The team rose at the butt crack of dawn. Marko made breakfast as Autumn was in a fuss running around the farmstead collecting things. She had yet to speak to anyone. Finally, when they sat down for breakfast Autumn approached the group with a pensive look on her face.
Autumn said, “Ok, so this is going to sound weird. I know you guys are probably not looking for another party member. But I was hoping to join you guys. Everything I cared about here is gone. This is not really my family farmstead; it was my husbands. The only attachment I had here was him, now he is gone.”
Her voice quivered and faltered. She took a deep breath with determination and continued, “I am not sure what I am going to do next. I know I don’t want to be alone. Before I met him, I dreamed of being an adventurer.”
She looked up with a fire in her eyes directly at Sophie and said, “I want to be an adventurer, can I join your team?”
Zack could tell Sophie had been expecting this.
Sophie looked at the group and said, “We usually vet our members before they join us.”
Zack coughed at Sophie’s comment. Sophie looked at Zack with malice in her eyes.
Zack quickly wiped the smirk off his face and pretended to be fascinated with his belt.
Sophie continued with a hint of concern in her voice, “However, given the circumstances and your handiness with a bow. You are welcome to join us for the next two quests. Then we can reassess if this works for us and you.”
Autumn’s posture relaxed as tension left her shoulders. “That seems more than fair. I am happy to prove my worth to you all.”
An hour later they were off to the hamlet of Underwood to deal with goblins. As they traveled on the forest path Zack asked Sophie a question. “Is it possible that the wolves and the goblin events are somehow correlated?”
Sophie gave Zack a discerning look and said, “You know what, I was wondering the same thing. I would not be surprised to find the remaining wolves with the goblins in Underwood.”
Zack asked another question slowing down his horse to gain distance from the group. Sophie followed suit as she listened to Zack.
He said, “Yesterday when you were asked about natural magic you looked at me like you were trying to decide something before you answered. Something tells me that you are the one not telling everything you know.”
Sophie took the question in stride, “What I know are the ramblings of my old and very crazy grandfather.”
Zack smiled and said, “What does or did ‘old crazy’ know about natural magic?”
Sophie responded, “He used to tell me about these people called wizards that existed before the system did. They were the only ones who could use magic and were simply the worst.”
Zack nodded his head, “Why would he think that? What are wizards?”
Sophie said, “My grandfather once was the chief archivists for an important noble. He had access to ancient texts and documents. Some of them were early system scrolls. He said wizards were like mages except they used magic in an entirely different way. The whole ‘natural magic’ thing.”
Sophie paused and grimaced, “He was really a troubled soul at the end of his life. He said people who used natural magic in ancient times were hunted down and killed. Apparently, the system was designed to replace natural magic users.”
Zack asked, “Interesting, did you believe him?”
Sophie snorted, “My grandfather was a good man and quite smart, but he believed many things that were crazy. I am not sure why this would be any different.”
Zack nodded, “Huh, sounds like some great stories. Why do you say he was a troubled soul at the end of his life?”
Sophie responded, “that last few months he would babble incessantly to anyone who would listen about the system being broken, that we are doing the same thing the ‘damn wizards’ did.” She put “damn wizards” in air quotes.
She continued, “As a child I always felt like he was trying to warn people of something that was or will happen, but no one listened to him. I could see why they didn’t. He did not take good care of himself and looked deranged half the time.”
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Zack asked, “What was his name?
Sophie said, “Marlo Aural Dunn”
Zack responded, “I am sorry it ended poorly for him.”
Sophie responded, “Yeah it was a tough time, before he went all crazy pants, we were very close.”
They rode in silence for a while longer. The quiet moment was disrupted by the distant sounds of battle. They could hear battle cries and see smoke in the skyline not that far away.
Sophie and Zack hurried to the front of their group. Looks like Underwood is fending of a siege from the goblins. We should have the advantage of surprise as we ride up to the rear of the goblin encampment.
Sophie told Zack and Autum to sneak ahead and get a good view of the battle from some nearby trees. Sophie, Teesa, and Marko were going to go in hot. Zack and Autum were to bring up the rear and have their back in case some goblins came in from behind.
Zack and Autum dismounted their horses and crept through the woods until they were close enough to make out the battle. They both climbed a nearby tree and told Sophie what they saw.
The first thing Zack thought, Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit, those are actual fucking goblins. They really look like I expected. Well except, that they are a little shorter.
