As I angrily left the conversation between Felice, Jake, and Lupin, a single thought kept racing through my mind.

I’m joining them, no matter what!

Once I was out of Felice’s visual and magical detection range, I put my impromptu plan into action! In my mind, I spoke the words for “Illusion” and hide my presence. Covered in a shimmering vale of light, I was now invisible to everyone in the tavern. Simultaneously, I imbedded a small cluster of mana particles with my magical signature, and floated them towards my lodging on the 3rd floor. With this action, my plan had begun.

I figured I would have approximately ten minutes before Felice would realize my trick, so I hurriedly snuck out the back door and made my way towards the hill to the north. As swift as my paws could carry me, I arrived on top of the hill. Since it was quite sunny outside, I decided to stand under one of the nearby trees in the shade. The area was rather covered, littered in thick branches and foliage everywhere.

Checking my magical presence radar and seeing the coast was clear, I deactivated illusion, pulled out my journal, and rapidly began planning several variations of assault strategies for the goblin camp ahead!

“Hmmm”

I wondered aloud. While talking with Jake, I got the impression that him and his party were rather new at adventuring. It seemed like this was their first quest, so it would be a great opportunity to showcase all of my capabilities and strategical thinking! I’m sure he would love all of my ideas and skills! However, that was assuming he knew where to go!

While I did make sure to specifically mention where the goblins were during my brief introduction, I just had to hope he was smart enough to pickup on it during the conversation!

Well, back to planning! If they didn’t show up, I would just proceed with action plan #233: Inari Goblin Camp Solo Assault, Version 12!

After a few minutes, I detected the magical signature of several humans at the base of the hill. While I couldn’t accurately identify if it was Jake’s party, there was a good chance they were heading this way. I detected a cluster of four signatures, and a cluster of three signatures roughly 100 feet behind.

Right, Jake mentioned something about having a mentoring group with them. That must be the other experienced adventurers making sure his party would stay safe! So, I returned my attention back to my journal, scribbling away. Oh how excited I was to share all my ideas with them! But I had a problem… Which idea should I share first?

“Wait, Inari?”

“Inari, what are you doing here? I thought Felice said they wouldn’t allow you to join us on the request?”

Why did he sound surprised? Also, why was his hand gripping his sword’s handle? Oh! I was completely absorbed in my journal that I never even thought to call out to them! He must have been startled and surprised at me being here!

“Oh, Jake! I’m glad your party was able to make it! ---

I excitedly explained my cunning escape from Felice while mentioning my exceptional use of magic! Then, I quickly moved onto all of the battle plans I had in mind, starting with my personal favourite, a sly surprise attack using all of our unique skills for the party! Jake’s face looked speechless as I happily explained everything in as much detail as possible!

---

Wait, did I hear that correctly? Too much detail? What do you mean? And why does his face look annoyed? Doesn’t everyone like strategizing before taking on a monster hunting request?

Oh, he doesn’t want me doing that?

A wave of sadness rushed over me as all of the thought and effort I had put into taking out the goblin camp was trampled on, making me feel incompetent. I couldn’t continue wagging my tail anymore as Jake berated me over everything I said. Maybe this is why Felice said I shouldn’t join them? I knew they had mentioned that humans treated beastkin horribly in the city, but were all humans like this?

Tuning back into the conversation, Jake wanted me to only pick two spells to use. The thought of being constrained to only 2 of my over 100 spells was very disheartening. Feeling rather depressed, I responded telling him I would use “Bolster Strength” and “Heal!”. Those are probably the two spells that would be most useful for the upcoming situation.

Eventually, we started heading towards the direction of the goblin encampment. I found myself walking alongside the man named Kael. I was a little nervous, since out of the corner of my eye, I could see him constantly sending me menacing glares. As if that wasn’t enough, my threat detection kept giving me false positives whenever he looked my way. Well, I guess he technically did want to harm me, but we were in a party! Even if you don’t like someone, there’s no reason to be so mean towards them! That could be dangerous when we needed to cooperate!

