Pete had just registered the fact that the shield had successfully repelled the projectiles when the Gearhound that had fired collided with the side of the RV, shoving it sharply to the side as tires screeched and Sam struggled with the steering wheel.
A huge metal horn ripped through shield and metal alike, jutting through the door just beside Pete’s leg and narrowly missing stabbing him. Pete shifted position, tucking his legs up under him and staring down at the metal protrusion in disbelief. He triggered his Pauper’s Ward as the horn thrashed about, thrusting back and forth as the Gearhound struggled against the side of the RV.
>> Dodge Proficiency +1
Coop jumped down, triggering her own ward and deliberately positioning herself to be in harm’s way so that the blue sphere of light surrounding her erupted violently when the horn made contact. Somehow, the ferret managed to direct the resulting ward blast outwards, away from the interior of the RV. Unfortunately, that meant that the Gearhound took the entire passenger side door with it as it was propelled away.
A burst of air buffeted Pete and Coop for a moment before the shielding surrounding the Winnebago quickly reestablished itself and covered the gap where the door had been.
“Fuck!” Pete blurted, turning to face Sam, who was still focused on keeping the vehicle moving as fast as possible.
“Can’t go below fifty!” she said, nodding toward the speedometer.
Pete looked down and saw that there was a red warning bar at the fifty miles per hour mark along with a holographic warning notice at the end of the bar.
>> WARNING: Dropping below 50 mph for more than three seconds will mean failing the challenge and incurring the Seized Gears Debuff for one hour.
“Shit!” Pete said, pointing through the window next to Sam as he saw another Gearhound fire its cannons.
Once again, the projectiles were driven back by the shielding surrounding the RV. Like the other Gearhound, however, the mechanical beast lurched to the right suddenly, intent on ramming the RV and driving it off the road.
Sam slammed her foot against the accelerator pedal, and the RV lunged forward. She then swerved to the right, and Pete turned to see a car in the middle of the road up ahead, guessing that Sam was going to attempt to position the RV between that parked car and the ramming Gearhound.
Pete looked back out the window beside her and saw a goblin rider holding something above its head that looked suspiciously like a Molotov cocktail. Before he could shout a warning, the barging Gearhound—which looked more like a giant hyena than a dog—charged at the RV.
The next moment, the goblin rider threw the Molotov cocktail and hit the parked car that had suddenly interposed itself between the two vehicles. The Gearhound smashed into the inert vehicle, immediately slowing its speed enough for the RV to shoot ahead while the hyena vehicle and the parked car were tangled in a mess of twisted metal.
Pete had barely enough time to register what had happened as a massive explosion from behind drew his eyes to the driver’s side mirror, where he saw a plume of fire and smoke erupt from the Gearhound they had just thwarted.
>> KILL REWARD [ASSISTED]: 100 Belch Bucks
“There’s coming again!” Coop yelled from the other side of the cabin as Pete turned to see two more Gearhounds with cannons preparing to fire.
Without thinking through the consequences if his shot failed to penetrate the RV’s shielding from the inside out, Pete summoned his bow and notched an arrow, aiming for the closest goblin rider who was grinning with golden teeth, twin horns jutting up from a helmet the little creature wore. It was shouting something he couldn’t hear above the roar of the Gearhound engines and the screeching of tires.
Despite the urgency of the situation, Pete held the bowstring, waiting for his charged shot ability to kick in as the RV swerved and the Gearhounds menaced. He held his nerve as the closest Gearhound fired its cannons and, mercifully, the shielding held and deflected the projectiles.
Pete had a moment to wonder what would happen if his charged shot bounced off the shield and shot right through his chest before his Coinpiercer ability triggered. He selected the Line Shot option of the ability, hoping to hit not only the enemy directly in front but also the Gearhound running alongside it.
As the RV continued to swerve and his aim wavered, he waited for the goblin to get closer, within ten feet, before he fired. Instead of aiming for the goblin rider, as he’d first thought to do, Pete targeted the area just below where the goblin was sitting, hoping to hit with enough force to topple the rider and, hopefully, drive the arrow into the enemy running behind.
“Whenever you’re ready!” Coop shouted.
Pete could see the glint of the goblin’s golden grill and spotted the gleam in the demonic figure’s eyes as he released the shot. Light flared, and a javelin of golden power shot from the bow, right through the RV’s shield and into the night.
The constant jolting and confined space in the RV’s cabin meant that Pete’s aim wasn’t exactly true. Instead of bursting into the metal riding saddle, the charged arrow shot right through the goblin’s side, burning an eight-inch hole through the creature’s torso before hitting the goblin rider behind the first and ripping its head off entirely.
