The morning of the second day, the four adventurers enjoyed a hearty breakfast of boiled eggs, oatmeal, goat cheese, sheep's milk, and cured mutton chops. They geared up, grabbed the crude map drawn by the village elder, and headed toward the mountains where the goblin tribe dwelled.
Goblins are humanoid creatures, about as tall as dwarves, with long, pointed ears and sharp, jutting noses. Their dark green skin, small stature, and ugly red-eyed faces make them look like twisted little dwarves. Most are greedy and vile, with a knack for deceit and a lean toward evil cunning.
They live mainly underground or deep in jungles, with their own peculiar order and structure. They can speak some basic languages, and while their culture isn't exactly refined, they've got a sharp eye for mining and building underground lairs.
Goblins aren't much in a fight, but they breed almost as fast as rats, so there's always a ton of them. They make up for their weakness by swarming in large groups.
These green-skinned critters love meat and can't resist shiny stuff—gold coins, silver, diamonds, you name it. They'll pick wild fruit now and then but don't bother growing crops. Hunting and raiding are their main gigs for food.
A goblin tribe in the forest usually keeps to itself when numbers are low. They tame wolves, craft simple weapons, and hunt rabbits or deer in packs. Sometimes, they'll even trade with passing adventurers or travelers, swapping food for shiny coins.
But when their numbers swell, so does their nerve. Led by a goblin chief, hordes of them get bold enough to raid villages, steal crops, ambush adventurers, or even kidnap lone wanderers.
Most of those snatched by goblins are women, and unless adventurers or castle knights ride out to save them, few ever make it back alive.
Sure, goblins are weak fighters. A seasoned adventurer can take on three or four at once with ease. For someone like Barrett, killing goblins is as easy as squashing rats.
But their sneaky nature and knack for working together can still trip up new adventurers. Plenty of rookies have learned that the hard way.
Usually, if newbies are taking on a goblin job, the Adventurer's Guild will pair them with a mithril-level adventurer to lead the charge.
After trekking for hours along rugged, muddy mountain trails, the Last Defender of the Way adventurer party finally reached the cave marked on the crude map—likely the entrance to the goblin tribe's lair.
One orichalcum-level, one mithril-level, and one platinum-level adventurer—this lineup was overkill for a goblin hunt.
The only silver-level cleric, Stella, followed EeDechi's orders. She ditched her fancy cleric robes, strapped on heavy armor, and donned a great helm, her body wrapped tight in chainmail.
If it weren't for the silver-white staff in her hand, anyone would've mistaken her for a heavy-armored female warrior.
Good thing Stella had enchanted her chainmail with a lightening spell beforehand, or the mountain climb would've been hell.
Gripping his shortsword and clad in Gorgon leather armor, Barrett lit a tallow torch and led the way into the cave. EeDechi followed close behind, with Stella's staff glowing with bright magical light right after her. Sean, wielding a hand crossbow and another torch, brought up the rear.
"Are goblins really creations of the gods?" EeDechi asked, peering around in the torchlight, curiosity in her voice.
"Hmph, who says that? If goblins are divine creations, then squerriks are the gods' chosen!" Barrett shook his head, wondering where his captain got such weird ideas.
At a fork in the path, the seasoned adventurer crouched down, sniffing the cave's stone walls, searching for signs of goblins. He waved to the three behind him and took one of the paths.
The dark, damp cave was littered with nasty traps—bamboo spikes smeared with filth, rocks rigged to fall from the ceiling, bone shards hidden under loose gravel, you name it.
Barrett spotted and smashed every one with ease. Goblins might be cunning, but their tiny brains couldn't outsmart a mithril-level adventurer like him.
They pressed on, descending a rough stone staircase littered with gravel. On the cave wall, they spotted a grim decoration—a goat skull rigged with crossed wooden sticks.
Barrett's face turned grim. He strapped a glowing crystal headband to his forehead and signaled everyone to stay sharp and ready for a fight.
As they rounded a twisting path, a heavy stench of blood hit them, mixed with faint human sobs, the sound of tearing cloth, and the shrill, cackling laughter of goblins.
The four adventurers tightened their grip on their weapons, maintaining formation as they moved toward the sounds. Suddenly, from the dark depths of the cave, a rustling noise erupted. Stones, spears, and meteor hammers came flying at them like a storm.
Barrett pulled out a small oak shield, his right hand spinning his shortsword in a flurry of strikes, deflecting the incoming stone weapons.
The crystal on his headband glowed bright, lighting up the path ahead like a miner's headlamp. In the glare, a swarm of goblins rushed forward, wielding stone spears, daggers, and obsidian axes.
Stella waved her staff lightly, and red flames ignited along Barrett's shortsword.
Barrett braced his shield in front of him, swinging the enchanted burning blade. With a Martial Art move as smooth as flowing water, he carved into the goblin horde, slicing through their carotid arteries and chests, dropping three goblins in an instant.
EeDechi leaped forward, her long, wide giant sword unbothered by the cave's narrow confines. She hacked deep gouges into the cave walls, then sent six goblins flying with a single swing.
Sean drew and released his longbow, steel arrows shooting out with deadly precision. Every shot hit its mark, and goblins swinging meteor hammers fell one by one.
Stella chanted softly, a massive orb of holy light bursting from her staff to hover at the cave's ceiling, banishing the darkness. She unleashed several 1st Tier fireballs, blasting down a few more goblins.
In the shadows behind her, a goblin clutching a dagger crept closer. The cleric girl, focused on casting spells, didn't notice the sneaky attacker. Relying on past battle instincts, the goblin leaped, aiming its dagger at her waist. Sean, drawing his bow, spotted the ambusher too late to react.
The dagger struck Stella's thick chainmail, only knocking the cleric girl off balance. Before the sneaky goblin could figure out why she was so tough, an enraged Sean put an arrow through its skull, pinning it to the ground.
The swarm of goblins was quickly cut down to a handful, the survivors screeching as they fled deeper into the cave.
The cave was littered with goblin limbs, blood dripping and pooling along the stone cracks. Most of the hacked-up remains were Barrett's doing—EeDechi just sent them flying, leaving their bodies intact.
The adventurer captain scowled in disgust and said to Barrett, "Be a bit more careful. You don't need to be so brutally violent. Just knock them out like I do; there's no need to chop them to pieces. Got it?"
"Yeah…" Barrett nodded, though inwardly he grumbled. What's with this weird request? I don't have your freakish strength to just swat enemies dead and leave 'em whole. Fighting's messy, and besides, you've flattened way more goblins than I've sliced.
The four adventurers pressed on, reaching a stone hall. Sobs of human women echoed in the dark chamber. Before they could pinpoint the cries, a massive green mound of flesh loomed from one side of the hall, quivering and roaring with a guttural bellow as it charged.
"What is that? Goblins get that big?" EeDechi said, stunned.
"Goblin giant, a throwback mutant," Barrett answered, but before he could finish, EeDechi leaped forward, slamming her giant sword into the creature's skull.
The hulking beast staggered two steps and collapsed, lifeless.
"Damn humans! Damn adventurers! Argh! I'll kill you! I'll slaughter every last one of you!" a rasping, furious voice howled from behind the fallen mound.
Under the glow of Stella's magical light orb, an old goblin emerged, wearing a feathered crown with iron rings piercing its nose and ears. It slammed a green bone staff into the ground, its face twisted in savage, frenzied rage.