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"Why do we need to sneak out here?" I retorted at the trickster, Grer.
"Don't worry about a single thing!" He said while pushing a part of his face on the visible crack to see a better view. "We just need to hear whatever they are saying!"
Izz, one of our fellow goblins, cannot help but hurdle in a corner, unassertive to leave the area. However, she still wants a part of this shenanigan of hearing any valuable information out from the dimwit guards.
"Can you not make a noise, Brother, Grer?" Izz nudged her elbow and hit my shoulder blade, motioning the two of us to stop horsing around.
My body jerked off on its own and unluckily hit the briny rock and made it roll over to the floor. To make matters worse, the stone bowls beside the rallied hobgoblins, alerting them with our presence. What happens next is beyond our worst expectations.
"RUN!" I ordered my team to flee from the scene, away from the reach of those unsightly sprites.
Both of the goblins, Grer and Izz, stay close to me as we bypass multiple traps inside the hobgoblin's territory.
It was two days from before. The two goblins that I earlier met became more intellectual and human-like compared to the other monsters. At first, they utter words fluently unlike the hobgoblins and goblins and could express their feelings whenever they wish. It was as if my presence alone gave them the freedom to develop their self-consciousness not as monsters, but as real organisms.
Looking at their base stats, they seem to have sufficient skill points that enable them to fight on par with the weakest hobgoblins around despite having low levels; unlike me.
[Name: Grer]
[Goblin {Male} lvl 5] [Title: Loyal Friend to {Nameless:?? (Blake Heathens)}]
[Class]: {Trickster}
[Stat points]-{0}
[STR]- 20 [VIT]- 10 [MEN]- 9
[DEX]- 27 [INT]- 11 [LCK]-10
[Name: Izz]
[Goblin {Female} lvl 5] [Title: Loyal Friend to {Nameless:?? (Blake Heathens)}]
[Class]: {Brawler}
[Stat points]-{0}
[STR]- 29 [VIT]- 29 [MEN]- 8
[DEX]- 5 [INT]- 14 [LCK]10
Grer's base stats focus on both agility and strength, making him more of an assassin rather than the usual goblins. He did not know this at first, but with a little help of my guidance, he could master the art of concealment and murdering someone with a single soundless strike!
Izz has her points centred on strength and vitality. She even earned the title of being a brawler which makes sense judging by her power alone. Although she may be shy and have a weak appearance, I have seen her once punch a wall barely with his fingers.
On that same day, they gradually learned how to communicate with me through eloquent words and feelings. They would laugh, cry, smile, and even get mad whenever I had declined their invitations to play. Then, all of a sudden, they feel more like a living creature than a pest in the monster society.
During those times, I also earned a substantial amount of status points (around 10) and used it all in my intelligence. Later that night, these two half-wit goblins acted more like a human child, in spite of their growing levels.
Names suddenly materialised on top of their heads, particularly in their descriptions. By the time I tested and called out their appellation, they unhesitantly responded as if they already knew about it.
The two of them then suggested that we pay a visit to our friend whom the hobgoblins had kidnapped from us. I insisted on staying, but things did not go out well on my part.
By the time that we arrived inside the familiar room, the three of us marked our position and acted as if we were always here in the chamber. A few moments later, the group of titan goblins entered the room with their furrowed eyes and angered faces.
"Who dares enter the room," One of the lackey's said as he growls to the rest of the goblins.
"Calm down, brother." We heard a voice coming from deep inside the tunnel. The hobgoblin has yet to appear before us. "We will know."
Slowly, the shadow emerges from the tunnel. Among the rest of the hobgoblins, I can sense a ferocious aura around him. He does not even want to hide his killing intentions, as it leaks out through his body.
An unusual worn out plate-armour dangles on his chest, protecting the vital part of his upper body. He also has his enormous tattered shield with him at all times that can uncomplicatedly deflect arrows and unsharpened swords. His choice of weapon is an uncanny mace sprinkled with scarlet and dark blood, creating a stench when near around him.
He surveys the room and locks eyes with the three of us. Before we knew it, using his right hand, he threw one boulder beside him straight to our direction. Intuitively, the three of us evaded the abrupt strike and fell on our knees. Getting back up, we notice that the hobgoblin had already vanished.
