SOUTHERN HOSPITALITY

  Milly queries, "Why are there suddenly three hobgoblins?"

  Jackson attempts a joke and says, “Don’t forget the thirty more goblins, and the elite goblin squad.”

  Bree says to the party, “Alright, it appears that the ten of you have been doing a little too good. The dungeon has adapted up to meet your challenge.”

  Claire asks, “Is this because we are doing well or because the two of you are with us?”

  Rhys quickly assesses the problem and remarks, “Unlikely, it would have responded more promptly if it were reacting to us. This dungeon is used by the Imperial scouts for training. They go in five at a time, a Master Sargent, and five trainees, the trainees wait in the safe room while the Master Sargent scouts the terrain then the Trainees, scout the area. If they get everything right they can clear the dungeon. If not they leave. There have been no reports of this dungeon's behavior acting this way. The Master Sargent is usually around in the upper Tier Two in levels.”

  “So we are doing well, and this is our reward?” Tanner says with a laugh.

  Bree, smiling at Tanner, says, “If you think about it, this may very well have been inevitable. You started at double zero. Now you are at parity and still doing well, the fights are hard, but are any of you really struggling to finish?”

  Connie asks, “Could any of this happened because of our Affinities?”

  Rhys answers the question, “That is also a possibility.”

  Tanner brings the conversation back on point by telling the others, “Nothing to do but push through.”

  Claire looks at Tanner and asks, “You say that a lot. Where did you pick it up?”

  With a sad smile, Tanner says, “One of the few things I remember about my Dad. He used to say it, Grandmother told me when she took me in it was almost the only thing I would say. It seems appropriate.”

  “Tanner what do you think of this set up? I think the goblins stationed at the gate are quick reaction forces.”

  “I think you’re right, Milly. If we attack through any gate they are going to flank us.”

  “So we need to stop them from coming out?”

  “That seems the best course.”

  “Then I think we should destroy the walls around the sally gates that way the they can’t flank us when we assault the main gate.”

  “Our we going through the main gate?”

  “We have to, we can’t collapse enough wall to close it. If we collapse the walls around the sally gates then we won’t get flanked during the main attack.” Milly states.

  Tanner, nodding his head says, “We will have to block the gates one at a time. We are not strong enough to collapse the walls if we split up. We can hit a sally gate, collapse the surrounding wall, run off. Kill anything chasing us. Come back up here and watch the fort, wait for them to settle down and we destroy the other sally gate. Rest and recover then the main assault.”

  Connie hands the puppy to Bree. “Sorry cutie you are too small for this fight. You have to stay here.”

  The puppy growls at her. “I know your name is Leaf Hunter, I only called you Cutie because I love you.” The puppy gives a joyful bark and licks Connie’s fingers.

  The decuplet line up for the first attack. Tanner says, “Listen up, guys. If the wall comes down fast, I think we should run around and hit the other side, right away. Then lead any chasers around and ambush them.”

  Milly's eyes lit up with excitement, “Then we wait up on our lookout spot and watch them. When they settle back down, we wait an hour. Bam, Boom. We rush in and take the fort.”

  Jackson runs up from his solo mission, “The main gate should be too heavy for them to open now.”

  “Nice job, Lilli, Karnna and Mick over watch. Everyone else target the wall around the gate, not the gate itself, follow my lead.” Tanner smashes Arcane Missiles into the wall at the right upper corner of the gate. The others follow his missile trail. Claire’s Primal Missiles seem to warp the stones when hit. Milly’s lightning rapidly heats the stones and Connie’s Celestial essence strikes the weakened wall, moving the stones out of place. Dylan cast ice on the wall rapidly cooling it. Jackson directs the stones to land in front of the gate as they fall. The wall sags as Tanner moves over the gate. Tanner says, “Milly one good bolt to the center of the lintel should do it.”

  The party observes Milly’s work. As the wall crumbles over the gate, Mick shouts, “Incoming goblins. Time to go.” The decuplet turn and retreat into the woods, stopping at the first ambush point. Each party member takes turns targeting individual goblins as they break into the small clearing. “Next ambush point,” Tanner says. The party moves deeper into the forest, leading any straggling goblins further away from their home.

  When the party eliminates the final goblin. Milly asks, “Hit the other sally port?” After receiving a unanimous, “Yes.” from the rest, she grins and leads the way to the other sally gate. When they stop just inside the tree line, the party finds a five goblin squad of stationed outside of the gate. Milly, after a look at the problem, turns to Tanner and says, “Jax stuns the goblins Mick, Karnna and Lilli kills them while they are out, then watch over us casters. The rest of us hit the wall?”

