The forest floor is rougher than I thought as we enter deep into the forest. I have been here plenty of times before, but never has the going been so harsh. Loose pebbles and stray sticks threaten to trip me, while every once in a while, from time to time something rustling in the bushes makes me jump. We have not seen anything dangerous, just a few bunnies and squirrels that Lucas suggest we try to hunt on the way back, but there are scary monsters out here two.
Wolfs roam these woods in packs, and although they do not attack humans that often, their evolutionary form, known as a Dire wolf, will try to kill anyone it sees. Then there are bears that can evolve into great bears, dark fairies that trick people and then there are goblins that build nests and raid human villages. Against an experienced Adventurer, I am sure none of these monsters is even a threat. Still, they are all deadly creatures, which is why I keep jumping every time I hear a trig snap.
"Are you okay back there?"
Lucas smiles, looking over his shoulder at me. This is the eighth time it has happened, and I am expecting her will tell me to get lost any time now. Lucas was kind enough to form a party with me, but all I am doing is causing trouble for him. I do not know why he is putting up with me or looking at me with such kind eyes that I struggle to look him in the eyes. Finally, I nod my head and move to catch up with him. I cannot hold him back, I tell myself as we continue our march towards the goblin nest.
"Let me know if you need a break," Lucas continues to smile. "Just tug on my sleeve if you need something. I'm not used to working in groups, so I am probably making things hard for you."
"…" I rapidly shake my head. It is the opposite. I am the one making things hard for you.
"It's kind of you to deny it, but I am sure I am a burden on you,"
Why won't he understand? The smile fades from his lips, and it is heart-breaking to see. Please keep on smiling. I need to do something. Grabbing his arm, I force our march to come to a halt. Shaking my head, I hope he gets the message that he is not a burden for me. I wish I could talk. I wish I could say the words that will make him smile again.
"Sorry…" He looks away for a second, worrying me, but he quickly turns around, wearing that smile again. I can already feel my heart warming by its sight. "I shouldn't put myself down like that… thank you for stopping me, Maria."
"…" I smile and nod my head before we start to move.
"It has just been hard," He mutters. "Being rejected all the time."
I want to ask him more. I want to take away his worries, but I cannot bring myself to stop him again. Maybe one day, I can find the courage to take that step.
We continue our hike reaching deep enough into the forest that the trees are tightly packed together. We must duck and weave to continue moving forward. I pray we do not get lost. With how dense the forest is becoming, I fear that is almost certain to happen.
We must be getting near to that goblin nest by now. We have been walking for nearly two hours but have not seen a single sign of goblins in the area. I hope we are not already lost. I stay close behind Lucas so we do not get separated, keeping my ears open for any sound that could signal a threat. But suddenly, Lucas stops.
Snap! Snap! Snap!
Branches breaks, and the foliage in front of us move.
Snap! Snap! Snap!
This does not sound like a wild animal. On the contrary, the snaping is happening in a steady rhythm like someone or something is doing that snaping on purpose. Lucas looks at me and puts a finger to his lips.
Snap! Snap! Snap!
"Gaaaaaa!"
Lucas draws his sword, and I ready my spear taking a deep breath. Do not know what could have made that sound, but it cannot be human. I follow Lucas's lead getting ready to charge like he is. I can feel my heart racing away in my chest.
Snap! Snap! Snap!
Lucas burst forward, and I do not think. I simply follow him.
"Gaaaaaa!"
The goblin cries out the moment it sees us. Standing twice the size of the human but looking so thin, you can see its ribs. It glares at us. Three fingers on each hand ended in three long claws and two pointy teeth hanging out of his mouth. This goblin sure looks deadly.
I stop in my tracks, but Lucas runs forward, swinging his sword and cutting the goblin down. Black blood seeps from the wound as the goblin collapses, covering its dark green skin. It does not move. I can breathe for the first time when I see that the goblin is dead.
"Keep an eye out while I cut out its core," Lucas instructs, and I nod.
Goblin corpses are worthless. You may find something valuable on them like coins, weapons or jewellery, but this one was barely clothed. I look away as Lucas uses his sword to open the goblin's chest. The core inside is the only helpful thing. They can be used to make magical tools and weapons, but goblin cores are so weak that even they are not worth much.
I try not to look as I hear Lucas tear open the goblin's chest. I try to distract myself with my lookout duty. There is not much around other than trees. Thankfully, there are no goblins, but I think I can make out a trail they must use. I do not know what this one was doing by itself or why it was snaping branches, but I think he was trying to build something. Judging from the broken branches on the floor, I think it was trying to make some kind of a shield.