The two Gearhounds veered into one another as the closest rider turned and looked at Pete, disbelief in his goblin eyes as he slumped into a heap and both vehicles collided. The resulting crash and consequent explosion filled the night sky with light and sound while the RV continued on, surviving yet another encounter with the bizarre enemy.
>> ACHIEVEMENT: Goblin Shish Kaboom!
Congratulations! You just skewered two goblin Gearhound riders with one shot, resulting in a spectacular explosion as their vehicles collided. And that’s really what it’s all about, isn’t it? EXPLOSIONS!
ACHIEVEMENT REWARD: Archery Proficiency +1, Critical Strike Proficiency +1, Critical Damage Proficiency +1
KILL REWARD: 400 Belch Bucks
There was no time to consider his latest achievement. The shot had confirmed that Pete and his crew could fire out of the RV without their weapons being reflected back on them. Pete immediately turned to the back cabin where Craig and the others were struggling to stop themselves from being flung around like rag dolls.
“You can fire out the windows!” he shouted above the screeching tires and revving engine.
He pointed to the small window above the kitchen, where the shattered glass had been replaced by shielding.
“You can shoot through the shield!” he said, showing them the bow.
Craig nodded, pulling out his rifle and trying to look out of the window. It was too high up for the goblin to see clearly, and the RV was swerving so wildly that it was difficult enough to stay standing.
Frustrated, Craig ran to the door and flung it open. The door whipped backward, slamming against the side of the Winnebago as a gust of air blew into the cabin before the shield covered the open space. Craig stood by the door, and Grizzle came up beside him, hunkering down on the floor and grabbing his legs to help keep him upright as he aimed the weapon at the closest Gearhound and fired.
The shot pinged off the hide of the Gearhound, bouncing into the night without doing any damage. The goblin promptly stowed his firearm and triggered his Filthy Lucre ability, sending a burst of corroded Belch Bucks out toward the mechanized beast. Black ash sprayed across the Gearhound’s body as the coins hit their mark. Corrosion began to quickly spread, eating away at the outer hull of the beast and working its way inward at speed.
The goblin rider shouted, making what Pete assumed were obscene gestures with its hand before steering the Gearhound toward the RV with a determination to ram the vehicle. While Pete watched in fascination, the Gearhound crumbled to pieces as it veered toward the Winnebago. Craig continued to fire corrosive coins at the enemy, exacerbating the damage he'd already caused and prompting the machine to seize up as mechanical components fell apart and the Gearhound left a trail of rotten metal in its wake.
The goblin rider realized too late that its mount was falling to pieces. A panicked look hit his face as he tried to extricate himself from the Gearhound. Instead of simply crashing or slowing down, however, the mechanical mount seemed to grind down to the earth like a piece of cheese against a grater. As the goblin tried to jump to freedom, the mount fell out beneath him, dragging the little creature down to the road in a tangle of corroded metal.
If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.
“Pete!” Coop called out, drawing his attention back to the front cabin.
The little ferret was pointing at the driver’s side window and the goblin Gearhound rider that was standing on the top of its mount and leveling what looked like a rocket launcher at the RV. Without needing to be asked, Sam immediately wound down the window and pressed her head back against the seat as Pete drew his bow.
The words ‘Don’t hit me!’ spilled out of Sam’s mouth as the arrow shot past, went through the open window, and out into the night, burying itself in the goblin’s chest with sufficient force that it sent the little creature hurtling backward just as it fired the rocket. There was a whooshing sound, and Pete ducked instinctively as a rocket shot from the launcher, arcing sharply upward and narrowly missing the roof of the RV as it flew into the sky with a whizzing sound.
>> KILL REWARD: 100 Belch Bucks
>> ARCHERY PROFICIENCY +1
As Pete stared out the window, he noticed that the Gearhound was still galloping alongside the RV, its dead rider bouncing around in the small metal cabin resting on top of the vehicle. Mercifully, the Gearhound didn’t fire its weapons or attempt to charge again but seemed to be content to gallop along.
“Another one over here!” Coop shouted.
Pete spun, drawing another arrow and almost poked Coop with it as he spun around. The little ferret scooted to the side, narrowly avoiding being skewered by the arrow tip as Pete aimed at the enemy outside.
Unlike the other Gearhounds, this vehicle looked lean and well-built. Instead of loose pieces of metal and tarnished machinery hanging off here and there, it was covered in dull gray armor plating that fit seamlessly together. The vehicle actually looked like a dog, with large canines jutting from the front of its mouth, metal spikes that glinted in the faint light as the mechanical beast turned its head toward the RV.
The goblin rider was different as well. Instead of a metal saddle or a badly constructed cabin, the rider was enclosed in a sturdy-looking compartment with slit windows at the sides and armor plating covering the rest of the cabin. Pete couldn’t even see the goblin within, and it looked like that armor would easily deflect any normal arrow shots.
