Shae was vindicated by here tunnel choice. Not that it led to a safe route, because she felt there would be no safe routes in a dungeon. No, she was vindicated because her first encounter was against five goblins. But due to the slender tunnel system she was working her way through they were unable to work their way around her. It was at least a face-to-face battle, if not a one-on-one fight.

Shae was slowly and quietly working her way down the northwest tunnel. She passed through one room that was not much bigger than three by three meters. The only exit from that room was not quite directly across from the entrance she came through but was at two o’clock. The natural cave showed signs of some foot traffic, which she found odd because up until this point there was no noticeable signs of anything else alive. There were a few stuffs here and there as if something milled about in the room for a while. Even possibly rested. The only explanation she could think of was that this was as far as the occupant who had visited would travel toward the larger room she just left. Meaning the larger path likely did hold a larger threat. She would at least be able to cut her teeth on something smaller and hopefully more manageable. Hopefully, because small size did not always mean safer fights.

There was a faint smell of old urine and she even turned up a small bone shard. Which did not tell her much as she knew almost nothing about bones as she was not an anthropologist. She was amazed she could even remember that term. Well, ok that was a stretch, she wasn’t dumb after all. Still, something had come this far and stopped to possibly consume prey. She surmised she was dealing with a carnivorous creature, or creatures. It felt good to get back into the sleuthing part of her studies. Even this small bit was enough to untangle some mental cobwebs. While she was using conjecture, her deduction was an almost certainty.

Shae moved over to the exit tunnel and killed her light. Then she extended her soft cover out the full range of eight meters. It wasn’t a large distance, but it would allow her to feel not just the walls but anything in front or behind her, even above as it was spherical. It was very much like seeing with echo location, but without the echo. It might be dangerous to try something new in a spot like this, but she felt it was her best option. She would rather be the one to detect rather than being detected. She could not be sure creatures down here would be blind and unable to see her flame. She did have information that there were semi-sentients that spawned in the dungeons that used tools and fire. Like goblins. She hoped by dousing her light, she would be able to sense or even heard whatever was ahead before it caught on to her.

She slowly moved through the darkness, gaining more confidence by the minute. Her force magic was doing a great job acting as her eyes. She found she could easily imagine what it was feeling as if she was seeing it herself. She discovered a new, and very awesome way her magic could be used. The upkeep was also nothing much more than her regeneration. She felt she could go on like this for a few hours before taking a break to top off. After all she would never let her magic level drop so far as to endanger herself if a situation came up. She would stop and rest once she started to feel a slight drain. Which should be about eighty percent or so. That would give her plenty to go all out for a good bit.

Her tunnel widened at one point into an oval almost eye shape. Not quite a room, just a widening in the tunnel which once again slimmed down. Just as she felt her bubble open up into a larger area, as it wrapped around the edges of an opening, she saw the flicker of flame reflected off the walls ahead. The tunnel she was in was slightly curved so she could not directly see into the room from her position. Then she heard movements. Not big sounding movements, light foot pattering. As if somethings were moving about quietly. She edged forward slowly, doing her best not to make even a whisper of noise. It was much easier in a cave than a forest that was for sure. Except for the loose stones. So, she made sure she did not drag her feet but lifted and dropped each step slowly. No kicking or sliding motions. She also stayed off the walls to avoid knocking loose any hanging debris. As the room came into sight, she saw her targets. There were five waist high sickly dark green skinned, very skinny humanoids. Skinny except for little pot bellies. They would almost be cute except for the large bat like ears, small beady red eyes, overly large, hooked noses, and mouths made for a head twice as big. Worse, those mouths had little needle like fangs protruding here and there at all angles from top and bottom gums. The goblins were not speaking, they were looking to cook a small dog like animal. They were just finishing getting the fire going by the looks of things. As she watched for a bit she noticed the animal, looked like a small, scaled dog. The goblins had a few sticks they were trying to set up into a spit over the fire. They were so bad at it that Shae actually snorted. Which… was bad. The five creatures immediately stopped what they were doing, looked in her direction and without hesitation screamed in glee and charged her. Theirs screams sounded very much like a giant bat being drowned. A high-pitched gurgle scream. Turns out the sticks were sharpened at one end to double as crude spears. Yay.

One thing of note, and an image that Shae would never get out of her head. The goblins were naked and their tiny dangly bits just bounced around in the breeze as they charged over.

While the fire was not overly large, there was enough light for her to see well enough. Dangly bits and all.

She backed a bit further back into the tunnel. She wanted to keep the upcoming fight in the tightness of the narrow tunnel. It did widen a bit before entering into the room, which if she fought there might allow one to sneak behind her. As they entered her soft cover field she could now feel-see their movements. Each pump of the legs, swing of the arms, sway of their spears as they ran, she was able to mentally track all movements without needing to see them. ‘Ugh I can even feel their… things bouncing.’ Shae cringed but then forced herself into a calm controlled mental state. She had no time to mess around with odd thoughts. She was about to fight for her life. Not just a sparring match.

