Dungeon Sniper

I needed more arrows.

The Goblins did not have any archer among them. Just like the helmets and other oversized items, the standard-sized bows were too big for their small frames. While the poor quality of their arsenal certainly worked to my advantage, it also meant I was dealt the same hands as the red-skinned urchins. But I did search the cave a few more time and found some old but serviceable arrows amidst the pile of trash loots. Still, I only had sixteen arrows with me.

Acquired:

6 Arrows (Total: 16)

An entire day passed, and I had just successfully killed off another Goblin patrol walking by my cell. The shocker: I did not gain any additional Skill. And it was a clean hit on the head. It seemed as if the Skill pool of the Goblins had depleted, at least among the more common kinds. Perhaps if I killed off the Chief, there could be another Skill I could 'siphon' off him.

So where was this Chief?

It turned out that the Chief, named Mataki from what I could gather, was almost always idling in his large room almost by himself, feeding off Human meat brought by his subordinates like a king. I could only smell him and size him up from the distance, but he seemed to be the biggest Goblin in the cave. Other than that, I had no idea what I had to expect from the oversized Goblin, although I was sure that he was not made the Chief simply for being, well, almost as big as an average Human a.d.u.l.t. Slightly below average, even. But I had learned my lesson not to underestimate my enemies. The current rule stood that the shorter a creature was, the more muscles were packed in those stout, awkwardly compressed bodies.

Aside from the presence of the mysterious, broad-shouldered Chief, what bugged me the most was the absence of Nasty. For the past two days that I had been pretending to be a helpless captive, I could not find Nasty anywhere in the den. But it was only after I had gotten rid of the third Goblin patrol and skulked around the Living Quarters to eavesdrop more intel that I learned a group of Goblins was almost always away for their 'scouting' missions. Nasty and the company that had tracked me down to the abandoned village fit the image of scouts, more or less.

Was it better for me that Nasty was away and not down here for the imminent one-man war? I was sure he would be a handful to deal with on top of twenty-something other Goblins all coming at me. It also pained me to have not been able to kill him back at the village, knowing that he was still out large, hunting down Humans and dreaming of setting up a baby meat farm.

Speaking of farms, two of the five survivors died at the Farm in the last two days. The rest of the corpses were eaten two at a day, with the most recently dead brought to the Chief solely for his to eat. As much as they loved fresh, raw meat, it was evident they were saving the best for last, grudgingly but still contentedly devouring the rotting Human flesh and intestines.

As for the three alive women, I was infuriated with myself that I could do nothing for them. I could not even break them away from the chains. And even if I could, I would needlessly alert the Goblins. The last patrol I stalked stood for uncomfortably long minutes staring hungrily at the female captives inside the Farm. If there was one thing the Goblins valued the most inside the cave, it was the Humans, in other words their meat.

The only thing I could do was to ensure that the remaining three survivors lived the day until I was done eradicating the despicable red bastards. The Goblins, who seemed to only eat raw meat as their staple, did not keep much food in the area. I did, however, find some clean water and scrap nuts and dried berries among the deserted loot piles. I made sure I fed them to the three women, barely conscious and too weak to swallow any solid food. More often than not, they would spew out the water even before it passed down their throats. It was a discouraging effort, a real letdown. Still, I did my best to keep them alive, even though I knew I was doing it more to make me feel better, feel as if I were not completely alone in this miserable cave preparing for an all-out war against a horde of Goblins.

The Goblins, as dumb as they were, began to take a more serious notice that they were missing three members from the group. Initially, they had suspected that the three missing Goblins ventured outside for whatever undisciplined, wanton reasons a Goblin could naturally and whimsically want from the outside world. But when I heard the Goblins pointing out that the trend was too frequent, and patterned—only the patrols kept going missing—I realized that the Goblins were not entirely stupid to pass the whole thing as mere coincidences. I had hoped to take out a couple of other Goblins before it came to this, but I also could not afford to stall any longer if I wanted the three female captives at the Farm to leave this cave alive. Finally, it was time.

The war had begun.

.

.

.

I had the element of surprise on my part. The Goblins did not doubt for a second that a n.a.k.e.d, unarmed Human male with scared eyes and dejected body language had been breaking out of his cell and setting up traps and building secret passages.

