Reborn as the First Boss, Chapter 94

Chapter 94 – Fogaxed

Sadly, Tibby the ranger lookout was a lot less of a threat when there was an invisible Planar Huntress stabbing her from behind with a Forceblade. The ghostly weapon stabbed through her spine, and possibly her heart, as well. The only sound she made was a soft gasp, before she began choking on blood as I kicked her off my blade. A quick slice relieved her of her head, ensuring that, even if she had some manner of health potion or the like, she would not be recovering from this. Unfortunately for her, the System generally did not let people die until their HP hit zero, and she was still far from that point. Oh, it would take her several minutes to actually die, but, in that time, she’d be quite conscious, and aware of her fate.

Looking around, I saw that the others had finished, as well. All four lookouts dead, no alarm raised. A perfect surprise attack. Unfortunately, it didn’t really count as a test of our abilities, since they never got the chance to fight back, but I wasn’t so foolish as to toy with my prey. That was a great way to find hunter turned into hunted.

As the others formed up on me in the small courtyard behind the wall, I traded my [Blood-Drinker’s Ghostly Forceblade] for my [Spellshooter] and [Demon’s Due]. The blade was better for surprise attacks, but I was more familiar with my guns, so it was better to use them for most of my attacking. Right tool for the right job, and all.

The solid wooden door into the tunnels was large enough for a Goblin Lord to pass through easily, but Frostmaw would just barely be able to squeeze in, at full size. The Lesser Frost Dragon shrunk himself down to roughly Rastran’s size, or about the size of a large horse. Still large, and powerfully built, but he would not need to worry about getting stuck in doorways, which was a boon.

Jewell put her [Trapfinding] and [Open Locks] skills to work, disarming the alarm system on the door before unlocking it. Only a few of us had the [Stealth] skill, and I could only use it to deaden my footfalls, not hide from view, unless I went invisible, thanks to Courtesan’s [Center of Attention] ability, so sneaking in was more of a matter of delaying how long it took us to get spotted than anything else. Fortunately, there was no one on the other side of the door, which gave us some leeway.

Bonerot Fortress was a warren of caves, initially, since goblins had been using it as a lair. Over the years, it had been turned into a proper fortress, however, including defensive traps and other fortifications being put in place. The rooms closest to the exit were kennels for the Dire Wolves and other mounts the goblins used. From the looks of things, the adventurers who had moved in cleaned out these holes, and made them into stables for their horses. I promised to let Frostmaw snack on a couple once we were done with the bandits.

“[Dance of the Stone Wall],” Zazriel said, softly, as the Celestial Spelldancer went through the motions of a dance, which ended in her stomping on the stone floor. Stones rose up, forming a rocky slab which sealed the exit quite nicely. It would take time or powerful spellwork for any of the bandits to make it past that barrier, and reach the outside air. The bandits were trapped in here with us.

Well, hopefully they were trapped. We couldn’t ward this whole mountain against teleportation, of course, and there was always a chance that they hadn’t closed up the secret tunnels the goblins used to escape the slaughter, but I doubted it.  A secret escape tunnel was also a secret entrance tunnel, if someone knew about it, and while goblins might not be able to stand up to the bandits in a straight fight, they were more than capable of sneaking in to slit a few throats in the night. I’d be shocked if they hadn’t closed up any tunnels they found.

We moved quickly, now that the entrance was sealed behind us. After the kennels, there were the remains of armories, crafting stations, and storehouses. Obviously, the armories and crafting areas held mostly works of goblin make, but the raw materials that had not yet been made into goods were probably worth something, at least. There were preserved meats and other foodstuffs in the storehouses, but I wasn’t about to guess what kind of meat that actually was. Getting the Cannibal title wasn’t going to win me any favors with the populace, after all, and the revelation that there were skills that could pierce my [False Appraisal] made me uneasy about acquiring questionable titles, regardless of what power they might offer. At any rate, we could do the looting later, when the bandits were dead.

After the storehouses, the paths began splitting up. Outlying areas were for lower-ranking goblins, since they were closer to the ‘facilities’ that the masses used. You could smell the reek of goblin dung for quite some distance. Unfortunately, the smell hid the scent of a human from Frostmaw and Rastran’s noses. One man, a DEX-based Fighter by the looks of him, stepped out of one of the facilities just as we were getting to the end of the hall.

