The assault started off smoothly enough. Fifty feet from the camp, the party split up, with Syra heading to the western tip of the camp, Lili taking the east, and Rayne remaining in the middle with Bob and Benji.

  Everyone had gathered rocks, an easy task owing to the nearby river that fed into the lake. There were dozens of smooth rocks on the riverbed, each about the size of an infant’s fist, and loading up with two dozen each, the four without bows now had a means of ranged attack.

  Their signal was an owl’s call, an impression Benji had demonstrated for them, and beside Rayne, he repeated it now, cupping his hands around his mouth as he let out an exaggerated hooting sound. None of the goblins reacted to the noise, the sound of wildlife just a part of everyday life out in the wilderness, and Rayne nocked an arrow to his bow as silently as possible, the wood clattering lightly as the shaft came to rest against the body of the bow.

  Drawing the bowstring back slowly, Rayne sighted on the largest goblin, who was now pawing at one of the females as he chatted with another. Although this bow was new to him, he was no stranger to shooting one. Every male from the age of thirteen was called to serve in the Torid militia, and they practiced twice a month, exercising with bows and clubs so that they might take their place on the walls of the city in the event of a siege.

  Rather than aim for the head, Rayne adjusted his aim lower, towards the goblin’s flank. He was a fine shot, one of the better archers among the militia, but he was under no illusions as to his skill level. Better to incapacitate than to miss entirely aiming for a sure kill.

  As Benji let out a second hoot, Rayne let fly, the arrow shooting through the space like a viper to slam into the goblin leader’s unprotected side. Three rocks also flew from the nearby brushes, hitting goblins as the party let out loud warcries.

  The effect was immediate. Like a hornet’s nest that had been kicked, the goblins burst into action, but their enemies were unseen, and more rocks were already flying their way. The leader was keeled over, an arrow jutting from his side, and as he made to rise with a pained look on his face, Rayne loosed another, this one taking him in the neck and putting the goblin to rest for good.

  “Attack!” Rayne thundered. “Show them the might of the Torid guard!”

  He had no idea if the goblins understood what that meant, or if they even knew who the Torid guard were. But the idea was to make as much noise and produce as much chaos as possible. So long as the goblins thought that a large force was attacking, they would panic, and a panicked foe was a predictable one. Or at least, that was the case in games. He hoped it would remain the case here.

  Fortunately, his theory held. As more rocks and arrows showered the camp, the goblins retreated, first in disarray, and then in an all out free-for-all as every monster fended for themself.

  A few of the more enterprising goblins did try to counterattack, making for the bushes with weapons in hand, only to be met by a flurry of projectiles that left three dead.

  With their leader and five others already down, the remaining goblins fled. Surrounded on all sides, their only path lay by the lake, and they dashed into it immediately, water splashing about their ankles as they threw themselves into the calm waters.

  “Now! For blood and riches!” Rayne roared, uttering the phrase that would trigger the party’s actual charge.

  Emerging from the bushes, five adventurers rushed into the goblin’s deserted camp, chasing their fleeing enemy as they attempted to gain safety on the beach of Lake Titan. Left with nowhere else to run, the goblins dove headlong into the waters, getting deeper and deeper as the adventurers closed the net around them.

  Beside him, Rayne saw Lili stoop to finish off an injured goblin, and Benji did the same on his left, dispatching those that were too injured to join their comrades in retreat. The others rushed the beach, taking the strip of sand and rocks that bordered the lake as they levied their weapons at the fleeing goblins. Lifting his bow once more, Rayne nocked another arrow, then sent it into the water, nailing one of the goblins straight through the spine.

  Like shooting fish in a barrel. Rayne had never fully understood the meaning of the phrase before, but it came to mind now, and it was not hard to see why it was so popular. With the water at their waists, the goblins were unable to move with any semblance of speed, and it became almost impossible to miss. Each arrow he fired was a hit, driving into exposed chests, necks, and skulls, the goblins’ blood forming crimson pools on the surface of the lake.

  They had killed six in the initial attack, and another had fallen now, which left eleven living goblins in the water. Unable to run, and with only open water before them, the majority turned, desperation in their eyes as they realized the mistake they had made in entering the water. Unfortunately for the monsters, it was too late for regrets, and far too late to repent. All they could do now was slowly trudge back towards land as the adventurers hewed them down with arrows and rocks.

  Only one goblin chose not to turn back, and it dove even deeper, swimming now as it sought to put distance between itself and the adventurers on shore. Unwilling to let any of their precious quarry escape, Rayne pulled back his bowstring, the world around him seeming to slow as he sighted at the swimming goblin. Against his cheek, he could feel the feathers of the arrow brushing lightly against his skin as he took aim. Then with the sound of rushing wind, he released it, the arrow flying forward as it leapt off the bow and into the back of the fleeing goblin.

