The quest board outside the entrance of the infinite city had a bounty on some goblins. Kill 30 goblins for 15 steel coins, 100 steel coin bonus if you kill a goblin general and 1 steel coin for every 3 killed after the quota. 185 points for F rank to E rank.
"Well I am good with the goblins." I said Nil nodded her ascent.
Taking the bounty to the guild representative. "Guild card please. Goblins are weak but never alone remember that. But we have reserved word this morning that there are 50 goblins and the goblin general but as long as you kill 30 you will still complete the quest just bring the right ears of the goblins as proof of the kills. Also if you kill all of the goblins and the general the point reward will increase to 250. Any other questions or quests?" the guild representative said.
"No, that will be all." Nil said.
The guild rep handed us a needle on a thread and said "Put the ears on this string."
Once through the gate to the infinite city the smell hit me like copper or blood. Seeing me grimace Nil said "when the city was first discovered it was estimated to be 1000's of years old untouched for so long the monster population had gotten out of control so the dwarven kingdom of Ironveil sent an army to put down some of the monsters but it was hard fought there were many dwarven deaths even 1500 years later you can still smell the blood they lost."
"Dwarven kingdom I thought that Ironveil was a dukedom." I said.
"You were too young to be taught this when your homeland was destroyed but the content of Alderea where we are now used to be split into multiple countries that would constantly war with one another but a council was formed and all the kings made dukes to rule in peace. There have been some problems but not many. Now that you are part of my party you need to learn history. I will tell you some but you will need to get books and learn." Nil said.
"Ok."
We walked with stealth. Finding the signs of the goblins. There were 3 coming out of an abandoned building. Whispering, I said, "I will go kill them watch for more."
Nil nodded. Whistling a tune I pulled out both of my hand axs. The goblins turned around and ran at me yealing a war cry in a language I did not understand. I struck the first one with the flat of the ax in my right hand knocking it flat on its scrawny ass. The one in the middle I buried the same ax in its head, losing my grip and dropping the ax.
With the other ax I caught the goblins sword with the beard of the axe kicking the goblin on to the ground then stomping the throat cracking the windpipe of the goblin. The first goblin was then on its feet so I pulled my sword. An arrow sprouted from the neck of the goblin. "I had it Nil, why did you kill it?"
"Look behind you."
Behind me there were 15 goblins 3 on large mounts being led by a goblin knight on its wolf mount. "What do you think? Do we take them? If you kill the ones on those rat mounts I will be able to take the knight out." I asked.
"If you are feeling good about it. Let's do it."
I took the first axe and threw it, killing the knight's wolf. Throwing the second axe I killed one on foot. Pulling my sword I prepared for the fight. 3 arrows killed two of the goblins on foot and one on a rat a forth arrow killed the rat.
They were on me like flies to honey. My first sword strike killed then 2 arrows killed another 2 on foot. The second sword strike killed a goblin and its rat. They were surrounding me. The knight finally recovered from its fall. 3 arrows killed the last rat but not the rider it went tubing and 2 others on foot.
I killed the last rat rider with a stomp to the back of the head. The knight arrived in the pack as I felt a club on the back. I let out a war cry. Killing 2 more. 3 more arrows kill three more goblins. My sword blocks a wild strike from the goblin knight. It is strong but untrained. 2 arrows kill the last 2 goblins. Blocking 2 more wild strikes I kick the front of the goblins knights nee I heard a visish snap. I took its head.
Once the fight was done I took all of the right ears threading the needle and the guild rep gave us. "I always hate this part." Nil said.
"I am not a huge fan of cutting off ears either."
"What the hell did that goblin eat? It is huge."
"It is a goblin knight. It is a type of hobgoblin whose class is knight. When a goblin evolves it evolves into a hobgoblin. They are rare because they are only hobgoblin knights when there is a goblin general, prince or even a king."
"How do you know all that without education? I was educated and I never knew that." Nil asked.
"I think that it was my appraisal skill. The only way for it to activate on a monster is to kill one of the species. I only need to see an ordinary item to appraise it though." I said.
"Ok that makes sense. Will you use your monster harvist skill?"
"Yep…" I raised my hand over the pile of corpses "...What materials you may have had are now mine to harvest."
Two lights showed one from the knight and one of the rat riders and 2 magic stones floated out of their bodies and into my hand. "Good gods this is 150 copper at the minimum 1E rank stone and 1F rank stone that is not a bad hull."
"True. My family has a merchant contact in this city that may buy them off us especially because looted magic stones are worth more."
"Really I did not know that loot abilities made magic stones more valuable. Is there less of a chance for damage?" I asked
"No the stones leak magic when dug out but when the stones are pulled out with a harvest spell the stones leak magic much slower to the point where it does not matter because the magic of the stones is used in other magic items." Nil said.