Everything happened just like last time, Kathy killed the first hobgoblin, Terry lured some of them to the other half end of the lecture hall, another hobgoblin entered, Rebecca paralysed it and Russell ended the whole thing by suplexing the hobgoblin and let out a battle cry that scare off the rest of the goblin.
"Run!" I shouted.
This time, instead of leaving Kathy, I picked her up and ran.
"Eh!?"
She's shocked by it, and so is the rest.
I used Flicker to be the first one in the elevator.
"Hold the door for us!" I said to Kathy after letting her down.
"O- OK, boss!"
Ah, I forgot about that, she's called boss for some reason.
Stepping out, my danger Sense starts to tingle to the right. Facing towards that direction, I met the one that ended Russell's life.
A goblin shaman.
"I was looking forward to this"
This is my first ever 1v1 battle in real life.
I take a silly stance, but there's an itch telling me to cut it out and guide me to a proper novice stance.
The shaman responds in kind by pointing its staff at me. A light started to form in front of it. The goblin's mouth was covered by cloth, guessing it was to avoid the opponent figuring out the spell being chanted.
Every time I felt an itch or a certain push, all I had to do was to obey and I would do exactly what the Skill wanted me to do.
Knowing that, I confidently rushed the shaman, granted I would be warned by danger Sense.
As expected, it hinted me to dodge to the left and I was able to dodge a lightning-fast spell. I couldn't see it, but I knew I barely dodged it by a hair strand.
"Close!"
The shaman is surprised and does the same thing as earlier.
"I won't let you!"
[ «Flicker» ]
As if on Instinct, I ended up in front of the goblin with my clever raised.
[ «Pierce» ]
Using a skill to finish the goblin, my hand had this heavy feeling to it as I cut the goblin's head off.
[ You received 10 coins for slaying a goblin shaman ]
The sound of the head hitting the ground gives me a sense of relief, because if I miss, I will ended up just like Russell.
Coming back to my senses, I turned around and headed back to the elevator. Funny enough, Russell is brawling with a few goblin. This guy is nuts!
***
"Dude, what was that?!" Eric said to me with a raised voice.
"What was what?"
"That little stunt you did! We are being chased and you out here trying to play hero!"
"Huh? That thing would've wiped all of us!"
Truthfully, Russell would be squaring up with the shaman and get himself killed. So I decided I was the one to kill it.
"Bro calm down, he knows what he's doing alright? Just let him be"
Russell put his hand on Eric's shoulder, trying to calm him down. Russell is a big guy, so Eric kept his mouth shut.
Still, I think some of us agreed with him. Which is fine. They didn't know what would happen if I didn't kill. Who knows? If kept alive, that goblin shaman would bring us trouble in some ways.
I should prepare myself.
"Terry, there might be a few goblins guarding the exit. I need you to lure it again"
"Got it"
I drank an Elixir to recover from Fatigue. The taste is still questionable, it might be a fairy piss for all I know.
"Oh, by the way, brace yourself"
The elevator opened and revealed the goblin's handy work to our college. Blood and gore are everywhere.
"Ignores the gore y'all"
"Ignores huh" Terry sarcastically said.
It's just to remind them. It's impossible to ignore the scene to be honest. The smell of fresh blood, a few limbs here and there.
It's shocking but I already watched enough gore to not make me gag. The curse of the internet. However, I was still made uncomfortable with the real stuff, so I tried to ignore it.
As predicted, two goblins are guarding the building entrance.
Terry used Flicker to exit the building and used a spell to make the goblin face him. I wonder what skill that is.
I need to get rid of this goblins first.
[ «Flicker» ]
Targeting the right goblin, I closed the distance and decapitated its head using "Pierce".
"That's one, onto the next"
Facing the other one, it already lounged itself towards me with a spear. Of course, danger Sense warned me and I dodged it with no issue, following it by slashing its neck and kicking it to the ground.
[ You received 6 coins for slaying 2 goblins ]
This felt natural somehow, but no matter how normal it felt, it still scared me how I was capable of doing this out of nowhere. I wonder what would happen if this keeps on going.
Our group then exited the building and we ran for the campus gate. Of course, there's more goblin. More goblins started appearing from left and right. Seems like they had this whole place surrounded.
"K- Kaiden" Kathy said while panting.
She's tired already? I have to guard her.
"Russell! Kathy is about to pass out, can you carry her?"
"Of course!" Russell stopped and went to get Kathy.
There's a goblin coming for them!
[ «Flicker» ]
Since the goblin is too distracted with Russell, I was able to kill it swiftly.
[ You received 3 coins for slaying a goblin ]
3 coins for a normal goblin, not bad I guess.
"Ah!"
I didn't notice I was about to be surrounded by 3 goblins. They're still far so Danger Sense didn't warn me but if they got near, I'm cooked, I can't handle 3 goblins!
[ «Flicker» ]
The bus should be here anytime soon! The goblins at the gate are giving Russell trouble, I should help him, but...
