"Here is your mission pass, sir," a woman in her twenties with glasses, wearing a guild uniform, handed me a parchment. I took it and quickly reviewed its contents. "Escort a merchant with his goods to the next town," it briefly stated, with my name signed at the bottom, "Ragnar".
I felt the parchment with my fingers and placed my index finger in the ink, dabbing it a bit, then examined my finger to see if any ink stuck. The receptionist woman stared at my actions, puzzled. I probably looked weird to her. I gazed at her and gave her a smile. That was a bad idea; now I looked even weirder. No matter how many times I held this piece of parchment, it baffled me, like I was somehow in a museum, which also fascinated me. I like museums, though I've never been in one.
"Thanks, miss. I'll promptly head to the agreed location," I greeted the receptionist woman goodbye and stepped outside the guild establishment. As I stood at the guild entrance, I stared at the scenery in front of me, a bustling town with merchants and soldiers up and about, busy with their business. I took a deep breath and felt a cool sensation in my chest. How I love this place. The air is so clean and cool, unlike what I'm used to. The sun was still up; I better go to the designated meeting place.
I walked the stone brick road, my cheap iron armor clanking against each other, my tattered cape flowing with the wind, and my sword sheathed and fastened on my left hip. At first, I was surprised at how light the sword felt. I was sure it was going to make me lean on that side, making me look awkward as I walked. I'm glad it didn't.
The path took me outside the town. There was a stable here, horses being fed with hay by stableboys. Just beyond it was a group of people - mercenaries, they were called. I guess I'm one as well. They were gathered around a caravan covered in a thick cloth. As I approached the caravan, a brutish man greeted me.
"Hey, stay back." The towering, menacing individual held his huge hand towards my face, signaling me to stop.
"Hi! I'm one of the mercenaries who accepted the escort quest," I told the brutish man as I held the mission parchment to his face. He gave me a narrowing look and then put his face inches from the parchment, looking like he had a hard time reading it for some reason.
"Give it!" Without asking properly, he took the parchment from my grasp.
"Hey!" I responded to his questionable action. The large brutish man remarked in a gritty and booming voice, "I'll be holding on to it until the end of the mission." I guess it's what the contractor wants, so I'm going to let it slide.
"We are now complete, master!" the brutish man announced to his master inside the caravan. The caravan's only door opened and out came the merchant who gave the mission. He was old, stout, and short, but the adornment of gold and pearls around his body left no doubt that he was indeed a rich merchant.
I looked around and saw five adventurers, including myself. We were supposed to guard and ensure the merchant and his goods reached the next town safely. Easy enough, I suppose. Oddly, the large brutish man went inside the caravan. The goods must be very valuable. The merchant sat in front to drive the caravan.
"What are you gawking at? Let's go!", the merchant shouted in urgency. My thoughts were brought to reality when I realized my fellow adventurers had brought horses with them. How could I be so dumb? Of course, we needed horses. Come to think of it, I recalled the receptionist asking me if I owned one. I must be distracted or deep in thought that time. Sweat began to slide down my forehead as I thought of a way to save myself from embarrassment.
"Can I ride in front as well?" I asked the merchant, giving him a persuasive smile. He raised his brow, unsure if I was serious. After a sigh, he shook his head and took out a coin from his pocket, flipping it towards me. I caught it, albeit sloppily. "I swear, these guild establishments are becoming incompetent. Go buy a horse, quick!" he exclaimed, handing me a silver coin. I thanked him and hurriedly made my way to the stable. Without much time to choose, I ended up with a brown, generic-looking horse without a saddle. It didn't matter as long as I had one.
Returning to the caravan, the merchant gave me a sly look and said, "It's not a charity, boy. I'm going to take it from your share of the contract once we're done." The other mercenaries looked at me, and the merchant added, "And it will be twice the amount you owe me." It seemed the sly old merchant was true to his nature. With a whip crack, the horses started moving, and our mundane escort quest began.
Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.