The traps were quite simple in design. I dug holes of about seven feet below and planted broken blades and any other sharp-edged ends that I had gathered from the loot scattered around the Treasure Room and other garbage piles. The tricky part was laying the dirt on the surface without making it look unnatural. The Burrower Skill only allowed me to dig with ease, and the other parts required sheer effort, and luck, for the traps to function as I hoped they would. The lack of materials allowed me only two major traps to be built: one near the Chief's Room and the other near the entrance of the cave.

[Secret Skill gained: Trapper - Level C]

Yes, I had found the way out of the cave a long time ago. There were times that I was tempted to just run away and never look back. But I stayed. A part of me was still tempted, but I knew I had come too far to give up now.

The hidden passages were made as extensions on the existing tunnels so that I could disappear from one end and pop up on the other side. The plan was to skirt the chasing Goblins and strike them from behind. I chose especially narrow, serpentine corridors to build these back-winded passages. I was envisioning tailing the Goblins with their backs exposed and waiting to be shot down one at a time as they were caught in a single, crowded line.

The key principle behind all the operations was to be as discreet and quiet as possible. The Goblins took shifts between staying awake—simply to play with Human bones for what it seemed like—and sleeping carelessly. If only I could make sure that the sleepers kept sleeping while I took out the awake ones, it would make my job much easier.

I planned and simulated for nights. Meanwhile, the three women were dying by seconds, and the Goblins started to patrol the cave by pairs. They were still unsure what made the patrols go missing for three straight days, but they knew something was up and came prepared, which meant there was no more easy backstab action for me.

Prior to beginning my lonely war, I made sure I kept the real-time headcount in my mind all the time: eight were asleep, six in the Living Quarters, two on patrol, four out scouting, and one Chief in his own room.

The two Goblins passed by my cell, barely glancing at a trembling, scared Human male crouching in the corner. I let them pass and waited for a few minutes. Then I activated the Echolocation to make sure they stood by the cage and mumble ravenously at the female bodies. They stood there for several minutes before they moved on. I waited again until they were exactly at the half-way point between the way back to the Living Quarters and my cell.

I geared up, with a full set of clothes and all the weapons I had—the Hunting Bow, a Quiver with sixteen arrows, Crude Short Sword, and Dapper the Decent Dagger. I opened the cell door and walked out with a sense of irreversible purpose. There was no going back now, and certainly no reason to do so.

I activated the Goblin Cry Skill.

.

.

.

I sounded just like a Goblin, and in distress. Even though all Goblin voices sounded the same to me, I was pretty certain that it would sound different and unique to their own kinds.

Surely enough, I could sense three Goblins heading towards me from the Living Quarters. The two patrols on the other side came running back too. All of them were uttering the name, 'Jaruki." I figured that was the name of the Goblin with the crushed back skull.

As soon as I picked up the sounds of wild footsteps coming my way, I slipped through the secret passage I had built and crawled my way to the entrance of the Living Quarters. I bypassed the three Goblins on my way, and I was outspeeding them thanks to the direct, straight-lined passage I had created as opposed to the serpentine tunnel the three short-legged munchkins had to run around in.

I crawled out of the passage, making doubly sure that the two groups were still heading towards my cell. They would find it not so empty, and instead full of presents I had dug out of the wall and left for them to see: three pathetic bodies of their kindred, brothers even. I did not know whether the sight would confuse them or anger them. Hopefully both.

Meanwhile, I stalked towards the Living Quarters. There were only two Goblins awake, talking between themselves with serious, wary faces that only made their already hideous visages uglier. There was one Goblin heading to the Chief's Room, alerting the Chief of the abrupt, mysterious distress call from a missing Goblin.

So far, things were going according to my plan. I had hoped that two Goblins went to the Chief, leaving only one awake Goblin in the Living Quarters, but I could not complain.

I shot an arrow to the back of an unsuspecting Goblin. I knew from days of observation that the resting Goblins, both the sleepers and the sentient, did not wear armors inside the Living Quarters, thank you very much.

I aimed for the heart.

[Perk gained: Strength-in-Numbers - Level C]

Useless, but I had no time to brood over such an impracticality. So I shot a follow-up arrow to the face of the other Goblin, striking right through the bewildered, agape mouth.

