Damrow was 4km northwest of Alterna. Winding roads made the journey at just about an hour. From Sherry's, they learned that the goblins there were larger, stronger and better armoured. They carried loot bags instead of pouches on strings. While Mud Goblins travelled in groups of 1-4, these Damrow Goblins were anywhere from a lone character to patrol party to a garrison on the move. Go deep enough into New City and you find Hobgoblins. The masonry made fortresses or small bases. From the Veterans, they learned that the deeper you went, the more dangerous it was as natural ambush points existed everywhere. These goblins had fire cover from bows and crossbows, using beams, statues, towers, windows and rooftops as sniping and watching positions. Wealthier goblins had something resembling standardized uniforms. The Veterans told stories of inexperienced Volunteers who went in and came back without their support class after walking into ambushes or failing to cover retreats. The mug tapper actually lost a Mage from his first party.
Like moving in the forest, Jakson went ahead first. He disappeared into the run down Old City, which was what people called the southeast corner of Damrow. One minute in, they followed in the general direction Jakson went to, trying their hardest to walk quietly. As Roland was told that Mud Goblins didn't carry bows, he didn't care for looking up. Now, every elevated position was suspect. The world closed in on him. Anywhere he looked, he was expecting a creature's face behind a bow or crossbow aimed at him. His bow knocked at some pile of fallen masonry and caused a few stones to roll. In the silence of Old City and the town road they were standing in, those stones were loud.
The party stopped and Demit came over to Roland. She took hold of one of the belts crossing his chest and shook him slightly.
"Take a knee. Breathe, soldier." Roland realised his breathing was louder than usual.
"Take a drink". He sipped from his water skin.
"They could be anywhere."
"Yes, and if you panic, they'll find you before you find them."
"You okay there, Honey?"
"You think every rooftop and window has something pointed at you." Roland nodded.
"You think they could come from you in any direction". Roland nodded again.
"I know how it feels. I don't know how I know, but I know. You're in enemy territory. But we have a scout, and statistically, a fireteam with a scout won't be ambushed because the scout will spot the ambush first, understand?" Demit was speaking very softly, her voice a whisper. Roland nodded.
"So I need everyone, eyes around. With Broski out there, no one jumps Fireteam Alpha. Understand?" Roland nodded.
"So breathe, soldier. Take another drink". Her voice was still low, and she covered Roland from Brewary's view. Roland took a gulp.
"Paprika? Honey? What's going on?"
"Eyes front, soldier. You're on Broski/Goblin watch".
"I'm fine", said Roland as he stood up. His breathing had slowed.
"Buildings spooked me." Jakson then arrived, giving his signature soft hiss to indicate his presence.
"Goblin patrol. 3 goblins". There was little time to plan. Jakson went around a building and vanished. Demit gestured to Brewary at a place he could hide behind. He slipped something to Roland before stroking his chin and leaving. She then pointed to a place he could climb, before following Brewary. He found footholes in the stone wall of the building and climbed up. There was a low wall still standing he could hide behind and still see the street. He looked at Brewary's gift. It was some kind of candy, made very sticky by first boiling it down. It was then rolled in a bit of flour before wrapped in a small leaf. He had an idea, popping the candy into his mouth, then scrunching the leaf and throwing it to the centre of the road. Brewary and Demit saw him. Brewary gave him an incredulous look but Demit caught on quickly. She gave him a thumbs up.
They were fairly silent, with most of the noise made by what they carried. Leading Goblin 1 carried a sword and small wooden shield. Goblins 2 and 3 had short spears and some metal plates tied to them with ropes like armour. All wore helmets. With some kind of grunt and a sound, Goblin 1 saw the leaf, picked it up and sniffed it. That action halted the patrol, giving Roland what he needed. He drew his bow as he stood and loosed at Goblin 3. With the plate protecting the front, there was nothing to stop the arrow entering the chest from the side of the neck. Stepping back away from the view from below, he pulled out another arrow then felt something hit him in the left side. He couldn't suppress his yell. Goblin 4 was loading another dart into its crossbow. The fight had started below.
Angry, he tried pulling his bow to shoot the crossbow goblin. It cackled when it saw he couldn't. It's part of the patrol, Roland realised. It travelled from rooftop to rooftop, using its small size to move about easily. Looking at Roland, it advanced menacingly so its next shot wouldn't miss. An arm and a dagger shot up and speared it from below. Screeching in pain, it fell off the roof to bleed to death on the road. Jakson came through an upstairs window, landed beside it and stabbed it again. Fuck, it hurts. Did I just catch Demit's cussing? He sank to his knees. The edge of the floor gave way and he fell down below. He screamed in pain as the dart snapped when he landed.
Brewary had already ended Goblin 1. It lay in its own blood, its shield broken and its helmet crushed; Brewary had gotten lucky with his swing. Demit was using Cure on herself. She had taken Goblin 2's spear to the shoulder. It slowly knitted itself as the light of her palm covered it. The goblin was stalemating Brewary with its reach and lighter weapon. It managed to catch Brewary's sword with its blade. A few quick jabs, slices and butts made it past his defences. It planned to wear Brewary down enough to slip in a killing blow. Jakson joined in and it cackled some more. By moving, twirling and using both ends of its spear, it kept Brewary and Jakson at bay. Jakson already had a cut in his arm. Roland howled into his own tunic stuffed into his mouth as the dart came out. As Demit used Cure, he picked up the dart and noticed how lucky he was. It was very crudely smithed, just some metal hammered and rounded to fit a wooden stick. The fletching was ruffled quite badly. It was likely that Goblin 4 did aim properly, but the poor quality disrupted its aerodynamics. Demit cussed, wishing her Cure would heal faster.
