Preparations for the pair of requests were done quickly. Jake wanted to get moving as soon as possible to maximize his daytime advantage. He purchased a small bag from a merchant outside of the guild in order to carry the bunches of ears he was going to have to collect, and he also nabbed himself an old rag that could be used to wipe his swords off in between fights. For the outbound trip, Jake plucked a pair of rations from his main pack and placed them in a side pouch within the day bag. Everything else he left behind. Travel light, travel fast.

The merchant he’d encountered had recommended potions, bandages, oil and a stick to be used to make a torch, and also a whetstone for his weapons. Typical gear an ordinary Adventurer might need in their travels, especially into dark caves. He’d also offered a waterskin and wrappings for food. However, it was all additional equipment Jake didn’t foresee needing. He could use magic to heal his wounds and provide water, magic to light the path ahead of him if his night vision failed him, and a rag would suffice for his blades. So long as he kept them rather clean their edges would not dull after a single use. They were durable and their quality was above the typical weapon. Forged by a skilled Dwarf and the Elves, he trusted the craftsmanship of his precious tools of war.

When he was set, Jake departed the inn and made for the gate. On his way, Jake memorized the map to the first goblin nest. The directions on the map given to him by the receptionist were easy to follow and based on the terrain features given, Jake doubted he would have any difficulty finding the cave location. The annoying part would be scouting it if it turned out to be rather large. The forest was presumed to be thicker the closer he walked to the river, and the caves weren’t always easy to spot. To keep from getting lost, he’d need to navigate rather carefully once he delved into the target area.

Approaching the gate, Jake spotted a familiar mane of long, flowing blonde hair. The noblewoman, Rosaline, was snuggled up against a large man in silver armor. Her hips wiggled as she looked up at him, her plump bosom squeezing into his bicep. The armored man seemed troubled by her presence, uncertain of how to handle her approach. He scratched at his head and refused to make eye contact with her. She was likely trying to pressure him into something, or she was begging.

Not his problem, Jake ignored her and walked on by. After the kerfuffle this morning, he didn’t dare get involved. He opened his stride, upped his pace, and exited the village without a word to the pair. Or anyone else for that matter. Already focusing on the task to be done, Jake began to plan out for the upcoming difficulties, running simulated battles in his mind as he walked. The issue he would need to get over was his lack of information. Having not ever encountered Goblins, he didn’t know how they fought or what sort of equipment they carried. The receptionist had shared that they were about the size of young children but were crafty, typically fought in numbers, and weren’t very dangerous. But they could be crafty and should not be underestimated.

However, without direct contact, it was all conjecture based on reports from Adventurers who’d survived encounters with the monsters. In essence, once more, Jake was going in blind.

Yet, he could make a few inferences that he could nibble on. Based on the numbers in the requests, Jake presumed the Goblin nest had an ample size force within. From that, Jake figured they would use those numbers to their advantage just as the receptionist inferred. They might try to lure him into the nest to maximize their small stature in the cramped space. Using the tight spaces of the tunnels and the absence of light, the Goblins probably set traps, ambushes, or might attack in odd formations in order to keep adventurers from getting a footing. Once overwhelmed, the Adventurers would have nowhere to run or hide. Much like how the Arachkin fought in their den, Jake suspected the Goblins would be unfair and unpredictable. Keeping those potentials at the forefront of his mind, Jake was ready for them to live up to their name.

Monsters. Creatures of Chaos and Fear. Entities who lived to sow the seeds of death to those who walked the surface.

He followed the main road north, mentally tracking the distance in his head while also looking for the landmarks noted on the map. He passed a small bend in the road, noted a marked tree, and even passed by a man sitting in a horse drawn cart. Even he was marked on the map. As he walked, he noticed several other groups of Adventurers scattered across the road, some were already diverging from the path and stepping off into the forest itself. Groups all moving toward their various destinations and targets, hoping to return safe and victorious later in the day.

Unlike Jake, they all moved in groups of three to five. One, composed of three elder Adventurers and four younger fledglings, numbered seven in total. Each carrying their own weapons and gear, revealing their role in the party.

