Somewhere on the borders between the kingdom of Logres and the Gomera Forest, Daniel sat on a log, carefully skinning a deer carcass. The stag was slain by a single arrow, shot perfectly into its neck. Not a very noble way to hunt, but the meat tasted the same either way.

  He was broken out of his concentration by loud footsteps nearby. He looked up, noticing one of his companions returning to the campsite. The warrior was clearly upset about something. He angrily threw down a bundle of branches onto the ground and then sat down besides Daniel on the same log.

  “Urgh,” the younger man, wearing chainmail and a tabard sighed, “can you believe Lawrence? Bastard. Who the hell does he think he is, sending a knight like me to gather firewood? It should be his job.”

  “Calm down Osric,” Daniel replied, “Lawrence is the leader of our party and he assigns tasks to all of us.”

  The young nobleman clicked his tongue. “He’s just a commoner, he should know his place. I don’t understand how you can stand listening to his orders, cousin.”

  “He’s my senior,” the older knight chuckled, amused by his relative’s theatrics, “and yours too. Look, if you really want to become an adventurer like me, you’ll have to interact with commoners. Better get used to it.”

  “I don’t mind interacting with them, but this is different. It’s… unnatural,” Osric complained.

  Daniel guffawed. “Now don’t let Lawrence catch you saying that. He may be patient with recruits, but the man still has his honor.”

  “Hah! What the hell does a commoner know about honor?” the younger knight crossed his arms and looked off to the side, “but seriously, I get that I’m new here, but you’ve been at the guild for three years already. Why don’t you take command?”

  The older man reached over and ruffled his cousin’s hair. “Because Lawrence has been at the guild for ten years. Sure I’ve seen a thing or two by now, but he’s the real expert here.”

  “What about Vivian? She’s a mage, but at least she’s nobility like us,” Osric insisted, “I’d much rather have her as our leader.”

  Daniel sighed. “I know that you’re still young, but you’ll have to understand this sooner or later. Monsters don’t care about your titles. A wolf will enjoy the flesh of a baron just as much as that of a peasant. Out here in the wilderness, the only thing that matters is your strength, wit, and the will to survive. You’d do well to remember that,” he paused when he heard rustling of leaves nearby, “now please let’s not speak more of this. And don’t cause any scenes here! You’ll see that Lawrence is not as bad as you think.”

  He finished just as a pair of humans stepped out from behind the bushes. The first was a tall man, wearing comfortable leather armor. A green vest covered his chest, making him just a little harder to spot between the leaves. He carried a longbow on his shoulder, as he waved to greet the two knights.

  The second was a woman wearing a long sleeved, navy blue shirt and pants of a similar color. Her outfit wasn’t quite as sensible as the archer’s, but it was a decent compromise between ease of travel and loudly announcing her role as a wizard. She even wore a wide brimmed hat, which constantly rubbed against tree branches. She had to tie an additional string to the bottom, running it below her chin, just to stop it from falling off all the time.

  “Look at what we’ve found,” the witch called out, opening a pouch and proudly showing off the contents. The bag was filled with plump, strangely colored mushrooms.

  Daniel recognized them in an instant. “Blue stemmed boletes? You’re a lucky guy Osric. If this is how your first outing goes, then you’ll get to retire in three years tops!”

  “Are they really that valuable?” the younger knight asked

  “Ever since King Varre opened up that new school for mages, the capital has been going crazy for all sorts of herbs and ingredients,” Lawrence explained, “the herbalists down in Grantham pay fifty silvers for a good specimen.”

  “Half a golden thalar?” Osric frowned. There couldn’t have been more than two dozen mushrooms in the pouch and the profits would need to be split four ways. “It’s not bad, but you know that a decent village costs thousands, cousin.”

  “Selling the mushrooms is just a bonus,” Vivian said, “blue stemmed boletes are particularly rare, because they require very specific conditions to grow.”

  “It means there’s a Gomeran bear around,” the archer added, “that’s our real target.”