  Clenching his fist in celebration, Rayne grinned. Another twenty-five copper secured. Returning his eyes to the rest of the pack, he paled. So engrossed had he been in finishing off the lone swimmer that he had failed to notice two goblins that had actually made it to the shore in front of him. These two rushed at him now, weapons raised as they sought to kill the human barring their way and make their escape.

  Shit! Throwing his bow to the side, Rayne reached for his sword, drawing it just in time to receive the desperate axe-strike of the first goblin. Reverberations rocketed up his arm, his right hand going numb from the clumsy parry, but he forced himself to react, following Syra’s teachings as he executed a riposte and cut at the monster in return.

  A fountain of blood went up, the goblin’s arm flying high in the air as Rayne dismembered it. The monster collapsed, but there was another behind it, and it launched itself at the human, daggers held in both its hands.

  Down went Rayne, thrown off balance by seventy pounds of goblin flesh that squirmed atop him. His sword was torn from his hand, clattering to the sand as he wrestled with the creature on top of him, doing his best to grab its wrists so that he might prevent the twin daggers from finding new homes in his body.

  Wincing in pain as one dagger found purchase in his left arm, Rayne attempted to headbutt the monster, only to cry out as it stabbed him again, this time in the flank. The pain was intense, and it burned like he had been stabbed by a red-hot poker, one that was lined with rust and held by a strangely strong child.

  The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

  So this is how I die? Beneath a monster whose own remaining lifespan will be measured in seconds rather than years? Even if the goblin succeeded in killing him, there was no way it would escape Syra and the others. Not that that mattered to either of them now. Currently, it was a duel to the death, and he was losing.

  A vision of Issa sprung to mind, grieving over his casket, but there was no burst of strength as he had felt against the baniv. He was already giving it his all, but the goblin was just too slippery, its blades too numerous for him to fend them off forever. One lucky hit and he was toast, and they both knew it.

  Tearing its right arm free of Rayne’s grasp, the goblin let out a triumphant noise as it raised the arm high, ready to bury the dagger deep in this human’s heart. A moment later, grin still firmly etched in place, its body slumped to the sand beside him, the head landing a moment later and rolling several feet before coming to a rest itself.

  “You all right?” Lili asked, reaching out a hand to help him up.

  Breathing heavily, Rayne nodded. The wound in his side burned, but he could feel that it was not that deep, and he took her hand, allowing her to haul him to his feet as he surveyed the situation.

  The others had been busy, and no living goblins remained on the lakeshore. There were not enough of them to dye the waters red, but their blood floated gently atop the surface of the lake, like crimson lilypads that heaved and fell with each tiny wave that passed by.

  It was a gory sight, but not one that Rayne could turn away from.

  He had done this. Through his plan, the party had slaughtered eighteen goblins and left their bodies floating in Lake Titan. It brought him some sense of pride, but also trepidation. He had been so close to joining them. One mistake and he had nearly paid for it with his life. Even after all the training with Syra, it seemed it was not enough. He needed to do better. Much better.

  Mistaking his clenched fist for a sign of triumph, Lili smiled. “We did good. Eighteen greenskins dead, and not a single death to show for it. Good stuff.” Punching him in the arm, hard enough to make Rayne wince, she moved on, exchanging high-fives with Bob and Benji as they set to looting the battlefield.

  Rubbing his arm where she had struck him, Rayne looked up to see Syra approach, a concerned look in her eyes as she gazed at him.

  “Are you okay?” she asked.

  He nodded. “I think so. Bugger got me, but not badly.”

  “I’ll be the judge of that.” Motioning for him to sit down, she pulled his armor aside, exposing the wound to the air.

  Rayne sucked in a breath as he felt her fingers probe the site of the injury, gently pushing and pulling at the surrounding flesh as she examined him. Finally, she let his shirt and armor fall back into place before giving him a nod.

  “You’re lucky it’s shallow. Another two inches and it would have pierced your liver. Had that happened, you’d be in a world of pain right now. And likely dead if we couldn’t get you back to Torid in time.”

  Nodding numbly, Rayne forced a smile. “But hey, it didn’t. So all good, right?”

  Syra batted him. “Wrong. You’ve avoided the worst of it, but you’re still going to need to make sure it doesn’t get infected. Luckily for you, we’ve got a lake right here, and I’m pretty sure I saw some Healer’s Friend when we were tracking these things. Go wash the wound, and then we can pack it with a poultice as we return. You might still want to visit the healer’s just in case. But the poultice should be more than enough..”

  Deciding it was best to obey the scary Katiine, Rayne set to it, moving down the beach to a place where the water was not dyed red with goblin blood as he began cleaning the wound. It was not a fun task, and he winced heavily with each swipe as he scrubbed the dirt and blood away from the site, but it was for the best. Infections were not cheap to heal, and he needed to save every copper for Issa’s tuition.

