The following day, both parties split up to search the surroundings once more. By now, the long hours of marching with stress and uncertainty were getting to the adventurers. It was different than the hunts during their first journey had been. There, they had known that their prey was definitely around. Sometimes it had taken a few days to find it, but the monster just not being there hadn’t been an option. Now it was not just an option, but a likelihood. At the same time, missing a hunting party would have more dire consequences than walking past a beast on a request.

This led to a strange, unnaturally tense state of mind that made the investigation much more draining than it should have been from a physical standpoint. Still, they searched, making sure to check every hill and hollow, walking mostly in silence to listen for the screeching chitters that passed for language among goblins. When the sun began to set, they turned back towards the town, the tension falling off the closer they got to civilization. As the last rays of the sun illuminated the top of the palisade, the relieved adventurers stepped up to the gate – only for the guard on duty to wave them over.

“There’s people looking for ya’s. Just arrived a short while ago.” The grizzled guardsman said, chewing on some sort of root.

“Really?” Bordan said with surprise. “Who?”

“Head to the square, reckon ya’ll find out.” The man said with a shrug, spitting brown liquid to the side. Bordan rolled his eyes.

“Come on, just tell us.”

“Now where’s the fun in that?” the man answered with a cheeky grin.

Bordan gave him a flat look, then turned around and shrugged at his companions. They continued on past the smug guard and down the central street towards the square.

“Another party?” Edwin asked. “They would have had to leave almost immediately after us to be here already. Master Hector said it would be a week or more before we got help.”

Bordan started to reply, then stopped in his tracks as they rounded the last corner. The town square was teeming with figures wearing blue, the waning sunlight glinting off spear tips and helmets.

“Is that the army?” Leodin asked, surprised.

“That it is.” Bordan said slowly. “And apparently they are looking for us.”

They resumed walking, Bordan heading straight towards the disorganized clump of soldiers that were milling around in the square. As they approached, some of the soldiers noticed the approaching adventurers, which prompted elbow nudges and low whispers.

“Soldier.” Bordan addressed the closest one, a young man that couldn’t have been older than Leodin. “Where’s your officer?”

Before he could answer, an older man put a hand on his shoulder and stepped out from the crowd. “You the adventurers?” He gave them a critical once over, clearly noticing their weapons. He nodded to himself, turned around and waved them after him. “Follow me, I’ll take you to the commander.”

Their guide walked towards the town hall. Where the soldiers had been standing in small groups, chatting quietly, they parted like a wave before him. Edwin took the opportunity to look at the soldiers around him. They were all young, none having completed their third decade yet. They wore the signature armor of Harvand’s heavy infantry, a blue tabard with a white gull over chainmail, metal plates covering their shoulders, arms and legs, the large shield strapped to their packs that rested on the floor beside them. A simple, open-faced helmet protected their heads, although most of them had taken it off to dry their sweat-slick hair. They wore short swords at their belts, with spears identical to Bordan’s in hand.

Walter had never been all that interested in the army, his only experiences with soldiers had been parades. He’d always considered their armor just another uniform, like the College’s robes, but walking between several dozens of them, it was eerie just how identical they looked. At the College, there was still a lot of diversity between robes, with different colors and embroideries denoting ranks and specializations. There were also many different people, children and elders, men and women, thin and fat. The soldiers, all young men with short hair, bulked by their armor, all looked the same.

Just as they reached the town hall, Edwin spotted something at the other side of the square. Doren’s party had arrived from the direction of the other gate, and like Edwin’s group they had stopped at the edge of the square to marvel at the strange sight. Edwin raised a hand, waving them over.

“Would you look at that.” Doren said once they had rounded the square to join them in front of the hall. “What’s the army doing here?”

“No clue, but we’re about to find out.” Bordan said, continuing after their guide who held the town hall doors open for them. The rest of the adventurers followed him. They walked through the main room and towards the headman’s office, where the soldier knocked. After a moment, he stepped inside and spoke to someone Edwin couldn’t see.

“Commander Vellis, the adventurers have arrived.”

“Send them in.” another man answered. Their guide reemerged, gesturing towards the door. The adventurers filed into the office, quickly filling up the small space as they spread out along the walls. The headman was sitting at his desk, while two men wearing armor were getting up from the chairs in front of it. Edwin had ended up in the back, so he closed the door behind him.

“I am captain Vellis, commander of the 1st cohort, 1st battalion, 5th divison of the ducal army of Harvand, this is lieutenant Elm. I take it you are the adventurers we’re looking for, the parties Doren and Bordan?” The one who spoke was the older of the two, probably somewhere in his thirties, while the younger one was in his mid or late twenties.

“I’m Doren, that’s Bordan.” The other party leader confirmed. “Would you mind telling us what this is about?”

“Gladly. A few days ago, a messenger from the Adventurer’s Guild arrived at the fort, reporting on the situation with the goblin nest. Apparently, your guild had trouble gathering the necessary forces to resolve the situation on short notice, so your leadership turned to ours, asking if we could spare any troops to aid in your efforts. The Division General personally dispatched me along with my first banner, fifty of our finest soldiers. We were given a map of your route and set off after you. When we arrived here, the headman was kind enough to inform us that you were out on reconnaissance, but that you would return this evening.”

“You’re here to back us up?” Doren asked, confused. “I thought the army had declined helping with the wave, because you were too busy training for the war.”

Captain Vellis gave him a half-nod. “While I am not privy to the considerations of the division leadership, I believe that that decision from a few months ago was a general one. During the briefing, General Asher told me that he considers this situation an opportunity for our soldiers to gain combat experience that will be valuable to them once we deploy to the front.”

“Makes sense.” Bordan said. “Before, the Guild asked the army for help with monster hunts. Those would’ve taken them away from training for a long time, while the only fights would’ve been against direbeasts. Now, we’re going to fight against a large horde of goblins, which is exactly what a shield wall is good for.”

“I believe those were the General’s thoughts.” Vellis agreed, inspecting Bordan with interest. “Did you serve?”

“I did my twenty years.” Bordan nodded. “Bannerman, formerly 3rd division, 1st battalion, 3rd cohort.”

The captain’s eyebrows rose. “Really? Impressive. I was in the first division before transferring to the fifth, but even all the way in Pel Miyad had we heard about the three-one-three. Why didn’t you rejoin when they created the fifth? We could have used someone of your experience.”

Bordan shrugged nonchalantly, although Edwin could tell that the question irked him. “I did my twenty, then I promised my wife I was done. The Guild seemed like a good way to retire without dying of boredom.”

“To each their own.” Vellis said, inclining his head. “You certainly did enough for the duchy that nobody can begrudge you your choices. Anyway, back to the topic at hand. Now that we have caught up to you, what are your plans going forward?”

“We spent yesterday evening and all of today exploring the forests around this town. Assuming the others didn’t find anything either…?” Doren said, looking at Bordan who shook his head. “We were going to head south tomorrow morning. Our next stop is the village at which the first signs of the nest were spotted. There, we should meet the party that reported it, and they should have more information.”

“Very good.” Vellis nodded, then turned to his junior officer. “Lieutenant, have your banner encamp outside the walls as per usual. Have them ready to depart at first light.”

The lieutenant saluted his superior with a fist to the chest, then walked out of the room. Vellis turned to the headman.

“Thank you for offering the floor of your main room, but part of the purpose of this excursion is to train the soldiers in sleeping in the wild, along with guard rotations and all of the other necessities that come with it. Now, I could go for some food. Will you gentlemen – and ladies – join me in the tavern for dinner?”