SNIFF…SNIFF…

"There! I'm picking up a foul stench from that cave." Wolf Brawler crouched low in the shrubs while pointing towards the cave entrance.

The two girls then heard the low growl of the dire wolf and found him off to the side scratching at the ground all the while growling; both went to investigate and saw several footprints present in the damp soil.

"Over here." Half-Dragon Priestess crouched beside her and pointed toward the ground below. "Tracks. Goblins alright and looks like signs of something being dragged behind them. Nicely done Specter."

Wolf Brawler got as close to the ground as possible and sniffed at the footprints and drag marks.

"It's not as strong as the goblin stench but I can detect human. Perhaps the captive women that were captured."

"Let's hope we got here in time."

Both women then looked upward and in the bright sky they could see a figure circling overhead, at first glance one might have mistaken it for a large bird, but it was Harpy Scout searching the area for any signs of movement. The harpy descended back toward the ground, slowly and quietly dropping beside her comrades.

"No signs of movement in the area, looks like the goblins are all inside."

"Then we're going in. Remember to be on guard for traps and openings along the walls." Half-Dragon Priestess walked toward the cave entrance, weapon in hand.

Her weapon of choice was a curved metal blade which resembled her father's swordclaw; she of course had learned the miracle to create the weapon, but with only three miracles available a day, she wished to conserve her miracles for any injuries her comrades might incur.

The girls entered the cave, pausing for a few moments to allow their eyes to adjust to the darkness before moving forward, Half-Dragon Priestess at the front, Wolf Brawler in the middle and Harpy Scout bringing up the rear with Specter. Unlike their seniors, the three girls did not use a torch, their eyes sight allowing them to see in the dark far better than their human counterparts.

"I'm not very fond of this cave…far too narrow for my wings." Harpy Scout pulled her wings in tightly as she followed behind Wolf Brawler.

"I know what you mean. I'm cautious of my horns scrapping along the top of the ceiling, though I'm sure it's tall enough."

"Perhaps, but my wings are larger than yours."

"I find the cave to be just the right height for me." Wolf Brawler had a small smirk on her face but that suddenly faded as her ears began to twitch. "Hold it."

Harpy Scout and Half-Dragon Priestess stopped in their tracks and looked toward Wolf Brawler who took in a deep breath and allowed her ears to take in the sounds.

"What do you hear?" Half-Dragon Priestess tightened her grip on her weapon, though she could not sweat like humans, could feel the tension building in her stomach.

"I hear them. Low cackling…two of them and…moaning. Ahead of us, might be around this next bend."

"Be sure we keep count of the goblins." Half-Dragon Priestess then looked toward her friend in the back who already had her bow and arrow ready. "Any movement behind us?"

"None. No opening that's I've seen, looks like we have them completely caught off guard."

"Let's hope so."

The trio of women continued through the cave, always looking forward yet tentatively looking back for a possible ambush. Just as Wolf Brawler had predicted, around the next bend the girls could clearly hear the sinister chuckling of the goblins. They carefully peered from around the corner and had to stop themselves from gasping aloud at the sight before them. Two goblins cackled, one with a spear in hand leaning against it as he watched his brother fondle the breasts of some poor woman. With every rough motion of the goblin's hands, the let captive woman let out a weak pitiful groan which only emboldened the goblins efforts.

"Damn little bastards." Wolf Brawler began to growl but quickly silenced herself to keep from giving away their position.

"We'll slay them quietly before they can raise an alarm." Half-Dragon Priestess looked toward Harpy Scout with a stern expression. "I'm going to slit the first goblin's throat, you take the other one."

"Understood." Harpy Scout drew an arrow from her quiver and readied the shot. "Have to be careful, can't afford for the arrow to hit the captive."

Half-Dragon Priestess squatted low to the ground and proceeded to walk toward the closest goblin with her steel swordclaw in hand.

xxxx

"I see that you've been saving up the money your mother gives to buy items with in town. Are you saving them up for some expensive item?" Lizard Priest had a large smile as he enjoyed his meal with his family.

