Although it was the middle of the day, the woodland canopy cast a chilling shadow on the adventurers invading the goblin warrens.
There were three of them, one in a green cloak that protected against the frost, one in two layers of regular cloth, and one shivering in bare skin and silk.
"I'm supposed to be the ranger." The cloaked adventurer complained, "why do we need a crummy guild sherpa anyway? Aren't goblins, like, threat level F or something?"
"Cause adventurers keep dying here," his friend spoke up. "The goblin warrens is full of traps. It's like a special boss zone."
"W-w-we're almost rank D," the third member protested, teeth clattering from the cold, "We s-s-shouldn't need a b-babysitter."
"We wouldn't even be allowed in here before rank D without a guide. I can't believe you two are complaining about meeting an ancient being that's witnessed the rise and fall of empires." The second pouted, waving his staff about.
"He didn't see nothing," the ranger responded, "they've all been hiding in their secret villages for the last two hundred years."
Ten paces in front of them two long pointed ears twitched. "I can heareth thee."
"Sorry Manswyr," the ranger threw up one hand with reluctant diplomacy, "didn't mean nothing by it."
"Thou shallt beest s'rry if thou falls to the greedy hands of the goblin king."
"Excuse me?" They all stifled a laugh, "I shall beast what now?"
The elf looked back and forth between the three of them. "Wherefore is this one not prop'rly cloth'd?"
"Good question. Well? The elf called you out?"
"I'm a m-m-martial artist," the under dressed adventurer explained, "I've got t-t-to be able to m-m-move. I'll warm up while fighting."
"Maketh sure that thou dost. For we've arriv'd at the den of evil."
As the elf said that they became alert to the two dozen or so child-sized enemies sizing them up behind several rows of trees. They were nearly half a mile away but very noticeable in their tight formation.
"Readieth thy weapons. 'Tis a fight til death."
"F-finally! I feel warmer already." The martial artist beamed.
"Don't rush in yet, I'm the mage, let me use some crowd control first." The adventurer with the staff demanded.
The ranger wasn't silent either. "At least I can still show off my marksmanship."
Before either of them did anything the elf readied his own bow. It looked like a living plant with bark and leafy sprouts and when he pulled it back it resonated with harmonious creaking. "Enchanted Bow Arts." He shouted, "Breath of Geros!"
The arrow flying loose from the bow crackled with green energy. The distance between them and their enemies was supposed to be double the range a longbow could fire accurately at, but the projectile let itself be carried by a splendorous beam of light until it hit its target directly in the throat for an assured kill.
As quick as a bird the elf nokked and fired three more arrows in succession. Each killing a goblin instantly.
The three adventurers stood gawking at the sudden display of killing power.
"Well?" The elf gestured at the remaining goblins, who had scattered and become disorganized.
"Are we just here to be his cleanup crew?" The mage complained.
0000
"What? Gone?"
"There was nothing there, nada."
The goblin patriarch opened one eye. "In a spontaneous act of sublimation, they've evaporated into thin air?"
"What? No." Gildo sputtered. "Their bodies are there. But they're dead."
"I see, so that's the context." Scratch sighed, unfolding himself from the lotus position.
"The context of us being at war?" The bandit asked. "Yeah, I should think so. What are you lot doing about all this anyway?"
On a long bare slab of slate Scratch, Quiet, Biter, George, Linus, and Benjamin had been meditating. He had summoned every living member of his direct family back to the Promise in order to wait out the ransacking of the colonies.
At first it had seemed the region had been passed over for the culling completely, even days after the official start of the culling no parties had been seen attacking the forest. But now the caution proved justified, a whole tribe had been suddenly and surgically snuffed out, before its neighbours even realized there was a fight.
"What we're doing is staying put." The goblin patriarch explained.
His brothers were opening their eyes and listening in on the conversation now.
"The colonies should be more than enough for the city's paid hooligans to break their teeth on. They'll give 'em a workout I reckon, and that'll satisfy them. As long as they get their trophies." He mimed cutting off his ear, referring to the proof of a kill the adventurers used to collect their bounty.
"Then you're just using them as a shield against the adventurers." Gildo said in dismay.
"Always have. That's why we have the colonies, it's only Lydia that came up with the whole noblesse oblige idea. I don't know why-"
"The only question here is why she lets you do as you please!" The Grienician fell out. "Is this how you treat the women that-"
As if summoned, Lydia Harkness appeared between them. They hadn't seen her arrive, but this was typical for her movements.
"The adventurers guild has recruited elves." She stated.