  Finally finished with his wound cleaning, Rayne found the others stripping the goblins’ camp of valuables. There was not much, but a pile of rusty goblin weapons, a sack full of ears, and a small chest with eight silver in it served as their bounty, and they carried it proudly as they walked back through the forest on the way back to Torid.

  ~

  Rayne would have expected the guards at the city gate to stop them from entering with a bag full of weapons, but they did not so much as bat an eye, simply ushering them past with a respectful nod to Lili who gave them a wave and a grin as she sailed by. Chalking it up to just another thing that was expected of adventurers, Rayne shrugged and followed, entering the city with a bloodstained pack on his back.

  The Adventurer’s Guild was bustling with activity when they returned, and they were forced to shoulder their way to the desk, where a line of adventurers were handing in their own commissions to the beleaguered clerks. Getting into line, they stood in silence, lacking the energy to chat after the day’s exertion as conversation erupted all around them.

  It took nearly ten minutes for them to reach the front of the line, and a relieved Rayne tossed his bag on the desk, where it landed with a bloody squelch as he took out the mission paper and placed it beside it.

  “We’ve completed a goblin subjugation.”

  The clerk nodded and moved to take the paper, but Rayne held onto it.

  “There was a discrepancy. Whoever commissioned this put that there were eight goblins, but we fought eighteen of them. Over double the mission specifications.”

  With a troubled expression, the clerk flashed an awkward smile. “Ah, that is unfortunate. However, there’s nothing I can do. Once completed, the commission’s rewards cannot be changed. We will of course pay you for any additional goblin ears you brought back, but apart from that…”

  “Let me deal with this.” Clapping him on the chest, Lili advanced on the desk. Before the receptionist could even open his mouth to ask her her business, she slammed a gauntleted hand down, the wood splintering where it was struck as a loud bang shook the room.

  Immediately, all eyes turned to the desk, where Lili was now leaning over the hapless receptionist.

  “Listen up, pal,” she warned. “We nearly lost our lives today because of your client’s shitty info. Eight goblins? There were close to twenty of the fuckers! And they all wanted our blood. The only reason we survived is because this guy over here”—she pointed at Rayne with her thumb—“managed to come up with a plan that let us beat those greenskinned bastards. And we still nearly died doing it! So if you think that you can make this go away with the original reward, you’ve got another thing coming.”

  A small crowd was forming around them, those waiting in line as well as adventurers simply hanging out in the guild after their day’s work, all congregating to see what the fuss was about.

  Appearing slightly flustered, the clerk attempted to negotiate. “It’s not that I don’t understand your position. But there are steps that have to be followed. Regulations! I can’t just give out more money simply because the mission changed midway!”

  Lili smiled dangerously. “So you’re saying we should have just let those goblins live, maybe attack a nearby settlement or two while we come back here and play your little paperwork games?”

  “N-no, that’s not what I’m saying,” he stammered.

  But Lili was not finished yet. “Oh, so we should just do all our work for free? Travel the lands heroically slaying monsters, expecting nothing in return?”

  “That’s not—”

  “Well if you don’t want us leaving the monsters so that the commission can be updated, and you don’t want us acting for free, then what in the six hells are you expecting us to do? Huh?” She punctuated this final question with an aggressive smack on the desk, and the clerk smiled awkwardly.

  “Well—” He was saved the trouble of answering by the arrival of another clerk from the back. Rayne recognized this one as Mavis, and she sighed as she took in the situation.

  “Clark, what’s going on here?”

  “They want to change the mission parameters, ma’am,” Clark responded, straightening up in his chair. “Said there were eighteen goblins when the commissioner only reported eight. I told them it couldn’t be done.”

  She smacked the back of his head, just hard enough to make him fall forward an inch. As he reached back with an uncomprehending expression, she shook her head. “Pay them, and pass along the mission report to me after. I’ll follow up with the client and ensure we get properly compensated for this.”

  “Yes, ma’am.”

  With a slightly resentful look, Clark obeyed, pulling out the required coins and handing them to Rayne, who immediately shared them amongst the party. Their business done, they split up, Lili and her crew bidding them farewell as they headed out, leaving Syra and Rayne standing alone inside the guild hall.

  “See you tomorrow?” Syra asked.

  With a tired smile, Rayne nodded. “Much as I’d love to call it a rest day, I need the coin. So yeah, I’ll see you tomorrow.”

  With that, the eventful day of adventuring came to an end. Walking slowly, Rayne made for the guild showers. There was still another hour before Issa finished for the day, the perfect amount of time to wash the blood off his clothes, head to the healers to make sure everything was alright with the wound on his stomach, and then pretend like he had not nearly lost a life-or-death battle today.