See first chapter for disclaimers.
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Thanks to Storyseeker for beta-reading this. As usual, if you have any comments or preferences, please don't be shy. RandR.
PREVIOUSLY: Valdemar series
Divine Intervention?
The gods were rolling dice again. They had been doing this for a very long time as a peaceful alternative to open conflict. At first, they had just rolled dice, but that quickly got boring. So, monsters and adventurers were made part of the game. These people, of course, had no say in the matter.
A deity called Illusion, wearing the form of a small girl, rolled the dice as the others scoffed over the wager she had made. This was standard behavior from them, and she ignored it. They had no faith in the mortal creatures used as their proxies in the ongoing war between the gods of order and light and the gods of chaos and darkness. Illusion felt the current group she was wagering on had potential, and she would prove it. If the dice came up in her favor. Before the dice could finish their roll, however, a sandaled foot came down on them.
"Mind if I play through?" The bearded old man smiled beneficently at the startled deities, all of whom eyed him warily.
"This is no concern of yours," Truth, the first to find their voice, declared. "You have no sway here."
"Nevertheless," the old man said. "Observe."
OOOOOOOOOO
Their arrival at their latest destination had been uneventful. The clearing they found themselves in was unremarkable, but there was a road close by with what they readily recognized as wagon-tracks and hoof-prints. They doublechecked their appearance and found it suitably rustic. At first glance, the place seemed comparable in tech to Valdemar. Still, caution was warranted. They moved parallel to the road for a time, sticking to the trees, the better to avoid meeting anyone unexpectedly and discovering the hard way that they didn't blend in.
It was only a short trip to a village straight out of a fantasy novel. The clothes they had chosen worked fine, based on what they saw of the locals. At worst, they'd be taken for travellers from a distant town, which was more or less accurate.
They could tell there was something going on in the village. People were tense, and there were armed patrols. Those patrols were only armed with farming implements and crude cudgels, true, but the people of the rustic farming community were no less serious than actual soldiers would have been. Could be the country was at war, or there were bandits or monsters troubling them. The two hunters had seen each of those scenarios before.
"No point speculating," Faith shrugged. "Let's see what's goin' on."
They walked into the village, and while not welcomed openly, they weren't regarded with suspicion and hostility either. That tended to rule out a war, at least a war with other humans. On asking, they learned that a group of goblins had attacked a couple of nearby farms and carried off some young women.
With no discussion needed between the two hunters, Faith asked about goblins and about where this particular group could be found. They listened carefully to the information available about the creatures' nature and habits, not that the villagers knew much, but there was some information to be had. Then one of the villagers directed them to an old shopkeeper.
"Old Gim used to be an adventurer. He'd know more about goblins than any of us." The man that had answered their initial questions gave them directions.
They found Gim in a small shop that sold cloth and used clothing. He was rail-thin with grey hair and a left leg that ended at the knee. When they told him why they were there and what they needed, he gave them an assessing look, and seemed dubious.
"You wanna rescue the girls? That's right brave o' ye." He shook his head. "Stupid, though. Just the two o' ye? With no proper weapons? Ha' either o' ye ever actually seen a goblin?"
"We've hunted all sorts of things," Faith assured him. "We have weapons and armor, too. From what the others told us; they sound kinda like hobbes. About the size of 6-year-olds with vicious tempers, a taste for human flesh, and a hatred of soap? One by itself isn't dangerous, five is light exercise, a dozen or more starts being a threat."
Gim considered this. "Never heard 'o hobbes, less ye mean hobgoblins, but tha' sums up the normal goblins pretty well. They like ta set ambushes and swarm any adventurers stupid enough to go in unprepared." He gestured at a cleared table that he usually used for laying out cloth for measuring and cutting. "Let's see yer gear."
After being shown what they had, he was happy to answer their questions. The old man hated goblins. They settled in to listen, and he detailed the goblins' nature, habits, the best times to attack, the worst mistakes one could make when attacking, and what supplies they would likely need. He warned them specifically of their poison of choice. Both gave revolted shudders and promised to watch for the poisoned weapons.
After two hours of talking, interrupted only by the old man's tendency to make points by recounting his own adventures, only a few of which had to do with goblins, they left his shop and visited the village's potion maker. That a small town had such a person, they didn't question. It was just dismissed as what Xander called a common trope.
