It took an hour to get prepared, but Lare and Sarah wanted to make absolutely sure they had everything they needed. Everyone was provided with a potion belt of healing potions. Despite Max being there, being able to heal on the fly could mean the difference between life and death. That being said, Max’s knowledge would help them effectively treat more serious injuries that a healing potion couldn’t heal alone.
Besides that, they were stocked up on the food packs and water they could potentially need in case the mission went too long. Merrick put in on himself to carry extras, but everyone had the bare minimum at the very least. C-ranks were generally strong enough to carry larger bags as if they weighed as much as air itself. It highlighted the strength difference between the ranks. However, some C-ranks like Max weren’t too much stronger than the lower ranks due to the nature of their Path.
During the downtime, Nobina received another item with a note from the Gaze bag. One that had so much potential, yet a downside she was worried about.
“Let’s see,” said Nobina, picking up the note.
“This is a one-time use scroll that allows you to write out an attack and its effect onto it. Once written, the attack shall happen while you hold the scroll and yell ‘I am the Legendary Adventurer Nobina, and I command my enemies to perish!’ The attack is inherently powerful but shall get stronger with each ally who hears it. However, a cost shall be paid to use such a power. Fair warning to use as a last resort.”
Looking at the scroll, Nobina could only wonder if she was going to face situations that would prompt the usage of this scroll. Perhaps it was meant to help her deal with the goblin nest, but what would the cost of such an attack be? Not only that but the uncertainty of whether the attack would be enough was bothering her. If she tried to attack something or someone extremely powerful and the attack failed, she’d gain nothing from the attack and pay an unknown cost.
“I’ll have to keep this on hand in the worst case,” she told herself, recalling both the note and scroll.
With that, she headed back to the main guild area. Arriving there, she saw it was their party, Lare, Sarah, and a few other adventurers who were sleeping on the couches. As soon as everyone was ready, Nobina and her party stood in front of Lare and Sarah for one last check.
“It looks like everything is in order,” said Lare. “We wish you six the best on your mission.”
“Thank you,” said Nobina.
As Nobina turned to Sarah, she found Sarah giving the strongest hug possible. Nobina found herself returning it, taking in the feelings of Sarah. It was at that moment she remembered that she had to come back safe not only to continue her dream, but for the sake of those who cared about her.
“Sarah… I’ll come back safe,” Nobina said.
“I’ve heard that before,” she chuckled, this time Nobina sensing the nervous undertone.
Before she knew it, Nobina felt Sarah’s tears fall on her.
“Nobina,” she spoke, her voice now turning tearful.
“Please… please don’t die… I… I don’t want to lose a friend.”
Nobina couldn’t help but cry a few tears herself as she strengthened her hug.
“Sarah… Please believe in us… I want us, when all of this is over, to be able to hang out together and laughing.”
Sarah gave a nod. The two spent a few more moments hugging before separating. As soon as she did, Nobina felt the hands of Gavi on her shoulder.
“I swear to you Sarah, I shall protect Nobina with my life.”
“Same,” said Merrick instantly, trying not to be outdone in support.
The rest of them agreed as well, causing both of them to stop crying and smile.
“Then… I wish you all the best,” said Sarah.
With that, the group gave their last goodbye and left the guild. When they stepped outside, they were surprised to see civilians and adventurers lining the streets. Standing produly above all of them was Hally.
“Let us cheer farewell to our hero and those willing to risk their lives to not only make sure we are safe, but to save their fellow adventurers. It is their belief that their actions are for the sake of the town, and it is our duty to support them. Especially the hero of the town Nobina, who is once again risking her life for the sake of others. May you all come back safe and rescue Mimiki and the others.”
Cheers roared through the streets as the group proceeded to leave the town. All of them seemed to be absorbed in the fanfare, including Nobina. She couldn’t help but smile seeing everyone, even if a tiny part of her didn’t feel like a hero. At that very moment, it didn’t matter though. She was a hero in the eyes of the people, and she would play that role if they wished.
As the group eventually left the town, they were given one last goodbye by the guards at the exit of the town. Looking around, the signs of the night battle were still around them. There were many dead bodies of not just goblins, but also of adventurers and guards who fell in battle. It made Nobina remember how risky the life of an adventurer was, but also showed how much of a difference she made. She didn’t want to think about the lives that would have been lost if she didn’t act.