"Get up, soldier. Up, now!". Demit picked her staff and joined the fight. Roland, sides still aching, climbed back up to fetch his bow. The fall had broken 2 arrows and ruffled the fletchings of the rest. Pulling his bow, he fired into the melee from above. The goblin's fighting made it a moving target, though still at the same spot. His first arrow hit the armour and the goblin cackled, catching the side of Demit's face with the butt of its spear. His second arrow hit flesh and it screeched. Brewary's sword came in, which it dodged but a hand was severed. It turned, tackling Jakson while dodging Demit's downward strike with her staff. It ran a few more steps before Roland's third arrow caught it in the thigh. It fell, screeching louder.
"Damn it, was aiming centre mass", said Roland. Jakson killed Goblin 2 as it tried to crawl away.
"Remember what happened in the forest when Mud Goblins started screeching?", asked Brewary. Demit was in pain, her hands shaking and there were tears in her eyes. Still, she managed to mutter the prayer and used Cure on herself. She then turned to heal Brewary's heavier injures. Everyone's breathing was laboured.
Right on time, Roland saw a Goblin head pop out. It was so busy looking at a Priest healing a Warrior that it stood there and pointed its crossbow for a shot. Goblin 5 was killed by an arrow to the face before it could shoot. As long as the target stood still, Roland could hit it.
Goblin 6 and 7 rounded the corner. Goblin 6 wore chainmail and helmet with sword and shield. Goblin 7 only had a spear. Goblin 6 covered the advance with its shield, catching one of Roland's arrows. Brewary charged, covering Demit with his form. Goblin 7 stabbed but Brewary caught the spear and held on, swinging his blade one handed. Goblin 6's sword came in to punish Brewary with a brand new wound. Jakson who had hid behind another building came from behind and stuck his dagger into Goblin 7. Goblin 6 changed posture and the dance began again. It used its shield and sword to parry, block and attack, slipping in whenever a chance presented itself. The angle and line of sight were wrong so Roland watched for any more Crossbows before shouldering his bow and pulling out his hatchet. He joined the encirclement of Goblin 6.
By coincidence, Roland's Chop came with one of Brewary's Rage Blow. Rage Blow was powerful, but uncontrollable on less practice and heavier weapons, which is why he didn't really want to use it and risk over-swinging and being exposed. The goblin caught the 2 attacks with its shield but the impact drove the arm and shield into its own face, giving it a moment of pause. Fireteam Alpha vented their anger on the goblin.
"Grab everything. Evac now", said Demit. They scrambled for goblin bags while Demit made the hexagram sign for every dead goblin she saw. Still bleeding and breathing heavily, they left the site. Finding a place to hide some distance away, Demit spent her last seconds of Cure on Brewary's sword wound and the long slash Jakson took across the chest. The rest were to be bandaged. There would be a lot of blood to wash off and clothes to mend that night. They spent awhile drinking and eating in silence, their muscles sore. Only Roland wasn't limping on the way home, though he was still holding his side. Jakson drank all his alcohol to dull the pain.
The bags yielded a small fortune of Silver (with no holes this time), bones with symbols, some trinkets, bits of metal, coloured stones and fangs (also with no holes). Goblins 1 to 7 yielded almost 20 silvers. Not wanting to be around Ranta from Team Manato, the party decided that rooms would be individually paid for. Costs for bandages were deducted and the haul divided into 5, down to the copper. Sewing kits, metal rings, pieces and strips of leather, fabric and whetstones were bought.
Demit promised she would meditate to replenish magic and cast more Cure. They would meet at Ruai that night for dinner. They spent the rest of the day looking for rooms. Demit found one that only took in women. Brewary found one across another that had a veranda with well-dressed men. It was lucky Demit wasn't there or she'd balk at the price and accuse him of spending the "defence budget" portion of his earnings. Jakson said that rooms were stupidly expensive in this part of town. He suggested they looked for rooms at the border of West Town, which wasn't the slums of West Town proper and not stupid expensive like the ones Demit and Brewary used. He also asked if they didn't mind sharing, to keep costs low. Roland agreed. Thinking about it, he'd like company.
Their room also used a shared bathroom, but the toilet was a hole into the sewer and the establishment hired a cleaner to clean the floors, unlike the Volunteer Soldier Lodgings' wooden bucket toilet and dirt floor. The beds needed sheets, but at least they didn't have to sleep on straw. Together, the rate was 15 coppers a night each. The proprietor agreed to even rent out at monthly rates, provided it was paid for in advance, with warning that no matter which rate was chosen, on the sunrise after the last day he had the rights to everything in the room. Jakson offered to pay for the rooms that night.
"I not see goblin on roof."
"It didn't see you either, or you'd be shot."
"Thief job is not be seen, droog. I not see goblin. But you, you saw goblin."
"Tell you what, man. I'll buy first round drinks tonight". Jakson would like that very much. That night, Demit ran Cure over everyone, no exceptions. She looked like she had been a bit hard on herself in her bedroom. The mood improved when the pains left their bodies, and when Brewary said that maybe he could afford a better sword. They agreed that the next morning was for getting better gear.