  Tanner, with a thoughtful look on his face, counters by saying, “Jax weighs down the gate after stunning the goblins. We all kill the goblins while he does that. Then we destroy the wall.”

  After the destruction of the wall, more goblins are now attacking from the main gate. Once again leading several goblins through the woods to their death. The decuplet regroup at their observation point. Mick looks over the fortress, “Both sally ports are unusable. It looks like we killed around twenty goblins. They are keeping the four squads outside the main gate, but I count nine goblins inside the gate and they moved the elite squad, and its leader, by the gate. The Shaman and sub-boss are still in the middle. If things don’t change, it looks like we may draw one squad at a time, away from the main gate.”

  Tanner, standing alongside Mick, claps him on the shoulder, “We’ll see how things look after an hour. Go meditate and recover.”

  “So we now are back to two squads in front of the gate, but we have all the fighters at the gate inside the fort.” Milly says.

  “Your brother's idea to taunt the outside squads off one at a time should work.” Tanner observes.

  After the fighters kill the goblins stationed outside the gate, the decuplet line up in front of the fortress main gate. Mick centered, Lilli once more on the right, with Karnna on the left, and Tanner standing frontline on Karnna’s left. Connie stands behind Mick, a few paces back. Claire on the left, behind Tanner. With Jackson on the right behind Lilli. Iris stands center behind Connie, flanked by Milly and Dylan. Tanner says, “Mick, you taunt them. The casters attack as they come through the gate. Then the four of us, keep them bottled up in the gap. While everyone damages around us. Need a ready response everyone.”

  After everyone announces ready, Mick charges into the gate, shield first. Lilli, Karnna, and Tanner close behind. With a thunderous boom, the gate vibrates on its hinges, using the noise to carry his taunt spell. Mick leaps back into place to await the goblins' charge. The elite goblin squad flings the gates open, allowing the goblin rabble to spill out in mass. Tanner casts Arcane Explosion amid the non-fighting class goblins, the others casting damage spells on the opening as goblins fill the space. The low level non-fighters fall dead, the first of the goblin squads pour out of the now open gate. Tanner calls out orders, “Shift targets. Goblin squads. Front line melee, back line support.”

  With the order everyone was expecting, Mick charges the middle of the wall’s gap, anchoring the attack. Karnna and Tanner rush to Mick’s left, while Lilli moves to his right. He smashes his shield right and left with unstoppable force, Mick knocks goblin warriors into Lilli and Karnna’s path. Tanner casts Arcane Missiles into the left goblins attempting flank Karnna. Lilli and Karnna become whirlwinds of destruction. Lilli’s sword, outlined in the reflected Arcane energy looks like lightning, cleaving through goblin limbs and necks without pause. Karnna’s twirling Great axe slicing and smashing across the goblin bodies in a gruesome pattern of green blooded art. The last common goblin warrior collapses to the ground, dead.

  The decuplet takes a pause, gasping for breath. As they look over the changed battlefield, the group of young delvers reassess the area. The elite goblin warriors have fallen back to the sub-boss and shaman’s position. Looking over the rearranged force situated against them. Milly turns to Tanner and says, “Well boss?”

  Eyes narrowed in thought, Tanner says, “Claire, Connie, Iris and Milly, take down the shaman. Once he is down, take the elites. Mick, Lilli, Karnna, and I will keep the elites occupied. Iris control the elites. Jax assist with the shaman and over watch. Dylan collapse the buildings make sure nothing inside gets out, assist anyone in trouble. One more thing, if the sub-boss enters the fight Mick you and Jax have to keep it busy until help comes for you. Karnna, Lilli, and I will continue with the elites. If the boss is fighting, once the shaman is dead, Milly will help Mick. Connie, and Claire help with the elites. The sooner the elites are dead, the sooner we can bring overwhelming force against the sub-boss.”

  Milly says, “Let’s approach slowly. We can recover a little and make sure to keep an eye on the sides for attacks.”

  The party moves toward the sub-boss. Dylan uses his Earth Wall spell to destroy the buildings by raising the walls in the middle of the buildings. The others each making their own mental preparations.

  “Alright, let’s take them from here. Ranged move off to the right and get the shaman within casting distance, but close enough to support us, too. Connie, as soon as the shaman is down, heals on Mick, then whomever else needs it. Mick, you taunt the hobgoblin squad leader. Everyone, our targets are from left to right: One, two, three, four, and five. I need a ready once everyone is in position.” Tanner says.

