It had been a few hours since the Iron Shield had left the Guild, bringing with them the two brothers, who pulled the rear, trying to see what it was they were supposed to learn from these Bronze-level Adventurers. Thus far, it was just a whole bunch of walking and some minor discussions between themselves.

“So… what exactly are we supposed to learn from these guys?” Leonce asked with a bored sigh, his left hand hanging on the hilt of a spare rapier given to him by Vanessa.

Loup shrugged, rolling his shoulder slightly as he adjusted to the musket on his back, slung over his right shoulder. Another gift from the Guild Clerk, as she didn’t like the fact that neither brothers had their own weapons aside from a dagger and old pistol. Both were thankful for the weapons but were a little curious if this was how they treated all adventurers – well, Leonce figured it was because Vanessa was interested in Loup.

Either way, the brothers were thankful to have useable weapons to fight the goblins, although their condition didn’t inspire confidence. Still, they’d serve their purpose well enough, or so that’s how Leonce viewed it. Giving the leather sheath a reassuring pat as they continued on their way. Loup also wasn’t too confident in the musket and figured it would’ve been better just to grab their dad’s, but that would mean going back home, and suffering the embarrassment of facing whoever was home and read the letter Leonce had left. Just the thought alone was enough to send a shiver down Loup’s spine.

“Yeah, no…”

Leonce raised a brow, “What?”

“Nothing…”

Shrugging, Leonce just continued on his way, with Loup tagging close behind.

Meanwhile, the cloaked woman would occasionally peek over her shoulder. She looked at the two, trying to figure them out. What was it that made them so special when all she got was a pat on the back and shoved into the Iron Shield with nothing but a ‘good luck’, yet these two boys come up, and she favours them and not her? It annoyed her, and she wanted to show her displeasure at such, but her time as an adventurer told her to reign in her emotions. Just as she turned back to the road, the tall man raised a hand, halting the group, before he pointed off towards the mountainside. The group peered through the woods and bushes, noting the person-sized hole leading into the reported cave infested with goblins.

Outside, they were quick to spot two sentries. Goblins.The group noted they stood there haphazardly, barely paying attention to dangers that could be lurking in the woods before them.

“Ugly little buggers~” Leonce observed.

True enough, the goblins stood four feet tall, with oily green skin, with boney long fingers gripping crude spears that seemed to appear ready to fall apart at a moments notice. Their eyes seemed to glow a dull red, attributing to their demonic nature and origins. These were evil creatures. There was no doubt they would murder, kidnap, and commit all manner of cruelty upon the townsfolk.

“Mhm. Get ready to kill them,” The giant man ordered.

The brothers looked to each other, a little unsure what to say or do in that moment. It wasn’t hesitation to kill, but rather their confusion regarding how they’d do so without getting caught – or well, Leonce showed signs of hesitation. Unlike Loup, Leonce had never actually hunted, or taken a life beyond the odd bug that flew into the library he worked at. It was Loup who knew how to take a life, not him. However, even Loup had his reservations. A wild animal was one thing, but these were technically sentient creatures. A strange nervous sensation began to bubble up within their stomachs, with Leonce shooting his brother a grin.

“Feels like I got butterflies, Loup~”

Loup raised a brow and smiled. He wanted to laugh, but he held it in, knowing it wouldn’t do good to give away their position. Meanwhile, the members of Iron Shield just watched the two with a degree of impatience before finally the cloaked woman stepped forward, whispering something under her breath before suddenly two blue arrows seemed to form ahead of her. Within moments, they were off, faster than anyone could follow, each slamming into the heads of the goblins, killing them instantly. The two brothers stood in stunned silence, a little shocked by the display of magic. They’d seen magic before, yeah, as the Mage had often showcased his powers, but it was only flashy shows to entertain the town during festivals or events. This was the first time they’d seen offensive magic up close.

“That was new,” Leonce thought aloud, with Loup nodding silently in response.

The cloaked woman turned to face the two; a prideful grin spread across the pale skin not obscured by the shadows cast by the hood. She wanted to show off more, but her leader nudged her forward.

“Come on. We have to move fast. Goblins have hidey holes all over this mountainside” He said while scanning the mountainside for any murder holes or holes for sentries to look out.

Leonce looked confused, “Doesn’t that mean we’re going to be here for more than a single day?”

The leader turned to him, giving him a judging look, “No.”

“No?”

“No. Goblins tend to gather in a single place to feast, breed, and party until they choose to go out on another raid or someone invades their burrow,” He explained finally.

Stepping forward, the group advanced, taking care not to alert any potential goblin sentries within the cave mouth. Leonce and Loup followed close behind, with Leonce drawing the rapier free from its sheath and Loup fixing a ring bayonet around the barrel of his musket. The two looked and felt ready; their nerves, however, spoke otherwise. Hands shaking, Leonce had to squeeze his right hand, trying to steady himself, while Loup managed to reign it in – ever the cool-headed one.

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As they entered the cave, the inky darkness quickly consumed them, giving them all a moment of temporary blindness as they carefully traversed through the cave’s central tunnel. The putrid smell of rotting flesh and grey plumes of smoke clinging to the ceiling gave away the location where the goblins were likely feasting and partying. As the group adjusted to the darkness, it became easier to move, and it became clear what passages were traps and which ones were the way forward. It seemed whoever led this tribe had some intelligence, so much so that they had devised a method to split off the tunnels and have whatever smoke came billowing out travel one way while avoiding the other.

“How the hell did these creatures come up with such a thing?” Leonce asked in a hushed tone.

