Chapter 34: Mother, I am Home for Dinner

Name Claire Class Fighter,Lvl1 Marks 1 Guild Seven Banes SD 984

The goblin was shorter than Claire expected it to be. Its skin had a greenish hue and its large bright eyes darted back and forth between Claire’s face and her sword. It was dressed in something akin to trousers and a leather shirt and it brandished a small, spiked club at her. The pictures she had seen of goblins in the library of the training island never showed their true height very well. This one must have been barely Thomas’ height, but had a nasty hooked toothed snarl that made it seem far more menacing that its size suggested.

“Here comes number five,” muttered Claire. She had a bet going with Alex and Brent over who could kill the most goblins before they arrived at the training area. Each had chosen a different part of the road to clear while Chase divided his time checking on them with his bow. So far she hadn’t had any close calls but she refused to allow her victories to lull her into a false sense of complacency.

With a growl the goblin raised its club and ran at her. It was surprisingly fast and it’s unshod feet slapped upon the ground. Claire stood her ground and changed her guard to a defensive one Chase had shown her.

“Kvaaa!” Hissed the Goblin. It swung its club at the same moment Claire ducked, changing her sword position in one fluid motion. The goblins eyes grew wide as its brain realized the magnitude of its blunder.

Claire ran the little creature through the middle, her sword going all the way to the hilt. The goblin blinked once, dropped its club, and its eyes rolled up into its head. Claire’s sword was pulled from her hands as the surprisingly heavy goblin toppled over, bringing her sword with it to the ground.

“Well done,” said Chase from behind her, clapping slowly. “Now you are disarmed and another goblin has brained you with a hammer.”

“What goblin?” Said Claire. She placed both her hands on the hilt of her blade and tugged it free. Black blood coated the blade and dripped upon the ground.

“This ones brother,” said Chase, pointing at her fallen opponent. “He isn’t here, but were he, you would have been defenseless.”

“I wouldn’t have ran him through were there two here,” said Claire, rolling her eyes.

“And what if you didn’t see the second one? You need to plan ahead when fighting. Today there is only one goblin, but these little guys are sneaky and like to travel together.”

He had a point, but Claire didn’t want to give him the satisfaction. She returned her sword to her scabbard and showed him her hands.

“You forgot about these,” said Claire. “My hands are as strong as any goblin. I would have throttled his imaginary brother.”

“Perhaps you would have,” said Chase with a laugh. “Anyway, the others are back with the wagon. Let’s join them before Alex eats all those apples I found.”

Claire had chosen a part of the path that was several hundred feet behind the wagon. They had stopped for lunch after Chase had killed a goblin with his bow who had been trying to sneak around the wagon. For days the little creatures had been curiously watching them from the safety of the forest but finally seemed to have found the nerve to approach them. Chase had said their numbers would keep most of them at bay, and the only way to fight them would be to separate, which he had allowed begrudgingly.

They walked in silence as they came upon the wagon. Claire was going over each of her fights in her mind, remembering each attack she had made, thinking of ways to improve. It flustered her to admit that Chase was correct about her allowing her sword to leave her hands. Had another goblin been around she would surely have been at a severe disadvantage. She swore to herself never to make that mistake again.

“Come on,” Thomas was saying. “Just let me kill one.”

“No, Thomas,” said Amelie. “It’s too dangerous for you. Those goblins are all bigger than you. You are too young to be fighting them.”

“Who said anything about fighting? Just let Alex hold one down so I can cut its throat.”

“Well if that isn’t the most blood chilling thing I have ever heard,” laughed Brent.

Claire and Thomas rounded the wagon and found the rest of the guild. Marlon was bent over the side of the road scanning the plants whilst Amelie and Thomas sat in the drivers seat arguing. Brent and Alex were both cleaning their blades as they sat upon a log on the side of the road.

“Thomas,” said Chase sternly. “We don’t murder, okay? Even goblins. It’s important that we do this the right way in single combat.”

“Says the guy who shoved six inches of cold steel in the back of that gang members head,” said Thomas.

“He had kidnapped you!” Said Amelie, slapping his arm. “It wasn’t murder, it was self defense.”

“You’re saying that if I find a sleeping goblin in the forest it would be self defense to kill it on the spot?”

“Only if it had kidnapped you,” said Amelie. She crossed her arms and shook her head.

“This is all fun stuff,” said Brent. He stood up and sheathed his sword. He had a cocky smile plastered on his face as he looked at Claire. “But we have more important matters to attend to. How many, Claire?”

“Five,” she said.

“Alex?”

Alex looked up and sighed.

“Only three,” said Alex. “They kept running away from me.”

“I got seven,” said Brent, puffing his chest out. “Came upon three at a little creek and killed them all in one go.”

“Not bad, you three,” said Chase. “At that rate you will finish your Fighter contracts in well less than a year.”

“Really?” Said Alex. “Whey was Sir Antony saying it took him ten years to finish his third contract?”

“That’s true,” said Brent. “I forgot to mention that. Ten years is a long time. What makes you think we can do this in one?”