Taking notice of the various parties in the area, Jake realized he’d failed to ask a specific question to the clerk. Was it possible to accept a request that another group had already taken? If so, was it first come, first serve? He figured the Guild didn’t care who completed the requests, or who took them. So long as an Adventurer handled the problem and returned with proof of completion, they would be fine with it. Nervousness tickled his mind. A slight amount of stress he really didn’t feel like dealing with crept up all of a sudden. If someone had set off before him and reached the Goblin cave first, did that mean he would have to wait his turn? Or could he just walk in and join the fray?

The customs here were odd already and much different than the workings in the Ravine, where only one team was dispatched to an area at a time to avoid conflicting movements. In the Ravine, the Oryx also heavily encouraged supporting other teams if they were stumbled upon in the tunnels. Here, with the interference of another group likely affecting payouts, Jake wondered if it would be frowned upon for him to jump in. Unless Jake gave up the reward, he guessed the other party wouldn’t be excited to see him.

He sucked his teeth and opened his stride, putting a pep in his step in hopes to get there first. With two targets on his list, he would need to be swift with the first cave and move on the second as soon as possible. There was also the issue of the potential hostages within the initial cave to worry about. So aside from a potential conflict with other Adventurers, Jake needed to move fast to get those lost individuals back alive and safe. By now, he doubted they were in good shape.

Tick tock.

Following the map, Jake arrived at the first cave two hours after leaving the village. It wasn’t as far as he’d expected but it certainly was an annoying place to get to. The forest had indeed thickened the deeper he walked and became a convoluted mess when he neared the target. He learned that Goblins weren’t great at covering their tracks. Jake found dozens of footprints leading straight to the entrance where he spotted two Goblins milling about on sentry duty. One of them was dozing off while the other picked its nose and stared off into space. Beside them, what looked to be some form of skull totem was stabbed into the ground.

Jake nestled up against a tree and watched them for a short time. He had been told that Goblins were a nocturnal species. They were most active in the late afternoon with prime time being in the evening as the sun dipped below the horizon. Night time was when they liked to move around a lot but they typically used that time to slink back into their holes, using the cover of darkness to slip away from any trailing threats. If Jake wanted to catch them sleeping, now would be the perfect time.

“Time to go to work,” he mumbled, reaching to his waist to pull free his spell blade. For now, he would work with one weapon, keeping his other hand free to deal with any surprises within the tunnel. If it was truly cramped, more so than expected, Jake might even have to resort to using Goblin weapons. He wouldn’t mind it, so long as it did the job. He’d even go bare handed if necessary.

To start his raid, Jake conjured a pair of Wind Cones. The twin spells swirled in the air just off to his left, spinning faster and faster as he elongated the cones and narrowed their tips. The tips tilted as he refined his aim, adjusting their trajectories. Then, with a flick, they shot forward and cut through the air. The air whistled just before impact as the spells reached their peak velocity.

The pair of Goblin skulls burst apart. The entry hole was smooth and perfectly circular, while the other side of their skulls blasted apart from the pressure. Brain, blood, flesh, and bone scattered across the ground. The entrance was painted red with evidence of their deaths. Jake emerged after the strikes impacted and marched to the entrance. His footfalls were light, silent aside from the faint rustling of wild grass beneath his boots. He expanded his Sensory magic down into the tunnel in a preparatory check for threats. His mana pierced the dark veil only a dozen meters beyond the entrance in a brief look. Seeing no other sentries posted, he cut the spell. Jake then checked the bodies of the goblins. One carried a short spear, the other was empty handed. He noticed an odd detail about the rock used for the spear’s tip so he snatched it up for a closer look.

“Poison…?” He mumbled, taking note of a liquid on the spearhead. No, it wasn’t poison per say. From the scent and the color, Jake determined it was fecal matter. The goblins had smeared shit on the weapon with the intent of causing an infection in the wound. The rock was also knotted in rather loose. A hard stab and twist would leave the rock lodged in the wound.

“Disgusting,” Jake spat. He tossed the spear aside and then drew a dagger from his lower back. He put down his spell blade for a moment so he could collect the ears from the goblins, depositing them in his bag. When the task was finished, he snatched up his spell blade, wiped off his dagger and sheathed it, then headed into the tunnel.