As we followed the path through the forest, the sun began to set, casting a dark shadow over the surroundings. The silence was only broken by the sound of our horses' hooves and the occasional clanking of our armor. Boredom started to creep in and my mind wanders as I stare at the darkness ahead. A thought then crossed my mind, "Hey! I'm riding a horse!" The mercenaries responded with disdain and stifled laughter. I realized that I had spoken my thoughts out loud, how embarassing.
As night fell, the silence became eerie, interrupted only by the chirping of crickets. "Achoo!" a sudden peculiar sneeze echoed from inside the caravan, it certainly didn't sound like the large brutish man, it sounded childlike. Curious, I glanced at the covered carriage, only to be met with a glare from the merchant. I quickly offered an explanation, saying, "Must be rats." It wasn't the most convincing, but the merchant returned his gaze to the path ahead.
In the darkness, my mind wandered back to my first mercenary assignment, just two months ago. It was the beginning of spring when I joined the mercenary corps guild. The registration process was straightforward, and my first contract involved guarding a remote storehouse for a week. The nights were uneventful, mundane, and boring, much like this one. But the pay was generous, so I couldn't complain.
Suddenly, I bumped into the person in front of me, snapping me back to reality. The mercenary leader raised his fist, signaling us to stop. We stood still, scanning our surroundings. A rustling sound came from the nearby bushes, and the mercenaries instinctively gripped their sword hilts. I slowly placed my hand on my sword hilt, ready to react. In my two months as a mercenary, I had never unsheathed my sword, but now I felt a surge of excitement. Finally, I had the chance to swing my sword at a living target.
The mysterious entity revealed itself from the bushes, with yellow eyes glowing in the darkness. As the moonlight cleared the clouds, I could see the repulsive green creature with its long ears, sharp teeth, and extended tongue. It approached us, wielding a blunt weapon. "Goblins!" the mercenary leader announced. More goblins emerged from the bushes, surrounding us. "Maintain formation! Protect the contractor and his goods!" the leader commanded. We formed a defensive perimeter around the caravan, outnumbered by the goblins. Strangely, I didn't feel scared or nervous. Instead, I felt exhilarated. Finally, I had the chance to swing my sword at a real opponent.
Without warning, the goblins began to advance, lunging towards us. Quickly unsheathing their swords, my mercenary companions repelled the attack on horseback. However, the goblins were persistent. They aimed their attacks at our horses, while I remained focused on them, unaware that one was targeting me. Just before the attack landed, I swiftly maneuvered my horse to evade it. In a counterattack, I skewered the goblin in the chest with my sword. In that moment, I trembled as I felt my blade pierce through the soft flesh of the goblin. Blue blood dripped from my sword as I withdrew it from the goblin's body. Strangely, I didn't feel any remorse or disgust upon killing these creatures. Instead, my blood pumped faster as I experienced the thrill of battle.
The goblins, observing the situation, became more vigilant and kept a safe distance from me. They conversed among themselves in a language only they could understand. As I surveyed my surroundings, I noticed some of my comrades falling from their horses. The mercenary in front of me screamed as he was crushed by the one-ton dead creature as he fell. Before I could assist him, a goblin pierced his head with its sword. On the other side, two other mercenaries fought valiantly against the overwhelming number of goblins. With no time to worry about the others, I saw the goblins in front of me slowly closing in, surrounding me.
Observing their movements, I realized that being on horseback gave me an advantage, allowing me to clearly see their actions from above. In an attempt to surprise me, two goblins lunged towards me simultaneously. Reacting quickly, I maneuvered my horse back to gain momentum and leaped towards the goblins. Mid-air, I met them with my sword, slashing them diagonally and splitting them in half. Blue blood sprayed as their innards flew outward. I was surprised by the speed of my movements, the lightness of my sword, and the softness of the goblins' bodies. I gazed at my sword and saw a grin reflected on its blade. I was enjoying the thrill of killing these monsters.
