endless path, infinite cosmos

chapter 13

Awakening before dawn, Vahn began to put his plan into action. After putting a filter on the shop, he was able to find the item he was looking for.

'Small Explosive Charge' (10 OP)

Rank:(E)

A component used in the making of anti-personnel mines developed by Russian Scientist Neil Vankhov. The explosive yield is equivalent to 10MJ (10 sticks of dynamite).

Dissatisfied with the idea of simply kiting a few goblins out of the encampment, Vahn had come up with the idea of pestering them thoroughly over the course of the entire day. Once the goblins retreated further into the camp he would be able to attach the explosives to magically charged arrows and bombard the largest concentration of goblins. If he was lucky, he would even be able to deal large amounts of collateral and potentially injure or kill the Chief.

He slowly made his way towards the encampment and dug up several of the mines along the treeline. It was a very dangerous and harrowing experience given the sensitivity of the mines, but he managed to finish without triggering any of them.

After replanting them in a funnel-like fashion with only a few safe paths of retreat, Vahn ate breakfast. He didn't know if he would have any opportunities to eat while harassing the goblins, so he made sure to enjoy a full meal.

Starting a fire near his secondary campsite using firestones he managed to roast a rabbit he had hunted previously. Though his inventory kept items from spoiling, he enjoyed the process of cooking and eating as it was very therapeutic to him.

Noting the sun had risen above the horizon Vahn checked the remaining quest time: 1D17H12M.

He now had less than two days remaining, but with luck, he would be able to finish the quest before the days' end. Though he assumed the goblin Chief was much stronger than normal goblins, he did not believe it would be able to tank ten sticks of dynamite to the face.

Returning to the treeline near the encampment, Vahn finished his final preparations by setting up several tripwires crisscrossing the areas around the landmines. Satisfied with his setup, he skulked just behind the trees closest to the clearing. Given the 130m distance between the encampment and the goblins speed, it would take them more than twenty seconds to close the gap towards his position. With his maximum firing rate, he was confident in being able to eliminate up to one goblin every second. Hopefully, they would send a large group to try and attack him which he would then be able to kite into the mine-infested woods while retreating.

Vahn spent several minutes observing the goblins as they went about their construction. He noticed that they had erected a large structure within the night, presumably to house the Chief and his cronies.

At present, the Chief couldn't be seen, but the presence of two of his henchmen indicated that he was within the building. Vahn contemplated trying to bombard it immediately but decided it would be beneficial to wait until he dwindled down the number of smaller goblins.

Before determining if the Chief was inside the larger hut, it would be a mistake to use the explosive arrows. The goblins had shown an ability to adapt to new situations, so they would likely spread their forces out after his initial attack with the explosives. He wanted them to try to fortify and group together, or at least wait until he had eyes on the Chief's location.

Drawing his bow to a full arc, Vahn held his breath trying to bring his focus to the limits. He took aim at one of the Chief's cronies as he began channeling energy into the arrow. Though he had practice hitting targets at 50m consistently, it was the first time he would be trying to hit a moving target at more than 130m. He was hoping the increased flight distance and penetrative power of the magic arrows would make up for the lack of skill...