No Skill gained there, as I had expected.

I heard cries of shock and outrage from all the way across the corridor. The five Goblins had found the dead bodies.

I quickly looked towards the sleeping Goblins. One of them stirred in the verge of awakening upon hearing the distraught cries that echoed through the cave and rang hauntingly inside the Living Quarters. I ran to him first with a drawn Crude Short Sword and stabbed him right in the heart. The Goblin jerked and went out with a sound.

[Perk gained: Light Sleeper]

My Echolocation had the five Goblins still shouting madly over the dead bodies. I sincerely hoped they were not complete idiots and found 'another' present I had left them on the ground.

I had left a message, not in a word form because I highly doubted that the Goblins could read. Instead, I drew the map of the cave, with a big X drawn over the space depicting the Chief's Room.

Meanwhile, I was steadfast and mechanical in my sleeper butcheries. Heart after heart, I stabbed and pulled out the sword and moved on as fast as I could.

[Perk gained: Raw Meat Tolerant]

[Perk gained: Cannibalism]

The last Perk made me extremely uncomfortable, but I put aside the discomfort and concentrated on the matter at hand. Six Goblins were dead, and a Goblin was coming back from the Chief's Room back to the quarters. I had my bow drawn and pointed to the entrance. Boom. Right in the heart. The bastard did not even see what hit him.

[Perk gained: Obsequiousness]

Some of these Perks sounded as if I would be better off without them.

Still, nine Goblins dead in less than a minute. I finally took a breather, but not for long.

The five Goblins formed two groups and departed towards the Chief's Room in different directions: two on the way around, and the three coming back towards the Living Quarters. I cursed out loud. This was one part of the plan that I had hoped luck would play in my favor.

Only the two Goblins were heading towards the trap I had set up. Three were headed this way. I ran towards the entrance of the same corridor that the three angry, panicked Goblins were scampering along. I could hear their angry curses echoing inside the narrow tunnel as I slipped into the hidden passage and crawled my way back towards the direction of the cell I had escaped.

I came out of the passage and ran back the way I came, towards the backs of the three oblivious Goblins. This was no time to be stealthy. The Goblins were running, and that meant I had to run too if I wanted to strike them from behind within this narrow tunnel. The Fur Shoes helped mitigate the sound of my footsteps only slightly, but the Goblins were making too much noise on their own to realize I was breathing down their neck just around the corner.

The moment I glimpsed a bald, bumpy red back head I fired the arrow. The Goblin in the tail fell helplessly.

[Secret Skill gained: Running Shooter]

The two running ahead was clueless that they had just been ambushed. Two quick shots, two instant deaths. I had to aim for the heads knowing I would not gain any more common-level Skill and miss out on a Perk I would have gotten via shots through the heart because 1) of the leather armor they had on with them and 2) of my uncertainty whether I wanted any more Goblin Perks at this point. The last three Perks had turned me into a sycophantic, cannibalistic raw-meat lover. I was a monster enough already.

Back to the war at hand. I had only two more Goblins to kill, and then there was the Chief, who was sitting still in his room even at this moment. Without further thinking, I raced towards the direction where the two Goblins had set apart on their own towards the Chief's Room. My Echolocation was not picking up any meaningful sound from the direction. On my way there, I passed by the Farm. I did not stop to see how the women were doing. I silently urged them to stay strong for just a bit longer.

The tunnel split into two ways, one leading to the exit and the other to the Chief's Room. I ran up ahead towards the room, and stopped abruptly at the splendid sight in front of me.

Two Goblins, face down, with every body part impaled by the rusted, broken blades. Seven feet was just the right depth for the ugly midgets to fall headfirst without having any time in midair to adjust their positions.

The war was almost over.

I jumped over the trap pit with Horizontal Hopper and walked towards the Chief's Room. I had never entered the place, and it was my first time facing the Chief, let alone talk with him.

I stood behind the open entrance to the room, hid my body behind a rock wall and drew up the bow. The Chief was only forty feet away. He was sitting on his chair... crossed-legged? I could not see his legs from here. Perhaps if I shifted my position—

Then it hit me. There was a reason why the Chief never left the room. I could not catch it with my low-level Echolocation, but seeing him in plan sight explained everything.