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Chase smirked and leapt up into the wagon. He motioned for everyone to join him and slowly they clambered into the back. Marlon had to be nearly dragged away from his plants.

“I’ll tell you the truth,” said Chase as he snapped the reigns on the horse and the wagon began to move. “Those Knights and their academy means well, but their training is antiquated. Same goes with most of the player schools in Esem. Those ten years he spent was for three contracts, however, not one. And ten years is about what you would expect for most players. For a players first contact the average length is three years.”

“So what makes you so sure you can get us there in a single year?” Said Brent from the back of the wagon.

“Because I did it,” said Chase. “I did it here, in this forest, with my old guild. We figured out the perfect method for achieving levels. It’s something that we were well known for, actually.”

“What’s this ‘perfect method’?” Said Alex curiously.

“It’s nothing too complex,” shrugged Chase. “The Fighter class needs to do a lot of fighting in order to ascend the levels. You three are at level two now after only a week a traveling, but each level is exponential in the amount of experience you need. This means we need a reliable supply of monsters to fight. Those highwaymen we fought a week ago still haven't reset themselves, for instance, so training on them would not be efficient.”

“You’re saying,” said Alex, “that we need a supply of monsters that are going to spawn regularly in order to ascend the levels?”

“Exactly. Goblins spawn at the same rate as anything else,” said Chase. “But what these goblins have are numbers. We could hack and slash our way through this forest for a month straight and still not kill them all. This means we have an endless amount of experience to acquire.”

“And that’s how we all pass our first contract in a year,” said Brent excitedly.

As Claire listened to them chat she looked around at the forest, scanning the trees for signs of goblins. Occasionally she could see their golden eyes peeking at them from around a truck, their stubby fingers clutching branches. Whatever Chase said about this being a great place to acquire levels she knew individual goblins likely did not provide a large amount of experience. They were too easy to kill and their skills too low. She estimated that by the end of the year they were going to have to basically genocide the entire goblin population many times over to get the three of them past the contract. Despite her reservations whenever Brent got excited she couldn’t help but feel the same way. He had an uncanny ability to do that do her no matter what his interest was.

“We will be there in about half an hour,” announced Chase. “Our new home awaits.”

Their little wagon made its way across the bumpy road. Moonshine—the horse which Amelie had had finally named some days ago—had proven a reliable steed. Even the most uneven roads had been little challenge for him and the whole guild made sure to pet, feed, and water him regularly. Claire especially loved to stroke his sleek mane and run her fingers in his long hair. Often he would find her self gazing at the horse wondering whether she would ever get a chance to learn to ride a horse.

“And this is Agamantha,” Marlon was saying to Alex. He held up a small plant with bright yellow leaves. “According to my book it has healing properties. Once we get settled I can finally begin mixing all these plants and herbs together. This forest has been a cornucopia ever since we arrived.”

“That’s good for you,” said Thomas, turning around from the front seat. “Chase, what about my levels? I don’t see any fancy houses to burgle around here.”

“I know,” responded Chase. “You’re gonna have a tricky time compared to the rest of us, but I have a pretty good idea. Goblins don’t just live under trees, you know. They have lairs filled with treasure.”

“Really?” Said Thomas.

“Well… ‘filled’ may be an exaggeration,” admitted Chase. “But as you’re the only thief you won’t have to share the experience with anyone. We might have to finish your contract in a town, but you can still get the majority of your levels here, trust me.”

“Oh, we trust you,” said Thomas sarcastically. “When you’re not getting us kidnapped or nearly killed by highwaymen.”

“Everyone is still here, aren’t they?”

“Yeah but for how long?”

Chase sighed and then stopped the wagon. He turned around and beamed.

“Look sharp, guild. We have arrived!”

Where they had stopped looked no different from any other part of the forest. The road continued on around a bend and the same trees they had been passing for days still stood around. Claire couldn’t see any place which indicated they had arrived at a training area.

“Are you sure?” Said Alex, peering into the forest. “I don’t see anything.”

Chase dismounted from the wagon and walked to the edge of the road. They were next to an embankment which rose into a hill. He began to brush aside some foliage that had grown.

“That’s because it is covered up with a very powerful enchantment to keep the goblins out. Some years ago we brought Dredman here to cast a spell of concealment over the area. We wanted to use this place as a temporary base in case we needed one.”

“Does that mean the Old Guard could come here, Chase?” Asked Amelie. “That doesn’t sound very safe for you.”

“Don’t worry,” said Chase, waving a hand. “The chances of that are slim to none. Most of the Old Guard haven’t set foot in Avalon for over five years. I can’t imagine them leaving their palaces to shack up at Fort Lazerpail.”

“Lazerpail?” Said Brent, dismounting the wagon to stand beside Chase as he continued to move vines out of the way.

“That’s the name we gave it when we arrived. I think Karkren came up with the name. Okay,” he said, stepping back. “Watch and learn.”

Chase had found a stone in embankment that stood out among the dirt. Upon the stone was a swirling symbol which he pressed his forefinger against.

