He had a shrink trap still left in his bag from earlier adventures, but all of his dart traps had been used. The only other traps had come from the assengai queen’s lair: Tranquilizing Web Trap, Acidic Web Trap, Constricting Web Trap and Razor Web Trap. Richter shook his head, they were all potentially powerful, but none of the traps ensured instant kills or incapacitation. Killing the goblins would have to come down to their magic and fighting skills.
Richter loaded his Ring of Spell Holding. The enchanted band couldn’t hold any of his new initiate level spells, but it would still prove its worth. He started a casting, and the clear gem on the ring turned black. Checking the video feed from Alma, he saw that the goblins had started coming back down the pass…and there were two more coming with them.
He looked at Sion, with a pensive look in his eye. The sprite looked back and adopted a resigned expression when he saw Richter’s face, “What? What now?”
“Welllll…” Richter cleared his throat, “It looks like there are now eight goblins coming with the patrol now; five fighters and three scouts.”
“What?” Sion hissed quietly. “You said six!”
“It was six!” Richter shot back through gritted teeth.
“Then why is it eight now?”
“How the fuck should I know?”
The two friends bickered quietly for a few more seconds, until Richter said, “Look. This is happening. Now let’s plan.”
The chaos seed took his map out and zoomed in so they could see the goblins. The good news was, through Richter’s position as Scout in Yoshi’s war party, he could see that all of the goblins were level sixteen and below. The highest level goblin they had encountered so far had been level twelve. Apparently, the lower level goblins had been given the shit detail of doing scout duty outside the ravine. That didn’t mean they weren’t dangerous, but at least their stats shouldn’t be near the superhuman levels that Sion and he had. Richter hoped that the trend of the goblins getting stronger didn’t hold true, though. Otherwise, the encampment might be full of high level enemies.
Another stroke of luck was that the green-skinned fighters were moving as slowly coming back down the canyon as they had going up it. It gave the strike squad more time to reach the far side of the gate, while also giving the Companions time to prepare. They gave names to each of the goblins to better assign targets. The fighters were: Big Nose, Scar, Rash, Rash Two, and Ugly Face. That last guy was ugly even for goblin. The scouts were Yellow Wart, Cross-eyed, and Bill. Richter looked in askance at his friend over the last name.
“I grew up with a sprite named Billari. He was a total asshat.”
Proud of his friend’s improved usage of swear words since they had met, Richter just nodded and said, “Nice.”
The Companions watched as the patrol got closer, and saw that the goblins stayed in roughly the same configuration. Four fighters walked in back, another walked slightly ahead, and the two scouts walked a couple of yards back. Only three, two fighters and a scout, had horns on their belts. They were the first targets.
The plan was to let the patrol pass by and then Sion would attack from behind. Once the goblins’ attention was turned towards the sprite, Richter, who would be stealthed just ahead of the patrol, would attack. The Companions had preparation, surprise, superior weaponry, magic and levels on their side. The goblins only had numerical superiority. The ambush should work, but Richter had learned that nothing was sure in battle.
None of the goblins with horns were wearing helmets, which greatly increased the chance of making an instant kill. In fact, each goblin only wore a random collection of metal and leather armor. Most of it had holes in it, showing how the previous owner had died. All of it was rusted in places. Their weaponry was in a similar state, ranging from a wooden cudgel to a rusted mace. Sion would take out one of the horn blowers with a poison arrow to the neck or head. Hopefully, with his insanely high attack speed, the sprite could strike a second target before the goblins even knew what was happening. The adder could be relied on to incapacitate another fighter. The rest were going to be the responsibility of Richter and Alma. It might have been too much, if not for the fact that Richter was a summoner.
Despite what he had thought earlier, the chaos seed slipped his Ring of Healing off of his finger and donned the Ring of Dominant Will he had taken from the Witch Doctor’s body. With what was coming, he had a feeling that he would need the +21% that the ring provided to his ability to control other creatures.
Alma flew above and behind the goblins, unseen and ready to attack. Once Richter saw that the goblins were only a few hundred yards away, he started casting. Sion stood in front of him and spread his cape, ensuring the magical light couldn’t be seen down the canyon. Richter moved both arms as he dual cast the spell for the first time. Green light surrounded his hands, and he cast Summon Minor Chokespore Arachnid.
A four-foot tall green disc appeared in the air, and a dry smell like fallen leaves filled the air. It was faint but distinctive. From the disc, a hairy, segmented leg emerged, and then another. In a few seconds, the entire spider had come through from whatever plane he summoned it from.
The thing was only three feet high. Its furry bod was a mix of green and brown in a pattern that would provide great concealment in a forest. Most of its body looked like any other spider, albeit much larger, but its abdomen was pockmarked with dozens of silver dollar sized holes. Despite the fact that it was a higher level than the saproling he could summon, summon, Richter was disappointed in his new creature. Until he used Analyze.
Name: Chokespore Arachnid Disposition: Loyal
Chokespore arachnids are agile hunters. Rather than trapping creatures in webs, this forest hunter quietly creeps closer to its prey. Once in range, it jumps into the middle of a pack of creatures and releases the fungus stored in its abdomen. These spores shoot into the air and causes severe allergic reactions in most creatures. Effects include closing of airways, extreme blurred vision, and intense pain, making concentration difficult. After its victims are incapacitated, it quickly bites its quarry causing a short-term paralysis. This is still long enough for the spider to wrap the bodies in strong spider silk to be consumed at its leisure.
Level: 22
Health: 220/220 Mana: 50/50 Stamina: 180/180
Strength: 25
Agility: 29
Dexterity: 34
Constitution: 22
Endurance: 18
Intelligence: 5
Wisdom: 7
Charisma: 4
Luck: 10