The stench of the lair instantly hit his nose, but he didn’t flinch. Having spent enough time in such places, he was used to the raunchy mix of odors by now. After a few deep inhales his nose grew accustomed to the foul smell. His nose uncrinkle.. His eyes adjusted to the darkness as he fed mana into them and his Sensory bubble shrunk as the tunnel closed in on him. The entrance to the Goblin nest was much wider than the tunnel itself. While the entrance could fit five Adventurers shoulder to shoulder, the tunnel itself likely could only fit three lightly armored individuals. The tunnel ceiling wasn’t very high either, which meant Jake would need to be aware of his sword swings. Nothing overly showy would work down here. He’d have to keep things tight and quick.

At that thought, his eyes instinctively scanned the low ceiling. “Would my knives be a better choice?” He mumbled, pausing for a moment. He looked down at his spell blade, judging its length. Then, he raised it up over his head. As expected, the tip of the weapon touched the rocks above before he could fully extend his arm. The weapon would have plenty of clearance if he swung it horizontally, so long as he maintained a safe gap from the walls. Yet, even his awareness would be dulled once the fighting started. In a scrap, he wouldn’t be able to keep a safe buffer all the time. Especially if the Goblins jumped him in multiple numbers. The Ravine was a blessing in that regard with its wide and tall tunnels.

Taking note of the potential problems with the longer weapon, Jake sighed and sheathed it. “Knives it is.” He reached to his lower back and yanked out the dagger from before, twirling it in his fingers as he tested his grip. He took a few mock swings with it to get his striking distance down and then channeled mana into the weapon. It wasn’t made to hold mana so he wouldn’t be able to enhance its edge at all, but the mana along the edge could aid in keeping the weapon from blunting from excessive use. It was meant to be used for emergencies, not as a main tool.

He might have to use Goblin weapons after all.

After his mini-planning session, Jake continued into the tunnel and followed the sloped path into the depths of the nest. As he descended, the tunnel began to twist to the left and gradually leveled out. He didn’t come across any traps nor did he spot any Goblins, but he could smell them. The foul stench was getting stronger. If he stopped to listen, he could even hear them faintly off in the distance. Far off in the distance he heard their scratchy voices, chirps and snarls.

Following the noise, Jake lightened his steps and prepared his mana. Ten steps later, he noted a small cut in the wall and came across his first trap. A thin rope was strung across the floor at ankle height. A rope that connected to a small spike embedded in the slit in the wall. Jake applauded the ingenuity of the Goblins but refrained from praising them too much, as the trap was easy to spot. He knelt down to the rope and gripped close to the spike. He then cut away from it, using his grip to maintain tension on the trap. Once the rope was cut, he slowly eased it towards the wall, gradually drawing out the poisoned spike into the open.

With the trap disarmed, Jake grabbed the spike and ripped it from the mechanism to ensure no one else might stumble into it. As he did so, he smirked.

“Interesting…” He glanced to his right at his shoulder. Faint footsteps pattered behind him, closing in as he fiddled with the trap. He hadn’t noticed it initially but the tunnel had a split in it at some point. A split that housed an ambush of a few Goblins. They hid themselves off the main path and were using the obvious trap as a distraction. As Jake fussed with disarming the spike, they were attempting to ambush him. What fools. Their first clue was his lack of light. What normal adventurer walked around in the dark? Did they really think he was that blind?

With his sensory magic, he counted five. Two were armed with axes, one with a spear, one with a dagger. One was unarmed.

Rising to his feet, Jake played the fool and began to walk up the tunnel. He squeezed the wooden spike in his right hand and the dagger in his left. The Goblins accepted his nonchalant stride as their trigger and took their chance. They sprinted, their voices spilling out in loud cackles and shouts of glee as they pounced on their prey. Jake whirled around as the first two jumped, his eyes wide as he brandished the spike. Their eyes glowed a bright yellow. His flared a soft blue and purple.

“Got you,” he spat, his lips spreading wide in a greedy grin.