For a moment, no one spoke, since the surprise had been total on both ends. I pointed my spellshooter at him, and pulled the trigger, but the bandit managed to bring a buckler up in time, and deflected my spell! Jewell was already in motion, and Syllia was preparing a [Blood Arrow], but the man was faster. As he drew his rapier, I saw his earrings begin to shine with magic, broadcasting his voice far and wide. “Enemy attack! Enemies in the base! Eight in total! Shooter, Ma—URGK!”

Poor bandit. Syllia’s [Blood Arrow] hit him in the throat, ending his warning, just before Jewell got to him. The distraction of crystalized blood obstructing his breathing allowed her to get inside his guard, and her daggers made quick work of his remaining health. He’d kept his sword and buckler with him on his belt, likely out of habit, but hadn’t bothered putting on armor to visit the privy in the middle of the supposedly secure fortress, making him easy prey.

However, the damage was done. Alarm drums sounded towards the central chamber. The bandits would be arming up, and getting ready. Now we had an actual fight on our hands!

“MOVE IT!” I ordered, perhaps unnecessarily. We hurried to the central cavern. This is where the goblin chief and his highest-ranking warriors and their breeders lived. That would be where the best accommodations were, which meant the bandits would have set up shop there. The fortress could hold a thousand goblins, but there had only been between six and seven hundred when the bandits came. Cleaning out the mess would be a lot of work for a mere fifty bandits, and I doubted they were entirely eager to go about it. So, most would be in the center.

CLANG!

Astruth was in front of me, using [Protector’s Stride] to instantly get between me and the enemy, while [Greater Deflection] allowed his shield to bat the ballista bolt away, causing it to embed itself in the stone wall. The enemy had moved quickly upon hearing the alarm. It looked like three dozen men and women were up on their feet, with skills like [Quick Equip] allowing them to quickly get into fighting shape. Behind them, there was a small rise, where the goblin chief’s hut likely used to be. Now, there was a ballista there, with two women in leather standing next to it, and a man in blackened plate armor beside them. Six priests rounded out the group.

Henricus Fogaxe

High Human Male

Level 5 Darklight Crusader / Hierophant

Titles: Zealot, Kinslayer, Violator, Executioner

[Long-Range Appraise] told me that the man in the black plate was indeed Tier 2. Darklight Crusader was probably an advancement of the Paladin class, while Hierophant was the same for the Preacher profession. And he had clearly been a naughty boy. Kinslayer came from killing a close family member, while Violator was obvious.

“Well, boys, it looks li—” The Darklight Crusader started to speak, but I wasn’t about to let him chat. 1000 SP per second activated [Angelic Brilliance], causing me to temporarily treat each of my mental stats as the sum of those stats. By paying twice the cost of the spell, the [Spellmight] ability of my choker allowed me to substitute the sum of my mental stats for each mental stat used in my spells. Krenrena’s Blessing let me use my CHA twice on any damaging spells, and my bonuses for using mental spells basically added up to a 90% bonus. Which meant that when I used [Mindmissiles] (which normally did CHA+WIS damage) and sent all six missiles (my True Enchantress level+1) at the guy, he took (498+963+2102)31.9=60927.3 damage PER MISSILE for a total of 365563.8 damage, rounded up to 365,564 total.

Now, I freely admitted I had cheaty stats, but that would have killed me twice over! The result for mister dark paladin or whatever? I’m pretty sure I completely mulched his brain, which is why he fell over before he could even finish his sentence. He might not have even had time to understand he had been attacked. Oh well, sucked to be him.

There was a sudden silence as the bandits turned to look at me. I let go of [Angelic Brilliance], and instead revealed my true form, activated [Radiant Aura] to cover everyone in a shield of Radiance that would reduce all damage taken by twice my CHA, [Radiant Blades] to ensure that my weapons ignored nonliving armor, and spread my wings. I had only one thing to say, “Kill them all!”

