Chapter 56 – Goblins Gambit

"Are you freaking kidding me?" Jordan's voice was the first thing Titus heard as he shook off the aftermath of the fight. The fall to the ground had winded him, but it had only taken a couple of HP from him and he could certainly deal with that after reading the notification he'd just received. Because he'd levelled up. He now had the choice of three new abilities, of which he didn't really know what they did per se, or which he should choose, but he also had five stat points to allocate, and with stats and abilities came power.

"Why didn't you tell us you could do that?" Jordan was practically screaming as Titus ascended the stone steps out of the pit.

"Yeah… kind of makes us seem like idiots," Petra agreed in a sulky tone. "Making us think you were helpless this whole time, and then… Well, I don't even know what that was, to tell you the truth."

"I had no idea," Titus explained though failing to keep the smile from his face. "I spent some time with the Instructor," Titus gestured to Torres, who'd taken a step back to allow the friends to talk, "and we figured out that I can put more Mana into the spell. Did you see that fireball? I mean, it cost me all eleven of my Mana points, but it was worth it, right?"

"You had a one-on-one lesson with the Tornado?" Jordan exclaimed. "Damn man, I'm jealous."

"He did," Torres interrupted. "And by the looks of things, it won't be the last. Come and find me when you're ready to try something new again; I'm sure that this won't be the end of your uniqueness."

And with that, Torres turned away from the group and walked away. The Instructor had been kind to Titus, much kinder than he ever had before, and something told Titus that when he next had a question about Mana or spellcasting, he'd be calling on Torres again.

Then Titus turned back to his friends, and the grin that he couldn't help from overtaking his face foretold them of his triumph.

"So, we're all at level three now then?" He asked. "Because I've got five stat points and one ability point burning a hole in my pocket, and I honestly don't know how the two of you managed to keep hold of yours for so long!"

"Then let's do this!" Jordan said, to which Petra could only nod her head in agreement. It was, of course, the right thing to do, and they each knew that delaying assigning their new points wasn't going to do anyone any good.

Titus quickly turned his attention inward to where he knew he would be assigning his stat points. He knew that he would need more Mana if he wanted to continue using the Fireball spell effectively – especially if he was to go up against enemies that weren't so affected by fire. But then he also knew he needed to last longer in the fights, so survivability was also key.

First of all, Titus placed two points into his Wisdom, which in turn raised his Mana pool to nineteen, which wasn't a linear progression from the first point, meaning that the more points he put into a stat, the faster it would grow. And that was good knowledge to have.

Survivability being almost as important as his Mana pool, Titus put one point into each of his Constitution and Defence. This raised his health pool to fifty-nine, which was a nice little increase in the grand scheme of things. With his last available point, Titus ummed and arred over Magical Defence and Agility, but eventually concluded that nothing had really tried to throw a Fireball back at him yet, and dodging physical attacks had actually come in quite useful. Placing his last point into his Agility, Titus saw that his Stamina rose to sixteen, or twenty-one whilst wearing his Wooden Stamina Ring.

Looking at the stats that Titus now had available to him, he could see that the increases not being linear meant that with each level he increased – and his friends too – were going to make them stronger and stronger. He could also see that with each new level, more and more experience points would be needed to reach the next.

"What did you guys get?" Jordan interrupted Titus' pondering.

Titus was the first to reply, quickly relaying his new stats and how helpful they were going to be for him moving forward. Then he finished with a: "what about you guys?"

"Two into Constitution and one each into Strength, Defence, and Magical Defence. It gives me sixty-three health points, so I'll be able to last a bit longer out there if I keep taking the hits."

"Two in Agility, so my Stamina is at thirty-nine now. Then one each in Constitution, Defence, and Magical Defence," Petra offered.

Both Jordan and Titus stared at her.

"What?" She said rather defensively. "If we ever go back to Titus' bakery, I'm going to want to know if someone's messing with my mind. I'm not relying on you two knuckleheads to tell me what's what."

