10. To the Rescue!_Candlelit Lives {Serial Reincarnation LitRPG}

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Their birth was the most horrific thing either had ever experienced: They were [Goblins].

That is, to say, there are two things to know about [Goblins] that make their births so horrific. First, [Goblin] reproduction is essentially parasitic. Second, there are no female [Goblins].

The poor girl who birthed them… Enough said.

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[Goblins], it could be said, grew atrociously fast, in three primary ways.

First, in Status. Nick ◮ had received [Live Fast II] (remarkable) upon birth; Shelby ◐ already had it, so it evolved into [Free Skill Choice (remarkable)] which, as far as she could tell, would allow her to select and receive any (remarkable) Skill, even if she did not meet the prerequisites for it. Nonetheless, the four-times XP multiplier on the Trait was significant, especially given [Goblins’] propensity for killing anything that moved and was inadequate to… ensure the population.

Second, social integration. Both had also automatically received [Goblinese 5] at birth, though listening to [Goblins] speak was about as pleasurable as listening to [Torturers] discuss new methods over lunch in the cafeteria. The pyramidal [Goblin] hierarchy meant that, almost immediately, other [Goblins] were telling them what to do. Not that they had the power to enforce such demands against Nick ◮ or Shelby ◐. Nonetheless, between the constant belligerence of the [Goblins] and the screams coming from the prison, both Shelby and Nick tended to keep at the far edge of the camp.

Finally, maturity. By day 7, the duo had doubled in height and received System Access, with Classing expected sometime around day 14.

On day 10, Nick ◮ was returning from a solo trip into the surrounding forest when he found Shelby ◐ sitting on a high rock looking down at the camp with a pile of freshly picked “herbs” next to him. Nick plopped down next to Shelby without a word, watching as conflicting emotions of anger, rage, and hate war across Shelby's face with the instinct not to commit genocide. Nick placed a sympathetic hand on Shelby’s shoulder and, eventually, Shelby piped up.

he sent, spitting on the ground.

And so Shelby carried his pile of “herbs” down to the [Goblin] encampment, and walked between the dozen or so fire pits, putting a handful in each. They were [Goblins], so no one noticed or cared about the young one as he went about his soon-morbid work.

As the green plants began to smoke, [Goblins] began to get sleepy as they inhaled the soporific into their lungs. Within ten minutes, all the [Goblins] were passed out and the smoke was clearing. Shelby waved Nick down and, together, they slit all of them by the throat.

The encampment was large enough that you could easily hide in it, and when Nick found Shelby again shortly thereafter, the latter was inspecting the five women—two [Humans], an unspecified halfling, a [Gnome], and a type of birdfolk—who had been imprisoned. Nick stood there silently, as Shelby moved quickly between them, using [Divine Lay on Hands].

Shelby yacked.

Nick thought for only a moment before responding confidently.

Shelby sighed.

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When the prisoners came to, they found, in varying order, that they had been largely healed (absent one major common issue), that the doorway to the hut had been sealed, that there was a steaming cauldron of liquid together with some cups waiting for them, and that it was eerily silent outside compared to the previous bustle of their captors.

When the last of them woke, the roots on the door loosed just a little bit to let speech through, and Shelby ◐ began to address them in [Ravornia], using [Belly Speak] to create a rich, calming baritone.

“Ladies. Please do not be afeard. The [Goblins] are dead.” The group looked at each other, askance and skeptical, but none responded for several moments.

“Did—did you kill them?” one finally asked.

“Yes, my partner and I killed them. You have no more to fear from your captors.”

“And you healed us?” another asked.

“I did.”

“Who are you?”

Shelby let the silence ring for several moments too long, and a few of the captives began to grow nervous. “I’d rather not say,” Shelby finally relented, “nor show myself to you, lest I inflict any more trauma upon you. Suffice it to say that I am a friend and my particular identity meaningless in this life.”

“And what would you ask of us,” another asked apprehensively.

