Okay, test next week for me, so I'll be posting the week after.
Also: Warning for this chapter! The last quarter of the chapter has something implied but nothing graphic you see. Tread carefully and dip out as you need to. Nothing happens to the main characters, they see the aftermath of what a certain monster can do.
"Blake, you all right," Jaune inquired, jogging over to the pair.
Sun was already helping her out of her armour, dropping it on the ground next to her. Underneath the gear, Blake's black tank-top was revealed along with the injury in question. Her shoulder had been dislocated by the dragon. Luckily, that seemed to be the only thing wrong with her despite the faded scars on her cream-coloured skin.
"Oh..." Jaune uttered as he caught a glimpse of the shoulder. "I see... This should be an easy fix then."
"Your nose is bleeding," Blake pointed out.
"This," Jaune said, wiping the blood away. "Don't worry... pushed myself too hard with that telekinesis spell."
Jaune waved over Ren to come to help them. The boy grew a slight grimace as he saw the bump sticking out from where Blake's shoulder was. A few of the others were watching from the sidelines, cringing all the while as they knew what was going to happen.
"What should we do," Ren asked, assessing the situation for a possible solution.
"We're gonna have to put it back in," Jaune explained, examining the dislocated shoulder further. "We can't go back for a doctor, and we can't go down into the dungeon with Blake only having one arm. So, I need you and Sun to hold up his bo staff while I relocate it." He looked to Blake, who was obviously dreading the procedure. "Do you want anything for the pain? I can't stop in the middle, so we're going all the way."
"Save it for later," Blake said through gritted teeth. "Don't waste anything on me..."
This is going to suck then...
"Bite down on something or hold Sun's hand," Jaune ordered as the other boys grabbed the staff.
They braced it inside her armpit, making sure to keep a solid hold on it. Jaune grabbed Blake's arm as she both bit down a stick and held Sun's hand. Blake nodded to Jaune, signalling for him to start. He did so without hesitation.
Pulling down on Blake's arm caused the girl to cry out in pain. She reacted by biting down on that twig but also by squeezing Sun's hand. The latter's pressure caused Sun to begin yowling as he wasn't prepared for the vice grip she put on him. Between the two, Blake was handling it so much better than her faunus counterpart.
Manoeuvring her arm back into place, Jaune felt it pop as the humorous moved into the socket. The relief at the procedure being over caused Blake to spit out the stick and release Sun's hand. The boy cried out weakly as he opened and closed his hand to get the feeling back into it.
"God damn, you have a strong grip," Sun whined as he continued moving it limpidly.
"Okay, move your wrist around for me," Jaune asked as he continued holding Blake's arm in place. "And can you feel when I touch here?"
Blake twirled her wrist around as Jaune tapped her deltoid. The girl shook her head, signalling that she had feeling in the arm. Jaune nodded his head as he pondered what was left to do. She needed to immobilise her arm for about a day or so to let it heal all the way. Any injury would mend within two days entirely so long as the damage was repaired at her level.
"Use this," Yang said, volunteering her purple bandana to act as a sling.
Jaune immediately tied it around her shoulder to hold the elbow up. This would take the pressure off the arm, so Blake wouldn't hurt herself any further.
"There, all done," Jaune chirped as he tied the knot. "How's it feel now?"
"Thanks, I can manage," Blake answered, resisting the urge to move her arm. "But where'd you learn that?"
"Healers back in my village," Jaune replied, shrugging his shoulders. "My dad dislocated his shoulder, but they used a chair instead of a staff to put it back in. The priests there showed me how when they did it."
"At least someone knows," Ren mentioned, crossing his arms. "When we get back, I think we should try to get some training from the hospital. Everyone should have a basic understanding of how to treat wounds."
"There are some medical books in the library we can look at..."
Jaune turned around to observe the camp they were putting together. It was right next to the dragon. With Pyrrha the way she was now, moving her wasn't really an option. That and Jaune was going to begin cutting everything he could off the dragon. He wanted to be close, so he could start bagging everything.
"We're really going to make camp here," Sun asked, staring at the oversized lizard laying dead a few feet from where they would be sleeping. "What if some monsters come looking for a snack?"
"We should be okay," Jaune replied, walking towards the centre of their camp. "The wyvern's scent is all over the place by now. Most monsters should stay away."
"Most?" Blake raised her eyebrow.
"Other draconids," Jaune clarified, cocking his head. "Wyverns have massive territories that others stay out of unless they want to fight for it. But, since we've killed this one, we can take down most of the other types of dragons now."
Wyverns were really at the apex of dragons. Since actual true-dragons have been dead for the last hundred and fifty years, they moved into that niche. Though, wyverns didn't keep hordes on account of them not being sentient creatures. Jaune and friends would be lucky to see one for the next hundred or so miles. Any other draconid would likely be always weaker than the one the group had killed.
