After a while of walking, Mark and Liora started to see the northern forest come into view. The trees stood tall and brimmed with life, the leaves green and prosperous.
The air was calm and blew a fresh breeze, but that wouldn't last forever. In the distance, a carriage could be seen riding towards them. Liora's eyes narrowed as she observed the scene play out.
"There's a carriage headed our way. We should hurry and warn them about the goblins before things get out of hand," Liora said as she started to run, her feet pounding on the ground as she moved with an urgent pace.
Mark also started to run but chose to keep up with her pace. If he had been going all out, he would've reached there in mere seconds.
"Wait!" Mark said as he placed a hand over Liora's chest and held her back from moving. Out of the forest, three green figures jumped out and attacked the carriage.
One of the green figures leaped onto the carriage and grabbed the collar of what looked like a merchant, while the rest of the goblins entered the back of the carriage and started to search for valuables.
"What are you doing, Mark!? They're attacking! We need to hurry!" Liora urgently spoke, looking at the carriage and back at Mark frantically, her heart beating faster in worry.
"I know that. Be patient," Mark replied in a calm voice, continuing to observe.
The goblins looked at each other and nodded, grinning deviously as they cackled. The goblin that grabbed the merchant slung him over his shoulder as it jumped off the carriage, taking the man with them to do whatever they pleased.
The goblin signaled for the other two goblins to follow it, and the others nodded. They jumped off the carriage with valuables such as a chest and many bags that were probably merchandise.
"Talon, go after them and find them," Mark instructed, and Talon roared as he took flight, flying through the air.
The golden hawk flew gracefully as it reached the forest, its keen eyes following the goblins while maintaining a perfect height above them so as not to alert them. The bird continued to follow them as the goblins reached a fort, housing a small village inside it.
There were many goblins present, and the bird caught sight of what looked to be a huge pot in the center, where all the goblins were urgently gathered as they were about to indulge in their next meal.
Talon decided that it had seen enough and flew high in the air before circling the area as a signal towards Mark.
Mark's eyes glinted as he saw that Talon had discovered their base, a grin forming on his lips as he knelt down on one knee.
"Climb on my back. We're going to be running, and I don't want to leave you behind," Mark said as he signaled for Liora.
Liora blinked, surprise written all over her face. But she quickly shook it off, as this wasn't the time for distractions. She quickly climbed onto Mark's back, wrapping her arms around his neck and holding onto him tightly.
"Hold on tight!" Mark yelled as he broke into a sprint, the ground beneath him breaking as he dashed towards the forest with quick speeds, cutting through the wind.
After a few seconds, they reached the forest, hidden behind a large tree that covered their presence well. Talon came down from the sky and again landed on Mark's shoulder.
"There's too many of them..." Liora whispered as she noted the absurd number of goblins. They looked well over fifty, each one with a weapon.
Some brandished daggers made from sharp stone and sticks, while others brandished swords made of silver, shining brightly in the sunlight. These goblins were very intelligent and cunning, already targeting merchants and adventurers for their valuables and probably killing them too.
'System, show me their statuses,' Liora commanded inwardly.
The system interface popped in front of her, showing their stats and abilities. These monsters were Goblins with a level of 14, with all stats of 100. They also all possessed a skill called [Greater Intelligence] that allows them to be more knowledgeable and act accordingly.
"Mark, these guys are smart," Liora told him in a quiet voice so as not to alert the goblins.
"How do you know that?" Mark asked as he looked at her, raising a brow. Talon, too, perched its head in her direction, tilting it slightly to show it was confused as well.
Liora realized that she was the only one that could see their stats. Awkwardly, she looked away while laughing nervously. "Never mind, let's just hurry and kill these guys," Liora said as she slowly unsheathed her sword and silently started to approach the goblins, taking cover behind large bushes.
As she continued to sneak forward, she suddenly looked back to see Mark still standing, leaning behind onto the tree, his arms behind his head as if he were relaxing.
"Mark!?" Liora breathed, surprised. "What are you doing!?" she asked, confused.
Mark smiled, chuckling under his breath. With a dismissive hand motion, he spoke: "Go on, you got this! Kill those goblins and save that merchant!" Mark said, cheering her on.
Liora's eyes widened in shock at his words. "Are you serious!? You want me to take them all on? By myself?" she asked, truly dumbfounded.
Mark nodded simply. "Yes, think of it as part of your training. Besides, if I were to step in, this quest would be finished rather quickly, and that would be boring," Mark said.
Liora looked at him for a moment, then down at her sword. She had faced quite a few battles, but none of them were as life-threatening as this one was about to be.
This battle would most definitely be a challenge for her since these goblins are almost at the same level as her in terms of battle power. Liora nodded to herself as she glanced at the goblins ahead of her, seeing them take the merchant into one of their huts.
"I got this..." Liora whispered to herself, taking a deep breath as she readied herself for battle. Just as she was about to reveal herself to the enemy, a sudden chime from the system halted her in place.
[New Task: Slay the goblins and rescue the merchant]
[Description: Slay all the goblins residing at the fort and save the hostages.]
[Task Rewards: +1 Unique Item, +1 Grand Beast Master Skill, +1000 Beast Points(x10), +100 Stat Points(x10)]
[Task Duration: 40 Minutes]
[Task Penalty: Loss of the hostages' lives]
[Does Host Wish To Accept This Task?]
[Yes] or [No]
'A... Task?' Liora's eyes widened in surprise. 'This is my first one! My first Task!' Liora shone a smile, brimming with joy.
'The rewards are really good, a Skill tailored for my profession? Now I have to conquer this Task,' Liora thought with a smile.
'The system mentioned hostages instead of hostage. It could mean that there are others that were also kidnapped. If I fail this Task, they will die!'
A sweat rolled down the side of Liora's face as she felt a bit nervous. The lives of these people were now in her hands, and she wouldn't let them die.
'Accept,' Liora said inwardly, her eyes flashing with fierce determination.
[Task Accepted!]
[40 Minutes Remain]
'Let's do this...'
Liora rose up from her crouching position and started to walk toward the goblin fort, her sword near ground level as she gripped it tightly, determined to complete this task and save these people.
One of the goblins standing at the gate of the fort perked its head to see her. Immediately, it withdrew its dagger, its expression that of rage at the sudden intruder.
"H-human!" the goblin yelled, alerting the others.
Mark's expression turned to that of shock as he leaned off the tree, his eyes wide with what he was hearing.
'Did it just... talk?'
The goblins heard the cry of their brethren and immediately left their huts to see what was happening, there infront of the fort stood a young girl, holding onto a sword, ready for war.
"Human!" A goblin emerged from the crowd, holding onto two sharp daggers, "What business do you have here!?" The goblin asked, it's eyes red and bearing killing intent.
Liora simply remained quiet and gripped tightly onto her sword, she decided to remain to focus, keeping her guard up at all times, and be ready to counter atrack.
"Heh, the silent type, eh?" The goblin said as it grew a wicked grin on it's face, "Whatever, a woman is still a woman, capture her." The goblin told to his brothers.
"...now they have to die." Liora muttered to herself, her expression turning dark with hate as she started to walk toward them, her steps slow but intimidating.
The goblins eyes gleamed with a predatory gaze as two of them suddenly charged at her, flanking her from both sides and reaching their hands to grab her.
Liora broke a sprint towards them, pulling her sword back, before delivering a brutal slash across their chests, cutting deep into their flesh.
"Gah!" One of the two goblins yelled in pain as he instinctively placed a hand over it's wound, taking a few steps back, "Damn brat, I'll kill you!" The goblin yelled in fury, and the other one nodded as they decided that they were not going to spare her.