They continued to make their way further away from the town and soon reached the spot where they planned to travel. It wasn’t along the main walking path towards the nest, as that was the most dangerous spot at the moment. If the camps didn’t catch them, patrols likely would be watching the path. Instead, they were taking a lesser-known path through the forest that was often used in emergencies. It was also the path the culling group had planned to take, so it would hopefully give insight into what happened.
“Hey Nobina,” said Merrick. “I know we are trying to reach the entrance to the goblin nest, but if we go too far from the main path, what if we miss the goblin camps? We are suppose to scout as well, right?”
“That is true Merrick,” said Gavi, speaking on Nobina’s behalf. “If our priority was scouting, we would have taken the main path, scout for a goblin camp, then follow the side path. However, time is of the essence in a rescue operation. If we opt to scout first, we lose hours scouting and that could mean the death of Mimiki and her party. Of course, by avoiding the main path, we might be avoiding seeing another incoming attack. However, we are banking that it’s unlikely one will occur.”
Hearing those words, Nobina had been wondering the same thing as Merrick. Part of her wanted to believe there wouldn’t be a follow-up attack, but a small part of her said it was possible that they had more goblins to spare. After all, there was only one Path goblin in last night’s attack
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“Nobina,” said Hepter. “You have something to say?”
“Huh? Oh… I’m with Gavi. I’m just hoping another attack is unlikely,” she replied.
Hepter nodded, joining the rest of the group. Nobina, seeing no point in dwelling too long on her worries, went ahead and joined the rest of them.
A few hours went by and eventually, they were stopped by Gavi. She went on ahead and came back with a bag that was torn apart.
“Isn’t that… an adventurer’s bag?” asked Hepter, examining it. “Considering its condition, it seems a beast tore it apart. The scary thing is… it doesn’t seem to be a wolf, which is what goblin riders use. The claw marks in particular are worrisome.”
“A beast?” asked Nobina. “We don’t have any records of any dangerous monsters here. So… what tore this bag apart?”
All of them began contemplating what caused the damage to the bag. At the very least, it seemed that the situation wasn’t black and white. Something had likely attacked the adventuring party, but it was a matter of determining what. Especially considering they left behind the bag, which still had a few healing potions in it.
“At least there’s no bodies, so no one died,” said Merrick.
“But there is also no body of a beast, so maybe it chased them further down,” pointed out Max, who was in deep thought.
“Well… let’s just keep an eye out,” said Nobina.
Everyone nodded, and they were on their way moments later.
They continued on the path, keeping more vigilant in case the unknown danger appeared. Not too far from the spot, they found a small clearing where signs of a battle were evident. To their shock, there were five dead C-rank adventurers, with a clear trail of destruction heading westward away from the path.
Besides that, there were signs of large footprints, claw marks on the bodies, and even more damaged bags.
“My god,” said Nobina. “What… what could have caused it.”
“I don’t know,” said Hepter. “Whatever caused it has to be big though. Look at that trail going deeper west into the forest. Not only that, but these claw marks are massive and there are also giant footprints.”
All of them turned and saw the path of fallen trees leading west. The strange thing was that they were unsure if the giant beast came from the west and was merely returning there.
“So what now?” asked Nobina. “Do we follow this trail to clear danger, or do we check the nests?”
“I don’t believe Mimiki, and her group would have continued the culling under these circumstances,” said Hepter. “In fact, they should have headed back immediately after being attacked. The fact they aren’t here means that they were either taken or…”
Hepter’s voice began to trail off as they began realizing what he was about to say. Merrick took a step back, trying to find the nearest tree to lean against. The others look of horror turned the mood sour as the group began wondering if their mission was over then and there.
“No,” said Nobina, refusing to believe the worst. “They must have been taken! Yeah. Mimiki and the rest of them were taken by… I don’t know… some strange group that has control of a big monster! Yeah! That’s… that’s…”
Nobina fell to the ground, now in tears. She didn’t want to believe that they failed. That there was no hope of them being alive. There had to be a way to check if they were still around. However, with the split path it was hard to say whether they should check the goblin caves or check the giant beast’s path.
“Nobina,” said Gavi, putting her hand on her shoulder. “Ultimately, we trust you to make the call. I will say that following that path of destruction is our best bet in finding out what happened to Mimiki and the others, but… It’s extremely dangerous. I… Can’t say I would follow if that’s the decision.”
Looking at Gavi, Nobina could tell those words hurt her to say. She really did want to rescue Mimiki but risking one’s life for a slim chance… that was a hard thing to ask anyone.
