A tower was just a building that was very long vertically. I looked up and considered using Legs of the God Wolf to reach the top, but then thought better of it. The only thing I would reach like that was the ceiling. It was as if each floor was just a small resting place between the flights of steps.
“We’ll split up on every floor and annihilate them.”
Adlus said. We nodded and started to climb the steps. Thankfully, they were rather wide, about the breadth of three people. But it wouldn’t be too comfortable if three people ran up at the same time. After all, we were carrying swords, shields, and bows. And so we went up in pairs of two.
“Hah…ha…damn. This is tiring…!”
“Stop it. You sound pathetic!”
Why were stairs so exhausting? Daniela had no time for my complaints, but that didn’t help me at all.
“I’m done… Sorry, Daniela…”
“Hey, you…”
“…Phew… Ahh…damn it…”
You see, I had a little trick called Legs of the God Wolf. The platinum and jade wind carried me up and I glided smoothly up the stairs.
“Asagi! You cheater!”
“Let’s just say it’s my right, okay?”
“This is not easy for me either!”
Oh, so light elves also didn’t like stairs. Duly noted.
Our idiotic banter always helped calm my nerves. And I soon saw the end of the staircase.
This floor was rather brightly lit. The other Adventurers caught up quickly and spread out.
The scene before us was hellish. It was a large, circular floor that was overflowing with blood. Limbs and heads were scattered everywhere. And there, were the dark goblins, holding the pieces and looking at us with dull eyes.
“High Goblins!”
One of the Adventurers shouted. It was as if that sound pushed them into motion. The High Goblins shouted their battle cry and charged towards us. There was something very human-like about the way they unsheathed the swords at their waist.
“Spread out!”
We spread out into the pairs that had been decided on previously, and then got to work. The High Goblins swung their swords with a familiarity that seemed to startle some of the Jades. Daniela and I did what we could to help them as we rushed through the floor as a mobile unit.
High Goblins or not, it was them versus all of us, and so the battle didn’t last long. Some of the Adventurers immediately got to work, cutting off the left hands, which were proof of the hunt.
I watched them while calling out to see if anyone was injured. Then I heard the echoes of footsteps. More were coming down the stairs.
These were also High Goblins. They had heard the noise downstairs and had come to look.
If we didn’t do something, all the goblins on the upper floors might come down at once. We wouldn’t have a second to breathe. Daniela and I might be able to manage it, but it was too heavy a burden for the Jades.
“Charge! It will only be chaos if we allow them to call the others!”
You could kill and kill and feel like you would never see the end. That would be bad for morale. Adlus was wary of this and gave the order. The fight recommenced.
I took the lead. Manager used her shadows and followed. Daniela shot them down with her bow. We were able to break through the stairs. However, when we reached the next floor, we were greeted by another group of High Goblins.
“Alright, you two go on ahead. Leave this to me.”
Manager said as tendrils of shadow stretched out from her. She ha
It sat like a king on of a great throne. The arrogance shown in its posture suggested it was something above a High Goblin.
This one wasn’t black. It had red skin.
“A High Red Goblin…”
What we had initially assumed the Queen’s Knight Goblin was. He had also been dark red, but had evolved differently. As for this goblin in front of us, it was a unique being.
“So, I guess this one would have been the leader if the other wasn’t around.”
“Well then, crushing this one might solve our problem.”
What we had been fearing, was now that the Queen’s Knight Goblins was gone, the goblins were living without any leader at all. They would be very unpredictable then. They would be more desperate to survive.
The situation would be a little different if there were a leader. If this was a somewhat unified colony, then the loss of the head would create confusion. I still wasn’t sure how intelligent these monsters were, but it would surely make things easier for us.
“Alright, Daniela and I will support. Asagi, you get him.”
“Got it.”
The fight on the top floor began. With the demon armor sword in hand, I used Legs of the God Wolf to leap over the crowd of High Goblins and closed in on the High Red Goblin all at once.
“Haah!!”
There was no point in a drawn-out fight. I swung down in order to cut off his head and end the fight quickly. However, he dodged the attack with a speed that I had not predicted.
“Ghaghagahagahh!”
The High Red Goblin’s face twisted as it laughed. Was this the first time a monster had laughed at me? It was rare to see such expressiveness. …Maybe it’s because it was unique.
I used Legs of the God Wolf to swerve around him and swung at his back. However, this time his claws intercepted my attack. Damn it. How strong were they?
Just swinging my sword around wasn’t going to cut it. I had to take it by surprise, somehow. Perhaps this guy had been the leader before the Queen’s Knight Goblin showed up. It had a strength that suggested it.
“Grraagghh!!”
“Tsk…!”
I tried to jump back after my attack was blocked, but he launched a counter-attack before I could. I hadn’t struggled like this in a while. I managed to block them but could not find an opening to attack.
“You’re…persistent…!”
“Ggg…!?”