"E-elves!?" Gildo's voice cracked.
"Yes. I received a dove just now. Each serious party is paired up with an elven guide."
Scratch looked back and forth between the two of them. "So are these the bow shooting kind or the toy making kind? Because I don't want to assume the wrong genre again."
Gildo got a little angry, "what do you mean when you say things like that? Do you even understand yourself?"
"Scratch," Harkness kneeled in front of him and put her hands in his, "please let me take the kids and do something."
If it had been before his disappearance she would have simply overruled him, but the revolution had humbled her.
"The outer colonies may be the disfavored ones. But they're still my people."
He was already half poised to give in to her, just from the deference in the request, but he still had his agenda. "I can't have you risk your lives for them, you know each of you is worth a thousand of them, come on."
"Yes. However." She searched her mind for an argument. "We will not be truly safe if we keep locked away."
"Oh no?"
"The guild is set on eradicating us. Destroying our outer colonies is likely just the first blow in a larger strategy. They won't give us time to regrow them before the next."
"I guess... we can't just let them do whatever they want, huh?" Scratch pondered.
"Yeah!" Linus chimed in, "the dogs know where they are. The dogs can find them."
"That's an idea," Scratch agreed, "we'll ask a few windwolves to sniff around. If any come to you, you can take a sled... Promise me you'll run if it gets even a slightly bit hairy."
"I promise." And she had disappeared.
"Windwolves?" Gildo asked.
Scratch didn't even smirk at him. "Wow you're out of the loop." Then he looked around. "Where's Second?"
----------------------------------------
"Hither to, none of the accursed hobgoblins have shown their monstrous faces, 'tis a pity, our search yet continues." The elf stated as he withdrew a bloody knife from the broodmother's throat.
"Hey, what's that all about? Why did you kill the poor captive?" The martial artist sputtered.
"She's not a captive," the ranger said, "the warrens is controlled by bandits. They use their bodies to create goblins as minions."
"That's disgusting."
"It is what it is."
The elf looked at the both of them. "Many things in the world of man are disgusting, we hast not joined this effort merely to confound disgusting things. 'Tis the genus of hobgoblins that I am here to eradicate. Therefore we might not but press on."
"Not a chance bozo," the mage came in, blocking the exit to the goblin nest, "our bonus is per nest, not per hobgoblin. We're supposed to hold this territory and make it a camp for the guild. Besides, it's gonna take all day getting the ears of all these fodder minions."
"Ye will not follow me onwards?"
"What do you need us for anyway?" The martial artist wondered, he was starting to cool down again. "L-looks to me like you could take
Harkness down on your own."
"Hmpf," the elf leaned back against the wall.
"Does anybody have a dove we can send back?" The mage asked, "to tell them we have one."
"You're the mage, you're supposed to carry the pigeon."
"Why? Tell me why the mage carries a pigeon. To pull it out of my sleeve?"
"No, cause if we carried it it'd get smashed. While we're fighting?"
"Hey, I move around."
"That-"
"Enow of this." The elf pushed the mage out of the way to leave the cramped space. "I shall calleth upon my connection to the f'rest to sendeth this inf'rmation to thine master."
As he spoke a brightly colored starling landed on his hand. The elf then kissed its head and saw it off.
"No way that works." The mage said stunned as he saw the bird flutter off into the direction of the meeting point.
The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.
Catching wind of something out of the corner of his eye, the elf suddenly fired an arrow into the forest.
But the windwolf that had been observing them was already gone.
----------------------------------------
"Piers... what happened!" His mother was shocked to see one and a half finger missing from his hand.
He gave her a half-truth. "It... was a cat."
"A cat? What sort of cat could do this?"
"He went into the fairy forest, it was a fairy cat." Felix tattled on him while spanning six warg wolves together.
None of the windwolves had come back with report of an ongoing emergency, but Lydia had gotten two of her sons to prepare a sled anyway, so they would be able to respond quickly once one did.
Felix with his favorite two-pronged halberd and a few bolases with the curse of binding on his belt.
Piers handling and inspecting a human-made crossbow he had looted off an adventurer.
It was the first time in days that she had gotten a proper look at Piers' hands. She smacked him upside the head.
"Hey! Ow!"
"You should have told us." She insisted. "We could have done something. Do you understand? You can never get those fingers back."
Piers was abashed. He had had the handicap for almost a week now, and he hadn't considered how final and irreversible it was until his mother told him outright.
"Can you still fight?"
"Of course! Just fine."
