The kids were growing up quickly, two days of busy preparations and they were almost completely matured.

At Scratch's insistence they were tutored and taken care of by their mother, Barbara. But most of the day they would be outside, helping out the older goblins and playing games with each other. Before too long they each found their own niche to contribute in.

Fyro and Abel we the boisterous ones, Fyro demanding to go hunting and Abel taking any opportunity to go outside and see the world. At first they would go along with Kicker and Scratch during their spear hunting and trapping, in an apprenticeship of sorts. Eventually their mentors decided they were experiences enough to go hunting without supervision, while they focused more on Scratch's human traps. They even managed to kill a wild pheasant on their own.

The pheasant was prepared mostly by Quiet, but with help from Mac, who grew to enjoy the peaceful tasks at home the most. The two were now a staple in and around the cave, cleaning, cooking, and mending clothes. Only on special occasions would they follow others further out into the woods.

George was assigned metalworking after he had shown reasonable talent for it while helping Second create metal spearheads. Some insight went into treating heated metal, when to hit and when to quench, apparently he just had an eye for it. They let him all but claim the little blacksmithing hut, which he altered to his own liking, and even incorporated the charcoal kiln into.

Linus did odd-jobs, both for Barbara and for Scratch, finding items in the dark, repairing failing architecture, and running back and forth between the cave and the forest with food, water and tools.

Because Benjamin never took initiative and didn't seem to enjoy much of anything he was told to stick with Biter and do whatever he told him.

-

The shift from a burden to a workforce was almost instantaneous, now that so many of the day-to-day chores were taken care off, the older generation could focus completely on trap setting. Even Biter, who was only just becoming able to walk long distances again, joined them occasionally. For this he would take Benjamin along, with Biter's injury they had the same default walking speed.

"There we go, would you notice something like this?" Scratch proclaimed proudly.

Dumb took one look at the branches covered in loose earth, the bright green of the needles shone unperturbed by the strewn soil, and in places the material had fallen through, revealing slight crevices towards the pit below. "Yes." He said.

"Hhmpf. Maybe because you're looking for it. Imagine just casually strolling here, looking at the birds, then WHAM-" He mimed a surprised tumble. "-dead."

"Nah..." Dumb doubted him.

"Jah..." Scratch insisted.

"Fat!" Dumb yelled at his brother, who he could see approach them through the trees. "Come over here!"

"That's not fair. Fat dug this hole, he's not going to- Fat!"

The goblin gave a surprised yelp as he suddenly sank into the ground.

His two brothers jumped over the trap to grab him but it was already too late.

"No!"

Scratch barely dared to look over the edge, but when he did he saw the boy stand perfectly straight, a pike almost his full height grazing him both front and back.

"Whuuuaah!" He began to cry.

Scratch sank back in relief, but not before giving Dumb an angry jab in the ribs.

"Hehe, sorry." Dumb apologized while pulling Dumb up. "It's a good thing the sticks don't work very well."

Fat wiped back his tears after getting out of the hole. "I think I... soiled... my tunic."

Dumb snapped his fingers. "Hey! That gives me an idea for a better trap!"

Scratch poked him again. "Come on, Fat, let's go home and clean up. Dumb can stay here and repair this thing."

The day the culling starts there would be a big opening ceremony at the guild house.

Because Xandra was so excited we arrived half an hour earlier and have to wait at a table for it to start.

I yawn.【Couldn't we have slept late? Eston beds are way nicer than back home.】

【No.】Xandra says resolutely.【Don't you know the early bird gets the worm? In the past five years every top culling party signed up as one of the very first.】

【Did you really read up on that? Who researches the history of a festival? Seriously!】

【Hmmpf】She turns away from me towards the balustrade, where in a few moments the guild master will appear.

By now the room is pretty packed, because we were some of the first to arrive we have front-line seats to the show. I see the man that tried to pick on us two days ago struggling to see anything.

