I doubted it was because I was some kind of genius or just highly talented... But on the other end, maybe learning how to fly as a Dragonkin was something easy? But either way, flying came to me as easily as moving my own ears. Which is to say the least, was rather easy once I learned how to control the muscle groups in the area.
So without too much trouble beyond the actual act of flying being a major stamina drain, I was able to fly to the large village or small town at the edge of the river leading to the ocean to the south where much of New Atha's trade supposedly came from.
However, while I flew towards the village I saw something that made me frown, as I could see slightly in the distance laying atop a hill, and within some tall reeds was a trio of goblins scouting out the village.
"Best to blood myself safely," I muttered and took a deep breath and after checking my equipment and I drew my sword as I flew a couple of hundred meters over the oblivious goblins. And with a tug of my back muscles, I retracted my wings and I instantly began dropping like a meteor towards the ground.
Normally falling a couple hundred meters straight into the ground was a death sentence and I imagine it would be even for higher-level warriors as well... But I had a cheat.
As I came close to the ground I activated my Feather boots which turned my swift fall into a quick glide so as I silently glided into the goblins vicinity I could hear and understand their gutteral grunts.
"Geh, mates dere." One said pointing a stubbing dirty clawed finger at the village and the other two snorted with almost piggish delight.
"Yes yes breeders are there! We catch many breeders in days past yes?" Another one spoke with relish and that was enough for me as I finished gliding downwards and with my sword Siren I slammed the sword through the shoulder and into the chest cavity of the biggest goblin from his back and at the violent crunching noise both goblins whirled around towards me as I placed my boot on the almost bisected goblins corpse and wrenched the blade out.
"I only need one of you for now. Choose who lives." I spoke coldly as I firmly placed these monsters in the category of things I could kill and bring any amount harm necessary and not feel too worked up about it.
But in response both goblins screamed as they waved their stone daggers at me and charged with that warcry. A harsh crackle of blinding lightning rang out as a ball of it grew in my hand and as the faster gobin attempted to smash into me with his dagger poised to stab into me. I slapped the goblin upside the head with the ball of lightning I so crudely formed but it was more than enough as the goblin's head exploded from the violently cracking lightning while I used my sword to chop through the dagger-wielding arm of the last goblin.
"Where is your burrow?" I asked simply and the goblin spat at me with a grin.
"Da boss is gonna kill you and-!" I silenced the goblin with a kick to his cut-off arm making him scream in pain and without a change in expression I made lightning crackle in my hands as I leaned in close.
"Lightning hurts a lot you know... But what you may not know is that I can use the lightning to burn shut that wound and with the river over there. I can spend plenty of time drowning you to get the information I need." The goblin's face went pale and it no longer blustered and told me that the goblin clan was living in an old bear cave and although it told me there were three times ten goblins... Or thirty, I wasn't sure if that was the truth or not as I dealt with the goblin via a sword swipe through its neck with Siren going through its spine like butter.
But regardless I performed the grisly task of collecting the goblin's right ears. Or the charred ear of the goblin whose head I exploded, the guild mandated that a goblin's right ear was what they wanted as proof of their deaths.
{Level Up! Stats Distributed!}
{o-------------------------o0o-------------------------o}
Name -
Jake Barris
Race - Human/Dragonkin
Level - 2
Health: 160
HP Regen: 15pm
Mana: 130
MP Regen: 5pm
-
Status, Potential
Strength-6 S
Constitution-6 S
Intelligence-3 C
Agility-4 B
Charisma-4 B
Magic-5 A
{o-------------------------o0o-------------------------o}
Once that was done I properly headed off towards the fenced-in village and as I did so my frown widened as I saw on literally every single fence post that made up the wall of the village was the head of a goblin, orc, and even a couple large ogre heads mounted atop the wall of the village. "Is this common in this world?" I muttered as the city of New Atha not even like five miles down the way had anything like fucking heads mounted on the massive walls surrounding the city.
"Hello!" I called out loudly and I heard a groan and my frown became an outright fucking scowl as I saw a clearly drunk dude wearing leather armor lean over over the gate leading into the village.
"Whosit?" He asked drunkenly.
But before I could say anything I heard a harsh growl and the drunk man literally looked like he was about to shit himself. "Grmm... Alric you shit! I told you, not even an hour ago someone accepted the guild request!" A strong but unmistakably feminine voice rang out and the guard apparently named Alric went pale as stomping rang out as the woman obviously climbed up the parapet and towards the gate.