"I'm wanting the blacksmith to forge for me a steel swordclaw like the one you use father."

Lizard Priest and Half-Dragon Mother were both surprised by her plan for the money she had been saving, in their mind they believed it would be for clothing.

"A metal swordclaw, but why buy one when you now know the miracle to create one yourself?" Lizard Priest was still unsure of what his young daughter was thinking.

"True. Thanks to your teachings, I am now able to perform Refresh, create a Swordclaw and summon a Dragontooth Warrior. The one thing that worries me is in our party, or rather future party, I am the only one who can use magic."

"You wish to have your miracle handy if they need assistance then? You'd still be able to rely on healing potions though." Half-Dragon Mother sat at the table to join her husband and daughter while offering this bit of advice.

"You are correct on that, but I'm told that a healing potion doesn't always work for major injuries or as fast as a miracle. With a steel swordclaw in hand, I have my miracles available for other uses." Half-Dragon Priestess thought about this very carefully then smiled. "In the worst case scenario, I'll create another swordclaw and now be able to dual wield the weapons."

Lizard Priest laughed heartedly as he heard his daughter's suggestion and nodded his head while Half-Dragon Mother chuckled along with her husband.

"A novel idea indeed. Then this afternoon, let us head to the blacksmith to get your weapon underway."

The Dwarven Blacksmith heard the request and made a rough charcoal sketch of what the blade would look like and then passed the job onto his assistant, he would make a weapon unlike any other. The young assistant went to work with the dwarven steel, he spent several hours creating and shaping until he felt truly confident with the weapon. When it was finally ready, Half-Dragon Priestess marveled as the silver-like blade with the leather stripped wrapped around the handle for a sturdy grip.

"It's perfect." Half-Dragon Priestess smiled as she took hold of the blade moving it about easily and how little it weighed. "With this, I'll make my family and ancestors proud."

xxxx

Half-Dragon Priestess reached from behind with her left hand to cover the goblins mouth, then before he could even grunt in surprise, she took her blade in right hand and cut deeply across his throat. The goblin thrashed about, dropping his spear, but Half-Dragon Priestess quickly caught it before it could hit the floor. She pulled the struggling goblin back with her as not to alert the other one and now Harpy Scout could now deal with the other one.

"Slow deep breaths. Steady yourself and take him out with a quick shot to the head."

xxxx

"You want us to train you?"

High Elf Archer and Half-Demon Thief were a bit surprised by the sudden request from the young harpy.

"My friend is learning from her father how to use magic and training in the use of a blade and the padfoot is learning from her sister to fight with her hands. I want to learn a skill that will help them when we become adventurers." Harpy Scout looked up toward the young soon to be mothers, excited by all the stories she heard from her friend. "I thought with my wings, I'd be able to shoot from high up to help my friends. I know some enemies will try to get in close, so I also want to learn how to defend myself with a dagger. Can you teach me?"

High Elf Archer thought about it carefully for a moment, then looked back toward her stomach now showing signs of a future baby and smiled. Half-Demon Thief relented as well, perhaps she was falling back on her own motherly instinct and wanted to help the young girl grow to be capable.

"Well given how I can't really go on any adventures until this little one is born, it looks like you have yourself a teacher. However, I want to make sure your mother approves, I wouldn't want to undermine her authority."

"The same for me, but if all goes well, I'll turn you into a fine assassin."

"I may want to hide that last part from my mother, but thank you, both of you."

Harpy Mother was a bit apprehensive at first, the thought of her daughter becoming an adventurer was a bit shocking, but she figured as an archer she wouldn't be on the front lines fighting and it was wise to defend herself should enemies get too close. Harpy Mother and Daughter ended up moving to Frontier Town to begin the training, before Harpy Scout could try shooting from the air she would first learn how to shoot. Slowly she grew in skill, the days High Elf Archer was busy with her child, Harpy Daughter would go and practice on her own. Once she had become pretty good at firing from the ground she then moved onto firing from the air, making sure her wings does not mess up her shot, finding the best way to hover in place to shoot and building up on her accuracy.

