Chapter 4: Attack of the Goblins

Two goblins scrambled into Heck’s upper room, climbing over the top of the wooden blockade and leaping down into the room. One was holding a morning star, while the other had a shortsword clutched in both of its hands.

Heck, looking terrified, dropped the iron poker and flattened himself against the back wall of the room.

“Come on – hit one of them, Heck!” cried Ricky.

But rather than troubling the villager, the goblins were both coming towards Ricky, the one with the sword in the lead. Ricky knew it had a much better weapon than he did, but on the other hand it was fairly small – only around four feet high. The other was at its shoulder, grinning as it advanced.

Ricky glanced to the side. He knew he wasn’t going to be faster than them, and would have to find some other way to fend them off. He slowly backed away towards the table, keeping the small knife held high. Then he picked up a heavy-looking book from the table and flung it at the goblin with the sword, hitting it in full the face. It staggered back momentarily, distracting its comrade.

*Achievement: What’s that you’re packing? You have made a hit using an improvised weapon. +10XP

*Combat event: You have stunned a foe. +5XP

Ricky took the opportunity to run past the pair towards where Heck was crouching. He picked up the iron poker, so that he was now holding it in his left hand and the knife in the right. If he could perhaps use the poker to block a blow, he thought...

But as he rose with the poker in his hand, the goblin with the morning star brought the chain weapon down upon his shoulder, and pain exploded around his body.

*Damage report: You have lost 7 hit points (9 remain).

As the creature tried to pull the weapon back, Ricky stuck the poker up through one of the links of the chain. He was now pulling back at it – and his reach and strength stat of eight had to count for something. It was difficult with the knife in his hand so he dropped it; at his feet Heck scooped it up.

The goblin with the sword was now circling around – he had to be quick, he realized, or the foe would slash at his arms. With a huge effort, he heaved at the morning star and succeeded in pulling it right out of the hands of the goblin.

*Combat event: You have disarmed a foe. +10XP

The evil creature staggered forward and fell at his feet, only for Heck to stab downwards with the knife, finishing it off.

Ricky now turned to face his remaining enemy, turning the morning star around in his hand.

***

New item

Item: morning star

Class: weapon

Type: one-handed

Damage range: 4–8

Resilience: 24

Prerequisites: strength 3 or higher

Description: this is the most basic of chain weapons, light enough for most untrained warriors to wield with ease. It is formed of a spiked ball, a 1-foot chain and a smooth six-inch handle. The handle is formed of ash wood, and the chain and ball are both solid iron. A common weapon in the Pervanian armies of yesteryear, this piece was forged in the Parvanian capital Galatas in the year 209, long before that city was lost to the sand dunes. The handle was later replaced by a low-grade craftsman from Imperialis.

***

This is more like it, Ricky thought to himself, beginning to swing the weapon up and down.

The goblin leapt forward, jabbing the point of his sword towards his stomach, and he moved out of the way just in time, leading to a lesser but nevertheless painful wound.

*Damage report: You have lost 2 hit points (7 remain).

While it wasn’t as bad as the previous injury, he cursed himself for his overconfidence. Damn – it was lucky these were only goblins: small, and apparently not particularly skilled.

The goblin jabbed out again, but this time Ricky was ready for it. He stepped to the right just as it moved, and brought the morning star down upon its arm, knocking the sword out of its hand. He then stepped back and struck again, and the chain weapon wrapped itself around the little creature’s neck, causing its purple glowing eyes to widen in shock. Then with a jerk, muscles bulging, Ricky pulled sideways at it as hard as he can, yanking it off its feet and sending it flying across the room.

The goblin yelled once as it sailed right through the open hatch at the front of the room, bounced once on the slate roof, and then crunched down to the street below.

*Combat event: You have slain a goblin. +5XP.

*Quest 003 complete: Defend Heck’s home against the goblin invaders. +20XP

*Experience update: You now have over 100 unallocated XP.

“Urgh.” Ricky stood in the blood-splattered room, clutching at the cut on his side that had been made by the goblin’s sword. His shoulder was throbbing painfully too, and despite the slaying of three goblins, he didn’t feel particularly triumphant.

Heck, however, was approaching him with a broad smile on his face. “I knew you were heroic as soon as I clapped eyes on you,” he said. “First you help me clear up, and now you defend my home. Come – let’s move this furniture. I see you are wounded, and I have herbal teas that will help you to heal.”

