Kapitel 6: (Side Chapter) Adventures

(About 1 hour before the final fight at the goblin village. On the old hunting trail.)

"So boss, can you tell me why we are here again?"

"For the last time, we came here to complete a job. That job would be to investigate the goblin attack on the small village near the shrub lands. If I have to say it again, I am going to knock you out and Edd can carry you back on his shoulder."

"Come on man, don't be like that I just have a bad memory is all . . . so why we here again, pfft."

"THATS IT, GET OVER HERE!"

"Oh no, he's after me. Save me Edd!"

The events that were transpiring were a normal event that happened all to regularly amongst this group of people. 4 to be to be specific.

"That is enough you two. Jase you shut it with your stupid questions and stop messing with Quincy.

Also come on Quincy ya can't let him get to you all the time. You know he feeds off that type of thing." (Edd)

"Huuuu, I know, I know. It's just that he so infuriating. He has asked that question nearly 14 times now over the past couple hours and I just could not take it anymore." (Quincy)

"Yeah, I know, I have been here between the two of you just in case this exact situation happened. Now, have anything to say Jase." (Edd)

"Ok ok, I am sorry for getting you all flustered but with all seriousness why are we here in the shrub lands? When we took the job it only entailed investigating the attack on the village. I thought we would just go to the village get the information form one of the towns people and then go back to the guild and report our findings." (Jase)

"Well that would be the usual case but not this time." (Quincy)

"Oh, and what would be different about this time." (Jase)

"Well if you were there when we met the village elder and got the information from him you would not be asking now would you."

"Don't give me that Ada. It took us several days to get to the village and we got there way past night fall. Who can blame me for sleeping in for a bit longer!"

"Hmph" (Ada)

"As I was saying. The reason it's different this time is because there were multiple hobgoblins spotted amongst the raid on the village. This could mean that a goblin settlement could have popped up. It is our duty to find out if there is one and report it to the guild if we cannot handle it ourselves." (Quincy)

"Well alright that does make sense. I won't ask anymore." (Jase)

"Then let's cut the chatter already. There are many creatures that live in the shrub lands and we don't want to go ringing the dinner bell for them now do we." (Edd)

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Along the trail they went. Passing the large overgrown brush while being vigilant at all times. They understood the inherent dangers of these lands very well. Even when they were arguing they still kept an ear and eye out for anything lurking in the underbrush around them.

They did not travel very light given their line of work. Edd was the tank of the group carrying a large heater shield donned in semi plate armor and wielding a one-handed ax of unusual size. Quincy the leader of this group had a pair of short swords strapped to his belt and wore a type of light weight scale mail. Jase had a curved dagger strapped across his chest and whore leather armor which seemed a tad too tight for him seeing as how he kept grabbing and pulling at it along the way. Lastly, we have the only female in the group wearing a robe with a deep hood. She carried a long-gnarled staff with a small bead at the tip (A/N: take a guess at what she can do).

They had done many jobs before where they encountered many different strange and dangerous creatures but none like the one, they were about to see in a bit.

About 45 minutes go buy and Jase stops for a sec and motions everyone to stop as well.

"What is it?" (Quincy)

"Do you here that." (Jase)

"I do not know what you mean." (Quincy)

While Quincy asked that the rest of the party strained themselves to try and hear what Jase was talking about and about 30 seconds later Edd gave an answer.

"Although it is very faint, I can hear some fighting." (Edd)

"Well that's good at least someone else can here it besides me. I cannot tell the exact direction its coming from unless we get closer but once we do, we can head right towards it." (Jase)

"Sounds good, but we got to move stealthily if anything. Does anyone have anything else to say? No? Then let's get to moving."(Quincy)

For the next 5 minutes or so they traveled down the old path getting closer to the sounds of battle. Soon enough they were able to get close enough to where they could clearly hear the noise of weapons hitting each other hard. Quincy motioned to Ada with a couple of distinct hand signs and in response she nodded her head and began to mumble under her breath some words.

Once she was done speaking the tip of her staff was glowing a dull blue color. She went to each person in the party and touched them on the head. Immediately after being touched a faint shimmer covered their bodies, and they seemed to look a bit transparent.

