Chapter 22: Chapter 22 – Goblin Raid (Krossa Mine VI)

“Exactly how many Goblins?” Artos questioned.

The man pulled the reins of his horse with one hand before removing his hood. He looked younger than I thought he would be, but his face seemed smallish and after observing him, I noticed he was thin and frail, most likely malnourished. Was it really that bad out here? The people from the town seemed fine but that could be due to the fresh trade coming in from the mainland. It seemed the duke and the people of Djarin Town cared little for the other communities surrounding them.

“Just over a hundred.” The man replied, taking a gulp from a small leather water flash, he took a deep breath, then continued, “They came out of the blue. Something's riled ‘em up, my lord. Your man, Cadfael’s holding ‘em back with the others... but there’s too many.” He shook his head.

“Alright. I’m sure they could have sent someone else while you fought alongside your friends and family. Get your ass to the duke, ask him for help then hurry back to the village. Don’t think you'll avoid the battle by doing this. Now get on with it!” Artos scoffed.

Not sure what got Artos riled up, sure it was annoying this man had left the village to call for aid, but it was an important job. The man’s face went crimson as Ronta and some of the others laughed at him. Artos kept his disgusted look aimed at the guy before he barked at him once more, “What are you waiting for? Get the fuck over there!” The man didn’t waste any more time and got a move on.

Personally, I felt the man wouldn’t really be of any use in the fight unless he fancied being what people on earth used to call ‘cannon fodder,’ a feeling deep in my gut screamed at me that there was another reason Artos spoke to him in that manner. The others knew as they couldn’t hold their laughter.

Artos turned his horse to face us, “Calm down, you lot. Vern Village will fall if we don’t get there in time. Atreyu, make your way to Ali’Creed’s camp, then join us after. Everyone else, you’re with me. Let’s go spill some goblin blood!” With a light kick to the horse, Artos and the others galloped away.

I was confident enough to make my way to the camp as the route was still fresh in my mind, with Atreyu following my tracks without flaw. The others faded away as we slowed to pass the ditch that would take us to the oasis. The horses did a great job of overcoming the uneven soil, albeit a little slower than when we were on the even path. We arrived just outside the camp in the meadow where one of Sparky’s sentries spotted our arrival and sent a howl signal to the others who awaited our arrival.

I glanced at Atreyu who had gone pale and looked very concerned as if he had seen something terrifying. “Don’t worry, Sparky’s a great… wolf, the other ones that follow him are loyal. Just don’t do anything stupid or he’ll wipe the floor with us.” I warned him.

“Bastard’s bigger than a horse like Azer said.” He chuckled, “...I’m alright, just caught me by surprise, is all.”

“Wait till you see what he can do in combat. Come on, let the horses drink some water from the oasis and take a short rest. I have a few things I need to sort out on the system.” I explained, pointing towards the orb on my wrist.

It took a moment for him to realize what I was talking about, “Oh… alright. The others will be waiting, so don’t take the piss.” Atreyu grunted, bringing his horse to a stop near the water.

I could feel my horse shivering as we neared the wolves, I patted it down and gave it a nice rub on the neck. After a while of the wolves just minding their own business, thankfully, it seemed to calm down. Sparky’s kid jumped me as soon as my feet hit the ground. He hopped around with playful energy before I kneeled down and rubbed his head. He gave me a smug smile and a wag of his tail, “How have you been doing, kiddo?”

Sparky approached me and nudged me with his head as if he was itching to get some action. I patted his head as well, hoping he wouldn’t bite my hand off, “Relax, buddy, I need to upgrade my skills. Then we can kill some goblins. How about that?” I asked with a cheeky grin.

Sparky replied with a nod while the other wolves waited for a response from him. They received it in the form of a short howl, I interpreted as, “Prepare yourselves!” They began stretching their legs in a funny dog-like fashion, so I assumed they were coming along as well, which would help us out a lot.

Now, time to get some of these damn upgrades done. I opened the skills screen.