Chapter 15

We woke up early the next day and made our way outside the town and towards the farm where the goblins had been seen. It shouldn’t be that big of a problem; a few goblins shouldn’t take much to deal with. After we handled the goblins we would begin searching the forest for the purple herb. It should be enough work for a few days at least. We needed to keep ourselves busy until the next attack. We walked down the road towards the farm and talked about what we may find when we got there. A family had been living there until the goblins had shown up. After that they had moved into the town until someone could clear the goblins from their land. We would take care of them and then move on to looking for herbs. It only took us a few hours to get to the small farm. It had been ravaged in the short time the farmer's family had been away. The main house and the barn were in ruin. Something had definitely been through here.

We went through the wreckage of the house to see if we could find any information on what had gone through here. There were piles of excrement everywhere. They had definitely been living here but they weren’t there now. They were either out of the house for a while or they had moved on. We searched the barn as well and there was evidence that they had been there but they had moved on. We walked around the property and found a game trail. It was really worn down from travel. I assumed this was the trail that the goblins had used to get to the farm. We decided we would follow the trail and hope it led to where the goblins were. We followed the tracks we had found and it took a few hours for us to find any new signs of the goblins. There was a small clearing that had a fire pit that was still warm. There were also signs of food being eaten. We could tell that they had been here and not too long ago. We seemed to be hot on their trail so we continued after them. It didn’t take too long before we caught sight of them. There was a small group of goblins making their way through the forest.

We hadn’t been seen yet so we lengthened the distance between them. We would follow them and once they stopped we would ambush them. We stayed back and followed them as quietly as possible. When we had caught sight of them it looked like there had been six of them in the group. That was more than we had expected but I thought we could handle it if we caught them off guard. It took many hours for the group to stop and settle in for the night. We would wait a little longer and hope to attack while they were asleep. While we waited we made a plan of attack. We would go with the standard method of each coming in from a side and hitting them before they could react. Two hours later we crept forward. Trying to silently approach the little tent that had been set up for the goblins to sleep under. There was one goblin on watch and we would need to take it out first so that we could continue with our plan. As we approached we split up to take our sides. I would handle the lone guard while Sora made her way towards the tent.

Slowly I made my way towards the goblin. The goblin wasn’t doing a very good job at standing watch. He kept nodding off and then scrambling to look around when he would wake up. I waited for him to nod off again and made my move. I slipped my dagger out of its sheath and then put it deep into the back of the little goblin. While I stabbed with my dagger I put my hand over the goblins mouth to keep it from screaming. It let out a small grunt and was then totally still. With the guard taken out I also made my way towards the tent where the other five goblins were sleeping. Sora had already started on the bloody task. A dead goblin lay at her feet. As I made my way into the tent I saw one of the goblins start to move a little. We had to make this quick. Killing them while asleep would be much easier than having to fight the four that were still alive. It increased the likelihood we could be injured and we didn’t need that right before we were going to start a big contract. I stabbed the goblin closest to the entrance and he let out a loud scream. I hadn’t managed to get a hand over his mouth so the tent was thrown into pandemonium. Sora had managed to grab the goblin nearest her and she was in the process of stabbing it. The other two goblins made a move towards me and I was caught a little off guard. I only had my small dagger in my hand and didn’t have the time to pull my sword. So I made the best of my situation. I grabbed the goblin that was closest to me and stabbed it straight through the eye socket. Sora had finished off the goblin near her so there was only one goblin left. The last goblin could see that he couldn’t win so he made to flee. Sora and I grabbed the goblin before he could escape. We each stabbed him through the back and he slumped to the floor.

We each let out a deep sigh. Even though the fight had only lasted for a few minutes we were still both out of breath. Before we moved off the set up our own tent and settled in for the night we cut the ears off the goblins as proof of the kills. We then piled up the bodies and set them ablaze. We watched the fire until it had burned down to coals and then made our way back towards the farm. We walked far enough that we couldn’t smell the fire any more and bedded down for the night. We didn’t bother standing watch. The noise from the fighting and the smoke would keep away most things. So we slept until the morning and then got up and had a quick breakfast. We wouldn’t go back to the town at this point. It made more sense to just find the part of the forest that the herbs were in and gather those before returning. It would save on the doubling back. With how far to the south we had come we would have a little more than a day's travel to reach where the herbs were said to be at. There weren't supposed to be beasts or monsters in the area but you couldn’t always trust that information. After breakfast we packed everything away and began the trip north towards the herbs.

