The night was quickly approaching, and the group retreated to a location about an hour away from the goblin pond. As they headed away, Nobina took one last look and was in awe at how beautiful the pond looked as the sunlight began reflecting over it. If it wasn’t due to the danger of being too close to the pond, she would have wanted to stay there till the sun completely set.

The group arrived at a relatively open clearing to set up the campsite. It was a common location about an hour away from the pond where adventurers used to set up camps for those staying overnight. To no one’s surprise, that meant that when they got there, there was another adventuring team there. The team was composed of three D-rank adventurers, which was a common size for groups in this area. Since the South Goblin Nest was known to be the easiest, this was where many groups would travel for training purposes. That was why there was usually an expectation that there would always be at least one or two adventuring groups in the area.

“Hello there,” greeted Jonathan to the leader of the other adventuring group.

“Hello,” bowed their leader, a woman who was about Nobina’s age. She had full leather armor, a sizable hammer-like weapon, and a decently sized backpack.

Behind her were two male companions, one with a bow and the other with a sword. Nobina noted that magical-based abilities were generally rare, especially amongst lower-rank adventurers, so seeing no mage made sense. Healers were even rarer as well if their party wasn’t a clear indication of that fact. That was why many adventurers often depended on either basic medical supplies or healing potions if they could afford them.

“So,” said Jonathan. “Anything unusual with the goblins? We’ve been task with investigating the pond for any anomalies.”

“Hm,” replied the female adventurer. “I’d say it’s been the same as I remember it. We’ve been task with killing twenty goblins. Tomorrow we should finish that task, though if your party fights any we might need to extend another day.”

He shook his head.

“Our goal is investigation. We’ll be keeping patrol of the pond, so the goblins are all yours. Of course, feel free to let us know if you need assistance.”

She gave a nod.

“Will do.”

With that, she retreated to their side of the grounds where her party was at. Nobina herself had loads of questions to ask, but she decided to leave it for another time. She instead focused on helping everyone else set up camp, and soon, the party was enjoying a nice night-time meal.

“So, you think we’ll be spared an attack tonight?” asked Nobina, enjoying a bite of the meat from her ration.

“Very likely,” replied Merick. “Goblins strictly stick to their pond for the fact that this place was set up to be very defensible. The open area around us means that any melee goblin would be at a huge disadvantage. Plus, there’s no goblins with a Range Path in this nest, so that’s also not a big concerned.”

“Goblin Paths…”

Nobina recalled her book on the topic of Monster Paths. Like people, monsters also had destined Paths they were born with. Some monsters were meant to be normal monsters without any special thing associated with them. Others were meant to have specialties like people did.

For goblins, their Path was very flexible. Like people, they had a myriad of paths ranging from stat paths like Path of Strength or Path of Intelligence to more specific paths like Path of the Swordsman or Path of the Archer. These were expected for goblins deep within the nest but not goblins roaming the forest during the day. At most, they might see a Path of the Swordsman Goblin at night protecting the goblins gathering water. However, they normally wouldn’t be a part of an attack on a human camp. Paths were rare enough for goblins, and they weren’t stupid enough to waste them unless absolutely necessary. The prime example of this being Goblin Invasions.

“Goblin Paths are certainly stuff to be wary of,” said Darrias, taking a bite of his own rations. “They often are hard to tell besides the different or better weaponry goblins carry. Thus, if a goblin with a Path attacks, it could be fatal if your group is unprepared.”

“Yeah,” replied Herrita, who was looking down.

Seeing her look downward made Nobina wonder if she had run into a Path Goblin before. However, Nobina had no intentions of inquiring unless she brought it up first.

“Guys,” said Jonathan. “We need to keep our chin up. We should just remember that all we need to do is keep prepared and follow the plan for tomorrow. Shall I go over it again?”

Everyone gave a nod, with Jonathan bringing out a map.