Frostmaw used the open area to regain his full size, and breathed icy death upon the grouped fighters. Hellfire joined the frost as Rastran opened with his breath, as well. Linette and Astruth were at the front, blades in motion, using taunt effects to draw eyes their way. Jewell was darting around the edges of the group, her daggers seeking kidney shots and other, less pleasant places to stab. Syllia’s [Blood Arrows] struck without mercy. Zazriel’s dance threw [Radiant Burst] spells into the group, further confusing the situation. Angelina’s spells ensured that anyone who was struck by one of the bandit weapons or spells was kept in good health, and free from poison.

And I? A single beat of my wings sent me flying forward like a thunderbolt of judgement. My [Spellshooter] in my left hand sent [Magic Missile] spells into the three priests on one side, while my [Blood-Drinker’s Ghostly Forceblade] stabbed the middle priest of the three on the other.

By then, the bandits had begun to react. However, there was only so much that they could do. They might be in the highest levels of Tier 1, and some in Tier 2, but their leader was just killed in an instant, they had area effects pelting them, Frostmaw’s [Dragonfear] was clouding their minds, and their healers were quickly getting overwhelmed just trying to keep themselves alive as I tore through them and their two Heavensworn Ranger protectors. They were disorganized, demoralized, and on the defensive.

Of course, I wasn’t foolish enough to believe that they couldn’t have hurt us. If they’d had time to regroup, come up with a strategy, or at least just focus on working together instead of simply reacting? They had the numbers and the minimum level of strength to make us bleed, for sure. But that’s why you didn’t give people a chance to think when you were in the middle of a real fight.

Your party has defeated Henricus Fogaxe and his band, the Fogeaxe’s Furies!

You each gain 100000 xp!

You have leveled up!

You are now Tier 2, Level 6.

You have 1592750/1596000 XP to reach Level 7.

Gain +24 CHA, +7 STR, +9 DEX, +15 WIS, +7 INT, +3 CON, +2 Luck, +2 Defense per level

(+2 CHA, +2 DEX, +2 CON from items per level)

4 Attribute Points to spend.

4 Skill points to spend.

Loot:

Plate Armor of the Black Crusade

Greatsword of the Blademaster

Earring of Communication x50

Belt of Blacksoul Protection

High Priest’s Chain Armor x6

High Priest’s Mace of Smiting x6

High Priest’s Magic Pistol x6

Heavensworn Ranger’s Leathers x2

Heavensworn Ranger’s Bow x2

Heavensworn Ranger’s Blade x2

Eclanan Mage Armor x5

Eclanan Mage Staff x5

Eclanan Rogue Leathers x10

Eclanan Rogue Daggers x20

Eclanan Shortbow x10

Eclanan Ranger Leathers x10

Eclanan Ranger Bow x10

Eclanan Ranger Cloak x10

Eclanan Warrior Chainmail x16

Eclanan Warrior Longsword x16

Eclanan Warrior Shield x16

Eclanan Warrior Crossbow x16

…

Human Female Slave Ivette

Elf Male Slave Theoden Lusatra

Human Female Slave Simona

Elf Female Slave Elincia Bryfaren

Elf Female Slave Finnea Venric

Human Male Slave Wyliame

Human Female Slave Libbe Whitguard

Halfling Female Slave Izett Faircheeks

…

5525 pp, 8960 gp, 5500 sp, 1540 cp

The loot table went on for quite a ways, and included a detailed list of the plunder we could carry off. Mostly a few tons of dry goods, crafting materials, spices, and so on. Enough to need several wagons to transport without an inventory like mine, which could hold several fucking tanks in it with room to spare. Literally, that last level had meant that I could carry 297,500 kg in my inventory, and a ‘light load’ just on my back was 8470 kg! I could lift and carry a fucking Jeep as a light load!

Other than that, the gear also proved pretty solidly that these bandits were working with the Theocracy. And, as always when the Theocracy was involved, there was shady shit going on. Ten slaves, mostly female, in a group like this? I had a feeling I already knew what I was going to find, but I guess I’d better check it out anyways. The slaves were probably in that chamber off the main hall that had a sign in goblin over the door saying ‘Breeders’. Just wonderful.