19

When we finally got to the Elder Oak, Sir Beryl was pleasantly surprised to see us and showed quite a bit of interest in the dusk imp we were taming. The others were thoroughly impressed not just with the fact that I knew a full-fledged knight but that I had actually managed to befriend a fellow classless that was part of the region's upper echelon.

Once the introductions were over and Papi finished trying to shine the knight's sabatons with his ass kissing skills, Sir Beryl made us all perform a quick weapons check that I was actually somewhat grateful for. I made everybody wait half an hour while I prepared cuts of meat for quick heals and cooked them on Sir Beryl's campfire. After five pounds of cooked meat were distributed, it was time.

Go and Papi took up positions at the front to the left and right of the middle of the opening while I stood out behind and between them. Lil and Ivana were given the safest positions beside and behind the tunnel where I had survived the tenth wave from.

Since it was still the start and nobody cared about really dividing kills since this challenge would not suddenly be ended like mine, I was starting with my bow to work on my only archery skill. Outfitted with a stronger bow and crouching in a better position, Ivana made the first attack and the first kill at the same time a split second before Lil set another aflame.

[x2 critical: vital strike]

[Bow Hunting Leveled]

[+10]

I was the third to attack but by then Papi and Go were yelling to provoke the aggro of the approaching goblins. Luckily, my current skill went up per hit instead of by kill. Staff Arts, though, was an anomaly because it went up rampantly. However, unlike these other lesser weapon mastery skills Staff Arts increased the effectiveness of wooden weapons by a few percent and went up one percent with every ten levels.

[x2 critical: vital strike]

[+20XP]

[Bow Hunting Leveled]

[+10XP]

By the time I finished my kill the other two remaining goblins were dead. Next would come a wave of two per person. However, I walked forward a little impatiently because I wanted to get as much experience as I could before there were too many for Go and Papi to crowd control. Papi's weapon also had a slow attack speed while Go's primitive weapons would eventually break down with a few more waves.

Luckily, the transition to two goblins per person was easily compensated for by a splash attack of flying rocks pelting the goblins from Lil. With every goblin down more than a fourth of their health, a critical shot to ribs from me was enough to finish a goblin. Ivana and the others did not have that problem to begin with because they were playing to their suits.

A single swing of Papi's pick hammer actually impaled two goblins at once, allowing him to whistle until the wave ended with two goblins stuck to his weapon. "I'm clipping this," he informs the group casually as the goblins fade away and the next combat alert comes in. "I can't post it for a week, but I'm totally making a montage of hidden event moments."

"Good, that's why you're going to be in charge of capturing everybody's best moments," I inform the smug bastard while shooting a goblin in the throat and letting it drown in bleeding damage while quickly reaching for the next arrow. The arrows were cheap so I did not care about losing them but I still hoped they were returned to me like my one javelin arrow did.

I did not have to come up to the front row until halfway through the fourth round while Lil's Area-Of-Effect skills where on cool. Luckily, my weapons were planted in the ground not far away and I could rush in with two Elder Bokuto in hand. With almost thirty Strength these swords packed a punch of almost thirty-five damage in a swing, making one critical and one regular enough to finish a single goblin.

Of course I used either sword to double smash the heads of these base AI goblins as if I were pounding through a set of drums. I ended up taking a few more kills than I intended to, but there were originally twenty goblins threatening to flood out of the tunnel. After that, I did not even bother with the bow anymore but focused on harvesting my combined weapon skills.

"Turn of combat notification until after the event, please!" I call out during the next wave as we on the front line start to get pushed back even when a set of three ice spears rush through the side of the back lines to drain two thirds of health from a dozen different goblins. The others soon followed my example, though they sounded much more breathless than I did.

Ten at once even in the corner where only one or two could get at me was terrifying, nine had threatened my life a few instances. Facing thirty goblins in the sixth wave, though, threatened the back row players as the numbers spilled around our sides. Because I could heal myself I had to take on more responsibilities, placing Go and Papi further out to the sides to hem in the goblins toward me.

After I had gained a few skill levels in both weapons just from the one wave I switched to my final weapon, Blackened Fuller Haunting, for the start of wave six as the center of attention.

