Dungeon of Niflheim

Bala who was silently watching the situation should have used this opportunity to gloat or mock but even he was disturbed by the torture Findlay inflicted up the spriggan. His face was even slightly pale, plus both he and Gobuske subconsciously grabbed their nether regions when the spriggan moved in for the kill. Even he as an iron dragon couldn’t help feel some phantom pain. Therefore, he kept his tongue, not wanting to mock the spriggan or speak on behalf of the malicious ice troll.

Gobuske was thankful however, Findlay was successfully removed from the battle field for a fairly large amount of time, plus his injuries were quite extensive. Three of his hob goblin brawlers survived, far more than he expected and Findlay would need even more time to drag his body up through the chute and back to the prime battlefield. The purpose of this trap was not built with Findlay in mind specifically but was centred around isolating stronger adversaries. Entombing them in a pitch dark room with only a single and difficult way out, all while having to deal with the spriggan. And for all intents and purposes it greatly succeeded in its job.

Frost’s forces in the hallway had taken a horrible beating, being barely 25% of their original total, with many sporting wounds and or being significantly weakened. Like Frost suspected the middle line-up where the forces were weakest yet faced off against the largest and most powerful enemies was decimated. The frost troll and leader like frost dwarves obeyed their instructions and chose to abandon the middle line-up so as to preserve their own soldiers. A decision that though could be construed as heartless was the right call.

The rear and front line-up successfully dealt with their aggressors until not a single goblin was left and now surrounded the remaining ambushers on both sides. Their forces roughly similar in number with perhaps Gobuske’s being a little smaller. They were now in a passive state with all sides holding their ground and only engaging in rudimentary exchanges with few wounds let alone deaths. The hob goblin commander had a gash across his chest and face that he received from the frost troll but otherwise was fine and able to maintain this stand off for however long his king required. Every second that this stalemate continued was a victory for Gobuske, Frost’s forces couldn’t head any deeper into his dungeon, removing the possibility of locating his core room.

Gobuske knew his chances were slim to none to come out on top in this war, but he made a valiant stand, he would not allow his elder brother to reach his core room. He’d only lose by force elimination, a future that was drawing ever nearer.

Back in Frost’s dungeon.

“Rahhhhhhhh!” Hob goblins charged forward with their damaged shields and wounded bodies towards an impromptu barricade made up of old furniture. A battalion of frost dwarves stood their ground behind this defence as the goblin archers and ice flans fired away at the oncoming enemies. Frost’s goblin archers were down to just two and his flans down to three making their firepower significantly reduced but so were their targets.

The hob goblins moved as fast as they could, taking a lot of fire but eventually met with casualties. Their well-used shields didn’t last long so their bodies endured the attacks. As 2 hob goblins fell, a larger group of G-rank and F-rank goblins rapidly moved in from behind. Jumping up and forward to fight against the waiting frost dwarves, madness in their eyes.

.....

Clang! Clang!

In another area nearby the sounds of weapons smashing against each other could be heard. The frost troll in charge was fighting one on one against a hob goblin commander, they were fairly evenly matched. The hob goblin though inherently weaker in direct combat was quite a high level, making up for this shortcoming.

And In a third area the Lagombi was hard at work, fighting against the other hob goblin commander along with a few goblin rogues. This was the last ditch effort. Gobuske had fewer than 25 monsters left, and all were within the same vicinity. Each battle could be seen from the other. This area was a long hallway with branch rooms, the end was blocked with the barricade and the majority of the forces while the branch rooms held the D-rank monsters and a few others. It was a chaotic battlefield with litres of blood painting the floors and walls. And Gobuske’s side was losing.

They were outnumbered and out matched. To get here they suffered a fair number of fast sneak attacks by the remaining frost wolves and ice spiders. They ignored the risks and threw everything they had at their aggressors, successfully killing a bunch of them but at high cost.

When they first reached this area, they bull rushed the barricade with the weaker goblins as the vanguard, realising that speed was the key to keeping their deaths to a minimum, however the moment they reached within 15 metres all the frost dwarves moved to the side and suddenly two iron bolts flew through the air, piercing multiple goblins, severally wounding their forces. The frost troll and Lagombi with their bodyguards -of course they wouldn’t be foolish enough to risk their highest combatants at the very end of the race- then charged out of the nearby rooms, splitting off the hob goblin commanders and a small group from the main battalion. After that it was a fierce battle. Frost’s forces with their superior numbers, established defences, knowledge of the area and better physical state -Gobuske’s forces were still suffering from the frigid temperatures- were winning yet Gobuske’s men were not ones to go down willingly. Fighting with mad energy as though they were burning their potential, they dragged this fight out, similar to the situation in Gobuske’s dungeon. When their forces finally reached their very limits and then some, only then will the battle conclude.

The frost troll couldn’t help but respect its opponents from the bottom of its heart as it clashed against the aggressive attacks of the hob goblin commander’s machete with its axes. It sported a great many wounds from when it was actually overpowered by the hob goblin in terms of strength. Him a frost troll easily a metre taller was outmatched in strength, impossible but will is a powerful thing. The desire to serve their king and bring him victory, flooded throughout their bodies granting them untold power, yet they kept a clear head. Unlike the spriggan or Findlay’s enrage skill that would cloud their judgement.

Frost sat in his private space on the very edge of his seat, completely invested in the battle playing before his eyes. Nanna and Loki were by his side, tightly grasping onto his robes and clenching their teeth, moved by the goblins’ tenacity and honour that was involved in this battle. They only wished that they were strong enough to take part themselves, they were jealous.

Frost’s nerves were completely on edge, nearly every second it looked as though the war would be over and he’d be the winner, but every time Gobuske’s forces would refuse to back down, summoning untold strength and pushing back his own men, prolonging the fight. Nervous sweat had already drenched his robes and his lip had been significantly bitten through, this tension was unbearable. What was worse was that he didn’t know the full situation of his offensive force. The frost troll there was constantly fighting and couldn’t report when he wanted or in much detail. Findlay was still nowhere to be seen so it felt like anyone’s game. The camel’s hump could break any second, but which second was the question.

Those in the audience as well as Dark were just as absorbed if not more so since they could see both dungeons at the same time. A great amount of respect was generated for goblins thanks to this fight, they were so admirable in their battles that even the hardiest of dungeon cores couldn’t help but be moved, well except Bahamut.

Aqua and Sylph had stopped arguing a few minutes ago, completely entrapped by the battle displayed before them. No one was shouting or even whispering as they waited on the edge of their seats for the victory that may come any second. Even Yami couldn’t help but open his eyes a little wider and scooch towards the end of his seat.

Dark repeatedly had to wipe the sweat from his brow that accumulated due to the intensity of the situation. He was truly excited and that was something for a God, especially one as old and powerful as him. Of course, it could be a side effect of cutting off parts of his soul, but he chose to ignore that possibility, simply enjoying the festivities that he put into motion. Frost and Gobuske had performed far better than he ever hoped. They showed the capabilities that dungeon cores and their monster were capable of and moved their siblings and him. With the results of this war he was greatly satisfied, his goal more than achieved.