Chapter 49: Keikaku Means ‘Plan’

Kaius lay flat, the soft earth of the fungal farms dampening his clothes ever so slightly. Porkchop had hunkered down next to them. He peered over the peak of a soft rise in the fields, staring at the mounted goblin Champion that prowled a couple hundred long-strides away.

Their walk here had been uneventful. Only the dizzying array of mushrooms, and the odd goblin labourer had interrupted their journey.

Now he watched the Champion. Tried to learn as much as he could, before he dived head first into fraught confrontation once more. Up close, he got a much better look at the depths-born. Unlike some of the others that he saw in the city, this one was not much larger than the common labourers they had mowed through in the fields. Its spear looked just as mean as it had before, but it was alsolong. More of a pike or a lance than a weapon meant for duelling.

Its mount, the cruel wolf looking creature, was smaller than he expected. Viciously muscled it may have been, the creature looked like it would match him shoulder to shoulder. By no means an easy fight, but far smaller than the Dreadclaw had been. Barely taller than Porkchop, though his friend almost certainly had more mass. It was garbed in thick leather barding, armouring its side, back, and chest.

He usedIdentify, first on the goblin, and then on its mount.

Goblin Outrider - Level 25:

Champion, Depths-born, Cavalry, Low Race

Warg - Level 22:

Depths-born, Beast, Mount, Elite

**Ding! Identify has reached level 16!**

Kaius gave the skill notification a quick look. Inspecting the massive variety of mushrooms in the fields had been amazing for its growth. He shoved it to the back of his mind, turning his attention back to the Outrider.

The Champion itself glowed in the sight of hisSense Mana, the aura giving away its empowered might. He’d started to get more comfortable with the skill, more used to the constant ghostly presence of the mystic world. He hoped that this time he would be able to make use of it in the fight. Capitalise on the information it provided much like he had under the influence of thePsychopathic Assaulttonic.

Kaius ducked back down, hiding behind the hill once more as he turned to Porkchop.

“It’s a Champion alright,” he whispered, shuffling away from the rise. “Only the goblin though. Its mount is something called a warg, level twenty-two. It’s a short thing, barely taller than the rest of the goblins. With how long its spear is I think it would be an easy fight if we can knock it from the saddle.

Porkchop acknowledged him with a flick of his ears, crawling forward on his belly to get his own look at the mounted duo. He shimmied back a moment later.

“I can take the warg, easy. Leather will not protect it from my new claws.”

Kaius nodded. His friend was right, while Porkchops new ring was most likely designed for a humanoid pugilist, its savagery was amplified in his friend's hands. His long digging claws had hardened to the point they acted more like sharpened steel daggers, and they had been tearing through leather armoured goblins with ease.

“Its biggest advantage is mobility, and its ability to use its lance. I think I should bait it into a charge while you lie in wait here, hidden behind the hill. Once it’s committed and summiting the peak, you pounce on the warg.” Kaius said, tracing a loose diagram in the dirt.

Porkchop looked at his drawing, flicking his ears in agreement.“I’m ready when you are.”He said, backing up and bracing himself to charge at the slightest provocation.

Kaius nodded, taking a moment to breathe, stoking the heat that bubbled just below the surface. His heart raced, blood rushing to his extremities. He was ready.

Jumping to his feet, he drew his sword and stomped to the top of the hill. Stern eyes locked on the champion, boring into them.

“Hey, short-stuff!” He yelled. “Get your ass over here.”

The Champion snapped its gaze over to him, sneering in disgust. The warg it was mounted on snarled, a low crackling rumble rolling across the fields of mushrooms between them.

“Yeah that’s right. You and your half drowned rat of a warg!” Kaius continued.

The goblin screamed something indecipherable at him. They must have been quite the mix of obscenities, because even from half a field away, Kaius could see veins bulging on its face. The outrider lowered its spear, training its point towards him.

A slight kick of its legs and the wargran, kicking up plumes of dirt. Pulping delicate mushrooms in its furious charge. Gods, it wasfast.

**Ding! You have challenged a Champion: Goblin Outrider **

Kaius suddenly questioned the wisdom of standing directly in front of a Champion’s cavalry charge. He braced himself, bringing his sword up. Ready to block or deflect the goblins spear if he wasn’t fast enough to dodge.

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At the halfway mark he saw the goblins aura pulse, flaring with magical potency.

“Shit! Porkchop, get ready! It’s using some sort of skills.” Kaius said, his eyes widening at the sight.

“Ready!”His friend called silently through their link, avoiding making any sound that could give away his hidden presence.

Magical energy suffused the goblin’s mount. Despite already moving at a full sprint, it suddenly sped up more. Nearly doubling the speed of its charge.

It barely took a second for the Outrider to cross the rest of the distance between them. The warg launched itself towards him in a final leap, the savage spear point of its rider trained directly on Kaius’s chest. There was no way he was going to be able to parry the blow. There was too much speed, too much weight behind it. Even if he managed, it would do little to stop him being trampled.

He dove. The Champion reacted instantly. Shifting its spear to track his movement.

The barbed point clipped Kaius on the pauldron, sending him spinning through the air. The heavy blow nearly knocking his sword from his hand.. He hit the ground. Hard. A groan slipped free,healthrushing to his aching shoulder. Heavy metal plates on the joint had saved it from a fracture, but it stillhurt.