However, the situation on the other side was dire. The two mercenaries were overwhelmed by the sheer number of goblins, as they screamed being torn limb from limb. I could not mske it in time. I turned briefly to check on the mercenary leader and saw that he was still holding his ground. Focusing on the other side, my horse galloped forward, trampling the goblins who failed to dodge. Leaning to the side of the horse, I stretched my arm and swept my sword in an arc, decapitating the goblins' necks with ease. Their heads flew and rolled away. Now, only one goblin remained, as the others had been defeated by the mercenary leader. But this goblin had a surprise in store. It let out a violent scream, catching the attention of the rich merchant who had remained calm throughout the chaos. I watched him as his eyes sunk into their sockets in horro, and within seconds, the ground began to shake.
Loud, thunderous footsteps approached us from the dark forest ahead. Yellow gleaming eyes became visible in the distance. The ground trembled as a gigantic, brutish green being emerged from the bushes. The mercenary leader reacted swiftly, swinging his sword to meet the colossal creature. But the being was faster. Before the leader's sword could strike, the being's massive club came crashing down, flattening both the leader and his horse. Even the leader's armor offered no protection against the impact.
A sense of danger washed over me as I witnessed the scene. This monster was far more powerful than the goblins we had faced. It resembled a larger and more menacing version of the goblin - a hobgoblin. Without hesitation, the merchant drove the caravan and began to run, desperately trying to escape. I immediately followed behind it. The caravan charged through the forest, trampling bushes and disregarding the path. I ran behind them, my heart pounding. We sprinted as fast as we could, and I could see a glimmer of light up ahead, indicating the proximity of the next town. Relief washed over me as I thought of the safety that awaited us.
But our luck was not on our side. As we reached the end of our path, we were met with a cliff. The caravan came to a sudden stop, just inches away from the edge. The sound of crashing waves echoed from the depths below. To our dismay, the hobgoblin caught up to us, wielding its massive club. It stood only a few feet away, realizing that we had nowhere else to run. I stayed close to the caravan, my eyes turning to the rich merchant, curious about his reaction. Despite everything that had happened, he remained composed. He knocked on the caravan from the driver's seat three times.
Suddenly, a brutish man emerged, carrying a warhammer. I gazed at the confident man, who was only a few feet shorter than the hobgoblin. I thought to myself that if anyone could defeat the gigantic monster, it would be him. As I turned my gaze towards the hobgoblin, I couldn't resist teasing, "You're so screwed now!" Just as I was about to turn my head, I felt a heavy, numbing impact behind my head, and then everything went black.
_______________________________________________
When I regained consciousness, the first thing I saw was the moon shining brightly in the sky. It was eerily quiet. I was laying on my back, my senses slowly returning. I felt a sharp pain behind my head. I reached the back of my head and discovered blood on my hand. Memories of what had transpired flooded back. I had been part of an escort quest, but we were ambushed by goblins. In our attempt to escape, the hobgoblin cornered us. And then, everything went blank.
As I stood up, my mind cleared, and I turned to check on my contractor. To my horror, I found the rich merchant decapitated on the driver's seat, and the large brutish man slashed in half beside the caravan. I examined their wounds, they were clean cuts, not the work of a club on the very least. Had the hobgoblin somehow acquired a sword? Speaking of the monster, I surveyed my surroundings, hoping it was no longer nearby. In the forest, beneath the shade, I spotted the large club stuck upright on the ground. As I approached, I saw the hobgoblin's head smashed with its own weapon. What in the world happened? Had someone or something intervened?
A shiver ran down my spine as I instinctively reached for my sword, only to realize it was missing. I immediately scanned my surroundings once more, and there, in the spot where I had fallen, the moonlight illuminated a metallic object. I went closer and discovered my sword on the ground. Upon closer inspection, I noticed wet fresh blood on the blade. Not the blue blood of the goblin, but red human blood. Countless thoughts raced through my mind as I stared at the sword, my face reflected on the blade or rather the face of another. You see, I have a secret: as you may have already guessed, I got transported in a game in another world as a Chaos Knight.