The plan was simple. Nobina and Merrick would stay on the north side of the pond and keep watch of the pond itself. Jonathan, Noct, and Herrita would patrol the south side to see if any goblins approached the pond. Darrias would act as an advance scout, watching even further south to see if goblins approached. He’d alert the group if there was any sign of goblins and pay close attention for any Path Goblins.

“Any questions?” asked Jonathan.

“Two questions,” said Nobina. “What’s the plan if the goblins attack us in the south? Do we retreat towards you guys or head north back towards this site? My other question is will Darrias keep watch during the night?”

“Ideally we meet up at camp, so you should head north. If that’s not an option, retreat south. Darrias should be able to clear a path for us heading north to meet up.”

Nobina looked towards Darrias, who gave a nod. Part of her felt relieved, but she always disliked uncertainty. All she could do was trust their plan would work.

“As for the night watch,” said Darrias. “We should be fine in this camp since we have two parties keeping watch. I’ll take this time to properly rest. However, I can react to sound easily in the night so if there’s a callout, I’ll be instantly ready to act.”

“Sounds good to me,” said Nobina.

With that, the group headed to bed. Like before, they kept the same watch rotation. However, unlike last time, the night was relatively quiet. As Nobina fell asleep, she wondered what was in store for them.

The next day, the group awoke at around the same time as the other adventurers. Thanks to that, they all packed up together and began traveling towards their respective locations. During this time, Nobina was approached by the other group’s female leader.

“Hello there,” smiled Nobina.

“Hi. I believe you’re a guild officer, right? Are you here for an advancement test like Mimiki does?” she asked curiously.

“No. I’m only here for the investigation,” Nobina responded back. “I’ll ultimately make the call whether the mission is complete or not. I’m not intended to do anything besides that.”

The hammer wielder gave a nod.

“My name is Macy. And before you say anything, I don’t use maces.”

“Nobina,” she responded back.

The two shook hands, Nobina noting Macy’s grip was pretty strong. Nobina couldn’t help but wonder what part of Macy’s strength was through effort alone and what part of her strength was thanks to her Path. As they chatted, Nobina learned more about their temporary companions.

Macy and her party had been adventuring for a few years, working on reaching C-rank and eventually moving to a bigger guild. For her, her goal was simply to get stronger and develop her Path. Her two companions, Lark, and Manist, were just both in it for the money. Once they reached C-rank, they intended to invest in a store and go for a simple life.

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“That sounds nice,” said Nobina.

“For them at least, but it feels like they are leaving me high and dry,” sighed Macy. “Anyway, these are my problems to deal with. Hopefully I didn’t bore you with my story.”

“No worries. I’m actually writing a book on adventurers so I’m just absorbing all these stories,” Nobina smiled.

Macy gave a surprised face.

“I see… well… When we get back to town, we can chat more if you’d like. Maybe at one of the restaurants.”

“Sounds great,” Nobina smiled.

With that, the two hashed out some plans to chat on another day. Once they all reached the lake, Nobina and Merrick found a nice spot near the pier in the north. The rest of them continued south, slowly leaving the vision of the two. As the rest of them disappeared from sight, Nobina gave a sigh.

“Did you want to fight the goblins yourself Nobina?” asked Merrick, finding a seat on one of the larger rocks.

“Not necessarily,” she replied back, taking out her own seat from her Special Bag. Nobina could see Merrick’s slight envy as she sat on her personal chair, but when his eyes met hers, he instantly apologized.

“Merrick…”

“Sorry,” said Merrick again. “Won’t do anything to offend you.”

“Would it kill you to treat me less formally?” asked Nobina.

“I mean I can,” he instantly responded. “However, even if I discounted your status as a special adventurer, I can’t say I could treat a guild officer casually. You understand that, right?”

She shook her head, but at least Nobina understood that logic.

Sitting there waiting for something to happen, Nobina decided to take out her binoculars. Merrick was aware of her special bag, so having them out felt like no big deal.

“What’s that?” asked Merick, who noticed Nobina pulling out the binoculars.

