The next morning. The trio was prepared to depart for the quest.

Soren: "Wait, we never accepted Dalic's request, did we?"

Runa: "It's ok. It's a personal request, so no one else can accept it. But we still need to go to the Guild."

The trio arrived at the Guild, Yuli: "Hi, guys! Welcome to the Guild. Oh, right, you're here for the mining quest."

Beatrice: "Yeah, we're ready to get started."

Yuli: "I'm glad to hear it, but there has been a development."

Beatrice: "Oh? Is something wrong?"

Yuli: "Yes. We received a report yesterday of Mara appearing in the near mine."

Soren: "What's mana?" Alulia walked up, joining in the conversation

Alulia: "It's an old term meaning monster because the report didn't describe what was in the area. As such, the Guild Master wanted an experienced adventurer to join the quest."

Soren: "Then why not just call them monsters?"

Beatrice: "We don't know any experienced adventurers."

Alulia: "Not to worry, one has already been selected for you."

Beatrice: "Wait, what? Who did you select-"

"They have chosen yours truly, my lady."

Beatrice: "Mmmmm... UGH! Why did it have to be him!?"

Elwin Barrich: "Of course, it would be me. Who else would they call to face an unknown threat?"

"Yeah, they requested just YOU, so why are WE here?" A snarky female voice said. Soren turned around and saw Elwin and three people with him. A man clad in leather with a cloak. He has a bow and arrows on his back and several daggers on his hip belt. Next was a short woman. She had a similar look to Cecile though she looked more like an adventurer than a mage. She has a long mage's staff that, like the archer, carries on her back. Her staff is considerably longer too. It's about the length of her body. It makes for a good hiking stick. The last person is a tall, muscular man decked out in leather with armor pieces. He's wearing metal gauntlets and grieves. He's a fighter that is sacrificing better armor protection for more mobility.

Elwin: "Don't be like that. We're a team."

"He wants us to help him look good for the girl," the archer said.

"Unobtainable goals are the best, hehe," the fighter chuckled

Mage Girl: "Is that the boy you mentioned?"

Elwin: "Yes.. though I'm not worried. He's just a pea-"

Soren: "Since we're forced to work together, let's keep the insults to a minimum."

Elwin glanced at Beatrice, staring at him, "Whatever." He noticed the sunflower in Beatrice's hair.

"It's nice to meet you. I'm Fynn," the archer said.

"I'm Suvi. Please do your best to ignore the idiot," the mage said in a monotone voice.

"You can call me Jack. Nice to meet you, Red." the fighter poking fun at Soren.

"I'm Soren. I'm new to adventuring."

Yuli: "So if you're ready to depart, the mining crew is waiting outside." She hands the trio the request form.

Alulia: "Safe travels!"

The group heads outside to meet the crew. They spot a horse-drawn cart and four men. "Are you the support group?" The driver said. "That's us," Beatrice said, handing him the request form. "OK, hop in. It will take us a couple of hours to reach the mine, so get comfortable." The group laid their weapons in the back of the wagon, preparing for the long ride. As they exited the walled city, Soren looked around. In the distance, he saw the forest where he woke up. "Is that where you picked the sunflower, Soren?" Beatrice pointed at the faraway forest.

"Yeah, its aroma was something else. What's the name of it?" Soren replied. "You don't know?" Fynn inquired. "No, I'm not from around here." That's the Anlier Forest. I used to go there to hunt and improve my skills before I met these guys." Fynn said. "You said you're new to adventuring, right?" Suvi asked Soren, him confirming her question, "Have you been on any quests yet?"

Soren: "Yeah, we took the library infestation job.", "That's not a bad first job for a newbie. It was infested with muridae, right? How did it go?" Jack said. "Well, we completed the request though not unscathed," Runa said. "What happened?" Suvi asked. "I was knocked out by one of them."

Everyone went silent, then the four of them started laughing. The crew members were listening to the conversation though they remained silent.

Elwin: "Are you kidding?"

Fynn: "Did you trip on one of them and hit your head?"

Beatrice: "It's not funny!?"

Suvi: "He IS a newbie."

Jack: "Maybe he's just clumsy."

Runa: "They were bigger than usual." That comment made them laugh even more

Soren was getting angry from being mocked, "There were 27 of them, and they were up to my shins in size and poisonous."

Their laughter turned to surprise. Jack: "Wait.."

Fynn: "I don't think I've ever heard of them being poisonous."

Suvi: "Me either."

Beatrice: "Yeah, and then there was an abnormal."

Jack: "Whoa."

Elwin: "Even as an abnormal, it's still weak."

Runa: "Maybe to you, but thanks to Soren, we managed to beat it."

Soren chose not to engage in the conversation anymore and observed the scenery. It's a bright morning with a nice breeze. There is wildlife in the grassy plains and birds in the sky. Some time passed, and a river was in the distance. "Theirs a river up ahead. Would you guys like to take a break? The mine isn't much further from there. The mine entrance is at a large cliff in a grove." The driver said. "Yes! I want to stretch my legs," Suvi said.