"So, while I have some peace and quiet, I'm going to start opening her up and grabbing what I can..."
Jaune left them to sort out their needs. Though, he could hear Sun and Ren following behind curiously. Still, Jaune needed to begin cutting out claws, teeth, and some other valuable parts. Too bad he couldn't take everything with him.
"I wish we could take the head with us and mount it," Sun expressed, going over to the front of the dragon. He placed his right leg on the snout and struck a heroic pose.
That got him an eye roll from some of the girls, but everyone found it kind of funny.
"You don't think we can rig up Jaune's lizard to pull one of the carts," Ren suggested, poking around at the wings.
"That's actually kind of a good idea," Yang agreed, setting up a pot to boil water. "Hey Nora, let's go check out that caravan and see what we can salvage." Yang whistled over to the lizard, and he came running. She hopped up on its back, pulling Nora on. Despite not having any reins, the two were able to control the beast. They then stormed off into the forest, disappearing from view.
"He can eat those horses while they're there," Blake mentioned, sitting down next to the water to watch it. "Don't they need to eat a lot?"
"Yeah," Sun said, giving a kinda-sort-of hand gesture as he climbed up the back of the wyvern. "We've got some big monitor lizards in the jungles of Vacuo. Those guys can eat their entire body weight in a single sitting. But if he's going to pull carts, those horses will keep him going until we get back to Beacon. We try to use donkeys in Vacuo for that, but we have to work with what we got."
Better than nothing...
Jaune went for his hunting knife and kukri. He made a long incision along the dragon's abdomen to open up the guts using the former. A river of blood and intestines spilt out, forcing the boy to stand back and let it absorb into the soil.
"What are you looking for," Ren asked, squatting next to the cadaver.
"The fire sac," Jaune explained, pulling apart the abdomen with his bare hands. He didn't care about getting blood on them as he could just wash it off in the river. "We can sell it for a lot when we get back to Vale. Dr Oobleck would want to get his hands on it."
Fire sacs were one of those rare ingredients that you could only find on a monster. Wyverns were the best source of them by far, but a few other creatures had them as well. If Oobleck didn't want it, then they could use it for enchanting or potions.
"Do you want us to cut anything off," Ren asked, standing up and pulling his knife out of the wyvern's neck. "If not, I'm going to check on Pyrrha and get some food ready."
Jaune glanced in Pyrrha's direction. She was awake now but looked exhausted. Ruby gave her one of the pain relief potions while Weiss wrapped her arm in healing ointment-coated bandages. Blake was there too, standing off to the side while holding the pot for Weiss to wash the wound.
They have her...
"Try getting some claws, teeth, or any spines," Jaune said, finding the fire sac and using clamps on the smooth muscle to seal the gland. Using his knife, the boy cut it out, pulling the sac out and gently wrapping it in a wettened cloth to preserve it. "If we can make the cart work, then we can bring the head and a bunch of wyvern parts with us."
Jaune honestly wouldn't have cared for mounting the head on his wall. It was something to boast about, sure, but also expensive to taxidermy. Certainly, carting the head back into town was bragging rights for the next couple of months. Though, Jaune shuddered to think of what Professor Goodwitch would say when they jumped out of a portal with a wyvern head.
"Why not cut some meat off and cook it over the fire," Sun asked, pulling his own knife out and beginning to work at the base of the wyvern's skull. "Kind of a waste to leave it out here..."
"It's poisonous," Blake said, walking back over to the fire. "Though Mistrali nobility like to eat it because they can pay someone to prepare it properly. It's something of a delicacy."
"Don't worry about that, Blake; I got an ability to remove poison from food," Jaune interjected, sliding his hand inside the abdominal cavity. He felt where the heart was and pulled it out, setting it to the side.
"Really," Pyrrha asked weakly. The girl was actually getting excited about the possibility. "I wish we were at my villa for this. The cooks would love to make it for you."
"You own a villa," Ruby questioned with a raised eyebrow.
"It's my family's," Pyrrha clarified. "We live in Argus but maintain a vineyard in the western isles." She sat up, using every ounce of her strength to flex her abs. "If we do go to Mistral, we should stop there first. Some of the warriors might have brought exotic meats as a tribute."
Sounds nice... I wonder what Mistrali wine tastes like?
"Guess it's another stop for us," Sun agreed as he began cutting around the third cervical vertebrae.
"My sister lives in Argus, so we can head there too," Jaune added on. "I haven't seen her in two years, and it would be nice to see her again."
Jaune slid his arms down by the lower abdomen of the wyvern. As he reached around where the uterus was, he felt something stiff brush against his forearm. Jaune wrapped his arms around it and pulled the object out of the incision. Along with it came some more intestines and the majority of the reptilian uterus.