"All done,"
I turn to see Lucas standing up with a white crystal stained with the goblins black blood in his hands. The body at his feet does not look pretty, but I manage to stop myself from throwing up. I will have to find a way to get used to seeing sights like this if I want to be an Adventurer.
"Ready to move on?"
I nod my head, and Lucas turns to continue walking, but it is not in the direction of the forest. I quickly run forward and grab his arm again. He looks confused for a moment, but he seems to understand what I am trying to say when he sees me pointing towards that trail I spotted.
"Good job," Lucas smiles before we start to follow that trail.
I do not know how Lucas could ever think he was slowing me down. As I watch him cut down two goblins one after the other, if anything, I am the one holding him back. I have not fought anything, and I am afraid to do so. The only thing I have been able to do since we took on this quest was to keep a lookout while Lucas cut out the goblin's cores. Even now, all I can do is watch out for trouble as he bloodies his hand again to retrieve those cores.
It takes a few minutes, but Lucas quickly finds those cores, and we begin to move again. I can barely look at him. I am sure he will want to kick me out of the party once we get back to town. Staring at m feet, I try to picture myself fighting alongside him, but all I can see is Lucas being held back because he must protect me. I wish I could defend h… That is strange. I felt a gentle warmth suddenly, and I could swear my body glowed for a split second. I must have just imagined it. Lucas does not seem to have noticed anything either, so it could not have happened.
Lucas stops me again as we reach the end of the trail and can hear heavy footsteps pacing around just beyond the trees that shield us. This must be it. This is the largest group of goblins we have discovered by far, so they must be protecting something. I gulp as I grip my spear. This is it. This is where we complete our quest, and I get to experience combat for the first time. Taking a deep breath, I try to prepare myself for what is to come.
I follow close behind Lucas as we creep forward and then wait as he takes a quick peek at our enemy. He holds up five fingers when he turns back to me, and I nod my head in understanding. Five fingers, five goblins to fight. I cannot stop the shaking. Just the thought of going out there is terrifying, but Lucas needs me. He may be strong, but five goblins will be too much for him to handle.
Lucas suddenly grabs my wrist, and I nearly yelp out at his sudden action but seeing his calm, smiling face is just what I need. His smile is so calming, and his eyes so reassuring that my body instantly stops shaking. I do my best to smile back and assure him that I am fine, but he still looks worried about me.
"Is this your first fight?" He whispers, and I nod. "Just stay behind me and try to stop anyone from getting behind us."
"…" I nod my head.
"We will get through this and complete this quest," Lucas smiles. "Then we will go on more adventurers together."
I am taken aback by that. He still wants me to be in our party. Even after I have done nothing but hold him back all day, he still does not want to get rid of me. I smile a natural smile this time and feel like I could cry.
"Let us get going in," Lucas says before bursting out of the bushes, and I have no hesitation in following him.
Like Lucas told me before, there are indeed five goblins guarding the entrance to a cave. They look no different to any other goblin. Still, unlike the ones we or rather Lucas, faced before, these goblins are armed with weapons. Two have wooden spears, one has an axe, and another is armed with a sickle. The final goblin, who appears to be in charge of the others, glares at us as we burst through the bushes. Armed with a wooden shield and longsword, that one is by far the greatest threat.
"Gaaaaaa!"
All the goblins let out a deafening shirk as they rush to meet us, but Lucas is too fast for them. Before the goblins even have a chance to formulate any kind of attack plan, Lucas takes off the head of one of the goblins armed with a spear. He quickly moves on to the next goblin ducking under its axe before stabbing the monster through the heart. But then there is trouble.
Before Lucas can pull his sword, free the goblin armed with a sickle is right on top of him. He looks to me, and I know I must act to save his life. I charge forward and stab the goblin in the ribs before he can harm Lucas, but it does not die. I must drop my spear to dodge out of the way of the goblins sickle. Lucky Lucas slices the goblins head off before I can get hurt and allowing me to retrieve my spear.
"Good work," Lucas smiles as we turn to face the last two goblins. Or so we thought.
Eight more goblins have appeared from within the cave, all armed with spears, axes, sickles, and some even have hammers. A few are armed with shields, and at least I do not see any of the goblins wielding bows, but the sight of so many armed goblins make us both take a step back.
I can feel myself start to panic again, and I can hear more goblins rushing towards us from deeper within the cave. There was not supposed to be this many. In most cases, goblin nests contain only ten or fewer goblins, but there must be at least twice that number here. I look towards Lucas, hoping to find strength from him again, but I can see the same fear within me taking him over as well.