Finally, we had reached our destination! Jake and his crew slowly approached to where Kael and I were standing. Out in the clearing, was the goblin camp! Happy we were here, I pulled out my journal and started marking the rough locations of the goblins I could see on a simple map. I double checked the locations against my internal enemy detection radar. Oh? That’s interesting, there appears to be a group of goblins off to the left, and this larger reading here? That’s potentially a hobgoblin! Looking up, I noticed Jake was talking about what to do. Then he started counting to start the attack…

Wait, start the attack? Oh no! He doesn’t even know about the goblins that are hidden yet!!! I have to stop him!

“Jake, wait!”

Ahh, thank goodness that got his attention. Things could have gone horribly if I didn’t intervene! Our backline would have been completely exposed if Jake proceeded with his frontal assault idea! But after sharing my concern and suggesting we gather more information; Jake rudely dismissed me. I could tell he was very angry.

As Jake continued to tell me off about my ideas, a larger, scary looking man came up from behind and placed his hand on Jake’s shoulder. He had many scars all across his face. This must be one of the three experienced adventurers Jake said was spotting for them! But when I looked into the man’s eyes, I felt a feeling of absolute terror and horror. My enemy detection was franticly sounding alarm bells in my head. I had to deactivate the spell since it was starting to become painful and disorienting.

But why would it alert me to this person? Listening to the conversation, this man, Bandit, was actually taking my side of the argument and saying everything I noted was correct! What’s more, if I didn’t intervene, he said his group would have stepped in to stop Jake as well! How could a person like this be setting off my enemy detection? Perhaps I wasn’t focusing enough due to losing confidence in my abilities and the spell was malfunctioning? I would have to experiment with this later!

The next thing I knew, Jake was apologising to me! I can’t believe he actually had the resolve to admit his short comings and ask for my advice! I could hardly contain my excitement. My tail started uncontrollably wagging back and forth, but I didn’t care! I was finally able to explain how I would tackle the goblin encampment!!!

But I had to be careful. Jake still didn’t seem to value my input very well. Perhaps I could use this to my advantage? I know Rangers have a spell that allows them to scout the surrounding areas thoroughly. While it’s not as efficient as my magic presence detection, it should still work fine in this scenario. Kael and Jake seem rather close, so perhaps if I suggest Kael for scouting, Jake will listen to his friend. Then I can introduce my marked map to build credibility again!

---

Alright, Kael gave his report of the situation, and his observations matched mine. It also confirmed that the group of goblins in the trees were ranged class. I politely asked Kael to fill in the map. He did, but with a rather rude look towards me as he added each additional “x”. Seriously, I didn’t get this guy.

Looking over to Jake, I could see him examining the map in detail. Then, to my disbelief, he asked if I could develop a battle plan! I was super excited! Eagerly, I explained how I would tackle the current situation. It was time to introduce Inari’s Goblin Camp Battle Plan #27!

Good, everyone seemed in agreement about the strategy I suggested. After taking out the goblin scouting platform, I would immobilize the encampment by the cliff, locking down the hobgoblin and stragglers nearby. While that was happening, Jake and Drogan would intercept the first camp and eliminate them! Well, that was the short version at least.

Seeing as we were ready to start, I gathered my mana and started getting ready to cast “Bolster Strength”.

Wait, that’s right! I had almost completely forgotten in my excitement. Felice mentioned this to me during my magic training lessons with him.

“Inari nayn, humeowans are very clueless when it comes to meowgic! They are stuck in the belief that “all magics must be cast verbally nayn!”. That’s simply not the case meown. If you can clearly visumeowize the intended effect and say the incantation in your myind, it can cast just as meowfectivly nayn! Oh, but this is a secrets meown, so don’t tell any of the humeowans pwease.”

For all of the stories I’d heard about humans being inquisitive and methodical, I was rather surprised that none of them had discovered this fact either. Of all of the amazing scholars and researchers they possessed, none of them had even attempted to cast magic non-verbally?