He stabbed the first goblin through the side of its head with the spike, killing the creature instantly. The corpse collided with the second. He released the spike and lunged forward, leaving the first two to tumble out of the way. The spear goblin thrust its weapon towards him, only for Jake to nimbly knock the tip aside with a quick sweep. He then snatched the pole of the spear and yanked the Goblin towards him, driving his dagger into the Goblin’s stomach. Blood and bile surged forth.

With a shove, he knocked the gagging Goblin off the spear and then thrust the butt of the weapon into the unarmed Goblin’s face. The wooden pole stabbed directly into its eyeball, piercing the socket and into its cranium. The last goblin brandished its dagger and tried to stab Jake in the leg. Jake sidestepped and kicked the creature in the ribs, knocking it across the tunnel and into the wall. It coughed on impact, spitting up as it fell to the floor.

Jake scoffed at the ease of the fight, having expected more from creatures capable of setting a trap. It seemed he overestimated them.

As the dagger Goblin scrabbled to its feet, Jake kicked it square in the face. Its skull bounced off the wall and then Jake stabbed the stolen spear into its chest. The Goblin slumped over, its life snuffed out almost instantly. The spear was pulled free, its rock tip barely hanging on. With the final use of the tool, he walked over to the last Goblin. The second that had jumped at him and was now struggling to crawl out from beneath the corpse of its fallen ally. It flailed and squealed, visibly angry at its situation.

To combat the frail nature of the near broken spear, Jake kicked the Goblin onto its back and then stabbed into the monster’s throat. He targeted a soft but fatal area, cutting off the Goblin’s airflow and severing its spine. The creature gargled as it suffocated, unable to do anything but lay there and die.

For the first engagement, Jake was unenthused. The Goblins had used crude weapons and a crude tactic. One that was predictable against a seasoned fighter. Maybe against a true newbie, or a party who didn’t keep their wits, such a trap might work. It likely had worked in the past since they were still using it. As he’d thought before, Jake gave them kudos for making it in the first place. It showed some level of planning and intelligence. It was simply unlucky for them that Jake had been the one to come across it. For these puny beings, Jake was one of the worst adventurers they could encounter. If not for his brutality, but for his experience fighting the Maedra.

After stripping the corpses of their ears, Jake cleaned off his knife with his rag and sheathed it. He picked up the Goblin dagger and gave the chipped blade a wiggle, testing its durability. It would work for a little while but would need replacing soon. He did the same for the two axes. One actually broke after the minor fiddling, so Jake ditched it. The other was fine to use. Satisfied, he continued onwards into the tunnel. Using their weapons would be imperative to continuing his fighting. Their bodies were fatty and slippery. The cuts and stabs had caused quite an amount of splattering and left plenty of oily residue that would dull any weapon. If he didn’t want to ditch his knives down here, he’d have to get creative. Magic was still on the table but in such close quarters, he wondered if he would be able to use it much. Explosive runes were definitely off the table. He didn’t need the ceiling collapsing on his head.

Further into the nest, the tunnel split into two diverging routes. Both twisting out of view before he could see anything of importance. He knelt down to check the ground and checked for signs of heavy traffic to see where the Goblins might actually live. His hands rubbed over the rocks, checking for the smoothness of them. From both the sensations on the stones and the noises tickling his ears, the main route continued forward. The tunnel branching off to the right was the alternate path. The right route also angled down more aggressively before curving out of view further right. He couldn’t hear much from that way and the floor had less wear to it.

It was decision time. The Goblin force was the primary task and if they were straight ahead, dealing with them now would free up his movements down here. However, his secondary task was finding those women. He assumed they would be near or with the main horde, likely kept close for protection and accountability. The route to the right was probably supplies or an armory, maybe.

“I’ll need to check both anyway.” Jake narrowed his eyes and looked down the main route. He scanned slowly for anything out of the ordinary then, seeing nothing, moved down the right tunnel. He walked slowly and lightly, careful to avoid any loose rocks as he descended. When he reached the curve in the tunnel, Jake eased his chest to the wall. Slowly, he leaned over and peeked around the corner. What he saw made his jaw clench, his blood boil, and his stomach twist.

“Fuck.”