Nobina looked at her hands, wondering if they could do anything at this point. At that moment, she saw something fly out of her Special Bag.
“Hammy?” said Nobina instinctively.
Hammy appeared in front of Nobina, dropping the scroll in front of her. Picking it up, she opened it to see the words “believe” on it.
Seeing that, Nobina felt her determination once again rise.
“We follow the path,” said Nobina out loud.
Everyone was surprised by her decision, but soon the support started to come in.
“I’m with you Nobina,” said Merrick. “Even if you four decide to head back… I can’t leave Nobina behind.”
“Geez... If you low ranks are risking your life, then who am I to cower,” laughed Hepter. “I know what Gavi said, but… There’s still a chance, right?”
Gavi shook her head, standing next to Hepter.
“You idiot… don’t let emotions dull your judgement. This is such a risky move. That being said… I’ll protect you guys as I promised.”
Marcy stepped forward, putting her hand against her chest.
“Whatever this scary beast may be, it’s certainly no goblin so it should be no problem.”
Last to speak was Max, who merely nodded.
“I’m ready.”
Nobina smiled, looking at the determination in everyone’s eyes.
“Truly… thank you all for supporting me.”
The group, now invigorated, began following the path of destruction, sticking to the forest to avoid being out in the open. Looking at the path, it wasn’t too wide. Every so often there were one or two trees on the ground, clearly pushed down by some large beast. During their walk, they began trying to puzzle together what exactly this beast was and how it related to the torn apart bag.
“When we were back there checking the bags, there were clearly items left behind. That meant whatever happened, it was a situation where they couldn’t recover any of the adventurer’s items. Not even the potions, which would have been quite valuable,” said Gavi.
“I’ve read stories regarding monsters before,” said Merrick. “It must be something strong enough to take out adventurers with ease considering it looked like one swipe killed each of them. I wonder if it was a creature with smaller monsters following it, considering the bag earlier was torn apart.”
“That’s unlikely,” said Gavi. “There’s no sign of different attacks. It was merely those large claw marks.”
“It’s all strange,” thought Nobina. “Did that monster just appear from the forest or did it suddenly appear in that clearing.”
“Are you implying it was summoned?” asked Hepter. “If so…”
Nobina was aware that summoning creatures was a thing in this world. It was a very rare path that often only resulted in minor monsters being summoned. For something to summon a larger beast, it would have to be a powerful summoner. That, or it had to be something else entirely.
“None of this makes sense though,” said Macy. “Are we saying that a person summoned it? It’d be hard to believe another intelligent monster summoned something strong enough to attack a group of C-ranks and Mimiki. Not only that, but it killed five and then either ate or took the rest.”
“Right,” said Merrick. “If the beast retreated west, it wouldn’t make sense unless the beast was smart or if it was being ordered west. So…”
Nobina began wondering if this was somehow related to her Path. Like Eric said, she was destined to influence the world. Part of her wondered if that meant her Path could cause a random event like this. However, even with that in mind, this seemed like too much.
“Ridiculous,” she said, spite evident in her speech.
“Are you alright?” asked Merrick, concerned about what she had said.
“Oh…” said Nobina, realizing Merrick heard her. “I’m just thinking about how strange all of this is. Why would something or someone want to take or eat the culling squad. Is there a power at hand we don’t know about? Is this just blind luck?”
“Who knows,” said Merrick. “All I know is that we should continue on this path. The longer we wait, the worst our odds of finding them in one piece are.”
Both of them nodded.
The six continued following the path of destruction. After five hours, they stopped as Gavi indicated they saw something.
“What is it?” asked Nobina.
“I can’t see, but I think I see the monster. I also see cages, which could be a good sign depending on what’s inside of them.”
All of them were excited and concerned, as that potentially meant that the rest of them were taken. However, that begged the question of why they were taken and what the monster had in store for them. If they were alive, of course.
“I don’t think I can get closer without risking myself, but…”
When she said that, Nobina called Gavi over and handed her the binoculars.
“Use these,” said Nobina, explaining how they worked.
Trying them out, Gavi was shocked using them. After trying them for a bit, she calmed herself down and nodded as she went back to the treetops. After a good five minutes, she returned with a frown on her face.
“Good news. It seems that they were captured. Mimiki and the rest of them are in cages, bound by rope. Though, that’s where the good news stops,” she said, keeping a grim expression.
“I believe we are dealing with… a Troll-Wolf.”