Ricky nodded. “That would be appreciated, right enough. Something for the pain, too, perhaps?“

“Come this way – I keep my supplies hidden so that the goblins can’t find them.”

Before he went, Ricky took a moment to search the goblin which Heck had stabbed. It had a small coin pouch, and he reached for it, half expecting to the coins to automatically jump into his inventory. Instead, however, he had to take the whole pouch, which he strapped to himself. It contained eight silver coins and six copper, all round and with unfamiliar designs.

*World event: You have gained loot. +5XP

***

New item

Item: coin pouch

Type: containers

Capacity: 80 coins

Resilience: 7

Description: this is a deceptively tough leather pouch, with loops for a belt to run through it. It was formed from the hide of a moose hunted in the Tryptich Forest by an elven tribe, then traded with the people in the imperial north. It can hold a couple of handfuls of coin or a few small potions.

***

***

Wealth update

Gold: 0

Silver: 8

Copper: 6

***

Guide, he said to himself. How much are these coins worth?

“You will find the prices of local goods when you enter a store or speak to a merchant at a market,” she replied unhelpfully.

Okay... but how much would it be for a night at an inn, for example?

“That depends, Ricky. But in Barrowdale, the prices typically range from three silvers to two gold for a night, depending on the room.”

He nodded.

One more question – how much is a gold coin worth compared to a silver or a copper?

“A gold is worth five silvers, and a silver is worth five coppers.”

Thank you.

He tucked the morning star into his belt, too, but decided to leave the shortsword – it looked like Heck could do with a proper weapon to defend himself. He placed the knife back on the table, too.

They then moved the bookcase, and Ricky briefly looted the dead goblin on the stairwell, too, adding another one gold, two silver, and five copper to his pouch, and gaining a further five XP in the process for looting. He also took a handy-looking dagger from that goblin, complete with sheath.

***

New item

Item: dagger

Class: weapon

Type: one-handed

Damage range: 2–4

Resilience: 6

Prerequisites: nimbleness 2 or higher

Description: this is a long and dangerous blade, but low-quality and primitive. As such, it is poorly balanced, and highly prone to damage or rust. It was forged by the goblin tribes in the Moondew Mountains, some five years ago.

***

***

Wealth update

Gold: 1

Silver: 10

Copper: 11

***

Soon Ricky had hurried on downstairs, and he approached Heck who was now holding two small parcels.

“This,” said the villager, holding up a tiny canvas bag, “is a healing yagga root tea. You will need to immerse it in boiling water, but once you do, drinking it will ease your pain rapidly. You can also retain it for up to a day, and it will keep its quality. There is enough here for three infusions.”

“That’s great to hear, Heck. How much do I owe you for this?”

“Normally I do charge a fair price, but you have come to my home and defended me against those evil beasts. So for today at least, there is no charge. Now, do you smoke, oh brave Treecutter?”

Ricky shrugged. “Smoke? You mean like cigars?”

“I don’t know what those things are, Treecutter. But this is the finest bale leaf in the region.” He held up the other parcel – this time a bundle of dried leaves that had been tied in twine. “Smoked in a pipe, it will boost your skill in negotiation and such like. I also gift it to you.”

“Thank you indeed,” said Ricky, taking the two parcels. As he did so, he saw further information appear.

***

New item

Item: bale leaf

Class: herb

Properties: buff to all social skills for 1 hour

Prerequisites: none

Description: this sweet-smelling herb is composed of the flowers and seed pods of the bale weed, a plant that is a common sight alongside the imperial roads of the eastern realm. Many villagers and rural families cultivate a few plants by their houses, to be smoked with neighbors whenever disputes need to be resolved.

***

***

New item

Item: yagga root tea (3 servings)

Class: herb

Properties: regain 1–10 hit points per dose

Prerequisites: having sustained non-magical injuries

Description: this blue, crumbly tea is derived from seaweed, harvested by bonded laborers on the coast near Roker Bridge. The highest quality herb is collected in early spring, when the plants are still at the very start of the growing season. Typically it is then dried on the low flat basalt rocks of the southern beaches before being bundled up and sold to the city's merchants. It is highly prized by the Rokerian Army.

***

Soon, Heck had boiled a kettle, and allowed Ricky to brew the first of his yagga root brews in a tin mug. He drank down the bitter-tasking fluid, and quickly saw another update.

*Healing report: You have gained 3 hit points (10 remain).

Come now, said Heck. You said you wanted to help Sami. I am no brave hero or scout, but here is a map of the area around Barrowdale. You can take it for as long as you need it.

