"The Wraith slowly started to overwhelm us, only Siegwald being able to deal any significant damage, as physical attacks phased right through it. We knew we had to finish this quickly, so we tried to distract it long enough for Siegwald to conjure his signature spell 'Black Thunder' and end the fight in one strike. With every exchange of blows, we were pushed farther on the back foot. The Wraith found more and more openings in our defense and even managed to cut off Uncle Helmut's arm. We were on the verge of defeat when, with a mighty roar, 'Black Thunder' crashed into its target. After the dust cloud settled, we saw that well nothing remained. The wrath was gone and so was everything else in a five-meter diameter like it never existed in the first place. Wounded and exhausted we made our way back with the legendary artifact we were supposed to find and were the first ones to return from an expedition to the Cursed Forest of Tharge. Now who wants some cookies and fresh milk?"
As Hildegard finished telling her story, she got up from her beloved rocking chair and followed the wonderful smell of cinnamon to the Kitchen. Bernard, her grandchild, and his friends Lothar and Leonard followed her right after, like ducklings following their mother. With one motion of her wooden paddle, she moved the cookies from the big clay oven to a plate, the children, standing on their toes, eagerly waiting. As soon as the cookies were out of the oven 6 hands blitzed to the plate. Before they could reach their goal all of them got slapped out of the air by Hildegard. "Not so fast you little rascals, have your parents taught you any patience? You will burn your mouths!.", she scolded. "But Grandma Hildi, your baking is just super delicious. How are we supposed to resist eating them for even a minute?", Lothar complained. "I'll get you boys a cup of fresh milk, you are old enough to wait till then." As soon as she left the room to get the milk, she heard a loud "OUCH", followed by a whimpering "For Ilune's Sake they are hot." "Well, sometimes they have to learn the hard way", she thought. "Come with me Leo, I'll get you some herbs that will help against the burn", she shouted while making her way outside. For years she cultivated all herbs she could find with love and diligence. There were even a few rare ones mixed in, which she had collected in the wide world during her travels or got gifted from close friends. She felt her chest puffing out while she opened the garden door and a small grin flashed over her face. She always felt this sense of pride while entering her little haven. She went to the Water-Grass and plucked a few strands: "Here boy chew on this and in a few minutes the burning should be completely gone." After the kids finished their cookies and went playing outside, Hildegard still had some time left before preparing dinner, so she grabbed her needles and continued the intricate wyvern pattern for her new tablecloth. She loved decorating her home with little things, that made her remember the numerous adventures she underwent with Siegwald and the rest of their little group. Oh what she would give to go on one last journey to relish in the nostalgia of youth, but some of their group already passed away and who would take an old woman with them to stride into battle with sword and shield in her hands, no matter her reputation. She could already see the ridicule of the guild members if she ever set foot again in their halls to register for a quest.
