I rush forward, and my spear rips through the goblin’s thigh. Graem strikes a split second after me, piercing the goblin through its shoulder. The spears continue forwards flipping the goblin up and then back down onto the ground.

Dealt 7 Health Points: Piercing damage.

Inflicted bleeding effect.

As the blue boxes appear in my vision Graem’s voice rings out. “Well done, Reed. Just hold it steady, it will bleed out!”

The goblin flings itself wildly against the spears holding it down. Its unpierced arm repeatedly slams into my spear. Straining with all my effort I keep hold.

“Not long!” Graem yells followed immediately by the goblins own wailing.

Every second that passes the bone-chilling wailing gets louder.

“Hold!” Graem cries out over the din of the screams.

I want to turn away, but stop myself. It would be a disaster if it overpowers me and breaks free while I’m not looking.

Finally, it stops wildly swinging. Too weak to continue, but it’s still screaming. Screaming and staring at me. Staring with fear. It knows it’s going to die. I watch this creature die screaming.

Awarded 2 experience points for assisting in the defeat of a goblin.

The wailing finally ends, but my ears still ring with the memory of it.

Graem crouches down and chops of its ears. Green blood spills out. Not much, there’s never much left by this point.

‘Experience.’

­Experience: 137/200.

“Hey Reed, you going to pull out your spear or what?” Graem asks, while looking at me concerned.

I swallow and nod. It gurgles gruesomely as I rip it out. “Sorry, I kind of zoned out.”

“Yeah, I noticed. It’s been a long day and I’m tired too. It’s even affecting our aim. I think it’s time to call it a night.”

“Uhh, yeah.” I nod again and glance down at the earless goblin. Fear plastered in its eyes. At least the screaming has stopped replaying in my mind.

Graem nonchalantly grabs the corpse and drags it to a pile of rocks before throwing it over. It lands with a squelch shockingly high over the rocks. Edging closer I take a look at what it’s resting on. There I see another body.

“This isn’t a game, is it?” The words fall out of my mouth.

“Reed. You say something?” Gorm asks calmly from behind me.

“What?” I flinch, Gorm is so close. “Oh, no. Nothing.”

“Phew, today has been exhausting, I wonder how many goblins that was.” Laela’s voice is whimsical. I shudder, as she slaps me on the back.

“Sixty-six,” I answer.

“You counted?” Laela asks in surprise.

I shake my head. “I calculated it from my experience gain. One hundred and thirty-two points since we started. I always get two experience. So, sixty-six.” My voice falls flat before I finish my thought. Sixty-six dead goblins.

“Well, looks like you aren’t the only genius here Graem. Reed can do math.” Laela laughs.

“You can do math too Laela, don’t act like our parents didn’t teach you.”

“Graem! I thought you knew that I chose to take up the adventurer’s mantle in defense of the world specifically to avoid the math that consumes our parent’s bakery.”

Graem takes my spear from me and begins cleaning the gore off it. “It doesn’t consume their bakery.” He rolls his eyes while putting the bloody towel into his belt. “Yes, they have to think about ingredient prices, measurements, sales prices, and taxes. But in the scheme of things, they mostly do that on autopilot. Meanwhile as an adventurer you’ll have to constantly think about mana use and recovery. Weapon and ability damage. Remaining health points of you and everything around you. That’s far more math.”

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“You know, I should get you drunk more often. I miss the hangover peace and quiet,” Laela teases.

“Sure, as long as you’re paying,” Graem teases back. “Anyway, sixty-six goblins a great haul. We should be proud of ourselves.”

“More next time.” Gorm grins.

Footsteps approach from the cavern tunnel. It’s Jaed, she’s back and not a little puffed.

“Time to go?” Gorm asks.

“Time to go,” Graem agrees, before beginning to walk off.

“You coming Reed?” Laela calls out.

“Huh? What?” I look up and see they’ve already walked quite far down the tunnel. “Oh. Yeah.”

“He’s a bit tired. It’s been a long day.” Graem heads off.

A bit tired. I am aren’t I? My eyes wander back towards the graveyard behind the rocks. Too far away, I’m met only with inky darkness.

----------------------------------------

Somehow, I find myself out in the fresh air outside the dungeon, a cold breeze tearing through the holes in my pyjamas.

“Here’s our haul.” Graem passes the Jester the bloody ear sack.

I can’t watch it. Damn. I’ve got to clear my head. They can’t find out I’m this weak. “You guys sort out the debt repayment. Nature is calling.” I walk off to some trees further down the hill.