Regardless, I figured I should at the very least, respect Felice’s advice. It might help me a little bit later, as I was confident I would receive “ameowther scolding!” as they called it. Well, I guess I better start casting the old way…

Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

"World, gather round my call and tip the scales to my favour, give me power to strike my foes, Bolster Strength!"

There, now all of us had a boost to our strength! Since I efficiently utilized the mana inside each individual’s bodies, the cost of the spell was significantly reduced. As a result, the burden was negligible to me.

Looking over, Kael’s bow was ready to fire with the goblin caster locked on, then I heard Lyra start her spell for “Fire Bolt!”

I was super excited to see how a human produced the “Fire Bolt!” spell. Felice’s version had incredible potency and I was eager to compare it to Lyra’s. Jake had mentioned she was a really powerful magic caster, so I was bound to be impressed!

"World, bring forth fire to my palms, form it's shape and send it far, Fire Bolt!"

Wait a minute, the incantation is totally wrong! Oh no, Oh no no no!!! You didn’t even weave the mana particles properly into the correct ratio of air to moisture! The size was also off and very unstable!!!!!! Since you didn’t form it correctly, the flames would go out of control from a lack of moisture binding their effects to the intended targets!!! If that ignites the tree canopy, the whole forest would catch fire!!!

I had to act fast! The fire bolt had already left Lyra’s hands and rocketed towards its destination. Sorry Felice, but I would need to do incantantionless casting!

Quickly, I cast a spell on the tree canopy to cancel out the effects of the fire bolt’s heat so flames wouldn’t spread to the entire forest. I tried my best to make sure my spell would remain largely unnoticed. It was almost perfect, but I think I did rather well consider the short reaction time I had!

*Snap**Crash**Boom*

Impact! While much more underwhelming compared to Felice’s version, it managed well enough. All three of the goblins were blown from their vantage point. One mana signature immediately disappeared, and the remaining two faded once they hit the forest floor. Finally, the fourth signature vanished as Kael’s arrow expertly severed the goblin’s throat! I briefly felt it trying to conjure a spell, so I was glad we managed to silence it with his attack!

Oh, I’d almost forgot, now was the time I was suppose to cast my Unstable Ground spell! It would have looked really bad if I didn’t cast it when Jake was expecting me to! Remember Inari, verbal incantations!

"Terra, heed my words and change thy form, turn earth below to tricky terrain, Unstable Ground!"

Perfect! Now all of the enemies near the cliff would be immobilized.

After seeing my spell cast, Jake and Drogan leapt into the fray! But for all the talk about how amazing he was, Jake’s capabilities seemed average at best. A lot of his movements seemed excessive and inefficient. Well, I mean, I was comparing him to Lupine, a retired B rank adventurer. But still, even I had better movements and I wasn’t even a melee user! The twirls were unnecessary and brought the risk of losing one’s balance, and the blade’s impact with the goblins was rough and risked getting lodged inside them.

Alright, a few goblins had been defeated. Now was the time for me to assume my proper role as a supporter. Overwatch!

From all my studies about support roles in parties, and from interviewing Lupine and Felice, the supporter stayed in the rear of the party and calmly assessed the evolving situation on the battlefield. Then, adjusting to the changes in tempo, would issue commands and cast spells to assist members as needed!

But wait, wouldn’t Jake get mad if I started calling out and issuing commands to his comrades? Guess that means I would have to be subtle. Well, I do enjoy a good challenge, so let’s see how well I can do with this handicap!

Jake was super enthusiastic after cleanly slicing a goblin’s head off. That was a risky play, since there was a good chance the blade could have gotten lodged amongst the spinal vertebra. Even experts struggle to cleanly decapitate a moving opponent, and instead opt for more precise, disabling slashes or stabs!

As I continued watching the battle, I saw Jake cast his famous “Fire Bolt!”. He used the same incantation as Lyra, so it was also incorrect. But, comparing the two, Lyra did in fact have the stronger version of the spell. Putting aside the disappointing flame, it accomplished it’s goal. The goblin’s face melted off and it was sent flying backwards disabling two others. Alright, I guess that was a decent move after all!