  With their quarry known, the group of adventurers retired to bed early. The camp was reinforced, but they knew that these beasts were diurnal. They didn’t usually rummage around the forest during the night. Still, the bears weren’t the only threat in these parts. Each of the humans watched over their sleeping companions in shifts.

  Fortunately they managed to pick a good spot, one that wild animals tended to avoid. The next morning, at the crack of dawn, they set out on the hunt.

  They left their horses behind. With the dense forests all around them, the mounts would only get in the way. They needed to remain agile. Besides, if one of the bears managed to catch one of equines, the animal would die from a single blow from a massive paw. It didn’t have the advantage of armor like the humans.

  Vivian remembered where she spotted the mushrooms and from there it took about half an hour to find the actual grotto where the animals slept. It was fairly close by, but remained obscured behind the dense foliage of the forest.

  After a short strategy meeting, the adventurers carefully crept into the cave. Lawrence led the way. He was the expert here and he knew how to recognize signs that the bear was nearby. The others slowly followed behind, tense at the prospect of upcoming battle.

  The grotto was twisted and murky, but after a couple minutes, the archer signaled a stop. Out in the distance, they could hear sounds of chewing. Their eyes had adjusted to darkness by now and after checking their weapons one last time, they turned the corner as carefully as possible.

  Up ahead, a giant bear the size of a horse wagon was busy devouring a half-eaten moose. It bit massive chunks of flesh out of the dead animal. The beast must have dragged it in here yesterday and decided to save some of the meat for breakfast. This was a good sign. It was distracted.

  Quickly, the adventurers got into their positions. Daniel and Osric took cover behind large boulders and stalagmites, with their swords unsheathed. Vivian opened up a waterskin and began quietly pouring the liquid out on the floor, slightly ahead of them.

  Lawrence waited for everyone else to get ready, then he picked up his bow and nocked an arrow. He gave everyone a signal to enhance themselves and he used his own ability on his weapon. It stiffened the string, making it tougher and harder to pull back and reinforced the wood. It also meant that he could now benefit from his superhuman strength by firing heavier projectiles at greater force.

  He took a deep breath, then yelled out to catch the bear’s attention. It growled, angry that someone dared to interrupt its meal and turned around.

  Its massive snout was dripping with red blood and chunks of flesh were still visible inside it’s mouth. It’s fangs were the size of daggers and could rap a man apart with a single bite. It noticed the human and roared.

  The archer was waiting for this moment. He held his breath, then unleashed the arrow. It fired off with a loud twang as it flew forward at great speed. A lesser man would have panicked and shot wide, but this wasn’t Lawrence’s first meeting with a creature of that size. He knew what he was doing.

  The arrow struck true and embedded itself deep inside of the bear’s snout. It pierced through the roof of it’s mouth, but the powerful skull stopped it from dealing a lethal blow.

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  The bear groaned, then snapped its jaws to destroy the arrow. A wooden shaft would have disintegrated like someone blowing on a dandelion. This however, was an iron projectile, specifically designed for hunting monsters. The animal’s massive bite strength was still enough to break it in half, but the shaft continued sticking out of its mouth, scratching its tongue and distracting the beast.

  Lawrence typically preferred to go for the eyes, but this was not an option here. The eyes of Gomeran bears were an expensive alchemical ingredients and they’d need to be carefully extracted afterwards.

  Still, his job was done. The bear threw itself onward, furious at the human who dared to wound it. If it had remained calm, it probably would have spotted the impending trap, but the plan had worked.

  As it gained speed, Vivian joined the fray. A strange light blew from her staff, before the puddles of water on the ground started turning into ice. The formations went upwards, creating a thin wall in between the beast and its target.

  The monster lowered its head and smashed through it without a second thought. The noise was terrible, but now that its eyes were closed, it was defenseless.

  The two knights leaped out from their cover and slashed at its neck before it could realize what was going on. It could not defend itself or strike back.

  The swords pushed forward by the strength of enhanced humans cut through the tough hide of the monster and only stopped at the vertebrae. The bones of the bear were too hard even for weapons like this, but that didn’t matter. It’s veins were cut and blood rushed out at great pressure, before the beast toppled to the ground.