“These are binoculars. They are used to see long distances. I’ll let you check them out when I’m done using them. And also… don’t tell anyone.”

“Secret safe with me,” he saluted.

With that, Nobina began looking towards the south of the Goblin Pond, seeing if she could catch anything. For the few minutes she looked, she didn’t catch anything, but seeing the other side with the binoculars felt amazing. She felt like an explorer, scouting out uncharted lands to find anything interesting. Her mouth fell open as she saw a monster she didn’t recognize. It was a blueish foxlike creature that seemed to be casually wandering around, unaware it was being watched from afar.

“Wow,” said Nobina. “What is that.”

Merick found himself next to Nobina, who handed him the binoculars. Taking a look through them, his expression of awe and excitement made Nobina laugh. It was like seeing a child receiving a cool toy for the first time, as he couldn’t hold his excitement and awe at using it.

“These are amazing. You can see the Blue Fox with ease and yet it doesn’t see us. Wow… You must have had a master-level crafter make these for you, right? Oh, right… this must be a secret.”

“Yeah… but I wish I had more of these to give others,” said Nobina. “They are pretty useful for adventuring. Being able to see far distances. You can see that, right?”

Merick gave a nod before finally handing them back.

“I thank you for letting me view the fox using them.”

“You can just say thanks,” smiled Nobina.

“Ok… thanks… Nobina,” said Merick, a bit uncomfortable addressing her casually.

With that, the two spent the rest of the time scouting using the binoculars, talking about the cool things they were seeing through them. Time seemed to fly as they soon became hungry and ate lunch. This time, Nobina managed to convince Merick to have some of her rations in exchange for his. He reluctantly agreed, but as he ate the rations she gave, he began praising them to high heavens, making Nobina feel embarrassed. She felt lucky no one else was around at least to see what was happening.

Eventually, as the sunset began to approach, all of them arrived back. Nobina greeted them all, asking how the trip went.

“It went well,” said Jonathan. “No sign of anything unusual. We’ll likely need one more day to confirm, but even the other party confirmed that the goblins were as expected.”

Turning to Macy, she gave a nod.

“Just your standard goblins. We manage to kill twenty and will be heading back tomorrow.”

With that, the whole group retreated back to the camp for another night. This time around, the two camps got together to enjoy some food. The supplies on their end would give them at least another night, but it was Nobina’s call to determine if it was time to head back.

Nobina thought about it before responding.

“Yeah… I think tonight will be our last night,” she nodded. “If the other group is leaving, it’s safer if we all depart together.”

With that, the groups enjoyed a nice meal together. Due to them all planning to head back the following night, they all ate a bit extra to cap off a nice journey together. As the fire faded, everyone began to hit the hay except for those assigned to watch. Nobina herself felt finally relieved that things were coming to an end, falling into a deep sleep.

A scream echoed throughout the camp as Nobina found her sleep interrupted. She once again was trying to get her bearings, with her eyes turning to the scream. On the other side of the campground was Macy holding Lark, trying to stop the bleeding from an arrow wound. She seemed in full panic while Manist was holding his sword, looking around for the threat.

“Arrow?” said Nobina to herself. “But…”

“Get down,” yelled Merrick, suddenly pulling Nobina down. It wasn’t a moment too soon as an arrow flew past the two of them.

“What in the world is happening,” yelled Nobina.

“Goblin attack. They have a Path of the Archer Goblin as well. Darrias should be dealing with it any moment now.”

Nobina tried to look around, but the darkness made seeing anything difficult.

“Fireball!”

A mass of flame flew towards the south, hitting a goblin straight on. The screams of the goblins made Nobina try her best to turn to the action. When she did, she caught the three fighting for their lives against what appeared to be twenty goblins.

“That’s way too many,” said Nobina.

She turned around to the other party but saw that they were engaged in fighting their own group of goblins. Macy started to stand to assist Manist, who was swinging towards one of the goblins.