[ Warning ]
[ Fatigue has passed 80. Your physical capabilities are now halved. ]
[ If it reaches 100, you will fall unconscious! ]
I can't do anything flashy now!
*HOOOOORN*
It's here! Finally!
***
Everything played out just like last time, with the exception that Kathy and Russell were with us.
Currently, I'm sitting alone on the right side of the passenger seat. Russell and the gang are on the left side, which is already full.
This is fine, I wanted this, because behind me are Hana, Ryan and Alice. I wanted to talk to them but I had nothing to say. We are a stranger after all.
Forget it. I tend to think about unnecessary stuff when I'm nervous.
Why am I nervous? Because I'm preparing myself to tell them that we are heading straight to our death.
I'm simulating the whole conversation inside my head. Wasting time basically.
I need to act now before it's too late.
I stood up and moved towards the front of the bus, where I could see all the passengers.
With this sudden move, everybody starts staring at me with curiosity.
Public speaking isn't my strongest point, so I froze a bit before saying a word.
"Um... A- attention everyone, um... I have something to say about our destination..."
Fuck, I forgot the word I said in the simulation! I stutter between words and fidgeting, looking left and right to realise they're waiting for the reason I ask for attention.
Blah! Just say what you want to say, man! You were doing just fine before!
"Well.. alright listen, this might sound crazy, but..."
Here goes nothing.
"Basically, we are going to die?"
A chain of gasps happens. Not the right word Kaiden!
"What did you mean by that?" Hana said questioning my statement.
Can I talk about my skills? What risk would come if I told them? I will figure it out now.
"Ok so, at the end of this day, around 8 P.M or so, the system will announce the end of the "Skinning Process". This announcement would be followed with the system giving player who have "dance with a monster" a special skill"
"How did you know that?" Someone from the back of the bus spoke out.
It was a student. The only male student in this bus actually. I didn't get to know him last time.
"Because the the special Skill that I received allowed me to regress to a certain checkpoint after death. That checkpoint is this morning"
Everybody was silent, trying to comprehend what I just said. Will they believe me? It wouldn't be strange if they think I've gone insane.
"And you died because of?" Hana asked.
"A Minotaur spawned out of nowhere in the stadium we are heading. There's two actually, probably more but I got killed after I met the second one."
".... Did everyone died?"
She asked as if there's anyone strong enough to fight a Minotaur on the first day.
"Most likely. I was outside when this happened, there's a gunshot being fired but it only lasted a few seconds before it went completely quiet. That's why I think it's more than two Minotaur inside the building"
"... Can you prove this whole thing you just said?"
Hm... This is the hardest part when I simulated this in my head.
".... You name is Hana right?"
She flinched when I said here name. We haven't introduce ourselves to eachother yet, so it's a normal reaction.
I tell them the whole thing that will happen, from the traffic blocking us, the sudden monster attack and Alice losing her father.
I also told them that Ryan was supposed to die at the hand of a goblin shaman and Kathy passing out from exhaustion, which explains why I did what I did at the campus.
I didn't tell them that I left the elders to die (not on purpose) and how Rebecca and Terry ran away together. Seems unnecessary.
All the passenger were looking at eachother, debating whether what I said is the the truth.
However, it looks like Russell's team and Hana's team is already convinced.
"What should we do now then?" Hana asked.
... I didn't think of this.
There's the hospital shelter where my parents were at but it's pretty far now and the gas will run out soon, so it isn't an option.
"It's the first time the ability is used and I haven't gone pass the first day so I don't really know"
"But going forward means diving head first to our death right?" Russell suddenly added.
"That's right, so if anyone have any bright idea on what to do next, please share with us"
"Um guys... The gas..." The driver spoke out behind me.
"Don't bother, we can't refill it, the gas station is also flooded with cars"
"We are in the middle of the highway, what are we supposed to do then?"
"Like I said, is there anyone with bright ideas to share?... Anyone?"
***
Nobody has any bright idea to share. So we ended up leaving the bus before we met the traffic.
Some people decided it was a bad idea and stay at the bus or go for the shelter ahead anyway.
It's just me, Russell's team and Hana's team that are going the opposite direction. We didn't know where to go yet.
We planned to just walk around until we found a place to stay until the "skinning process" ended. Once we all got our special Skill, then we'll figure out the next step.
While walking, Hana suddenly spoke to me.
"How did I die?"
"Eh? Um, by the Minotaur hand I guess? You were inside the shelter as well, along with Alice"
"Why did you went outside?"
Geez, this girl really be squeezing every ounce of information I have.
So far, Hana is the only one whose full of questions. I don't hate it though, she seems like a smart girl.
".... I was thinking about something"
"You're lucky, you went outside and had the time to receive that ability before getting killed"
"Yeah, I guess I am. Actually, ever since this whole thing happened, the only reason I'm alive is because I'm lucky"
"I see"
A few minutes of walking later, we stumbled across a convenience store. The glass has been smashed. You could tell that this place has been ransacked too, there's a few item laying around the store.
"Seems like we missed a party" Terry sarcastically said.
