The party met in the main hall the next morning. They'd spent 2 weeks preparing, training nonstop, and we're finally ready to get back out there.
Dagon studied the job board for something that caught his interest. He didn't want to take anything too dangerous, but something that would earn a little more coin than last time.
As he scanned the board, he came across a rank D job that didn't sound particularly hard.
"Goblin hunt in the caves of Mount Esnea"
The job offered only 15 silvers base pay, the real reward was the loot of the goblins.
Goblins were hoarders, and most carried weapons as well, so the money to be made in this hunt was quite high for a simple task. It wouldn't require searching for days on end like wolves.
The request came with the location of the cave, as well as a map leading to it.
Raj and Lily easily agreed, as they felt safe with their leader. Anything he was confident in doing, they too were confident in
The party hired a carriage for the trip. It was only half a days travel this way, and only costed 15 copper. Dagon paid for the carriage, and they set off.
The trio took turns napping during the trip. The roads were usually safe, but it was better to be on guard just in case.
They arrived a little after midday. The sun was high in the sky, beating down on them as they stepped out of the carriage.
Dagon paid the man an extra 5 coppers to wait until tomorrow for them, as they didn't want to walk back to the city after this hunt.
It was the hottest day since Dagon had arrived in this world. He was happy they had rode here, a walk in this heat would've been miserable with all that gear on.
The cave was about a quarter mile hike up the mountain according to the map. The path was steep, but wasn't too difficult to navigate.
The party discussed their plan on the way up the path.
"Let's start with scouting if possible," Dagon told the group.
"I'm confident we can fight our way through if the plan fails, but I'd like to be careful just in case. We don't know how many goblins we'll be dealing with in here."
Raj and Lily nodded their heads in agreement as he spoke.
"We don't have to worry about light either," Dagon said as he lit his palm ablaze.
"You finally learned some magic I see, when'd you have time to do that," Lily asked in surprise.
"In between sessions I borrowed a book. I borrowed a book on flames from ole Leroy," Dagon said with a proud grin on his face.
"Look, there's the cave," Raj said pointed ahead.
Dagon and Lily turned to see the cave just 20 meters ahead. The path had blocked their view, the cave just not coming into view.
It was about 5 meters in diameter, a large enough entrance to fit 2 carriages in side by side.
With a plan already set, the group didn't need to stop. They headed straight in, moving slowly to asses their surroundings.
There was only one path through the cave. The size of the path shrunk as they traveled. Barely enough to fit one carriage after only 30 feet.
Stalagmites hung over them, and walls were smooth and bare. There were several burn marks on the floor as they went on, it looked people had made camp here in the past.
The group traveled in single file line through the cave. Dagon in the lead with his fiery hand outstretched, lighting the way.
After 100 meters or so of traveling, the group begun to smell a stench. It was rotten, like someone had left food out for weeks in the cave's passageway.
"That's the smell of goblins," Raj announced in a whisper.
"I remember my brother telling me how bad they stunk, it's almost exactly what I imagined."
Dagon and Lily nodded their heads as they trekked on. Dagon dimmed the flame, only 1 finger ablaze now.
After another 5 minutes of walking, they started to hear the goblins. It was a weird noise, like a mixture of grunts and strange laughter.
It was an eerie noise that made the hairs on all of their necks stand up.
The group tried not to make a noise as they inched closer and closer.
When they saw the first sign of light, Dagon extinguished his own. It was still too dark to see, but they couldn't risk exposing themselves this early.
The passageway widened once again, as they crept closer. An open space coming into view. The area was large, and the goblins looked to be at the other end of the cave.
Dagon and his party stayed low, hiding behind rocks as they continued on.
When the group got within 50 feet, they stopped. They could see the fire in the middle of the camp. Around 15 goblins dancing around it. They all had weapons on their backs. Half and half swords and spears. The shaft of the spears looked like they had been cut in half to match the size of the goblins. 5 of the goblins had makeshift wooden shields on their back as well.
The group studied the goblins, and the area around them. Their current location looked to be the best place to initiate the attack. Rocks scattered around them, making a frontal charge difficult for the goblins, but giving Dagon extra time to pick more off with his bow before drawing the sword.
There was only one hut in the cave. Smoke billowed out of it as if there was a fire inside, but a curtain covered the entrance blocking their view.
After taking in all the information they could gather, the group snuck back out the way the way they'd come in. They got to a safe distance before Dagon began whispering.
"15 is a lot at once, but I think it's doable," Dagon told his companions.
"This is the plan. I'll use the bow from behind the rock we were just at. I can probably pick off 2 before the commotion starts, and another 2-3 before they get to us."
Dagon pointed at a rock about 5 feet ahead of his to the left.
"Raj, I want you hide behind there. When I give the signal, jump out and attack. You should be able to take down 2 before it comes an all out battle."
"Lily, I want you with me. Use your light magic to brighten the surroundings on my signal, hopefully that'll stall them for a second before the fight begins. It might give us a chance to kill a few more before then."
Raj and Lilly both nodded their heads, agreeing with the plan.
They took a second to get ready, before sneaking back into the cave.
When they got into position, Dagon pulled out his bow.
Goblins were smaller creatures, and with how much they were moving around, it wasn't an easy shot. He felt confident in his archery skills, but he needed to be sure.
Dagon notched his first arrow. Slowly inhaling as he aimed up his shot. He calmly exhaled as he let the first arrow fly.
Without waiting for the arrow to hit, he notched another one.
Thud—!
The first goblin was struck in the head. The goblins immediately stopped dancing, confused as to what just happened. Before they could process the attack—
Thud—!
—another goblin was struck. The goblins turned to see Dagon standing by the rock, loading another arrow.
All 13 goblins rushed towards him, intent on striking him down.
With the goblins running at him, the shots were easier. Dagon released his third and fourth arrow back to back. 2 more goblins went down.
As he notched his 5th, the goblins were only 20 feet away. "LILY," he yelled.
Lily immediately stood up as she released the pure light from her hands.
The goblins covered their eyes as they ran. Some tripping on rocks, others running into each other.
Dagon released another 2 arrows in that time, before putting away the bow. The goblins in the lead were only 10 feet away at this point. He pulled out his sword, imbuing it with magic as he lit the sword ablaze.
As soon as the goblins got to the rock Raj was hiding behind, Dagon gave the signal, "RAJ."
Raj jumped from behind the rock, slicing through a goblins head like butter. The goblins were quick to react, but Raj was faster.
—Swoosh!
The sword sliced through the air. The goblins weren't strong enough to block a strike from Raj. He knocked a goblins sword aside, as his blade continued through its neck.
Dagon jumped into the fray. His flaming sword attracting the attention of the other goblins.
It was a slaughter, the goblins couldn't keep up with the teamwork of Raj and Dagon. Their blades were stronger and faster than any of theirs, allowing them to kill quickly and easily.
The goblins that had tripped and fell from the light ran in behind their called companions. Only 4 goblins were left of the group.
Just before the goblins could reach Dagon and Raj, a loud roar echoed through the cave.
—RRAAAAHHHHHH
Everyone froze, including the goblins.
The goblins immediately turned tail, and ran back to their camp. Making all kinds of weird noises as they did so.
Raj and Dagon stepped back carefully, as the curtain of the hut was forcefully swung open.