The sun shone upon the faces of the twins causing them to stir. A new bed, a new house. A new chapter to their story.
Isla and Sila had never been allowed to sleep in, and after getting used to the routine they rarely, if ever, broke it. However, perhaps it may have been the comfort of having a place to call home, the two managed to sleep through their usual wake up time.
The two weren't the type to indulge in comfort, so when they saw the morning sun, they had no intention of going back to sleep.
"Morning sister", Sila groaned as she stood up.
"Good morning, Sila" Isla responded, "Let's have breakfast and pick up a task".
"okay" Sila said.
After the two had eaten they headed towards the guild hall. Isla and Sila had rushed towards the guild hall yesterday, so apart from learning the basic layout of the city, they hadn't paid much attention to the city itself.
However now that the morning was in full swing, they could see just how lively Rusvil was during a busy part of the day. Workers flocked to and fro. Some pulling carts full of supplies, others rushing to different stores, trying to grab what they needed. Women could be seen perusing through the clothing and jewellery stores. The guards would pass by in groups, maintaining the safety of the commercial district.
The twins felt a wave of enthusiasm in their hearts. The tacit look they gave each other proving it. Seemingly encouraged by the hustle and bustle, the two sped up their pace towards the guild hall.
When they arrived, the guild hall had scattered groups coming and going, some people, like the day before were loitering around. The two went right to the task board and searched for their next task.
The tasks seemed to have been refreshed, new pages were put in place, slightly overlapping some of the older pages. As Isla was reading the newer tasks, either escorts missions or collection tasks, not really up their alley, Sila saw a rather yellowed page. After reading it, she thought to ask her sister.
"Isla, What about this one?" she said hesitantly.
Isla didn't know why Sila sounded so wary, but after reading it she understood. On the fraying page was a task to destroy a goblin den. Naturally the two knew there were magic beasts, and just like magic beasts, there were also other intelligent races. Most likely because they live in a place almost devoid of magic, they haven't met any such race yet.
Goblins were considered an intelligent race, but still labelled as monsters because they lacked interracial communication skills. However most other races wouldn't have any intentions of mingling with goblins even if communication wasn't an issue.
Goblins are known to be cunning creatures, that grow to the height of a child. They live in groups, burrowed into caves to make their dens. They are known to attack villages and passing convoys, killing the men and taking the women. They have the ability to interbreed which makes them a fearsome nuisance to people that have the misfortune of bordering their territory.
Isla read the task carefully. Although the goblins are said to be quite weak on their own, they make up for it with numbers and by using their intricate cave system to confuse adventurers.
The task read that there was a village near the Rind forest that had been repeatedly attacked by goblins. Many women had been taken and the village had offered a reward to destroy the goblins den and hope for the safe return of the kidnapped women.
Isla looked at the reward and it was only 40 silver coins. She understood why this task had been here for so long. The danger that comes with the task is far above the reward offered. For 40 silver coins, only amateur adventurers like them would even see the task this low on the board.
However the two of them can only get stronger by testing their limits, and the things they'll face will be much more intelligent than the beasts they hunted in the mountains near Olbrand. So Isla agreed with her sister to take on this task.
The two stopped by the armourer, as well as the blacksmith to have their armour repaired and to purchase replacement weapons. Seeing their savings depleting was slightly depressing, but they knew money would be easier to earn when they were stronger.
The two set off towards the area of the village. They didn't intend to enter the village. Isla and Sila were aware how they would be viewed by the villagers who had probably long lost hope. So after camping on the outskirts of Rind forest for one night, they reached near their destination the next day.
The village in the distance could be said to be unusually dilapidated, many of the houses were in complete disrepair. Few people could be seen in the fields, but their faces were numb, without expression.
"The goblins have probably attacked quite a few more times since they posted that task" Isla guessed.
"Looking at what's left, I doubt there'll be any reward when we're done" Sila complained.
"The few that I can see all seem to be old or they're men. Looking at how old the paper was, I fear those women are probably beyond saving" Isla's tone was solemn.
"Don't remind me. I'm not looking forward to seeing it" Sila sighed.
The two put away any distracting emotions and headed into the forest. Keeping their attention on any sounds they could hear. The tracks were quite easy to spot, as the goblins had walked the trail so often they had managed to tread out a path leading further into the forest.
The twins moved parallel to the path, continuing to listen. However it wasn't until they saw a rock wall in the distance that they knew they had found where the den was. The first piece of evidence was the abhorrent smell. Even without seeing the entrance they knew they were close, but it was at that moment they heard movement along the path ahead.