CHAPTER 19 — A Dramatic Exit
The goblin that rose from the glowing pool was exactly as Sam remembered.
The green skin stretched over corded muscles, the jagged yellow teeth glistening with saliva, and that unmistakable stench that he really didn't need to be reminded of.
Fantastic, Sam thought bitterly. Of course he came back to life. Half of him was already sinking into despair.
He had only won because of the strangely sharp-now-not sharp cleaver he picked from the leader.
The two locked eyes.
The goblin's burning red gaze flared a shade darker — recognition, fury, and maybe even the memory of its own death simmering beneath it.
Sam tightened his grip on the cleaver. His heart thudded hard enough to echo in his ears.
Beside the leader, the shaman was practically vibrating, its cracked lips curling into a manic grin. Sparks of mana snapped around its staff as it looked at the reborn leader like a worshipper beholding a god.
Sam didn't know what to feel.
Panic? Rage? Maybe just the slow, sinking acceptance that this was the universe's way of saying, "You're screwed."
No matter how he looked at it, this was a fight he couldn't win.
He couldn't even kill that oversized wolf — and this monster had just roared it to death.
Then there was the shaman — the walking corpse-maker who had somehow pulled this resurrection trick off in the first place. If it could do that once, what stopped it from doing it again?
And even if by some miracle he managed to take the leader down… there was still Serena.
A glance over his shoulder showed her frozen at the tunnel's mouth, pale and wide-eyed.
If he fought, nothing would stop the shaman from going after her while he was busy with the leader.
He clenched his jaw.
Yeah. Definitely a losing fight.
So only one option remained.
A dramatic exit.
He took one careful step back. Then another.
The goblin leader snarled, mistaking it for fear — which, to be fair, wasn't entirely wrong.
And then Sam ran.
"Come on!" he shouted, sprinting for Serena.
Without warning, he scooped her up over his shoulder. She let out a startled yelp as he bolted down the tunnel, his breath loud and ragged.
Behind them, a roar thundered through the chamber — a roar that shook the walls themselves.
The leader was coming.
So was the shaman.
Their footsteps and snarls echoed behind him — the slap of feet against stone, the guttural growls, the manic crackle of magic being summoned again. The tunnels twisted and turned, but Sam didn't care. He just followed the same path he had taken coming in, essentially backtracking.
All he could hear was his heartbeat, his own ragged breathing, and the thunderous pursuit closing in.
Faster. Faster. FASTER!
Every muscle in his body screamed, his lungs burned, and his wounds ached. Still, he didn't slow.
But one truth gnawed at him — he couldn't keep this up. Not forever.
He needed something drastic.
Something stupid.
Then it hit him.
He almost laughed — almost — before another roar behind him killed the moment and sent him running even faster than before.
'How the hell did I forget my skills?'
In his defense, it had been a long day. A few hours ago, he'd been an ordinary guy. Now he was running for his life through a dungeon, carrying his sister on his shoulder, chased by a zombie goblin leader at speeds close to thirty-five miles an hour.
So yeah. Forgetting a few things was understandable.
He skidded to a halt, setting Serena down roughly. "Run," he said quickly.
Serena stared at him, breathless. "Sam, what are you—"
"I said run! I'll catch up!"
Her eyes narrowed. "You'd better."
He forced a grin. "I promise."
Reluctantly — and only after threatening to come back if he took too long — she turned and ran, disappearing down the tunnel.
Sam exhaled, rolling his shoulders and balling his hands into fists. Mana surged through his veins, wild and hot.
"Empowering Howl!"
His roar tore through the tunnels, echoing like a beast unleashed. The air itself seemed to thrum around him. His muscles tensed, eyes glowing faintly with the rush of power.
"Disorienting Punch!"
He slammed his fist into the nearest wall. Stone cracked and buckled. A second strike brought part of the ceiling down, rubble cascading and blocking the path. He moved fast, punching again and again, each impact collapsing more of the tunnel until dust filled the air.
When the goblin leader's roar sounded close enough to rattle his bones, Sam backed off, breathing hard.
"That should slow you down," he muttered, then turned and ran after Serena, the boosted strength of his skill carrying him like a blur through the tunnels.
He caught up to her within seconds.
She glanced back, relief flashing across her face before he picked her up again and sprinted toward the mountain's mouth — toward the faint promise of light and open air.
Along the way some goblins and wolves did try to attack them on the way but….
Slash. Devour.
And them they were on their way again like nothing happened.
⸻
They burst out of the dungeon into the bright day.
For one fleeting moment, the wind felt like freedom.
That feeling lasted about three seconds.
From the shadows ahead, figures stirred — goblins and wolves, the same ones he'd seen when he entered the mountain the first time. All twenty of them.
Sam cursed under his breath. "Shit. I forgot about them."
About fifteen goblins. Five wolves. Nothing he hadn't seen before, but enough to make it annoying.
He cracked his neck, shifting Serena gently behind him. "Hold on a moment."
This time, the fight was shorter — brutal, but short.
His blade swung with precision, guided by exhaustion and grim necessity. Wolves lunged; he sidestepped and cut them down. Goblins shrieked; he silenced them with a swing.
Each body that fell, he devoured in passing, absorbing fragments of strength. Their cores he spared, pocketing them for Serena — she needed them more now.
He did try to devour some of them, but they seemed less effective than before.
⸻
SYSTEM NOTIFICATION:
You have received: Strength +1 | Agility +1 | Endurance +2 | Mana +1
"Huh," Sam muttered when he saw this. "Guess i need to devour stronger beasts."
⸻
When the last creature fell, Sam stood panting amidst the carnage. The air was heavy with the metallic tang of blood and death.
He didn't look back. They didn't need to.
Together, they left the mountain behind.
⸻
An hour later, they sat in a small cave, far from the dungeon's mouth. A modest fire crackled before them, its light dancing across the stone walls.
Over it rotated a freshly roasted wolf leg — Serena's idea.
Sam watched the meat turn, half-listening to his stomach growl.
He should've felt relief, but all he could think about was how close they'd come to dying — and, fleetingly, how their parents were.
His father whom he hasn't heard from and his step mother who told him to stay indoors.
Serena took the first bite — and the second. By the third, she was devouring it like she hadn't eaten in days.
"You know," Sam said, voice low but teasing, "for someone who nearly fainted a few minutes ago, you're eating like a champion."
She glared weakly, still chewing. "I'm… starving."
He raised a brow. "I can see. I'm just wondering where all that food is being sent. Certainly not that body of yours."
She paused mid-bite, frowning. "…What's wrong with my body?"
Sam smirked. "Didn't say anything was wrong."
The mischievous glint in his eyes said otherwise.
Putting two and two together, Serena quickly realized what he meant.
"Hey!" she exclaimed, pouting and glaring before they both burst into laughter.
Silence fell again — not heavy this time, just quiet. Peaceful.
Though Serena did steal a quick glance down, just to confirm she wasn't actually flat.
When she finally leaned back, wiping her mouth, Sam was already half-asleep, his head tilted against the wall. The cleaver rested across his lap, still streaked with blood.
She smiled faintly and shuffled closer. She would've rested against his chest, but the wound there was still fresh, so she settled for lying beside him instead.
The fire crackled softly.
"Good night," she whispered, eyes fluttering shut.
Sam mumbled something that sounded suspiciously like "Mhm…" before slipping fully into sleep.
It would seem that breaking his limits had left him more tired than he thought.
Outside, the wind carried faint echoes from the mountain — a low rumble, distant but alive.
Something had woken in that dungeon.
But for now, they were safe.
At least for now.