thump, thump
The faint sounds of our footsteps, among the deep, thick silence of the cave, were the only thing that reached my ears.
'Are all goblin nests this quiet?'
The lack of any audible indicators of the goblins' presence in this cave made me really uncomfortable – even though I knew they could simply be having some goblin get-together party much farther in.
'At least we saw some traces near the entrance.'
The scattered stains of dried blood, of various sizes and colors, all forming a rough trail heading into the cave, as well as a few different scraps of fur strewn here and there, suggested goblins had indeed occupied this cave, dragging the spoils of their hunts back into the depths of their nest.
If not for that, I might have decided to put a stop to this mission there and then – I did want to gain money and combat experience, but not at the cost of ignoring something this suspicious.
To my relief, I could see, barely, a few dark spots on the floor along our path. Whenever we took one of the side corridors, the blood trail would stop, only to rejoin us as we returned to the main path.
Around halfway through, as we entered another side path and made our way to its mid-point, I stopped, silently stretching my hand to stop the nearby Tim, who threw me a questioning gaze.
"Trap."
I whispered in a hushed voice, pointing my finger onwards and downward, where I could make out a thin dark line, slightly above the cave floor.
"Oh… you're right."
As I slowly stepped over the string, Tim noticed it too.
"Seems like it's not just plants you have a good eye for!"
Somehow, the halfling managed to speak in his usual cheery tone even while quietly whispering. I started suspecting that it could be the effect of some kind of Trait.
As we passed our first trap, we began to move even slower, carefully scanning even the tiniest pebbles we came across.
Soon, we found - and avoided - another alarm trap. After passing the first one, I obviously did inspect it, noticing the string connected to some kind of metal scrap that might function as a bell.
This was actually good news – the goblin camp was within the sound's reach.
What wasn't good news was that we haven't encountered a single goblin by now.
If we could pick off four or even two goblins before the fight, it would become trivial. If we faced 8 goblins at once, there was a real risk of serious injury, doubly so if some of the goblins had bladed weapons rather than just clubs.
So far, the lack of goblin guards suggested they were all staying together.
'Oh well, if this job was easy, everybody would do it.'
Comforting myself with some ancient corporate wisdom, I slowly moved forward, trying to spot another trap.
"-reesskr."
Finally, as we were less than 100 meters away from the cavern, I heard a distant goblin shriek.
Simultaneously, my nose picked up a faint smell of… some kind of meat?
Instantly, I raised my hand and quietly warned my companions.
"Alright. Let's get ready."
"Onward, to slay the vile beasts!"
Both of my companions raised their weapons (and shield, which I had always refused to call a weapon), as we slowly walked forward.
The tunnel itself was curved – we could see roughly 20 meters ahead. And as soon as we covered a third of it…
"Wait… was this on the map?"
"Ah.. no… I can't remember seeing another tunnel here."
Both Tim and Pinpin sounded equally confused.
Around halfway down the path to the cavern, a large, rough hole stretched wide and tall.
The first peculiar thing about it was the faint light coming from within.. a light I instantly recognized. After all, this dim light was the first light I saw in this world.
The second oddity was that, unlike the hole I crawled out of back then, this one had quite a few debris around it. The largest stones were seemingly moved to the sides of the tunnel, likely by the goblins who used it, and some of the smaller ones remained scattered, probably left alone by the lazy creatures.
The hole itself was also much larger than the one in the mines, its inner outline rough, with a few loose stones that seemed like they might fall at any moment.
As we slowly got closer, I also noticed something else – some of the small rubble and dust near the hole looked vaguely like a mix of multiple footprints. At least 4 pairs of them looked more recent than the rest.
"This… I think this tunnel may lead to the Dark Regions."
The bard's voice lacked its usual juvenile element, turning completely serious in an instant.
"The Dark Regions? I recognize the moss, but how.. why?"
"Mayhaps something broke through from the inside. Or, in all likelihood, yesterweek's earthquake could be the reason."
"Uhm.. yes. It could be that."
"The traces on the ground suggest some goblin movement. I'm not a real scout, so my conclusion might be off, but I think there are 4 pairs of fresh goblin tracks leading inside, among the older ones."
Both party members turned their heads to me at the same time, before exchanging a glance and nodding.
"You've got pretty sharp senses. I'll trust you on this one."
Tim voiced his approval, while the halfling just nodded.
"So, how should we proceed?"
In response to my question, Tim fell into even deeper contemplation, while the bard's worried expression remained unchanged.
However, before either had a chance to say anything, I interrupted their thoughts yet again, this time in an even lower voice.
"Footsteps. One goblin. Slowly coming this way."
My senses picked up the faint sound of a goblin's feet hitting the oddly smooth stone floor, slowly growing louder.
"Twenty to thirty seconds before it sees us."
Honestly, I was starting to get worried. With the addition of this damn tunnel, especially if there really were 4 goblins inside, I was afraid the party might get caught between the hammer and the anvil if we blindly charged in.