As Shae moved back, she wrapped her force magic around herself forming her armor. This shield extended a third of a meter out from her body all around her. Once she felt an attack incoming with her soft cover, Its purpose would be to turn aside or rebound any attacks thrown at her, bleed incoming attacks of all momentum. She then wrapped herself in a much tighter harder force covering which she would use to weaponize her body. This shell she would use to throw out attacks with. While eventually she might be able to toss out an attack from any part of her body, at the moment her control was only so good as to allow her to push out from her limbs. Like throwing ghost punches and kicks that extended from her fists and feet.

The front goblin had a slight lead on it’s fellow. It threw its spear at Shae with surprising force. Well surprising for a three-foot scrawny gremlin orc love child.

Its spear flew straight at Shae’s chest, the goblin leaping at Shae following in the spears wake to grab at her face. Shae’s armor quickly bled the spear of any momentum then released it to drop to the ground with a wooden clunk. That was not even more than a passing thought for Shae to stop an attack like that now. As for the goblin, all snarling slobbering teeth and claws flaying toward her face, she didn’t even bother to wind up, she just threw out a jab reinforced with a small amount of magic. Just before her fist made contact with the airborne goblin, her force punch hit it first, square in its bulbous nose. There was a squelch as the goblins nose exploded upon its face, as the force traveled further there was a gurgled grunt as the poor things face crushed into itself its neck snapping like a dry twig. The goblins forward momentum suddenly reversed throwing it back into its charging kin. Three of the four goblins managed to duck or dodge the now potent projectile coming at them. The fourth however was not so lucky. The flying goblins head, with body trailing after, contacted the fourth goblin just below it’s neck. With a quiet crack the fourth goblins collar bone succumbed to the flying skull. In a bunched heap both bodies tumbled away. Which left three goblins screaming for blood. One goblin stopped short of the other two, one jumped high with it’s spear attempting to drive it into Shae’s upper body. The second goblin went low for her belly.

Shae was more than able to feel the spears incoming and halt their progression and even the goblins momentum with ease. It was as if they had tried to spear a ball of dough with a crayon. There was just not enough force to penetrate through. Shae was able to deduce the force of the incoming spears and goblins through her soft cover. Then using her armor cover she slowed then halted all incoming inertia. The top goblin falling down upon the lower one. Tying them up for a second. The third goblin tried to go wide right flattening itself against the wall, trying to get behind her unnoticed. Her soft cover though saw all. Since she did not have to move in any way to defend against the two incoming attacks, she was free to deal with the sneaker. It was not expecting the elbow that crushed its head against the wall, cracking it like a nut, brain fluid spilling out. Shae almost gagged. But had no time, there were still two more bastards to deal with. She was in a foul mood now and unleased a kick at the pair of goblins trying to stand and attack again. Before her foot could make contact, again her force magic struck out. This time with more force than intended as Shae was not completely in control after seeing a skull pop like a squished cherry. Her kick tore into body goblins bodied as they were piled together still. Each too the blow mid-section. Ribs exploded, organs ruptured, bodies flew away far into the room. All that could be heard from there were dying wheezes.

Shae reeled a bit. The reality of actual killing smacking her sober. It wasn’t the moral dilemma; she had prepared herself for that. She had not however prepared herself for the viscera. Which after gutting an animal shouldn’t have bothered her. Yet these were not quite animals. Something about seeing the one goblins head pop, the noise it made, then the fluid splatter against the wall and leaking out from its head. She just couldn’t look at again. This was a whole different thing for her. Crushing a skull with her bare hands was just… It made her feel dirty inside. She moved into the now mostly quiet room. One of the two kicked goblins was still slowly wheezing out it’s final breaths. She barely registered it.

Shae sat against the wall mind blank, staring at the fire.

After a time, she came back to herself. Her mind running the gambit. It was trying to run and hide; she was trying to keep it intact. She finally was able to come to terms with it, somewhat. She would have to, or she wouldn’t survive. That was just the cold hard truth. Then she got mad because she wanted to come here, then she cried because she couldn’t escape. She succumbed to mental fatigue and passed out. Once she came to, she took out her journal and wrote a very long heart to heart with herself. It helped. A little. Again, she had lost time down here. Now she was mad at herself for being so soft. Deep down she had to have know this it what it would be like. But knowing and doing are not the same she relented. It took Shae another half day until she noticed her hunger. Her mind still running a mile a minute. Working on the issue. Eating helped a bit. Normal things brought her comfort. She conjured water in a small metal pot, then heated it with her flame magic. Once nice and hot, she took out some tea leaves. Then sat for a while longer, just enjoying the warmth of the cup, and the heat flowing down inside of her.

It will get easier. She promised herself. But she wouldn’t let it define her. She may have to do these things, she didn’t have to like it or let it control her. Shae moved back to the first room she had entered, where the first signs of life were. What she felt was the last safe room, and likely the safest. She called up her soft cover, then laid down on her bed roll and had a real nap. As she was fading out her last thoughts were of Mel.