So, naturally, I being a good samaritan, shamelessly added more flames to the fire burning under his ass. "Oh yeah, the dumbass was completely unaware of the goblin scouts just over on the hill a couple hundred meters away checking out the town. I have the ears nice and fresh, but still bleeding if you want proof. Or we could even check their corpses!" I gleefully added making him look at me in utter betrayal.
Then his head whipped back around to the sound of stomping steps and even as he went to scream, I got to see a flash of white hair as the woman picked him up and literally yeeted him off the wall platform on the other side of the wall and onto the thick grass on this side with him hitting the ground with a grunt.
When I looked away from the man who crashed onto the ground, I saw a woman with long white hair and what looked like rabbit or maybe fox ears atop her head standing fiercely upwards. "You little bastard! I told you, if I caught you drinking on duty again, you would be thrown off the walls!"
Her only answer was a groan as the young man looked up at the clear sky like it held the answers for his woes. But regardless the woman walked closer to the edge of the wall and I saw she was wielding a spear as well as a shield on her other arm as she likewise took in my form and nodded seeing the obviously enchanted gear on my form. "Alright come on in so we can talk." She said and then she jumped off the wall on that side to unlock the door and opened it up for me to enter.
"Jake Barris." I offered holding out my hand to the woman and I could feel the core of steel she had in her muscles as she grabbed my wrist in a warriors shake and easily responded.
"Isha, guardian and mayor of this small town." She said and then took a breath as we let go of the other. "Now, you mentioned finding some goblins on the way. Did you get any information out of them?" She asked frankly but with a hopeful smile.
I nodded and explained the goblin's words making her raise an eyebrow as she muttered. "You got the goblins to lead you to their den? No that doesn't matter, anyway, I am afraid that as the towns guardian. I cannot leave the village due to the town being on the water's edge. And the river has its own share of monsters that every day wash up onto the shore and attempt to come past the village walls." She explained tilting her head to me as she wryly continued.
"So I cannot help you with the goblin raid, but besides the silver coin reward, I have an armory of simple weapons you are welcome to choose one of, if you wish as a reward for clearing out the goblin cave." She finished making me raise an eyebrow at the offer.
Honestly Siren, my sword was a good almost gladius in shape sword, but a larger great sword if I could get one, would be perfect for larger or when fighting multiple enemies.
"Alright sounds good," I said nodding my head in agreement at the quests offered material reward, and then added on. "Then... In that case, having killed the goblin scouts I should try to clear out their cave before they either find the corpses or get the idea that I am coming." I spoke.
At my proactive words, Isha raised an eyebrow and she chuckled loudly. "Alright then, I wish you the best in that case. And I cannot say enough just how happy I am that you aren't one of those damned pansy adventurers. That try to mooch off our inn during the length of their mission." She said with disdain clear in her voice when mentioning the other adventurers making my lips twitch and with that said I turned around and left.
I left the village gate while Isha followed me out so she could grab the guy she threw off the wall by his foot and drag his whimpering form back into the town. Then without much incident, I walked back to the remains of the prior goblins I killed. And then following the directions the goblin gave me. Plus I was able to follow the thin and soft tracks they left in the muddly ground due to the large nearby river that kept the ground nice and moist.
I was able to follow all the clues deeper into the forest and on the wall of a large exposed hill's limestone was a large cave entrance... A large cave entrance with lit torches mounted on the gate into the cave or whatever.
Standing outside the gate and sitting down on the stone entrance were two more small goblins playing in the dirt obviously supposed to be playing guard. But it was clear that they had simply just gotten bored.
"Too easy," I muttered taking a breath and with a blink of motion I used my blink ability to instantly teleport behind the goblins with my foot coming down to enhance the strength of my two-handed chop that I used to instantly decapitate one goblin. And before the other could react I shoved the broadsword into the goblin's chest where I thought its heart would be. And then as it shuddered and gargled on the blood filling its lungs I wrenched my sword to the side to carve out the goblin's other half of its chest as I ripped out my blade.
With the goblins dead or crippled and dying I quickly looked into the cave to make sure there weren't any goblins or something watching down the hallway.
But nothing was in the hallway, so I quickly dipped down, collected proof of the kills, and stole the goblin's own coin pouches as I carefully began making my way into the after moving the goblin's corpses away from the cave in case some more scouts came back.
I really didn't want to get pincered by some short assholes that would gleefully stab me with some rusty dagger.