The adventurers exited the goblin warehouse, making a mental note to return for the body of the unfortunate girl. Jay looked at them expectantly, but seeing their expressions, he didn't ask anything and sighed heavily.

- Kid, can you go home on your own? Or do you need someone to escort you? - Robert asked the bandaged knight, who replied:

- No. I'll stay. There's still a second girl that needs to be saved. I took on the task, and I'll see it through one way or another.

- You've already screwed it up, idiot, - Glen said bluntly. - You got cornered, didn't save the girl, and another team was sent after you. You failed. Go home and live, idiot. Don't pretend to be tough.

The stubborn orange eyes stared defiantly at Glen, showing everyone that their owner wouldn't leave until the task was completed.

- Ah, to hell with it, do as you please, anyway, it's you gonna die .

- Hey, Glen, - Robert suddenly turned to the dwarf, - you look pale. Are you okay?

- What are you implying, manling!? I'm tougher and livelier than anyone!

- Hey, Anya, check his wound.

The girl pulled up the berserker's shirt, and despite his loud complaints, inspected the injury. The skin where the goblin thief attacked had darkened, and black veins spread out in all directions.

- Poison. I thought the natural dwarven resilience would suppress the effects of the poison, but apparently, I was wrong, - Glen grumbled, tucking his shirt back in.

- I'm not some weakling to die from poison! And I don't need your concern!

- Glen, - Robert looked seriously into his comrade's eyes, kneeling down to be at his level. - Take the antidote. Don't be stubborn. Even if the poison doesn't kill you, it will definitely weaken you. How do you plan to get revenge on me if you're not in the best condition?

- I can still kill you even if I'm dying! - Despite his words, Glen reluctantly turned to Anya, who always had potions from her family's shop at hand, and extended his hand.

- Forty-four silver, - the alchemist's daughter coldly stated the price.

- Girl, don't act like a quarrelsome adult dwarf. You're too young for that, and I don't like feeling like I'm back in the clan. Be a good kid, give me the damn potion, - Glen snapped before begrudgingly handing over the silver.

- Of course. Right after payment,

Before Glen could explode in anger again, Vasiliy intervened:

- Anya, please, be a good girl. We are your friends and comrades. With friends, you shouldn't think about money. If you can help them, help them. The entire life in the village is built on mutual assistance and respect, and I grew up with these ideals. And I don't consider them wrong. So please, be warmer with all of us.

- But... But how... - The assassin girl hesitated. She was torn between obeying Vasiliy and obeying her mother, who always said never to do anything without personal gain. In the end, finding a compromise, Anya said, - Fine. Keep it. However, only if in the future you'll buy potions from our shop! And nowhere else! And don't you dare go to that stupid Caldeus, if you can get an analogue from us! Promise!

- Okay, I promise, little beastie. There's something of proud dwarven blood in you, - Glen said.

- Maybe it's the height? - Lia joked, eliciting annoyed glances from the assassin and the berserker.

- You're a cool chick, baby, - the dwarf replied. - And I, by the way, am a cool guy, so think about that. But don't joke about dwarf height. Only dwarves can joke about that. For everyone else, it's off-limits.

- Yeah, - Anya chimed in supportively. - And I'm not short! I'm just still growing! I'm still young. Unlike you, hehe.

- What!? - the elven woman exclaimed indignantly. She loved teasing others but hated it when someone joked about her, reacting quite sharply by launching a stream of sarcasm and toxic remarks at the little girl. In response, the girl didn't hold back on her own expressions. The men tried to calm the girls down, while Isabella and Robert stood aside. The former trembled in indecision, whispering "don't argue," while the latter rubbed his temples wearily.

- Is this... always like this? - Jay hesitantly asked, observing the scene unfolding before him.

- Yeah... Always. Remember, kid, when forming a group, make sure all its members get along well... So, - Robert continued, raising his voice, - can you two stop, make up, and let's move on? There's a girl captured by goblins waiting for us to rescue her!

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

- One shaman and a dozen minions,- Anya reported her reconnaissance findings. - Weaklings, but I won't be able to get close; there's a protective totem that will detect me. And the problem is that the girl we need to save is alive and lying near the shaman.

The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

- So, we need to strike a devastating swift blow so he doesn't harm the hostage, - Robert muttered. - Lia, can you knock him out?

- No, - the elven woman replied resentfully, puffing up and turning away from the man. - I'm just a weak little girl. I can only poke someone with metal. No magic, no centuries of experience and wisdom. Do you like me more now? Do you want to protect me?

- ...Are you mad at me for something?

- No.

Robert sighed heavily. She was behaving like a child. And dealing with children was very difficult. Robert once had a son, but the mage couldn't devote much time to interacting with the child, and perhaps that lack of experience was evident now. So, he did the most manly thing he could in this situation: he chose to ignore the problem.

- Okay, then I'll take on the shaman. You guys need to make sure the little goblins don't reach the girl. We go in fast, clear the area, and get out. Let's go.