  Claire, Connie, Iris and Milly move right and a few steps closer to the shaman’s position. Receiving ready responses from everyone, Tanner, casts Arcane Missiles at the hobgoblin squad leader. The missiles slam into the target's chest. The squad leader gives a pained grunt and orders the squad forward to attack. Tanner shifts to target One only to see that Lilli has locked the elite goblin warrior in place with some kind of sword effect, with Phantom Swords arcing over the creature's armor. Taking advantage of the non moving target, Tanner double casts Arcane Missiles from each hand striking the monster’s head. Mick steps forward into a braced stance and screams at the hobgoblin leader, stopping its charge, forcing it to realign the direction of its attack. Lilli moves on to target Two, as target One falls from Tanner's spells. Karnna leans in to Goblin Three, moving her heavy axe in a stunning display of prowess. Mick takes the hobgoblin’s charge low with a duck under the monster’s sword slash. He catches the hobgoblin as it is pushed off balance by pressing out and up with his shield. Toppling the creature over his shoulder, Mick spins and stabs through the hobgoblin’s neck, pinning it. With his sword thrust between the gap of the armor’s chest plate and helm, Mick slams his shield on the pommel of his sword, the point digs deep into the ground.

  This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

  The hobgoblin shaman’s contempt for his foes is revealed by the smile on his face, as Claire and Connie’s attacks are repelled by his shield. Jax casts Psionic Void, the spell's inky black beam with magenta colored striations crackling along its length, forms in front of his out stretched hands. As the spell's effect races along its path and contacts the shaman's shielding spell, vivid pink fingers of lightning tap over the shield bubble. A now terrified shaman looks at Jackson in horror as his shield spell collapses. Milly’s spear arcs lightening across the distance into the shaman locking him in place. Connie, with a triumphant grin, casts her Curse spell. While Claire's double cast of Primal Missiles smash the hobgoblin's chest, knocking it back a few steps. Iris waves her hand, and a swarm of viscous wasps cover the shaman. Connie raises her hands in the air and shouts, “Celestial Judgment.” Jax telekinetically snags the off balance creature's feet, slamming its back to the ground. The last thing the hobgoblin sees is a golden spear of light with a dark red blade descending from the sky. The ranged casters watch the Spear of Judgment pierce the prone shaman's face and reduce into dark red of Infernal and golden colored divine essences, that rake through the shaman, ravaging his body unto death. Connie spins to the melee fighters ready to cast healing spells on Mick, Lilli, Karnna, and Tanner, only to find Iris has already cast Healing Wave and everyone is healthy with only minor injuries. Claire spots the elite squad leader pinned to the ground through the neck by Mick’s sword, and casts Primal Missiles to finish the hobgoblin. Karnna, Lilli, and Tanner each engaged with their own foes and winning. Tanner, with his left-hand sword, traps his opponent’s shield and thrusts his right-hand sword into the goblin’s sternum, continues the motion upward into the goblin's chin, slicing out of the goblin's face. The sword swings back in a loop, then up between the goblin’s legs. The now dead goblin blinks once, twice, then falls to the ground in a clatter of shattered chain mail and weapons. Karnna flips the butt of her Great axe up, shattering her opponent's chin and jaws, sending bone and teeth flying, twisting its head around, breaking its neck. Four spells converge on Lilli’s foe, two Arcane Missiles, two Primal Missiles, three Celestial Bolts and one massive lightning strike. The goblin warrior, now missing its torso, falls to the ground in a tangle of limbs and bloody spray.

  Mick, with a prompt turn, faces the sub-boss, roaring his taunt at the large creature. The hobgoblin roars back, attempting to leap at Mick, only to stumble as one of his legs drags the ground. With a puzzled look at the offending limb, the hobgoblin tries to lift the leg off the ground, distracted from the fight. The hobgoblin’s boot, now twice the monster's body weight doesn't even wiggle. After his weight spell on the hobgoblin’s boot, Jax now casts Trip on the sub-boss. Mick sweeps into the monster with his shield, knocking the sub-boss onto its back. The hobgoblin hits the ground with a loud crack heard by all. The stuck boot remains immobile. Breaking the creature's shin. Jax cast Weight on the monstrous two-handed sword. The others take advantage of the downed monster's position, bombarding the rapidly weakening sub-boss with spell after spell. Mick hammers the sub-boss’s head with his sword while his shield holds off the great sword. The sword becomes too heavy for the hobgoblin to hold, falling from its hands. The pinned monster is unable to achieve the leverage needed for an effective attack. With judicious shield use, Mick can block the weak flailing of the creature. The sub-boss’s Hit Points burn to ash like an oil-soaked rag with the combined attacks from the decuplet.