"I'll… hold them off," Lucas shakingly tells me. "Run… go back to two and tell them how many goblins we found."
I cannot move. My legs shake and feel weak as I watch Lucas prepare to charge headlong into the goblins massed in front of us. He cannot do this. I do not want him to. I do not want him to die. Tightening the grip on my spear, I step forward, hoping to get Lucas to run instead as I hold the goblins off. It will be better this way, no one will miss me if I die, and I remember Srass saying something about Lucas having a family. I need to… no, I will convince Lucas to run while I stay behind. I might not be able to buy as much time as he can, but I can at least make sure Lucas has enough time to get safely away from these goblins.
"Wh… what are you doing?" Lucas asks as I step in front of him before he can charge. "I told you to run."
"…" I shake my head, then point towards him, then at the forest, hoping he cannot see how much my arm is shaking.
"I can't let you do this," Lucas complains. "Just run and inform the guild about the size of this goblin nest."
"…" I shake my head and charge forward before he can say another word.
"Maria, don't!"
I can hear Lucas call out to me, but I ignore him. I must do this. I must make sure he escapes and returns to his family. It makes sense that someone like me should die here who has no one to miss them. I will make sure Lucas can make it out alive. That is strange. I can feel that warmth again, and this time I am sure my body is glowing, but I ignore it. I need to focus on the fight, but I swear it feels like I am moving faster as I move forward.
I reach the goblin leader from before and quickly dodge out of the way of his sword. It must be tired as that sword strike seems slower than that swing of a sickle I avoided earlier. I stab him with my spear, and this goblins shield must not be that strong as I first thought as my spear breaks through it and pieces the neck of the goblin. I pull my weapon free, letting the goblin fall and leaving it to die, drowning in its own blood.
Two goblins attack me from both my left and right now, but they seem so slow that I can easily take one of them down with a thrust of my spear and then the other. A third goblin tries to attack me swing an axe down from over its head, but the tip of my spear pieces its skull before the axe reaches me. I had no idea goblins were so slow. I guess the ones I watched Lucas killed before must be a rare fast kind of goblin.
I take down another three goblins in quick progression before I notice something odd. Lucas, he is moving slow too. I watch him cut down a goblin, but before I can get mad at him for not running away, I notice he is moving just as slowly as the goblins. So, did I somehow become faster? Does it have something to do with the warmth in my body and the way I glow? I will figure it out later. Right now, there are still seven goblins left and more coming from within the cave.
Putting aside my concerns about what is happening, I bring down one goblin after another. Lucas kills off any of the monsters that try to leave the cave. Within a few minutes, it is over. At least thirty goblin corpses lay around us as that glow slowly fades away, but that heat remains a few seconds longer as I watch Lucas approach me.
"That was amazing," Lucas smiles. Despite us both covered in goblin blood, he still looks handsome with that smile. "I had no idea you were that great."
"…" I shake my head then point to him, hoping he can understand that he was just as amazing as well.
"I had no idea someone could take on that many goblins singlehandedly," He tells me, and I have no reply even if I could talk. I have no idea how I was able to do that. "I would like to ask you more about it, but we still have a job to do."
"…" I nod my head as we turn towards the cave. I can hear more goblins inside moving around.
I follow Lucas into the cave. Part of me wanted to take the lead after what just happened, but I let him take point. We move into the cave finding a single tunnel lit by crudely made torches while trying not to throw up. If anything, the rumours about the smell made it sound better than it really was. I could smell it slightly from the outside, but the smell was bearable with the distraction of combat and fresh forest air, but no, there is nothing to mask it. So now I cannot help but focus on the smell of rotten flesh that permanents from the depths of the cave.
We follow the tunnel until we come to an opening where the goblins have made their nest. Flimsy looking wooden shacks greet us, and only three goblins remain huddled together in the corner of the cave. I do not feel good about this, but we must kill them. Goblins do not need a mate to reproduce, so leaving only one of them alive will lead to this nest being rebuilt. Trying not to overthink it and assuring myself this is the right thing to do, I help Lucas finish off the last three goblins.
"Let's search the cave and make sure that is the last of them," Lucas suggests, and I nod my head, trying no to look at my latest kill.
They would have attacked a village and killed innocent people if I let them live. I must tell myself that as Lucas and I split up to search the wooden shacks one by one. They are monsters that needed to be put down. But despite what I tell myself, I cannot help but see how human-like they are. Each shake has a simple bed, a chest and a smaller version of the torches lighting the walls of the cave. I take no pleasure in taking what valuables I find, but I need them to live. Even if the takings are small, I need to take them. In the end, I only walk away with fourteen coins and a dagger I decided to keep as a backup if I were to lose my spear again.
