Chapter 646 The Goblin King's Offer
Keng stood at the back of the group with Liz as Manny and Evan stood at the front. He had shifted himself out of his normal form and back into a regular human. Evan nervously tapped his foot as everyone else stared at the bloody door. No one dared to initiate the first step into the boss room.
Keng could feel his nerves coursing through his body.
\'We can do this.\' Keng told himself. His ruby and sapphire eyes hardened with resolve as a bellowing voice came from inside.
"Do you want me to come out there?" A loud voice asked. The bloody doors swing fully open, revealing a bloodied room. The car ass of a large body parts were stacked off to the side of the room.
Manny took the first step in with the group following in tow. The rattle of chains and muffled cries caught Keng\'s attention immediately. He looked up, noticing hanging bodies. A woman shook weakly as she noticed them.
"You managed to kill my right hand Magician." The Goblin King spoke. He sat on top of the throne with his head propped up by his left arm. His legs were spread out, almost dangling off the crude steps as a few soldiers stood at attention.
"Most of my men were sent to deal with you and you killed them all." The Goblin King continued. "For that you have my attention… But…" The Goblin King pushed himself out of his chair. The soldiers all pulled their weapons out and readied them. He lifted his hand and pointed straight through the group. "I only want to fight one of you. A battle to the death. Winner takes all."
The group looked to who he was pointing at. Manny stepped forward, ready to fight when the Goblin King ushered Manny away.
"I don\'t want you, human. I want that one." The Goblin King pointed. All eyes went on Keng.
"What?" Evan managed to muster up. "That\'s…"
"Why him?" Manny asked. "I thought bosses didn\'t care how dirty they played." He cockily turned to look at the King as the Goblin King bellowed in laughter.
"You think I have no idea of an honorable fight?" The Goblin King asked. "It\'s the rules unfortunately placed into me by the… Former ruler over there." He motioned at the large pile of bug parts. The Goblin King\'s eyes looked over to it as a smile grew on his face. He folded his hands behind his back and stepped down to the first step. "If I had it my way, I would\'ve slaughtered you all with my men before you had the chance to do anything."
"You think we\'re going to allow you to fight against him?" Ritsuka asked, moving forward. "You\'re insane if you think we\'ll do that!" The King glanced over at one of his men, who grabbed a lever. The lever went down and a cacophany of voices began tos cream. Everyone\'s eyes looked up. Some of these people were on the verge of death.
A woman\'s scream erupted the loudest. To Keng, he knew she was the one with the most vigor and strength amongst the others. Some bodies crushed, spilling blood and half-cut bodies while others simply screamed and fought against the contraption squeezing them in half.
"Fine! I\'ll accept it!" Keng shouted. He rushed to the front, pushing past his allies and coming to a stop halfway between his allies and the Goblin King. "Stop it! Don\'t hurt them!" The cries continued as a male cried in pain. The group watched in horror as his body began to squeeze in half. Keng lifted his hand, rune exploding as he fought against the contraption.
"Enough! I\'ll fight you! Don\'t kill anymore innocent people!" Keng shouted.
"Innocent?" The Goblin King chuckled. He took the last few steps down the throne. His heavily armored feet landing on the white stone floor. "They invaded my space. How are they innocent? Just like you invade my space and act rude in front of me. Y\'know what these humans even did? They ignored my request. They pushed aside the honor I am willing to lay down and they all came at me at once. They deserve to be up there!"
"I\'ll fight you! Just shut off the contraption." Keng shouted.
"Why should I? You\'re clearly strong enough to break them out, human. Break them out. No need to accept my honorable duel, my requests. No! Let\'s not treat the King of this place a King, but a nobody!" The Goblin King roared. Keng grunted and threw his other hand out. A gravity blast exploded the lackey by the lever. Keng flicked his hand upwards, releasing the lever as he lowered his left arm.
"See?" The Goblin King motioned. "You were strong enough to stop my men. Are all humans like this?"
