Aquatic Soul
Chapter 4: Return of the Goblin King

Disclaimer: I do not own Log Horizon or any of the characters involved except Guardian W. Water

Touya's group continued their trek through the cave. The going was much easier now as they dispatched one group of monsters after another. As they turned a corner they spotted a chest ahead.

"Wait!" Water shouted as Touya and Rudy rushed toward it.

"It could be trapped," she said.

The two quickly retreated to the group as Isuzu stepped forward.

"I have a skill for this," she said as she pulled her lute off her back.

She strummed a few chords before a light traveled down the length of the tunnel. After a few seconds, nothing happened.

"It's clear," she said.

The two boys rushed forward again, grabbing the chest and flipping back the lid. Inside was a pair of silver gauntlets with a red gemstone set near the front end.

"Whoa…" Touya said as he picked them up.

The group came to examine the item as well. Water nodded, "Those should go to Rudy," she said.

"How can you tell?" Touya asked.

She explained how to check the stats screen for an item, and showed them the stats on it, indicating it was designed for Rudy's class. Rudy took the gauntlets and affixed them to his arms. He turned them over and examined them from multiple angles as he got used to the weight of them.

"Not a bad haul for our first time through," Water said as she grinned and put her hands on her hips.

The group continued for a couple of minutes before the light from outside shone ahead of them. They exited the cave a found themselves not too far from the campsite. Touya and Rudy shouted with joy as they realized they had cleared the dungeon.

Water nodded to herself before something drew her attention. She glanced to her left and spotted something in the trees nearby.

Then it rushed out toward them.

"Look sharp!" Water shouted, drawing the group's attention to the charging creature.

A small, green humanoid rushed toward them, a knife held down by its side.

"Shrouding Mists!"

Water's mist covered the group and the creature turned from them to focus on her. She drew her katana and with one swift movement flicked the knife out of the creature's hand. She then brought the blade back down and cut it in half. It exploded into gold and experience points.

"What was that?" Touya asked.

"A goblin… which is weird, they normally don't come out this far," Water said as she sheathed her sword.

Meanwhile, on the beach

Naotsugu and his team were starting to cook the food for the cookout as the sun began to descend. While Marielle rushed to and fro to put the finishing touches on everything, Naotsugu was still wondering about the thing they had spotted in the water earlier that day.

"Naotsugu?" Marielle asked as she leaned down in front of him.

He shouted in surprise as he tripped backward, "Marielle!"

She offered a hand to help him up, "Are you still thinking about that thing we saw earlier?"

"Yeah, it's been bothering me all day. If I didn't know any better I'd say it was a Sahagin, but they're usually found way South of here."

She nodded agreement and went to reply when a tone rang out from Naotsugu's ear. He swiped his hand to bring up his menu and saw it was a call from Nyanta.

"I wonder what he wants," Naotsugu said.

Marielle watched as Naotsugu answered the private call, holding his hand up to his ear.

"Naotsugu, we have a problem," Nyanta told him.

"What's going on?"

"There are goblins, a lot of goblins. And they're moving toward the camp."

"How bad can a bunch of goblins be?" Naotsugu asked.

"You don't understand. I don't mean a band of a few dozen Naotsugu. I mean an army, thousands of them."

"T-Thousands?" Naotsugu asked, his eyes widening in shock.

"Nya, and if we don't do something about it they'll march right into the camp in a few hours."

Naotsugu nodded, "Thanks for the heads up, we'll round up the kids and start making our way back."

"Be careful, the goblins will be crossing the road we took to get here in less than an hour, you'll have to find another way home to avoid them."

Naotsugu nodded again, "Understood. Let me know if the situation changes."

"Take care Naotsugu," Nyanta said before the call ended.

"I heard something about goblins. There are thousands of them?" Marielle asked.

Naotsugu nodded confirmation, "Nyanta was letting us know about them, and that they'll already be covering our road home soon. We need to get the kids rounded up and find an alternate route back home."

Marielle nodded, growing serious.

"Naotsugu!" A voice shouted.

The pair looked over to see a member of Crescent Moon running toward them, his arms pointing out into the water. They turned their gaze toward the water and gasped as they saw more splashing. It was identical to what they had seen earlier in the day but on a much larger scale.

"So those were Sahagin!" She shouted.

"Which isn't good, we're pincered between the Goblins to the North and the Sahagin here in the South," Naotsugu said.

"Go get the kids, Me and the other instructors will stay here to buy you some time," Naotsugu said as he ran to his pack to get his weapon and armor.

Marielle nodded before rushing back into the forest toward the campsite. As she emerged into the clearing she saw the trainees were already starting to pack up.

"What's going on?" She asked, spotting Touya's group approaching her.

"We were attacked by a Goblin Scout earlier. I took care of it, but then more showed up. It was larger than any scouting party I've ever seen. Usually, you wouldn't see one that big unless it was scouting for an army," Water explained.

Marielle nodded, "You're right. There's an army of Goblins headed this way. We're going to pack up camp and retreat to Akihabara."

The group's eyes widened in shock, except for Water who nodded.

"Where do you want me positioned?" she asked.

"Stay here with the kids, keep them safe. There's another problem going on on the beach; an army of Sahagin is emerging from the ocean. Naotsugu and the other instructors stayed behind to hold them off for a while so we could pack up."

"Then let's go get them and get out of here," Water told her.

Marielle nodded, "I'm going to do just that, but I need you to stay here and make sure everyone is ready to move in a few minutes."

Water and the rest of the group nodded.

"Thanks, kids," Marielle said before turning around and rushing back to the beach.

The group went about the campsite, helping the other parties pack up their supplies, and in a few minutes, they were loaded and ready to depart. Naotsugu and the other trainers emerged from the trees a short while later. They were all covered in blood and grime from the Sahagin.

Naotsugu looked up and sighed in relief as he saw the groups were ready to depart. He began issuing orders to get everyone on the move, and after a few minutes, they were departing for Akihabara. As they walked, Water watched Naotsugu at the head of the column.

The column traveled for a few hours, making their way up a mountain pass to avoid the goblins on the main road. As they ascended, one of the trainees called out in alarm as he pointed to the mass of goblins below them. Thousands of them swept across the land in a black mass, like ink being spilled across the terrain. As the column watched, Minori noticed a small town directly in the path of the approaching army.

"Naotsugu!" She shouted.

"I see it Minori," he called back, "and there's nothing we can do for them. We have to get back and report what's going on."

Water looked at Touya, "It's a village we stopped in on the way to the camp. They were nice to us and let us stay in their barn for the night."

Water nodded, before slipping through the crowd to Naotsugu. The rest of the group watched as they had a hasty discussion, and after a few minutes, Water put a hand on Naotsugu's shoulder before returning to them.

"What was that about?" Minori asked.

"I just got permission for us to act as a rear guard and slow down any goblins who happen to be following us," Water explained, "And as such, we can pick as far back as we wish to go."

The group perked up, realizing what she had said.

"You mean?" Minori began.

Water nodded as a grin lit up her face, "We're going to go defend that town."

The group shared her grin before they turned and retraced their steps down the mountain path. They were all eager to reach the village, but Water remembered her conversation with Naotsugu.

"Don't worry Naotsugu, I won't let anything happen to them. You have my word."