However, if the tribe was really separated into perfect halves right now, we could hardly wish for a better opportunity – not to mention, my senses picked up nothing from inside the tunnel, so unless they were somehow aware of us from way earlier, laying in perfect silence near the entrance all this time, an ambush would be unlikely.
Seeing that Tim was still hesitating, I decided to borrow command this one time.
"Lean against the wall! Me first, then Pinpin. When it comes into sight, we charge. We need to kill it outright – there are four or five of them farther up."
As I was finishing my first sentence, I was already moving.
By the time I finished speaking, Pinpin was leaning against the cold stone right behind me, and Tim behind him.
It seemed both of them had no objections to my blatant disregard of the official command chain – perhaps due to my (Sebastian's) aura of "seniority", or perhaps due to the extreme time constraints. Maybe a bit of both.
And not long after, from around the curve's edge, a short, skinny, disgusting figure, with glimmering red eyes, slowly appeared.
However, there were a few surprising things about it.
First, its apparel, despite still falling under the category of 'rags', actually looked closer to proper clothes.
Second, across its torso span a large ragged strap, with a short sword visible on its back.
Finally, in its hands, it carried a large sack, with the faint smell coming from inside being that of… smoked meat?
Most of those observations were processed mid-sprint. The moment I saw the goblin, I immediately moved, remaining close to the wall.
The halfling moved only a half-beat later, his movements themselves swifter than mine. By the time I barely covered one third of the distance, he was already standing in the middle of the 2 meter wide tunnel, his small crossbow pointed at the stunned green creature.
clang
With the sound of a trigger being pressed, and a string being released, a small iron bolt flew past me – straight towards the goblins chest.
"SKREEEEEE!!"
The goblin released an ear piercing screech, which somehow held traces of human-like terror.
In fear, it threw the sack forward, and began turning around.
plup
A sound of iron piercing flesh was heard.
'Lucky little shit.'
Perhaps due to its honed survival instincts, or perhaps due to its incredible luck, the sack perfectly blocked the shot, and the bolt sank into some chunk of meat within.
At this point, I could already hear the shrieks of the pest's comrades.
'Sounds like 4 more. So there were 5 of them here?'
I was already midway to the goblin when it sprinted away.
There were about 7 meters between us.
The goblin was very agile, yet its legs were still short, and we had already put our backpacks on the ground by the time it arrived.
'Just a bit more…'
I was closing the distance. I could hear my companions behind me. But by the time the distance between us was reduced to half, I saw more green figures emerging from the tunnel – equipped with proper weapons, too.
'Fuck this.'
Rather than continuing my chase, risking becoming separated from my companion in the middle of 4 armed goblins, I decided to end this one right now. I bent my legs, and half a second later…
[Charge Thrust] !
The world around me moved as if in slow motion. Over the course of my training, I had already learned to adapt to the movement of the skill, something that was certainly made easier by my high Awareness.
The distance between me and the goblin was just right. As time resumed its regular flow, my sword was piercing the creature's spine, peeking from its chest on the other side.
The goblin simply fell into a pool of its own blood, without even drawing its sword, never to rejoin its kin in this life.
I threw a glance backwards – my party members were about 15 meters away, while the goblins were around 10.
Making an instant judgement, I ran backwards, ready to take my position in the formation we prepared.
In this brief moment, I also focused my hearing, trying to make out any sounds from the direction of the unexpected side tunnel. Thankfully, I did not pick up on anything.
I took my spot beside Tim, who also stopped as he reached me.
Behind us was the bard, who had… already put his crossbow back? And took out the lute?..
Paying that no mind, I focused on the four approaching goblins.
They were actually holding a formation themselves – the two in front, holding rusty short swords and decrepit wooden shields, were protecting the two who held short wooden spears right behind them.
'Are goblins really that smart? I thought even their evolved variants were barely comparable to humans.'
But regardless of my thoughts, I couldn't argue with my eyes.
'Maybe this doesn't happen around those parts, so whoever wrote that guide didn't include it?..'
Inwardly cursing the nameless guild clerk responsible for composing the local monster guide, I focused on the enemies, who were already upon us.
However, the goblins did not charge in. Instead, they stopped a few meters away, the shield bearers lowering their stance and raising their ragged shields, while the two speargoblins used their left hands to reach for the pouches strapped to their belts, which I had only just noticed.
Two seconds later…
Clank! Thump!
Tim raised his shield, and I managed to use my sword to deflect the incoming projectiles, a pair of smooth river stones, roughly the size of a child's fist.
While far from deadly, the goblins' aim was surprisingly good – both were on their way to hit our heads. The pouches contained at least a dozen such stones each.
'Seriously?'
At this point, I began to consider the possibility that perhaps I was the one to misread something. Those goblins were nothing like the rugged, disorganized creatures, dumber than most human children and even some beasts, at that.
Before I could inwardly curse the book's author again, a melody erupted behind me.