Titus smiled and Jordan let out a small chuckle.

"What about the skills?" Jordan asked. "I took one called Heavy Stamp. It lets me knock back any enemy in a small radius around me, not just the one like Shield Bash does. It costs a bit more Stamina… I think I'll have to throw some points at my Agility next time around."

"That sounds good, though," Titus said, nodding. "I've got a choice of three, but I'm not sure what they do yet…"

"Then I'll go," Petra interrupted. "I got a skill called 'Leap'. It lets me immediately jump out of danger if I need to. So that means…"

"That you can Blink Step in, stab your enemy with your poison dagger, and then Leap back out of the way!" Jordan finished for her.

"Uh, yeah," Petra said. "That's totally what I was going to say. Anyway, what are your choices, Titus? No doubt some unfair all-powerful spells or something?"

"Uh… I have no idea," Titus admitted. He relayed the names of the skills he had available to him and the fact that the list offered nothing more to him.

"To have the word resonance in their names… it has to mean something good, doesn't it?" Jordan asked. "And now that you've got your fireball under control, wouldn't Mana resonance be the smart choice?"

That was a point of view that Titus hadn't thought about yet. He'd finally been able to increase his Wisdom – and therefore his Mana – at his level up, which at least had felt like a direction to go in, but beyond that, he hadn't thought that perhaps this new skill could have some synergy with what he was already doing.

Titus tried to analyse the text that hung in the air before him. The three options available for him to spend his single attribute point on simply sat there, awaiting his choice. Of course, he was pretty sure nothing would happen if he didn't make the choice right away but Jordan had been right; Titus had begun down a path that involved manipulating his Mana, and that meant Mana Resonance was almost definitely the best choice.

As Titus selected Mana resonance, he hoped that when he levelled up next, the other two options would still be available to him.

New Skill: Mana Resonance

This is a Passive Skill and does not need to be activated. With this skill, you have a greater resonance with the mana within your body. With this skill, you will be able to control your mana to a greater degree.

Cost: N/A Passive Skill

Titus read the description aloud for the others to hear. It was the first time he'd seen a passive skill, whatever that meant and honestly, the description didn't really explain much of anything to him.

"Nice!" Jordan beamed. "If it's passive, then you don't need to activate it like a spell; it's just kind of there all the time. Do you feel any different?"

Titus did his best to try to see if he felt anything different, but the act in itself was a bit of a misnomer. He searched within himself, trying to figure out if each tiny little thought or feeling he had during the act had been there before or whether it was something new. In the end, he could only shake his head.

"I don't think so?" He half-asked. "But maybe I'll know more when I cast a spell or something?"

"Oh man if that fireball of yours gets any more powerful…" Jordan said.

"It's already going to be more powerful," Petra interrupted. "He's got more Mana now, so it's just more fuel for the fire, isn't it? I mean, literally."

"Oh yeah, that's so cool," Jordan cooed.

"You know I'm standing right here," Titus said. "You don't have to talk about me like I'm not in the room."

"Did you hear something?" Petra asked Jordan. "It kind of sounded like someone who's about to start looking down on us talking from really, really far away."

"Shut up," Titus snapped. "I'm not going to start looking down on anyone. I'm just going to see how much damage I can cause with my new empowered Fireball spell and take each fight as it comes."

"Spoken like a true ass," Petra said. "But like I said before, when you reach the top, don't forget about us, will you?"

"Sorry, who are you again?" Titus asked, and Petra punched him on the arm. He checked his stats to see if she'd actually managed to do any damage, but she hadn't. But he did notice something else.

"Did you guys ever notice that when you level up, your Mana, Health, and Stamina go right back up to the top?" He was kind of guessing about the last one because his Stamina had already been full after his fight with the Treant Sapling, but it made sense that it was the same for one and all.

"Oh yeah," Jordan said, exchanging a knowing glance with Petra. "We noticed it earlier when we hit level three before you, but we didn't want to carry on and make you feel bad."