When she was not practicing with her bow and arrow, she was off with Half-Demon Thief learning the proper way to use a dagger. The young harpy had believed it was just a simple stabbing tool, but soon learned that in blade fighting she would need to not only attack but defend. Starting with wooden blades, she learned how to position her legs, how attack and deflect before moving in for a strike. She would practice over and over until it became second nature, and just as with High Elf Archer, had set up a small wooden post worth marks noted for where she was to strike her target.

"I'd say you're ready then." High Elf Archer smiled as her student who stood ready with bow over her right shoulder. "Continue to practice when you can and always check your drawstring, you wouldn't want it to break during battle and use a smaller bow if you're in caves and…"

"Settle down there "Mother Ranger", you only have one kid so far, can't adopt this one." Half-Demon Thief smiled as she patted her friend on the shoulder then looked back toward the Harpy. "But she is right, continue to practice your skills as often as you can and above all else…be careful."

"I will, thank you all so much! I'm going to show my own mother just how far I've come."

xxxx

Harpy Scout let the arrow loose just as the goblin removed his hands and stepped back to remove his loincloth, she would not stand by and allow him to defile this woman any further. The goblin was complete oblivious of the adventurers behind him and made a horrid grunt as the arrow pierced through his skull; the moment his body hit the ground the party rushed toward the side of the captive.

"Are you okay? Can you hear us?" Half-Dragon Priestess quickly knelt down to check her; at first glance she only saw minor wounds on her body.

"H…Help me…"

"Don't you worry, we're going to get you out of here. Can you tell me if there any others?"

"Cave…further in…cave…help me…"

"Alright, we need to finish clearing this cave of the goblins and get the other survivors out of here." Half-Dragon Priestess looked towards her comrades then felt a strong grip clutch at her arm, she looked back to see the woman staring back at her with wide eyes. "I swear to you, we are coming back for you, but we can't abandon the others. Specter."

The dire wolf gave a quick bark and moved towards his master, the half-dragon gently stroking the top of his head.

"Stay here and look after her. Keep her safe."

The dire wolf gave another bark, his tail wagging as he moved closer towards the captive woman.

"Good boy." Half-Dragon Priestess smiled at Specter then looked back toward the frightened woman. "You don't have to be afraid, he'll protect you."

The woman looked unsure but relented and released her grip on the adventurer with a small nod. The trio of women quickly moved down the cave while Specter moved closer towards the woman, his eyes scanning left and right as he stood guard. The woman, though exhausted from the torment she had been put through, felt relaxed and safe near the large canine; she reached out to pet the beast and smiled as she saw it move closer towards her.

The trio continued further into the cave, cautious of the goblins lying in wait for them but thankfully had not met any resistance. The girls figured it was a small nest given how few goblins they had seen and thankfully saw no totems to indicate the presence of a shaman, this was also due to the knowledge they had to memorize from Goblin Slayer. Wolf Brawler took the lead as her keen hearing and nose could pick up on the goblins before the others could see them and immediately held out her hands for them to stop. The other two stopped behind her before slowly moving ahead always watching the sides for an ambush and the floor for possible traps.

"I can hear them…a larger number this time and one deep voice." Wolf Brawler whispering as quietly as possible to ensure they maintained the element of surprise.

"If I remember correctly Goblin Slayer told us that could indicate the presence of a hobgoblin right?" Harpy Scout looked toward her friend, bead of sweat running down the side of her head.

"More than likely. It's possible it's just a small group of goblins, wanderers I remember him calling them. At worst it could be a goblin champion, if that's the case we'll need to rethink our strategy." Half-Dragon Priestess tightened her grip on her weapon while contemplating which miracles she should use.

"I only hear one deep voice. We've been lucky so far, let's hope it continues that way." Wolf Brawler could not help but clench her fists in anticipation of the coming battle.

