Subterfuge (1)

Thus, I I wait and watch the skull goblins loot the soldiers' corpses of all their equipment. The size different between those little runts and the humans results in many ill fitted pieces of armor. However, ill fitting protection is much better than no protection.

Quite a few of them have also picked up the short swords or shields of the soldiers. They now look like a rag tag group of hunchback children that got their hands on skull helmets and their parent's equipment.

Let's hope my training and the ambush tactic work and give us the edge necessary to conquer the next floor.

By the time all skull goblins are equipped, I have chosen a hidden tunnel that should lead us far enough for us to exit behind the second of the three lines of defense mounted by the adventurers.

Why the second and not the third?

Two reasons. The third defense line is a concrete wall that is manned by a ton of adventurers. Even if I managed to get behind them, they would be able to block the tunnel before enough skull goblins could exit. Since they are individually stronger, tight spaces benefit them as they disallowed the use of sheer numbers in a fight.

Furthermore, even if, by some miracle, we managed to topple the third defense line by drowning them in sheer numbers, we would lose countless more to breach the second line, since those guys would have time to turn and slaughter us while the first line still held.

Therefore, I first want to take out the second line with an ambush, then pincer attack the first, and finally worry about the third line of defense later.

Best case scenario, the third line of defense doesn't pay enough attention and fails to realize that we use tunnels to subvert them. Though I am quite pessimistic toward the prospect that they will fail to discover such a simple maneuver.

<Don't be so sure about that. They seem to be really flustered and most of their confidence rests on the people from the army gunner unit who were placed in the first two defense lines. If things go wrong there the mental state of the defenders of the third defense line may be shaken quite heavily.>

So they might be demoralized to the point where they won't think about where our ambush came from?

<Oh no, they'll definitely think about it. The thing I doubt they'll be able to do is reach the right conclusion in time. They consist of multiple factions after all and the only reason they get along is that they don't want to lose this floor. With a bit of panic they will begin to blame each other or attempt to gain full control. Even if some of them figure out what you did they won't be able to move against you effectively.>

That sounds promising. Did you have a chance to talk to Vespasian yet?

<Indeed, he agreed immediately and is currently preparing to summon 50 thousand skull goblins.>

50 thousand?

<He says that you'll need a distraction anyway and with the current situation he could waste twice that number in a frontal assault and he still wouldn't succeed in taking the floor.>

Can he afford it?

<These guys are weak and therefore cheap. He can easily afford it.>

And he is planning on just sending all of the in for a frontal assault?

<He can't. The gate has a limit to how many entities can pass through in a certain time frame and sending more would really do much. For now your 10'000 and 15'000 under Vespasians command will enter and we'll do things accordingly after that.>

Do these gunners even have enough ammo to stop this amount of skull goblins?

<They came prepared. They have enough ammo to stop at least 40'000 and on top of that they have a few turrets that can mow down swaths of skull goblins in the natural killing corridors this floor has created. And don't forget about the soldiers and dwarves who are also stationed in the first two lines. They'll do their best to keep the army gunners alive.>

Those turrets are troublesome. With that much fire power a single shot can tear through multiple skull goblins if they are bunched up. However, if our ambush succeeds…

Navi, are the turrets usable by us if we get them undamaged.

<Yes?>

Hihi, I wonder how the third line of defense will feel when they get shot at by a turrets or two. They are unlikely to be seriously hurt by it due to their fortifications but it should add to their panicked states.

<It seems you do have a sadistic streak.>

Perhaps.

I turn around and see a horde of skull goblins approaching. This must be the first wave that Vespasian will send in to cover for us. Seeing the skull goblins heading straight for the gate, I rally up my own skull goblins and make to follow them.

We enter the rocky floor as a wave of greenish bodies that floods out. The skull goblins in front of us break into a run toward the gate on the other side and soon encounter the adventurers manning the first line of defense.

The skull goblins begin to shriek as madness overtakes them and they lose what little reason they had before. Repeated gun fire sounds from the distance and my own troops begin to get agitated.

I try to keep them with me but by the time I reach the hidden entrance I've lost about half of my originally 9500 skull goblins. Damn battle maniacs all went to join the main assault. At least their training and equipment will increase the pressure on the first line of defense.

With the help of a few blue scarfed skull goblins I clear the rocks hiding the tunnel I intend to use. The dark and gloomy hole leads down a bit before straightening out into an even tunnel. From the map, I know that it will only ascend again when we reach our exit point.