No...
The object was an egg encased within an almost stone-like calcium shell with blueish cracks running along the surface. It was thick enough that Nora probably couldn't smash through it if she tried.
Seeing this, Jaune stepped... No stumbled back as his heart became caught in his throat.
Everyone around him saw his reaction and stood up to see what it was. Jaune couldn't see their faces, but he assumed their jaws had dropped, seeing the watermelon-sized egg on the ground. Their minds all came to the same conclusion at once. This wyvern was pregnant and had an egg ready to go.
...
"So, wyvern omelette anybody," Yang jokingly posed.
"No!" Everyone at once cried out in disbelief.
"Just messing with ya..."
"Maybe," Nora expressed with a raised eyebrow.
Everyone turned at her, thinking this was one of Nora's machinations. However, she appeared to be quite serious about it. It didn't have the eccentricity her usual stories or plans had.
"What if it wasn't fertilised," Nora posed to the group. "Like uhhh, chicken egg."
The group's gaze turned back to Jaune, looking to him for wisdom on the matter. Out of all the people here, they would have expected him to know the most about the monster. The rest only had bits of information on the matter at hand.
"Jaune, if you don't say 'pet dragon' right now, I'm going to be very disappointed," Ruby jested.
"Iiiii don't know," Jaune confessed bashfully.
"How do you not know," Sun exclaimed. "You're the monster guy! Of all people, you should know about dragons and shit!"
"I know how to fight them and what they look like on the inside," Jaune countered with equal energy to Sun's. "All I know about wyverns is that they mate and go their separate ways! Nobody's lining up to watch what happens after! Professor Port's probably brave and stupid enough to do it, but the guys who wrote the book try to run away at the first sign of danger!"
"Then we can't know if the egg is viable," Blake concluded, ending their argument. "So, what should we do about it?"
Yang and Nora pulled forth a pile of stuff they scavenged from the caravan wreck. There was a sizable amount of food that the group could easily live off for two more weeks. Along with that were the harnesses the traders used on their horses and all the metal they were carting along with them. They recovered several silver and gold bars that were worth a bit of money.
"If we can make a harness for the big guy over there, we can toss it in the cart with everything else," Yang proposed, picking up the pile of leather straps. "It's not gonna look pretty, but I think me and Rubes can put something together in a couple hours."
"Take the whole night then," Ren suggested. "We should make this spot our camp in the meantime. Some of us need to scout out the area and make sure there are no bandits nearby. That dragon has probably been going after easy meals, so she might have left armed raiders alone."
"I got it," Ruby chirped, zipping off into the trees using her ability.
"Pyrrha and I can watch the food," Blake said, lifting her disabled arm.
"Then we'll get some wyvern steaks ready," Jaune said, moving back to the dragon. "Just hang out, and I'll bring them by."
Everyone separated to fulfil their objectives. Nora and Yang began piecing together the improvised harness while Weiss poked through the trader's goods. The boys turned back to the dragon with the daunting task of processing a nearly eight-ton creature.
"So, what if the egg is no good," Sun asked, going back to cutting the wyvern's head off. "World's most expensive omelette then?"
"After we ask Professor Port about it, then we can decide," Ren stated, pulling out Jaune's kukri and beginning to work at the back leg. With several chops near the femur's head, he worked his way into the flesh.
"Might be better to sell it," Jaune proposed, cutting off some claws to use later. "Nobles would want something exotic to show off at dinner. Heck, the King or some prince might want a piece."
"He's not wrong," Pyrrha agreed, propping herself up nicely a few feet from the fire. "But I have a question, Jaune. Where did you learn to make kukris? They're a southern Mistrali design."
"Oh, my dad's from Mistral," Jaune explained, poking his head out from the other side of the dragon. "Grew up in the jungles down there. He came over to become a mercenary when they were colonising the frontier. That's when he met my mom."
"He's from the Lunar Wilds," Blake asked more specifically.
"Yep..."
"What's that," Sun asked from the side.
"Basically the most dangerous jungle on the planet," Ren explained, setting aside some of the meat he'd been butchering. "Giant scorpions the size of buildings. Centipedes that are ten metres long. There are also man-eating plants. I've heard Haven Academy students go there to train."
Builds the best warriors...
"So, we're going to Pyrrha's place, and Argus is what I heard," Sun replied to the terrifying concept of Mistrali jungles.
"Come on, Sun, where's your sense of adventure," Nora sarcastically asked. "Puts some hair on your chest!"
"I'm fine, thank you!"
Ren finally got to cutting off the remaining pieces of meat for tonight. He smelled them and proceeded to gag at what he inhaled. Everyone looked over with grimace on their face, beginning to reconsider their chosen meal. It wasn't until he brought them over to the fire that the other girls scooched away to escape the stench.
