Chapter 21 - Class trial part 3
The first sun rays lit up the shabby streets of the small village. While most of the inhabitants were only just waking up, the market square had turned into a bustling mess already. Vendors were setting up their shops to display their shabby wares and errand boys ran around to complete last-minute orders. As time passed, the first customers arrived, announcing the start of the day for the rest of the village.
All around town, the pace was now picking up. Smithies fired their furnaces, butchers dissected the wares they had gotten yesterday, and tailors sewed together their first clothes. Hunting parties left and entered the village, same with gathering groups on the search for herbs and berries and wild fruits. Among those that entered the city was one very peculiar individual. The guards fully disregarded the robed hobgoblin that passed the gate, seemingly being too scared to run a security check on him. If they had looked a little more closely, they might have noticed the slightly different skin tone, or how its ears were pointier than those of a normal hobgoblin.
The hooded figure then moved straight towards the ominous black building, that most stayed away from. Mingling together with other robed goblins, the figure then entered the building, passing through the cloth-covered entrance. Instead of fear, the guards here looked at him with reverie and respect. As they slightly bowed their head, the goblin smirked a little.
Cantorn was amazed by what he had stumbled upon. Contrary to his beliefs, goblins weren't all stupid. While most lived simple lives and never advanced their knowledge, only their bodies, some did both. Those then went on to seclude themselves from normal society and gathered in places such as the building he was in right now. Here they trained and learned together, forming an almost entirely independent community of inquisitive goblins. While some stayed simple scholars or researchers, most others developed into mages, sorcerers, warlocks, or wizards. Sure, they were still fairly stupid when compared to other sentient races, also known as the 'Sapients', but any creature that performed magic, and had even a shred of intelligence, was scary to Cantorn.
Yet, even though they had attained a certain level of proficiency in magic, an art that was known to require a fair share of logical thinking and dedication, their perception was severely lacking. Not one of the goblins that rushed past him, their heads always held high, had noticed his guise. It wasn't even much, just the robe he had robbed from the lone scholar the day before, as well as a little bit of green skin paint that he had ground from various herbs found outside of town.
As it seemed, it even worked well enough to be recognized as a skill of his own. When he had entered the town again this morning, it had just popped up. It was called 'Deceive', and while it didn't do much yet, it still boosted the effectiveness of all of his disguises. He wasn't sure just how that was supposed to work but he wouldn't complain about a little inexplicable system help.
Talking about skills, 'Deceive' was not the only new addition to his arsenal. Finally, he had earned his first stealth skill, descriptively named 'Greater Stealth'. This one was quite interesting. While it mostly worked as a passive amplifier, it had an active part as well. If he used a little bit of mana to keep it on, he would truly coalesce with the shadows, so that only the most perceptive of all could still spot him. The only downside was, that it did nothing to hide his presence or other things like body temperature, meaning that anyone that specialized in looking for such clues would still spot him easily.
All in all, however, those two skills were pretty powerful, especially if one considered the environment he was in right now. Both were uncommon as well, indicating just how useful they would be.
Utilizing his new abilities to their fullest, Cantorn scoured the building. Everywhere he looked, there were strange apparatuses, some with liquids inside of them, some filled with disgusting-looking monster parts. goblins and hobgoblins were running around like crazy, always seeming as if there was something important they had to attend to. Some carried parchment papers in their tiny hands, others held on to twisted staves, apparently their weapon of choice.
Whenever he stole a look at one of the many rooms, goblins were conducting experiments inside, either with materials they had gathered or with new magic they had developed. Just by looking at all that surrounded him, Cantorn gained three levels in his 'Identify' skill. Quite honestly, by now he was even more shocked by what the goblins could achieve. What had at first seemed to him like an unintelligent and urge-driven race now revealed their most promising prospects to his eyes. Most were still not logically conducting their research and only performed random trials yet in some, he could recognize glimpses of rational thought.
While discovering more and more about this peculiar race was a great source of distraction for the young dark-elf, Cantorn still had not forgotten his ultimate goal. If he wanted to kill the ruler of this goblin kingdom, he would need information. Especially with his ability to level up being restricted, preparation was even more important. Whoever governed this bunch of volatile creatures surely could not be weak.
It was when he had those thoughts, that an individual of great interest appeared before him. Casually strolling down a hallway was a hobgoblin, one that did not seem to be in haste. Its robe also differentiated him from others, with small silver accents being woven into the hood of the robe. Wherever he passed, goblins and hobgoblins stopped in their tracks to greet him with respectful screeches and cackles.