The women he had been tasked with finding were both lying on the ground barely a dozen paces away. One was badly beaten, motionless on the floor, her body mangled and her limbs twisted in odd angles. Her skin was discolored, patchy with bruises and bloody wounds. Her stomach was torn open and her eyes gouged out. The other was pinned on her stomach with her hips raised, a trio of goblins jeered at her backside. One mounted her while the others drooled and cackled as they waited their turn. One had a foot on the back of her head, pushing her down as their claws dug into the plush of her backside. She lay there, her arms broken and her mouth bleeding. Her hair was cut and her body sliced from injuries. She could do nothing but lay there, a toy for their barbarism.

Her eyes were lifeless. Jake could see it. She was alive, but her mind was broken.

So, this was how the Goblins treated their captives.

Jake stepped around the corner and marched down the tunnel, relinquishing his desire for stealth in exchange for making his presence felt. His steps clicked loudly on the floor, his boots landing heavily as he approached the room. The Goblins, engrossed in their feral pillaging of their prey, never even looked over until Jake was mere feet away from them. The torches illuminating the room blinded them to his arrival but as his silhouette emerged, one finally noticed. The Goblin looked up in fright, its lust-filled eyes shooting open wide as the towering wraith loomed over them.

Jake held out his right hand and conjured a ball of flame, illuminating his face. An expression twisted in disgust and bristling rage. The Goblin’s jumped, separating from the woman as the human invader revealed himself. The woman’s head tilted, peering up to the man who had just emerged seemingly from nowhere.

“Burn,” Jake spat. The ball of flame shot forth and crashed into the Goblin who had been mating with the woman, with two more following behind to blast apart the other two. Molten blaze coated them like liquid. They all screeched as their flesh burned, falling to the ground and rolling about in agony as the extreme heat melted the very meat from their bones.

As they died, Jake knelt down beside the woman and placed a hand on her neck, testing her pulse to get a better idea of her survivability. Her head had turned so he knew she was alive but he wanted to see if she could be truly saved. Her injuries were rather severe and he didn’t know how long she’d been in the cave. If he could bring back that other Apostle from his injuries, there was no reason he couldn’t fix this woman.

“Kill… Me…”

The voice hit his ears midway through his evaluation. He froze, his lips pressing together. Retracting his hand, Jake looked down at the woman. Her eyes were void of emotion, of light, and of life. Her very breath was shallow, raspy and wheezing likely due to broken ribs and an injured windpipe. From the array of injuries she’d sustained, if he left her here, she’d die on her own in less than two hours. But, not after giving birth to the forced life that had been deposited into her stomach. Upon looking at her abdomen, he could see signs of goblin life festering in her womb. Traces of vile mana were visible.

“Please…” Hoarse and desperate, her voice leaked out into the cave. Barely reaching his ears.

“Don’t look at me like that.” His lips twisted into a deep frown as he met that pleading stare. She was mustering up all of her strength, just to ask him to let her die. His hand curled into a fist as he struggled with an answer. Though iced over and numb to death, Jake found himself unwilling to just give up on this woman. She was alive. She would see tomorrow. He could help her, but what would that leave?

Jake stood up and looked down at her, then at the other victim of the Goblin’s treachery. The other woman had similar traces of defilement aside from her physical wounds. Blood leaked from her groin and he noticed trace signs of life in her abdomen. Goblin seed that had died with her when she was murdered. From the scene and the state of the women, he could only imagine the pain they had gone through down here. An unimaginable series of events that had led the woman at his feet to give up on the future entirely, choosing death as a preferable outcome to living with the scars of this ordeal.

Even if Jake saved her, she would be forced to birth that last litter of Goblins. Then, she would have to live with the pain of this memory for the rest of her life. And to think, he had come into this expecting to find hostages. Not women used as breeding mares and toys. The Maedra were foul and unforgivable for their lack of care when it came to mana and life. They were mindless, vicious and unforgiving. However, after coming in contact with this, Jake recognized that Goblins were a different kind of stain of an existence.

Squeezing that fist even tighter, Jake took in a slow breath. This was not his decision to make, but hers.

“Alright...” He muttered. Jake looked down at the woman and swiftly decided on the quickest way to end her misery. Conjuring a small needle of wind just behind her head, out over her range of vision, he pierced her skull, killing her as painlessly as possible. She didn’t even have time to smile before her body slumped against the stone floor. With her passing, Jake looked over at the smoldering corpses of the Goblins.