"Is it really that bad," Yang asked from a convenient distance so as not to smell it.
"Yang, I was elbow-deep inside the dragon," Jaune exclaimed, making an incision a foot from where Sun was. Slowly, he began skinning the dragon from head to tail.
Glad I'm used to these things by now... It won't top falling into a goblin latrine.
Ren set the meat onto a board and left to go work on the dragon some more. This was Jaune's cue to play his part, ensuring the group wouldn't die from eating the meat. He held out his hand above the steaks and cast his purify ability. A glowing yellow miasma descended from his hand and coated the steaks, seeping inside the meat. With that, the smell vanished.
"Nothing came out of it," Blake said, peering over at the steaks.
"It likely neutralised the poison," Weiss explained, picking up the meat. "How am I supposed to cook this?"
"Like a crocodile," Nora stated, dropping the leather straps she was working on. "Season it and then skewer it so it can cook over the fire."
"Oh..."
As everyone continued working, Ruby came bolting out of the forest. This caused the group to drop what they were doing and turn in her direction. From her expression, Ruby only had bad news.
"What's going on, Rubes," Yang asked, preparing to go over to the girl.
"I kinda found a goblin cave," she explained nervously, twiddling her fingers.
A collective groan ripped through the group. Everyone knew that there were likely dozens if not more goblins a stone's throw from camp. And aside from draconids, goblins would come looking around here, curiously searching for what was going on.
"Can't we move camp for tonight," Weiss posed to the group. "We just finished fighting a dragon. Nearly a third of us are injured."
"The goblins will follow us," Jaune countered, grabbing his sword and Pyrrha's spear. He also opened his bag for some of the linseed oil he kept from the mining expedition. "And we're not leaving the dragon. I want the hide and some bones. It's gonna take the whole night to get them, and it's nearly dusk. Those goblins are going to be out soon."
They could follow the group's scent for miles. Leaving while covered in dragon blood and guts would give the goblins a trail despite washing it off. Even with a watch over the night, there was always the chance of a surprise attack that could leave someone dead. There were simply too many risks leaving that cave alone.
"It's going to be easier to clear out the cave," Blake agreed, standing and grabbing her sword.
"Whoa, are you sure about that," Sun asked, preparing to stop her. "Blake, you've got one arm!"
"I can still use my sword," she replied, brushing off his concerns. The girl marched past him and stood next to Ruby. "Who else is coming? We need to clear out the cave by nightfall."
"We need to kill a goblin first," Jaune asserted, gathering all the needed gear. "Then we're going to cover ourselves in blood to mask our scents. So, be prepared to get dirty."
"The rest of you can," Weiss scoffed at the thought. "There's no way I'm putting any of that on me!"
"Then wait out here with Pyrrha," Yang directed, placing a hand on her hip. "If you see anything, get her on the lizard and out of the area. We'll be back in a couple minutes."
...
"This is the place," Blake asked.
The group stared down a cave entrance lined with hanging moss and leaves. The telltale sign of goblins was the totem made from a female humanoid's pelvis. Other than that, there didn't seem to be anything going on. The tracks here were old, probably a few weeks by now.
"Yeah, but it didn't seem like anything was using it," Ruby replied, crouching near the entrance. "I didn't want to go inside without some help, so there might not be anyone in there."
"Better to be safe than sorry," Ren expressed, pulling out some daggers and potions. "We should all take antidotes for poison and take off any clothes we don't want to be ruined."
The only person to take Ren up on the last offer was Sun. He pulled off his white shirt and threw it on a nearby rock for safekeeping. A few party members gave him a look as he went back to grab his bo staff.
"What," Sun asked, panning his head to look at the group. "If I'm going down there, I'm not doing it in a white shirt. Why do you think Weiss chickened out? All she wears is baby blue and white. That'll never wash out."
"You need to get some armour," Blake chastised, leaning on her sword.
Everyone turned back to the cave. Nora and Ruby struck a couple torches, handing them out to the party as needed. The first to descend into the cave was Jaune with Nora and Yang right on his back. Sun and Ren took up the middle with Ruby and Blake in the rear.
Descending into the shaft, the party was immersed in a world of darkness. The cold air of the cavern was only offset by the torchlight striking their faces. Things were easily seen up to about twenty feet farther on all sides with the three torches' combined radiance. Though, Jaune was getting vibes from the last couple of caves he had to explore.
It wasn't until a hundred or so feet down that the group came across something. On the cave's muddy floor were obvious goblin tracks with pieces of loot they had brought back with them. Most of the objects were coins or silverware, but a crossbow stuck in the mud drew everyone's attention. Jaune was the first to reach down and grab it, handing off the torch to Nora.