"A shitty one that is"
There's a few drops of blood on the ground. It surely wasn't caused by monsters, this is a gentle amount of blood for their taste.
"Should we salvage what little is left?" Rebecca suggested.
"Why not"
If we relied on the system store for supplies, then we might not have enough for skill or even elixir. Those are important.
We went closer to the store.
Inside it however, isn't the sight of after chaos we imagine it to be.
At the center of the store, a blue portal about the size of a door is present.
"That's where their coming from huh" Terry said.
"That has to be it, that's the dungeon"
"Does it led to the dungeon itself?" Rebecca said.
"Probably, but why is it here?"
"Shouldn't we run before monsters start pouring out?"
Before we could decide, something exited the portal.
A tall, fit and green skin creature appeared. By the looks of it, a goblin? A teenage goblin? It have all the criteria of a goblin except the height.
It has no armour, only a spear and shield with a dagger on its hip.
"What's that?" Ryan asked after unsheathing his sword.
"I'm not sure, I guess.... It's a Goblin elite"
"Goblin elite?" Russell said while stepping beside me.
"The one that are different from the rest, like hobgoblin. If that thing is created exactly how I think it was, then don't ask"
More goblin stepping out of the portal. 5 elite goblin with the same load out as the first one and one hob with light armour and a club.
6 in total.
Me, Ryan and Russell are the brave one at the front, while the rest is a few steps away behind us.
"We are fighting them?"
"Doubt they will let us go"
The hob, which I'm sure is the leader, gives us an ugly smile. It muttered something to its minions and they took a stance. Unlike the leader, they've a serious expression. Their stance looks like they have trained.
This might be bad, but we have a few magic caster with us and they have none.
"Rebecca, Paralyzes them!"
"A- alright!"
We make ways for Rebecca to shot her spell, but immediately, the hob let out a roar and the elites scattered.
They know what we are doing?!
The word scattered isn't the right word, it seems like they have a proper formation.
2 elite goblin went for Russell, 1 on me and Ryan, while the other 2 flanking from the right, attacking the people behind us!
"Back to to back guys! Form a 360 protection!"
Instead of doing what I said, Ryan swung his sword too early towards the approaching goblin as if he's trying to shoo it away. It worked however, and he take this chance to rush to the left, where his daughter is.
"RYAN!" I shouted.
His daughter was about to be attacked, but Terry saved her using Flicker and Ryan fought the 2 goblins.
Not paying Ryan any attention, the elite goblin took the chance and jumped at me with its spear forward.
I felt a sense of pushed, and dodge the attacked.
I wanted to look around to see how they handled themselves but this goblin had its eye glued to me! If i shift my attention away, it will attack.
"Fine, let's have a go!"
Danger Sense will have my back, I don't have to worry about being attack from behind.
The elite goblin had it shield on the left hand, pointing it forward and blocking its upper body and neck.
I don't know if I could pierce the shield with a clever. If this clever break, I only have a kitchen knife as backup, not ideal.
I can't use Flicker to rush either, it had its spear pointing towards me from the right.
I rushed the goblin anyway, which make it shakes its head in disbelief.
It lounges towards me with it shield prepared to block my attack, this make it drop the spear in preparation to follow it up with a thrust.
I wanted that to happened!
[ «Flicker» ]
I kicked the shield and sent the goblin flying backwards, though it managed to catch itself quickly from hitting the ground too hard by rolling.
I continue to rush it, giving no room to breathe.
The goblin had no time to stand completely, so it resorted to throwing it's spear while still on its knee.
It's fast, but dodging it isn't an issue with danger Sense warning me way earlier.
Unfortunately, it buy enough time for it to stand and pulled its dagger out. Although shocked, it still manages to get into a proper stance again.
I went for an overhead attack and the goblin manage to catch on, preparing to counter.
Sadly for the goblin, it's a faint.
[ «Flicker» ]
I instead went for it arm holding the dagger, dismembering it with a single strike.
Again!
[ «Flicker» ]
The goblin turned its head to me, exposing it's throat. I kindly took the offer and cut it in seconds.
Holding its throat in desperate attempt to stop the bleeding, it fell to the ground.
[ You received 6 gold coin for slaying a goblin warrior ]
"Phew... that's one"
I take the shield and dagger for myself and prepare for another fight.
However, as am looking around it's become clear that some of us didn't have a successful fight. Or rather some of them is gone. Hana, Alice, Eric, Rebecca and Terry is nowhere to be seen, so is the two goblins that went for them.
Did they ran? That should be obvious. But...
"No way...."
Russell is being lifted by the neck, by the hobgoblin, while also losing an arm. His blood dripping down from his shoe.
Not too far from Russell is Ryan, in the process of being dismembered by the goblin. Did he sacrifices himself again?
Down the road where we come from, I could see a body laying on the road. It seems to be Kathy, she's couldn't escape with the rest. Did she passed out?
Doesn't matter now, all the goblins had their eyes one me. Probably mad after witnessing me killing their men.