  Its speed was enough to propel it forward for a few more feet, but it stopped just before the archer. “Excellent work!” he called out, “textbook! We’ll make something out of you yet, Osric.”

  The knight laughed and patted Lawrence on the back. The archer may have been a commoner, but in all the adrenaline, the noble had completely forgotten about this difference in status.

  The adventurers started excitedly talking about their victory and preparing to process the creature, when a new sound appeared that froze everyone in their spots. The bear wasn’t alone.

  Despite them being solitary creatures, a second monster lived inside of the cave. Perhaps it was a mate, or a parent teaching its juvenile child. It didn’t matter now. It realized what had happened and it wanted revenge.

  Osric assumed a fighting stance. This time it was the humans who were caught off guard, but it changed little. They had to face this creature there and then. They lost the element of surprise, but they still had their experience and skill. Even if that wasn’t enough, there was no greater honor than dying in battle against a deadly monster.

  Then Lawrence grabbed the knight’s shoulder and pulled him away. “Run!” he yelled out, “we’re getting out of here!”

  That’s all the arguments Osric needed to hear. He turned around and followed his companions out of the cave as quickly as his legs could carry him.

  It took seconds for them to reach the outside and then flee into the dense forest. The knight looked behind at the monster gaining on them with every step.

  It burst out of the grotto and raced into the woods. Luckily the dense foliage slowed it down. It was too wide to maneuver between the tree trunks, constantly slamming into them and shaking the entire forest.

  Daniel laughed. “Keep up cousin! Now this is what I call an adventure!”

  Osric couldn’t believe it. He was still panicking, while the others were enjoying themselves. “What the hell are we doing?” he called out, “do we have a plan?”

  “It’ll get tired soon,” Vivian yelled, “just keep moving!”

  They continued sprinting, dashing in between the trees. As the foliage thinned, the beast got closer. When it thickened, it fell behind again. Almost like a game for children, though the stakes were much higher.

  It was fast. Not quite as fast a horse, but much faster than an animal of its side had any right to be. The only reason the adventurers were able to keep this up was due to their enhanced forms. If their energy ran out before they made their escape, it’d be the end.

  “There’s a clearing up ahead,” Lawrence warned, “don’t stop! Vivian, can you do something?”

  She did. Right before they breached the tree line, the mage turned around for a second and released a cloud of colorful sparks out of her fingers. The bear would have an opportunity to catch them on the open ground, so it was vital to get it disoriented, or slow it down for even just a moment.

  The last obstacle before everyone would have to run for their lives was a thorny bush. Vivian covered her face with her sleeve as she jumped through it. She’d prefer to avoid scratching her face if possible, but there was no time to waste getting around it. When she finally opened her eyes, she saw a strange scene.

  Rows of shields stood in a square formation in the middle of the clearing. They were small, more likely intended for children than adults and yet sharp spears poked out in between the barriers.

  Lawrence managed to stop right before colliding into the strange group, and extended his arms trying to hold everyone behind him back. This was completely unexpected and none of them knew how to react. Who were these people? Should they get around them? Should they fight alongside them? Was this the perfect distraction to get away from the monster?

  Before anyone could make their decision, the formation opened and three strange green creatures rushed out. Each held a spear and surrounded the archer from three directions. He realized the danger and tried to back away, but with his companions right behind him, there wasn’t enough room.

  Two spears stabbed right into his torso. He managed to instinctively block the third with his arm, so the weapon simply embedded itself in the limb. He croaked something in pain before collapsing to the ground, as the strange enemies pulled their spears out of his body and followed through.

  “G-Goblins!” Daniel called out, drawing his sword out of its sheath.

  This was completely unexpected. They’ve escaped from the frying pan straight onto the fire.

  Before the knight could counter attack, his cousin threw him to the ground. They moved away just in time for the bear to break through the tree line.