Faith wasn't sure what that meant, but decided to roll with it. They traded for needed potions with gold coins they'd made a point of acquiring at various stops. Gold and jewels were accepted most places, and they did occasionally need to buy things. The shopkeeper was happy to have the gold, no matter where it came from. The recommended supplies included health potions and cure poison potions that the man claimed worked on goblin poison if it was taken soon enough. With supplies arranged and Gim's approval of their armor and weapons, they were soon off, tracking the goblins and the kidnapped girls.
The place wasn't that hard to find. Both had learned how to track during their various stops, and that was a skill that was usable in almost any world. It helped that the goblins were terrible at hiding their tracks, or they were making no effort to do so, and the cave they had taken for their lair was soon located.
The goblin tracks and the drag marks led to a small clearing containing the entrance of the cave. This was definitely it. He glanced at Faith, who nodded her agreement. The goblins, as described by Gim, weren't too different from other things they'd faced. Like the hobbes they had fought a number of worlds back, and another world's version of goblins they had faced more recently, the things were small and weak, but they were also sneaky and vicious. It was likely that anyone going into the cave would get swarmed. The two demon hunters had some experience with that, and it was never fun.
"How do you wanna play this?" Faith asked. "Since they've got prisoners, we'll have to go in there."
"I know. The villagers said there was a group of them, and we've seen lots of tracks while scouting this place. With just the two of us? Could get pointless."
"I know. Let me think." Faith said irritably as she stared at the cave entrance.
Whatever plans she was making were interrupted by the voices of several teenagers approaching through the woods. They pulled back farther into the underbrush and watched. The group emerged from a path on the other side of the clearing. Three girls and one boy stepped into the clearing, making no effort to disguise their presence or their intentions.
The boy seemed to be in charge. He was wearing a thin leather breast plate and no other armor. His long sword looked like it was in good condition, but depending on the layout of the cave, probably wasn't the best choice of weapon. A long blade in the narrow tunnels could be a problem.
There was a bookish looking spellcaster with a staff, a girl with no weapons or armor, but who moved like a trained fighter, and a thin and rather pretty blonde that seemed to be a priestess of some sort, judging by the robes and fancy jangling staff.
Faith rolled her eyes and spoke loud enough to get the kids' attention. "Well, there goes the element of surprise."
The teens jumped and spun round to face the source of the voice. The warrior drew his sword, the fighter took a stance and the wizard raised her staff.
"Seriously?" Xander asked, stepping out from behind a tree to their right. "I thought you came here to kill goblins and rescue their prisoners, not serve yourselves to the little beasts on a platter."
"Who are you?" the young swordsman demanded, lowering his sword only slightly when he saw that they were human. He didn't look happy. "This is our quest."
"We don't care about the reward." Faith stepped into view. "We're just here to get the girls back." She looked them over. "No offense, but frankly, I don't think you're up to the job."
"You think we can't handle a few filthy goblins?" The girl with the wizard staff sniffed.
"A few? In the open? Sure." Faith allowed. "What about 20 swarming you in that narrow cave? Judging by the tracks, that's about how many there are. They're not stupid either. They'll attack from behind if they can, trying to take out the spellcasters first."
Suddenly, the young wizard didn't look so sure of herself.
"Goblins love to set ambushes, and thanks to you, they know we're coming." Xander glanced toward the cave with a pensive expression. "Doesn't change anything. We've still got to go in there to get the girls back."
He looked to Faith, who nodded. "We'll go together, but we need to plan."
It took a bit of convincing, but the group fell back and they made a plan for entering and then securing their route. They shared something Gim had told them.
"'If ya see a totem or some eye-catching drawing on one side o' the tunnel; right away, look to the other side and scan the floor in front o' ya for trip wires an' such. They love their traps and ambushes.'"
Faith had asked the wizard and priestess what they could use and how often, finding both wanting but potentially useful. The wizard's only useful attack spell took too long to cast, and she could only use it four times. She claimed that that was exceptional for a fresh graduate from the Academy.
The priestess only knew two spells, or miracles as she called them. One would heal wounds that weren't too grave, and the other would announce their location to every goblin in the cave. She could use three miracles a day.
"Might be useful." Xander allowed when Faith pointed that out. "Goblins are nocturnal. Might blind them for a bit."
"That could work. Save the miracles to heal, though. We may well need 'em." She glanced at the warrior. "Be careful with the sword. Normally, reach is your friend, but in a narrow cave, there's not much room to swing. Try to stick to stabbing."