This behavior was just so out of character, that Cantorn began to wonder just who this hobgoblin was. Imitating a goblin-like greeting as the strange monster passed, he then began to follow it. With its lax walking style, he had to pay attention not to move too fast or too slow. However, he also had to adjust to how the other goblins moved, forcing him to scurry around the hallways and occasionally enter a random room. For what seemed like an eternity he trailed his target, following it like its shadow. Just when he felt like his endeavors would lead to nothing, the hobgoblin finally did something.
Speeding up its pace slightly, it turned left, into a deserted hallway. It looked old as if it hadn't been used in ages, with only the ground being clear of any dust. Cobwebs hung from the ceiling and the torches mounted to the walls weren't lit. So what could this prestigious-looking Hobgoblin want in such a run-down place?
Keeping to the walls and shadows, Cantorn followed, now a lot more cautious than before. His 'Greater Stealth' was running on a low mana input, granting him a little bit of additional safety. As the Hobgoblin disappeared into the depths of the hallway, the young dark elf noticed that it could not be as unused as it seemed to be. Some of the ground tiles were way too smooth as if somebody was regularly using the hallway. Not only that but there were also no bugs to be seen in the nooks and crannies of the walls and ceiling, which was weird since no spiders would build their webs in a place without prey.
A short while later he arrived at a flight of stairs. Slightly taken aback, he took some careful steps forward. He had not known that this place had a basement level as well. Luckily his target was nowhere to be seen, as the Hobgoblin had moved at a far faster pace than the cautious elf did. Gathering his resolve he descended the stairs, always looking around to see if he was perhaps walking right into a trap.
This fear however proved to be entirely unjustified, as he soon reached the end of the stairway, and with it a much shorter corridor. At the end of it, just some ten meters ahead he could make out a large pair of iron-clad double doors. The wood that they were made out of had a beautiful shine to it, complimenting its amber color. A few strange patterns decorated its exterior, seeming far too masterfully crafted to belong to a normal goblin's chamber. They had a very imposing feel to them, almost as if they were there to remind everyone approaching of how insignificant they were.
As he could not enter while the strange hobgoblin was still inside since he would then be detected immediately, Cantorn decided to wait. Quite honestly, he had no other choice but to do so or return empty-handed as he did not know of the strength that his enemy possessed. And charging in unprepared was something he had done way too often already, with each time he did always ending in a near-death experience.
What followed were hours of wait, not knowing when the hobgoblin would leave. He had to stay alert all the time to not get surprised in a careless moment, something that could prove to be disastrous. With his focus slowly dwindling as time passed on Cantorn began to feel a little annoyed at his enemy. Just what could one do in a single room for so long?
After another painfully long hour of perseverance, finally, the double doors opened again. Smiling gleefully, the strange hobgoblin left. Cantorn on the other hand inched even closer to the walls, pushing as much mana as sustainably possible into his stealth skill. Now truly melting into the shadows, he stayed undetected as the monster passed him. He then quickly made his way towards the door, slipping through the closing doors, just before they slammed shut behind him.
Inside the chamber it was dark and the air smelled stale. A single torch was burning on the far end of the room, shedding light on the little furniture there was. Standing there was a large wooden bureau, riddled with parchment papers and scrolls. Only a wooden chair was placed before it. The walls, however, were different. Shelves, reaching to the ceiling, were plastering every bit of free space. They, too, were filled to the brim with all kinds of paperwork, from loose scrolls over crappy leather-bound books to full-blown manuscripts.
Interested in what could be written down in all these documents, he moved towards the bureau. There, a scroll was still left open, one that looked rather posh for goblin standards. It had little golden ornaments that framed the text, giving it a luxurious air. When he tried to read what stood written there, he was taken by surprise. The text was drawn up in monster tongue, a simpler language derived from the common tongue, the language that most sapients spoke.
After a little bit of trouble that he had with deciphering the handwriting, Cantorn managed to get the gist of what was written. Apparently, the king of this kingdom, referred to as 'Braar the great Warchief', was both an adept assassin, as well as a mage in training. Recently he seems to have run into a wall and was unable to progress any further, hence he sent out letters to the most knowledgeable magic users of his kingdom, asking for their advice. Our dear hobgoblin was one of those especially knowledgeable, indicated by how he received one of the scrolls as well.