Sitting in a crude throne-like chair was a Goblin with the sturdiest upper body I had seen so far—but he had no legs.

It was then the Chief, who had been sitting in his chair calmly, turned his head towards where I was hiding, raised his thick arm, and beckoned me to come closer.

I stepped out, only to raise the bow and aim at his face instead.

"You will have a chance to kill me, Human. Let us talk for now," said the Chief with the same gravel-like voice, but deeper, and somewhat more intelligent than others.

"Why would I want to talk with you?" I scoffed. I was only a finger-loose away from killing the creature responsible for an entire village's death, and possibly more.

"Because that is what heroes do. Anyone can fight and kill, but a hero, he reasons."

"Sorry. You got the wrong guy. I'm no hero."

"But I am. And after you slay me, you will be passed down the name."

I narrowed my eyes at the almost Human-sized Goblin in front of me. Despite missing both of his legs, he had an air of authority and dominance. And his upper body muscles seemed no joke either.

"Bullshit. A hero that eats Human flesh?" I spat vehemently.

"That is just the way we are born. We are created thus in the bigger, more profound Cycle of lives, young hero."

"So you're begging for your life now? Because you are a hero to your kind, you deserve to live?"

The Chief cackled heartily.

"We Goblins are a simple race, but we are not stupid."

"Really? That's certainly not the impression I've been getting from you lot."

"So you single-handedly expunged an entire Goblin tribe. Words like that get spread around quickly, all the more within the small area as the Level One of the Dungeon we live in. Soon, you will be targeted by other Goblins, as well as the other races."

"Is that a threat?"

"It is a fact, a friendly warning, if you will," nodded the Chief thoughtfully.

"Thanks. Can I kill you now?"

"Yes, you may. Be sure to check the c.h.e.s.t behind the throne."

"Why? What's in it?"

"A present. Not the nasty kind you left for my children on the cell ground," smiled the Chief.

My hands shook a little at the last words.

"How could you possibly know—"

"I know everything that occurs in my 'lair.' I knew you were planning this little war since the day you were brought in."

"Wait, what? How? Why?" I was confused.

"Aim for the heart, New Hero, and you will see."

The Chief ripped off his leather armor and pointed to his c.h.e.s.t. The way he talked, he also knew my Innate Skill of Critical Siphon.

"Do it. Shoot," nodded the Chief.

I swallowed and pulled back the arrow determinedly.

The Chief was smiling, and a part of me was finding him... admirable?

"Go tell the world you are the Slayer of Mataki," laughed the proud Goblin hero.

I fired the arrow. Mataki jolted only slightly as the arrow pierced through the heart.

[Perk gained: Master of Lair]

[Perk gained: Charisma - Level B]

[Perk gained: Hero's Aura]

Chief Mataki sat still with his eyes closed, ever so peaceful in his own death. I went back of the crude throne as he had tole me and found a c.h.e.s.t. Inside it was a medium-length sword with a curvy, razor-sharp blade that had a hint of Goblinesqe redness emanating from it. It seemed fit to serve as both a dagger and a combat sword. It also came with a decorative sheath with engravings of abstract Goblin faces or some sort.

I named it Mataki's blade.

.

.

.

Only one survivor was breathing when I got back to the Farm. With anguish, I broke the chains off her legs and carried her out to the cave. I tried not to look around at the remaining corpses. The tears in my eyes helped obscure the vision, but not the sharp pain in my c.h.e.s.t.

I sidestepped the last unactivated trap out of the way and emerged out of the cave—the lair—with the tasty air and the moonless dark greeting me back sadly. It was then the woman, for the first time, stirred and fluttered her eyes open.

"I smell home," said the woman weakly, blindly.

"I will get you home, I promise," I said reassuringly, painfully.

"I'm home," muttered the woman, her eyes unfocused and staring into the sky, with thick, murky tears flowing out of them.

"Yes, you are."

"Thank you," gasped the survivor, and that was the last breath she let out of her body.

I lowered the lifeless body onto the ground, dug up a hole and lay her gently into it. I went back into the lair and with each Human corpse I came back with, I dug up another hole. I repeated the process twenty times until there were twenty graves lined up in front of the lair's entrance.

It was a long, deliberate night. When it was all over, the world brightened, but I did not.

I won the war, even though I did not feel like I did.