“‘Solomon, Dredman, Karkren, and Spade. Brothers not in blood but in arms and loyalty. We have returned to Fort Lazerpail.’”

For a moment nothing happened. The embankment remained as it had when they first saw it. Claire looked around waiting for something to happen. When she was about to open her mouth to say something, Amelie gasped.

The embankment vanished to be replaced by a stone entry way. It reminded Claire of the Gates of Joining back on the island. It rose over twelve feet in the air and was wide enough to fit the wagon and then some. Cobbled stones on the floor led into a dank and dirty hallway which appeared to exit into a brightly lit area some twenty feet away.

“Amazing!” Said Amelie, clapping her hands in excitement. “Magic is so wonderful. I hope to be able to do something like this one day.”

Chase gave a theatrical bow and hopped back into the wagon. Brent followed along and soon Chase had the horse pulling the wagon through the gates. The temperature immediately dropped and Claire felt a cool breeze pour through her hair. The sounds of the horse’s feet echoed around the tunnel along with the amazed chattering of the guild.

“I have to hand it to you, Chase,” said Thomas. “This is pretty cool.”

“I know a thing or two, Tommy,” said Chase with a laugh. “I told you a long time ago: stick with me and I’ll see you treated pretty well.”

The light at the end of the tunnel enveloped them as they passed through the exit and soon they found themselves in the middle of a courtyard. A stone building ringed the courtyard and was open to the sky above. Claire saw stone windows and derelict doors handing off of hinges. It did not appear to have had any occupants for decades.

“I know it looks small,” said Chase. “But this is a goblin fort. Most of it is underground, along with our living quarters. We had to kill a bunch of goblins when we found it, including their goblin chief, who is more like a troll than a goblin. We can set up the training equipment right here, stable Moonshine over there once we make some sort of awning for her, and have this place up and running in just a day or two.”

“This is perfect,” exclaimed Brent. He scrambled out of the wagon and the rest followed suit. Claire began to imagine training in the courtyard. True, is was minuscule compared to the training field on the island, but it was also well protected by the walls, not to mention the enchantment outside.

“What about the entrance?” Said Amelie, looking back nervously at the tunnel. “I don’t fancy the idea of goblins sneaking in here at night.”

“I almost forgot,” said Chase, walking over to the entryway. He placed his hand on another stone by the tunnel which had an identical swirling mark as the stone outside. “Anytime one of us comes back through the entrance. We have to close it this way.”

“Mother,” said Chase dramatically, his voice filled the fort and bounced off the walls. “I am home for dinner.”

The light from the trail disappeared, leaving the tunnel in total darkness.

“What kind of password is that?” Said Thomas incredulously. “ ‘Mother, I’m home for dinner’?”

Chase shrugged and wipe his hands off on his trousers.

“Dredman’s sense of humor,” he explained. “Solomon told him to make it something more logical but, hey, Dredman always danced to the beat of his own drum.”

“Makes sense in a weird way,” said Marlon. He had found a chair besides a broken table, its two front legs broken so the surface was leaning against the ground. He sat and gave a contented sigh before opening up his book and reading.

“Not so fast, Marlon,” said Chase. “We have a few chores to do before this place is livable for tonight.”

“Of course,” said Marlon, reluctantly closing the book. “What’s the first order of business?”

“First, I want Brent, Claire, and Alex to go through the lower levels of the fort. Make sure nothing found its way inside while this place was shut up. It’s unlikely considering the strength of Dredman’s magic but you can never be too sure.”

The three fighters drew their swords. Brent winked at Claire which caused her face to heat up and she had to look away.

“Let’s hope we get lucky and find some more goblins around,” he whispered to Claire. “I wanna chance at a Goblin Chief.”

“Second,” continued Chase, marking off the jobs on his fingers. “We are going to clean up the dormitories. It’s been over ten yers since I was here and I imagine they are in a poor state. If memory serves there are six rooms so that means a couple people are going to have to share. Girls, I hope you don’t mind.”

Claire’s mouth flattened in frustration but she kept her tongue. She glanced at Amelie who did not seem to be bothered at the prospect of sharing a room with her in the least. She was smiling at her with that facile look on her face Claire had come to loathe.

“What are you going to do?” Said Alex to Chase.

“I have to go back out and find some firewood and hopefully something to eat. Tommy, you can come with me. Might as well show you how to shoot again.”

Thomas rubbed his hands together with glee.

“Awesome, no cleaning for me.”

“Oh you will be cleaning plenty,” said Chase with a smirk. “And I think you will prefer sweeping to cleaning a deer afterwards.”

At that the guild set to work. Chase grabbed his bow and his quiver from his inventory and took Thomas back outside to hunt. When the entryway shut again the rest of the guild departed for their various tasks. Claire followed the other two fighters to a door which had a set of stairs going to the second level. Amelie had to drag Marlon to the second floor where she said she would set to work cleaning the desolate rooms.

Today we clean, thought Claire. Tomorrow, we will train.

Excitement swelled within her chest. Tomorrow could not come soon enough.