Just as he finished reading, Cantorn heard steps approaching the chamber. Panicking slightly, he rushed towards the nearest shelves, pressing himself into a gap in between two of them. His stealth was running at full force again, now draining his mana at a dangerously high pace. He would only be able to keep this up for an hour tops, if not less.
The doors opened, creaking in their hinges, as the hobgoblin entered. With a slight crease on its forehead, it walked towards the bureau. Arriving there it rolled up the scroll and stashed it away under its elegant robe. The monster then turned around and walked back towards the door. However, it stopped dead in its track after just a few steps, pulling back its hood and sniffing at the air for a second. Long white hair flowed along its face as it did so, with 'it' apparently being a 'he'.
Then a small smirk appeared on its face. With its index finger, it punched a small glowing sigil into the air. Half a second later, the whole chamber was bathed in a blinding white light. Noticing that something was off, Cantorn shielded his eyes from the light. When he opened them fully a moment later, he was just in time to dodge a fist-sized fireball aimed at him. Almost on instinct, he jumped out of the way, his hands reaching for his daggers while he was still in the air.
'Infused Dash'
As soon as his feet touched the ground, he activated the spell, rushing towards his enemy. On his way there he dodged a second fireball, this one aimed at his midsection. It only took him mere seconds to close the distance, the dagger in his right rand readily swinging at the hobgoblin's throat.
A small sigil on the goblin's right hand lit up, one Cantorn hadn't noticed before. His foe then lifted his left arm to stop the dagger in its tracks, while his right fist slammed into the elf's ribcage. Pain flared up in his chest, and he felt as if two of his ribs had just broken. Well, judging by the impact, they probably had. The hobgoblin, however, didn't get away unscathed either, a deep gash forming on its arm.
Cantorn repeated his attack pattern, charging towards the mage again. The hobgoblin followed his example, shooting fireballs as Cantorn approached, just like before. The elf struck, and the goblin retaliated. Like this, they kept going for the next few rounds, both accumulating wounds on their bodies. As their conditions worsened, he knew that he would have to end this soon. While he may be able to win the fight in the end, it would not be without being left severely weakened. And in enemy territory, this was one of the worst things that could happen.
Instead of rushing towards the hobgoblin, this time he went for the back wall of the room. There he ripped the torch out of its mount and threw it to the ground. Taking his robe he tossed it over the torch, extinguishing the fire by doing so. One last fireball that came for him lit up the room, then it turned dark.
Now, Cantorn was at an advantage. Activating his stealth again, he slowly moved towards where the mage had been last. He still had to stay cautious, as he couldn't see well in the dark either, but compared to the hobgoblin he was still favored in this fight. That was because whenever the hobgoblin wanted to attack, he would produce light through his spells, giving away his position, while Cantorn could stay hidden until the very last moment.
A second later, a sigil lit up a few meters left of him. He immediately shielded his eyes, recognizing it as the light spell that his foe had cast before already. As soon as the light dimmed down again, he began his charge. The hobgoblin noticed his advance, and instead of firing a fireball immediately again, this time both of its hands lit up.
Cantorn braced himself for the impact as he swung his right dagger towards the goblins side, with the other one aiming at its head. The mage then lowered his left arm respectively, while his right arm was raised to his head. That was the moment the elf was waiting for.
He slightly altered the aim of his left dagger. Instead of being blocked by the hobgoblin, it now plunged deep into the enemy's armpit. As his foe cried out in pain, Cantorn ripped his dagger back out, severing most of the muscles and sinews in the goblin's right arm. Now left with only one hand, the hobgoblin leapt away while casting a fireball, this one larger than the ones before.
Dodging to the side, the young dark-elf rolled over the ground while snatching a random scroll that was lying around. Carefully he stood up again, trying his best to not make a sound. He then moved away from his previous position, and he could vaguely hear the hobgoblin do the same. In the now dark again chamber, he lifted the scroll he just picked up, and threw it towards it right. As soon as the scroll hit the ground, the air before him lit up with flames, as another fireball flew in the direction of the sound.
Seemingly surprised that he had just aimed at an empty spot, the hobgoblin did not see Cantorn coming. A dagger penetrated deeply into the side of its head, and with a little spin, the other one found the way to its heart.
The fight was finally over.
First. Thanks for the chapter.