"Okay, you guys know the drill. We go in and be as quiet as possible. The magic Ada casts can disperse our presence, but it does not mean we are invisible, nor does it mean we can talk normally. If anything goes wrong, we get our asses out of there got it." (Quincy)

Once everyone gave a nod Jase went to the front of the party and began to lead them towards the noise the best he could.

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After another minute or so they finally came upon what was making all the racket and they did not like what they saw. In front of them about 60 or so feet away were two lords of separate races fighting it out to the death. Both were highly dangerous targets that would leave their team near death if they encountered it at full strength. One being a Hobgoblin Lord and the other which was even worse a King Knoll variant. What made it a variant was the white fur, most kings of their race stayed with a similar color scheme for all their evolution's (that being brown) but the ones who changed color were said to be even deadlier.

It seemed though that the battle was coming to an end very soon. Both had bad wounds on them, but it was clear to the party that the white knoll had a bit more fight in him than the goblin king did. As the goblin king was crouched down on the ground with his blade to his side the white knoll came up to him with hammer in hand grinning all the while. At least it looked like it was grinning by the looks of it.

It raised its weapon overhead ready to strike down the goblin king. With the last of its strength king griped its sword ready to receive said strike.

Then it happened, mid swing of the weapon. A shrill type of roar rang out from the brush, and a flash of grey and red rushed strait towards the two battling creatures. Before the white knoll could stop its swing and turn around to see what made the noise the thing was already upon it slashing at it neck and arm.

The second those claws hit. The arm fell to its side as it was cleaved through and the head fell forward still slightly attached to the body by a bit of flesh at the front of the neck. No sooner did that happen blood spraying everywhere from the opened wounds the thing went for the goblin king on the ground ripping its throat out with little effort.

All the four did was stare with mouths agape. All thinking the same thing.

"What in the hell is that!?" (Quincy,Jase,Edd,Ada)

All the smaller knolls now seeing their king killed and on the ground spurting blood from its neck and stump where its arm was, they started to flee in all directions with reckless abandon. Gone were their happy expressions after winning the battle now replaced with terrified expressions. Those that were injured during the fight between the two small armies were the first to go. Killed with a slash or two of the things claw.

The group guessed from the way it moved before that it could easily catch up with the other fleeing knolls, but it did not for some reason. After killing the injured knolls that could not run away very well it walked back to the first targets it killed.

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That was when Quincy tapped both Edd and Ada's shoulders and motioned to leave. Edd tapped Jase on the shoulder to tell him that they were leaving. Just when they all were starting to move there was a snap of a branch beneath Jase's feet. All of them froze on the spot and slowly turned around to glare at Jase but not only that, to look at the creature looking in their direction.

Everyone held their breath and stood completely still. They knew that the spell that was cast on them was still in effect and that they could get away if that creature did not approach them to close. That's what Quincy hoped anyway. A minute goes by and the creature looks away from their general direction and proceeds to other things. They would not know because they got out of there as fast as they could this time watching their steps for any fallen branches.

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It was a 5-minute trip back to the path, but they cut it down to two once they felt safe enough to run. None were out of breath besides Ada but that was to be expected she was not built to run for long. Edd was the first to speak anything.

"Ada, I know you studied monsters back in school. Have any of you seen anything like that before!?" (Edd)

"Ha Ha . . no, no I have not . . . this could be a new species of creature, give me a minute to catch my breath ha." (Ada)

"Did you see how quick it was and the way it killed those two. Even in those states if we tried to ambush them, we would come away with a couple of wounds at least." (Quincy)

"Well whatever it is, it's smart and crafty to. Seeing as how it was able to wait for the perfect time to go in for the kill." (Jase)

"We need to report this back to the guild at all costs. About the emergence of these goblins and knolls because it could mean that a migration might happen. As well as this new creature dangerous creature we found." (Ada)

"If I remember correctly there should be a reward for reporting unidentified monsters, right?" (Jase)

"This is no time to be thinking about money. Just think if that thing gets our sent somehow and comes after us what would that mean." (Quincy)

". . ."

". . . We got to get out of here." (Edd)

They set off on the path back to the village with a hurried pace to report what they had witnessed. But they did not know how much this creature would change in the time they were gone.