Eternal Rest

The body of the Widow Queen was in the process of dissolving when Bones finished engraving his right hand. He collapsed onto one knee, taking a moment to gather his wits.

"This... might become a problem in the future," he thought.

The pain was endurable, but he realized he would need to find someone capable of engraving the parts he couldn't reach, like his back, or he would have to give up on engraving his entire body.

"I don't actually need to engrave my whole body. Arms and legs should suffice. Maybe my head and chest too..."

Bones didn't put the glove back on his newly engraved hand. Instead, he gave it to Skully. Once he engraved his other hand, he planned to give away that glove as well. He no longer deemed them necessary. The gloves had minor mana regeneration enchantments that had been helpful at early levels, but now the regeneration boost was barely noticeable. Besides, he had an all-black theme going on, and the milky white gloves didn't fit.

"Alright, Skully, time to go. Let's see what the third stage has to offer!"

Bones and Skully entered the portal and emerged on a cliff overlooking a valley. Bones scanned the distance but didn’t see the goblins that had been there the last time. He knew they were lurking somewhere. Turning to the side, he noticed a set of rock stairs leading down the cliff and began his descent.

At the base of the cliff, a stretch of forest awaited him. It wasn't a jungle, but a typical forest, much like the one near Westbrook. A pack of wolves with black matted fur and rabid red eyes greeted him.

"You know what to do, Skully!" Bones commanded, signaling Skully to attack.

Skully sprang into action, rushing toward the nearest wolf. The wolf took a low stance, snarling and baring its fangs at the approaching golem. The other four wolves in the pack dispersed, circling and flanking Skully as he closed in. The first wolf lunged forward but froze, immobilized by Skully's Soul Gaze. Seizing the opportunity, Skully pierced the wolf's skull while somersaulting over it. As he landed, the remaining three wolves pounced on him. The fourth wolf switched targets, rushing toward Bones.

"Oh, it noticed?" Bones thought, crediting the wolf for its awareness of his involvement in the death of its packmate.

As the wolf charged, Bones raised Bone Spikes, but the wolf agilely leaped to the side, avoiding the trap. Before he could cast another spell, the wolf pounced, knocking him to the ground and sinking its teeth into his neck. Bones wrestled himself free, rolling to come up on top. He wrapped his legs around the wolf's body, pressing both hands against the wolf's temples. The wolf thrashed, trying to break free, but Bones held firm.

He sent a short but powerful pulse of mana through his engraved hand, and a second later, the wolf's head exploded. Bones felt around his neck while getting up, noting the scratch marks left by the wolf's bite but pleased that the improved bone armor had held up. It hadn't managed to penetrate.

"Good. I'm glad the new bone armor is sturdy enough," he muttered to himself, reassured by its effectiveness.

Bones glanced at Skully and saw the golem finishing off the last of the wolves. He wasn't surprised by Skully's efficiency, having directed the golem throughout the fight via Soul Link. Approaching his companion, he motioned with a swirl of his finger for Skully to turn around, inspecting the damage.

"All the damage is to the equipment. Good!"

"Come, Skully, let's look for more wolves. We could use the practice against a group of hostiles."

The forest felt more alive than the jungle from the second stage, teeming with both plant life and wildlife. Moss covered the tree bark, fungi sprouted on the forest floor, and various critters scurried and chattered in the underbrush. Bones spotted a pack of wolves in the distance, chasing after a stag. The alpha of the pack paused, glancing his way before resuming the chase.

Observing the scene, Bones mused, "Animals hunting, feeding, depending on each other… Do animals and plants live in a biotic community here?" The thought occurred to him briefly, but he quickly dismissed it.

"No, don't forget, this is just an imitation made of mana created by the dungeon core. Everything will dissipate back into mana from which it was made."

It wasn't long before Bones found a forest path. He crouched and observed the imprints left in the grass by multiple footsteps. The steps were small, like those of a child, and whatever made them was barefooted. Bones already had a good idea of who the footprints belonged to. However, he couldn't determine the exact number. Among the smaller footprints, he noticed a distinctively larger paw print.

"A worg rider? If so, there might be at least a dozen goblins. Too many for a simple patrol."

Bones' eyes followed the direction the footsteps led, then he turned and started walking in the opposite direction. He wanted to see where they were coming from.