This time, the sound was rhythmic, pulsating, filled with electricity a simple flute ought not possess.
I could feel my body becoming slightly lighter, my muscles filling with energy.
"Go!"
Following the halfling's shout, both me and Tim rushed forward as the speargoblins were still reaching into their pouches.
The goblins adjusted their formation just in time for our approach.
I decided to conserve my stamina, using no skills and simply swinging my sword with all its might.
crack!
The half-rotten shield could not even delay my swing, which split the goblin's torso horizontally, from its scrawny right shoulder down to its feeble left leg, unleashing a spray of blood and entrails.
The one behind it did not miss this opportunity, thrusting its spear right at me.
However, my body felt like the wind, dancing among the clouds.
I simply dodged to the right, and with an upper slash, the spear was cut in half, together with the goblin's belly.
I threw a glance to my left, where Tim had used his shield to bash the front goblin, who was only starting to get off the ground, and had already deflected a spear strike with his sword.
The speargoblin leapt back, using its weapon to create distance – however, its head flew into the air a second later, courtesy of my sword.
At the same time, Tim had already launched a strike at the fallen goblin, piercing its skull through the eye socket, which popped into a spray of blood and pus.
And so, barely ten seconds after the music's start, the battle was already over.
"Bravo! Bravo!"
The bard, putting down his flute, began to applaud.
"That was… huff… really well done. I knew it was the right call to invite you."
Tim, breath still heavy after the battle, addressed me directly.
"Thanks. But.. it wasn't just me, you know? I could never fight like this if not for our bard here."
"Aha ha, you flutter me. But, really, I can't accept much credit here. Melody Of Invigoration is not some great enhancement, you know. It provides a tad of vigor, but beyond that, its magnificent rhythm can only lift the spirits."
"Oh… I see."
"Ha ha ha!"
"Ehe.. he he he."
Both of my companions couldn't help but smile at my flustered response.
Did I really let my fear hold me back this much? Did I get complacent after swinging my sword at empty air for a few days?
"Ehem! Anyway, do you think any of this is worth anything?"
"No, my friend. Those scraps would bring disgrace to even the filthiest back alley peddler."
"At least their left ears are intact."
A goblin's left ear was the body piece to be presented for their bounty.
Given our mission, we could also demand immediate rewards with 8 such trophies. Of course, the guild would still verify our success, and we would face heavy penalties if we tried to deceive them, but at least we could get the reward before the verification.
"Well then, friends! Let's be about it!"
We quickly cut off the ears, before proceeding to the cavern.
The sight revealed before us was quite filthy – in the corner of the cave, a small pit was dug, which had a rancid smell of rotting carcasses emanating from it.
Nearby, sticking to the wall was a strange construction, made of stones mixed with something that vaguely looked like clay – it was slightly elevated, leaving enough space below its base for the smoldering charred logs, covered by more and more stones. It had a single hole, covered with dry leather, and the scent of smoked meat could clearly be felt from inside.
Also, while not visible, this smoking device must have had a hole in the back for the smoke to escape through – perhaps leading into the neighboring tunnel we saw earlier, or even a different cave system.
Beyond that, there were 9 sleeping spots, mainly made up of leaves and surrounded by rocks. There were a few seemingly empty sacks thrown around, and… the armory.
Of course, despite me calling it that, it was just a few spears, swords and shields of the same quality as before, as well as a small pile of smooth river stones.
"Are goblins always this… crafty?"
I couldn't help but wonder.
"Erm… no. This is pretty unusual, actually."
"If all goblins were like this, perhaps they would star in more songs! Ha ha ha."
Both of my companions noted the unusual situation.
"Anyone has any ideas?"
"I have not yet heard a song or tale in which goblins would behave so. Peculiar, indeed. But then again, there are countless songs and tales my heart yet yearns to discover!"
"I have heard of goblins acting more organized around a shaman. However, not only do goblin shamans basically never appear in those woods, but there are many other differences."
"Such as?"
"Usually, when led by a shaman, goblins may get their claws on better gear, but they wouldn't have this level of tactics, and probably not discipline, either. Also, shamans tend to keep most of their tribe at hand, as they sometimes use their own kin as sacrifices, and thus, try to avoid every death. Anyway, a shaman probably wouldn't split a tribe this small in half without being close by… and if one was here, we would be dead."
Tim finished his explanation with a low voice, traces of fear shining through.
"Ahem! Anyway, let's check if there is anything here, first."
Following our leader's call, we quickly went through everything.
Apart from a few empty sacks, smoked meat of dubious origin, and some trash-tier weapons, we found…
"Oh! It's a small gem!"
Tim managed to find a small gem in one of the sleeping spots, among the leaves.
"Nice find, Timmy! This one is small, but could be worth more than the mission's reward, if the Smiling Lady wills it!"
This small gem, smaller than a nail, could be worth over 10 gold? I could only hope. This would greatly increase this mission's profits.
"Alright… so.. what do we do now?"
Our mission wasn't over yet.