"Got it." The warrior still wasn't terribly happy about them being there, but he had to admit, they knew their business. Perhaps, having them along wasn't such a bad idea, as long as they didn't try to horn in on the reward. The points they raised were valid, and there was no point taking stupid risks, even if all they faced were goblins. The number they had mentioned might be a problem in a tunnel, loathe though he was to admit it. His two friends seemed to share his displeasure, but had come to the same conclusions he had. The two had taken the groups' skills into account, and come up with a solid, workable plan.
The only one that didn't seem displeased with the strangers' presence was the priestess. She seemed visibly relieved to have them butting in. Perhaps, the warrior reflected, choosing such a timid mouse of a girl was a mistake. Still, they needed a healer. None of them could afford potions.
"Good, then." Faith said. "Let's get going."
They formed up as they had agreed. Faith led the way, with the warrior at her back. The priestess and the wizard walked a few steps behind the warrior. The dark-haired girl, who, apparently, fought only with hands and feet, came a few steps behind the wizard, protecting them from behind. Xander brought up the rear. He kept his attention primarily focused behind them.
They entered the cave with Faith holding a torch before them and a can of spray lubricant she'd picked up on another world. The warrior had looked at it questioningly, having never seen such a thing, but accepted Faith's assurance that it was a weapon.
She moved carefully, scanning the tunnel as they went. About 30 paces inside, there was a bizarre arrangement of items and symbols on the wall to their left.
"What's that?" the young swordsman asked, his tone disdainful. "Goblin sex toy?"
"No." Faith said, turning quickly to search the opposite wall and finding that an outcropping there concealed a short tunnel. "It's a distraction." Seeing movement, she held the torch in front of her and aimed a stream of lubricant through it. The gout of flame caught the oncoming goblin by surprise.
She had aimed low, and was a bit surprised to find the bellow of pain came from a point higher than her own head. The firelight revealed that she had set the guard's loincloth on fire. She glanced at the boy with the sword.
"Would you mind?"
He struck without hesitation. A thrust to the creature's throat, followed by a jerk and twist, silenced the beast and sent its corpse falling back into the side-tunnel. Several more cries of panic and anger sounded from farther back, as the smaller goblins discovered they were trapped by their burning colleague.
"Nice. You just killed your first hobgoblin." She drew a throwing knife that she'd grown rather fond of, and used the fire's light to target one of the smaller goblins. The noise from the side-tunnel lessened and the knife returned to her hand. Two more throws, and the tunnel was quiet again. She glanced at the knife and grimaced, before producing a cloth she used to quickly wipe off the blade. She offered it to the warrior who followed her example. "Gim said goblin gore was disgusting, but…eww."
There were no other side tunnels, before they reached the main chamber of the cave, but they did encounter several more goblins. Faith, who traded her spray-can for a sword, and the warrior dealt with them; he was careful to mind her warning about swinging his sword in the narrow tunnel, and limited himself to knocking aside their weapons and stabbing them. It was more difficult than he'd expected, and the little beasts got closer than he liked.
"Save some for the rest of us." Fighter sounded as if she were pouting.
"Don't get cocky." Faith told her.
"Yeah." Xander agreed, still focused on the tunnel behind them. "Rear guard may not be glamorous, but it's necessary. I'd rather not take a knife in the back 'cause I'm watching the floorshow instead."
The martial artist gulped audibly and refocused on the job at hand. Wizard got her chance when a group of five charged them with poisoned spears. Faith and the swordsman stepped aside, and she cast a fire arrow into the midst of their formation, breaking it and setting two of the goblins on fire. With the momentum of the charge broken, the rest were easier to deal with, though the warrior got a chance to find out how flimsy his leather chest plate was. Though not injured, he groused a bit over the expense.
He also groused over how the priestess had quailed when they were attacked. She had been in no danger during any of the fights, so far, but she still advised caution every step of the way, and checked on those involved in the fight afterwards almost obsessively. It was really annoying, though Faith seemed to approve of her overcautious behavior.
When they reached the main cavern, Faith readied the flare gun she'd used to such good effect before. Ducking around the last bend in the tunnel, she fired at the ceiling before ducking back. The resulting burst of light was blinding to all in the cavern. The human adventurers, used to bright light, moved in and began killing the goblins.