Twenty minutes later, Bones entered a clearing surrounded by the corpses of wolves and goblins. A fierce battle had taken place here just hours ago. The blood was still fresh, and it wasn't hard to deduce that the wolves had lost. Bones moved among the bodies, observing and inspecting the injuries inflicted.

He approached the largest wolf among the corpses, kneeled beside its body, and identified it. The wolf had multiple deep gashes and puncture wounds, clear signs of a brutal fight. This wasn't just any wolf; it was a dire wolf, and a chieftain at that!

Gray Direwolf Chieftain, level 37

Bones was taken aback. Wolves had a hierarchy and lived in clans, which meant the body in front of him belonged to the leader of the clan! He stood up and looked around until he found two alphas buried under the corpses.

"I was right! This might be the whole clan massacred."

"I've encountered direwolves before. Where was it… where was it, Skully?"

...

"Bah..." Bones waved his hand dismissively, then remembered. "Right, there was a direwolf back then. If I remember correctly, it used a Wind Blade!"

Bones searched around for any signs of the skill and found a few deep cuts on a nearby tree resembling wind cuts. "There, Skully! See that?" he exclaimed, addressing his golem. As expected, Skully didn't respond, but Bones didn't mind. He just liked having someone to talk to without expecting a reply.

"Alright, let's see now…"

"We have a few corpses with arrows sticking out of them, which means goblin archers! Shallow cuts and gashes were likely made by daggers and swords. Deep wounds with extensive bleeding were caused by thrusting weapons—daggers and swords again, but most likely spears. Hm?"

Bones noticed crushed bones and dented body tissue on one of the wolves. "Mace? Hammer, perhaps? Too advanced for goblins, maybe clubs?"

"This stinks, Skully! It reeks of tactics and organized assault!" Bones exclaimed. The dwarves were right; the three of them—well, four now—wouldn't be able to clear this stage without difficulties.

"We won't be giving up now, will we, Skully?! Let's go and gather more intel." Bones started walking back but abruptly stopped and turned around.

"Right, right, right…I should loot the bodies."

Bones methodically searched through the remains of the wolves and goblins, hoping to find anything useful or revealing. He sifted through the tattered gear and belongings, collecting any arrows, weapons, and other potential resources. As he looted, he noted the quality of the goblin weapons and armor, which seemed more refined than he expected.

"Interesting," he muttered, examining a finely crafted dagger. "These goblins are better equipped than usual."

After gathering everything of value, Bones took a final look around the clearing. The evidence of an organized and well-equipped goblin force was unsettling, but it also provided valuable insight into what they were up against.

"Alright, Skully," he said, standing up and adjusting his gear. "Let's head back and see if we can find out more about these goblins and their plans."

Bones followed the forest path that led directly to the goblin village. Unlike the previous stage, this one actually provided a path and directions. He was free to run off course, but he wasn't compelled to. He considered his approach and looked up high toward the trees.

"No good," he muttered. "The branches are too thin and too dense, and might not support my weight…"

The trees, while tall, had many thin boughs growing out of the trunk, full of twigs. Bones didn't see enough room to move freely from tree to tree. He decided to wait for the cover of night, and while waiting, he circled the village, looking for weaknesses he could exploit.

He didn't have to wait long for the sun to set. The small village was lit up by torches, casting long shadows that provided ample cover. Bones found many shadows he could use to move freely within the village. He approached the wooden fence surrounding the village and climbed over, moving silently and swiftly.

Once inside, Bones paused to assess his surroundings. As he suspected, the goblins were organized and surprisingly human-like in their village structure. They had patrols making regular rounds and a small watchtower with an archer guard stationed at the top. The goblins slept in wooden huts, and in the middle of the village stood a larger wooden cabin—probably the chieftain's accommodations.

It was hard to guess how many goblins lived in each hut, but he estimated there were around sixty goblins in the village, give or take a dozen.

Before springing into action, Bones took a moment to identify the goblins patrolling in pairs. Both were level 31, the same level as him. He brought up his status screen and saw he was close to leveling up his class.

"Alright, Skully, let's get me that level up!" Bones whispered. He stepped up behind the two goblins and penetrated their heads with Bone Lance at the same time. He dragged their bodies off the path and laid them down in the shadows.