  The beast was blinded by the magical sparks and rushed forward on instinct alone. It crashed through the empty space, trampled over the archer’s corpse and pummeled straight into the heart of the goblin formation.

  Its sheer weight alone was enough to crash the first few ranks of the warriors, but with step, the shields slowed it down more. Eventually it stopped, right in the middle of the enemy square.

  The bear attacked with its claws. It swiped its right arm to its side, killing five goblins with a single blow. It bit forward, snapping a shield and its wielder in half. But it was completely surrounded.

  The spearmen jabbed forward. Their weapons weren’t sophisticated, but the sheer quantity was enough to overwhelm the monster. Dozens pierced through the thick hide. Then more warriors poured in, squeezing underneath the beast and stabbing upwards into its softer belly.

  It roared and tried to stand up on its back legs, hoping that its mass would crash the entire formation, but that only got it off balance. The spears were relentless and it ended up collapsing backwards, quickly losing blood.

  It landed on the pile of corpses caused by its initial charge. If any of the warriors happened to survive, this was the final blow that finished off the wounded.

  The goblins continued rushing it. Surrounding it like a swarm of ants. They stabbed at vital spots, piercing the neck, and even destroying the valuable eyes. The powerful beast was dead within seconds.

  The adventurers were next. But they weren’t going to go down easily. Vivian charged a powerful spell and released an explosion into the enemy formation. A few of the creatures managed to hold their shields up in time, though the fire consumed a large group.

  She screamed, ready to launch a barrage of spells to avenge her fallen friend, but the goblins weren’t going to allow this without a fight. She managed to get a second one off, before a horde of slingers started throwing rocks straight at her.

  The mage was so consumed by her anger she didn’t even have the time to prepare a shield. She only managed to raise her arm to defend her face, but it wasn’t enough. A rain of projectiles struck her body, toppling her over and revealing the fragile head. After a few more hits she was dead or unconscious, but there was little difference between the two when goblins were involved.

  The knights managed to survive thanks to their metal armor. It still hurt, as the chainmail wasn’t quite as resilient as plate would have been, but it wasn’t deadly. The metal helms they wore protected their heads and they got away with just a few bruises.

  Still, the situation was hopeless. Two knights on foot, wouldn’t stand a chance against such a horde. There must have been hundreds of them, enough to slaughter an entire team of warriors.

  “You must get away!” Daniel yelled grabbing his cousin’s shoulder, “the kingdom must know there are goblins here! Go! I’ll hold them back!”

  Osric looked at him and nodded with a resigned expression. “You’re right. Someone must!”

  Then the younger knight raised his own sword and charged into combat.

  His cousin tried to catch him, but it was too late. They both knew that fighting would be hopeless. Osric, the honorable fool that he was, preferred to sacrifice himself for the sake of glory. Daniel wanted to join him, but he knew that having them both die here would be a terrible disaster.

  By now, everyone knew about the war in Gomera Forest. The Elves were fighting a losing battle and by order of King Varre, all of Logres was preparing for the conflict to spill over. If it had, the kingdom needed to know that the enemy was at the gates already. Getting that message out could be the difference that saved the entire nation.

  Daniel cursed his cousin under his breath, but ran away as fast as he could. Osric bought him a few moments, but that’s all that was needed. The human’s legs were longer and he was still enhanced. He outran the first ranks of enemies and sprinted straight for his camp.

  By some miracle he managed to instinctively find the way back. His group had been exploring this area for a couple days now and he had the lay of the land. There was no time to waste though. As soon as he arrived, he jumped onto his mount and galloped back towards civilization.

  Luckily it was still morning, so he could cover a lot of ground. Grantham was about four days away, but there were a couple other hamlets between the two places. The road would be difficult, but the message had to get out there. His friends’ sacrifice couldn’t have been in vain.

  Goblins had arrived in Logres.

  We see a little bit about how adventurers operate, and that there are both nobles and commoners amongst their ranks.

  Then we see how the nobility thinks about their lesser man.

  And finally we get to see the vaunted goblins in action.

  Thank you for all your support!