathe hidden on the small of his back. He began moving faster than I had ever seen a kobold moving before, prompting me to activate Precognition so I would be able to react in time.

With the ability active, I was able to see his dagger glowing red, knowing that he was probably about to use Penetrating Strike or whatever it was called when using something other than an axe. I dodged to the right, hitting him in the back with the flat of one his own swords, sending him stumbling. Turning around he launched himself towards me once again. His dagger wasn’t glowing this time, so I tossed one of his swords behind me and grasped onto his wrist.

[Okay, Jonathan, you can’t stop playing with him now!] Anja called from behind me.

I thrust forward with my free arm, impaling him through the heart before letting go of his wrist and ripping the sword free. I was surprised when the chieftain’s body disappeared, but the sword stayed in my hand. Suddenly I was able to determine what the stats on it were, realizing that it was a piece of loot.

Lesser Enchanted Iron Cutlass

Uncommon

10 Weapon Damage

+10 Strength

+10 Agility

+10 bonus Strength or Agility, whichever is highest.

It was a pretty nice sword, and would be very good for me and the twins. I grabbed the Mana Gem and shards before rejoining my friends.

[Lookie what I got, ] I said, holding the cutlass up in the air.

[A weapon, nice!] Ben said. [Is it any good?]

[Pretty good, yeah. Take a look, girls. Let me know if either of you are interested in taking it.]

Anja grabbed it first, shaking her head for a moment before handing it off to her sister. She shook her head as well, handing it back to me.

[If it was a two-hander then it would probably be nice, but I’ll pass, ] Sonja said. [Why don’t you take it? It’s a lot better than what you’re using, isn’t it?]

[It is, but I figured I’d give you both the chance to roll on it. You don’t want it either, Anja?]

She shook her head. [I’ll stick with my katana and daggers. It’s too big, at least as far as one-handed weapons go.]

[Alright, cool, ] I said, extending one of my weapons and putting my new cutlass inside its dimensional storage. The sword began changing in shape until it became an exact copy of the cutlass I had been holding. [Did we get anything else?]

[Nah, just the usual stuff, ] Mason answered.

[So, what? One more chamber like this left?]

[Should be, ] Ben replied. [Two at most, I would think.]

[Okay, let’s get going. Perhaps we’ll actually find a challenge this time.]

I heard Ben laugh from behind me. [I don’t think anything is going to be much of a challenge with you in that form. It’s comical watching you toss monsters around.]

The distance between chambers was pretty small, so we ended up making it to the fourth chamber pretty quickly. Looking inside we saw that everything was even bigger in this chamber. The chieftain was probably seven foot tall by now, with the rest of them being a few inches shorter. The chieftain was wielding battle axe, while the warriors were wielding a variety of weapons, though two-handed weapons were the norm.