Dark blue energy coursed through the floor, and the ice magic, ‘Icicle Inverse’ caught him by surprise. The spears of ice shot out of the ground and pierced his feet. I see. While his claws were incredibly tough, his skin could be broken. I couldn’t help but grin.
“Grrrr…!”
Perhaps it saw my change of expression. The High Red Goblin ground its teeth with rage. I provoked it without trying to. That wasn’t like me.
However, I was also terribly angry after having so many attacks blocked by his claws. I was likely to die of stress if I didn’t lash out here.
“Now, let’s get things started!”
“Grrraaaghh!!”
I activated Jack of all Trades, Master of None, and ran the images through my brain, quickly rehearsing what I was about to do. Hmm. Hmm. Alright. It was certainly doable. Yes, I would do it.
“Frost Sword x 3!”
Three of the familiar ice swords appeared around me. They floated in the air and followed my movements. The High Red Goblin seemed wary of these swords that I didn’t need to touch. However, that wasn’t going to help him. I would not allow him to block my next attack.
“Eat this!”
The demon armor sword clanged against his claws, at the same time, the first floating ice sword attacked.
“Grraagh!?”
The blade slid beautifully into his ribs. Vibrant blood sprayed into the air and fell to the floor.
This was the way to kill this goblin. When fighting a veteran, I had no choice but to use surprise attacks.
“Haaahhh!!”
The High Red Goblin slowed down noticeably. And so I moved to his back again and swung down. My blade aimed for his neck. However, the goblin was desperate. And it tried with all its might to move out of the way. But the second ice sword wouldn’t let it.
“Grraagh!”
The goblin moved as if to roll forward, but one of its legs got pinned to the ground by the icy blade. Now, it’s movements were completely sealed. It then tried to use its arms to raise itself, but it could do nothing else.
“You’re finished…!”
I grabbed the last ice sword and pointed it at the High Red Goblin’s throat. It must have given up because it no longer struggled. It had once been so desperate to survive. We all were. And that’s why we fought and it had come to this.
And so, with the two swords in my hands, I severed the High Red Goblin’s head.
d already activated Shadow Step. Her shadow covered the floor and captured the High Goblins. Then the Jades ran up and took off their heads.
However, she wasn’t able to freeze all of them. And some were able to escape her grasp. They raised their swords and attacked. Manager met them with shadow swords.
Like that, Daniela, Adlus, and I ran through them and climbed up the stairs to the third floor.
There were no more stairs after that.
A tower was just a building that was very long vertically. I looked up and considered using Legs of the God Wolf to reach the top, but then thought better of it. The only thing I would reach like that was the ceiling. It was as if each floor was just a small resting place between the flights of steps.
“We’ll split up on every floor and annihilate them.”
Adlus said. We nodded and started to climb the steps. Thankfully, they were rather wide, about the breadth of three people. But it wouldn’t be too comfortable if three people ran up at the same time. After all, we were carrying swords, shields, and bows. And so we went up in pairs of two.
“Hah…ha…damn. This is tiring…!”
“Stop it. You sound pathetic!”
Why were stairs so exhausting? Daniela had no time for my complaints, but that didn’t help me at all.
“I’m done… Sorry, Daniela…”
“Hey, you…”
“…Phew… Ahh…damn it…”
You see, I had a little trick called Legs of the God Wolf. The platinum and jade wind carried me up and I glided smoothly up the stairs.
“Asagi! You cheater!”
“Let’s just say it’s my right, okay?”
“This is not easy for me either!”
Oh, so light elves also didn’t like stairs. Duly noted.
Our idiotic banter always helped calm my nerves. And I soon saw the end of the staircase.
This floor was rather brightly lit. The other Adventurers caught up quickly and spread out.
The scene before us was hellish. It was a large, circular floor that was overflowing with blood. Limbs and heads were scattered everywhere. And there, were the dark goblins, holding the pieces and looking at us with dull eyes.
“High Goblins!”
One of the Adventurers shouted. It was as if that sound pushed them into motion. The High Goblins shouted their battle cry and charged towards us. There was something very human-like about the way they unsheathed the swords at their waist.
“Spread out!”
We spread out into the pairs that had been decided on previously, and then got to work. The High Goblins swung their swords with a familiarity that seemed to startle some of the Jades. Daniela and I did what we could to help them as we rushed through the floor as a mobile unit.
High Goblins or not, it was them versus all of us, and so the battle didn’t last long. Some of the Adventurers immediately got to work, cutting off the left hands, which were proof of the hunt.
I watched them while calling out to see if anyone was injured. Then I heard the echoes of footsteps. More were coming down the stairs.
These were also High Goblins. They had heard the noise downstairs and had come to look.
If we didn’t do something, all the goblins on the upper floors might come down at once. We wouldn’t have a second to breathe. Daniela and I might be able to manage it, but it was too heavy a burden for the Jades.
