“Could just be personal preference,” Marie suggested.
“Or it could be based on his elven heritage,” Tom added. “We’re just spitballing right now.”
“Just keep it in mind,” Harry said.
“Maybe Kattie…” Carl said, trailing off.
“Yeah, we thought of that too, but you know how stubborn she can be,” Dick cautioned him.
“Better than you do,” Carl replied. “I’ll hold onto the hope for now, though.”
“Optimism: the continued belief that things will work out even when life is kicking you in the teeth,” Tom snorted.
“Pessimism is the inability to accept anything good,” Carl shot back.
“And realism is being prepared for the worst and being pleasantly surprised when it fails to happen,” Marie finished with a smile. The smile faltered after a second, “Be careful when you go. I’d hate to lose more of you.”
“We’ll be doing our best to stay alive,” Harry reassured her. “First order is finding their camp and seeing what we’re really up against.”
“After that, we can make our plans to deal with them,” Dick added.
“Food,” Tom said. Felix and Wilma brought out plates for everyone along with tea. “Can I get some beer?” Tom asked, frowning.
“Of course,” Felix smiled as he headed back to the bar.
“Beer for breakfast?” Marie asked.
“Charlie did it and it felt right,” Tom said, obviously lost in his own thoughts.
The others didn’t say anything, but it was clear they were now all giving serious consideration to the idea of their thoughts being influenced. The meal was plain but good, and it came to an end quicker than they really wanted it to.
“I’m going to take some back to John,” Marie said, getting to her feet.
“I’ll do the same for Kattie,” Carl said.
The door opening brought their attention to a man carrying a number of items. “Oh good, you’re here. These are from elder Orbin,” the guy said, depositing bags and bundles on the table.
Fifty feet of hemp rope, two more backpacks with waterskins, a small pot, a small crossbow with a case holding ten bolts, and two hand axes were placed on the table. Tom checked the bags, finding blankets and bedrolls in them, along with an oil sealed canvas, and three sets of bowls and spoons.
“Looks like we got most of what we asked for,” Dick nodded. “Tell Orbin we’ll be leaving shortly. If we’re not back in a week, then we’re probably not coming back.”
The young man nodded and left the inn quickly. Marie stood there watching them until the villager left. “Please come back.”
“Don’t worry, Marie,” Harry said as he checked the crossbow. “It’s goblins. How often did we die in the first few levels?”
“None, but this is no longer a game,” Marie cautioned him. “Carl isn’t sitting there and pulling his punches this time.”
Harry set the crossbow down, “I know. We all do. We won’t be stupid. You know we can do this, have faith in us.”
Nodding, Marie snatched the food she had set aside and fled the room. They all watched her go, wondering if they weren’t being a little too ready to face death.
Tom was the first to shake off the uncertainty. “If we just go slow and cautious, we’ll be fine. No rushing in, no stupid heroics. Smart and tactical we can do.”
“Yeah,” Dick nodded. “If we set the battlefield, it should be a given.”
“Guess I have to make my class work for us, then,” Harry said as he cocked the crossbow and dry fired it. “This is hard for me to cock. I think my brawn is right on the edge of being able to use it.”
“Well, your brawn is your lowest stat,” Tom said. “Mind if I try?”
Harry handed him the crossbow, “Go ahead and show off.”
Where Harry had to use both hands to pull the string back, Tom snagged it with two fingers and managed it with ease. “Here you go, shorty.”
“Ass,” Harry muttered, taking it back. “It’s a damned hand crossbow to you and a full crossbow for me.”
“And you’re as weak as a kitten,” Dick added. “Good thing you don’t rely on brawn to kill things.”
“True enough,” Harry muttered. “Anyway, let’s grab some food, fill these skins up, and head out.”
“Felix,” Dick called out. “We’re going to need those travel supplies.”
“I’ll gather them for you,” Felix smiled.
Leaving Greenways, the friends headed for Wilmirth’s farm. The walk was as boring as most of their travel had been.
“You know, it’s funny... I now have an appreciation for the passive spotting mechanic the last edition of T&T had,” Harry said. “It just makes sense now. Before, I thought it was a mechanic to help the GM have an easier time with random encounters.”
“I knew the reason,” Tom muttered.
“Yeah, yeah, one of the few times you’ve been right,” Dick chuckled. “I remember that argument.”
“Derailed the start of that campaign for a good hour,” Harry snickered. “I’ll admit I was wrong now.”
“Finally going to be the bigger man… oh, wait,” Tom deadpanned.
“Asshole,” Harry laughed. “Though it does raise a question... do you think that dice rolls are happening in the background now?”
“You mean are we just imaginary pieces to someone playing a game?” Dick asked with a raised eyebrow.
“No, not that,” Harry rebuffed him. “Do you think that all of our actions are weighted and whether or not we succeed is based on random dice rolls?”