"But I'm still pretty sure it's us who's going to be trying to keep up," Petra added. "But, well… seeing as we're all on level ground, and all of us are ready to go again…" she jerked her head towards the pit Titus had ascended from. It was completely empty, and the sand on the floor was as flat as it ever was – like the fight he'd had against the Treant had never even happened.

"OK," Titus said, "but I'm warning you, it was only that impressive because that Treant was made from some pretty dry wood… it might not be as fun to watch the second time around."

"Oh, don't worry about it then," Petra said. "You stay up here all safe, and I'll go show you how a Rogue gets it done." She paused for a moment before descending the steps to the pit and turned her head towards Jordan and Titus, who hadn't yet moved. "So what are we thinking now, level fives?"

Jordan quickly nodded, though Titus was absolutely sure he didn't want to have to fight another one of those Treants; even at level four it had nearly eaten him. Though he supposed now he had a lot more Mana to play with, and more Mana meant more fuel, as Petra had said.

Titus and Jordan both watched as Petra began her first fight. Her opponent, when it materialised, was nothing fancy; just a run-of-the-mill Deadlands Boar. The creature was twice the size of any of the boars that Titus had seen at least though, and it looked both stronger and faster than any he'd seen too. But that didn't mean it was faster than Petra. Stronger for sure, but it definitely wasn't faster than her.

With an opponent that everyone knew, and also one that everyone knew had no skills to speak of, unless of course, it learnt one at some point before it had reached level five – which it didn't – meant that Petra could show off the very tactic she'd discussed with Jordan a few moments before: She used her Blink Step to simultaneously disappear and reappear not two feet away from the confused rampaging beast, then she nicked it with her poisoned s

Stiletto and then called on her newest ability.

Leap was not just a replicant of Blink Step though. Where Blink Step caused Petra to effectively teleport over a small range, when the Rogue called upon Leap, she did precisely that. With the flourish of a backflip and pirouette, Petra leapt away from the beast in a far less magical fashion. That wasn't to say the height she achieved with the jump wasn't magical because it certainly was, but Titus immediately recognised the difference between Petra's two abilities.

"She can be hit during a jump," Titus said almost nonchalantly.

"That's right, you're learning," Jordan said. "There are quite a few abilities that look similar or achieve similar goals, but they're almost always a little different – each with benefits and downfalls. Petra having both could be really useful though, but I'm sure she'll prefer one over the other."

It became very apparent over the next five minutes or so that brute force and ignorance were no match for speed and cunning. Petra managed to carry out her hit-and-run tactic twice more, and although she'd already mentioned that her poison didn't stack, the tiny cuts from her dagger still inflicted some damage that chipped away at the Deadlands Boar's overall descending health pool.

Petra remained unhurt by the end of the fight when the boar fell to the ground, grey and unable to cling on to its last remaining shred of life.

Titus couldn't help but feel that Petra's weapon was more like a cheat than an advantage. Combined with her blistering speed and two abilities that were effectively fancy ways to dodge her opponent, she was practically unstoppable.

However, there was one occasion where that wasn't the case: when she discovered the level six Jötnar Warrior was invulnerable to poison. She might be overpowered now, but if her opponents became more and more resistant to her poison as she moved up through the levels, things were going to get very, very difficult for her.

Right now though as Jordan and Titus watched, neither of them had any doubt that Petra was a beast.

"Me next then, is it?" Jordan said with a grin as he high-fived Petra, who was beaming from ear to ear. This time, though, it was more of a cocky grin, one that said, 'I told you so.'

Petra and Titus watched as the portal brought Jordan's opponent from the monster storage dungeons, and they both laughed when they saw what came through.

Goblin Adolescent

Level: 5

HP: 35/35

Their laughs were only exacerbated when the goblin looked up at the large Defender; he was at least three times its size and whined in a tiny voice, "Please don't kill!"