Lucas came away slightly better off with fifteen coins and a small ring that looks dirty but could be worth some money at least. With the reward money for completing this quest, I am sure I can afford to stay at Sue's in again tonight and even eat one of her delicious meals. But I cannot think of food right now. Just the thought of eating in the foul stench of the cave makes me want to throw up. Seeing Lucas start to extract the cores from the goblins also does not help to settle my stomach. Looking at my new knife, I am tempted to offer to help, but the sight of the goblins insides instantly puts me off the idea.
Instead, I do what I can do to help and search around until I find two small bowls and a few pieces of clean, or what can pass for clean in this cave, pieces of cloth. Then, summoning my magic, I fill the bowls with water and wait for Lucas to finish before offering one to him.
"Thanks,"
He smiles happily for a moment before using the water to clean up a bit. I do the same after a few seconds of happily watching Lucas make use of my skill, feeling useful after watching him work hard to retrieve those cores. All in all, we a successful first quest together and nearly forty cores to turn into the guild as proof.
It is nearly night by the time we re-enter the town. The sun is barely peaking its head over the horizon, and the chilly bite of the night hair is starting to set in. Already we are both starting to shiver, but at least once we report our success to the guild, we can go back home for the night. Or to an inn, in my case. My stomach grumbles just at the thought of eating Sue's food. As long as we are quick with what we need to do at the guild, I can make it back in time before the inn stops serving food for the night.
Despite the late time, the streets are still busy. I stick close to Lucas, so we will not get separated while trying to ignore the people staring at us. They must think I am on a date with him, and for some reason, that thought makes me feel happy. But then I can also feel my face burning up, so I quickly dismiss those thoughts. I do not want Lucas to think I am wired or anything.
We follow the main street heading straight for the Adventurers Guild building while weaving around the people. I thought the goblin nest smelled terrible, but even that was better than some of the scents I can smell coming from these people. The stench of alcohol is enough to make me feel like I am going to throw up again. It gets even worse when one of them bumps into me bring that smell uncomfortable closer.
I am glad we reached the guild when we do, as I was tempted to start holding my breath. The building is nearly empty, with just a few Adventurers reporting their success while the staff looks like they are getting ready to close up for the day. Srass quickly spots us and runs in our direction, making me tempted to jump out of the way as the ground shakes slightly beneath us.
"I'm glad you two are back," Srass says with a look of relief. "I was starting to think something went wrong out there."
"It nearly did," Lucas admits causing Srass to look worried. "There were more goblins than we expected."
Lucas explains what happened, and Srass takes it all in as she remains silent. She occasionally nods and makes the odd comment, but for the most part, she is completely silent. That is until Lucas tells her about how I took down multiple goblins single-handedly. Then she lets out an audible gasp and turns to stares at me.
"Is that true?" She asks, and I nod. "How… I'm sorry if this offends you, but how could someone like you do that?"
I shrug and shake my head, trying to tell her I do not know. Then, Lucas starts to explain more about what he witnessed. He tells Srass about how my body started to glow, and I began to move at an inhuman speed. Lucas mentions everything from how I could dodge every attack and how my spear pierced through that goblins shield. Once Lucas is done, Srass thinks for a moment.
"It must be that strange Ability of yours…." Srass mutters, looking me up and down.
"That must be a pretty amazing Ability you have," I blush and look away under his praise.
"For some reason, Maria's Ability is hidden, but it must be similar to the Ability Last Stand," Srass concludes. "Last Stand grants its barer superhuman strength and speed when their backs to the wall."
"That does make sense," Lucas replies, and I nod my head. I was prepared to fight to the death back there.
Srass looked like she wanted to discuss it more, but suddenly there is a loud bang behind us, and everyone's head turns towards the door. I fear we are under attack. The door hangs broken off its hinges while a young lady with fox ears and a tail stand in the entrance holding a large Warhammer. Clad in chainmail, she walks in our direction with a click in her every step. I was about to reach for my spear, but I stop when I notice no one looks worried, just annoyed.
Smiling, she walks right up to us with her brown eyes practically sparking while people make comments like "She broke it again," and "How much damage do you think she will do this time?" I look to Srass, who is angrily shaking her head and muttering to herself about all the paperwork she will have to fill out now. But, when I look at Lucas, I see something different. When I look to my party leader, it appears as if he already knows the fox girl.
"Nori, they are going to kick you out of the guild if you keep breaking open the doors," Lucas warns her.