More troubling still, a compartment had opened up in the side of the vehicle, and a large saw blade was spinning at speed as the Gearhound moved in closer.
“Shit! Not sure if I can get through that armor,” Pete said as his charged shot ability triggered, and he selected the Debt Collector’s Drill function and fired, hoping that the added force would allow the arrow to pass through that armor.
A shard of horizontal light shot from the bow, marking the charged arrow’s trajectory as it arced slightly and hit the cabin of the enemy Gearhound. Light flared around the impact point, but when the violent flash vanished, there was no sign of damage.
“Fuck! It’s got a shield!” Pete bellowed as the Gearhound veered toward the RV, its large horizontal blade spinning.
Before he could draw another arrow, the two vehicles impacted. Light flared as the bluish shield surrounding the RV attempted to repel the saw blade. At the same time, the head of the Gearhound turned around and attempted to bite into the front of the Winnebago, savage fangs driving their way through the shield and into the RV’s hood.
Craig shouted in the rear cabin, firing another burst of corrosive Belch Bucks at the enemy Gearhound but finding that most of the coins failed to land as they were repelled by its shielding. Part of the saw blade had also penetrated the Winnebago’s shielding and was cutting into the vehicle, sending sparks flying.
Pete lifted his bow. He was close enough now to see the face of the goblin sitting inside the enemy vehicle through the horizontal slit window. Glowing yellow eyes stared back through the slit, and Pete thought he could detect a smile behind those devilish eyes.
He waited for a charged shot again and fired, sending an arrow directly toward the window only a few feet away. The flash of light caused by the charged shot temporarily blinded Pete, and he looked away.
A moment later, the Gearhound retreated, tearing itself away from the RV. Pete blinked, catching sight of the arrow he’d just shot sticking out from the window, half of its length having penetrated both the protective shielding of the Gearhound and the slit window, giving the rider pause as the vehicle moved to a safer distance.
>> ELITE UNIT [NPC] — RATTLEJACK KRAGSPIT
CLAN: Gearhound Goblins
TYPE: Precision Raider / Tech-Saboteur
THREAT TIER: Mid-High (Volatile Engineering Hazard)
>> DESCRIPTION:
Rattlejack Kragspit is the rare goblin engineer whose creations don’t look like they’re about to explode—they look like they’re about to win. His Gearhound, designated “Silvershear Mk.III,” is a streamlined, armored predator forged from reinforced plating, fluid hydraulics, and stabilized cutting drives. Unlike typical Gearhounds, Silvershear operates with unnerving smoothness: minimal clatter, controlled power output, and tailored systems designed for high-precision vehicle destruction. Where most Gearhound Goblins rely on chaos, Rattlejack relies on efficiency. His engineering mastery turns battlefield sabotage into an art form.
>> OFFENSIVE ABILITIES:
+| SILVERSHEAR CUTTING RUN
A high-torque horizontal saw assembly deploys from Silvershear’s midsection, sliding out on precision-milled rails. With a controlled acceleration burst, the Gearhound performs a clean, sweeping maneuver aimed at cutting through enemy vehicles or slicing apart enemy units with equal efficiency.
Effect: Deals severe slashing and structural damage along a horizontal plane. Applies Armor Cleft, dramatically reducing defense on vehicles and elite units. Critical hits may shear plating clean off.
+| SABOTEUR CRAB SALVO
Rattlejack activates a recessed launch port along Silvershear’s flank. Sleek, silver-bodied crab drones eject in rapid succession, gripping surfaces with magnetic claws.
Effect: Each drone autonomously targets vehicle seams and exposed joints, dealing continuous precision-cutting damage. Applies Subsystem Corrosion and has a chance to trigger Engineering Breach, temporarily disabling targeting, steering, or power-routing modules.
>> DEFENSIVE ABILITIES:
+| AEGIS-PHASE SHIELD
Silvershear projects a semi-rigid defensive barrier using stabilized shield coils built directly into its armored spine. A hex-pattern shimmer covers the Gearhound, absorbing and dispersing incoming fire.
Effect: Greatly reduces ranged and explosive damage. Small arms fire and minor spells are deflected entirely.
Weakness: The shield has limited close-quarters cohesion—melee attackers or point-blank strikes penetrate the barrier, forcing the shield to momentarily collapse for recalibration.
Having quickly read the details of this new elite enemy, Pete spotted the rear section of the Gearhound open up to reveal something like a mounted rocket launcher with dozens of small round holes in its front. He immediately realized what would be coming next.
“Shit! It’s gonna launch those crabs at us!”