Ebony's Crossbow
The crossbow was a beautiful piece made from black oak with a purple metallic inlay. The limbs were forged from the same purple metal, likely giving the bow a more potent punch. Whoever made it put a lot of love into this weapon. It was a shame it ended up down here.
"Think goblins stole it," Nora posed, scanning the darkness around them for any stalkers.
"Or someone came down here and dropped it," Ren suggested, doing the same.
"Could be either," Jaune replied, taking the middle ground. "Goblins might have jumped its owner down here or did the same by a village. Ebony could have thrown the crossbow trying to run away too."
If she was overwhelmed by the goblins, any one of the three was possible. Judging from the craft on the crossbow, Ebony was likely a hero or some mercenary. She could have been running around out here and came across the dragon, which pushed her into the caves for shelter. It didn't matter if she was a higher levelled combatant; getting surrounded in a cave was a death sentence.
"Ebony," Sun pointed out with a raised eyebrow.
"Name on the crossbow," Jaune explained, holding it up to the light. "Any takers? Bow string's cut, but I can make another if I find the materials."
"Let's wait and see if she's down here," Ruby interjected, leaning on Crescent Rose. "Maybe they captured her like Brianna."
Without warning, Ren pushed both Ruby and Jaune to the side. He swung an arm, and several daggers were loosed into the darkness. They each made contact with something soft and squishy. A cascade of liquid splashed against the limestone floor as three goblins walked out of the darkness. Two collapsed almost immediately, and the third went down at the group's feet.
"How'd you know they were there," Jaune asked, surprised at the boy's reflexes.
"Aura Sight," he explained, looking back at everyone else. "Let's me see creature's aura. I activated it when we went inside."
"Noice," Sun exclaimed, giving him a pat on the back. "Glad someone can see down here. I'm fucking blind..."
"We should hurry up," Blake urged, walking over to the third goblin. With a swipe of her sword, she split him open, allowing blood to spill out freely.
Jaune obliged her and took out several rags from his belt. With the aid of his knife, he made nice and sure the clothes were bloody. Jaune handed them out to the pairs, who then began to wipe themselves down. Accompanying that were sounds of disgust and the occasional gag.
The one glaring issue with their strategy was the wyvern blood on three of their members. Goblins would smell that from a mile away and turn tail because of it. Their fear response because of the dragon scent down here would help draw any goblins out, however.
As Nora handed back Jaune's torch, the party continued on their way. Hardly a sound came from further inside the tunnel. The only noise came from the group's shoes clicking against the floor. Periodically, they stopped and examined their surroundings, but nothing came of it. The cave was a straight shaft with a turn here or there. Everything was a finely carved out tunnel from a stream on the floor.
Coming around another bend, the group saw a light off in the distance leading to a room past a corner. At once, they slowed their approach to get a jump on whoever was down there. Jaune grabbed his bullets to be extra prepared, giving up his sword for only a moment to switch to ranged. Blake and Ruby held back several feet to give the others space to run.
Finally reaching that corner, Jaune poked his head around to see what was going on. It was the goblin nest. The tribe built their home in what appeared to be a dried-up cenote. Above them, natural light came in through a hole in the roof of the cave. A hundred feet below that was a bonfire the goblins built in the centre of the chamber.
The group's current position was on the far side of the cenote about forty feet off the ground. A crude dirt ramp was built up for the goblins to use this entrance, but they had constructed a scaffold to use a breach on the opposite side of the cave. From what Jaune could see, those were the only two entrances.
The little green monsters were dancing around it while playing the drums to set a tune. The rest of the tribe sat around, devouring pieces of meat they cooked up or napped on the ground. This tribe was large enough to possess several hobgoblins as well. Judging from their numbers and the amount of plunder around them, this was a very successful group.
They had constructed a miniature village along the walls to house their numbers. Mostly it was thatch, or wooden huts slammed together to stave off the cold a cave would bring on. They certainly weren't expecting any intruders by how lightly guarded everything was.
Jaune tucked his head back inside the tunnel to address the group.
"Blake, you stay here; I need you to watch our backs," Jaune ordered their injured member. "Everyone else who has some ranged weapons will join me upfront. We're going to pelt them with whatever we can then pull back into the tunnel." He turned to Nora. "Can you throw a spear?"
"Ha, can I," Nora exclaimed, taking Pyrrha's spear from his hand.
"I'll use my daggers and darts," Ren stated.
"Time to try out the sling," Sun followed up, grabbing a few rocks off the ground.
"Ruby-Yang," Jaune said, handing the girl's some of the linseed firebombs.
"Got it!"
The ranged skirmishers stepped up to the passage opening, getting ready to spill out at once. They would each have a few seconds to get off their attacks before they were noticed by the tribe. In that time, they would be able to massacre a good number of goblins.