Oh, how he would enjoy slaughtering their kind. After witnessing how they treated humans as playthings, Jake would make sure to repay the favor. Killing the Goblins wasn’t just a request anymore, it was a voluntary choice. They were just as much of a disease to this world as the Maedra were. Just in a less disastrous sense comparatively. Goblins likely wouldn’t cause mass destruction on a large scale like the Maedra could out the gate, and the Goblins could be caught early so long as people paid attention to the signs.

From what Jake just witnessed, Goblins needed to reproduce naturally in order to build their numbers. Thus, they had to kidnap women and use them as mares in order to increase their numbers. If local forces acted quickly enough after a woman or two went missing, they could easily track down the nest and snuff out the problem before Goblin numbers got out of hand. This required timeliness on the locals part and the efficiency of Adventurers to clear a nest thoroughly. While the women might not be saved every time, the Goblin threat could be extinguished.

The Maedra on the other hand were much more troublesome. They reproduced internally, feeding on rana exclusively and growing in number without ever having to step foot on the surface. They didn’t require food, so they never had to raid caravans. They didn’t require women, so they never had to kidnap. They didn’t require large spaces so they could fester almost anywhere dark and isolated. So long as there was a nearby raw mana source, they’d emerge and potentially cause a problem. Jake hadn’t seen them surface level yet, though, so he couldn’t say how much damage they could cause if they got topside. But he had a feeling it wouldn’t be good.

Two different problems, two potential calamities. Jake had only just encountered the Goblins but it was clear that they were a serious problem for the surface. Dealing with them over the other two options was the correct decision. Now, Jake just needed to finish the job.

Just as he turned to exit the small room, he heard something cough. He stopped immediately and glanced over his shoulder. The sound of shifting tickled his ears along with the faint noise of whimpering and stifled breathing. He triggered his Sensory magic in response, expanding it outwards to fill the room. Across the room to the right, he noticed a piece of wood oddly shoved against the wall. Beyond it, several mana sources radiated evidence life. They were small and familiar.

He looked down at the woman he’d just killed, her abdomen more specifically. The sources matched in shape, color, and size. Goblins. Likely children.

Jake sucked his teeth and approached the wooden door. He kicked it aside to reveal a small, tiny nursery beyond. Within the space, eight Goblin children cowered just out of reach. Likely birthed recently from the two women that were laying on the ground. Jake huffed at the sight and extended his axe towards the entrance, using the weapon to direct his mana. Fire crackled to life at the end of the shaft and coiled into a ball.

“Die.” A pillar of flame shot forward, filling the nursery and igniting the flesh of the Goblins within. Their screams echoed into the room, spilling out and up the tunnel as their feeble lives were burned away. Having filled the space with enough heat and flame that it began billowing back out at him, Jake used rock magic to seal them in, closing the entrance and leaving them to smother within the space.

A heavy, heated exhale rolled out of his throat as he left the room. He squeezed the dagger and axe handles, clutching them firmly in his shaking palms as he marched up the tunnel. Turning the bend as the floor sloped upwards, Jake was met with several faces peering down at him from the main route. The other Goblins must have heard the screaming and sent a detachment to investigate. Good. That made things easy.

Jake marched forward towards the group and his eyes flared with mana and power, his Sensory magic spilling into the space as he sniffed out every living target in front of him. He didn’t count them, but he would make sure none escaped. When they noticed the intruder, they screeched down at him and, brandishing their makeshift weapons, launched themselves at him in a mob. Using their numbers to try and overwhelm him, the Goblins attacked en masse.

Just the way Jake liked it. He met their numbers with fierce resistance, smashing the first wave with a powerful barrage of Wind Cones and Fire Balls to rip them apart and shatter the wills of those behind them. He blew off limbs, scorched faces, burned weapons and cleared a hole into the heart of their numbers. The makeshift weapons in his hands twirled as he sliced through their frail bodies. He severed arms and legs. He cut throats, pierced skulls, and stabbed through their rib cages. When the weapons he held broke or dulled, he exchanged them for others. Snatching up fresh tools from the array of corpses littering the stone floor.