But after he stabbed the fourth goblin, his blade got stuck! See Jake, that’s exactly what I meant about trying to go for fancy maneuvers! Fortunately, he managed to free the blade, but the goblin was already finished when you pierced it’s chest!

Alright, everything is going well so far. I’m expecting Jake to turn and face towards the encampment towards the cliff wall. He’s in a perfect position to use another “Fire Bolt!” type attack. I’ll release the effects ever so slightly of my unstable ground so only a single goblin can approach. That way there will only be a couple left to deal with!

Wait, what are you doing Jake??? Don’t turn your back to the goblins to look at Drogan! He clearly had the two goblins dealt with on the ground and didn’t need your assistance! Damnit, right after I already released one of the trapped goblins too!

I guess it can’t be helped, I’m hoping he’ll turn back towards the group aga---

Damnit Jake! Look around you idiot!

I guess it can’t be helped. Technically this situation was my doing since I wrongly assumed the actions Jake was going to take. Alright Inari, support mode, activate!

“GAH!”

The goblin had already leapt into the air. Jake took too long to notice and he wouldn’t be able to react in time. But don’t fear, Inari’s here! Quickly, I cast the spell for a small, efficient barrier in the air space between Jake’s head and the goblin’s mace. Minimizing the size of the spell meant for higher efficiency and compressed potency! If I made the barrier too large, it wouldn’t fully disperse the blow from a strong opponent! Oh, and for extra measure, I re-applied a stronger version of bolster strength. This way, Jake’s sword shouldn’t get stuck inside the goblins anymore!

Nice! The barrier blocked the goblin’s attack and left it completely exposed for Jake to finish off. Hehe, I’m very happy with how that turned out!

Alright, Kael and Lyra are finally starting to catch up. I can hear Lyra deciding on what spell to use next, while Kael prepared two arrows on his bow string. Ooooo, was he going to attempt a double headshot from this distance? Drogan just sent four of the goblins flying, that’s going to be a difficult shot. Oooo. Nice! Two Direct hits! Kael was pretty good as a ranger!

Hmmm, Jake casted another fire bolt at the other goblins as they hit the ground. I guess it looked cool, but it would have been better to simply stab them and move onto the next group.

Ok, Drogan and Jake are facing the last set of goblins and hobgoblin by the cliff. I’ll fix the earth around the goblins so only they can approach while continuing to keep the hobgoblin trapped! Hmmm, it seems to be a pretty powerful variant for a simple hobgoblin, I better apply some status debuffs to it. I also think a small curse of blindness should do the trick!

Wait a minute, now that I think about it, Jake doesn’t even know about all these extra spells I’ve been casting!!! How was he going to know I’ve been doing so much to help his party be successful if I wasn’t giving directions and verbally announcing my spells! If he thinks I’m useless, I might not be able to join them on future missions!

Alright Inari, time for action plan Look Useful!

While I had intended for Jake’s party to deal with the approaching goblins, I figured this would make an ideal opportunity to showcase my offensive capabilities! Focusing my mind on the targets, I started preparing my favourite offensive spell, Kitsunebi!

It was a spell well known by many fox beastkin casters. It was a beautiful combination of destruction, efficiency, and adaptability! I pictured the goblins bodies and the mana flowing within, each individual had a unique signature, differentiating it from the others. Cognoscente of these variations, I proceeded to weave mana into the tangible and ethereal planes. I coalesced three spirit flames and implemented a homing tracking feature to each unique goblin identifier. Next, I inscribed the targets destination and spell’s potency, then finally, released them towards the targets! Oh, and for good measure, I guess I should point my staff towards the goblins or something, that way it will look like I did sometime to Jake!

Perfect! Each of my Kitsunebi entered into the chests of the approaching goblins and incinerated them from within using a combination of spirt and fire magics! Hehe, just as expected! I caught Jake looking my way after seeing the goblins burst into flames. Operation successful!

