37.

The cityscape slowly morphed away from the tight packed older homes and into more sprawling buildings. Strip malls, wide parking lots, and abandoned box office stores dotted the roadway as the raid group continued after the signs of the goblins. The stench of decaying bodies, smoke, and blood mingled in a cloying stench.

Members of the party were using bandanas, ripped up shirts, or masks to try to keep the smells at bay. Watering eyes and people emptying their stomachs along the way became a common theme as the destruction became worse and worse. Goblin corpses filled the area, their thin bodies already breaking down.

The sun was beginning to slide away behind the horizon and Tank had ordered the scouts to find a suitable spot to camp for the night. The difference in travel times was readily becoming apparent as what had once only taken a few minutes of travel took hours. If they could have just walked without worry then they would have covered a lot more ground. The frequent ambushes from goblins was causing them to be much more cautious, resulting in the long travel times.

Santi was sure they were close to the nest. The frequency of the goblins found was increasing. Their average level was increasing so that the majority of the goblins were now level five to seven rather than sub-five. Nobody was earning levels anytime soon from the slaughter, but it was a good indicator they were closing in on the nest.

Santi was beginning to wonder just how strong the nest was. Strong enough to support the war chief and the frankly outrageous number of goblins running around. Yet, aside from the War Chief, none of them had been strong enough to really constitute a threat. Either they were marshaling all of their strength around the nest and sending out the dregs, or the nest was built of weak monsters with a handful of strong ones.

Waves of weak enemies could leave them dead just as easy as strong one’s could. With the numbers they had in the raid party, Santi wasn’t worried about being overwhelmed by goblin numbers. As long as they didn’t get caught in a bad position they’d be fine.

Daniel came trotting down the middle of the road, Hana a few steps behind him. He still only used the iron dagger that he had been gifted. Santi made it a point to remember to find their lead scout a better weapon. A true steel knife should be easy to find. Armor would be a little more difficult. Until the crafters started being offered classes they’d be stuck with whatever they could appropriate and adapt.

“There’s a little building that we can camp in for the night. Empty of anything and easily defendable. Multiple ways in and out, just like you asked for, Santi,” Daniel gave his report quickly to Tank, his last remark aimed at Santi who stood a few feet away.

Having a building with only one entrance could be appealing, but having multiple ways out was even better. Especially with a bigger group like this. If Santi had been in charge of ambushing a party like this, he’d wait for them to camp and then attack. If they were in a place with only one exit, he’d just barricade the exit and burn the building down while killing those who tried to fight through the barricade. Brutal and effective.

“Let’s get everyone in there then and start setting up guard rotations,” Tank ordered.

“I’m going to take Daniel and scout further. Try to find the nest now so we can hit it first thing in the morning,” Santi whispered to Tank. He was tired of following the lumbering main body of the raid team. He wanted this done as quickly as possible and waiting around for everyone to come trundling up the road was grating on his nerves.

“Alright, be careful. Will you be back tonight?”

“No, we can find a spot tonight for ourselves and meet you first thing in the morning.”

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“Safe travels my friend,” Tank patted Santi on the shoulder and marched away towards the building that Daniel said was safe. Daniel was looking at Santi with an inquisitive look, waiting to be filled in on the whispered conversation.

“Come on, you’re with me. We’re finding that nest.”

“I’m coming too!” Hana told the two boys. Santi shrugged not really minding that the young woman was coming with them. He didn’t have any scouting abilities anymore and it would be very hypocritical to tell her she couldn’t come. If they did find the nest then it would be a good qualifying achievement for her next class. Firmly move her into the scout options.

“Alright. I think we’re close. I think a little further over is the hospital and stuff, right?” Santi asked the duo.

“I didn’t go that far, yet. There’s a bunch of roaming single goblins two blocks over. They don’t leave that line, so I kept track of them. They’re going building to building and pulling out anything of value,” Daniel reported.

It sounded like the general expansion that nests could do. Gathering any type of resource to feed its growth. The raiding parties they sent out would be to reduce strain on the nest itself and to bring in more rare resources.

“Alright then, Daniel, lead the way.” Santi followed behind as Daniel immediately turned and started moving down the street. As dusk fully settled on the world, Daniel’s ability to slide into shadows was fully empowered. He was just a general shape that could only vaguely be made out, and that was when Santi was looking for him specifically.

It didn’t take long without the slow moving party. They clung to the edges of the road and moved slowly and steadily from cover to cover. Daniel relied too heavily on his skill, powerful as it was. Hana actually had a solid grasp of the basics. Never darting, always checking for movement, sliding in smooth motions from one area to the next.

Santi had never had to do too much of this type of scouting. By the time he had found his niche, he had already learned to fly. His skills and spells had all been built around speed and long range sight. Like being a satellite.

The spear was hard to hide with it being white and several feet long, but he tried. Over the course of an hour they slipped by packs of the scavenging goblins and slid closer to the hospital. Santi hoped the nest wouldn’t be in the hospital, that would be a bad time. The huge building would have been filled with people when the nest established itself. That much fodder would explain the nest’s rapid but shallow growth.

“There’s a house close by. It’s empty. We camp there tonight.” Daniel whispered into Santi’s ear and Santi had to fight from lashing out as he was startled. Swearing under his breath he followed the murky shape to the house.

It was a white two story home with its front door broken down. Santi ignored the streaks of dried blood on the front of the wall and around the door. The torn apart sofa and scattered and broken glass. The three of them climbed the stairs and stepped carefully over the fallen family pictures that had been knocked off the walls.

The doors on the second story had been busted down, dangling on torn hinges or reduced to kindling. Beds were stained red, sheets and blankets torn apart. Windows had been shattered and the faint night spring breeze blew the drapes about.

There was only a single room that looked at the hospital and they all crowded in. A sticker and glitter covered bookcase was carefully put in front of the door while the remnants of teddy bears were tossed to the side as the bed was flipped over so that the stains were on the ground. All three settled on the bed to look through the busted windows out toward the hospital.

A great boxy building with hundreds of windows, most of which had been reduced to silvery shards. The red cross attached to the side of the building was dark and foreboding. In the twilight there wasn’t much any of them could see even if their sight had been improved by the System. Santi shrugged off of his pack and pulled out a few granola bars and passed them out. The three of them sat there on the mattress and watched the hospital.

Goblins came and went, but after a while Santi noticed that none actually entered the hospital. They were walking around the corners and dropping off their loot everywhere on the grounds, but none actually entered the doors. The doors they could see were surrounded by a knot of hobgoblin warriors in full armor and spears and Santi watched as they hissed and spat at any goblin coming too close to the doors.

“Something is wrong. If that was the nest, all of the goblins would be welcome,” Santi whispered to the others. Hana simply raised a single eyebrow while Daniel just nodded. Night deepened as the last traces of the sun faded. The moon came to hang heavy above the world, bathing the land in its icy white light. Movement stirred around the doors, the hobgoblins breaking apart to allow something to leave.

“Oh, well that answers a few questions,” Santi murmured as he saw them.