-

Eventually the guild master does appear, it's somebody different than in the game. I don't recognize this old guy at all. I suppose he'll retire in a few years and be replaced by Marie, or 'Boss' as some of the characters in the game call her. I don't actually know how people are promoted in the guild, is it a rank thing? Boss certainly seemed like a powerful vanguard in the game, maybe she got the position because she became stronger than this guy?

【Is he a famous adventurer?】I ask Xandra.

【Ssshh, it's starting.】

-

【Hello everybody. Boy, is it nice to see so many people in the guild hall. I even see some fresh new faces this year, that does an old man good. It gives you hope for the future!】The man has a creaky old person voice, but he is loud enough for his voice to fill the entire space.【You know, the culling is a proud tradition that stretches back to before the founding of our great nation. You see, back then, local lords would promise to their people that-】

【Mr. President.】Boss- no, Marie comes up to the current guild leader and speaks softly to him. Her heavy armor looks exactly like the game's graphics, except made real.【I think they want to hear about the rewards.】Because Xandra and I are sitting so closely to the balustrade we can overhear her guiding him.

【Of course, of course-】The man's voice is just as loud when addressing her, I wonder if there is some sort of spell he is using that functioned as a microphone.【For the coming month, the reward for killing goblins is doubled!】

There are some audible cheers from the crowd. People really like their money, I guess.

【And that's not all, the person that has killed the most goblins by the end of the month will receive this special prize! A magical amulet.】He holds up a green ruby encrusted onto a golden band.

My eyes fly wide open. The spring amulet! That's a special item in the game, needed to reach the secret final boss and the true ending. It was supposed to be hidden on a fallen adventurer in the witchwood. Why was it a prize in this local festival?

The guild master doesn't pause for me to over think these things.【We take the right ear of a goblin as proof of a kill. Sign up as a party to get your very own basket! At the end of the month, we'll be counting ears for the winners. Happy culling everybody!】

After the announcement parties clamor and crowd the receptionist's desk to sign up. It's pretty poorly planned actually, couldn't they have let us sign in for the competition before the event actually started? The lady behind the desk is panicking trying to help the impatient people as they push in front of each other trying to be one of the first to sign up.

I look around me, before I knew it I have lost Xandra.

-

After a while she comes back with a triumphant look on her face.【I signed us up as 'Xandra's party.' We're one of the first ten!】

'Xandra's party'? Isn't that a bit like she's the main character and I'm a sidekick? Well, it doesn't matter. What matters is the spring amulet. The hero needs that item to save the world, if we win it, do we change the time line? Or maybe the time line is already changed and if somebody else wins it, it'll end in a cupboard somewhere and can never be retrieved.

【How troublesome.】I murmur.

【Rudy, let's go!】Xandra drags me out of the building.

I suppose we'll have to do our best trying to win the event.

I suppose I can relent a bit.

Huh?

Scratch had taken up smoking at least once every day in order for Cyclophan to warn him about any unexpected occurrences in the cave, but Cyclophan was using the open connection to talk about anything that pleased him.

I'm saying that I think you've learned your lesson, so I'm going to stop it now.

What? What have you been doing?

Don't play dumb, the animals. I stopped helping you with the animals when you snubbed me.

You're saying wild beasts have just been wandering into camp? He almost dropped his pipe.

No. Ugh... The birds in the pen. I have stopped pacifying the cockatrice and I haven't been pacifying the geese either.

Okay...

They've been going really wild and biting whoever comes near. You guys had to use spears to get eggs!

Well, we managed, so it's fine. Scratch rocked his chair on its back legs and twiddled with a gold coin, he was getting increasingly adept at making it appear and disappear into his other hand.

Maybe it's fine now, but what when you get a stronger beast?

Hold up. Who said anything about a stronger beast? I'm not planning on keeping any cows in that narrow little tunnel of ours.