Finally, onto the last, remaining enemy, the hobgoblin!

As soon as I released the unstable earth spell, the hobgoblin activated it’s unique skill. Bloodrage! This spell would greatly increase it’s attack power, while also granting a burst of energy and speed. The best course of action is to evade the blow, then attacking during the opening!

Wait, is Drogan seriously going to attempt blocking that attack???! Don’t do it Drogan! That’s a super reckless thing to do! I don’t think your defence is high enough to mitigate the damage completely!!!! Quick Inari, you have to do something!

Focusing on the monster, I quickly cast a hex to reduce it’s strength. This should mitigate the effects of Bloodrage, if just a little bit. Next, I reapplied my blindness status effect since it’s potency seemed to be waning from the hobgoblin. All I could do now, was hope the reduced strength and temporary blindness would be enough to soften the blow.

Success! Drogan managed to hold his ground against the attack. That was rather impressive, most adventurers would have opted to dodge the strike instead and counter attack at the opening created! Although it did appear he took some damage from the blow though, I’ll make sure to heal him later!

Looking behind me, I could see Kael and Lyra working together on something. Oh? Is that a combination ranged-magic attack?? That’s pretty impressive! Based on the mana gathered around Kael’s arrow, it appears to be some type of ice spell. Hmmm, I’m curious to see how this works!

Cool! When Kael fired his arrow directly into the hobgoblin’s shoulders, the ice spell activated and exploded in a powerful force of sharp, frozen shards! It also looked like Lyra set the spell to hold form as well! That was actually pretty neat! The arrow acted as an efficient form of transportation for the spell, while the ice acted as an inhibit on the hobgoblin’s joints, completely restricting it’s movement. Those two made a pretty good team!

Looking at the situation now, I was finally able to relax. Jake used the opening created by Kael and Lyra’s combination attack to slip behind the hobgoblin and stab it from behind! While his blade managed to get stuck going through the creature’s neck, he somehow managed to find the strength and push it through! While crude, it wouldn’t be long before the hobgoblin would die from this injury.

“RAAAAAA! WE DID IT!!!!”

“Yes!” I let out a small squeal while jumping in the air slightly. We had finally finished the battle and everyone made it out alive! Kael and Lyra were already heading over towards Jake and Drogan, so I picked up the pace to join them as well!

Words couldn’t begin to describe how happy I was! I lost all control over my tail as it bounced around every which direction in excitement! Everyone was smiling and I was too! This was truly a memorable moment for me and something I always wanted to experience!!!! I was able to make some new friends, and finally complete a request that wasn’t just simple “Medicinal Herb Gathering”!

We spent several minutes laughing and talking about how amazing the fight went! While it got scary at some moments, everything worked out because of our teamwork! Jake even gave me a compliment about the Kitsunebi spell he saw me use! I hoped that would be enough to convince him to let me join his group on any future requests they had!

Oh, it looks like that mentoring group is heading this way as well! I wonder what they’re going say to us? Hopefully they aren’t too difficult with their critique on his party’s performance! Hmmm, I only detect two of their signatures, I could have sworn there was a third with them, wasn’t there?

Looking towards Jake, he had this suspiciously large grin across his face. What exactly was he thinking about? Oh, he’s looking over the goblin corpses.

That’s right! Adventurers go through the loot of their defeated enemies afterwards! This was technically my first-time fighting living enemies so I had completely forgotten that monsters had valuable items on them we could sell for extra currency! It was weird, my enemy detection was still alerting me to a nearby threat, but I was confident we had taken out all of the goblins already.

Anyways, putting those thoughts aside, I rushed over to join Jake by the hobgoblin’s corpse, I crouched down with him near the body and smiled at him. Today has been absolutely amazing, I’m glad I ignored Felice’s advice and joined Jake’s party on their request anyways. While thinking that, I briefly closed my eyes and thought to myself.

It’s great being an adventurer.