Zack saw 40 goblins running around harassing the wall defenders with fire at one part of the wall while they tried to get ladders up to breach the wall in another part. The goblins were between four and five feet tall. They looked like bulky 12-year-old boys with green skin and horns on their head.
Zack said, “looks like 40 or so goblins and 6 of those fucking wolf things. The hamlet has a wall erected about 8 feet high. It is on fire. The goblins are trying to get ladders in place to breach the wall.”
Autumn added, “they don’t appear to have anyone posted as look out as they are all focused on the wall. I can see the leader on a small platform about 100 yards away from the wall shouting out directions. I have a direct bead on him if you want me to take him out.”
Sophie responded, “do you see another goblin who is a little bigger, but seated lower and behind the obvious leader?”
Autumn snorted, “wow how did you know that?”
Sophie smiled, “Paid attention in primary school!” then she glared playfully at Zack.
Zack ignored the barb from Sophie with a smile.
Sophie continued, “that’s the actual leader, the other goblin is propped up as a decoy from a longbow attack.”
Zack took a closer look and could see the Goblin sitting high up like the leader looked very uncomfortable and was looking all around the area.
Sophie said, “When I give the order take out the real leader then the proxy. Once that is done join us for the remainder of the battle. Cor, you are Autumns look out, make sure she is safe while she shoots the goblin leader.”
Zack saluted and Sophie gave him a puzzled look.
Zack smiled and looked back at the goblins.
Sophie, Teesa, and Marko moved forward until they were about twenty yards from the goblins. Sophie looked back at Autumn and pointed at the lead platform. She mimed a count down from five to one. On one Autumn unfurled an arrow and buried it in the hidden lead goblin’s head. A moment later the decoy goblins neck exploded with blood as he screamed in rage.
At almost the same moment Teesa used her speed skill to cut the throats of the three remaining goblin leaders on the lower platform.
Zack marveled at how fast Teesa’s movement skill was. She was back with Sophie before the decoy goblin crashed to the ground. The rest of the goblin horde did not notice the death of their leaders for around ten seconds. Then as if they suddenly noticed no one was yelling at them they turned around to find the five members of the team standing over the dead bodies of the goblin leaders on the raised platform.
After the goblins noticed the team, the wolves looked over at the leadership platform. It took a moment for them to recognize the team from the farmstead. They immediately yelped in terror and scattered into the forest. This seem to have a deflating effect on the goblin’s morale. Two goblins started to charge the team. Autumn cooly put them both down in moments with arrows to the head.
All the goblins stopped what they were doing and stared at the team. Then as if they had decided together, all at once they broke for the forest. The team killed eight as they ran by but let the rest go. Just like that it was over.
Sophie said, “well that went a little easier than I thought it would. Autumn, safe to say you passed the probationary period and are now an official member of the team.”
Zack said, “First congrats Autumn! Second, we really need a name.”
Sophie replied, “First things first.” She walked up to the wall and called out to the towns-people. “My name is Sophie Dunn, we are here from the Vinstra adventurer’s hall to help out with your goblin problem. Can we come in and talk to your leader?”
A scared voice of a young boy called out, “are they gone?”
Sophie looked around and said, “We killed their leadership and ten of their soldiers, they fled into the woods. I think we are safe.”
The voice called back, “Think we are safe is much different than, we are safe.”
Sophie responded, “Fair enough, we are safe. When a band of goblins lose their leadership, they tend to fall into disarray and scatter until a new leader is chosen. It will take days if not weeks for that to happen. We are safe for the immediate future.”
After a moment sounds of the wall being disassembled came from the other side. In about ten minutes the team could see into the hamlet. It was dirty with wounded being tended to and some of the houses burnt to the ground.
A large young man who clearly had not slept in several days climbed over the remaining wall to greet them.
It was obvious from the voice this was a different person. “Hello and thank you for your assistance in defeating the goblins. They have been harassing us for the past two weeks. This morning, they showed up like a small army and sieged our little hamlet. Welcome to Underwood, I am Mayor Bryce Kenster.”
Sophie stuck her hand out and said, “Pleasure to meet you Mayor Kenster, my name is Sophie, and this is our adventuring team. She introduced the group. "We are answering a quest contract from the adventuring hall in Vinstra.”
The mayor replied, “We are grateful you answered the quest. We were struggling to fend off the goblins. We have about ten men and women capable of actual combat. None of them experienced fighters. Please come to my home and join me for some food.”
Sophie nodded and said, “lead the way.”