Then what about a guard dog for guarding your treasure? Warg wolves and goblins are a classic team up, I think that-

This is about the dungeon thing, isn't it? You want more mana.

Yeah. So what? You are my champion, helping me develop my dungeon should be your highest priority!

The walls started creaking again from the shuddering of the dungeon core.

Scratch collected himself. I'll see what I can do, after we survive this culling thing, but don't forget that this is supposed to be a mutual agreement. I still expect to be compensated in return.

Want more gold? Your little pocket is mined out, isn't it? I think I can get you some more if I go straight down.

Actually, what we need is limestone, for tanning. Any pockets of that around?

The whole conversation was bizarre, but it remained a fact that in this world different materials did not come in stretching veins, but in small disconnected pockets. It was Scratch's own observation that the highest layer of sediment seemed natural, the result of erosion and settled topsoil, but below a certain threshold a system of patchwork materials took over.

All their rooms were mined out pockets that had been polished and furnished, currently two more depleted pockets were sitting between them and the pen and a third iron pockets was still not mined out entirely. Soon Cyclophan would start bugging him about covering those too, for the 'flow of magic'.

My magic isn't picking up any limestone. Then again, all this rock stuff isn't my affinity. I'm good with living creatures.

Well, don't evolve Barbara. She's been keeping that toxin a secret after all, she's not domesticated yet.

I can't just unilaterally mess with followers of another god. Humans are protected by Benesant, and this nation is protected by Rhada, I'd need her to disavow both of those.

Good. You start digging again, we'll focus on survival... And we'll get you some more walls for the empty pockets.

Ah! Thank you. I was gonna say...

【So we'll come back next week, right?】Xandra asks.

【How else would you deliver your goblin ears?】Uncle snickers. He obviously doesn't believe we can win.

Without saying much more we lift ourselves on the new cart. We had been able to hitch a ride on the way here, but this time we have a personal cart and donkey, even if it is less sophisticated than the previous one, not having a roof and all.

【Did you really buy your own cart?】I say incredulously.

【Yeah~, your uncle is a shrewd businessman.】He boasts.【I'm making back the money shipping these food crates to some acquaintances of mine.】He tapped the top of the wooden boxes.【So we're making a detour up river.】

The donkey pulls us all over the unpaved road by the riverside without complaining. We talk about general stuff, adventuring and ranks and such.

【So Zell recommended you Kathia's cheap weapons. You must have told him who your dear uncle is! Hahaha!】

【You know Zell?】

【Oh, yeah, me and Zell way back. Used to be in the same party, me and him.】

Xandra gasps.【Uncle, you used to be an adventurer?】

He chuckles.【Of sorts... I'll tell you, you hang on to those weapons now, Kathia doesn't sell knockoff trinkets, those are tried and tested instruments you're wielding.】

I look at my short bow and Xandra's batons.【So they're secondhand.】

【They are. Kathia sells weapons of warriors that don't need 'em anymore.】

【Is that why she can't sell them in front of the guild house?】Xandra is probably recalling how she told us not to reveal where we got the tools from to the guild master or Marie.

【Eh, sort of- Well will ya look at that!】

While talking we had barely noticed the burned down building we are riding up to.

-

【Xandra's party, let's investigate!】Xandra grabs her tonfas and jumps off the cart.

Does she think the arsonists are still hiding in there?

I stay put.【Uncle, aren't we going a bit far east? There's a high level area over there, isn't there?】

【Hhhm? No? I suppose there's the witchwood at the other side of the river, but we're going to a level F forest. Just slimes and goblins, you can score your first ears there.】

I am confused. In the game the area is under the control of the champion of the evil god Manshuu, a high orc cannibal. He has his own dungeon filled with orcs and goblin slaves. The main characters have to join forces with the fairies of the witchwood to defeat him.

Maybe the orc champion hasn't arrived yet? The game takes place six years in our future.

