Chapter 6: Limited Operational Intelligence
dGhl-IHBy-b3Rh-Z29u-aXN0 observed the group through the eyes of goblin-a5Ut. They were approaching at a slow pace due to the terrain, giving him time to start the generation of another stone goblin core. Behind them, in the distance, was another forested area. A thin trail of smoke floated into the air from beyond it, most likely indicating the location of the village
There were eight of them in the group. One had a hunched walk supported by a long cane, which she pointed directly at the location of the corpse of Marcus, despite her having no vision to it. Possibly a communications officer or squad leader. Priority target.
Two carried spears, and were vaguely examining the area while approaching. Hard target for the goblins due to reach. Ambush tactics or ranged attacks required.
One carried a bow and wore several pieces of leather armor. He was systematically sweeping the area with his sight and taking a longer route, his path avoiding ground that would leave him unable to maneuver. Experienced. Dangerous. Another priority target.
dGhl-IHBy-b3Rh-Z29u-aXN0 adjusted the position of his goblin-a5Ut to avoid giving the archer a firing angle while still retaining visibility
One of the remaining humans wielded a hammer, and the rest were unarmed. They were almost moving in single file, not paying attention to their surrounding besides their own footing. Support personnel perhaps.
dGhl-IHBy-b3Rh-Z29u-aXN0 moved his goblin back as they approached, remaining out of sight. They gathered near the corpse, a fair distance from the forest and well out of range of dagger throws by the goblin. The squad leader and archer examined it for a while and discussed something. One of the unarmed humans found the core and presented it to the others. After a while, the squad leader pointed her cane directly in the direction of his core.
Or perhaps the direction of the corpses. dGhl-IHBy-b3Rh-Z29u-aXN0 had underestimated them due to their lack of firearms and visible electronics. If Naomi or Leo were augmented, then they could also contain tracking implants. He should have moved them to a secondary storage.
There was a loud discussion in the group, but the goblin did not have good enough hearing to discern what was said. The human with the hammer tried to start moving towards his core several times, but was barred by the others. After several minutes of shouting, the two spear wielders, archer and hammer wielder began to approach the forest. Leaving the cane wielder and unarmed humans behind to deal with the corpse.
dGhl-IHBy-b3Rh-Z29u-aXN0 could not find a good angle on them while they approached. So he allowed them to enter the forest, while moving his goblin to a better flanking position.
One of the spear wielders spoke while looking to the archer. "You think it was bandits?"
"Marcus had a dagger wound, it was no animal." he responded, never averting his sight from the surrounding area. "Be careful. I can feel something watching."
Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.
The rest tensed after that. It was only a few steps before they passed the healthy part of the forest disguising the edge of the domain and saw the dead trees and spikes of stone dotting the spaces between them. dGhl-IHBy-b3Rh-Z29u-aXN0 observed them suddenly slow their pace, accompanied by their movements becoming quicker but more imprecise as they examined the unfamiliar terrain. They were afraid and under the effects of adrenaline.
"I've never heard of anything like this." the hammer wielder stated, tapping one of the sensor spikes with his weapon. It was thin enough that it broke in half from the light touch of the heavy hammer, with the fragments scattering onto the forest floor. "What could have possibly crafted this?" He hesitantly bent down to grab a fragment.
The sharp fragment cut into his fingers, and he let out a small noise of pain. Just enough for the archer to avert his attention for a second. The archer dodged unnaturally fast, almost teleporting to the side, as he avoided a dagger flying directly at the back of his head. He pivoted and pulled back on the bow. His face was pale, and his hands were shaking. He was aiming directly in the direction of the goblin despite full cover and zero visibility by the forest and it moving at high speed atop the dire wolf.
dGhl-IHBy-b3Rh-Z29u-aXN0 would not underestimate their weapons this time. The goblin leapt off the wolf and dodged to the side with enough force to cause muscle damage from the effort. He did not even attempt to calculate an optimal movement pattern, and simply tried to avoid the estimated path of the arrow by the greatest possible degree.
There was a shockwave as the archer released the arrow, kicking up dirt and leaves. The shot was more akin to a railgun as it moved at extreme speed and pierced through dead trees without even slowing. The trunks of the fragile dead trees shattered as the arrow flew through them. It turned towards the goblin during flight, but not sufficiently. The arrow blasted past the goblins head, carrying shards of wood in its wake, and only stopped when it finally hit the ground and left a deep furrow. A line of trees along the path collapsed, turning a part of the forest impassable.
The spear and hammer wielders stood still in reaction to the destruction. The archer was visibly exerted and took a deep breath before speaking. "We need to run." The others looked at him, perplexed. "I missed." He continued through gritted teeth and the rest paled in reaction.
They made a poorly ordered retreat, with the archer covering them as they ran. The goblin was slowed by his damaged legs and was unable intercept them before they moved away from the forest. The wolf on its own would have little chance against the archer. They moved out of range, at least without an excessive mana cost dGhl-IHBy-b3Rh-Z29u-aXN0 was unwilling to pay. Instead the goblin retrieved its dagger and returned to monitoring the group in the swamp.
dGhl-IHBy-b3Rh-Z29u-aXN0 considered the situation from their perspective. He would have likely proceeded with the operation, simply to gather more intelligence. But his life was worth less than theirs, it would take decades to remake one of them while his own production was a matter of months. A high difference in cost-efficiency.
They rejoined the rest of their group. The three unarmed humans carrying the body, while the rest retreated slowly, with their eyes towards the forest. He could see them speaking to each other, their voices now lower so they did not reach him.
The cane wielder stayed behind for a few seconds and knocked the weapon against the ground twice. The tip flashed a deep red for barely a moment, a slightly refractive wave emanating from her, before she rejoined the rest of her group.
dGhl-IHBy-b3Rh-Z29u-aXN0 was certain they would return again, and he would need to kill at least some of them in future conflicts. They had gained vital intelligence which they previously lacked, and he had gained nearly nothing besides the likely direction of their village and some hints about their command structure.
Despite the apparently successful defense, he felt like he was losing this conflict.