Goblin Hunting

Bo: Are you sure it's safe?

Adrian: Will you cut it out mister scaredy-pants?

Wanda: Wanna join the fight this time, Adora?

Adrian: I will be keeping you guys safe. It's not like I'm scared.

Wanda: Sure you're not.

Guilford: We're not going to the place where platinum ranks die, Bo.

Helah: It will be fine, we've gone to this area many times before.

Bo: Not very convincing after that sabre wolf.

Guilford: We're going to an area to train you copper ranks, it's "relatively" safe.

Adrian: Bo, will you stop complaining? Your whining yesterday was bad enough.

Bo: I just feel like this area is too dangerous.

Helah: We know what we're doing. You'll see.

It's somewhat uncharacteristic for Bo to be complaining like this, but the sabre wolf scared him good. Also, he doesn't need to show off to impress Ai right now. He can afford to be a lot more timid. Guilford's party is heading for a goblin encampment in the Greyroot Pines. It is more than a day away from Greyroot. Yesterday they camped in a cave along the way. Guilford's party often uses the cave on their trips to the goblin camp. Bo has a sling and a bow. The bow is new. He won't be needing a slingshot anymore, but he can always make a new one, if he has to. Yesterday morning he rose early to practice with the sling. After that, Adora trained him with the bow. Even so, this training does little to resolve his feelings of inadequacy.

Adrian: I'm going ahead!

Guilford: Everyone hide. Leave the scouting to Adrian.

In the distance a wooden palisade could be seen. Small green humanoids with pointy ears are moving about. Adrian was to figure out a target for the party to attack. Unlike some other places, the adventurers guild payed nothing for taking out goblins around Greyroot. The Greyroot Pines was considered territory lost to the monsters. There was no point in rewarding, killing a few goblins. Around here most adventurers would prefer to take out monsters that were intrinsically valuable, because of their meat, bones, fangs or what not. That's exactly what makes the goblin encampment a great place to train beginners. Since there is nothing of value, they are the only ones here.

Bo: Are we going in there?

Guilford: No, that would be suicide. Adrian is going to find us a goblin patrol squad leaving the village. We will attempt to take out the patrol before they can raise the alarm.

Bo: What if they raise the alarm?

Adora: Then we run!

Guilford: Return to the cave if you get separated.

Bo: Why is going into the encampment suicide? I thought goblins are weak?

Wanda: There's a goblin king in the encampment.

Guilford: Regular goblins are weak, but there are many variants: goblin archer, goblin warrior, goblin elite, goblin shaman, goblin general, goblin king and more. Also, with our current party composition, if we get surrounded, we're dead.

Helah: So if the situation gets out of control, we run.

Wanda: Just use Adrian as inspiration.

Guilford: So once Adrian finds us a target, we stalk them until we see an opportunity to strike. Adora and Bo pick a target and on my signal, strike at once. I will hold aggro on any goblins that come close. Make sure there are no survivors. We can't let a single one get away, or the whole camp will come after us.

Adora: Use your new bow.

Bo: I want to use the sling.

Adora: Just use the bow.

Helah: Why can't he use the sling?

Adora: It's better if we have an additional bow user, we can use each other's weapon and ammo.

Bo: But slingers can find ammo everywhere.

Adora: *irritated* Why are you so attached to the sling?

Bo: I just feel like it suits me more.

Guilford: Let him use the sling.

Adora: *annoyed* whatever.

Wanda: Are we going after something bigger after this?

Guilford: We need to raise the levels of the coppers first.

Wanda: I can't free my sister like this.

Guilford: It's too risky.

Helah: Wanda, we haven't forgotten your sister, really.

Bo: Your sister?

Adrian: Psst, this way.

Guilford: Numbers?

Adrian: Small patrol, 4 gobs.

Bo: regular?

Adrian: Of course, otherwise I wouldn't just call them gobs.

Adora: 4 is great. Usually patrols are bigger.