"Well good." She kissed his forehead. "Be careful with your body. You only have one."
"I have everybody," Felix announced, "we can go."
"The we're prepared. If one of our people need us." She stated momentously.
"Not yet though..." Felix noted.
"Do we... have to wait here?" Piers asked. "Can I go the Barbara's shop and get a gumdrop?"
"We have to be ready. The call could come at any moment."
"Or not at all!" He slumped against a tree in dramatic languor, distraught at the day wasted.
"Well..." she started to relent, "maybe we can-"
Mad barking interrupted them.
The warg wolves in the saddle harness jumped to their feet and held in position as a young wind wolf carved through the air in front of them and came to a sudden halt, communicating loudly all the while.
The humanoids jumped into their sled.
"Can you give them a command?" Lydia asked.
"Wow a command. No, I think Rover would get mad," Felix responded, Rover being the young wind wolf that had brought news of the attack.
But piers brought the barking horn to his lips. The ugly wooden instrument that led him recreate the sounds of the canines.
A pained yipping erupted from him, the warg wolves looked at him in annoyance before Felix took away the tool.
The three of them had to wait patiently as Rover spoke to the wolves.
He used a series of rough growls and sneers, pacing back and forth but stopping to face them when he wanted to emphasize the point.
Eventually he stopped and yowled.
The warg wolves responded with a synchronized bark and began to pull.
"That was true." Piers nodded, as they began to move.
"Now I know we can win." Felix grinned.
Lydia looked from the wolves to Piers to Felix. "What."
----------------------------------------
"Only beast mages can speak with animals."
Although they were traveling at high speeds, an argument had broken out between mother and sons.
"But you talk to them too!"
"I talk to them. They don't talk to me. I only hear barking sounds."
"Yeah that's-"
An arcing beam of light flashed between the trees.
An arrow found itself directly against the throat of Lydia Harkness.
She had caught it with her hand, but the momentum had knocked her off of the sled.
Felix shouted at the wolves to stop, and Piers had already jumped. The inertia knocked him to the ground.
Another arrow lit up the shadowy undergrowth, soaring directly towards the fallen hobgoblin's eye.
Instead, it dug itself into his outstretched arm. "Ngaaah!" He cried.
"Find cover." Lydia commanded, "it's the elven archer!"
There were beech trees and spruces around them. The beeches where thicker.
"Where did that come from? I didn't see anything." Felix sneered.
The wolves were already undoing their harness with their teeth and scattering.
Lydia didn't answer at first, she looked over at Piers, who tore the arrow out of his arm and closed the wound with healing magic.
He was fine.
"The elves use enchanted bows." She explained. "A single shot can kill from miles off."
"So we can't even shoot back with our new arrows..." Felix slumped against the bark, "so they're miles off?"
Two more arrows pierced the cold air. One hit the bark next to his face, the other smacked into the podzol between them.
"Not likely." She answered. "I'd need to get closer to know."
"Do we go the round way?" Piers suggested. "Split his aim?"
"Best to go in a straight line." She decided. "Quicker."
Without coordinating between them, all three backed away from their cover simultaneously.
"Now choose your next cover." Lydia told them, "once the next volley is over. You run there. I'll say go."
Three arrows hit the tree she was standing behind in a neat row.
"Go!"
The next volley followed quicker than the previous ones had.
"Agh no!" Piers complained, almost getting hit where his back was exposed.
The two hobgoblins had chosen the same tree and it was not wide enough for both of them.
"Are you alright?" Their mother asked from above.
She was standing on a sturdy branch.
"Are they far away?" Felix said, with his mouth directly against Piers' eye.
"It might be some distance yet. Choose different covers next time."
----------------------------------------
"Our foe wouldst already beest slain hadst thou hath killed this hound." The elf spat, nokking his so-manieth arrow.
"Yeah? Well we wouldn't have hadst to kill the wolf if you hadn't shot at it!" The mage shot back.
After the elf had attacked the wind wolf it had disappeared for a bit, then reappeared with a bad temper.
Furthermore, it seemed to perfectly counter their strongest member's preferred weapon. Once a projectile was in flight, its path was set, and a creature as fast as a wind wolf could easily dodge it.
It flitted around nimbly, trying to isolate individuals to fight one-on-one.
The more it flanked them and goaded them outwards, the more they stuck together.
They were locked in a stalemate.
The wolf couldn't attack any one adventurer without exposing himself to the attacks of at least two others.
The adventurers couldn't chase and box in the wolf without breaking their formation.
