Chapter 73 - Leaving The Dungeon Behind 4/?

After the management group gathered all the drops and essentials, we left the base and proceeded to go back to where me and my friends first entered this life changing dungeon. Like I planned it out Sondar and his group were taking the lead and I had seen Liosa and Howy were scouting ahead. I was happy to see that a love had bloomed between them, I wasn't shocked about that..... but what did shock me was when while we were gathering everything up, I saw Sondar and Konna actually share a moment and were holding hands. Well I guess it kinda makes sense since they are both muscle heads.

But getting back to the traveling we had been at it for a couple hours now and so far we only encountered a few goblins. These were actually green goblins and not the normal red ones that we had become accustomed to over the last year. That was a good sign since the tunnel was behind a green goblin outpost.

I made sure to keep everyone in line and to keep their eyes and ears open just in case something popped out unexpectedly. And ofcourse lo and behold a few minutes after I say that we hear a high pitched scream come from up ahead in the tunnel. Sondar and the others looked back to me so I nodded my head and we all rushed forward to see what it was.

"Dad, what do you think it is?" Michael asked as he ran along beside me.

"I hope it's not what I think it sounded like, but It kinda sounded like a high pitched woman's scream, and if it was then that's bad because this is primarily a goblin dungeon..." I didn't say anything else and let him finish the thought.

"Ok? What does that have to do with anything?" Harper asked coming up on my other side.

"Honey..... So from our knowledge on goblins, what do they do? Well in my experience goblins like shiny things and are better suited for being nuisances.... But what else do they have? What has allowed the goblins to spread out throughout this entire dungeon? I'll save you the time and tell you, it's their vitality, it's their innate drive to constantly breed and reproduce. It's helped them spread yes but also at the same time they become absorbed by the need to breed that captured humans and other species end up as.... well you know." 

As I finished speaking she only looked at me for a moment before something flashed in her eyes and she looked down as if realizing what I was trying to say.

"So.... Like what happened with you and mother.... Dad, we need to hurry up and get there." She said with conviction as she stared straight ahead.

"Yea we do so here's what I want. I want you 4 to go ahead and try and save whoever is in trouble. At the very least stall for time for the rest of us got it? Now go." I said and the next second All I see are 4 dark silhouettes as my 4 strongest children rushed off ahead of the others.

"HEY WHAT ARE YOU DOING GET BACK HERE." Sondar yelled but I ran up to him after that.

"It's fine I told them to go ahead and find out what was happening. Harper was very adamant about helping whoever after I told them what it could've been."

"Dammit, Still we should've stayed in formation like this and got there as a group that way we could face whatever it was together."

"Yea I hear you but this way it's good experience for when they start doing this for real when we finally settle down outside of this place."

He only nodded and continued running. It took a few more minutes but when I rounded a bend and was met with a large open area and at the center were a group of green goblins with various stone weapons and then behind them were 4 large red goblins with steel weapons smirking as the smaller ones surrounded my children. I looked closer and in the middle of the kids were 3 female humans with broken armor all looking down and bandaging a male that was bleeding out of the side of his head. I held up my hands and had the others stay behind and hidden except for Konna, Liosa, the twins and Shorunt, so that the goblins wouldn't run off. I wanted to get a feeling for their strengths now so I figured it was a good time.

"It looks like we need to teach you abominations a lesson. You look like lizards but with some weird insect faces. Your disgusting to look at." Said one of the red goblins who stood a few inches taller than the rest and held a double sided battleaxe in both hands.

"Yea disgusting boss, lets just kill them, maybe they taste good." Said another one that held 2 daggers in both of its hand and even had a belt that held 5 smaller daggers made for throwing.

"Boss.... There's more." Said one with a cowl over its head as it nodded towards us after the one called boss looked at it.

"Oh ho, well lookie here boys. It seems we just found ourselves more meat. Oh and look there, I see a few female green hobgoblins. I always did enjoy breaking those green whores. Maybe these ones will give me good time after I tie them up and torture those guys with them." 

It then starts to cackle and laugh in this weird almost ear raking sound that was equivalent to nails on a chalkboard.

I shivered as the feeling passed over me. "Ok enough that laugh by itself demands death, but then you go and talk about hurting my minions like that? On top of you surrounding my kids and then say you want to eat them? Nah no can do buddy, looks like death has come to greet you." I say as I step forward towards the red goblins.

They all looked at me with round wide eyes. Some of the green goblins that were surrounding the kids and humans even backed away. But then the boss goblin walked up to me.