“What did he say, something about nature?” Braed asks my group.

“He is going to pee,” Gorm’s replies stoically.

“Woah, woah! You can’t do that here!” Braed’s calls out his voice agitated. As I step down the hill past their view, I hear his rushing footsteps nearing me.

I take a deep breath then while still looking out into the green countryside opposite the dungeon respond, “okay.”

I can feel his presence unflinchingly watching me, totally unwilling to give me a second of privacy. “I’m not going to pee,” I call out coldly.

Braed doesn’t respond; only continues watching. Finally, after a good half a minute he speaks, “is something wrong Reed?”

“I’m not really sure?”

Braed doesn’t respond, he just sits down next to me clearly waiting for me to continue.

“Everything about the last few days has been about survival. It’s only now that I’ve really had time to contemplate what I’m doing and one thing hasn’t left my mind. I’ve noticed when the goblins die, some of them seem to be in real pain. I believe the adventurers guild really was designed to protect the townsfolk but… Are we… Is what we’re doing really right?”

“Reed…” Braed looks at me sadly. “Since meeting you I’ve had the sense that wherever you’re from must be very different from here.”

“It is.”

“I’m guessing dungeon monsters aren’t a big problem where you are from?” Braed responds gently.

“No. Definitely not.” I snort.

Braed sighs. “You want to know if what we are doing is the right thing? If all this killing, and bloodshed, and horror is worth it?”

I swallow. “Is it?”

Braed turns to me and I find myself drawn into his eyes. Harder and sterner than I’ve ever seen before, and masking something. Perhaps pity, perhaps pain. “The dungeon monsters don’t have minds like you and me. They are born from mana not flesh. They’ve no friends, no family, just dungeon instilled hatred. A final curse of the last king of demons on all other races before his death. Yes, the monsters appear to feel pain, though even that may only be another callous trick preying on the weakness of our empathy. But if they can feel it.” His fist tightens. “They deserve every morsel.”

I want to believe it, especially that all the hurt inflicted is artificial, but skepticism clings to me. “That’s definitely all true?”

“It must be, otherwise how could they reproduce and grow so quickly after a dungeon clearing? And why has no one ever seen a monster child? But rather than talk about that I’ve a more important question for you Reed. Have you ever seen what happens if adventurers don’t regularly go into the dungeons and eliminate the monsters?” There is a heavy shift in Braed’s tone as he speaks

“No. What happens?”

“Monster plague. Sweeping tides of the creatures traversing across the peaceful countryside tearing apart every last man, woman, and child. The only bit of thought that goes through a dungeon monster’s head is murder. No, not murder, genocide.”

“It’s really that bad?”

Braed turns away from me and gazes out over the landscape before us. “You are damn right it is. Listen Reed, the only reason people like you are able to forget how vicious and evil the monsters are is because of the adventurers risking their lives day after day to clear out the dungeons. Look out at the city below. Imagine every last one of those people going about their peaceful daily lives being torn apart limb from limb. Yes, everything all the killing and bloodshed is worth it.”

We sit in silence and I follow his advice. I try to picture the city aflame. Roy, Jenae, Graem, Laela, Jaed, Gorm, and Fraeya and a thousand others torn apart. It’s an ugly thankless task. I force myself anyway. “I think,” I call out, and finally turn back to Braed. “I think, maybe I get it.”

“There is a seldom remembered creed of the first Adventurer’s Guild from the times when monsters still roamed unhindered across the world. No mercy for the bastards that crawl beneath. Whether or not you still continue holding aspirations of becoming an adventurer, you’d do well to remember it.”

My fists and eyes squeeze shut. Finally, when my lungs can no longer handle the tension, I exhale. “No mercy for the bastards that crawl beneath.”

“Good words,” Gorm agrees, announcing his presence. I turn shocked and find the rest of my party standing behind me. Fierce approval shines from their eyes; apparently unconcerned with the prior lack of resolve that led me here.

Braed props himself up from his sitting position. However, not content to leave it with that, he speaks up again, “You wear the Adventurer’s Locket Reed, as do the rest of you. I don’t know what you might have been brought up to believe, but it’s not a symbol of a money hungry mercenary or a violent bloodthirsty thug like some would say. That locket is a symbol of your fight and every other adventurer’s fight to protect humanity. It’s the symbol of a hero.”

I grasp the cool silver of my locket in my hands and am reminded of the way light shines out between my fingers when it’s held like this within the dungeon. The Adventurer’s Locket. My locket. The symbol of a hero.