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Once they reached the river, everyone got out of the wagon. "You guys hungry?" A miner said. He passed out food and drinks to everyone. "I'm going to soak my feet," Runa said. "Good idea," Suvi replied. The girls went to the river, and Elwin followed.

Suvi: "Uh, what are you doing, Elwin?"

Elwin: "What? Am I not allowed to accompany you all?"

Suvi: "No, you're not. We're having our girl time. You hear that, boys!?" Fynn and Jack start laughing.

Fynn: "Leave them be. You know what will happen if you piss her off, Elwin."

Soren sat in the grass next to the wagon while Elwin, Fynn, and Jack talked next to the wagon. Suvi inquired about Soren. The girls did not understand what she meant and asked her to clarify. Suvi wanted to know how they met. The girls explained to her how they came to meet Soren and the horrible condition he was in. Beatrice asked Suvi how she could stand to be around Elwin. "I know he can be an arrogant ass. I know I'm guilty of it too. When he acts like that, I give him a hard time." She responded. Suvi continued, "I know it's not your fault, but when you're around, he focuses solely on you and ignores me." Meanwhile, the miners lead the horse to the river to drink.

"So why don't you like the kid?" Jack asked Elwin. Fynn interrupted, stating Elwin's jealousy because the girl he likes is partnered with someone else. "Shut up," Elwin replied. Jack asked Elwin about his feelings toward Suvi, pointing out her attraction to him. Elwin responded he didn't see her that way but valued her as a comrade. He is happy the way things are and adores her snarkiness. "Soren, come here." They heard Beatrice call him over to them.

After hearing Beatrice call Soren over, Elwin became angry. In response, he grabbed Soren's sword and unsheathed it. Jack and Fynn are urging Elwin to refrain from doing what he's thinking. "Consider this a good lesson for him. He should always expect the worst," Elwin said, smirking. After unsheathing Soren's sword, he laid it down on its side and grabbed his sword. He placed the blade of his sword Soren's, near the base of the blade. Then, using the weight of his sword, he pressed down on Soren's sword, slowly cutting through it. Elwin made a small incision, and as if it was never moved, he returned the sword to its resting spot.

"We're ready to go when you are." The driver said. Everyone climbed back into the wagon. "When we get to the grove, its weapons ready," Suvi said. After some time, the group made it to the grove. The group readies itself for potential attacks. "We should assume a formation around the wagon until we get to the cave," Elwin said. "Right," everyone agreed. "Jack and I will hold the front. Fynn and Suvi will guard the sides. Beatrice's group will guard the rear. The miners should stay in the wagon," Emile ordered.

They entered the woods, proceeding at a slow pace. The woods seemed eerily quiet. Not even wildlife can be heard. Even the sun's rays through the trees seemed dull. Fynn heard an arrow coming toward him. He dodged it, and it hit the wagon, "On guard! Enemy attack!." The group braced themselves. Seconds felt like minutes. Another attack did not come. "We should slowly move to the cave," Soren said. "Agreed. Let's stay on guard and move." Jack said.

A rock was thrown and hit the ground next to Runa to get her attention. Suddenly Runa's arm was grazed by an arrow, "AH," she screamed. "Are you ok?" Soren and Beatrice asked. Runa confirmed she was okay. Fynn looking in the direction from which the arrow came, noticed something in the brush and fired an arrow. "Ack!" Fynn hit what he fired at and went to investigate. "It's a goblin!" Fynn said. "Shit!" Suvi said. Fynn explained to the trio, "Be careful! Goblins have some intelligence and are capable of using weapons.

"Huh?" Suvi heard rustling in the trees. She looked around and eventually saw a figure jumping between branches. She aimed her staff and shot a fireball knocking the goblin to the ground in a fiery death. Suddenly several goblins jumped out of the brush and attacked the group, "Incoming!" Elwin yelled, alerting everyone to the front of the wagon. A goblin holding a dagger jumped at Elwin, but he sidestepped it and stuck it down. Another goblin tried to stab Elwin but was intercepted by Jack, who struck it in the head, caving it in.

Goblins attacked from the rear, and the trio braced for battle. Fynn shot down two of them. He then armed himself with two of his daggers, ready to engage, " Defend yourselves and only strike when you see an opening," he instructed the trio. As Beatrice fends off a goblin, Soren stabs in from its blind spot. Fynn deflected another goblins weapon and restrained it, "Runa!". "Right!", She gutted the goblin. Jack using an earth magic bracelet, slammed both hands on the ground, and a wave of rocks spikes came out, killing many goblins, "Good job," Elwin praised Jack. Meanwhile, the trio did what they could to fend off the other goblins.

