Main Boss

The room beyond the door was enormous. Far larger than anything else we'd encountered inside the dungeon, more than twice as big as the Miniboss room where we'd fought the Goblin Knight on the fifth floor.

The ceiling disappeared into darkness somewhere above us, while rows of magical torches illuminated the vast chamber with a sickly orange glow. And at the far end, sitting upon a throne made from bones, was the Goblin King.

I had expected something large. I had not expected that. The Goblin Knight we'd fought on the fifth floor had been roughly ten feet tall. The Goblin King was easily twice that.

Its massive body was covered in crude but surprisingly well-crafted armor, layers of metal strapped over thick green hide. A crown made from blackened iron sat upon its head, while an enormous sword rested against the throne beside it. But the sword wasn't what immediately caught my attention.

It was the room. Shelves lined both walls. Tables and counters were scattered everywhere.

Bottles. Flasks. Jars. Powders. Liquids. Bones. Crystals. Roots. Even what looked like monster parts.

The entire chamber resembled what I had heard from stories as a child that an Alchemist's laboratory would look like.

"What is this place?" Sara whispered.

"I don't know." That answer bothered me.

The dungeon was supposed to be a place filled with monsters. Yet the deepest floor looked like someone had been working here, almost as if this place wasn't actually an arena where a fight to the death was expected of those who entered.

Before I could think any further, the Goblin King slowly opened its eyes.

Yellow. Predatory. Intelligent. Far too intelligent. Its gaze moved from me to Sara. Then it smiled. Unlike the Goblins we'd encountered before, it was almost like this one was truly alive, just like those who'd escaped the dungeon and onto the surface.

I immediately drew my sword.

"Sara."

"Yes, Master?"

"Stay behind me."

She raised her staff in response. "Understood."

The Goblin King suddenly stood. The throne creaked beneath the sudden loss of its enormous weight.

Then it roared. ROOOOOAAAAARRR!

The sound shook the entire room, like an Earthquake had been set off.

Sara flinched. I myself felt my heart hammer against my ribs. And then the King raised one massive hand. The floor before it erupted. Goblins poured out as if emerging from hidden passages.

Dozens. Then more.

"Of course," I muttered.

The Goblin King was a king, after all. It had an army, so why did it need to fight on its own?

"Sara!"

"I know!" She stepped backward while raising her staff. "Firestorm!"

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The spell erupted across the battlefield. A wall of flame swept through the first wave of goblins. Dozens vanished beneath the fire. But more came like a never-ending tide of new combatants.

I on the otherhand charged forward. My sword met the first goblin.

SHING!

Its head separated from its body. I spun. Another.

Slash.

Another fell.

A third attempted to stab me from behind.

I ducked. Sara's fireball passed over my head and slammed into it.

BOOM!

"Sorry!"

"Don't be!"

I continued forward. The Goblin King was still standing on its platform. Watching. Waiting.

That was the part I hated. It wasn't rushing us. It was observing. Possibly even learning.

I cut through another goblin and glanced toward Sara. She was moving. Good. That was the most important thing. She couldn't stand still. If she did, she would expose a possible weakness that the Goblin King could exploit, turning her into its primary target — a fatal weakness for our party.

She sprinted toward the opposite side of the room.

"Fireblast!" A massive sphere of flame shot from her staff.

The Goblin King finally moved. Its enormous hand swung upward. The fireball struck its arm.

BOOM!

Flames exploded across the room. The King barely reacted. It lowered its arm. Burn marks covered the armor. But underneath... It was unharmed.

Sara's expression changed seeing the boss easily tanking one of her strongest attacks. "Master..."

"I see it."

The Goblin King was far stronger than the Goblin Knights. Not just physically. Its defense was absurd. The monster stepped down from its throne. Each footstep shook the floor.

BOOM.

BOOM.

BOOM.

Then it started walking toward me. Not Sara. Me. I tightened my grip.

"Finally."

The Goblin King raised its sword. I raised mine. Then it swung.

CLANG!

The impact nearly broke my arms. My feet slid backward. That single strike told me everything. I couldn't match its strength.

Not directly.

The King swung again. I ducked beneath the blade. The massive sword tore through the air above me. I stepped inside its guard and slashed across its stomach.

CLANG!

My sword bounced off the armor.

"What?!"

The Goblin King grinned. Then its knee slammed into my stomach.

THUD!

I flew backward. I hit the floor hard enough to roll several times.

"Carter!"

"I'm fine!"

I wasn't. Not really. But I was alive. That was good enough.

The Goblin King charged. I activated my skills. The world seemed to slow. My body moved before my thoughts finished forming. I slipped sideways.

The King's sword struck the ground.

I ran up the length of its arm. My blade struck its neck.

CLANG!

But even after striking directly on its hide rather than its armor, the blade bounced off.

"Seriously?!"

The monster's free hand swept toward me. I jumped. Its fingers passed underneath my boots. I landed on its shoulder. For half a second, I had the perfect opportunity. I drove my sword downward.

CRACK!

The blade penetrated. The Goblin King roared. Blood spilled. But it wasn't enough.

The monster reached up. I jumped away. Its hand snapped shut around empty air.

I landed.

"That hurt it," Sara shouted from across the room.

"I noticed!" Of course I had, but even so, when you factored in how strong it was, this was barely a scratch to the beast.

She raised her staff. "Firestorm!"

The spell struck the King's back. The explosion staggered it.

For a brief moment, I saw an opening.

I moved.

Stealth, Speed Burst, Assassination. Activating everything simultaneously.

My body became little more than a blur. I passed beneath the King's arm. My sword struck its exposed side, slipping through a gap in the armored plate.

SHING!

Blood sprayed. The King roared.

And for the first time... It looked angry.

"Uh-oh."

The Goblin King turned. Its eyes locked onto me. Then it charged.

I ran. Not away. Around. Its sword followed me. Every swing was enormous. Every miss carved chunks from the stone floor.

BOOM!

BOOM!

BOOM!

Thankfully, even as the King's assault was going on, the mobs he summoned had finally stopped; Sara was free to begin casting her spells against it, but even so, with all her power in Elemental spellcraft of the most destructive element.

The king merely shrugged off the blasts; his armor barely became heated from the high-intensity flames, a true wonder of blacksmithing.

BANG

Left with nowhere to dodge, I was caught and forced to block an incoming strike, which launched me once more across the room, only coming to a rest when I crashed into one of the counters.

My trusted blade had been separated from my hand by the hit, and left with no other option...