He rolled to his feet, moving to dodge any follow up attempts. Looking back to the outrider, it scowled at him, the momentum of its charge carrying it forward. The impact had rattled the goblin, loosening the grip it held on its warg’s saddle. There would be no more attacks until it was ready to charge once again.

The Champion and its mount continued over the hill, readying themselves for another pass.

Kaius returned the goblin’s hateful sneer with a grin of his own. Their plan had worked.

Porkchop struck.

With a bellowing challenge, Porkchop leapt for the pair. Thick claws raked the warg’s side as Porkchop lunged for the goblin Champion. The warg stubbled, nearly unseating its rider as it wheeled on the new aggressor. In an impressive display of agility it returned Porkchop’s assault with a swipe of its own, raking him across the chest.

Roaring at Porkchop, the warg lunged towards his friend's throat. Trying to take a bite. The outrider yanked on its mount's reins, pulling itself firmly back into the saddle. It righted the beast with a jab of its serrated knife-like spurs. The warg yelped in agony, jumping away from Porkchop as it ran away.

The goblin brought its mount back under control, slowly turning for another charge.

Kaius frowned. They had to try again. If they let the Outrider dictate the pace of engagement it would whittle them down with charges. Besides, Porkchop had almost no defence against a lance thrust. Worse, the goblin had to have another skill. Kaius wanted the Champion dismounted before it had a chance to use it.

“What now?!”Porkchop said, frantic as he scrambled closer to Kaius.

“Wait.” Kaius held his hand up to stop his friend. “Stay behind the hill. We try again.”

“Kaius! It already knows what we’re trying to do!”

“Doesn’t matter, it still needs to come off the saddle,” he said, voice stony. “Best chance we have is if it can't see you. It won’t know where you are waiting.”

Porkchop growled, but moved back out of sight of the Champion once more.

Speeding up from a trot, the outrider began to race towards Kaius once more. His gaze sharpened on the rapidly approaching Champion, surrounding distractions forgotten. No fluctuations in its aura. It wasn’t using a skill this time. Yet.

The goblin stared at him with undisguised aggression and hate, thin lips peeling back to reveal densely clustered needle-like teeth. It lowered its spear, training it on him.

Kaius screwed his feet into the earth, finding his grip. Ready to dive at the last moment. He had to time it right. Last time he’d been a second too early. Given the goblin time to adjust. He couldn’t afford another hit.

Now.

He threw himself to the side, away from the encroaching barbed spear head that had been rushing towards his chest. The goblins aurapulsed, its spear flaring with light. With unnatural speed and grace the spear shifted, setting itself back on course. Kaius blanched. No way to dodge. Didn’t have the footing.

Gritting his teeth heslammedhis blade into the spear thrust. Just barely managing to shift it away from his chest. The barbed spearpoint bound his blade, ripping it free from his hands and sending it spinning into the dirt. Jagged metal raked the side of his ribs, catching the edge of his scales, tearing through the chain and soft flesh below. Kaius let out a scream at the mutilation.

The mounted outrider cackled in glee, yanking on its reins. With preternatural agility the warg skidded to a halt, whirling towards Kaius. It pounced. Flying with outstretched claws and a low roar.

Death approached. Kaius dove to the side, ignoring the hot blood that poured from his side.

Porkchop slammed into the airborne warg, driving it onto the ground, prone. The goblin rider screamed in fury, tumbling free of its saddle. Porkchop laid into the warg in a whirlwind of snapping teeth and sharp claws.

Kaius trusted his friend to do his part. He only had eyes for the grounded outrider. Already on its feet, it screamed at its mount. Tried to kick it to its feet, only to jump back hastily when Porkchop’s claws sailed within a finger length of its face. Backing up, it trained its hate on Kaius. Bringing its pike up to hold with both hands.

It charged.

Shoving the pain of his savage ribs into a box guarded byRapid Adaptation, he lunged for his sword. Swiping it off the ground he swept out with a hasty parry, forcing away the goblin’s stab. He’d been right. On the ground the weapon was unwieldy. Hard for the diminutive goblin to control.

“You’re mine now, you little shit.” Kaius grinned at the goblin. It hissed back in response.

“Drakk! Gruzka roknar, nukk vor Ghal!” The outrider spat. The words meant nothing to Kaius, save that their guttural, tortured syllables grated against his ears. Regardless of what the goblin said, it was filled with rage. Every word choked out, mangled by jaws designed more for the tearing of flesh than civilised speech.

To his right, Kaius could see Porkchop savaging the warg with primal ferocity. Like they had anticipated, the mounts' leather barding did little to protect it from the cutting fury of Porkchop’s claws. It still tried to give as good as it got, getting its feet under it to launch itself for Porkchop’s throat.

Kaius slowly backed away from the fighting beasts, drawing the outrider with him.

The goblin jabbed at him with its spear. They were slow strikes, the goblin poorly suited to controlling the weapon's obscene length without the height and power of a charge behind it. Kaius smiled. Whatever benefit it had held from its weapons reach was long gone.

It was on his turf now. He doubted it would be able to keep up.