Meanwhile, Leonard sat on a tree stump listening to the song of nature while reading 'From Lightning Spark to Black Thunder' from Grandpa Siegfried, considered by many the most insightful book on lightning magic ever written. Although its original purpose was to teach the legendary Black Thunder, which it failed miserably, as no one except Siegfried ever managed to learn let alone master the spell. "It almost seems like you want to get stabbed. Like this you'll never win against me.", Bernard mocked, while pointing his wooden at Lothar who sat on the ground his daggers lying next to him. For years the three of them were spending most of their free time together training on the outskirts of the forest, aspiring to become adventurers and follow in the footsteps of Bernard's grandparents and build a name for themselves. A few months ago Lothar and Bernard were evenly matched in hand-to-hand combat, but by now there was a huge cliff between them and Leonard wasn't even sure if the former still took their dream seriously. As both of them took positions for another bout, Leonard heard a rustling in the thicket next to them. "Wait, I heard something in the bushes!", he shouted to them. "Must be the wind, there are no animals this near to the village", Bernard answered. Just as they were to engage each other, an arrow flew right in the middle between them. Six Goblins armed with spears jumped out of hiding and charged the boys. Leonard could see another three goblins sitting in the trees, already knocking their arrows, ready to shoot. He sprung up from his seat and started gathering the mana in the atmosphere. By now Lothar and Bernard were already surrounded by the spear-wielders. Bernard tried breaking the formation with a shoulder bash, but two of the Goblins were prepared, disarming and capturing him before he could complete his reckless maneuver. Soon after, Lothar was also overwhelmed and forced onto the ground. Having gathered enough mana, Leonard started forming a lightning bolt between his hands to free his friends. His concentration was shattered by an arrow flying past his head, the spell dissolving into thin air. Another arrow hit the ground right before his feet. He panicked. "RUN!", he heard Bernard yell and something in him obeyed. He turned around, but before he could make his escape a sharp pain erupted in his shoulder. The third arrow grazed him. He stumbled and hit his knee against the tree trunk he had been sitting on a minute before. Ignoring the pain he regained his balance and ran as fast as his legs could carry him. Tears made their way down his cheeks. The dreams of becoming an adventurer shattered. He felt like nothing more than a coward, at the first hint of danger abandoning his best friends to save himself.
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After finishing a few more rows in her tablecloth, Hildegard started with dinner preparations. While cutting some carrots the door flew open with such force, that the impact against the wall almost made a few pots desire to leave their shelf and have a very up-and-personal meeting with the floor. "Can you enter for once without almost destroying the house!", Hildegard rebuked without turning around.
Leonard sprinted through the door, heavily panting and coughing. Clumsily he made his way into the kitchen almost slamming with his shoulder against the door frame. With every step, his vision grew narrower and narrower. He stammered: "Granny, Granny, it was horrible. They came at us out of the trees with spears and bows. They got Lothar and Bernard. I coul....." Mid-sentence his legs gave way and the world went black. He felt gravity dragging him down. As everything faded into nothingness he felt a warm embrace, cradling him and lighting up the abyss he plunged into.
As the boy rushed into the kitchen and Hildegard finally turned around, she could see his eyes. They told her everything. A story of panic and abject fear she had seen many times throughout her long life. He tried saying something, but only gibberish left his mouth. He started falling. Instinctually she pushed Aura into her legs, and in an instant she crossed the few meters between them and caught him, saving him from hitting the floor head-first. Her muscles burned, her old body not able to handle all the power she built over a lifetime of training. She lay him down, sitting right next to him to recover from the backlash of Aura overuse. As she examined him closer, she could see the boy was covered in bruises, his knees bloody, a gash in his shoulder, and sweat and tears running down his face. She was worried about her grandson and his friend, but deep down she knew there was nothing to be done until Leonard woke up.
He woke up a few minutes later and told her what happened. As he finished his story Hildegard's thoughts were racing. In her opinion, the boy was overly hard on himself as saving his own life was the right choice. Regardless, something didn't add up. A few days back, the goblins in the forest were culled by adventurers. Nobody had seen them since, and normally it took months, sometimes even years until the goblins repopulated enough to reemerge from hiding in the deepest parts of the forest. Not that it mattered. The priority was that her grandson and his friend were being rescued as long as they were still alive. Someone had to search for them and get them back.Hildegard went through all the available options in her head. The adventurers who initially exterminated the goblins already left the village and to her knowledge, there were no other groups currently residing in the inn. The next guild was only a few hours away, but she knew with their cumbersome bureaucracy and the time it took for someone to accept the quest days could go by. That would be far too late. There were also no village residents with real combat experience able to build a rescue group.
Slowly she came to the realization there was no one to help. No one qualified to venture deep into the forest to rescue her Bernard.
There was only one hope left. After forty years of deep slumber, the Lioness of the Silver Blade, as she was once called in the distant past, awoke with a ferocious roar. Saving her loved ones for sure wasn't the last adventure she yearned for, but someone had to go out there and whop some Goblin ass.