Then that stalemate was broken by the arrival of more enemies.
Manswyr's ear had twitched and he had started shooting into the forest.
"Stop. Making. Monsters. Mad!" The mage had shrieked.
"These art no beast o' the earth. These art the hunters b'hind this hound. Hobgoblins. Get thee behind me and maketh sure my aim is not disturbed."
So the elven archer focused on the wolf's masters and the rest of the party did their utmost to prevent the wolf from throwing off his aim.
He stopped.
"Did you get them?" The martial artist asked, clutching a fresh wound.
"I has't lost sight o' the third...." The elf's eyes widened. "Falleth back, we might still make our retreat."
"Now you want to flee?"
"Oh no." The ranger spat. "He's right, the area boss is here."
As he said it, Manswyr had to dodge a throwing knife, preventing him from grabbing his next arrow.
As he did, Felix burst forward from where he was. With explosive movement he swung his long halberd at group as a whole.
It wasn't directed at any vital organs, it was intended to force them apart, and it did.
Mage and ranger jumped back, and the martial artist performed an artful dodge, gearing up for an immediate counter-attack.
Piers was there with a crossbow to protect his brother, striking the warrior in the shoulder mid-kickflip.
"Ah!" He fell to the ground.
But the closeness of the projectile had made Felix jump aside and lose his balance.
"Cut it out!"
"At least I'm hitting someone!"
More throwing knives shot out of the canopy, from a different angle this time.
Lydia did her best keeping the elf's fire on herself as she moved stealthily through the surrounding forest.
He shot a few arrows back, but had time to assess the situation surrounding him.
The ranger was attempting to ward off the wind wolf with his dagger, but the beast could easily dodge his wide movements and forced him in place by biting down on his upper arm.
The mage had found new enemies, the group of warg wolves that had pulled the sled had moved around and were blocking the other exit of the cleared nest. He was using most of mana conjuring fire on the ground to keep them at bay.
The martial artist wasn't getting up.
"Rise! Art thou a warrior, or nay?"
"I c-can't..."
Piers chuckled, spanning his next bolt. "Curse of weakness."
Indeed, a greyness was spreading outward from the wound over his skin.
"Thee!" Manswyr reached for his quiver, but Felix lunged at him with the two-pronged halberd.
Jab after jab into his personal area forced the elf to keep stepping backwards. He managed to keep the lancer between him and the crossbow, barely, he almost stumbled over one of the goblin corpses strewn about.
Felix's weapon denied him the use of his bow, so he unhooked a silver knife from his belt to knock it aside.
More throwing knives.
He couldn't dodge everything, as soon as he stepped to the side, Piers' cursed crossbow bolt hit him straight in the chest.
It hadn't gone between the ribs, but it didn't have to, the arrowhead was spreading weakening magic into his blood. He fell to one knee.
Lydia jumped and landed in the middle of the eradicated colony, directly on top of main building.
"Will you surrender? And be spared your lives?" She bellowed.
The adventurers didn't respond, they didn't think to. No creature faced by an adventuring party ever seriously negotiates.
"Just our luck, immediately running into the brood knight. And now I'm running out of mana!" The mage yelled over his shoulder, unaware of how lost the fight was.
"Drink. The. Posh-" The ranger chortled out the best he could, quickly losing his struggle with Rover, who was forcing him into the ground.
The mage looked at his companion and quickly nodded, lowering his rod to dig into his satchel and retrieve a peculiar looking flask.
The shape of the glass was ornate and impractical, signifying its value, and a blue light emanated from within.
"A mana potion." He announced, looking directly at Lydia.
Then he threw back his head and downed it in one extended gulp.
The effect was immense and frightening, a shudder went through his body and his veins took on the otherworldly glow.
The rod was dropped. Instead, magical energies emanated from his very hands and glowing runs appeared around them.
"We will not die here." The mage growled unnaturally, "Rhada's Storm!"
As soon as he said the words a redness colored the air, fiery cinders rose up from the ground and the blood of the surrounding corpses began to dry at a rapid pace.
There was a short moment of tension, then a pillar of flame, as tall as an oak, erupted in front of him. It rushed towards the hobgoblins with the force of a hurricane, tossing charred earth about.
The wolves immediately turned tail and ran. Including Rover, who left behind the adventurer with a torn out throat.
"No!" Lydia threw herself in its way with no real plan.
"Rhada's breath!" She blew a cone of flames through her thumb and index finger.
Miraculously, it did slow down the attack, as the different magics began to fight over control of the same fire.