Eventually, he found himself with one hand free and a dagger in the other. With his empty hand, Jake snatched up the Goblins by their limbs, throats, and skulls and flung them around the tunnel like dolls. He shoved his thumbs into their eyes to destroy their sight, crushed their windpipes with harshly thrown fists. He snatched one Goblin by the leg and used the monster as a bludgeoning weapon to bash the others into submission. A living club. The Goblins lunged at him from every angle and a few stabbed at his legs, cutting his skin and piercing his flesh.

However, they quickly learned that they were not dealing with an ordinary adventurer. For every cut Jake received, he slaughtered three Goblins. They stabbed, slashed, and cut. Poked and jabbed. Clawed and bit. If their weapons, teeth, or claws pierced flesh, Jake snatched them up and crushed their bodies as a reward. The damage done was as feeble as their existence. With his mana in a rage, the injuries were swiftly healed by Jake’s refined Light magic. He dispelled the bacterial injections by the spears and blades, purged his wounds of stone chips and spearheads, then closed the wounds with simple recovery magic. Instinctive aid done to cleanse himself of the pathetic damage he incurred.

Thinking about his situation, Jake realized this would have been a perfect opportunity to use that shield he had snagged from the Arachkin den. Unfortunately, his lack of experience with the tool had caused him to thoughtlessly leave it behind. Now he realized how handy it could have been. A lot of the injuries he was taking were easily avoidable with such a piece of equipment. That, or chainmail. The small weapons of the Goblins could pierce his leather and find its gaps, but the chainmail would have deterred much of that. He would need to update his gear when he returned to the village.

Sucking his teeth at the incessant numbers of the Goblins, Jake snatched one out of the air and threw it into the horde to slow their advance. He then cut through three of them, slicing two throats and a stomach in order to make a gap to step through. Whirling on his heels, he turned to face the remaining numbers. Conjuring a dozen Wind Cones at his shoulders and in front of him, he launched the magic barrage into the depleted horde.

The remaining Goblins were reduced to mangled messes by the attack. Large gaping holes were left behind as evidence of the attack, their insides and organs drooling from their corpses as they fell to the ground. Their bodies littered the passageway, the feral stench of death staining the air. Jake stood at the edge of the massacre, clutching a Goblin-fat covered dagger in one hand while his other was stained in Goblin blood. He threw the dagger across the tunnel, piercing a still breathing Goblin in the skull with the weapon.

There were other survivors. All wheezing and gasping, their tiny bodies strewn across the floor as they clung to their insignificant lives. Most lay with their stomachs split open and guts hanging out. Jake left them to die on their own. He let them bleed and suffer as punishment for their existence. While listening to their moaning, their choking, and their desperation, he pulled out his own dagger and began to slice ears from bodies. There were no mercy killings or executions as he conducted the bounty work. If they were alive, he cut the ears off while their feeble hands clawed at him. If they interfered, he cut off their hands, leaving the stubs behind for them to deal with before removing their ears.

Silence returned to the tunnel as he cut off the last few pairs. The survivors died off one at a time, their unsustainable lives blinking out as the blood loss took its toll. He stepped over the last few Goblins, collected his trophies, and then continued into the nest without so much as a look back at the massacre.

Deeper in the nest, Jake heard the shouts of the Goblins. He could hear their frantic screams as they rushed to react to the invader. Now alerted to the presence of an Adventurer scourge in their midst. Screaming, they rushed out to face him, wielding anything and everything they could use as a weapon. Unlike the main horde he’d faced, Jake encountered groups of only four or five now, each spaced out from the other. The gaps in the Goblin numbers allowed him to quickly wipe them out, cutting them apart and breaking their bodies with his very hands.

He bashed skulls against the rock walls. He snatched their arms and legs to snap the joints of elbows and knees. He drove their own daggers, spears, axes, and wooden stakes into their bodies. By the time he reached the main room, he was covered in the guts and grime of the violent maiming of his enemies. Evidence of brutal dispatchings, as they so deserved.