***

New item

Item: map of Barrowdale

Class: scrolls and books

Accuracy: 71%

Resilience: 2

Prerequisites: being literate

Description: this map is ragged at the edges and stained with multiple cup rings, but presents in a clear and portable form the finest work of amateur Barrowdale cartographer Mitzo the Quill.

***

An accuracy of seventy one per cent? Mitzo’s work was damned with faint praise. Ricky snickered quietly to himself, then nodded his thanks to Heck. He folded the map and tucked it into a pocket of his pants along with the herbs. He would need to get himself a bag or backpack soon, he realized.

Outside in the street, there was a sense that things were returning to normal. The goblin that he had flung from the upstairs hatch had already been looted, and Ricky cursed silently for not being quicker to collect more valuable coins from it as he had done with the others. There was no sign of any further attacks – or of the goblins themselves.

“The town watch have come, now,” said Heck, pointing and glaring at towards the town gate at the end of the street. “Too slow, as ever.”

But rather than looking at the gate towards the newly-arrived soldiers, Ricky had fixed his gaze on a middle-aged couple across the street, both muscular and in the outfit of blacksmiths, and both sobbing uncontrollably. This must be the parents of the young women who had been beaten and tied up by the goblin raiders.

As he had already committed to doing something about the abduction of their daughter – he could see little option but to intervene. And so he stepped over to speak to the smiths.

As Ricky explained his intention to help rescue Sami, the middle-aged couple stopped crying and invited him inside.

Wiping his eyes, the man gestured for Ricky to come inside. Soon he was seated on a comfortable, wooden backed bench with a woolen cushion, looking around.

The place didn’t look too bad for having been raided, though there was some debris upon the floor, and many items had been overturned; the woman was currently working to right some of these. Overall, it was dirty but spacious, the forge in one side surrounded by tools, barrels and a tiled area, with a shopkeeper’s counter at the other side of the room, behind which many weapons and shields were hanging on the wall.

“I’m Bryne,” said the man, pulling up a simple wooden chair, turning it around, and sitting while leaning on its back. “And that is my wife Collette. We run the forge in the town of Barrowdale, as you can see.”

“It’s very brave of you to offer your help, young man,” said Collette. Her face was still streaked with dried-up tears, but she was smiling now. “Are you sure you are willing to risk facing the goblins, though? The town guards have said it is far too dangerous to follow them to their lair.”

“I saw your daughter being beaten and dragged away,” said Ricky, frowning, “and it was foul, evil act. Perhaps the guards need to reevaluate their priorities.”

As he spoke, Ricky briefly wondered to himself if he was as certain about the matter as he liked to think. This was, after all, a simulation – and the goal was to find a key to New Baravia, not to rescue teenagers in distress.

But no.

Surely the simulation wanted people to act in honorable ways, to develop their skills and show that they could be useful citizens. Helping others and fighting monsters might be required in order to ’win’ the game.

Besides, he had seen enough in his years on the road to know that it would not sit well with him to stand by as others were harmed. Like the time when he had first travelled to the port of Lisbon in order to board a ship for the New World. Unlike most of the European refugees, Ricky was able to earn his place on one of the departing ships due to his skill as a mechanic. Work for free, and passage is yours, he had been told by the first ship in port.

But when he saw how others on the crew were trying to separate young women from their families, he saw which way things were headed. Find yourself another mechanic, he had told them, before warning as many of the families as he could.

When he had eventually made the crossing, it had been on the vessel called the Wandering Albatross. It was owned by Captain Rashid. There was no doubt that Captain Rashid was lining his pockets, but at the same time he was a family man, and showed consideration for the people he transported. As a result, his ship was busy but never overcrowded, and families were allowed make the arduous crossing together and in dignity. There had even been gaming pods for the crew to pass the time on the return journey. Ricky had crewed several crossings of the Atlantic on the vessel as a mechanic before he eventually joined the flood of refugees himself, and making his way towards the walls of New Baravia.

The world may be screwed up, but there are still good people. And if he could be more like Captain Rashid himself, then he would.

“I am definitely willing to help,” he reiterated to the sorrowful couple. “But I wonder – is there anything that you could tell me that might help me to succeed?”

Collette nodded. “I can tell you that the goblins have their base in the Lambskull Hills, just out of town,” she said. “They have a set of caverns there, concealed behind a waterfall. That may be where they take their captives.