"I've more where that came from!" The mage cackled. "This is for killing my friends!"
He put his hands together for another spell, as a crossbow bolt flew through the pillar.
The magical attack had obscured most of its flight path, so he could only barely dodge it. But as soon as he did, a bolas hit him, tying his arms against his body.
The pillar of fire immediately dissipated.
-
"Phew!" Piers exhaled. Just being near the attack had singed his eyebrows.
"Does this count as things getting hairy?" Felix asked.
"Don't tell your father." His mother laughed.
The slain colony could be avenged now. Two of the attackers were paralyzed by cursed crossbow bolts, one was already dead, and one was tied up.
"This beest thy vic'try, but not the endeth." The elf whispered.
"What?" Felix turned around.
They had stepped away from the elven archer to face the mage, outside their side he had fought through the weakness and lifted up his hand to close around the bolt.
A weak tug was enough to remove it.
And like that, all his strength was returned.
"Give it up." Lydia threatened as he stood to face them.
"Yeah! You lost, get over it!" Piers added.
The elf pulled back his bow and they braced themselves, but instead of at them he fired into the air.
"Enchanted bow arts: Geros' daze!" He yelled, as the arrow exploded into a rain of spores.
Lydia was unaffected. "A low mana spell. Are you-"
Felix and Piers sunk to the ground, dizzy and disoriented.
"No..."
----------------------------------------
"I had to stay with the boys." She sighed, sipping her tea. "They were vulnerable. So the surviving enemies escaped."
"Sorry mom." Piers said quietly.
"It's not your fault."
They were in the manor, recuperating. Quiet had made tea with too much honey, but at least it was hot.
"We're lucky he didn't get the chance to do that earlier." Scratch said astonishingly.
"I should remember that this family is vulnerable to magic." Lydia stated.
"Vulnerable? What? Why are we vulnerable?" Ada protested. "I can dodge a fireball better than Audace."
"It's not the damage. It's the enchantment. Humans are protected by their gods' blessings."
"Oh yeah..." Felix noted, "you tried to get us blessed but it didn't work. Stanford had to wave around a burning branch."
"It wasn't supposed to burn."
"Wha- That's-" Ada sputtered. "So if someone wants to make us fall down they just *can*. Just because we don't have a stupid god's blessing."
"That sort of magic is rare. Everything about today was rare. An enchanted bow. A mana potion. I didn't expect them to be this powerful."
Scratch put down his tea. "That's what happens when your profile increases, they dedicate more resources to getting you."
"And you think we should stay out of harm's way."
"That was my plan, yes."
She put down her own tea. "The guild is not treating this like a sports event anymore. They are taking in and defending territory. This is a war of extermination."
"Great time for my war adviser to go missing..." he mulled.
Neither of them said anything for a few seconds.
"If it's important to you, we can use the superweapon. Even the odds." Scratch offered.
"Ritter's superweapon."
"Yeah! Can we?" Felix cheered.
"We don't know what his angle is yet." Lydia said.
"The skeleton army was straightforward, it would lock us into eternal war." Scratch pondered. "But this thing... it doesn't seem like it'd hurt our independence at least."
"Maybe he just wants to help." Quiet suggested.
That made Scratch laugh.
Their peace was broken when Wendy burst through the window, barking loudly.
"Then they can still be saved!" Jasper concluded. "If we get there quick."
"Another colony under attack?" His mother asked.
"That's what she said."
Lydia looked at Scratch.
He nodded. "Bring more people this time."
In less than three minutes they were on their way to the next battle.
Special Event: Culling the Warrens
Adventurers interested in participating in the culling or challenging the area boss can apply at the location marked on the map.
During this event there will be no bounty awarded for individual goblin slaying. Make note: **there will be no money exchanged for goblin ears.**
At the strategy camp, adventurers can apply for the following missions.
Nest Clearing: Rank E and up
Parties will follow an elven guide into the goblin warrens and clear out a nest of monsters. A reward of five gold pieces is handed out to any party that can secure the location of a goblin nest until the staff arrives.
Base Building: Rank F and up
Adventurers can earn up to 1 gold piece per day assisting the guild in erecting walled camps around former monster nests. Staff members will be there to recognize special efforts and hand out unique magic items as additional rewards. Food and drink will _not_ be provided.
Base Defense: Rank F and up
The warrens goblins must be prevented from reclaiming won territory. Adventurers can earn 1 gold piece per day defending walled camps against roving goblin war bands. Living quarters and food and drink _will_ be provided.