-

【Heeey!】Xandra is calling out to us.【World memories!】

Whisk cards? I'm not interested in building a deck, but I heard rare whisk cards can be really valuable.

【Find any rare ones?】I yell.

I can just about see her shrug.【I dunno! Come look at them!】

-

So we tie the donkey to a young tree and climb over the burned rubble towards her.

【Let's see... These are the ones I found, there may be more.】

She shows us three cards, all of them show us groups of goblins performing cruel deeds.

【Diversion Tactic】shows one group of goblins luring the men of the farm out the front door while another sneaks in through the window.

【Ransack】shows goblins jumping on furniture and wrecking the interior while the family is bound on the floor.

And【Destroying the Evidence】shows a few goblins torching the farm while the others leave with a pile of loot and a screaming child.

We all are silent for a bit.

【I guess this shows why goblins need to be killed.】Xandra says eventually.

【I think this is what the guild master was talking about.】I add.【How long ago did this happen?

Uncle grabs one of the cards out of Xandra's hand.【'T must must have been at least six days ago, if the whisk cards appeared. But it can't be from last year, this place would have been found already.】

【So it's from this spring...】I say contemplatively.【Are they wearing helmets?】The goblins in the picture are wearing what looks like old-timey Jingasa helmets?

【Must be be some stolen hats.】Uncle comments.

But I haven't forgotten that the orcs in the game equipped their goblin slaves with much stronger metal equipment for defending the lair.

【Should we go back?】Xandra asks.【Don't we have to tell someone?】

【The duke's castle is a month travel away." Uncle shrugs.【You can show these cards to the guild master when we go back to Eston next week.】

【In the meantime,】I say,【it might not be too late to save that girl!】

Uncle sighs as we climb up the cart.【Adventurers save damsels in distress all the time, but the forest is a big place, there's a lot of goblin tribes, with a lot of captives. I'm sorry kids, but I don't think we'll luck upon the exact tribe that took the girl.】

【Well...】Xandra readies her tonfas.【We'll just have to save as many as possible!】

Uncle starts laughing. "Hahaha! That's what I like to hear, let's do some goblin slaying!】

"Ah, Scratch, Fat." Again Huckabee almost attacked the two.

"You can recognize us for the clothes we're wearing. Scratch commented, gesturing towards his padded skin clothing and wide brimmed metal hat when he saw Huckabee's drawn sword.

"There's still a lot of wild goblins around, wearing old orc stuff, you know how it is..."

No, I don't know, please explain it to me. Scratch stopped himself, he had no reason to make Huckabee uncomfortable, their visit was a diplomatic one.

"Huck, have you met Linus, he's a newborn. Linus, come meet Huckabee-... uhm... I'm blanking on your last name."

"Hi there Linus." Huckabee bend over to address the younger goblin, despite him being not that much shorter than Scratch. "I'm Huckabee, no last name, just a commoner."

"I see... we're here to trade again, and to discuss how we're handling this month." He shook a little back of golden coins Second had sewn.

"Right, I... think the boss needs to hear about that, let me take you to her."

-

As they walked towards her tent Huckabee started talking. "Letta is doing well, physically I mean. She still won't talk to us, boy, I think she might hate us after all the-"

"Letta?" Fat asked quizzically.

"Oh. Letta was the name of the girl you traded for Barbara. Heh, she didn't want to tell us her name at first either."

Linus' ears perked up. "We traded for mom?"

Huckabee suddenly fell silent. Was he surprised at the goblin referring to his mother that way, or did he just not expect the young creature to talk?

Scratch decided to change the subject. "That's how we got her. I see the tent there, is it alright if we just walk in?"

"S-sure, let me announce you."

-

"Boss, Scratch is here to talk about something." Huckabee said quickly as he opened the tent.

She frowned at him from behind her little desk. "Don't just decide that on your own. Check with me if I'm busy first."

"Uh, are you busy?"

