Cooper, Darren and Tommy followed Razar to a large crowd of people with the Captain sitting on the back of a wagon, facing the crowd. When they were passing the wagon the Captain was sitting on, the Captain motioned for Darren to join him while Cooper and the others joined the crowd, next to Ardel, who had been waiting for Razar it seemed.

"So, the recent goblin attack." The Captain started, hopping off the wagon and silencing the hushed conversations within the crowd. "As you may have heard the rumours or seen the aftermath, it wasn't a standard goblin warband, nor was it the size of a warband you would expect so far from any known goblin strongholds. Von and Tilly scouted the immediate area and the tracks of the warband, noting they came from the same direction we did. This leads me to the next point, the Paladins we encountered. If such a force of Paladins is called for and headed in the same direction the goblins came from, I think it's a fair assumption they are related, further supporting this theory were the goblin Dark Shamans that we had to fight." The Captain looked at Darren, seemingly giving him the signal it was his turn.

"So I suppose it's my turn to talk about what we actually faced. From what I gathered from the reports and bodies, we had four Dark Shamans, two regular shamans, twenty-two regular goblin raider types, warriors, hunters and the like and four trolls up front. The wagons in the middle had about half that, minus the Dark Shamans and the back had a single troll and five standard goblins?" Darren looked at Tommy who nodded. "Far as we know, none got away, but there might've been some hiding in the forest, watching."

"I suppose this has been rather short, but important. I always think something will go on for longer than it's going to go on for. Regardless, anyone who had plans to head back the way we came after we arrive at the next town should reconsider, heavily. At least until we hear back from the Paladins. In lighter news, the loot from the attack. We looted the goblins and if any of you wish to gather materials from the trolls, work that out amongst yourselves. The loot from the goblins will be sold at the next town, then divided, half going to the combat classes and the other half to the tradies, if anyone wants anything specific from the loot" The Captain motioned for Tilly and Von to bring a large chest over. "It'll be here and you can pay its last known market value, which will be added to the total amount we'll get from selling everything."

The Captain spoke to Darren in a low tone and walked off to the side with him. Cooper walked over to the chest to have a look, curious about what loot goblins might have. After a short Examination session, he found nothing of interest, just various random materials, mostly Goblin Horns. With his Examination complete, he walked off, hoping to find Tommy, Razar or Ardel to answer his questions about different types of magic. Before he could get very far, he heard the Captain speak up behind him.

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"We should get moving, in case there were goblin scouts that survived, or something worse happens. Tilly, Von, get the chest into my wagon and then get up front with Darren. Reta, get to the back with a couple of others, your choice."

They all nodded and went about their tasks, leaving Cooper with an idea. Reta was some sort of mage, he could ask her about magic. Cooper's thoughts were interrupted by Razar bumping into him, distracted by his conversation with Ardel.

"Hello Razar."

"Oh no. Ardel, distract him and I'll run off."

"Relax, only a couple of questions this time." Cooper said with a smile.

"What can we help you with, Cooper?" Ardel asked, holding Razar by the shoulder, preventing him from escaping.

"I have some questions about magic, I was going to ask Reta but I don't know her, at all. Do you think she'd be receptive to my questions?"

"Yeah, she's nice. She should be able to answer most questions you have. Anything else you need?" Ardel asked, with Razar hiding behind him.

"No, thank you for the help, Ardel. I'll be heading to the back to have a chat with Reta, then." Cooper walked past Ardel and Razar, waving goodbye as Razar breathed a sigh of relief.

Cooper thought of ways to start the conversation, coming up short on ideas. Eventually, he settled on just bluntly asking, but he was still nervous and he didn't know why. As Cooper was moving towards the back where Reta was supposed to be, the wagons started moving again. Cooper suddenly stopped, having come to a realization. The wagons had nothing pulling them. He looked around the nearest one, keeping pace and inspecting it, finding nothing on the back or the sides. Cooper moved up to the front and had his inspection interrupted by someone speaking to him.

"Can I help you? This is my wagon and I'd like to know what you're looking for." Cooper looked up and saw a woman sitting on the front of the wagon, eyeing him curiously and cautiously.

"Oh. Sorry. I'm new and was wondering how these wagons move, there's nothing pulling them." Cooper said embarrassed and nervous.

The woman laughed. "Sorry, I didn't realize you were new. Freshie? The wagons are linked up with magical crystals that move the wheels in unison. The entire caravan can be linked, but that requires very high quality crystals that aren't worth it for most. Ours are linked to five to ten other wagons. The crystals also require recharging, so we do that rest points. That answer your question and maybe some follow up questions?" The woman finished explaining, in detail enough to satisfy Cooper.

"Yes, thank you. Sorry, I didn't introduce myself. I'm Cooper."

"I'm Elly. I'm a clothier."

"Nice to meet you, Elly. And sorry for the confusion, it's been a busy time. I don't even know how long it's been, can't have been more than a day or two."

"Nice to meet you too, Cooper. You getting on well enough? Nobody bothering you?"

"No, nobody's been bothering me. I think I've been doing the bothering if you ask Razar."

"I'll take your word for it. You need anything else?"

"No, thank you. Actually, I have some questions for Reta, magic related, so I'd best be off."

"Alright then, nice talking to you, Cooper."

"Likewise." Cooper waved goodbye, getting back on task.