First siege (4)

My vision blurs and I am pulled into the darkness. Navi, how long until I'm back out?

<That might take a while. The dungeon just spawned a new group of creatures so your timing is inconvenient. The mana circuits are overtaxed due to the sudden influx of creatures on one floor. Creating your body without the support of those mana circuits isn't possible.>

Can nothing be done? I'd like to go end the fight myself.

<That won't be happening. The fight isn't going to last much longer. The goblins are completely unhinged and the troop morale of the adventurers is low. They are currently retreating to join up with the mages but that won't do them any good.>

I am surrounded by the impenetrable darkness of death. I can't see what going on outside. Please tell me what is happening.

<Spurred on by all the deaths that occurred the dungeon spawned in an entire pack of grey wolves. Those wolves chanced upon the mages while those guys were low on mp and ripped them apart. And now that the fleeing adventurers are running towards the mages' former position they have wolves in front and goblins in the back.>

Aren't they just normal wolves? I can't imagine them being such a threat.

<Well, they usually aren't. But they just leveled up a bunch from killing those mages and they are affected by the dungeon's desire for more kills. Additionally, all they have to do is slow down the adventurers to let the goblins get them.>

So we won?

<Against all known odds. However, I must say in our defense that we couldn't have known this would happen. The goblin swordsmen were at the precipice of learning the synchronization skill and so was the goblin leader with the weapon master skill.>

So you can't see a skill even if it can already be used?

<Look at it like this, when you are close to leveling up a skill you feel that but your status doesn't show it. The acquisition of a skill is the same. Until you have reached the threshold where it becomes a skill it is invisible on your status. And those skills your goblins learned are considered rare amongst creatures as weak as you.>

But I didn't teach them! I don't even have those skills.

<This is just a hypothesis but you always did training in groups. That might have led to the synchronization skill. As for the goblin leader, his potential is abnormally high. Darwin theorized that a goblin leader's potential is based on the goblins he leads. All the goblins have a lot of skills for being goblins so that might explain his potential.>

That's great and all but how's the battle going? Can I respawn yet? I really hate being in this place. I can't even see the threads.

<Give me three minutes and you'll be respawned. The battle is over anyway so you don't need to hurry. Now, what's with these threads you talked about?>

You don't know? Back when I asked you to respawn me at max speed, that whole ten seconds thing, you know? When I entered the darkness back then I saw whitish threads or something like that pull on me. Was that not normal?

<I don't know, why don't you ask Darwin in the meeting I'm scheduling right now!>

You sound mad, did I do something wrong?

<Did you do something wrong? That's rich! You saw something that exceptional and did not comment on it. Whatever you saw it's definitely important and now I got even more work!>

Sorry about that I-

I hit my body with a bang that sends me into the dirt face first. The pain and nausea that hit me are even worse than when I saw the threads. Are those mana circuits still overloaded?

<No, I just forgot something REALLY important.>

Wow, can we just say that we are even now? I forgot something, you forgot something, now all is well.

<Hmpf, I suppose.>

After clearing that up I stand up while still a little shaky and reorient myself. A quick look at the dungeon map finally reveals that I respawned a good distance away from the camp but at least I'm on the same floor.

I see no red dots on the map so the invaders must have all fled or been killed. The number of green dots is quite high and despite them all looking the same I can tell which ones are goblins and which ones aren't goblins.

<So you have developed a sense of community to the goblins. That's good.>

I walk through the forest and approach the run-down camp. As some goblins spy me from the distance the entire camp is thrown into turmoil and a delegation takes off running towards me.

The goblin leader is in front and reaches me first. He looks at me strangely and circles around me.

"Are you the strong one's brother or son? I am sure I saw him die."

"It's me. I died and came back. Death cannot keep me."

"You have transcended death?!!! Teach us, strong one!"

"I can't teach you something I didn't do myself. I was made this way in exchange for fighting in many dungeons."

The goblin leader seems disappointed but quickly moves on. He calms the other goblins and relays my words while we head back into the camp. This place needs some serious renovations and upgrades.

I head to my shack and the goblins assemble before me. Only a little more than 30 survived the onslaught but twenty of them are now evolved. We still have the leader and the four swordsmen but now there is an addition of fourteen hobgoblins and to my great astonishment a goblin mage.

"How did this happen? I don't recall teaching anything about magic. I don't even have the ability to use it myself!"

The goblin mage steps forward and bows.

"While evolving I just wanted to put out the flames with all my might so I threw myself into the flames. But when I was burnt by those flames I suddenly felt like I could control them."

This ability of mine is overkill.