Jaune held his hand up to the group, counting down with his fingers. On zero, he stormed out along with everyone else. The goblins had no clue what was going on as six-armed intruders entered their camp. They scrambled for weapons, but it was too late for many.
Longinuslanze Testament!
The Paladin cocked back his arm before launching the lance into a hob's chest. The larger goblin had no time to react as he was skewered by the nearly two-foot-long blade. He attempted to pull it out, but the lance's enchantment quickly burnt the beast to a crisp. His monstrous nature was destroyed by the holy magic contained within.
Nora did the same to another hobgoblin. This one wearing a crude iron chest plate that did little to protect him. The Barbarian's sheer strength countered it, allowing Pyrrha's spear to pass right through his abdomen to the other side. The goblin coughed up a torrent of blood before succumbing to his injuries and collapsing.
Ren and Sun did what they could with their weapons. The faunus was a crack shot with the sling, sniping goblins on the far side of the cavern with little effort. The Monk targeted those closer, using precision attacks against vital organs with his knives.
Yang and Ruby were devastating with their firebombs. The blonde launched hers across the chamber and onto the makeshift huts, quickly starting an inferno within the cave. Ruby took an obvious attack, activating her ability to speed past the goblins and set fire to their other exit route.
With no way out for any of the goblins now, they were trapped down with the group. Jaune made short work of those who grouped up, tossing his silver and steel bullets their way. A handful at a time shredded any goblin caught in the fire with the aid of telekinesis. Sun and Ren mopped up any of the regular goblins left standing with their ranged attacks.
All that remained was a single hobgoblin. He stood tall among his dead comrades with a club in hand, prepared to go out fighting. His opponents scaled the ramp to meet him on the field.
Which Nora and Yang proceeded to clear the distance between them and the hobgoblin in a fraction of a second. The Brawler tackled the goblin onto the ground like it was nothing and the Barbarian beat the crap out of it until only the squishy bits remained.
"Nora, I think he's dead," Ruby pointed out as Nora continued pummeling the corpse.
"Wha," she uttered, looking over to the group covered in an obscene amount of blood. "Just making sure!" She got up and wiped off some of the blood caked on her arms.
"Is that all of them," Blake asked, joining up with the group.
"Looks like it..."
Jaune panned his head around to see if there were any other entrances. As he searched, however, his eyes found a door on the left side of the chamber. From its build, it led further down from this chamber.
Hmmm...
"There's a door over there," Jaune announced, pointing in that direction. He walked over and kicked it open.
On the other side was a tunnel. Everyone else joined him at the entrance to inspect it alongside him. From their initial observations, there didn't seem to be anything going on with it. However, with goblins, you could never be sure.
"We have to clear it out, too," Jaune insisted, looking back at the party. "Ruby-Nora, hang back for a second. You're our backup... See what you can scavenge from this camp."
With a nod, they began looking around the ruins of the cenote. The others grouped up on Jaune to investigate the passage. They lit a torch and began making their way down.
It wasn't long until they hit an antechamber connected to the tunnel. On a signal, Jaune and Sun stormed the room, looking to surprise anybody inside. They found no goblins there, but it appeared to be a storage room. More accurately, it was their hoard.
The room was filled with tons of junk the goblins had stolen over the years. Lots of single boots, some clothes, swords, old bows, and things one would consider trash. The only thing worth taking was an old leather bag laying on top of a table. Someone could use it.
Jaune reached for the sack, and the moment his hand touched it, a feeling similar to static discharge shot through the limb. With a yelp, he pulled his hand back, shaking it at the shockâa surprise that startled him but nothing painful.
"What's going on in there," Yang asked, poking her head inside.
"This bag shocked me," Jaune replied, going to reach for it once again. This time, the charge had dissipated. Instead, he could feel magic resonating from the satchel.
What's this?
Jaune decided to peer into the item's stats to figure out what was going on.
Bag of holding:
Magical satchel that connects to a pocket dimension. Can store up to seven-hundred pounds while maintaining the bag's original weight. Items must be able to fit through the bag's opening.
Jaune picked up the bag and held it with both hands. In the torchlight, he was able to spy something embroidered on the side of the satchel. In colourful threads, the name 'Ebony' was spelt out.
A chill ran up Jaune's spine seeing another article belonging to her down here. He looked around to see if anything else belonged to her, but he couldn't find anything. There was too much junk piled up to pick out any particular items that would have been her's.
Jaune was right about Ebony being an adventuring type. Magic items like this bag were not cheap. He guessed they came around at the five-thousand to ten-thousand lien mark. With the crossbow, it appeared that Ebony was successful enough to afford it.