Suvi sees Elwin and Jack are managing moves to assist the others. Suddenly a few more goblins emerge from the brush and attack the wagon. Fynn told Suvi to protect the wagon. Suvi conjured more fire. In a swooping burst, she killed all but one of them. The last goblin swung its sword in a barrage of attacks, but Suvi defended herself, blocking them with her staff. Though she is a mage, she does have martial arts training. It is because of that training she doesn't wear traditional mage garments. With a swift motion, she disarmed the goblin and struck it in the stomach. Suvi then spun, and with a swinging fire strike from her staff, she crushed the goblin's head.

The group had killed all the ambushing goblins and took the time to regroup. "Is everyone ok?" Suvi asked. Runa told Suvi that she was grazed, but she was okay. After collecting themselves, They continued slowly moving toward the cave. Eventually, they see the cave and stop.

Fynn: "We need to plan our next step."

Elwin: "Right. Goblins were scouting and waiting to ambush anyone who got close. Theirs no telling how many are in the cave."

Jack: "Yeah. Goblins form tribes and travel together and tend to reproduce quickly."

Soren: "Why are they here?"

Beatrice: " They are probably attracted to the ore because they contain a lot of mana essence."

Runa: "So what are we going to do?"

Suvi: "First, we must hide the wagon and miners."

Driver: "I see large bushes where we can hide the wagon."

After assessing, the group agreed, and the driver and crew hid in the bushes. The group crouched and moved a little closer to the cave entrance. Fynn had the plan to try and draw out a few goblins. He picked up a rock and threw it near the cave entrance. A couple of goblins came out and looked around. They started going back in, and Fynn threw another rock further away from the cave entrance. The two goblins heard it and ran to the sound. As soon as they stopped, Fynn shot them both in the head, killing them. Fynn was going to attempt to draw out more goblins. Everyone focused on the entrance did not notice a lone goblin coming from another direction. It spotted the two dead goblins. It started screaming and ran into the cave. "Fuck!" Fynn almost yelled but whispered. "What do we do now?" Beatrice asked, with Jack replying, "We play it by ear."

"For now, we need to whisper," Suvi said.

Fynn: "So I'll try to pick them off one by one from the bushes when I see an opening and join in when I'm out of arrows."

Suvi: "I can hold them off with magic for a while."

Elwin: "OK then, Jack, Beatrice, and I will push forward while Suvi, Runa, and Soren hold them off from the rear. We'll eventually reach the end, where the ore is, and where we'll need to fight them off."

With the plan set, Elwin, Beatrice, and Jack jump out of the bushes and advance on the goblins. The goblins focused on the three of them. Fynn started picking off as many as he could. Soren, Suvi and Runa an in behind them. Fynn didn't manage to get all the remaining goblins, as some ran off. Unfortunately, the plan was already off to a bad start. Fynn ran to the entrance to guard it. Not long after, a horde of goblins came running to the cave. Again, Fyn picked off as many as he could before being driven back.

Killing off the goblins in front of him while trying to reach the group, Fynn ran out of arrows, switching to his daggers. He caught up to the group with goblins right behind him. Suvi conjured another fire spell, warding off the goblins. They eventually made it to the end of the cave. It was a large open area with mana ore everywhere. The yellow magic markings at the base of Elwin's sword started glowing, and with a full swing, he delivered a wind elemental slashing strike killing multiple goblins at once.

Suvi told the group to spread out as she didn't want anyone caught in her magic. She conjures a small amount of water, and instead of firing it, she holds it, shooting it out in quick bursts as she strikes goblins with her staff. The trio had been doing well defending each other striking goblins when they saw openings. However, there were too many to handle. The trio was overwhelmed and eventually forced apart by the goblins. The constant shrieking from the goblins was getting to them, and the seemingly never-ending numbers were causing fear. Soren feels his sword starting to wobble. He moves his sword around to see the blade wobbling. "Fuck! This is bad." Soren said. Suddenly, Beatrice was slashed in the abdomen and screamed from the pain. "Beatrice!" Soren and Runa shouted. Beatrice was then cut in the leg and collapsed. "They're in trouble!" Jack said and ran to the trio, trying to save them.

The goblin walked up to Beatrice. It grabbed her hair and pulled her head back. Beatrice terrified of her impending death only moments away, was in tears begging for her life. Soren was in horror, fearing he was going to lose his friend. Enraged, he cut off the head of the goblin in front of him and ran to Beatrice, "NO!" The goblin turned its attention to Soren. He swung his sword with all his might. The goblin raised its sword with both hands and blocked Soren's sword, causing it to break.

Both Soren and Beatrice were in shock. Before her eyes, she watched Soren get impaled by the dagger the goblin was holding. He fell to his knees in front of her. Beatrice was too terrified to say anything or move. The goblin kicked Soren, and he fell onto his back. The goblin got on top of him.

"The kid is down!" Jack said

Elwin, grinning sadistically, whispered to himself, "Good, I hope the piece of shit dies.."