We enjoy the meal brought in by Sapheir and Jikani with Gradon's party helping out. I just learned that they are going to announce changes to the Valley's threat level. 'If I had to guess, it is going to be raised. The hobgoblins have been getting smarter, even ambushing groups like the Frozen Sapphires' C-rank party into a near wipe.'
Jikani continues where Sapheir left off. "Along with the new threat change for the Valley, we're also going to be visiting the guild master to see if the Medical Specialist has found out anything about the origin of the poison."
Gradon frowns, "I'm sure everyone wants to know where those hobgoblins got that poison from. If it was brought in from somewhere else, it's a problem as it would mean someone's trying to sabotage Siltria, but if not... it could mean much worse."
'Hobgoblins created the poison themselves.' That is a scary idea. The poison itself was dangerous, able to almost completely incapacitate Verei, a competent physical combatant with a tempered mental fortitude who went head-to-head with a B-rank adventurer. If that poison is able to incapacitate me, it means it can incapacitate all but the most disciplined of minds.
When we finish eating out fill, we head for the guild hall.
The Medical specialist will be here if he finished his analysis on the poison, which would allow everyone to know what the poison is made of and how it can be counteracted.
But I'm worried. Throughout my time fighting Hobgoblins, this was the first time I have seen them apply poison. That's when I questioned, 'Just how strong were Hobgoblins normally before this Orc showed up?'
Hobgoblins are classified as a C-rank threat since they are capable of taming the D-rank wolves. And I heard F rank is considered to be simple creatures, like the average unarmed Goblin that 10-year-old children could kill if they gang up on it using sticks and stones.
However, goblins that use weapons start reaching D-rank, C-rank after taming wolves. But if those weapons are poisonous, Hobgoblins begin reaching B rank, maybe worse as they start becoming tactical like they are now.
'But is all this happening because they have a leader?'
If I remember correctly, only two of those monsters had red skin. The Orc and a Goblin High-Mage, yet there were now triplets that wore matching tattoos and used poison, but were still green-skinned.
'Is this just a coincidence or could the Mage have taught them how to use poison and they learned how to Assassinate on their own... Or worse, did something happen recently that allowed them to learn how to fight like that?'
I had to stop thinking on this as we entered the guild hall only to see it packed with adventurers, practically the entire village inside.
'Now that I think about it, I'm kind of surprised I'm not uncomfortable with this crowded place like Veda does in the capital. Either it was just Veda or I'm getting used to crowds.'
"Attention!" shouted Miri who was the unfortunate soul to be working at this time. The adventurers all quiet down for the important update.
"There was an unfortunate development yesterday that will lead to a change in area threat level! Hobgoblins were found to have been using a poison with no current cure beyond the use of magic, forcing the threat level of the C-rank Varen Valley to be increased to a high B! If you do not have a mage that can cast Corrosive Cure, even as a B-rank party, you will not be allowed to take quests requiring entry into the Valley, not until countermeasures against the poison are discovered!"
Many of the adventurers start voicing their complaints, Corrosive Cure apparently being a spell not every healing mage is even able to cast, restricting far more teams to either taking lower ranked quests or leaving the area outright, and all quests that used to be simple gathering quests for the many resources within the valley have now become restricted.
Not being that affected personally, the Frozen Sapphires and I passed through the crowd to the front desk. Miri looks as though she is in a certain state of mind, as though she was drowning out all forms of negative speech under white noise before seeing us arrive at the desk.
Passive aggressively telling the adventurer to please make way, she greets us. "I'm glad to see you're doing alright! It was only your first mission and you ended up facing something as terrifying as an Assassin Variant! Mr. Jaxten is already in the Guild Master's office so go right on ahead."
I noticed Jikani give a light shiver when she heard that the Medical Specialist was here. A bit odd considering we were meant to meet him but the answer became clear the moment we did.