“No,” Tom said. “Think about what we’ve done and faced. The only thing that even feels remotely game-like are our abilities and them resetting at dawn. Combat isn’t split into our turn- their turn, for instance.”
“Fair,” Dick nodded. “Do you think we’ll level, though? And how do you think that will happen?”
“Milestone leveling?” Harry suggested. “We’ve killed a good number of goblins, but I don’t feel like I’m really improving yet. It could be that we have to face hard trials that stretch us, and when a major event is passed, we’ll level.”
“I can see that,” Tom nodded. “I want to test something when we get to the farm. All of us should try to pick up the tracks. My build had nothing for that and I doubt Dick’s did, either. Harry, your scout build should have a much easier time of it. It’s possible that there is a bigger game essence under the world that we don’t see or interact with.”
“You mean the skills like spot and stealth are really still there, and it just makes things easier for us to try?” Harry asked for clarification.
“It could be is all I’m saying. I’m hoping we learn more once we do level, which I’m betting we’ll do once we eliminate the goblin threat.”
“Fair,” Dick nodded. “I’m not sure it matters, though.”
“Truth,” Harry nodded, “but for some things, it might. If we have to sneak up on the goblins, do you think you can actually manage it?”
“I think so,” Dick nodded.
“I’m not sure,” Tom added. “I’m not wearing armor, which is good because that shit always made sneaking hard. It’s one of the reasons I went brawler, so we could maybe manage to sneak for once. Now, that might not matter at all.”
“Or it might still matter. Historically, knights could move well in their armor, but I would doubt it would be quiet enough to sneak up on people.”
“Point, Dick,” Tom sighed. “Fuck it. This is what we have, we’ll make it work.”
“Damned right we will,” Dick nodded.
“Farm just ahead,” Harry said. “Should we give it a quick toss?”
“Yes,” Tom said immediately. “We might find more useful shit, but I’d be surprised if Orbin didn’t have the hunters give it a going over.”
“I’m glad none of us have qualms about looting the dead,” Dick said.
“Kevin would have been upset,” Tom muttered.
“Yes, he
would have. Gods know we’ve had that argument at the table enough times,” Harry agreed. “He’s not here right now, and if he wants to bitch about it, he can after we bring him back.”
They fell silent as they continued to trudge toward the farm, each of them lost in their own thoughts about what might happen when Kevin was brought back to life.
Chapter Ten
Arriving at the farm, they found it almost exactly as they had left it: goblin bodies lying on the ground, slowly decomposing. Tom borrowed Harry’s knife and retrieved the ears from the dead, wrapping them up in a rag he found in the barn.
“Goddamn, I thought they stunk when they were alive,” Tom coughed as he tied the bundle to the outside of his backpack. Wiping the knife off, he gave it back to Harry, “Find anything?”
“I’m pretty sure I found their trail, but I know you and Dick wanted to give it a go,” Harry said. “Dick’s already looking through the burnt-out cabin, so you might as well give the grounds a going-over.”
“Works,” Tom shrugged, heading toward the back of the farm. “I’ll be back.”
Eventually, Tom made it back to the main yard and approached Dick and Harry. “Fuck if I know where they came from.”
“I’ll give it a quick look,” Dick shrugged before walking off. “Maybe you just need better brainpower to see what’s there.”
Tom flipped him off as they passed each other. “What did he find?” Tom asked Harry when he got closer.
“Some coin and a ring, but that’s about it in the way of useful items. Everything else in there is damaged by ash and smoke. There was no body or skeleton anywhere.”
“Think they took him for food?”
“Possibly,” Harry nodded.
“Sharp-toothed bastards,” Tom muttered. “The only good goblin is a dead goblin.”
“Yeah, but we said that about everything we killed before,” Harry laughed.
“Warty green skin, shark-like teeth, maybe three feet tall,” Tom shook his head. “They meet all the checkboxes for goblins, and I can understand them.”
“I’ve been thinking,” Harry said slowly.
“Did it hurt?”
“Fuck you, and listen for once,” Harry sighed. “Starting adventure, right? When has it ever been as simple as goblins attacking a village?”
Tom didn’t say anything. He thought back over the long years they had been gaming together. After a few minutes, he shook his head, “Fuck.”
“That’s what I thought,” Harry said. “The goblins are doing this for a reason, and it’s not going to be as cut and dried as ‘they wanted food.’ If that was the case, they wouldn’t have attacked multiple locations as blatantly as they have.”
“I really fucking hate it when you’re right,” Tom grumbled.
“Who’s right about what?” Dick asked, coming toward them.
“My theory,” Harry replied, looking smug.
“You agree with him?” Dick asked Tom.
“As much as it pains me to admit, yes.”