The trio soon came to a stop as the cave opened up and there in the darkness they spotted them. In total there were ten of them, nine of the regular sized goblins and one hobgoblin who sat upon a large stone; with them were three other women. A small group of goblins could be seen in the middle of defiling the woman while the others argued about who would be next. Another women lay slumped along the side of the cave wall, her body covered in a sweat, dirt and other fluids. The last women sat beside the hobgoblin, a shackle around her throat with a chained attached to it, resting in the hobgoblin's hand.

"We need to get the goblins away from the women, draw them to us."

"Leave that to me." Harpy Scout pulled back on her bow string and fired an arrow towards the goblin in the middle of his violation of the poor woman.

The arrow struck the goblin in the side of the head, even before the goblin corpse hit the ground all attention was now turned toward the direction of the attack. The goblins were suddenly able to see the trio of women, and angry roar escaped from the hobgoblin who tossed aside the chain in hand to reach for his club.

"Well that's one way of grabbing their attention." Half-Dragon Priestess reached behind her back to retrieve and item from her pouch.

"Come and get us you sack of shit!" Wolf Brawler eagerly smashing her fists together.

The goblins all shrieked as they immediately went for their weapons, ready to attack the women and add them to their collection to use for breeding. The trio of girls were far from scared as the goblins drew near, instinctively they fell back on what they had been taught. Half-Dragon Priestess threw a small glass vial and watched as it shattered and splashed its contents on the three closest goblins. The three goblins were confused by the liquid, but its true nature would soon be realized as Half-Dragon Priestess took in a deep breath and spewed forth a stream of fire. The goblins immediately lit up, screaming as their bodies were engulfed in flames; the other goblins momentarily stopped as three of their brothers collapsed in a burning heap.

Harpy Scout quickly went into action and took aim at the stunned goblins, firing arrow after arrow until her group had fallen. Wolf Brawler rolled to the side and as she rose slammed her right fist directly into the throat of the first goblin then leapt forward with a growl. She slashed her claws across the goblins face; while the goblin was distracted by the sudden pain, she then maneuvered behind it and took its head between her hands and gave it a violent snap just as the other goblins dropped to the ground still clutching at its throat. With two goblins down she then turned her attention toward the hobgoblin, the massive creature attempting to crush her with its wooden club, but she easily dodged this blow and readied herself to attack once again.

"Focus. His size does not matter. Watch his movements and be ready to strike accurately."

xxxx

Wolf Padfoot lay upon her back on the grassy field, the coppery taste in her mouth telling her she was bleeding but knew it wasn't too bad. She grunted as she rolled back onto her side and pushed herself back to her hands and knees.

"Come on now. That was just a simple punch."

Wolf Padfoot slowly got back on her feet and let out a deep breath as she looked forward; the larger wolf padfoot looked down upon her with arms crossed and a frown present.

"You keep talking about starting your own pack, but how can you do that if you can't beat your alpha? Especially when your alpha is still going easy on you."

"I know…I know." Wolf Padfoot dusted the grass off her clothing, a frown also present due to frustration at her older sister and herself. "I need to get stronger."

"You're still talking about becoming an adventurer right? You really think I'd allow you to just leave my pack?"

"Mother and Father left the control of our pack to you because you are stern when necessary but do care for everyone equally. I've been acting cocky because I've wanted to follow in your footsteps…to be like you."

"Little sister…she wants to be just like me! I'm so happy!" Larger Wolf Padfoot still frowned but could not hide her wagging tail.

"That little adventure I went on showed me a larger world and others who were eager to depend on me." Wolf Padfoot wiped the blood from the side of her mouth and once again raised her fists to fight. "If I'm to be useful to those two, I have to become stronger than you. Please, let's go again."

"Spoken well little sister. Then, before I allow you to leave the pack and become an adventurer, you must be able to defeat me at least once." Larger Wolf Padfoot smirked as she heard what her little sister said and too readied to continue their sparring.

