Chapter 239: Goblin Matters (P2)

"Anselm! Take care of the wrinkled one, the one with the staff!" I yell out at my companion, not bothering to check on the state of his well being, not with this giant in front of me.

He groans in response and my undead screech under Shaco's command, launching themselves at the closest living goblin. Leaving that battle to them, I face the beast of a goblin before me.

'Is this even a goblin?' 

It's skin is green, albeit a pale green. It's larger than any other goblin I've seen, even the one that Anselm possessed so long ago in the cave. As it grunts out at me I shake my head.

'It doesn't matter, it needs to die anyway.'

Yes, die or become a servant. Although, to use [Undead Servant] on a creature with this much potential would be a terrible waste. If only I could use my rituals, it would make an excellent [Witherling].

The goblin beast roars and snorts at me, spittle flying everywhere as its feet dig into the ground, readying for another charge. 

In response I tighten the circle of spells around me, affirming my connection, setting my finger on the trigger.

A deep grunt later and the earth under its foot is upturned with each booming step it bursts towards me.

But I'm not going to stand here and let it ram into me. At a single thought the hardened bolts of blood shoot out at it, flying at piercing speeds the bolts knock into its face, break into its legs and arms until it stumbles back, hands raised over its face to offer protection.

But those hands are pierced through by blood shards at a mere thought. A grin crawls onto my face, this is easier than I thought it would be.

"Raawwwrrr!!!"

The giant goblin shrugs off my attacks with its roar, its skin pushes out the shards of blood, cracks its legs back into place and snaps its arm right with as little as a grunt.

"What the fuc-!"

No time to remain slackjaw, the giant goblin, fixed and fit again continues its charge, pushing faster with longer bounds. I'm in danger.

My tendrils sprout out almost a second late, a giant hand slams into where I stood before. It growls and makes chase as I try to navigate, controlling so many spells and keeping it at a distance.

It doesn't work, it roars once more and is upon me, it swipes and catches only bone. The first sacrifice of my bone shield.

It buys me seconds but with the drooling green beast hunting me I can only hope these seconds allow me a feasible plan to bring it down.

'It regenerates somehow, that's on par with my healing when I use Soul Drain.' 

The most damage I've healed from with [Soul Drain] is regenerating most of my chopped leg from the battle at Carbina. I was unprepared but I am now.

Let's test its regenerative capabilities then.

Still fleeing, moving through the forest and away from Anselm's rather one sided battle with the remaining goblins and the wrinkled one, I lure the giant deep into the forest and like the empty skull it is, it follows.

The circle of blood bolts loosen and coalesce back into one mold, according to my will the mass divides into four sickle blades and falls into place as the giant enters.

Sniffing around for me it doesn't have to look far as I stand in place, my tendrils gone but my bone shield remains, all four of them as it took out two with a single swipe earlier.

"Come closer dear, don't you want a fine meal?" I taunt, beckoning the beast. But that proves to be unnecessary as it's already sprinting forth.

Sprinting right into a trap that is.

With a snap of my finger the trap I set springs. Through the overgrown shrubs and bushes and through the air the blood sickles I set zoom to their target. Thin, sharp blades moving at speed dig deep into each of the giant goblins limbs.

But it's not enough. The bastard is far too thick muscled for my blades to glide through and dismember it. But I'm not one to give up.

As it growls and howls in pain, fallen to the ground unable to move without triggering pain, I raise my hands out and let my mana seep out into the air, directing it with haste to the leaking blood of the goblin. 

Within seconds I have another large pool. Merging it with the sickle blades, an act that requires fine tuning, the blades turn into a saw at my will, a shrinking saw around each of its limbs.

Ignoring its screams I know I have little time to cut them off before the regeneration gets in the way. My hand outstretched, I make a simple screwing gesture and the blood-saws dig into its flesh.

"Rauurghh!! Rawr!"

This goblin is no more than a beast, a mindless creature for the use of the wrinkled one. I'm sure the magic it holds powers the regeneration I observed earlier.

Which means another way to incapacitate this mess would be to kill the wrinkled one, but I should leave that to Shaco and Anselm, they can handle it.

Tired of its pained screams I ball my fist and finish the dismemberment. Walking up to it, kicking away each of the chopped off limbs I watch the thing moan and tremble, grunting and screaming pains and yet it still snaps at me with its teeth.

Loyal, dedicated to the mission. But inferior to undead, undead never stop, never end.

However, by the way the stumps on it stretch and reach, tying the wound shut, forming more bone and flesh seemingly from a power within...I wonder…

'What powers this creature? Could it power my minions as well?'

The regeneration is...enviable.

"Will you kill it already?" A voice calls up at me from above, Jungle. He's irritated and impatient. "Anselm and your...serpent are finishing up now."

"Are they?"

"They are." He insists, "Kill it already and let's move on to the next thing."

The next thing being his thing, the Beast Mother, the Matron of terrible serpents, the quarry he's been hunting.

But that can wait, a beast like that won't be making travel plans. "Wait, tell Anselm to arrest the wrinkled one."

"Arrest?"

"Detain, capture, whatever word you want to use. I want it alive."

He growls, "What...what! Ugh! After whatever this is you better keep to your side of the deal or else I won't be guiding you anywhere."

Not like I need him anymore, I've been paying attention to his tracking, how he identifies his hunt. Aside from random encounters with Shambling Mounds and Trolls that pop out of nowhere, I think I can navigate through this forest without him.

I will keep to my side, "Hurry now, before he kills it!"

But before I do...I want to know what powers this regeneration.