"Human?" Keng smiled. His aura flickered as Silver light poured out of him. The cosmic aura wrapped around him, billowing like he was wearing one of the Fox Spirit kimono outfits. The Silver halos grew in his eyes as his form shifted. "Who said I was human?" The Goblin King gulped. He took a step back as if everything in his body was telling him to run. Keng took a step forward as six tails unfurled from the strange illusion cast upon his body. "I\'m no human… Just like you\'re no king — just a brute who thinks he\'s all that."
"G-get them!" The King shouted. The Hobgoblins and Orcs in the room rushed forward. The Goblin Mages turned as runic circles lit up blue.
"Go!" Manny shouted. He rushed forward as Keng tilted his head. The Goblin King gulped as he rushed at Keng. Manny pulled Keng backwards, lifting his arm to block. Keng\'s energy pushed into Manny, wrapping around him as the Goblin King pulled the large greataxe off of his back and swung it down at the two.
"Manny!" Liz shouted.
"Keng!" Ritsuka shouted. They watched a smoke billowed outwards and Hobgoblins and Orcs ran at them.
"So much for the plan!" Evan grunted as a spear collided with his shield. A bolt of psionic lightning hit a Hobgoblin, arcing off of it and snaking into the smoke towards metal. Keng and Manny watched as the Goblin King lit up in purple as a gravity rune appeared, pushing the Goblin King off of them.
The smoke pushed away as Keng and Manny both moved backwards. Obsidian Glass flew straight through a Orc as they grew close in the comfort of their allies.
"What do we do now?" Ritsuka asked. "The plan didn\'t really go the way we planned."
"I can still handle the others." Keng told them.
"It\'ll be hard, though." Manny commented. "He wants Keng." The Goblin King howled as his men moved around him.
"And those Mages," Olivia pointed. The runic circles lit up in blue, summoning more backup. "They\'re summoning backup."
"Liz, get the Mages first." Manny instructed. "Then we\'ll deal with the rest of the smalls. Keng, you\'re stuck with me."
"Roger." Keng nodded.
"Get \'em!" The Goblin King shouted. The small army of Ors and Hobgoblins rushed at the humans. Evan, Ritsuka, Manny, and Olivia ran to meet the group as Keng and Liz stayed in the back. Liz\'s body wrapped in purple lightning as she rose into the air.
"Psionic Blast!" Liz shot her hand towards the Mages. Hobgoblins stepped in front of the beam, holes growing through their bodies and heads as a single Mage was killed with its newly summoned ally. "Tch! This is gonna be annoying!"
"Keng!" Manny shouted. Keng lifted his hand, creating a rune on Manny. The rune shattered as Manny punched an Orc.
"Argh! You annoying humans! I want that Fox!" The Goblin King screeched. He rushed forward, swinging the large greataxe horizontally at the group.
[Runic Blink activated. Holding Gravity Strike Rune infused with Energy Leech and Vampirism.]
Keng appeared above the group, summoning a single Hydrosphere.
\'Cast it.\' Keng ordered.
[Runeweaver Gravity Strike Rune infusion has been cast.]
Keng slashed the Goblin King orc across the chest, creating a tear in the king\'s armor as he stumbled backwards, squashing some allies. Ritsuka and the others carved through the Hobgoblins and Orcs with struggle. Psionic Lightning bolts flew outwards, hitting enemies that got too close to the group while also whittling down the mages in the back.
Keng kept enemies and the Goblin King off of himself and Manny as they pushed the Goblin King backwards. Manny\'s body lit up with lines and swirls of energy tattoos. He grunted as he punched the Goblin King backwards. A burst of energy ripped from the Goblin King, leaving the same strange lines on Manny, onto the Goblin King.
"Argh!" The Goblin King grunted as he stumbled on the stairs. "You humans are just like that annoying bug! Crazy!"
[Goblin King and his men have been applied buffs.]
The entire group of the Goblin King lit up in reds, blues and grays. Keng and the others backed away, watching the strange buffs grow on their enemies.
[The Boss Goblin King has engaged Boss conditions.]
"Dungeon Boss has implemented Boss Conditions. Prepare for battle." The group\'s comms spoke in unison.