He crouched and started sneaking on the path along the fence. He stopped by the hut that had an entrance looking in his direction and took a peek. Five goblins lay huddled on the leaves covering the bed made of wood. Bones stepped inside and focused on the area beneath the goblins and cast Bone Spikes twice in quick succession. Gurgling sounds were heard, but otherwise, the kills went unnoticed.

"Good. Next hut!"

He stepped outside and, after taking a step, turned right in time to lock eyes with the startled goblin watching him leave the tent from afar. The goblin opened its mouth, but before it uttered a sound, Bones impaled it with Bone Lance. The force of the impact knocked the goblin toward the center of the village, making enough noise to alert the other goblins.

Dozens of goblins left their huts upon hearing the commotion. Bones clicked his tongue and charged the first group of goblins who stared at the body of their fallen comrade in confusion. There was no plan or much tactics involved. Bones and Skully flourished their weapons with abandon. The group was decimated before the goblins realized what was happening, and the duo had already rushed the second group when the war horn was blown, raising the alarm.

A massive battle broke out after the alarm. Half of the goblins turned to their tents to retrieve weapons, while others, not the smartest ones, charged at Bones. The goblins' reach was just too short, and they couldn't do enough damage to stop the whirlwind of death that was Bones and Skully from starting to destroy their village. They had numbers on their side, but Bones had Bone Spikes and Mana Blast.

The momentum was stopped with the appearance of a worg rider, and Bones finally got a proper look at the goblin. Correction: Hobgoblin—with shield and spear brandished his way. This new and advanced goblin was a head taller than his lessers and didn't have an ounce of fear in its eyes.

The hobgoblin raised his shield and started thumping on it with his spear. A war cry was shouted following the hype-up chants and cheers of the goblins. In unison, they raised their weapons and were promptly blasted away as Bones didn't stay idle watching the show. The moment he heard a war cry, Bones positioned himself and took advantage of the brief moment the goblins were distracted by euphoria.

The hobgoblin was pissed off and pointed his spear at Bones while shouting something intangible and guttural. Bones didn't need to know what was said. The goblins rushed at him and Skully, frenzied and enraged. Skully was given simple commands: Swing wide and don't stop moving, while Bones focused on the hobgoblin.

The hobgoblin was as tall as Bones, and the worg was a massive canine. Now that he had a proper look, Bones estimated it was as big as the alpha direwolf. Bones had no means of approach, nor did he wish to get closer. The worg had a gaping maw and saliva dripping down its sharp fangs, and the rider was proficient in using a spear and a shield. Luckily, the hobgoblin had no intentions of dismounting, so Bones had an easier time avoiding a single target than two, but he wasn't stupid enough to make it a fair fight. This was no arena, and there were no rules to follow, so he turned and ran, the worg rider chasing behind him and gaining ground.

Bones used huts and other goblins as obstacles and torches to keep the worg away. He would swing the torch widely, then throw it at the worg or the nearest hut. Skully seemed capable of dealing with the rest of the goblins, and Bones, in the process of running around, helped cull their numbers.

After some time, the hobgoblin slowed down in his pursuit of Bones. The constant chasing started to take effect, and unlike Bones, the hobgoblin and his worg were getting tired. Bones kept casting Bone Spikes while keeping his distance, and by now, the damage had accumulated. The worg was limping while ferociously snarling at Bones. He didn't blame the beast, but it was an easier target of the two and had to be put down.

It wasn't long until only a few goblins and the hobgoblin remained alive. There was no last stand or one big final attack coming. The goblins simply fought until the end, and the hobgoblin joined them in death after being left to fight alone.

After dealing the final blow, Bones turned to look at the carnage they'd done. Dozens of goblin corpses lay around them, and the huts were on fire. It was still nighttime. Bones took both the spear and the shield of the hobgoblin and gave them to Skully, who received the spear and dropped the shield to the ground. Bones looked at the golem in surprise, then shrugged.

"If he didn't want it, then I won't force it on him. Wait… did Skully just make a choice?" Bones observed the stupid blank expression on Skully and shook his head. "Nah…"

"I think we're done here, Skully. Good job!" Bones praised Skully, but didn't receive a response. "The hobgoblin was an interesting opponent, but I fail to see how it could kill the direwolf chieftain." He muttered then came to a conclusion.

"These weren't the goblins we're looking for! Come, Skully, there are other tracks on the other side leading away from the village."