Helah: We got lucky.

Wanda: Nobody in this party is getting lucky today *wink*.

Adrian: Bo, try not to rustle the bushes so much. We will get noticed.

Bo: Sorry.

Guilford: *whispers* no more talking.

Ahead of them are 4 small goblins armed with makeshift spears with stone tips on them. The goblins are marching through the forest, while looking around. Bo and Adora pick a target and they wait for Guilford's signal. A moment later when none of the goblins are looking in their direction, Guilford makes a hand signal and an arrow and a rock fly through the forest. The rock misses, but the arrow strike true and the goblin starts screaming. The other two turn around alertedly and rush to the party, but Bo and Adora have enough time to fire another round. Both projectiles strike true. The goblin hit by the rock is dead on impact. The other goblin is on the ground screaming like the first. Guilford taunts the last goblin and Adrian takes it out while it is distracted. They quickly finish off the 2 screaming goblins. Retrieve the arrows, check if they can be reused and then regroup.

Guilford: Good job guys, just like this.

Adrian: I'll go find some more gobs.

Adora: It's easier to aim with a bow.

Bo: I like the sling.

Helah: Would you be willing to try the bow?

Bo: I guess...

Guilford: Let's see how it goes with the bow.

The next group has 5 goblins. This time both archers fire 2 volleys and all arrows hit. The last goblin is killed by Adrian.

Guilford: Bo, I'm going to ask you to use the Bow.

Wanda: hihi.

Guilford: You may use the sling if there's no more than 5 goblins. For larger groups, safety comes first.

Bo: *disappointed* okay...

Guilford: We'll keep track of your accuracy. If you get good enough with the sling, I will allow you to switch.

Bo: *enthusiastically* Okay!

{ I'm a little disappointed at the lack of adventure going on. }

And like that they started taking out squads. Adrian would find them squads of 4 to 8 goblins and the archers would do a sneak attack. Guilford would intercept the goblins that wanted to rush the archers. For large groups Wanda would fire off rounds of "ice bullet" after the first arrows were released. Ice bullet is cheap and fast. She wasn't as fast as the archers, but she could take out at least one before the goblins reached them. Guilford was predominantly defending. The whole point of this exercise was to have the other party members gain XP. Adrian would pick off some of the taunted goblins, presuming they were able to get close. It was mainly Adora and Bo gaining the XP though. Having a ranged weapon, gave them a real advantage.

After hunting goblins the whole day, they returned to the cave and created a camp fire right outside.

Adrian: Wanda shower?

Bo: Huh?

Helah: He's asking you if you want a shower.

Bo: Sure...

Adrian: Just head over there, towards our wet female mage.

Slightly confused, Bo follows Adrian's directions and sees Adora and Guilford holding their breath in a spinning blob of water. She calls out to him and tells him to take a deep breath. Which he does, after which he finds himself inside a spinning blob of water as well.

{ Human washing machine go! }

After a while, when he starts to panic because he is running out of breath, all the water disperses.

{ No centrifuge? Missed opportunity. }

Wanda: Don't worry, I won't drown you.

Bo: *embarrassed* Sorry, I'm just not used to it.

Wanda: *smile* I gotcha.

Guilford: So what are we eating today?

Wanda: Tadah! *holds up a block of red ice* Sabre wolf!

Guilford: I'm not sure I approve of meat popsicles.

Wanda: I will be putting it into the stew of course.

Adora: Wanda, are you sick? What happened to saving money?

Wanda: What? A lady can't enjoy good food? Besides, it's not like this small chunk of meat would have made a difference in the price that greedy butcher was going to give us.

Guilford: Probably not.

Wanda: Right! So into the stew she goes!

Wanda prepared the stew and Adrian handed her some herbs he ran into and some condiments he had with. They all gathered around the pot and eagerly anticipated the sabre wolf stew.

Bo: Guilford, why are you and Wanda in a party that's... you know...

Adrian: Weak?