Wolf Padfoot spent much of her time on her physical training, she would spar not only with her sister but other members of the pack, she'd learn about sensitive areas on the bodies of most creatures, how similar they were in turns of feeling pain and practice holds to keep prey from escaping. During her time she'd constantly end up losing to her bigger sister, but her sister would always tell her the same thing.

"Size is not important. Even the mightiest of dragons can be brought down by a simple arrow. Use your size to your advantage! You are part wolf and a wolf is a master of the hunt! Stalk your prey and bring them down!"

It took about three years, but she finally managed to beat her sister, though she was pretty battered in the fight as well. Her big sister was both proud and sad that day as it meant her little sister would be leaving the pack to set out on her future as an adventurer. Wolf Padfoot continued to remain in the village as she and her sister would spar on a regular basis, and even if she didn't win every fight, she would gain useful insight to improve her skills.

The day she left to head for Frontier Town was especially hard for her older sister, the massive padfoot was practically reduced to tears seeing her little sister leaving. Wolf Brawler looked to her people with a forced smile, as tears also ran down her face; she was leaving what she had known for the last twenty years and it truly terrified her.

"I'm going to make you all proud! I will never forget where I came from, for my pack is strong and their spirit travels with me!"

xxxx

The hobgoblin swung his club to the side and Wolf Brawler easily dodged beneath it and rushed in slamming her fist into its left knee. As the hobgoblin grunted from the pain and dropped to his injured knee, Wolf Brawler rushed in to deliver several blows to his weak areas.

"Aim for weak areas on the body, go for the groin, crack the ribs, crush the bones in his chest. Don't give him a chance to recover! Bring the prey down!" Wolf Brawler's eyes narrowed as she focused on the hobgoblin like a wolf stalking deer.

The hobgoblin gasped, blood running down the side of his mouth as even breathing was painful with his broken bones. Wolf Brawler clapped both hands against the side of his head as hard as she could, smashing his ears in the process. The hobgoblin roared as he dropped his club and brought both hands to either side of his head and Wolf Brawler took full advantage of this. She rushed behind him and leapt onto his back, she sank his fangs deep into the side of his neck while digging her claws into his throat. The hobgoblin tried to roar but Wolf Brawler started to pull her claws in either direction, the hobgoblin's blood spilling over her hands. With a final growl, she rips her teeth away from his neck and tore her claws free; she then jumped back down, spitting the blood from her mouth as the hobgoblin stumbled for a few moments before finally collapsing to the ground.

"And with him, that makes twelve." Half-Dragon Priestess finished checking the bodies with her swordclaw.

"Not too bad for our first quest." Harpy Scout went to check the woman who been violated by the goblins. "She still alive."

"This one too. Don't you worry, we're going to leave this wretched place." Wolf Brawler frowned as she looked at the condition of the woman slumped along the side of the wall.

"I'll get this one." Half-dragon Priestess took hold of the shackle around the woman's neck and break it apart with her hands. "Are you alright?"

"Thank you!" The woman lunged forward and through her arms around Half-Dragon Priestess and hugged her tightly.

"I'm sorry we couldn't get here sooner, but your ordeal is nearly over." Half-Dragon Priestess gently removed the woman's hands and cast down the dragon's teeth catalysts. "O horns and claws of our father, Iguanodon, thy four limbs become two legs to walk upon the earth…"

One after another, Half-Dragon Priestess summoned three of the mighty Dragon-Tooth Warriors, each of them cradling the injured women. Half-Dragon Priestess gave the area a final inspection, making sure there were no signs of offspring.

"I know big brother said any survivors would only learn and come back for revenge, but killing a child…I'm still not if I can do something like that. Thankfully the cave was empty."

"Let's get them out of here." Harpy Scout was looking toward her friends, worried about the physical and mental state of the women.

"Yes, you're right. Let's meet back up with Specter."

xxxx

"The sun is setting."

