Chapter 17: From Revenge To Conquest - Part 1

"Revenge!... Vengeance for Mr. Arezu losing his chastity!... Yeay!" "What I'm losing is my patience with you, Lynn!" "My, my... How bold of you to confess your feelings for me, Mr. Arezu." A heavy sigh escaped Arezu as he watched Lynn's playful teasing and mock flirting, clearly waiting for a bashful reaction from him. Whatever reaction Lynn was fishing for, Arezu would give her none. He had already come to terms with the indecent incident, as everyone referred to it—the one involving him and Alex, and it wasn't like he would take Lynn's mock flirting seriously. That was, at least, his way of getting back at Lynn's mischief. Yet she still smiled, satisfied and pleased by his effort and attention, even as she observed his poker face. Two more hours remained before sunset—it was also the deadline they had set to complete the goblin-slaying quest. Before re-entering the cave, the group made one final round of preparations. Lynn readied her lantern, while Hannah cast her divine blessing Light to further illuminate their surroundings. Hannah wanted to use Foresight, but having nearly died just hours ago, she only had enough strength left for one or two more blessings, and they had agreed to save those for the actual fight against the giant goblin and Alex. Arezu led the charge into the goblins' nest, with Lynn and Hannah in the middle, and Liz taking up the rear to guard and protect them. "Just let me ask, how long before a divine gift loses its effect?" Arezu inquired, keeping his eyes ahead and senses sharp for any signs of danger in the dark tunnel. "It depends on the gift, and sometimes on how much effort the person puts into nurturing it." Lynn replied, turning to look at Hannah beside her and Liz behind, silently asking their thoughts on Alex's divine gift. Hannah pondered, searching her memories for an answer. Liz, however, gave her assumption first. "Alex didn't exactly spell it out, but I think he can take control of others' abilities for three to four hours." "That's definitely a cheat." Arezu muttered, not bothering to hide his thought—or his reluctance about the plan to fight Alex alone. He hoped Alex had somehow regained control over himself once his divine gift wore off. But with what Liz said, that hope felt like nothing more than a wishful thinking. Still, there was one more thing Arezu was hoping for. "And what about the limit of its target?" This time, he glanced back at Liz, hoping for a favorable answer. Lynn and Hannah did the same, their curiosity piqued despite not being the ones to face Alex directly. Seeing the anxious look on Arezu's face, Liz hesitated before answering. "...Three targets, if he shortens the duration of Takeover." With that, the chance that Alex couldn't use his gift while controlling the giant goblin's abilities went straight into the ditch. "Pfft!..." "Don't laugh, Lynn!" Lynn's teasing was followed by Arezu's groan, anxious about the possibility of losing control—corrupted by cursed miasma—if Alex could still use his divine gift on him even while berserk. "He better be thankful after this quest!" Or at least wipe that arrogant look off his face, Arezu thought, gripping his halberd-axe tightly as he steeled himself to fight—and save—Alex. Only to be distracted again by another remark from Lynn. "I'm sure he'll be more than thankful to you, Mr. Arezu... Pfft!" Whatever she meant, Arezu decided it was best not to think about it. After walking for a while, they arrived at the spot where they'd been ambushed by the fake hobgoblin. Thanks to Hannah's prayers, the goblin horde that had attacked them from the cave crevices—and which Arezu had defeated—didn't rise again as undead. Moving further, they reached the place where they'd left Alex—and were surprised to find the rock wall Lynn had created with her mystic spell still intact. "So he's not the type to chase once he's been rejected." Lynn said, then turned teasing eyes toward Arezu, clearly waiting for a reaction. Arezu finally snapped. Letting go of his halberd-axe with his left hand, he raised it to smack Lynn on the head. It was supposed to be just a light tap—but he stopped when he caught her mischievous grin. He understood her game. One wrong move, and she'd demand compensation while pretending to be hurt, Arezu thought. "Tsk!..." Lynn pouted when he pulled his hand away. "Could you two stop flirting already?" Liz muttered irritably. "Please tell us your real relationship after this quest." Hannah added, her eyes sparkling. Refocusing, Arezu took position in front of the rock wall, gripping his halberd-axe with both hands. Liz stood beside him with shield and longsword ready, while Hannah stayed behind her. Lynn placed her hands on the wall, preparing to dissolve it. "Tremor" They were ready to fight the moment the wall fell, but the enemy they expected wasn't there. "Where the heck did he go?" "You pushed him away, and now you want him back? The audacity—" smack! As Lynn dared to use the same word Arezu had used to describe her, his patience snapped. He only gave her a light smack—a nudge to the top of her head with his non-dominant hand. But Lynn looked at him like a hunter who had just captured her prey, ready to begin her performance. "Sob~..." "I know, I know, it's my fault. I'll listen to one of your request after this quest. Is that enough?" "Hmph~" Pleased—though a little disappointed that her act had gone to waste—Lynn followed Arezu deeper into the cave. Meanwhile, Liz and Hannah: "These two... Flirting like that even while we're on a quest." "Stop it, Liz. That's not what they were doing." As they walked, they noticed a trail of blood on the ground leading deeper into the cave. It was likely from the giant goblin—or Alex himself. Not that they needed the trail, since there was only one path left to follow. At the end of the cave lay a vast dome-shaped chamber, several times larger than the passageway and illuminated by the faint light of a few torches. Just as they had expected, the giant goblin was there. So was Alex, along with a horde of goblins—and the missing villagers and adventurers. What they didn't expect was the sight that met them. It was enough to make them want to abandon the entire goblin-slaying quest. "How about we retreat for now? Or maybe just run?" "We can't do that, Mr. Arezu!"