“I’d ask only that you drink the brewed Maiden’s Hope in the cauldron. If you’d prefer not to, I’ll kill them anyways when they… emerge. But I think we can agree this is cleaner. Four cups for the [Humans], two for the halfling, and one for the [Gnome]. Regretfully miss birdfolk, I do not know enough about your people to accurate dose it.”

“[Garuda] (rare). We’re fairly light-bodied folk. Normally I’d say two like the halfling, but I’d rather take three than risk it.”

“Very well then. At worst, you’ll feel more uncomfortable than necessary.”

And so the five ladies in the mud hut began to slowly sip their way through several cups of the hot, bitter brew. Once Shelby confirmed that they had all begun drinking it, she continued.

“While you are working your way through that, perchance you’d be willing to entertain a few questions of mine? I think a bit of talk would do us all good.”

“Depends on the question,” one of the [Humans] responded curtly, but the other one smacked her on the arm.

“Well, the first one is simple,” Shelby started with mirth in her voice. “Where are we?”

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The women confirmed that they were in fact near the Ravorno Peninsula. Indeed, they were in one of the wilder parts of the Neutral Alpine Territories and, while the women were not entirely clear on the matter (being prisoners), they believed they were a relatively short distance from a secondary branch road which meandered through the mountains in the area. If true, then—other than the occasional village—the nearest town could be found about a half-day’s travel north along the mountain road, with the nearest city about a day-and-a-half’s travel south along the same road.

“And assuming that we are, in fact, in a mountain valley adjacent to this road, where would you end up if you went away from the road?”

“Away from the road?” the [Human] explaining this asked.

“Yes,” Shelby clarified, still speaking through the door. “Put the road to your back and walked away from it.”

“Just—just wilderness,” the [Human] fumbled. “More mountain valleys, I suppose, but higher altitude terrain too. Perhaps glacier zones.”

“And more terrible monsters,” the [Garuda] chimed in, “My people have always avoided flying over the deep mountains. There are great aerial predators there.”

While Shelby was questioning the prisoners, Nick brought to them roasted rabbit he had caught and prepared using some old seasoning raided from the [Goblins’] junkyard. The food was surreptitiously passed through the hut’s door of roots and the women ravenously tore into it, captivity not being a good source of nutrition. As they did so, and as the medicine did its bloody work over a few hours, they asked the obvious question to their rescuers: “What next?”

“In the morning, after you’ve recovered further, the five of you will set off for this road we’ve discussed and, with luck, you’ll find civilization fast enough. My companion and I will make up five packs for you and provide you what weapons we can find. On that last point, please let us know if you have any preferences. You’re free to check out the junkyard in the morning as well, but we hope you won’t stay around this place longer than necessary.”

“That’s it?” one of them asked incredulously. “You rescue us and then send us on our way? What about you two?”

“Well, yes. My partner and I have business further into the mountains, which we need to attend to promptly. Regretfully, we cannot accompany you.”

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The next morning, the five women set off fully dressed, packed, and armed. Their mysterious benefactors had done a good job in nearly-all respects, with only the [Garuda]—who preferred a rather obscure weapon—having to settle for a lesser choice in weapon. However, despite the five of them all staying on alert, their benefactors were nowhere to be seen.

As they set pace away from the camp, the halfling caught the [Garuda]’s eye wandering back towards the camp as it receded in the distance. “So, who do you think they were?” the halfling piped up.

The [Garuda] cocked a head in her direction. “You know,” she chuffed, shaking her head, “I think they were [Goblins].”

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Nick ◮ smirked.

Shelby ◐ replied.

he affirmed, then paused for several moments as the birds chirped away in the forest.

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Nick was flabbergasted.

Shelby explained carefully. he paused for dramatic effect,

Silence greeted Shelby’s bold statement. Then, clearing his throat, Nick asked,

Nick spluttered.

The conversation was once again punctuated by a long silence as Nick rubbed his temple with one hand.