“Charge! It will only be chaos if we allow them to call the others!”
You could kill and kill and feel like you would never see the end. That would be bad for morale. Adlus was wary of this and gave the order. The fight recommenced.
I took the lead. Manager used her shadows and followed. Daniela shot them down with her bow. We were able to break through the stairs. However, when we reached the next floor, we were greeted by another group of High Goblins.
“Alright, you two go on ahead. Leave this to me.”
Manager said as tendrils of shadow stretched out from her. She ha
It sat like a king on of a great throne. The arrogance shown in its posture suggested it was something above a High Goblin.
This one wasn’t black. It had red skin.
“A High Red Goblin…”
What we had initially assumed the Queen’s Knight Goblin was. He had also been dark red, but had evolved differently. As for this goblin in front of us, it was a unique being.
“So, I guess this one would have been the leader if the other wasn’t around.”
“Well then, crushing this one might solve our problem.”
What we had been fearing, was now that the Queen’s Knight Goblins was gone, the goblins were living without any leader at all. They would be very unpredictable then. They would be more desperate to survive.
The situation would be a little different if there were a leader. If this was a somewhat unified colony, then the loss of the head would create confusion. I still wasn’t sure how intelligent these monsters were, but it would surely make things easier for us.
“Alright, Daniela and I will support. Asagi, you get him.”
“Got it.”
The fight on the top floor began. With the demon armor sword in hand, I used Legs of the God Wolf to leap over the crowd of High Goblins and closed in on the High Red Goblin all at once.
“Haah!!”
There was no point in a drawn-out fight. I swung down in order to cut off his head and end the fight quickly. However, he dodged the attack with a speed that I had not predicted.
“Ghaghagahagahh!”
The High Red Goblin’s face twisted as it laughed. Was this the first time a monster had laughed at me? It was rare to see such expressiveness. …Maybe it’s because it was unique.
I used Legs of the God Wolf to swerve around him and swung at his back. However, this time his claws intercepted my attack. Damn it. How strong were they?
Just swinging my sword around wasn’t going to cut it. I had to take it by surprise, somehow. Perhaps this guy had been the leader before the Queen’s Knight Goblin showed up. It had a strength that suggested it.
“Grraagghh!!”
“Tsk…!”
I tried to jump back after my attack was blocked, but he launched a counter-attack before I could. I hadn’t struggled like this in a while. I managed to block them but could not find an opening to attack.
“You’re…persistent…!”
“Ggg…!?”
Dark blue energy coursed through the floor, and the ice magic, ‘Icicle Inverse’ caught him by surprise. The spears of ice shot out of the ground and pierced his feet. I see. While his claws were incredibly tough, his skin could be broken. I couldn’t help but grin.
“Grrrr…!”
Perhaps it saw my change of expression. The High Red Goblin ground its teeth with rage. I provoked it without trying to. That wasn’t like me.
However, I was also terribly angry after having so many attacks blocked by his claws. I was likely to die of stress if I didn’t lash out here.
“Now, let’s get things started!”
“Grrraaaghh!!”
I activated Jack of all Trades, Master of None, and ran the images through my brain, quickly rehearsing what I was about to do. Hmm. Hmm. Alright. It was certainly doable. Yes, I would do it.
“Frost Sword x 3!”
Three of the familiar ice swords appeared around me. They floated in the air and followed my movements. The High Red Goblin seemed wary of these swords that I didn’t need to touch. However, that wasn’t going to help him. I would not allow him to block my next attack.
“Eat this!”
The demon armor sword clanged against his claws, at the same time, the first floating ice sword attacked.
“Grraagh!?”
The blade slid beautifully into his ribs. Vibrant blood sprayed into the air and fell to the floor.
This was the way to kill this goblin. When fighting a veteran, I had no choice but to use surprise attacks.
“Haaahhh!!”
The High Red Goblin slowed down noticeably. And so I moved to his back again and swung down. My blade aimed for his neck. However, the goblin was desperate. And it tried with all its might to move out of the way. But the second ice sword wouldn’t let it.
“Grraagh!”
The goblin moved as if to roll forward, but one of its legs got pinned to the ground by the icy blade. Now, it’s movements were completely sealed. It then tried to use its arms to raise itself, but it could do nothing else.
“You’re finished…!”
I grabbed the last ice sword and pointed it at the High Red Goblin’s throat. It must have given up because it no longer struggled. It had once been so desperate to survive. We all were. And that’s why we fought and it had come to this.
And so, with the two swords in my hands, I severed the High Red Goblin’s head.
d already activated Shadow Step. Her shadow covered the floor and captured the High Goblins. Then the Jades ran up and took off their heads.
However, she wasn’t able to freeze all of them. And some were able to escape her grasp. They raised their swords and attacked. Manager met them with shadow swords.
Like that, Daniela, Adlus, and I ran through them and climbed up the stairs to the third floor.
There were no more stairs after that.
