I Become the Baby Tiger in a Beast Taming World-Chapter 51: Goblins!

Goblins are bad news. And this is a goblin raid.

Lightning and I conceal ourselves, trying not to be seen as the troop of goblins marches past. Goblins as tall as Kaline. Goblins as tall as Lightning and me standing on each other’s shoulders. Skinny but fierce-looking goblins. Barrel-chested goblins. They are all armed to the teeth and looking for spoils. Their stench is even worse than Viscount Rossa’s. They have sharp yellow eyes with black pupils. Sharp as in seeing everything. But smart? They invaded a noble elf house with beasts. Not a genius move.

Compared with elves, and us, they don’t look so tough. Right?

I stay down and stay hidden for the moment and talk to Lightning. [Why would they raid an elf house? Elves have three times the strength of a human, and they’re taller, with magic.]

[We have had goblins trespassing.] Lightning is very measured, holding herself back with everything she possesses. But I can tell she’s itching to leap on the goblins. [I suppose they think because Lord Lammermoor is away, and because of the problems, the house is ripe for raiding.]

[This must be the gifted class of goblins. They figured that out?]

Lightning wrinkles her nose.

[You’re trying not to sneeze, aren’t you?]

Inappropriate sneeze. It’ll ruin things every time in books, movies, and TV shows.

Lightning takes a deep breath. [All that tearing apart the bedroom kicked up dust.]

[Sorry.]

[Save your energy for the real threat.]

I tense, coiled to pounce. [We need to stop them.]

Kaline’s energy is a bolt of lightning, a bolt of awareness. It’s strong, and the message I get is: Do something. I don’t have telepathy. but I don’t need it. Kaline wants me to be a hero! 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝒆𝔀𝒆𝙗𝓷𝒐𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝓶

I get ready to leap out. [We can’t let them get away with this.]

[BLAZE!]

She’s going to stop me. Irritation flashes. She didn’t take me seriously about Kaline, and now she’s throwing up a barrier to defending our humans! She does not get to do that.

[I’m doing this with or without you.]

She pokes me with her tail. [DON’T BE A FOOL. We’re both going to show them that they made a huge mistake.]

[Oh. Right. Sorry. What’s the plan? Do we generate stars? Shooting Stars?]

Lightning likes that idea. [Yes! And then we pounce on them when they’re distracted. They are easily distracted.]

[By shiny things.]

I use my Exotic Crunchy Fruits from my bonus gift to give me more vitality. I gift one to Lightning. You can do that in this game. I also give one to Lobo even though he’s nowhere around. He’ll need all the help he can get.

Stars shoot out across the marble and carpeted floor, turning it into a light show. Shrieking, the goblins don’t know what hit them. Some of them chase the glowing golden lures, while others mill around in panic. A brainy few pause to take stock of the situation and shout in Goblinese. The System translates.

[A few of the goblins are not fooled by your magic light show. They think this is a trick.]

Lightning catches on, her tail swirling, and she growls at me. No translation needed.

We leap into the fray before more goblins catch awareness. And our surprise attack works!

Screams and guttural curses erupt in the corridor while we pounce, bite, kick, and claw. All around me are goblins with jug ears, and some with big elfin ears, and a lot of sharp teeth.

OUCH!

Goblins bite worse than Lobo. Lightning squeals and roars as she gets a taste of it, too.

[All Blaze stats reduced by -2.]

NO. I thought our Shooting Stars would kick butt! Maybe we need to level up to make that happen? Probably.

And what’s a good way to level up? Easy. Fight goblins. Or redcaps. Or pixies. Or anything smaller than you or at or below your level. What level are these goblins, anyway?

[Level 4 Goblins. Skills Stealth, Attack, Passive Perception, Engineering.]

Engineering? Seriously? I guess it makes sense. There are builder and craftsman goblins in many of the games and fantasy novels I used to consume. They’re not stupid brutes.

Level 4, that’s two levels above me. System, how does a Level 4 goblin compare to a Level 2 tamed tiger cub in a combat matchup?