The wizard spotted the shaman starting to wave his staff and shout, but she had readied he fire spell before entering the cavern and finished first, burning a hole in the shaman's chest. The martial artist nearly lost her life discovering that her long ponytail was a poor fashion choice. She had killed two goblins with her bare hands when a third seized her hair and yanked, throwing her off balance, and enabling three others to rush her. Her friend with the longsword noticed her predicament and killed the goblin for her, freeing her to deal with the array of new targets before her. It pushed her limits, but she needed no help with them. Warrior was unable to help, as three more goblins had used the distraction to jump him. He killed the first without issue, and moved to use its falling body as a shield, but the remaining two flanked him more quickly than he'd expected. One jabbed low with its spear while the other came in low with a poisoned dagger.
He dealt with the spear first while trying to leap away from the dagger. He didn't quite make it. The spear wielder died with a split skull and the dagger wielder, quicker than its friend, dodged the first strike to leave a gash along his forearm. Warrior caught the creature with the backswing of his blade, removing the beast's head. Both wounds were relatively minor, but the poison, he recalled Faith's warning, needed to be treated quickly.
Fighter watched over him while he drank a potion that Xander gave him. Her attention, though, was focused on the slayer. The woman that had butted in on their first adventure was ahead of all of them in body count. She moved gracefully through her opponents, landing one powerful strike after another. Each one killed a goblin. Her friend was standing guard over the meek little priestess as they moved to check on the prisoners. He seemed content with that role, and the mere two goblins he had killed.
All too soon, it was over. Warrior and Wizard had been injured, the latter when she had moved away from Xander's protection to cast spells at the goblins, and had gotten stabbed in the leg for her trouble. Fortunately, the spear wasn't poisoned. Xander gave her a health potion in order to preserve Priestess' miracles for the prisoners. It was too chaotic during the fight to do more than ensure they were alive. Warrior's own injuries were trifling, thanks to the curative potion the strangers had provided, and were quickly bound.
Xander, the priestess, and the wizard, who was hobbling a bit even with her leg healed, tended to the captured village girls. None of them were too badly injured, physically. The goblins apparently wanted them for breeding stock to bring their numbers up. They had still been brutalized, and neither of the girls was taking it lightly as, Xander suspected, the loudmouthed swordsman might have.
Faith, Fighter, and Warrior made a final round, checking to ensure all of the goblins were dead and that there were no other prisoners or hidden surprises. Gim had been clear on the necessity of that. Goblins weren't the brightest creatures, but they excelled at hidden traps and caches. They were also known to play dead or helpless in order to strike at an enemy from behind.
On reaching the shaman, Warrior decided to stab him in the neck, just to be sure. This turned out to be a wise precaution, as the creature grabbed for its staff just as the young swordsman made his intention clear. The young adventurer made a mental note that shamans and hobgoblins should not be underestimated, and prepared to move on. Then he paused and looked again.
As he was right next to the throne the shaman had been using, he was the one to spot the hidden door. Although, calling it a door was somewhat generous. He shoved the throne aside and called Faith over. She checked it for booby-traps, and finding none, kicked it in. Behind the door was a group of children. Goblin children. Faith wrinkled her nose at the smell, and backed away.
"Goblin kids." She was at a loss for what to do about them. They were crying and eying her fearfully.
"Who are you?" Xander's words and the priestess' startled yelp distracted her, and she turned to face the tunnel to the surface. A man in an odd mix of leather, chain and plate armor, all of it rather dirty, had entered the chamber carrying a torch. He didn't answer the question, but surveyed the room, taking in the dead goblins, the freed village girls and the young adventurers. His eyes settled on Faith last.
"Behind you!" His shout and her slayer reflexes were all that saved her. She spun away, and the little beast with the poisoned blade stumbled past. She kicked it in the ribs, feeling several of them shatter at the force of the blow. The dead goblin and its poisoned dagger landed several feet away.
The stranger approached, watching the corpse and the remaining goblin kids carefully.
"Never turn your back on a goblin. Even the young ones are murderous beasts."
"Thanks." Faith offered sheepishly. "That was stupid of me."
"Get the prisoners out of here." The man didn't acknowledge her words. "I'll take care of this. It's hard, but you can't leave any survivors from a goblin nest. They learn and grow more dangerous. And they hold grudges."
"Is that really necessary?" the priestess asked, worrying her lip. "Maybe-"
"Stop being such a mouse!" Warrior snapped, finally losing all patience with her. "You saw what that one tried to do. Of course, it's necessary."
They shepherded the girls out of the cave, leaving the stranger to his grisly work.
The girls needed a little time to adjust to the bright sunlight. Xander went to the village as a messenger, taking word of the rescue and the need for a wagon to bring them back. Their physical wounds were healed, as were warrior's wounds thanks to the miracles the priestess had insisted on using, but they were still in no shape to make the long walk through the forest.
