Ch. 139 – Goblin Mode

The world was ending, and it was giving Momo severe indigestion.

Either that – or she was bleeding internally.

Momo had summoned her argentavis to nosedive them back towards the high seats where Radu and Akram had been sitting, but her companions were missing. No lizards, no pirates, no familiarity – just fierce, cloud-shaped resistance.

Falling from the sky by the hundreds, the grunts were overwhelming. They were larger than before, condensed together like frankensteined puffballs. They swung harder, faster; Momo dodged most of the hits, but not all of them. She was focused on keeping Nura out of harm, inefficiently smacking the clouds away with fists of Nether.

“Where is that damn pirate…” she grunted, ducking under another translucent bicep.

“I can’t see anything,” Nura whimpered. “It’s just pure fog.”

“Isn’t that the whole purpose of your class?” Momo said, trying to sound gentle. “That you can see through bad weather conditions?”

“Yes,” Nura frowned. “But these clouds aren’t just water. They’re mixed with Nether, too.”

“Right,” Momo winced. “Nether.”

She had expended too much of that particular resource. 

Her body was teetering on the edge of complete lethargy. Her head was pounding. Blood kept leaking out of her mouth. That wasn’t the only alarming signal; her hands, too, were still as black as burnt soot. Ever since she blasted Roland with the mega-Nether, they had remained that way – stained permanently into her skin like tattoo ink.

While her mind briefly drifted, one of the grunt’s hands connected with her side. She flew – slammed brutally against the cold, sharp edge of one of the stadium seats. Felt a rib crack, probably.

“Momo!” Nura squealed.

The smaller girl hopped to her aid, trying and failing to get her back on her feet. Momo simply couldn’t. It wasn’t a matter of wanting too. It was like her body was a wet sock.

Luckily, the grunts were merciful. Or much more likely, they had decided she was dead enough for now. Momo was sure she looked the part. Whatever the reason, it gave Momo a needed moment to breathe.

And cough her lungs out.

“Oh, there goes more of my blood,” she noted apathetically as the red liquid dripped down her chin. “That’s reassuring.”

“Momo – what is the plan? You can’t just keep dropping yourself into combat and getting the crap kicked out of you,” Nura said, flailing her arms around. “You’re not a bomb. You’re just a girl with a set amount of health points.”

“Thank you for reminding me,” Momo whimpered. “I wish I was a bomb.”

“But you’re not. So we have to work within the confines of the human body, okay?”

Nura looked at her with pleading eyes. Momo grimaced.

Wait. She paused, realizing what she had left in her pocket.

“Can you cover me for a few seconds?” she asked. “Make sure the grunts don’t kill me while I do this? If you feel comfortable fending them off.”

“Oh,” Nura’s eyebrows rose, looking very excited to be given a purpose. “Sure, sure. Absolutely. The grunts won’t try and kill me, anyway. I have a neutral affinity with cloud and storm based monsters. They won’t harm me unless I harm them.”

Momo gawked at her.

So I just got my ass handed to me for trying to protect her from absolutely zero threat?

She sighed.

Nevermind.

“Okay, good,” Momo said, very carefully extracting the piece of courier parchment from her pocket. “Get in front of me and look as friendly as possible – or whatever.”

Nura did just that, giving her a thumbs up and sidestepping in front of Momo. The grunts looked at her oddly, but didn’t move to attack. Momo released a quiet breath, not wanting them to know she was still breathing.

Okay. She unfurled the scrolls, and steadied her breath. Just potentially the biggest decision I’ll ever make. No big deal.

Based on your attributes and actions, these Expert classes are most suggested:

[Spore Lich]: Masters of fungal decay, Spore Liches can sprout new life into the deceased. Unlike traditional necromancers, the Spore Lich grows fungi within their thralls, reanimating through fungal possession. Focuses on INT and Nature Magic.

[The Varcolac]: An evolution of the Lycan, the Varcolac is a werewolf-necromancer hybrid. Fangs, blood, and guts are the currencies of the Varcolac – take a bite out of your enemies while you capture their souls. Focuses on STR and Death Magic.

[Feasting Faun]: Half human, half goat, 100% Evil. This cannibalistic class gains power from devouring fellow members of the animal kingdom. Unlike the Varcolac, you enthrall your enemies not with brute strength, but with Illusion-type Nature Magic. Focuses on STR, Nether Magic, and Nature Magic.