Seeing nothing but red, bristling with rage and disgust for the Goblins, Jake stepped into the central room of the nest. Anger developed out of the mere thought of how many women it must have taken to birth this many of them. The heinous scenes that must have taken part in that side room to create this many monsters. How many caravans had they raided to make their weapons? How many Adventurers had they killed with that earlier trap of theirs?

Seething, Jake exhaled through his teeth. Though angry and content with his work, his heart beat steadily in his chest. His breathing was calm and regulated with his careful, trained control. His emotions remained leashed and his mana was contained to his fingertips even as it burned behind his eyes. He didn’t let himself go wild like he did against the Maedra. No, the Goblins hadn’t pissed him off to that extent. But, he didn’t let that deter him from exacting judgment. His form of judgment.

Before him, only six Goblins remained. Five regular beings with sticks for weapons and a sixth dressed in a loose robe with a staff in its hand. A Goblin Mage or a Shaman from what Jake could see. It had more mana than the rest and it immediately began to chant when Jake entered the room. An interesting discovery, one that Jake would make note of. Goblins could use magic. The clerk had warned him of the possibility since this place had been around but he wanted to see it to believe it. Now that he had, he had no choice but to accept that the Goblins could develop into something more dangerous than feral children. In addition to that, the confirmed existence of a Shaman told Jake that there were likely other unique Goblins within their monstrous ranks. Who and what they were, he would have to find out in the future.

For now, the matter at hand.

Before the Goblin Shaman could conjure its own spell, Jake fired off a trio of Wind Cones. He shattered the staff, then blew off the Goblin’s right arm. The third cone tore into the Goblin’s stomach, ripping a massive hole in its core that knocked it off its feet. Jake clutched the axe he was carrying in his left hand and went to work dealing with the remaining five. They attacked in unison but their swings were weak and easy to read. They were likely inexperienced, making killing them effortless.

Jake knocked aside the wooden spears and then chopped their faces open, splitting their skulls with powerful and certain swings. He split one down the middle. Another he caught with a sideways sweep that cut through the nose. A third he whacked at an angle. The fourth he kicked aside for a moment so he could deal with the fifth. Then, he finished the fourth with a basic downward swing. He left the axe in the Goblin’s split head. The corpse twitched as it slumped over, the axe causing its nervous system to jolt whenever it wiggled.

“With that, you’re all dead.” Jake muttered, walking over to the gurgling Shaman. It clawed at the ground with its remaining arm and tried to drag itself away from Jake. Of course, it didn’t get far. Jake planted his boot on the creature’s back and shoved it to the ground, pinning it in place.

“Pathetic to the very end,” he sneered, yanking a knife from his back. He sliced off the Mage’s ears and then cut the back of its neck, severing its spine to paralyze it. There was no finishing blow, no killing stab. He left the Shaman there to bleed out and suffocate in its own pool of blood.

Slowly, Jake made his way back up the tunnel, retrieving the ears from every corpse until he had collected every set he could see. Some were mangled more than others and some were barely recognizable, but he took them anyway. The Guild wanted its evidence, so he would collect. When the work was finished, Jake took a once over of the entire nest. He checked every corpse for life, peered into every crevice and crack for any hiding monster. He used his Sensory magic to look for any other holes that the Goblins might be hiding in. Then, he verified that both women were dead, then he peeled back the rock from the nursery to check on the Goblin offspring.

The nest was vacant of life aside from Jake. Every Goblin was dead and earless. With that, his rage was sated. Revenge for the two poor women at his feet was exacted and Jake had snuffed out the future of the Goblin bloodline here. Now, there was only the duty of returning the women to their families.

With care, Jake lifted the first woman onto his back and used magic to bind her to him, wrapping her arms around his neck and supporting her dangling legs with a bit of wind magic. The other he picked up in his arms, carrying her carefully against his chest. Supporting the burden of being too late, he walked out of the nest, leaving the carnage behind as evidence of his first cleansing of the Goblin infection.

If his assumption was true and the Goblins were a disease much like the Maedra, this would not be his last time fighting these creatures. He already had another nest on his list for the day and he assumed there would be many others along his journey. On top of that, Jake could only wonder what atrocities the other types of monsters might bring to the world. He would face them and learn of their heinous actions soon enough.

When he did, he would be sure to deal with them accordingly.