Duo vs Goodfire?

Peeking at my new status after killing the remaining goblins, I grinned.

[Status]

Name: Raas

Species: Menacing grey youngling serpent (???)

Level: 10 --> 13

[Stats:]

Strength: 43 --> 64

Agility: 40 --> 66

Intelligence: 62 --> 65

Mentality: 46 --> 49

Hp: 109/140

MP: 32/70

Title:

1. Limit Breaker (Increases stat gain from evolutions)

2. Teasing death (What will not kill you will make you smarter)

3. Royal guard (Gain 30% damage and damage resistance when protecting someone, but betrayals will give you the curse Betrayer leading to a permanent decrease of 10% from your max stats for each betrayal and death after 3 betrayals.)

Curse:

1. Gluttony (You will stay hungry and thirsty even if you eat and drink.) [Time: 3d 6h 33min 41sec]

[Skills: Venom Fang lv 4 -->6, Launch Attack lv 3, Slither lv 3 --> 4, Swimming lv 1, Pain Resistance lv 3 --> 4, Poison Resistance lv1, Poison Affinity lv 1 --> 2, Crush lv 1, Intimidation lv 1, Poison Whip lv 1 --> 2, Conceal lv 1 --> 2]

[Racial Skill: Grey Out lv1]

[Evolution Path:]

[Grey Scales]

[Venomous Fangs]

[Colorful Movement Sensing Eyes]

[Danger Smelling Tongue]

[Vibration Sensing Ears]

'Four levels for killing the remaining goblins, nice. So I´m roughly getting five to ten stats per level, but I didn´t get as many points in Intelligence and Mentality. Hmmm, maybe it is due to the specialization. Well, to be menacing you didn´t have to be smart, I guess... But at least I did get some. So, I will be a physical powerhouse? No, I have to find a way to increase my magic powers next to my defense. My mana capacity is really lacking, I can only cast poison whip three times now before running out ... have to find more purple monster cores to increase my mana or find another way to increase it.'

Thanks to the high intelligence stats all that happened in the span of a second.

After trying to intimidate each other Sahra was the first to react and sprinted straight ahead. Without fear, she dodged the incoming war ax and cast a sand cloud when near him.

*Puff*

Covering the area in fine sand it blocked my and the monster's vision, but thanks to my tongue I could still smell him. He on the other hand had it less optimal as he swung the ax around trying to hit and clear the sand.

He swung his ax madly around leaving deep lines in the ground. Dodging the swings I slithered near him and pulled his leg, tripping him right when he was in an overhead swing.

Falling like a log he planted face first in the dirt. Sahra as quickwitted as she is kicked the fallen ax away while I tailed slammed his helm.

But before I could slam his head again he burst into flames while laughing like a creep.

"Kih kih kih kih kih kih~ KAH KAH KAH KAH KAH!" Backing off we watched him slowly standing up while holding his now dented helmet. Taking it off we could see his disgusting face for the first time. Instead of the brownish-green skin like the others, he had brown-reddish skin with two small black horns.

"Sorry for showing my unsightly behavior, I have been on edge lately. It has been quite a while since the dungeon summoned me to do its task, but it turned out quite interesting. Not only have you killed my underlings but you also managed to damage me. Kih kih kih kih." Pointing his hand out it the two axes that were lying nearby magically burst into flames, before two imps formed and waddled towards the red horned goblin.

We could only stare at him and thought 'Shit, another nutjob'. When the two fire imps reached the side of the red goblin he put a hand on his heart and bowed. "Let me introduce myself. I am general marshal Goodfire of the first legion´s intercepting infantry division." Standing proud and with a puffed-out chest, he looked at our reaction.

Sahra who seemed kind of worried clenched her fists while I was amazed and confused by his long title and name. 'Who the hell named him Goodfire?!' screamed I in my mind. Seeing our reaction he was kind of happy. Never would I have guessed that that ugly goblin could be some high-ranked in a military organization.

"I would have asked for your names, but sadly you two are just first and second-tier and unable to speak the command tongue. So without further ado, let our blazing hearts shine~"

Grabbing the two imps by their heads they turned into axes again, but instead of the plain-looking ax, they are now fine, state-of-the-art battle axes that shined red. "Come at me!"

Looking towards Sahra we glanced at each other before nodding. Sahra turned and ran away while I slithered around him dodging his heavy ax strikes. But due to the head, his weapons emitted he still managed to damage me without landing a clear hit.

I didn´t know if he was just toying with us like the scarecrow or just didn't want to end the fight yet, but I know for a fact that he was holding back. No way in hell could he lead a platoon being unable to kill a small snake. "You are a slippery one. As expected from a snake," said he while casually swatting me away with the broad end of the ax.

Hitting the ground hard I glared at him while he is slowly walking towards me. "Ah, don´t take it personally I am only following the dungeon's command for letting me stay and I am not mad for killing my underlings anymore as they were given to me by the dungeon. My real unite would have long made you into their meal. So, just give up and accept your punishment."

Slithering backward my back hit the trunk of the tree, the tree that started all this madness for us. He stopped in front of me and scratched his head a little, "Emmm could you get away from the tree for a second?"

Looking at him then back towards the tree I grinned. Seeing my grin he sweated a little bit. Curling myself into a ball I jumped up the tree landing on a branch. Looking down I could see the fuming monster screaming profanities at me and I must say he has quite a broad range of vocabulary.

Stretching out my tongue I laughed at him, but he then turned and wanted to go for Sahra, but he took his eyes away from me. Leaping down the tree I poured all of my remaining mana into my tail. With the help of gravity, I swung my tail with all my might and hit him right between his two black horns.

*Crack*

My eyes widened as his head dented in and exploded into tiny bids that sprayed everywhere.

*Thud*

...

Landing on his dead body in a daze, I still had to comprehend what just happened. 'Heh? It died just like that?!' Looking up I saw Sahra running towards me with many daggers and other sharp pointy weapons in her hand that she collected. Seeing me on top of the dead red goblin she dropped the daggers and made a shocked face.

*Ding*

[You killed a bluffing red hobgoblin!]

[You gained 226 exp!]

...

Locking at the notification I was kind of disappointed and relieved. That then turned into anger as I realized that we were just tricked. I could even see his cool battle axes turn into cheap rusty weapons. 'WHAT THE HELL!!!! WAS I JUST TRICKED BY THIS FUCKING GOBLIN???!!!'

Sahra who quickly caught up on what happened stood there silently before trembling. She gently picked me up from the dead hobgoblin and put me down next to her, before hitting and kicking the body. I was shocked to see her so enraged, I can understand that she is angry about being tricked but mutilating the corpse in such a way she did was kind of overkill.

After five minutes of dismembering the corps, she finally calmed down and sat beside me on the makeshift hay bed we made. She glanced at me with some concern as if she was scared that I would see her in a different light now. Letting out a tired sigh I wiped the blood off her cheek with my tail and smiled.

Smiling back she hesitantly grabbed me and put me on her lap while cleaning my scales with a ragged cloth.

*Ding*

[Congratulations on surviving the final wave!]

At long last, we finally got the notification. We survived the final wave and are now finally able to move away from this hellish plain. We celebrated by consuming the goblin cores that we collected, sadly we couldn´t eat the goblins as they were already claimed by the dungeon and for some reason, only the cores remained.

So singing and eating the cores we celebrated our victory and survival, letting us forget about the everlasting hunger and thirst that we feel.