“Assholes,” Harry laughed. “Just mad that I’m smarter than you both.”
“What do you think the reason is, then?” Dick asked.
“The likely options come in a variety of bad news. It could be a bigger threat came along and displaced them, which means we’ll have to tackle that after the goblins. The next is that they’re being used by another larger, meaner bunch as recon in force, which leaves us with the same problem, but worse. Of course, it could also be that the goblins are just seeking to expand, but considering what we’ve seen, that means a large— and I mean large— number of goblins.”
“Those all sound equally bad to me,” Dick sighed.
“Out of the three, the first option is best, followed by the last,” Tom said. “If it’s the second one, well... things are going to get very ugly in Greenways.”
“Guess we should head out and see what we can find,” Harry said.
“Speaking of, I couldn’t find the trail, either,” Dick grumbled, “which is odd because I’m the one who used to do volunteer work with search and rescue.”
“Different worlds,” Tom shrugged. “Okay, shorty, you’re on point. We doing this quiet and slow the entire way or just when you think we’re getting closer?”
“Normal to start. If I signal, just freeze and wait for me to scout farther ahead,” Harry said. “Also, can you take this bag? It’ll make it harder for me to move quietly.”
Tom chuckled as he slung the second bag over his shoulder. “I knew it would happen eventually.”
~*~*~
They walked for hours, following Harry down what appeared to be overgrown game trails. With the sun overhead, the group stopped in a small clearing that was dominated by a fallen tree. Tom broke out the food and handed around dried fruit that had been packed for them, along with some of the hard cheese.
“Boring,” Dick muttered. “Might be different if I was the one finding the trail, but I’m not.”
“Not really engaging for me, either,” Harry said. “We’re unlikely to find them today.”
“It’s weird that we keep finding one good set of prints every so often,” Tom added.
“Can you read the prints?” Harry asked.
“I’m thinking human. They seem big for goblins.”
“I think they belong to David Wilmirth,” Harry said. “They did take him with. I’m seeing a dozen or more goblin tracks with him.”
“Is this a rescue op now?” Dick asked with a raised eyebrow.
“Not unless it’s easy to get in and out when we find them,” Harry said. “If he’s even still alive, then he’s likely starving and dehydrated. He’ll be unable to move fast or stealthily, if that’s the case.”
“Keep it in mind, but don’t count on it,” Dick nodded.
“Think Orbin would up our pay if we could bring him back?” Tom asked.
“The villagers would probably side with us if he didn’t offer it,” Dick grinned. “We’ll cross that bridge when we get to it. Hell…” Trailing off, Dick’s head tilted slightly. He held up a hand to the others, forestalling them asking what the problem was. Turning his head to either side, he tugged his ear and pointed into the woods.
Harry left the remnants of his food on the tree and slipped into the brush. Tom stayed where he was, watching his friend go. Shoving the rest of his lunch into his mouth, he washed it down with a pull from his waterskin. Double checking the straps on the bags, he was getting antsy when the voices came close enough for him to hear them.
“Gruk mad. Last raid no come back,” a goblin whined. “Only one tall-one for trouble.”
“We grab one, then go back. Gruk be happy,” another goblin asserted.
“Tall-ones no go farm. Home burned,” a third goblin grumbled. “We no bring one back, Gruk eat you.”
Tom felt excitement building inside as he pulled the two hand axes from his belt. The voices were getting closer, and sounded like they would cross right through the clearing. Glancing to Dick, he saw his friend crouched down behind the tree. Slipping off the back of the tree, he knelt next to Dick and waited.
Tom held up three fingers and Dick shook his head, touched his ear, and held up five. Nodding, Tom made his plans: throw the axes and then rush in. Dick, seeing his friend focus, knew he would have time to get off at least a couple of spells. Tapping Tom, Dick used hand gestures to explain what he wanted to do. Tom smirked and nodded, revising his own plans based on what was about to happen.
The goblins came closer, arguing over which of them would be eaten if they failed their raid. Dick stood up abruptly when the voices were right on top of them, arcane words spilling out of his mouth as he focused on the five goblins.
“Tall-one,” one of the goblins shouted, seeing Dick. “Elf-spawn.”
A second later, the ground under the goblins was covered in a light sheen, and four of the five goblins lost their footing, landing awkwardly on the ground.
“Shaman,” the standing goblin howled. It drew bac
k its arm and flung its spear at Dick.
Dick did not bother trying to dodge the spear; barrier sprang up in front of him and stopped it. Tom jumped to his feet, throwing one axe and then the second. The goblin he had aimed at ducked the first axe, but the second sank into its skull.
“I like that spell,” Harry said from off to the side, his first bolt punching into a goblin’s chest while they struggled to get back to their feet.
Greenways Goblins (Resurrection Quest Book 1) Page 10