Jordan's face filled with what could only be described as sheer horror as he peered down at his opponent. The little green creature had bunny ears, a severe underbite to show his pointed bottom teeth and he held a tiny knife, which looked like it would be more suited to a toddler at a dinner table.

"Give him hell!" Petra shouted from above the pit. "Show him how big and strong you are!"

Jordan shook his head and clearly relaxed his posture. He was a good fighter for sure, but even he knew this delicate creature before him didn't deserve to be cut down without hesitation.

"I don't want to hurt you, little guy," Jordan said in a calm, soothing tone. "Why don't you just run along back to where you came from, huh?"

The goblin, to its credit, actually seemed to listen to Jordan, letting its knife fall to its side and exhaling loudly.

Jordan took a step forward and lowered himself down to one knee. He still held his shield and axe, though his grip on the weapon was loose and non-threatening.

"It's OK, I won't hurt you," Jordan said. "You don't have to be scared."

The goblin looked like it was going to turn and bolt away from Jordan, but then it took a few tentative steps forward towards Jordan, who was now fully kneeling, axe on the ground and his arm outstretched.

"This is going to be amazing," Petra said, keeping her voice to a whisper.

"Ok, so why don't we take you back to where you're supposed to be, little guy," Jordan continued as the goblin kept advancing nervously. "Nobody has to be in any nasty fights today."

Then the goblin reached within touching distance of Jordan's outstretched hand and brought its own tiny little hand up to make contact with the much larger Contestant.

"Wait for it, wait for it…" Petra breathed almost silently.

And the goblin then touched Jordan's hand. And Jordan howled.

Because as quick as a flash, the goblin had not only touched Jordan's hand with its own free hand, but with its other – the hand that held the tiny unassuming knife – it jabbed it into Jordan's leg, one of the few places where his plate armour couldn't protect him.

Jordan's shout forced Petra into fits of laughter, but Titus kept his eyes on the battle below him and he watched as the goblin's innocent little face morphed into one of devious evil.

And then he watched as Jordan forced himself to stand upright despite the pain he was in and punt the little goblin across the pit.

The goblin flew through the air like it was nothing, and then it hit the far side of the pit wall with a loud thud. The attack, which had been without a weapon or any particular planning, had cost the creature a precious ten health points, leaving it with only twenty-five points left to play with.

Jordan had lost ten points too, with the surprise attack being, well, surprisingly effective. Perhaps the goblin actually had something about him; it was clearly smart enough to trick the large Defender, though Petra would've said that didn’t take much.

Jordan had all but lost his cool though, and had already picked up his axe and was charging at the goblin before Petra had regained her senses and was watching the fight again.

The goblin froze in place again with his back against the wall of the pit. It watched Jordan running straight for him and began to visibly shake, its huge black eyes once again dilating to try to stop Jordan's attack by petitioning his good nature.

This time though, Jordan wasn't falling for it. He didn't even slow down as he bore down on the goblin, letting out a fierce battle cry as though to emphasize his intent.

Crash.

The goblin, seeing that its game hadn't worked – or perhaps it had been the plan all along – at the last moment leapt high into the air as quick as perhaps even Petra herself, and Jordan, unable to stop himself impacted the wall. Another five health points drained away from Jordan's total, and this time the reduction was unanswered as the goblin danced away again like it was having the time of its life.

In fact the goblin even let out a devious laugh as it bounced around the pit and it caused Petra once again to double over, clutching her stomach as she tried to control her laughter.

Titus could see that this fight was far from funny though. Granted, watching Jordan, who was larger than both he and Petra, get tricked repeatedly by a child-sized opponent was comical, but Titus appreciated the fact that this enemy was level five – higher than all of them - and it was such a level for a reason. He remembered how much of a challenge the Treant had provided for him, and that he only managed to best it because of his unique Mana-empowered Fireball. If he hadn't had that spell or had pumped it up to the power that he had, he probably wouldn't have made it through to the other side.

Then he thought about how this goblin was the same level as that colossal tree.