Goblin Slayer found himself waiting patiently with the others in the Guild Hall, they all were looking toward the door for any sign of the trio of young adventurers. As the day wore down, many of the new rookies had returned from their first day, though many showed signs of exhaustion from the difficult task they had undertaken. For these fresh new faces, it was a surprise to see the legendary Hero, Sword Maiden and Goblin Slayer let alone so many silver ranked adventurers all present in the guild. While many of these new comers had returned from their quests, there were still others who had not come back, perhaps still questing but also the chance they had fallen in battle. Close by, the young children played near the back with the two other dire wolf pups, Light and Shadow, while Snow and Wolf stayed close to Goblin Slayer and Cow Girl.

"It's possible the quest was further away and they may need to camp for tonight." Dwarf Shaman too was anxious to see his granddaughter and her friends return.

"That is possible." Priestess nervously clutched as her sounding staff before looking towards the others. "Their first quest was dealing with goblins, like mine. You don't think…"

"No."

Before any of the others could voice concern, Goblin Slayer gave a monotone but firm reply while still staring ahead at the doors.

"It is different for those three. They have been taught well, they will not fail."

"Agreed Milord Goblin Slayer. I know my little one, or rather, our future dragon will return."

The group continued to wait, though High Elf Archer and Half-Demon Thief could be seen anxiously tapping their feet as they looked toward the door. The door soon opened, Guild Girl was the first to see them, a trio of young demi humans entered the Guild with a large white dire wolf by their side.

"Our quest is complete." Half-Dragon Priestess had a confident smile on her face as she and her group strode toward the front desk.

Before the trio could reach the desk, there was a triumphant cheer which caught them all off guard. Their friends and family rushed towards them, congratulating them on completing their first quest and coming back alive. For many who struggled on their first quest or had done something simple such as rat hunting there was an air of jealousy and animosity that these three were being fawned over so much.

"Guild rat favorites."

It was said rather quietly, but High Elf Archer and Wolf Padfoot could clearly here this even over the roar of those around them. The two wanted to say something, but decided against it as it would only tarnish their reputation to lower themselves to their level.

"A feast I say! Congratulations on surviving your first of many future quests!" Heavy Warrior gave a loud cry, remember how he had treated his own comrades as they would come back from every quest and rise the ranks.

"A marvelous idea indeed! Cheese for everyone!" Lizard Priest gave a hearty laughed while patting his daughter on her shoulder.

"One thing father."

"What is it my dear? We are embarrassing you are we?" Lizard Priest now conscious that they were showering them with too much attention.

Half-Dragon Priestess looked toward her comrades and smiled, the other two nodded and moved away from friends and family to speak with the other adventurers in the guild. Many of the new comers were cautious, expecting them to gloat about their success or threaten them for their earlier comments.

"We'd like for you all to celebrate with us." Half-Dragon Priestess smiled as she looked over the young faces of these adventurers. "We've all seen our first quest through and it is only fitting that we all celebrate our success, as well as honor those among us that did not return."

The other adventurers were shocked by her statement, even with all the attention, her focus was on the others around her; though there were some that were still suspicious many others regretted their earlier thoughts. They agreed and the Guild Hall and connecting Tavern were alive with the sounds of celebration. Half-Dragon Priestess smiled as atop her shoulder was the young Hero's daughter tightly gripping her horns for support as the half-dragon flapped her wings and ascending into the air, Harpy Daughter doing the same with Cow Girl's daughter. The children happily played with the giant dire wolves as many of the guild patrons broke into song as they raised their mugs high.

They celebrated through the night, many of them would be regretting the amount they drank the following morning, but for these three young women, it was encouraging to know that all they had prepared themselves proved useful on their first mission. What lay ahead of them was a mystery but these three would face it head on and hopefully emerge victorious. Lizard Priest and Half-Dragon Mother silently watched from the door way as the three young women stepped outside and looked up at the stary night sky.

"The trials of our young dragon have begun. Ancestors guide her and her friends." Lizard Priest gently tightened his grip on his wife's hand as they continued to watch their daughter.