The adventurers burst into the cave, catching the resting goblins off guard. Some were eating, others chatting, someone was coating their weapons with a viscous dark substance, and two of them were preoccupied with a girl who had lost any will to live or resist, allowing the green creatures to do as they pleased with her. Seeing this infuriated Kleine and Jay. Both men raised their weapons and silently rushed at the nearest enemies, killing them before they could react.

One of the goblins, reacting faster than the others, drew a bow and aimed an arrow, but an eagle swooping down from behind the humans clawed at the monster's eyes, trying to peck through its skull with its powerful beak. Two goblins, who had been near the hostage, grabbed daggers and poised them over the girl's body, preparing to threaten the invaders, but moments later, two arrows pierced them through.

The goblin shaman leaped from his throne made of bones from various animals and humans, seized the totem, and began chanting a spell to activate it. Vasiliy immediately sent several arrows at him, but the protective totem, about which Anya had spoken earlier, activated, creating an invisible barrier in front of the shaman and stopping the projectiles.

Two claps sounded, and Robert cast a spell:

- [Wall], [Wall].

He placed his hands on opposite walls of the cave near himself, channeling his mana through the stone. In less time than a heartbeat, the energy passed through the rock and created two walls at a distance from the mage.

Mana flowed from the rock, materializing into stone, building magical walls. Two stone walls grew at an incredible speed opposite each other. The spell, intended for defense and altering the battlefield, was used for attack. The goblin shaman, who hadn't noticed the ordinary walls, suddenly found himself between two rapidly growing masses of stone. When the spellcaster realized the danger, it was too late. The two walls reached their maximum length, crushing the goblin caught between them into a pulp at their juncture.

All that remained was to finish off the weak regular goblins, a task the team of experienced adventurers accomplished in the blink of an eye, despite Lia still sulking and not participating in the fray. The entire battle ended in less than thirty seconds. The humans had a significant advantage in strength. Although even so, the red-haired knight managed to get injured.

- How!? How did you do that!? - Kleine marveled, looking at the bleeding Jay. - That was instant one-sided annihilation! How did you manage to get injured at all!?

- That goblin was strong... - the guy replied, breathing heavily as he instinctively tried to stop the bleeding. - But I killed him.

- How did they even allow you to go alone on such a mission in the first place?

- Well, there weren't many people. And someone had to rescue the girls. You don't get much money for this job, and hardly anyone would have agreed to take it on, so the Guild took notice of me. And I thought it was my chance to prove myself...

Kleine looked at the half-dead adventurer seriously and said:

- Swear that you'll never go after goblins alone again. At least until... If you don't reach level thirty.

- Fine... - Jay reluctantly replied. - I understand myself that this is not something I can handle... I'm well aware of my uselessness... I've been told that all my life...

The paladin suddenly felt sorry for this guy. He was weak and not particularly bright, but it seemed he was a decent person.

- No, you're not useless...

- Actually, you are useless, - Glen chimed in, ignoring Kleine's angry glare and Jay's increasingly despondent state. - And you're weak too. Any dwarf toddler could knock you down.

- And you're stupid, - Anya added her opinion, gathering valuable parts from the goblins' bodies. - Have you ever completed a single task properly, you incompetent? Since you're so useless, why don't you leave the adventurers? Go do something else, like... I don't know, tending cabbages or whatever else you can do.

- Hey, you can't say that! - Isabella timidly stepped in to defend the guy. - That's cruel and mean!

- Isa's right, - Kleine agreed. - Don't listen to them. They're just mean. Tell us, why did you become an adventurer in the first place? It's not really your thing. You're eight years older than me. But I'm level thirty-three, and you?

- Eleventh, - the knight weakly replied.

- So why? Find something you're good at, and...

- For one girl...

- Oh...

- Huh, there's something manly in you after all, - Glen remarked. - Well, you chose the best way to impress a lady. But if you've committed to it, don't die like an idiot, get stronger.

- I'm trying...

Kleine looked at Jay in a new light. Everyone in the Adventurers Guild made fun of him. He was a local celebrity, and the paladin had heard numerous stories about him, joining in the teasing. And now he regretted it. Though, in truth, those stories weren't false. Klein knew about Jay before this that he was perhaps the weakest adventurer in the country.

He had started taking on quests eight years ago and had only gained four levels since then. For comparison, Anya had gained fifteen levels in just one year. But Anya was an exception, a genius blessed by the heavens, destined to become an assassin. Klein was scared of what a brilliant future awaited her, given her incredible start. Jay was her complete opposite. He had no future to look forward to. But he kept trying, getting injured every time.

He was often mocked for coming back half-dead even after quests to kill cockroaches or rats. Klein always thought that with such achievements, only a complete idiot would continue doing this. And indeed, that was the case. But he was a stubborn, determined idiot with a dream.

Kleine wanted to say something encouraging but couldn't think of anything, and at that moment, Robert finished apologizing to Lia for not taking her side during the argument and ignoring her before the battle. The mage, more tired than after a fight, returned with the now smiling and cheerful elf, and she, gathering everyone around her, used elvish magic [Return Home]. Mystical roots enveloped the group, as well as the two girls, transporting them all directly to the sorceress's home.