Reading the first three, Momo’s face drained of color.

Absolutely not. Nope, nope, nope. How evil have I been to get these recommendations?

Her eyes scanned the rest of the list. Luckily – thank Morgana – there were plenty to choose from. Ones that didn’t involve eating people, or being part-goat.

Didn’t like our first choices for you, huh? A shame. Why do you reject absolute power, Momo? Based on your attributes and actions, these Expert classes are also most suggested, I guess:

[Nether Dokkaebi]: Mischievous spirits, also known as Morgana’s Goblin Children, Nether Dokkaebi are known for their black-mist bodies and red face masks, which depict them as terrifying, fanged creatures. They are masters of illusion and Nether manipulation, able to traverse seamlessly between the Nether and the Other-Worlds. Focuses on INT and Nether Magic.

[The Strix]: The bird of ill omen. Give up your feeble human body to become The Strix, an owl-type necromancer whose small and innocent appearance hides an immense amount of necromantic mastery. Focuses on DEX and Nature Magic.

Dokkaebi? Momo’s face screwed up in a bewildered frown. Nostalgia hit her like a freight train; her dad had told her idle bedtime stories about those things – the goblins of Korean myth. They were mischievous, impossible to tame. Typically good-spirited but very free-willed. Just like you, her dad would say, with his cheeky, crooked smile.

Momo didn’t expect to cry while reading class descriptions.

“Momo,” Nura whispered. Her voice sounded worried. “I don’t want to rush you – I’m sure you’re doing very important things back there – but the big face in the sky just blinked. I don’t think that’s normal.”

Momo grimaced.

“Definitely not, no.”

Come on, you don’t have much time. You have to pick the smart choice.

Momo stared at the page, her vision blurry. It was very hard to know what the smart choice was when her head hurt this hard. She’d just have to think about it systematically.

I’ve got to play to my strengths – Intelligence, well, the stat point, not the real kind, and Nether Manipulation. I need to choose something that will allow me to take advantage of [Nether Cultivator]. It’s already overpowered as it is…

Out of all of them, the class that would let her do that was the Dokkaebi. But she really did not want to be a goblin. From her memories of them, they were ugly as hell. Short, stout, red-faced, with horns and thorns and fangs. Truly repugnant. Not the kind of face a Sumire could love.

A Valerica could, probably. But she was a different breed.

Momo swallowed.

Rule number one – do not make class choices based on potential love interests.

Still, she took the quill out of its holder and feverishly wrote a question on the page.

Does choosing the Nether Dokkaebi turn me into one of those scary guys?

The scroll flipped over.

The class [Nether Dokkaebi] does not change your form directly. While your race will change, enabling you to pass seamlessly between the Nether and the Other-Worlds, you will retain access to your human body. At the first level, this trickster-illusionist class gives you the skill [Polymorph - Dokkaebi] skill.

That skill will turn you into one of the scary guys.

Momo sighed a breath of relief. Okay, okay. She was nearly sold. But she didn’t want to make the decision rashly. She still had one more factor to consider.

She inscribed another question on the page.

Is this one of those combo-evolution things?

Yes. The [Nether Dokkaebi] is a [Combination Evolution] class. Due to your levels in [Corrupted Druid] and [Con Artist], you have unlocked the ability to evolve both into this class. If you choose to do so, you will no longer be able to gain any more skills from [Con Artist].

Momo remembered receiving that very same message when she evolved into Corrupted Druid. It wasn’t great that she’d be missing out on Con Artist experience, but at the same time, the general consensus seemed to be that the Combination Evolution class perks would outweigh the bonuses of maxing out her secondary class anyway.

Plus – this class had the unbeatable perk of being able to actually go to the Nether. From what Valerica had told her, actually residing in the Nether, as opposed to floating through on a limited time only, Morgana-sponsored guest pass, was impossible for mortals to do without immediately perishing.

And if Momo’s Oblivion Stone plans did succeed, and she got Valerica promoted to Lesser God of Nether Maintenance, it’d be nice if she could visit from time to time. She really didn’t want their relationship to be reduced to a long-distance, postcard-in-the-mail kind of shebang. The thought was beyond depressing.

Her hand shook as she hovered the quill over the page. The moment seemed to last in perpetuity, time stalling around her.

Okay, she thought. I’m really going goblin mode.