He made his way out of the room, leaving Sun on his own. The others gathered around to see what he found, but they knew what was going on when Jaune turned the bag to them. He could see goosebumps rising on their skin as their neutral expressions fell.
"If she's down here, the goblins will keep her lower in their nest," Blake mentioned, taking hold of the satchel. She grabbed the crossbow off Sun and stuffed it inside for safekeeping. "Ren, hold onto it. Jaune, lead the way."
I don't like this...
Ebony might already be dead, but we have to make sure she's not here...
That meant continuing deeper into the lair. Jaune grabbed the torch and began treading carefully. The others followed behind with equal care to watch out for anything that might jump out and attack them. For the longest ten minutes of their lives, nobody made a sound as they walked.
It felt like they'd been going for a half-mile at least. Through the winding tunnels that occasionally opened up, more rooms were found empty. Each was some kind of storage area or bunk for the goblins. There were no signs of any people down here except for what the goblins stole.
The air felt heavy and smelled of rot. Everyone shielded their nose using their elbow or eventually gave up and acclimated. As they went farther down, it grew more potent with every step taken. The air was becoming unbreathable at this point, but they chose to press on.
This tunnel led the group to a final room. It was locked with a bar, sealing it shut from the outside. Jaune lifted it, tossing the board away to investigate further. Sheathing his sword, Jaune pulled open the hatch, finally allowing torchlight to enter this room.
What he saw in there made the boy freeze. Jaune could not move for what felt like years in his perspective. The smell hit him and everyone at once, causing the party to recoil from the stench. Yet, Jaune didn't move.
The others were concerned, unable to see with Jaune's body in the door. However, they could discern his body language. The boy was shaking.
He finally stepped inside, allowing the others to catch a glimpse of what they discovered. Funnelling into the room, their eyes were met with dozens of bodies. The sight caused several party member's breaths to catch in their throats.
These corpses belonged to women of varying ages. The youngest were probably ten or below. Putrefaction had set in, making it nearly impossible to identify all of them. Each body had the same wounds regardless of their ages. Their wrists were bound to the walls with rope, and their stomachs were torn open from the inside.
Something had eaten its way out of these women. Jaune knew what it was, but he didn't expect to see it down here. Everything was covered in blood. The group was standing nearly a centimetre of it pooled on the ground.
Sun bent over and vomited as he couldn't take it any longer. The others were barely able to hold their composure as following Sun appeared quite attractive right now. Ren was doing the best aside from Jaune, activating another ability that coated his body in a pink aura.
Jaune only stood there, speechless. His eyes were wide, and his jaw hung open as he stared at the bodies. The boy couldn't tell what he was feeling right now. The horror of it all took him by surprise.
"It's a goblin breeding den," Blake explained to the others. "They're parasitoids that insert embryos inside something. Once it happens, you're dead if they hatch."
"I-Is t-that w-why they raid villages," Yang stuttered as she tried to get the sentence out. Tears were cascading down her cheeks uncontrollably.
"Yeah," Jaune answered with no emotion, nodding his head. It took him all the self-control he had, not to crack right there. "Any female of any species works. But, they like humanoids the most. So, they raid villages and try to capture as many as they can. If they get one or two, then they'll keep them locked up inside their nests till they get enough."
He walked over to a wooden stool on the ground. Turning it over, he stomped on one of the legs, snapping a one and a half foot long piece off. The boy then continued to the end of the chamber, where another door was.
"Once the embryo's hatch, the goblins will eat their way out," Jaune continued this time with a palpable rage in his voice. "The larvae will continue eating the bodies until they're mature enough to hunt on their own."
He pulled open the door, revealing another nest. Dozens of baby goblins were tucked among blankets or piles of straw. Each looked up at him with curious expressions at the new animal. They didn't understand what Jaune was.
"What're you going to do," Ren asked.
"What we have to," Jaune expressed, ducking inside the room and out of the group's sight. "If we leave them alive, this will happen all over again. They multiply too quickly to be left alone."
They don't deserve to live...
The others listened as Jaune shouted at the top of his lungs. The sound of a club striking a goblin skull echoed throughout the tunnel with every swing. Baby goblins screamed for their tribe to come save them but found nobody was going to help them. The magnitude of their cries lessened with every strike delivered by the Paladin.
The party couldn't tell how long it had been as Jaune continued executing the monsters. Time ran slowly as even Ren fell victim to sickness, vomiting at every crunch the goblin skulls made. Yang had since left the room for the upper chambers to escape the den. Blake was the only one to maintain her balance, watching the door with an emotionless expression.
When Jaune finally emerged, he was covered in blood from head to toe. A snarl grew upon his lips as he tossed away the club and strode right past the party. Those who remained shared a concerned glance for their friend. None chose to say anything except turn and follow, leaving this chamber to never be seen again.