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As we got better at adventuring we would learn more about herbs and other specialized items we could find and gather while out in the field. Though at this point neither of us had the knowledge to do any real herb gathering. The only reason we could do this contract was because we had a map to a location the herb was known to be at and the map had come with a drawing and a description of the herb. When we got back to the Capital we would need to go through some training. We need experience in the field of course but some instruction from a knowledgeable source could be just as valuable. We needed combat training as well as training on bushcraft and survival. It was all well and good when we could go back to any city or town to resupply. Though there were times when we would not be so fortunate. When we would have to rely on ourselves to find food and shelter. Some basic herb gathering and monster harvesting would also be nice. On these lesser monsters like goblins and kobolds the only thing worth harvesting was the ear as proof. There were other monsters that had magic cores inside of them that were really valuable as well as hide or other body parts that could be useful in crafting or sold for a good price.

There was so much to learn and explore in this vast world and we hadn’t even scratched the surface yet. I wanted to hone my combat skills and was also curious about the study of magic. Kalastrovax had said that he would guide me in learning some magic but he had yet to teach me anything. I might begin looking for an instructor for that when we get back to the city. I knew that Sora shared my interest in magic and that she was eager to learn as well. We would discuss what training we wanted to do when we got back. There was no rush. We had plenty of time to grow stronger and learn as we advanced through the adventurers guild. That was what it was all about. Getting better as you go and progressing through the ranks. Going out on amazing adventures and exploring the world. With a healthy dose of monster slaying and there you have it. That was the life of an adventurer. To go out and fight the monsters until one day your sword doesn’t swing fast enough and a monster ends it all for you. That was the fate that awaited many adventurers. Unless you could build up enough coin to retire, an early death is often what awaits you.

We walked until it got dark out and decided it was time to set up camp. While I cooked our supper Sora set up our tent. We had some beef that I roasted over the fire and some potatoes that I also roasted. It was a simple meal but it was filling. We talked about what we would do when we got back to the Capital. We both had an interest in magic and sword combat so we wanted to study that under an instructor when we made it back. She also agreed that we should learn about herbs and harvesting monsters. That would help us make more coin when we were out on a contract. While we handled ourselves well against untrained bandits and stupid goblins we needed more training before we went out on another contract. That was a quick way to end up dead. To overestimate yourself was an easy way to find yourself a quick death. Many young adventurers had died young because they foolishly thought they were better than they are.

I hoped that was not the fate that awaited me. Getting more training and being prepared was a good way to keep yourself alive. We would definitely have to look into what training was available through the guild. With the food eaten and a decision about the future made we went into the tent and went to sleep. We had cleared out the goblins so there was little fear of anything attacking during the night. Though I would sleep with my dagger close. I drifted off to sleep and slept peacefully. Luckley I didn’t need the dagger. We woke up the next morning feeling well rested. We ate breakfast and then got moving. We were pretty close to where the herbs should be. After a few hours more travel we made it to the clearing where the herbs were. It didn’t take long for us to find a few trees that had the herb growing underneath. We gathered what was required to fill the contract and decided it was time to head back. Luckley we hadn’t run into anything while we were gathering the herbs. We made our way back towards the town so that we could start investigating the mysterious disappearances. It took us a little over a day to make it back to town. Once we got back into town we made our way to the mayor's office. We went inside and asked the receptionist to get the mayor for us. In a few minutes we were let into the office. We gave her the herbs and the ears and she paid us what we were owed for the contracts. She said she would let the farmer know that he could go back and reclaim his home and take the herbs to the local apothecary. She also asked us to be on alert for the next attack. It should only be a few more days till the next attack so we need to be prepared. We made our way to the Inn and took a bath and relaxed for the rest of the day. We had a nice meal and then turned in for the night. Tomorrow we would search all of the previous attack sights and see if we could figure anything out before the next attack. We made our way to our room and went to sleep. Tomorrow will be interesting. I hadn’t done anything like this before but it should be a nice challenge. We would see tomorrow what the day would bring. For now we would rest and be prepared for what would happen next.