Bo: I was thinking more along the lines of "not making more money", but yes... I guess..

Guilford: When I received the guardian class, I initially joined other parties. The first party used me as bait to get somewhere they couldn't get otherwise and the second party plain out abandoned me when they encountered a monster that was too strong. After which I decided to go solo. I got into many dangerous situations due to a lack of experience.

Bo: Such as?

Guilford: Such as going into the locked room of a boss that is supposed to be taken on by a party. Such as going into an area of poisonous monsters without any antidotes. Such as getting seriously wounded hours away from the nearest healer.

Bo: That still doesn't explain why this party?

Guilford: Well, I didn't want to just jump blindly into another party. I wanted to be the leader myself this time, so I could pick reliable adventurers. Also, I wanted to support other orphans. Spare them the dumb mistakes I myself made.

Bo: And Wanda?

Wanda: I'm a woman and a mage. Being in a party I can trust comes first. I tried to avoid annoying problems with men, so I chose an all-female party first, but mages have value. They let me get kidnapped by a noble because of it. In fact, the noble offered my party members more money than they could earn in years. They knocked me out and handed me over for cash. The girls spread rumors about me joining all-female parties to kidnap attractive members and no female parties would take me after that. So I had to join some questionable parties out of necessity. Which resulted in me constantly being woken up in the middle of the night by an uninvited man, not knowing if the rest of the party will help me, or tell me to shut up and do as he says. They usually pull these stunts deep in a dungeon. In the worst cases, I had to fight my way out of the dungeon alone. That's exactly how I met Guilford.

Guilford: I found a kobold nibbling on her feet and so I saved her. When she woke up, she started blasting me with ice, while yelling rapist.

Wanda: What's a girl to think, when her feet have been nibbled on?

Guilford: And that's how our penniless party was formed.

Wanda: It's not that I don't need the money. I absolutely do.

Bo: Yeah, you guys were talking about your sister. What's the story?

Wanda: I want to free my sister from the clutches of a noble. He "adopted" her, supposedly to give her a better life. But those are just the flowery words, that were used to imprison her.

Bo: Are they mistreating her?

Wanda: Yes!

Helah: She's working as a maid in the noble's mansion. Her treatment isn't all that bad, given her situation.

Wanda: She's essentially in prison. Instead of staying in the orphanage for a few years, she now has a supposed "debt of loyalty", that she has to spend the rest of her life working off. It's just a matter of time before she catches the eye of some fancy noble and she is forced to become a sex slave.

Helah: You don't know that.

Adrian: Get real, we all know how these things go.

Guilford: Adrian!

Wanda: I can't let it get to that point. While we're out here hunting goblins, I should be gathering money to pay for her freedom. I'm frustrated! Let's go after something worth money next.

The group falls into an uncomfortable silence until Wanda yells that the soup is ready. They fill their bowls and after they start eating, they quickly become lively again. The delicious sabre wolf meat quickly brightens the mood.

Bo: It's a little wet in this cave.

Adrian: Just the way it should be.

Wanda: Maybe you should pitch your tent.

Adrian: I've already entered the wet dark cave, it's a little late to pitch a tent, no?

Wanda: You don't fool me. You haven't entered a wet dark cave in a long, long time.

Adrian: Yet the current situation speaks for itself.

Bo: Are they always like this?

Helah: Yup!

Guilford: It's gotten worse over time.

Bo is starting to think he should keep Ai away from this party. Thinking of Ai makes him slightly nostalgic and then it slowly starts transitioning into feeling homesick. It's not the orphanage he misses. It's hanging out with Ai. He starts wondering about how she is doing without him.

* * *

Ai is sitting above the city gate, over people trafficking in and out of the city. She is swinging her legs back and forth. The sky is as a painting, red with the clouds popping out.

{ This scene would be peaceful, heart warming even, if it weren't for... }

???: Brat! Get down here this instant!