  “Fight critique, folks.” Rhys says, after looting. The big man’s shoulders bowed with grief still, his voice low and sad, eyes still on the verge of tears. The decuplet gathers around him and give hugs of support to acknowledge his attempt to stay in the moment and not give into the crushing guilt and anguish he feels. With a nod, Rhys thanks his students and says, “You all did well in the first encounter with the fortress towers. I don't think any other delvers of your Tier and levels could have done any better. You destroyed the towers in a timely manner and killed fifteen goblins on your retreat. Bree anything to add?”

  Bree, holding a squirming pup says, “On that part I agree. The village attack was well thought out and executed, the entire attack was well done. Jax you pushed too hard and took yourself out of the fight. You need to take more care.”

  Shamefaced, Jax says. “I was having trouble keeping up. When Mick got wounded I kinda panicked.”

  Rhys interrupts, “One thing I do need to point out Jax is a body mage, he has to push his brain to exhaustion to develop it. All of his Psionic powers are using his physical brain.”

  Jax nods his head and adds. “Like our muscles tear and break down while exercising, my brain is doing the same thing. This is why I am passing out so much. Other Body Mages push their affinities through what ever body part is key for their powers.”

  Rhys continues, “Jax has a very hard road to follow. The only way he gets stronger is to push his brain harder. Once he gets to the next Tier he will not have as many problems.”

  With a nod of agreement, Bree says, “That is a point and one none of us considered until now, but a boss fight is not the time.”

  “Jax is there a reason this was not brought up before?” Bree asks.

  “My father gave me several books on Psionics as soon as he found out my Affinity. I didn’t think we would advance as fast as we have so I am behind in my studies. I just read about it yesterday.”

  With a sad sigh, Rhys says. “Once again treating you all like normal delvers is not working. I do not like failure.”

  Claire hugs the bear of a man, and says, “Don’t you worry, uncle, this is not your failure. We have plans in place. Taking the placement tests is the last step for all of us to finish our first year. We will take the Delvers Guild tests, not for obtaining a license, but to further show our capabilities. You all know how Tanner feels about the delvers guild. This should allow us to start second year classes next semester. Also, as a party of ten, we will start slowing enough to catch our development up.”

  Tanner clears his throat to grab attention and declares, “Once school is over, we will pursue my inheritance. I am convinced it is more significant than any of us realize.”

  Mick says, “We have talked about Tanner’s experience. We all agree. After we leave the dungeon. We enlist Bran and any Paladins he trusts, Eunice first,. If any other Imps are in visiting the temple, we cleanse them next. Then the Emperor. Penny last we want the baby to survive and if we have as many strong Essence users as we can with us the better its chances.”

  “Now you see here. You are out of this. There is no longer any reason for the ten of you to be involved.”

  Claire softly says, “Mother, you have no idea of what you are dealing with. Like it or not, we are the experts here.”

  “That is preposterous. You are too young, I forbid it. There are plenty of more experienced and more qualified people out there.”

  Connie looks sadly at her friend and Impress, “You really don’t know what you are dealing with. How many of these more experienced and qualified people have you had dealings with over the last two years? How many of the ten’s of thousands of people recognized you were cursed? Let alone recognized you were carrying cursed items?”

  Bree opens her mouth to retort when Tanner asks, “In the two years you had the items in your possession, did you ever take them off? You bathed with them on, you even had sex with them on, didn’t you?” With her mouth still open, Bree freezes in revelation. Tanner cast his Arcane Armor and removes the bag holding the cursed objects from his storage, placing one of the cut weapons belts on a nearby rock. “I know you both have weapons of much higher quality than these rare items. Take your highest and try to cut them.”

  Bree removes a silver arrow from her storage ring, showing it to all she says, “This is an Epic grade arrow made from Epic grade silver mana ore.”

  Connie cautions her, “Wear gauntlets or gloves please.”

  Bree, with a nod of her head, puts on a pair of thick leather gloves. Then stabs the arrow into the belt. Not a mark shows on the belt. With a firm gasp of the arrow, she strikes the belt with all her considerable strength, blunting the arrow head and leaving no mark on the belt. “How?”

  “The objects were all made from cursed materials, then had curses laid into them during construction using the blood of unborn children, and after they were quenched in the blood of still living children. Connie answers.

  “How can you know any of this?”

  “I can see it.” She turns away from the belt, hiding her face in Tanner’s chest. “I don’t want to look any more.”