I averted my gaze and noticed a shadowy figure approaching my rear. Trusting my instincts, I use my footwork against my enemy and flee from the attacker's range.
The same notion goes for the rest of my comrades, who already did the same and dodged the secondary attacks. Once the tension has already died out, an ear-splitting chuckle awakens the entire room.
"You three good!" The leader of the hobgoblin's group utters. "Interesting."
His nine attendants immediately crowded around us while raising and pointing their weapons at our lowered heads.
"I kill you!" The rest of them cheered.
With a flick of his hand, the hobgoblin leader silences everyone present, making both enemies and allies falter with fear. The clear azure window pops up in my mind, showing me a negative status I have never seen before.
[Warning! The Fear skill has been activated!]
-Your entire body will quiver and be uncontrollable at the moment
With a scumbag face of satisfaction, the goblin leader walks closer to me with an evil grin carved beneath his lips. He soon shows his mace once more and carefully rubs it across my green and rough surface of my cheeks.
"You strong," He states whilst continuously leers at me with antagonising eyes ready to annihilate anyone he wants.
[Unlocked Skill!: Immunity to Fear-because of the constant sense of danger around you, your five senses have gained an immunity; hence stopping fear from entering your mind.]
Convenient; is what I wanted to scream during this event. Having this skill passively running every time, my face, which should have a distorted appearance, stares blankly at the unpleasant hobgoblin.
The leader of the goblins returns my gaze with a hint of shock and amazement. He then lowers his weapon and backs away, still setting his eyes clip at my still figure.
"Leave him be." He grunted to his friends, waving to not let a hand to us three.
Izz, the most frightened in our group, sits on the ground as she does not have the energy left to get back up on her feet. Grer and I, like brothers, squeeze each other to comfort our quaking bodies.
Thankfully, after a couple of minutes, we finally see their bodies fade away at the end of the cave.
"I thought he would kill me," I ejaculated. "I guess I get to keep my second life."
I murmur to myself while keeping on tabs with their fazed expressions.
But, my worries seem to vanish as I saw them immediately recuperating from the mental damage that the hobgoblins did akin to what I recently felt.
"I'm okay?" Grer declared while pissing himself, creating a puddle of urine below his waist.
I could not help but excessively giggle as I witnessed his embarrassing image of my newest comrade. Izz also welds together with my fun and chortles unbefitting to a proper lady.
The next morning came, and we repeated the routine; sneaking out inside their lair and gathering some information.
"This is a bad idea!" Izz retaliated, pulling us two back from the chamber.
Flinging her with some reasonable excuses, Izz changes her heart and allows us to, yet again, check around the den for the last time.
Already accustomed to our environment, we arrived promptly at the scene. Crouching on our identical spot, we cleared our senses and pivoted our attention to their conversation.
{Humans are roaming around the forest}
{We should slaughter them and take the women!}
{I agree, my brothers}
{Please, stop!}
{No more! Please!}
{Just kill me…}
I can't move my muscles. I can neither feel my arms nor legs after hearing such sounds coming from the hobgoblin and captured humans. Exacerbated, I pinch myself using my untidy nails, wishing for any reaction of pain.
"I can feel it," my epidermis becomes swollen after crushing it for too long. "This must be a dream. Even worse, a nightmare."
"Are you alright?"
My mind snapped me back from reality after hearing a familiar voice echoing through my ears.
"Brother?" Grer, who shares a worried guise with Izz, taps my back, checking if I am still awake and with them throughout the undertaking.
I nodded in response, gazing far and low while chasing back my consciousness.
Acknowledging my response, both of them resume listening to the talk, still unperturbed. I joined the three goblins afterwards to get a grip on myself- pounding my chest-telling my heart that everything would be alright.
However, this time around, our luck shatters as we hear horses of various kinds neighs from the outside, alarming all the residential hobgoblins.
{Intruder!}
They all shouted in a chorus as they simultaneously arm themselves with the weapons nearby. Soon, arrows rain down over from the roof, hitting everything indiscriminately.
By chance, we made it out alive from the uncharted room and back from our base. As soon as we arrived, we listed anything we can to fight back against the humans I will meet for the first time.