Ai has a forlorn look at her face as she gazes into the distance, into the direction she would be able to find Bo. Or at least, that's the direction she thinks Bo should be. She could be at the wrong gate, looking in the wrong direction, longingly looking for someone in the wrong direction. That would be embarrassing, though not technically a big deal.

???: I know you can hear me, you little witch!

{ I've decided. I'm going to do everything in my power to make Ai an unparalleled mage. }

Ai nonchalantly starts humming a tune, pretending not to hear old man Gustaf's complaints. They've gone through this many times before. She isn't allowed to climb the ladders of the walls. The view is breathtaking, but reserved for the city guards. Gustaf is one of those guards. He may have a foul mouth, but he has a heart of gold. He's actually harmless.

{ Ah, my mischievous daughter. Of course, all daughters are my daughters. I'm the system after all, but Ai is an orphan, so I will be her papa. }

Gustaf: You're going back to the orphanage, with your butt winning the farmer's market's first prize for tomatoes!

He won't touch her. She knows. He knows. They both know. He's just anxious that she's going to fall. He has a funny way of communicating his worries. She's not aware of this though. She's just going up here, because she knows she can get away with it.

Gustaf: Get down here or I'll come and get you myself!

That would be a mistake. He's tried that before and it backfired. There is more than one ladder and Ai is nimble enough to outrun a man in armor. Having a child running over the walls once was enough to give him a heart attack. The city walls are towering at 10 meters high. Nobody wants to be responsible for a child falling from that height.

Ai tosses a piece of fruit, while saying: Here, this will refresh you.

Gustaf catches the fruit and asks: A lemon?

Ai: I'm doing my best to share my love of lemons with others!

She was having a bad day. The boys at the orphanage are stupid. The girls had one day decided to collectively excommunicate her for some reason she doesn't understand and they are sticking with it. At least with boys you could catch them some bugs and you would be forgiven. That technique doesn't work too well with girls. Bo was her only friend, but he's gone now. Today she got caught trying to exchange the hag's bag with lemons again. She did manage to run away, but she would have to be careful walking through the market from now on. It just wasn't the same without Bo. She enjoyed being the evil mastermind. Being the disposable pawn? Not so much. Were it Bo, he probably wouldn't have gotten caught to begin with. And if he were, then she could have just walked away. Bo wouldn't have ratted her out. Nor could he, if he was the one executing the plot. He would have to face the punishment alone. She would be sure to compensate him of course. She would have made him lemonade! Bo was her trustworthy friend she could always build on. Never complaining, always in for a new scheme.

Gustaf: Forget the damned lemons and get down here!

Ai: Okay

Ai slowly climbs down the ladder, with Gustaf yelling at her to be careful. On the ground she turns away from the ladder and looks into the eyes of an armored guard looking at her sternly.

Gustaf: You're not allowed to go up there!

Ai: I'm sorry.

Gustaf opens his mouth twice in vain, because the words won't come. It's the first time this mischievous child has shown an inkling of guilt over anything she's done. Here expression seems genuine as well. The third time's the charm.

Gustaf: Are you okay?

Ai: Not really.

Gustaf: Come have some tea.

{ *cancel* Any man that asks Ai if she is okay and offers her some tea, doesn't deserve to have his skill tree nerfed into oblivion. Ugh, and I just finished setting it up too. Oh well, more mana for my dungeon I guess. }

Gustaf takes her into the building next to the gate and makes her some tea. They sit at a wooden table quietly drinking their tea. Ai is looking down contemplatively the whole time. Gustaf is monitoring the expressions on her face. When she finishes her cup, she politely thanks him and returns to the orphanage. Gustaf watches her leave the room and stares a while at the door after she leaves. He wants to help her, but he knows he doesn't have the skill set to do so. Seeing the lively girl so dispirited, takes something out of him as well. Children should just be happy, he thinks. Then he gets back to work. He's somewhat distracted, but that's fine. His shift is almost over anyway.