  Tanner folds her in his arms, rocking her. Claire says, “She explained it to me as a deadly toxin. They have absorbed your Essences for the last two years and have become stronger. If one of these belts were to be placed in a town’s well, the entire town would become infected within a few weeks. One touch will curse whom ever contacts it.”

  Tanner passes Connie to Claire and walks forward, “Connie needs to be there. This is why I need to be there,” Tanner manipulates Arcane energies to surround his knife and easily cut through the cursed item. “Connie can sense the cursed energies radiating from objects. Everyone of us has learned to sense them to a lesser degree. So yes, we are the experts.” Tanner extends his hand, casting an inky black sphere loaded with Magenta striations that crackle like strange-colored lightning. Tanner tosses the bag holding the rest of the cursed items into the strange spell, watching the items dissolve as the bright colored Essences touch the bag and the dark sucks the left over remains into itself.

  “Tanner you just destroyed evidence. What are you thinking?” Bree shouts. Connie pulls herself out of Claire’s arms, “You still don’t understand, We have to show them.”

  “I’ll do it, I take the hits for this party.” Mick walks to the cursed item and stands in front of it. Fear is on the face of a man that stares down small hordes of goblins without flinching. Mick asks, “Lilli will you do it?”

  “I have your back friend.” She sets her feet for action to the side of him, drawing her sword, fear for her boyfriend written on her face.

  Tanner takes a deep breath, “Rhys get ready, Mick a tap with just one finger.”

  With a nod of his head, Mick makes a fist and points his index finger. He jabs the cursed belt, withdrawing his hand as fast as he touched the belt. Lilli cleaves his arm off at the elbow. A frightened Mick calls out, “it got past my elbow.”

  Connie grasps his arm and casts Celestial Cleanse, pushing a viscous black tar like substance from the stump of his arm. The others watch in horrified fascination as Mick’s hand and forearm now on the ground, turns to black sludge, then reforms and grows legs and scuttles to the curse Essence expelled from Mick’s arm. The new creature extends a pseudopod to the substance and, with a loud slurp, sucks it up. Growing bigger.

  Tanner surrounds the odd creature with Arcane Essences, lifting it up for all to see.

  Jax casts Psionic Void on the belt, destroying it. Rhys heals Mick's arm, a sick look on his face, “It destroyed tissue all the way up into his biceps in less than a second. I can’t think of any toxin or poison that virulent.”

  Bree asks, “Is it safe to look at?” Tanner nods and says, “We've contained it, Connie, check around to ensure we haven't overlooked anything.”

  “Oh Goddess, Tanner the rock and the grass around it”

  “Jax can you cast in a sphere?” Tanner asks.

  “I’ll damn well try.” Jax answers, concentrating on his spell. A void sphere appears around the rock and its surrounding area. Small screams of anguish are heard from the blackened grass’s tiny little mouths as they perish in the void Essence Jackson created. Jackson moves the void ball around the area, following Connie's directions, killing off all the Curse Essence. Then collapses to his knees exhausted.

  Tanner, still holding the curse creature, asks, “Have you both gotten a good look at this thing?”

  A white faced Bree answers, “Yes, please destroy that thing.”

  Rhys nods his head and says, “Please for the love of the Goddess destroy it.”

  Tanner turns his Arcane sphere into a Void sphere. The creature screams, turning into black inky smoke. The void sucks everything in and disappears like it never was.

  Bree stuttering and pale faced. “That, that thing was inside us. Inside of me.”

  Tanner says, “Something very like it, yes.”

  “What did mine look like?”

  “Yours looked like a misshaped bladder with long black tendrils, the color sorta reminded me of necrotic tissue.” Tanner answer in a matter-of-fact tone. “The one inside of Rhys was like a cross between a centipede and a kraken. It had a flat black shell, and tentacles.”

  Bree, now green faced, turns and vomits, sobbing. Claire, Connie, and Milly rush to her side, glaring at Tanner. Jax says, “That was cruel, Tanner.”

  “Agreed,” Tanner acknowledges, walking away from the group with a tinge of sadness.

  Bree finished, climbs to her feet. “Don’t be mad at Tanner. He is correct, I did not understand, there can be no compromise, these things need to be exterminated, root and branch. Honestly I am not sure I completely understand, but I do know they are dangerous. I will follow your lead. One thing hold off on the guild test. I will arrange an alternative.”

  Milly holds up her hand, “Alright folks, we got off subject. We need to finish the fight critique, then move to the Boss.” The others all look at her in surprise. “What? I can focus.”