By now both Ivana had finally reached level ten and Go was already half of the way to eleven getting here but it did not look like Papi and Lil were showing the same signs of growth. Papi WAS already level fifteen or sixteen when we got here. They, however, were more worried about equipment growth than they were character growth, preferring to let money carry them to mid-game before their characters finally balance out well over par for the course.

As for me, I was really seeing the benefits of upgrading my primary weapon. Even though Geist still supposedly had a ten percent chance of triggering I got to see it in action twice during the seventh wave as I wildly hewed left and right with my heavy longsword. With a normal attack damage of forty-plus on these low-defense mobs, Geist was an execution.

The eight wave proved to be too much for our formation, allowing more goblins to spill around and go after Lil or Ivana. Now, though, I call out, "Buff up!"

As one, Lil and Papi began casting their buffs on the team and suddenly my body felt light like I had never even been fighting. Then came the defense buff from Papi and the slow regenerating of Lil's healing skill. I was only down fifteen or so percent of health but I was back to full and peak condition in seconds.

Moving with the increase of Lil's speed buff, Lil and Ivana abandoned their positions and even the warrior imp who was fearlessly holding his own against the inferior goblins. However, the imp warrior was also buffed with increased defense, Strength, Endurance, and overall speed. His savage attacks the landed without any technique or skill beyond the preservation of his own balance rained down like two-handed hammer blows to leave trails of blood in the air around him.

While my dog was a reliable hunting companion, even with the harness I had fashioned for armor it was not a suitable companion to take in dungeons and to event like this.

If I wanted someone besides my friends to watch my back then I needed to put my new Capture skill to use. With my know-how and time commitments, I could actually and easily train one like Lil's to use a proper sword.

The wave ended less than a minute after everybody received a ten-percent increase in their movement and attack speeds. "Ivana, pick up those wooden swords and hold that position. Everybody else, drop back and pair up to my left and right. Ivana with Papi and Lil with Go. Go, get that big ax out here and start sweeping 'em up like Papi."

Wave nine flooded the tunnel with forty-five goblins while everyone was still getting in positions, their pairs spread out about ten yards to my left and right. However, I took my turn yelling at the goblins as they came into view to become the center of their attention. In this way, Papi and Go could skim a few off the sides with their big weapons as they pass while Ivana and Lil do their best to lay damage on as many bodies as possible.

Seven goblins had already fallen by the time the first came within reach of my sword. My sword that had been brandished overhead like a defiant barbarian was brought down with a distinct lack of care, giving me yet another bi-capitation. If Papi was really going to take clips and make videos then that would be a good one.

Two more goblins were swinging their clubs down on me from the sides but I simply cast First-Aid to make back the last damage before kneeing one in the face and backhand slashing my sword into the other. Snapping my foot straight out after the kneed goblin staggers aside, I kick the next goblin in line right in its jagged teeth. Stomping down form my kick to throw my weight around, I thrust my sword in the front and out the back of yet another goblin's chest.

Snatching the sword out while turning away into yet another backhanded cleaving of my sword, I rip the point of my sword across a goblin's throat and send it gurgling to the ground where it bleeds out the last few percent of its health. Still, there were nine goblins for each of us on the field and I had only killed three of them. The ninth and tenth waves were going to be some heavy waves.

To my right, Go was sweeping his ax wide and low along the ground, breaking or outright breaking off the legs of goblins that came within reach while Lil pounced in and out with her warrior imp to finish them. Papi and Ivana were running a similar practice but getting faster results because Ivana wielded two wooden swords.

Geist activated on my next swing when I was chopping into a goblin's neck and shoulder, stopping in the center of their chest before a misty ethereal blade finished parting the goblin's body with a critical phantom strike. Then I was left dealing damage with only my own swings while we finally cut the small hoard in half after over a minute. I had even taken several hits already and continually cast First-Aid on myself to compensate.

After three minutes, though, the ninth wave was over and I quickly opened my player inventory while ordering, "Papi, Ivana, hold the left side of the tunnel like Ivana was earlier. Lil, Go, take the right. Papi and Lil attack as they come out of the tunnel, Ivana and Go hold the line against the goblins that make it out. Once they're out and divided, I'll jump in the middle split and take half of all of them.

"Do NOT let me down," I add pointedly, drawing a normal fuller sword from its scabbard so that I was dual wielding steel swords. Despite what i said, though, I knew they would not.

*