*Achievement: Productive gossip! You have connected with an NPC and gained new information. +10XP

“I see,” said Ricky, pulling the crumpled map out of his pocket and scrutinizing it. Indeed – there were the hills she had mentioned, though there were no caverns shown. “But of course, there must be a great many of them, and while I did just successfully slay two goblins, I am no great warrior. I can’t kill them all. Instead, I think I need to find a way to sneak in and rescue Sami.”

Bryne nodded enthusiastically. “Yes. I would suggest going in with no more than one other person alongside you. Perhaps you can hire a partner at the local inn? There are usually some travelers there, and many of them are experienced at dealing with goblins and worse. We will pay, of course. I hope this is enough.” With this, he pulled out a handful of coins and gave them to Ricky: three gold and five silver.

*Quest 006 (level 2): Hire an NPC at the local inn.

***

Wealth update

Gold: 4

Silver: 15

Copper: 11

***

“Very well – that should help me to find a hireling. And in terms of equipment...” Ricky looked around. As he had said himself, stealth would be a more viable strategy than all-out attack, but he also knew that he was very vulnerable in ordinary clothes. “At first I was thinking that I might ask to borrow some heavy armor,” he said, “but that is not really what I need. I need to be stealthy. But perhaps, if you could spare a shield...”

“Of course,” said Bryne, standing up and walking over to the counter area. “Let’s get you equipped. I also have some tough armor made mostly of leather that might suit, and you can take your pick of shields.”

*Achievement: On the scrounge! You have connected with an NPC and been given an item. +10XP

***

New item

Item: reinforced leather armor

Class: armor

Type: light

Protection: +5 to armor class, –5 to damage.

Resilience: 145

Prerequisites: strength of 4+

Description: a basic protective armor, made of cattle hide with an iron chestplate and shoulder guards, and crafted on a production line in Doomstar shortly before the city’s collapse. The suit is unsuitable for warriors or mercenaries, but adequate for town patrols, or for anyone unfortunate enough to work guarding merchant convoys in between the major cities of Portalis.

***

Ricky took a moment to consider the options among the shields, and then selected one which was round, with a v-shaped motif in red and black. It reminded him a little of the shields that he had seen in the Viking tales of his youth. The Vikings may have been raiders and killers – little better than the goblins in a way – but a part of him still clung on to those childish heroic dreams.

The shield had a handle near its edge, and a leather strap in the middle which fitted over his forearm. As he put it on, the lower area of his vision was again filled with translucent writing.

***

New item

Item: hoplon shield

Class: armor

Protection: +5 to armor class, –5 to damage.

Resilience: 75

Prerequisites: strength of 3+

Description: a fine shield crafted by Finn Bergstone, armorer and stalwart of the Broken Tower Guild. Bergstone gained extra coin for his guild by producing fine suits of armor, but shields were his particular specialty. This is an unusual piece, inspired by a dream that Bergstone once had involving multiple warriors with spears marching to defend an ancient city.

***

“You spoke of borrowing these things,” said Colette, “but if you return our daughter to us alive, they will be gifts, with our grateful thanks.”

Her husband nodded.

“I appreciate that,” Ricky replied. “But let’s not get ahead of ourselves. I will do my best – that’s all I can promise. If I fail, I will return this gear to you as soon as I can.”

Collette bowed her head. “I understand.”

He glanced around the shop once again once he had finished strapping up the leather armor. “You don’t sell backpacks here, do you? Or even have a sack that I could borrow?”

“No,” said Bryne, “but I think I can help you out.” The bulky smith moved through a door behind the counter, and after a few minutes returned with a leather satchel with a long strap. “You can place this across your shoulder like so,” he said, holding it up to himself. “It’s sturdy, and won’t get in the way if you have to defend yourself.”

Ricky took the bag with thanks. It had only one compartment, but there was a fair bit of room. He slung it across his shoulder, allowing it to hang at his back, and persuaded the smiths to take back one of their gold coins in exchange for it.

***

New item

Item: canvas satchel

Class: containers

Capacity: 30lb

Resilience: 28

Description: an undervalued asset to any traveler – a cow-hide bag with a long strap, easily pushed out of the way when engaged in combat, and with the potential to be swung around the head as a makeshift weapon. This particular bag was crafted by the dwarves of Mount Jura, and was a popular way for miners and farmers alike to carry their midday meal.

***

***

Wealth update

Gold: 3

Silver: 15

Copper: 11

***

“One last thing,” said Ricky. “Where’s the inn?”

Accumulated XP: 135