[Level 4 goblins are somewhat stronger and more powerful than a Level 2 tamed tiger cub. However, a tamed tiger cub has powers from its master or mistress. In addition, it has beast strength, speed, and energy. This eliminates the goblins’ advantage.]

And what about two tamed tiger cubs, System? One of whom is Level 3?

[Ahhh, now we’re talking. A Level 2 tamed tiger cub would have an advantage when paired with a Level 3 tamed tiger cub. Especially a Level 3 beast that is bonded to an elf tamer, because elf magic is particularly powerful, and so are elf strength and intelligence.]

Well, that’s helpful to know! I never realized, although I should have, that Lightning would have Hans’ strength, magic, and intelligence. No wonder she is fearless. But can she defeat goblins? Can I? Well, we have no choice. We have to prevail!

Were there goblins in the beast taming game? I think there were. I read about them. Damon was excited to unlock a story branch where we would get to fight goblins. We were just on the verge of doing that before I died.

OUCH. A goblin just got me good!

This is no time to be sitting down contemplating!

[BLAZE!]

Rotating my body, I scan the jostling, clashing, clawing horde of goblins clogging the corridor. They are filling every available space, and not in a good way.

I shoot enough stars to light up the entire wing. They crackle, and the goblins close their eyes, thrown off. My stars are not blinding, but the constant light from them is a distraction.

Despite nursing a wound in her front leg, Lightning bowls over two of the goblins when she dives at them. I watch, learn, and copy, crashing into two more goblins. They go down. THUNK. They don’t move. As a decent person, er, cat, I check to make sure they’re just stunned, not dead. I think they’re still breathing.

No time to check their pulses. A nearby goblin screeches at me, swinging a wicked-looking axe. Another goblin slashes the air with a machete.

Seeing the weaponry makes me realize I still hurt, but only when I stand still. Someone hit my flank! It hurts like no tomorrow. I try accessing my healing potion from the System. Success! Now I can fight. I am not letting these goblins take advantage of ex-Lady Rosabel’s bad decisions. Not when my friends might suffer. Especially Kaline! She could probably fight off the goblins. She’s spunky enough. But I won’t let them get their hands on her.

[Lightning!]

[Little busy now!]

I don’t want a long romantic conversation! [Where are their weak spots?]

[Necks, same as anyone!]

My teeth sink into the back of a hand. The goblin in question, the owner of the hand, yelps and leaps back, his axe spinning in his grip. I knock him down and he hits the floor.

The next few minutes whiz by in a blur while Lightning and I fight. But there seem to be twice as many goblins now as when we started fighting. Have they been multiplying?

No matter. Lightning runs in bursts of magical speed and stamina, no doubt drawing from the gifts given to her through the bond with Hans. While Kaline doesn’t have any similar powers to lend me, I can feel something that propels me onward to fight for victory.

I can feel her heart, a warm, burning energy. Also, I can feel her courage and vigor, awakening my tired muscles so that I can fight anew. With a roar, I continue fighting. The scene is chaotic, full of sparks of light and fur flying and streaks of red, like an impressionistic oil painting.

But Lightning suddenly disappears, pulled under, beneath the waves of goblin invaders. Where is she? Panic surges. My claws scrape against the goblins packed so tightly together, as if I could somehow dig Lightning out.

[LIGHTNING! Where are you? Answer me!]

Where is she?

The goblins fight me, and I become a true beast, wreaking destruction. I am feral. I am savage. I will not stop until I’ve found my quarry. Lightning is a friend and ally and fellow warrior. And a...

What? What is she?

It doesn’t matter! Above all, I must find her!

[LIGHTNING. Answer me now! I am not leaving without you. I will tear apart every goblin around me if I must. They’ll regret ever being born!]

The System gives me a cheering boost.

[Blaze has achieved Level 3!]

YES! Do I have Telepathy?

[Telepathy Skill Achieved.]

I summon up all my thoughts and concentrate them.

[Kaline. PLEASE. Lightning needs help. Kaline.]

Her sweet voice is a balm, a beacon.

[Blaze! I’m coming.]

With great relief, I reply. [Kaline, I--]

WHACK.

Something heavy hits my head. The world goes black.