While they waited, the man in mismatched armor came out of the cave. He paused and looked them over. "You did good work in there."
"Xan and me have faced worse." Faith shrugged. "Pretty sure the kids woulda been toast if we hadn't come along, though."
"You don't know that!" Fighter exploded, embarrassed despite a small voice at the back of her mind raising doubts. Having seen Faith fight, she knew she had a long way to go, not that she'd admit it to the strange woman. "I can't believe you!" She turned away in exasperation.
"You've got a lot of potential," Faith told her. "All of you. But you need more seasoning, and you need to learn to study your enemy and the situation first."
"We appreciate the help," Warrior said, making a surprising stab at diplomacy. "And we did learn a lot from this. Next time, we'll be better prepared."
"Perhaps not all of us." Wizard offered. She turned and took a long look at Priestess. "Are you really sure you want to be an adventurer? Maybe you should reconsider life in the temple. You were scared of your own shadow most of the time." Warrior nodded, in full agreement. Clearly, the skinny blonde was too meek for an adventurer's life. He knew they wouldn't be taking her along next time.
"She was the only one of you showing sense, then." Faith opined. She glanced at the blonde girl. "You do need more experience under a proper mentor, though." She glanced at the armored man, taking in his armor and weapon. She was fairly sure that that wasn't the weapon he'd walked in with. Lifted off a dead goblin, most likely. Looking back on Gim's lesson, and his last story and bit of advice, she had a fair idea of who the man was and what he was about. "Didn't catch your name."
"I'm just here to slay goblins." He shook his head, having an idea of where the young woman before him was going with this.
"Yeah? What do they call you for short?" Faith's question got a titter out of the priestess.
"I've heard of this weirdo." Warrior declared. "He's silver ranked, but he only hunts goblins. Some kind of obsession."
"An obsession with being poor?" Wizard asked haughtily. "Goblin quests don't pay much, which is why anyone with sense moves on to better things, quick." She glanced at her companions. "Speaking of moving on." The other teens turned as a group and headed back toward town, ignoring Priestess.
Faith ignored the comments and their departure. "Figured from the armor and the way you knew your goblin trivia." Faith nodded. "Sounds like dangerous work."
"It is."
"Sounds like you could use a healer."
The man was silent for a moment. "I can't argue that."
"And someone who can blind the little monsters? Make 'em easy targets?" she prompted. Priestess was frowning in concern now, but she didn't seem to be against the idea.
"I can see the potential." He turned to the slip of a girl and gave her an assessing look. "If you're willing."
Priestess thought about what she had learned that day and what it meant for her as a priestess of the benevolent Earth Mother. She had become an adventurer to help people, to ease their suffering. This seemed the best way forward. "I've now seen what goblins are like and what other adventurers think of them," she allowed. "Only beginners take those quests, right?"
"Aside from me? Yes." The man nodded.
"And many of those beginners don't survive, because they underestimate goblins. Leaves those things to do whatever they want with farms and small villages." She firmed her resolve. "I'll come with you, and help keep you safe if you'll teach me. Too few people hunting goblins puts so many innocents at risk."
"I see. If that's your decision, come on. There are always more goblins to slay."
OOOOOOOOOO
"They just needed a helping hand," the bearded old man smiled. "I think they'll go on to do great things."
"Still not your concern," Truth pointed out stubbornly. "We do things a certain way around here."
"And how is that working out for you?" the old man asked mildly. He cocked his head thoughtfully. "That armored adventurer is interesting. I didn't anticipate his intervention."
"No one ever does." Illusion offered, a bit vexed by the goblin obsessed human, not that that was anything new. "He won't let us roll the dice."
"Curious." Then he dismissed the matter. "Well, I won't interfere again, but for reasons you may understand soon, this needed to happen. Good day to you." With that, the old man turned and vanished.
The other gods stretched their senses and examined the local plane, as if unsure the other had actually gone. Some wore petulant expressions while others looked merely thoughtful. That one didn't intervene without good cause. It made the more flexible among their number stop and think. The appearance of that particularly vexing adventurer, they doubted, was actually a coincidence, but they couldn't be sure. They were left to wonder.
That adventurer, among all the others, stood out. He wasn't the strongest or the wisest. He wouldn't save the world. He might not even change anything, but one thing did set that adventurer apart from the rest. He would not let the gods roll the dice. Even they didn't know what his future held.