Jordan looked madder than ever as he shook himself down and readied another charge. It was like watching a raging bull heading towards the red flag of a matador, and Titus couldn't help but think that there was something going on here that he had failed to appreciate. Jordan wasn't this stupid. Sure, Petra often joked that he was a fool but when it came to fighting, this just wasn't him.

"Jordan!" Titus shouted down into the pit. "Stop and think about what you're doing!"

But Jordan didn't hear him. Or at least if he did, he didn't acknowledge it and he charged again at the goblin, who was hopping from foot to foot in the centre of the pit.

Again the goblin leapt from the path of the raging Defender just before he was flattened, and it was only a small mercy that this time there was no wall to run into. But if Jordan was going to carry on like this, then there was only going to be one victor in this battle – and it wasn't him.

"Petra…" Titus said. "Do you think it's an ability that's making Jordan act like this?"

Petra cocked her head thoughtfully while she watched Jordan running back and forth across the sands below. It was like the goblin was playing with him, but Jordan was yet to run into another wall and eat into his health pool.

"Maybe?" she said. "He's not that stupid really, is he?"

Titus shook his head. "I was thinking the same thing. Maybe this is how the goblin wins its fights – gets the enemy to wear themselves out, and they just can't stop?"

"As much as I'm enjoying this, I think you're right," Petra said. "And this is just another great example of how speed and cunning beats brawn every time."

Then she turned her attention to Jordan and his battle below and began to shout.

"Jordan, you great idiot! You're going to get yourself killed down there!"

But again, Jordan remained unfazed by the uninvited coaching. If anything he looked more determined than ever before to steamroll the small green creature.

"If I have to come down there and slap you you're going to regret it!" Petra shouted. Then added in a quieter tone to Titus: "Do you think this could be something we need to increase our Magic Defence to counter against?"

That was something Titus hadn't thought about, but again it made sense to him. He'd been warned before that he was under attack by some mental spell, and that was solely because of his Magic Defence stat, so was this really that different? The goblin was clearly doing something to Jordan and his mind, so why couldn't it be defended against? It made Titus begin to wonder exactly how one could create a balanced defence without leaving anything out. In the end, he knew that it just wasn't possible and that's why fighting in a group was always going to be the best way.

Crack.

Jordan crashed into the wall again, and Titus watched the small green blur fly out of the way unscathed again.

"Do we do something?" Titus asked.

Petra shook her head. "You know the rules; if we help him or interrupt then it could mean punishments for every single Contestant. We save his ass and it could mean hundreds die, not to mention the citizens."

"So what, we just let him die?" Titus asked, his tone beginning to ascend. He'd always known the rules and the risks, but he'd never thought it would be one of his friends that he'd be watching beaten on the sands.

Especially not Jordan.

And especially not against a foe that looked so unassuming.

Crack.

Jordan's health pool dropped below half and it looked like he had no intention of slowing down.

"Jordan!" Titus shouted. "Come on! Shake it off or you're going to die!"

There had to be something that Jordan could do to save himself from this; it just seemed so senseless. So unnecessary. But Titus didn't know what or how.

And then he began to stare at the goblin. There was just something about it that he couldn't quite put his finger on. Something different. Something that he was sure he'd sensed before but had never really understood.

He focused on whatever it was that he was sensing as the goblin moved, darting around the pit whenever Jordan came close to him.

Titus watched and watched, and eventually he realised that what he had been sensing was a little bit like a pulsing. Not so much something that was tangible but rather something that he knew only he could detect.

It hit him like a brick to the face. This was something new and there was only one thing that it could be.

This was his Mana Resonance coming into effect, and he realised that what he was sensing was Mana being spent. He had been right; the goblin was using an ability – and one that cost Mana to use – to make Jordan wildly and blindly attack the little thing.

But then as the realisation hit Titus that he could sense the Mana being used by the goblin, so too came something else he hadn't entirely been expecting, but now just seemed so right. So normal to him.

He could not only sense it, but he could see it too.