"What the hell is a lizardman doing on my turf. Me and your king had an agreement, He would leave me and my kind alone to rape and pillage to our hearts desire, anybody that enters here, and in exchange all we do is give up a portion of what we loot and the odd occasional slave. It's a pretty sweet deal but nonetheless why are you here? Get out of here before I personally bring your head to your king."

I looked at this red chubby bastard with a look of confusion. "First off.... I have no king. Second, Who the Fck you talking to like that?" I asked as I looked around. 

"I know it's not me because a short pudgy little red stain like you couldn't even match up against the rocks that I step on." I got closer down to his level and whispered.

"Also I'm not a lizardman.... I'm a dragon." Then I stood to my full height only for a few seconds later to hear the boss start laughing and even starting to hold his sides.

"Oh shit that's funny, I'm sure you are buddy. I bet your mom or dad or maybe your grandparents were dragons maybe and it got into your head that you could be one to. Sorry to burst your bubble shit stain but Lizardmen cannot turn into dragons." 

He then looked back to the other red goblins and smiled. "Squirt come teach this lizard some manners."

Then the small statured goblin with daggers smiled a huge grin filled with devilish intent. "Ofcourse boss, it would be my pleasure." He said with that same intent dripping off the sentence like venom.

"Ugh you little idiots. Fine bring it on little man." I said as I stood in place and let the short one walk over to me but before stepping to close he vanishes instantly. I start to look around nervously and pretend like I couldn't see him start to sneak up on me from behind. I play as if I was starting to shake in fear.

"Aha see I knew you weren't a dragon. Just some silly lizard who thought just because he got some goblins to follow him, that he was powerful. Well to bad so sad, time to die."

Just then I could see the invisible dagger wielding goblin jump up and descend towards me with a dagger poised to ram into my throat.

"Yea, your right, it is time to die..... But not for me." I said as I side stepped and as the dagger and the goblins body sailed past me I reached out and grabbed it by the back of its neck and held it up as it dropped from being invisible.

It started to squirm in my hands and I leaked out a bit of my aura for funsies but was soon hit in the nose by a pungent smell that came from the goblin in my hands. So I threw it towards the boss goblin in disgust.

"Ewww, did you just piss yourself you nasty little thing."

"What the hell? Who are you, how did you catch Squirt as he tried to kill you?" The boss said as he waved his hands and the 2 came and picked up the goblins called Squirt.

"I already told you, you red Fck, I'm a dragon." I then looked around for a few seconds at how big the opening around us was and concluded that it might be big enough to pull off a crazy stunt.

I look back at the red goblins then at the scared green goblins. Then I look at my children and nod at them.

"Kids, Dad's gonna pull off a crazy stunt so why don't you get the humans and go back with your aunts to the others."

They all nodded before each of them grabbed a human and started to run back behind me.

"Hey where the hell do you think your taking my playthings. Get back here DAMMIT!" The boss goblin yelled 

"Oh I think those people are the least of your concerns now..... But hey be thankful because you're gonna be apart of my newest experiment. Just hold tight got it I'll be with you shortly to help you leave this plane of existence." I then closed my eyes while still having Detection active to make sure they didn't try to pull anything.

I focused on the center of my body where I felt all the mana gather before being spread into the rest of my body, I then imagined my true form, The dragon form I held up until recently and then I willed the mana in my body to enact the change. At first nothing happened but then a tingling sensation started to occur in the muscles all over my body. Then a slight pain started deep in my bones before I heard a loud crack and a sharp pain rocked my body and causing me to kneel down in pain.

"What the Fck is going on here. Are you guys seeing the same thing I am?" The boss asked while looking at me with an amazed and confused look in his eyes.

"Yea boss this is getting weird, should we just all attack now? I really don't want to stick around for whatever it is this guys tryna do." 

"Same. Let's end this." 

Then through the pain I could barely still sense the goblins had started to run towards me. I tried to hurry up the process but the mana was starting to slow down to a crawl as my body started to crack and groan but I could also feel it started to enlarge and the once compact muscles were starting to unravel and lengthen. I opened my eyes and through tears I could see that I was now on all fours as giant claws erupted from my finger tips, causing spurts of blood to explode forth only to sizzle in midair and disappear. 

I noticed that the goblins had stopped and were now staring up at me with wide eyes filled with terror. I smiled through the pain as the transformation finally came to an end. 

I was panting with heavy breaths but was still filled with happiness as the experiment was a success. 

"Haha, little creatures, I told you I was a dragon. Now before we continue with the meal I have a question. Who is the king of the Lizardmen."

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[Dragon Form] - User can change into its original dragon form and then back to dragonoid form.

Dragon form has increased stats and power.

[Detection] - Max! - Detection is now turned into a passive that can be turned off or on and left with no additional mana consumption.