Opening the door to the office, I see the Guild Master sitting behind his desk before standing to greet me. "Mr. Deidura! I'm happy to see you're not suffering, but are you sure you're fine enough to be moving about?"
"Thank you for your concern but the spell I taught Floris last minute did all the work. After a long rest, I'm good as new."
I look to the guy seated in a guest seat taking a sip of the offered tea. He seems old, though I'm unable to tell if older or younger than Old Man Uldrei, but it's also because he has just as little hair plus wounds on his face, making him outwardly look more experienced in life whereas Uldrei appeared more relaxed. He's especially fierce-looking with that eye patch that's trying to keep his removed eye in place. It was a little creepy when I first saw it, but I can get over it... is what I thought until it moved to look at me.
Shivers went down my spine as the eye jittered in a spasming motion. He sets down his cup and stands, walking over to me as his eyeball continues darting around, looking me up and down at what felt like 20 angles a second. His voice was a little high-pitched but didn't stutter, being completely clear and concise.
"One second," he says.
I didn't realize what he meant by that before he pulled out out what appeared to be a measuring tape, this being the third time it's been used on either of me. He proceeds to move it around my body at almost as fast a speed as the Tailor. "Were you starved when you were young?"
I was taken aback by that question, but I tried to come up with a quick answer that fit the narrative of my family life with Uldrei. "Umm... no?"
"Hmm... then it must have been something in the gene pool. The muscles are well-defined for someone of your height. And that spell cast on you must have been a very potent one to reverse the effects of the poison with no visible side effects."
As he continues mumbling everyone else in the room can't hide their own form of discomfort as Mr. Jaxten gives me a sudden 'on-site examination'.
It was the Guild Master that put an end to it. "Mr. Jaxten, I believe we should get down to business. Examination of one of our Adventurers can be in your free time."
Mr. Jaxten stops before clearing his throat as he backs off. "Apologies but you don't often meet a man who stops growing before finishing his teenage years. Most studies about it suggest malnourishment to be the primary cause but it appears genetics may have its own role to play."
Now I can really see why everyone has odd reactions when he's mentioned. The moving eye was the opening act and his main trait that gets people's skin crawling is the touchy-feely examiner nature he took up. If I had to say, this man is worse than the VIP royal bathing room when it comes to an invasion of personal space.
'...know what, make that an arguable opinion...'
As we all get comfortable, Mr. Jaxten begins giving an explanation for the announcement earlier. "The poison used was a corrosive concoction that targets the nervous system of the victim, causing immense pain. It doesn't break down Iron or steel, allowing for it to be applied to a weapon, but it is dangerously effective on flesh. Someone with a weak will would have a hard time resisting the urge to scream out everything in their lungs, much less move. What's worse, all its ingredients can be found within the mountainous region of Varen Valley."
The Guild Master listens closely before asking. "You mean the poison was created by the Hobgoblins in the mountains using local ingredients? I was originally thinking it was imported from outside the kingdom by people. I wouldn't put it past Renon Kingdom to strengthen the local monsters to weaken Siltria."
'Renon Kingdom using monsters to attack another kingdom? That sounds so...'
The Alchemist continues, "That isn't impossible but it's highly unlikely. Goblins breed by the dozens weekly and just as it only takes one hobgoblin to train others, it would only take one hobgoblin witnessing an herb be made into a potion for its curiosity to begin mixing plants together into a working poison. An eventuality considering the Valley had everything needed to make this."
Right, Goblins grow naturally into hobgoblins, but they become Goblin mages if they learn to use magic, become Champions if they use heavy weapons, and riders if they witness a human riding a horse before taming a big enough creature. So, one learning to mix ingredients in a pot and uncovering a potion isn't an impossibility... And neither is learning to become something like an Assassin if it survives being ambushed...
This is what makes Goblins a truly terrifying race. They can learn, adapt, and overwhelm, not unlike that of humans, yet they multiply like rabbits.