She sighed, letting go of the throwing knivs she'd been playing with. "No. Come, Scratch, take a seat... And who is this little fella?"

"I'm Linus." Linus said confidently. "I'm going to help carry."

"We decided we wanted to try buy some lye and other things off you," Scratch explained, "but we also want to talk about this whole culling thing."

Harkness sensed the gravitas he put in his intonation and folded her hands on the table. "Yes?"

"We're turtling up, today is the first day of the culling and we want to avoid traveling outside our camp during that time. It's enemy territory you see."

"I see, so you won't be visiting us the coming weeks."

"More than that, we've build some defenses to keep out adventurers. But between a bandit and an adventurer... a pit trap doesn't know the difference."

She put her palms flat on the table and stood up. "Okay, and we'll be keeping away from you for that time too. I wish you luck-"

"Oh, oh!" Fat interrupted her. "The cards, the cards."

"Thank you Fat, I was getting to that." Scratch said through clenched teeth. He then addressed the bandit leader again. "You know how we went through the whole snatching thing last week, we were just thinking, for both our benefit, if the whisk cards, when they appear, could jus-"

"Boss." Dee opened up the tent. "Fyro's guy is here with the stuff." And she let in the outsider.

The man stood still in the opening to the bandit leader's tent.

Right in front of her stood a trio of dressed up goblins.

"Ah!" He said after a moment of silence. "The old Dandelion Hero trick, is it? Breeding monsters for the guild rewards?"

"Haha, yes. Let's go look at the wares, shall we?" Harkness jumped over her desk and guided him outside, giving Dee an angry look.

Dee gave her a "what do you want from me, what was I supposed to do?" look back.

-

Soon enough she got him talking about other things, hopefully forgetting seeing monsters in the bandit camp.

"My nephew and his little friend are out and about adventuring." He said. "I had to point them in a different direction of course, they're not cultivated enough for bandit suppression! Haha!"

She didn't think their killable status was very funny but she smiled along with him to be friendly. "Do you have the spellrods in here?"

"I don't know what's in the crates, lady, I just deliver 'em. I mean, feel free to take a looksie."

"I will, thank you." She didn't trust Fyro not to screw her over, even if he didn't have a plan lined up to replace the bandits after they'd gotten discovered by adventurers, it wasn't below him to give her deficient rods out of pettiness after they had decided to take control of the route.

She fished out the large rods with gems at the tips from underneath some standard tooth brushing paste and shampoo that came with the usual shipments.

She snapped her fingers at Huckabee. "Go get Stanford to inspect these things." Then she turned to the smuggler, I'll retrieve your payment.

-

As she went inside the smuggler took a look around the camp.

It was smaller than it had been in its heyday. He had understood that recently there had been an orc attack, and the bandit population had been reduced. It was a brutal life, having to live among monsters without the protection of the state. When you thought about it, bandits were monsters, in a way. Adventurers were payed to kill them, soldiers were ordered to exterminate them, and regular people were preyed on by them.

Eventually he saw a young girl that looked faintly familiar sitting all on her own, staring at the ground. In fact, he did know that girl. He had only just seen her on a world memory.

Warg Wolf

Family: Beasts

Threat Level: E

Reward: 5 copper pieces

Warg wolves are larger and more intelligent wolves. They are known to only attack when victory is assured, making them an extremely dangerous foe. They can live for up to forty years and can be recognized by their snow white feet and tail tip. They roam in packs, the size of which can range from three to three dozen, and work together to take down larger prey.

Warg wolves possess the Pack Hunter nature, allowing them to communicate with each other to co-ordinate attacks, without being able to speak. It has been observed for warg wolves to communicate with goblins this way. For this reason, warg wolves will sometimes work together with goblins to take down human settlements, however, it would be a mistake to say goblins can tame warg wolves. Warg wolves are considered more intelligent than goblins, despite the latter being capable of limited speech, and would be more accurately desribed as the ones taming the goblins, rather than the other way around.