Jaune made those goblins good.
But yeah, I watched a video on goblin slayer a while back. I think it was Shadiversity or someone else. They said goblins would be truly terrifying or dangerous if they were parasitoids. (creature that parasitises another and kills it) It also makes them extremely fucking evil.
A reason this wouldn't be common knowledge is if those who encountered it didn't talk about what they saw. It might be shared in small circles of academics, but not among adventurers. Stuff like that would be too traumatizing for anybody and especially a bunch of kids.
It did lead the group to a bag of holding. But at what cost?
Class: Paladin
"Gather 'round, Paladins!"
"There is a difference between the other classes and us! When those Knights and Chevaliers fled at first sight of monsters! You were the ones to take their place! You walked right up to those monsters and wrapped your hands around those fucker's necks! And you did not stop there! Killing everything in your way until there was nothing left!"
"That is the difference between them and us. Those bastards who were too busy keeping themselves in food and wool can keep all the glory and fame for themselves! Boasting about their deeds as if they sacrificed something!"
"We fight to keep the people safe! To keep the Drowners out of the latrines and Goblins from ploughing our milkmaids! Knowing that no other class has our virtue! Our dedication to our craft!"
Level Twenty Eight
Strength 58 (+15)
Agility 25 (+2)
Defence 34 (+4)
Perception 39 (+4)
Constitution 55 (+13) + 25 = 69
Intelligence 58 (+10)
Charisma 30 (+4)
Willpower 21 (+2)
...
Abilities
Arclight
A high-intensity explosion of light, equivalent to that of the sun. Burns the flesh of undead and magical entities. Momentarily blinds living and non-magical entities. Sudden magical intensity can cause affected to flee regardless of status.
Active Debuff:
Turn and Face The Sun!
Longinuslanze Testament
A most unholy weapon. Forged by our lord to answer to only one master. He who has the will to dominate such a blade.
It shall sunder any armour. It shall never miss its mark. It shall grow with your own strength. Its holy light searing all who stand to oppose it.
In turn, you shall become vulnerable to attacks whilst wielding this unholy relic. It shall challenge your mastery by forcing you to fight at your full strength.
Active Debuff:
Turn and Face The Sun!
White Hawk
This aethereal hawk shall be forever bound to you. As its master, only you may give direction to this bird of prey. Whether it be scouting the path ahead or distracting your enemies.
...
Purify
This ability can remove impurities from any material, whether they be food, drink, or metals. This renders them in a poison-free, diseaseless, and pure quality with the added benefit of destroying curses.
...
Passive: Magister's Lament
Your Passive is a double-edged sword. While you may proficiently cast magic beyond the limits of your Willpower. It is limited in other instances. Not being able to cast harmful offensive magic or any magic on yourself.
...
Miscellaneous Knowledge/Buffs/etc.
Monster Slayer
Spent years studying the various monsters of Remnant. Knows the different species and taxonomy of each known creature. Understands the weaknesses of most known monsters.
Armour and Weapons Smith
Worked a forge for his entire life. Jaune is able to judge the composition of metals, and know the condition of his weapons and armour.
...
Gear:
Jaune's Breastplate
Level Seventeen
Materials: 2% Silicon, 0.60% Carbon, Remainder is Steel and Leather
Minimum Stat Requirements:
Strength: 32
Agility: 16
Defence: 22
Constitution: 30
Eagle's Armour
Level Twenty Eight
Materials: Unknown Alloy Ratio of Enchanted Steel and Corundom, Carbon Steel, and Leather
Minimum Stat Requirements:
Strength: 57
Agility: 25
Defence: 30
Constitution: 39
Bag of holding:
Magical satchel that connects to a pocket dimension. Can store up to seven-hundred pounds while maintaining the bag's original weight. Items must be able to fit through the bag's opening.
Buffs:
This specific alloy of steel and corundom is less dense than normal steel while just as hard. It has a strength to weight ratio similar to menachanite allowing the user to build a thicker armour without sacrificing for weight.
This armour was also specially built for you. The measurements fit your body exactly, allowing it to be worn as a second skin granting a tremendous degree of flexibility.
Necklace of the Bulwark
+25% Bonus to Constitution
Spells:
Infusion:
This spell grants one the ability to infuse the desired object with materials ordinarily unable to be bonded together. The strength of the unaltered item determines how much of an effect can be added to it.
Be warned that stressing the target with too powerful additives can result in the atomisation of the material and, possibly, a sudden explosive decomposition.
Telekinesis:
Casting this spell allows you to move objects with your mind. Within a visible range, anything you can levitate is dependent on your personal strength and willpower. Once, cast upon, the item is subject to your directions and will perform whatever manoeuvre you are capable of imagining.
Be warned that this spell drains magicka rapidly.