“Darrias and the three will need my help,” said Merrick. “I won’t force you to reveal your true identity, but please consider it Nobina.”

Nobina hated how he was assuming she was some amazing fighter, but she knew she did have things at her disposal.

“Ok. I’ll do what I can,” she responded.

Nobina turned to her two bags and grabbed them. After that, the two headed south to join the others.

“Be careful,” yelled Herrita, firing off another fireball.

“Do you see the goblin archer?” asked Nobina, trying her best to see it.

“No… and I have no idea where Darrias is. The archer should be dead already, yet arrows are still flying. Something bad could have happened.”

Another arrow came by, missing the three of them entirely.

“We can’t stay here. We’ll be overwhelmed,” said Noct, firing an arrow. He missed his target, making him frustrated.

Further past all of them was Jonathan, who was drawing the bulk of attention away from them.

“I have an idea, but it might ruin Darrias’s element of surprise,” said Nobina.

“What is it,” asked Merrick. “We need something big right now if we are to deal with the goblins.”

“I can shine a bright light over the area, but it will reveal anyone in the shadows. Darrias could be in danger, but…”

“Do it,” said Herrita. “I’ll target the archer with Noct and once the goblin archer is dead, the goblins should lose moral and retreat.”

Nobina nodded, going into her bag for the flashlight. She had tested it once and knew it would work. It was high-powered and pointed directly at the archer’s eyes should blind it for a second. She also noticed her sword and the fireworks from earlier, but she’d have to run a bit back to lit the fireworks. As for her sword, she didn’t need that at the moment either.

“Please work,” she said as she took out the flashlight.

She pointed the flashlight ahead, setting it to the widest setting. Instantly, the whole area in front of them was engulfed in light. Everyone was in awe, but the fight prevented them from enjoying even a second of it. The goblins, on the other hand, instantly went into a panic as the new light was something they didn’t expect. Even the goblin archer, now visible, was panicking. Nobina adjusted the settings, focusing the light into a condensed beam that hit the archer straight in the face. It was instantly blinded, and it started to try to run immediately.

To Nobina’s surprise, the moment it tried to run, it seemed to be cut down by something faint. She widened the flashlight’s area again to reveal the rest of the goblins, now attempting to run as Jonathan held his ground. As the goblins fled back into the forest, Nobina saw Jonathan stand still for a bit before collapsing himself. The three of them ran to his side, where Darrias finally appeared.

Darrias, checking Jonathan over, gave a sigh of relief.

“He’s ok. However, he needs healing.”

Nobina nodded, handing Jonathan her first healing potion. He immediately poured it onto his wounds, causing it to slowly begin to heal.

“Wait,” said Nobina, remembering the other party had someone hurt. “I got to check the other party. Lark was hurt as well.”

“Go,” said Darrias. “I’ll keep watch.”

Nobina rushed over to check if the other party was fine. When she got there, she was shocked at the scene. Macy herself was breathing heavily as she stood next to two goblin bodies. Lark himself was still hurt, and Manist was lying on the ground surrounded by five goblins, not moving himself.

“No…” said Nobina.

“Nobina,” said Macy. “Do you have any medical healing?”

She nodded, handing her a potion. Macy carefully extracted the arrow before applying the healing. It seemed to be working, but Macy bit her lip.

“It’s not enough,” she said, a bit of a cry in her voice.

“Take the last one,” said Nobina, handing her the potion.

She poured it directly on the wound, and it seemed to work. Lark was now calmly breathing, still unconscious.

“What about…”

Macy shook her head.

“I think… We should retreat immediately,” said Macy, her voice reflecting the somber mood.

Nobina could only nod in agreement. This was not what she imagined. She might have gotten a taste of adventure, but she also saw the harsh reality of their job. It was dangerous, and the unknown could happen at any second. The result of this job was luckily only one person dead, but Nobina could only wonder what would have happened if it was just their party of six or if one of them died instead of Macy’s party.

“I’m… so weak,” she said in a bit of a cry.