“Crabs?!” Craig shouted from the rear cabin.
“They’ll try and tear the RV apart! We need to kill as many as we can before they cause too much damage.”
Before he’d finished speaking, the projectile launcher erupted, and dozens of small silver forms shot from its tubes, arcing across the intervening space and heading toward the RV. The oversized, bullet-like projectiles unfolded in midair, stretching out wicked-looking pincers and small whirring circular blades before they landed against the side and roof of the Winnebago with a series of metallic clangs.
“Why isn’t the shield repelling them?!” Sam shouted, still steering the RV and maintaining speed while she avoided the various obstacles in the road up ahead.
“They aren’t bullets!” Pete said, pulling out his oversized machete and leaning toward the shield that covered the open passenger side door. “And they’re holding onto the RV!” he continued, grabbing hold of the side of the RV with one hand and swinging his machete down at one of the Saboteur Crabs.
He missed the creature as it scuttled out of the way, and the blade sparked as it hit the hood and bounced off. On his second try, Pete was more successful. The blade bisected one of the crabs before it could cut through the hood and slammed down through the metal.
“Hey!” Sam shouted, frowning over at Pete. “Don’t hit the RV!”
Pete grunted, wondering how on Earth he was supposed to obey that command given that there were dozens of little crab creatures biting and sawing their way through the vehicle, all intent on reaching vital components so that they could cripple the RV and halt its advance. He twisted the machete in his hand, then tried to use it like a swatter, slapping against the hood again and again until he successfully smashed one of the crab creatures, breaking its pincers and sending it hurtling off into the night.
Coop took the opportunity to join the fight, running down Pete’s arm and launching herself onto the hood. She swiped out at one of the crabs, swatting the creature up off the RV and off to the side before darting over to another of the robotic creatures.
Pete pulled back, not wanting to hit Coop and realizing that she was better suited to the task in her ferret form, anyway. He turned to look back into the main cabin just as the skylight in the roof was ripped off and went flying backwards. A moment later, the sound of a second volley of Saboteur Crabs being launched preceded a dozen new creatures flying in through the newly made hole in the roof, at which point utter chaos ensued.
Crabs fell, and to their credit, the goblins responded swiftly. Grizzle used her holy book to batter one of the falling crabs so hard that it hit the far wall of the cabin and broke two of its pincers. The creature tried to resume its work, a small blade whirring from its abdomen as the goblin bent down and slammed the book repeatedly against it until there was nothing left but a smear of oil and battered machine components.
Craig was using the flat of his rifle to hit the crabs, scoring repeatedly and finishing them off with his boots once they hit the floor. Torgo, however, was doing more harm than good. His fire attacks didn’t seem to bother the crabs at all, but both Craig and Grizzle had already been scorched by his wild attacks, and Pete could see that matters would get markedly worse if he didn’t intervene.
Experiencing a strange moment of nostalgia, he spotted a frying pan lying on the floor, which had spilled out from one of the kitchen cupboards while the RV was swerving about. He whistled sharply, getting Torgo’s attention, and then pointed at the frying pan as he gestured to hit something with the implement.
Torgo grinned, nodded, and promptly sent a gout of fire toward the frying pan, clearly having understood nothing of what Pete was trying to convey.
“NO!” Pete shouted, prompting Torgo to look up, confused. “Pick it up!”
He mimed holding the frying pan and hitting one of the crabs with it, and finally, Torgo understood. He bent down, picked up the pan, and immediately started joining the mad struggle to contain the crab menace.
Pete turned back to see that Coop was struggling to pull out one of the Saboteur Crabs, which had cut through the hood and buried itself somewhere in the engine. The little ferret had her face pressed against the metal, one arm shoved through the gap, desperately trying to find the critter, like a cat pawing at a mouse.
Leaning out of the opening at his side, Pete hefted the machete, intending to assist by swatting two other crabs that were attempting to cut their way through to the engine. Before he could do so, however, Rattlejack Kragspit’s Gearhound loomed into view, blade spinning as it swerved directly toward where Pete was hanging out of the RV.
He ducked out of range as the saw blade cut at the shield, sparks flying where it was pressing through to the interior of the RV. The blade whirred, spitting sparks as Pete backed further away. The blade continued to cut, slicing through the edge of the seat and carving through the wheel arch, threatening the front right tire.
[Nero] You need to act, Pete! If your vehicle loses a tire, its speed will drop below the threshold.
The AI need not have spoken. Pete was already moving, machete in hand, his Blood Overdraft berserker subclass triggered as he kicked up off the floor of the RV and drove himself past the whirring blade and out of the Winnebago altogether. He jumped up on top of the Gearhound, machete held in both hands as he attempted to drive it through to the top of the metal cabin.