But despite his warning, the girl just lets out a light chuckle. She takes a moment to fix her shoulder-length brown hair. The fox girl bats her eyelashes while smiling as if she is not worried about getting in trouble for breaking the door.
"You know they will let this go as long as I pay for the repairs," Nori replies after a few seconds. "But anyway, I have some good news for you, Lucas. I finally talked my idiot party leader into letting you join so you can finally make some real money to support your family."
My heart drops, and I wish I could yell at this fox girl to tell her to go away. I wish I could plead my case with Lucas and pray he does not leave me. But all I can do is look to Lucas and silently will him not to leave with Nori. I want him to stay with me. I want to go on more adventures with him. Please, Lucas, do not leave me. I really wish I could talk and tell him how I feel.
"I'm sorry, Nori, but I already formed a party myself, so I can't join yours," Lucas tells her.
I feel like I could cry. I am so happy Lucas chose to remain in this party with me.
"With her?"
I shiver as Nori's voice suddenly turns cold, and she shoots a glare my way. I can see a fire in her eyes and worry she might crush me with her Warhammer. If I knew how to activate my Ability, I am sure I could be her, but that remains a mystery to me despite what happened with the goblins. Right now, if she attacks, I am sure to die.
"Someone like her will only hold you back," Nori tells Lucas as she returns her attention to him. "You should leave her and come with me."
"I'm sorry, but I can't," Lucas only makes me happier the more she speaks. "I can't just abandon someone, and you don't have to worry about her holding me back. In fact, I am probably holding her back."
I quickly grab his attention and shake my head, making me smile.
"It's nice of you to deny it, but after seeing you today, I know just how much stronger you are," Lucas replies with a weak smile causing my own happiness to fade.
"You are joking, right?" Nori asks, but it quickly becomes apparent that he is not. "This little girl is stronger than you?"
Little girl, I am only just shorter than you! It is probably better I cannot speak as if she heard that I am sure she would become angry with me. Then maybe she might kill me.
Nori leans forward, looking at me more closely like she still cannot believe what Lucas has told her. She examines my body, weapon and armour, looking for anything to deny what she has heard is the truth. However, with the goblin blood still coating my leather armour, Nori looks like she has no choice but to accept that it is true.
"It must be some sort of Ability that makes you so strong," Nori mutters, thinking to herself for a moment before she jumps as if she was struck by lightning. "I know I will join your party then."
"What?" "What?" "…"
We all look at her, unable to believe what she is saying. I may not know Nori all that well, but even I can tell she must already be part of some high-class party to have equipment like chainmail and a well-made Warhammer. Lucas and only stare while Srass mutters about now having to fill out transferring papers on top of damage reports before she can go home.
"Nori, your part of one of the top five parties in the country," Lucas says, still in shock. "Why you leave them for a newly formed party?"
"Because I want to silly,"
Now it is my turn to glare at Nori. I do not like how close she is getting to Lucas, going to far as to poke him in the chest. I want to yell at her to back up.
"But you won't be able to make the same amount of money," Lucas tells her.
"But I'll have more fun with you," Nori responds.
"I doubt your old party will let you go that easily,"
"It will be fine," Nori giggles. "They can't force me to stay in their party."
"But…"
"Listen, Lucas, I can bring a lot to your party," Nori tells him. "I can handle myself in a fight, and thanks to being a Demi-Human, I have a great sense of smell too. Are you telling me you don't want someone like me in your party?"
"No, I'm not saying that… I would love to have you," Lucas caves.
"And do you have a problem with me joining your party?"
She looks at me more softly, this time with pleading eyes. As much as I want to say I do not want her to join, I do not have any reasons to refuse her. I do not wish Lucas to think I am mean to tell her she cannot join because I do not want her to. So, I shake my head, making Nori giggle with joy.
"See, no problems with your party, so I will ask you again," Nori smiles. "Can I join your party?"
"Okay," Lucas nods. "How about we all meet up here in the morning to make it official?"
"Great, I'll go dump my old party right away," Nori runs off, looking like the happiest person in the world.
"Are you okay with that meeting time?" I nod my head at his questions. "Then let's complete our quest and head home for the night, Srass, can you… Srass?"
"So much paperwork," Srass repeatedly mutters as she leads us to the front desk.
So, with Srass absentmindedly helping us with the paperwork, my first day of being an Adventurer comes to an end. I cannot say I am looking forward to working with Nori, but I can admit to looking forward to dinner tonight. Sue's cooking is already making my mouth water, and I am only thinking about it.