This time, it was the cloaked woman who answered, her voice low, “Normally… they don’t. Something’s off about these ones. Best keep close and do as we do. The likelihood of traps being set across the ‘safe’ path is very high.”

Leonce nodded, “I take it you’ve dealt with this before?”

“Once… near the deserts of the South. There was a goblin warlord there who had a bit of a brain in his head. They managed to lure in two adventurer teams, each numbering about ten. Took the women as slaves and ate the men.”

The brothers recoiled at hearing the story, and instead of making the brothers bolder, it only had the opposite effect, with Leonce feeling the pangs of fear well up within him. It was only when Loup squeezed his shoulder, reassuring him, which allowed the blond to calm down visibly. Both brothers would never leave the other to such a horrid fate.

With careful and practised steps, each of the adventurers managed to undo or disarm the many traps that lay before them in the tunnels. Each time, they would find a goblin in an alcove, and each time, that goblin would die. A quick thrust up through the creature’s neck, cutting the jugular and then up through the jaw to prevent a scream or howl of pain. The bodies were left where they were slain, as the passageways soon began to just converge into a single long length of tunnel. The walls had been chiselled and carved with crude, primitive tools, with some of those tools being found leaning on the walls or left discarded and broken on the floor. Goblins were never the cleanest of creatures, so when something had lived out its usefulness, they tossed it, left it, or discarded it in a way befitting demons. Still, as the group continued to traverse the narrow passageway, the rancid smell became worse. Leonce had to force himself to swallow the puke; he nearly spewed out at the smell while his brother toughed it out, already akin to such smells during his time as a hunter.

Still, Leonce was determined not to make a mess of this. Their lives and the lives of everyone back in the village were at stake. The brothers knew this, and it was for this reason that they pushed aside their fear for a moment, turning it instead into determination.

As the goblins danced and praised their dark masters, the Iron Shield Adventurers began to set up. Muskets were quickly loaded, and the cloaked woman had finished downing a small herbal mix that acted as a sort of mana potion. The others, meanwhile, had their melee weapons drawn and ready. Blades had been slicked in mud to avoid their shine and sheen from being caught in the light emitted by the glow of the fire in the centre of the chamber. So blinded by the light of the fire and their celebrations, the goblins had no idea of their impending doom.

Once everyone was set, the leader gave a wave with his index and middle fingers, and suddenly, all hell broke loose.

Loup stood up, bringing his musket up, his ears stuffed with cotton to muffled the sound that was soon to follow, and took aim, focusing on the figure sitting on the chair. A Hobgoblin by the looks of it, the surprise evident on the creature’s face as Loup aimed and fired. The Musket bucked in his hands, but his training and experience with firearms had given him a better handle on managing the recoil and how best to fire accurately – even in these darkened environments. The distance was short, and so it was the metal ball found its target, killing the hobgoblin in one swift moment of shock and awe.

The goblins watched in terror as their leader slumped dead. Screams of panic erupted all around the chamber, as the greenskinned demons began to scramble for their weapons, only for the other adventurers to emerge from the darkness, blades raised or poised to strike. The first wave of goblins died, as the leader and the other melee focused adventurers of Iron Shield made quick work of the fear striken creatures. All but one of the Adventurers slew the goblins quickly, with that one individual being Leonce…

He'd never taken a life before. Sure, he’s killed bugs, but this was different, this was something he’d never seen in all his life. Unlike his brother, he wasn’t prepared for this type of scenario. Loup had some mental fortitude against this type of thing, and he knew it. Sticking to the shadows, he watched his younger brother, bash the skull in of a goblin as it tried to lunge for him. All the while, he just stood there. Frozen. Fear clung to him like it did the demonic creatures. He knew what needed to be done, and he knew the price of hesitation. His old swordsmanship master used to tell him such. Drilling it into his head every day and night how the enemy of a warrior was hesitation.

“Fear was a weapon, just as anger when harnessed correctly, but hesitation… wasl's how warriors die,” As his old mentor once said.

Leonce clutched the hilt of his blade tighter. He had to fight himself here; his own mind was working against him. It wasn’t until the strange woman in the cloak came up beside him and shook his shoulder that he finally snapped free from the prison of his mind. Turning wide-eyed, he saw her finally. The dull orange glow of the fire casts a light over the features that the shadows cast by the hood had once hidden. There, he saw the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen. Soft pale skin, icy blue eyes, ruby lips, with a straight nose with a feint sprinkling of freckles.

“Snap out of it!” She shouted.

At her holler, Leonce did just that, shaking his head, as though to clear his mind.

She looked at him a moment before quickly adding, Don't hesitate! If you freeze up, you die. These creatures won’t show you mercy if you beg for it! So swing your damn sword, stow your hesitation and feelings of remorse for later!”

He nodded, and as she released his shoulder, he thrust the tip of the rapier past her, and stabbed into a goblin that had been aiming for the woman’s back.

Looking over her shoulder at her would be attacker, she turned to face Leonce, a smile now spreading across her face, “We can say we’re even now,” she quipped, before conjuring up a fireball in her hand and launching it at a group of goblins about to swarm her team leader.

Leonce stood there for a moment longer, watching her as she ran off to join the fray once more. Lifting his blade up, he watched as the black blood of the goblin he slew trickled down the length, and with one swing of his blade, he got rid of the worst of the ichor, the rest would need to be wiped off with a cloth. For now though, he overcome his hesitation and lunged into the battle, coming up beside his brother in time to save him from being stabbed in the side.

“Sorry little Wolf! Had to sort my brain out.”

Loup smiled, knowing his brother had come to some realization, and nodded, “Better late then never.”

Both smiled and resumed their duty.