The group left the Frostveil Guild with two objectives in mind: to grow stronger, and to find a place to call home.
They returned through the rift and began their search as registered adventurers. They quickly found a cave that had the potential to be their home, but it seemed that the cave had other ideas. They quickly became hopelessly lost within the winding tunnels of the cave.
They eventually came across an open chamber, and realized with growing horror that it was a goblin cave. The goblin lair, as it was known locally.
Aiko’s expression darkened as she laid eyes on the first few goblins. She hated goblins with a passion, and wasted no time obliterating the first three in quick succession. Gross green blood splattered across the rocky walls as their heads rolled away from their torsos.
The remaining goblins quickly took notice of the newcomers, and summoned a large group of goblins from side chambers, surrounding the unsuspecting trio.
John rounded on Aiko, his voice calm but edged with steel.
"Your fault. Why’d you do that?"
Aiko looked up at him with big, puppy-dog eyes, a look of sincere remorse on her face. She opened her mouth to apologize.
Meanwhile, Lyra saw this as her opportunity to grab John’s attention. She quickly rushed over and gave him a big bear hug, trying to divert his attention away from the Hero.
The Hero is just Master’s type, but I want him to be mine! Nobody else is going to get him!
John looked down at her with an unamused expression.
"Do you have any idea what kind of situation we’re in?! We’re being surrounded by goblins of all sizes, and this is the best time you think to try and hug me?!"
Aiko gave her a sidelong glance, and laughed nervously. "I don’t plan on taking your master away from you, hehe."
Lyra gave her a strange look before looking back at John. She quickly let go of him and backed away, drawing her twin daggers. Her expression quickly turned back to the stoic mask she usually wore.
John summoned his new blue scythe, the Azure Soulreaper, while Aiko merely drew her katana. He still had his previous scythe, but he much preferred this one. Aiko rarely needed to put any effort into drawing her weapons.
Seeing the three adventurers prepare for battle, the goblins decided to charge at them first, as it was the best option available to them.
Aiko swiftly took down the first two goblins, slicing off their heads with two quick strokes of her katana.
[Night’s Embrace]
Lyra’s skill activated, making her nearly invisible to the goblins, save for her shadow which stretched unnaturally long. She quickly dashed towards a group of six hobgoblins, and proceeded to decapitate all of them with her twin daggers, her body vanishing with every strike. When she deactivated the skill, she gave a small smile, her happiness at taking the lives of these filthy creatures bubbling inside her. Her gaze quickly flicked towards John for a fraction of a second before looking away. Being his undead had given her new purpose; and for the first time in what felt like forever, she felt somewhat close to living again, despite being dead.
John quickly raised his hand, summoning the souls of the fallen goblins. As the newly-created ghouls and zombies rose to join the fray, the remaining goblins were quickly cut down, either by John’s scythe or the blades of his companions. Soon enough, there were only three figures left standing in the chamber.
Suddenly, a low rumbling sound reverberated throughout the chamber. The goblins quickly parted, revealing a massive goblin at the far end of the room. Compared to the hobgoblins, this goblin was even bigger, and more muscular than most. He wore a set of crude armor made of metal scraps, and had a particularly menacing look about him. This was the Goblin Lord, the boss monster of this cave.
The goblin lord raised his hands, and suddenly, a wave of dirty energy shot out from him. The wave exploded outward in a flash of dirty light, and suddenly a dozen smaller goblins appeared, each wielding broken knives and spears.
John blinked in surprise.
What the hell?! He can summon goblins?! There’s no way this is a Goblin Shaman, Rifts are weird like that!
He turned to Aiko to say something, only to realize she was already gone. All he saw was a blur of motion as she quickly dispatched the newly-summoned goblins, before dashing towards the Goblin Lord. With a single fast, powerful swing of her katana, the head of the Goblin Lord rolled across the floor.
John was left staring at her in shock.
She’s way too good for this.
Meanwhile, poor little Lyra was seething with jealousy. She assumed that Aiko had tried to prove herself to John by killing the boss monster. She had no idea that the Hero had acted out of instinct, trying to stop the Goblin Lord from summoning even more goblins. If she had known, she would’ve probably been even more upset.
Aiko gave a sigh, before calling out "Status."
Ablue box appeared in front of her.
Name: Aiko Kurogane (The Silent Blade)
Class: Samurai, Hero
Rank: S
Skills:
Iaido Draw (A)
Bushido Resonance (A)
Heavenly Sever (S)
Unbroken Spirit (S+)
New Skill:
Silent Execution (S): Lets the user close the distance between themself and the target in an instant, while suppressing their presence and sound. The following strike afterwards has increased lethality and has a higher chance of instantly finishing off weaker enemies or dealing massive damage to tougher foes.
"I got a new skill," said Aiko, looking at the others.
"Oh, that’s great Aiko." said John.
This earned him a glare from Lyra.
They soon found themselves standing in the large chamber where the Goblin Lord had been slain. It was fairly spacious, and was devoid of any other enemies.
John gave the place a look-over before nodding in satisfaction.
"Cheers to our base. This is where we sleep, recover and rest before leading the charge against Alderia."
Lyra and Aiko gave a simultaneous agreement. This was the beginning of the long road to power, revenge and answers to why the world is so corrupt.