Chương 30: More Questions than Answers

Ch. 30 - More Questions than Answers Wyatt followed Kit as she led him through the woods. The trees were large, too big to get his arms even halfway around their trunks, and tall enough that they reminded him of the forest he'd been lost in. There wasn't an oppressive air about this wood though, and it was actually pleasant to walk through. There was so much more life. Ferns, shrubs, and bushes dotted the ground liberally. No saplings as the tree canopy was too dense to allow light.

It would only be when one of the old trees fell that new saplings would have a chance to race each other for the sunlight. Wyatt watched Kit as she darted through the undergrowth, effortlessly navigating any obstacle in her path. She doubled back regularly, making sure that he was always within sight, but also checking the forest ahead. Wyatt called out, keeping his voice hushed as he strode through the woods after Kit.

"You're right, it's a lot bigger than I thought."

'It might be one of the larger wooded areas on this floor. I don't know why it wasn't on the map.'

"I think that maybe when the floor was cleared, no one bothered to update it any further. I suppose that we should be grateful that all the paths are marked." They fell silent for a while, their attention mostly on staying as quiet as possible. After twenty minutes or so, Kit slowed down. She crouched, staring intently ahead, her body taut with tension.

'We are close now, I can smell them. Their camp is right ahead.' Wyatt got down beside her, resting a hand on her back. His voice was hushed.

"Got it. You ready?" Kit hesitated, then nodded. She turned, looking back at Wyatt.

'Be careful, okay? No risks?'

"No risks." Kit gave Wyatt one last look, then dove down into his shadow, it swallowing her up with out a trace. Wyatt took a deep breath, steadying himself. He didn't feel nervous, perhaps because of [Advanced Fortitude], but his adrenaline was still up. He waited, focusing, until he felt balanced and in control of his actions. Then he whispered his Skill.

"[Mask Presence]." Feeling the Skill take effect, he started to creep forward as stealthily as he could, his senses on high alert. He knew he was relying on his Skill, but he didn't want to leave anything to chance. Wyatt was also waiting for any activation of [Danger Sense].' Careful now — they are right ahead of you.' Wyatt couldn't risk replying to Kit, but he'd begun to hear sounds of movement, of speech. It was higher-pitched than a human, and he recognised it as belonging to Goblins.

Wyatt slowed even further, choosing each step with care. Then, through a gap in the trees, he saw them. There were eight Goblins in total, spread out around a central fire-pit. It had been dug perhaps a foot into the ground, and Wyatt could see some side tunnels allowing airflow to the small fire. This made it almost smokeless, with only a thin tendril weaving its way up through the trees, soon to dissipate into nothingness. It was a smart way to avoid announcing your presence, and Wyatt was impressed.

There were small lean-to's placed up against trees, simple shelters that were angled away from the edge of the woods on the far side of where Wyatt crouched. The Goblins were spread all over their camp, some lounging down inside of their shelters, others talking in a small group, with two of them tending to a pot that was suspended over their fire-pit. The Goblins were mostly naked, with loincloths being the garment of choice.

They were all small, with their large pointed ears, sharp features, and scraggly dark hair. They all possessed the distinctive green skin of their race, and Wyatt couldn't help but think they would blend in near-perfectly with the surrounding foliage. He couldn't tell all that much difference between the males and females, but a few of them had crude breast-bands across their chest, signifying their gender. Wyatt inched closer, trying to keep them all within view.

He was fascinated despite himself, even though he was ready for the smallest indication of threat. [Danger Sense] had yet to make a sound, and Wyatt quietly wondered if it really was because he wasn't intending to reveal himself in any way. It wasn't just that Wyatt could see the Goblins. His Skill, [Natural Affinity - Monsters], was allowing him to get a strong sense of what they were feeling. Their intentions.

As Wyatt watched, one of the male Goblins sidled up to a female, his feet shuffling as he looked downwards shyly. Behind the male Goblin, two of his friends shouted encouragement. The female Goblin was offered a large mushroom, held by trembling hands. She plucked it from him, lifting it to her nose as she sniffed. The gift-giver looked visibly excited … then the female goblin tossed the mushroom into the communal pot simmering over the fire. The male Goblin's shoulders slumped at the rejection.

His friends hooted with laughter, but still clapped him across the back, commiserating with him while still teasing. Wyatt just stared as he watched their interaction. It seemed so … normal. As Wyatt wrestled with his conflicting emotions, another Goblin got to its feet. This one was a little larger than the others, bulkier. He gave off a feeling of easy confidence, of command. This Goblin grunted at the three vocal Goblins.

"Quiet." The sounds of good-natured mocking instantly hushed. They waved their hand in apology, all chorusing a variation of 'sorry, Chieftain'. The Chieftain grunted again, and ambled away, heading a little closer to Wyatt's hiding spot. Kit whispered to him.

'Careful, don't move …' Another Goblin got up from where it had been laying in a lean-to shelter. It was female, and wearing a necklace of bone fetishes that was instantly familiar to Wyatt. She was carrying a staff, lazily dragging it along the ground with one hand. The Chieftain nodded at the female Goblin, absently scratching at his belly. Then he frowned when he saw her pause, sniffing at the air in an exploratory fashion. The Chieftain poked at her, speaking in a stilted way.

"What matter?" The female Goblin answered, her voice a growl.

"Not know. But … something."

"Danger?" The female Goblin ignored the insistent Chieftain for a moment. She looked around warily, lifting up her staff and pointing around with it. To Wyatt's shock, he saw that there was a human skull affixed to the end, the eye holes emitting a soft green glow. There was barely any time to take that in though, as his [Danger Sense] began to activate, the faintest of warnings, as the female Goblin turned to face him directly. If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it's taken without the author's consent.

Report it. Before Wyatt could move, the Skill suddenly stopped, almost as quickly as it had begun. Another Skill took effect; [Lesser Resist Magic] blocking whatever magic was being used to search the surrounding area. The female Goblin look confused as her casting revealed nothing, then she looked unsure. Kit spoke in Wyatt's ear.

'She's not a [Shaman], she's too low level for that. Perhaps an apprentice?' The Chieftain grunted louder, and nudged the magic user more insistently.

"Danger? The female Goblin shook her head.

"No. Nothing." She squatted down on the ground near Wyatt's position, looking morose. The Chieftain joined her after a moment. She examined her staff, picking at the bindings holding the skull on, then sighed.

"Not good. Nothing here for us." The Chieftain picked at his teeth with a long sharp nail, almost a claw.

"Maybe. Safe though." The magic user let out a harsh laugh, looking derisively at the other Goblin.

"Safe? With Adventurers?" The Chieftain grinned toothily.

"No [Knights] here. Only little Adventurers. Is safe."

'[Knights]? The only places that you're likely to run into knights are in Terregal. And that's on the other side of the world.' Any other time, Wyatt would have been very interested in hearing about the existence of [Knights] from Kit, but for now all his attention was on the Goblins. The female Goblin spat on the ground, tossing down her staff carelessly.

"Maybe safe. Still pointless." The Chieftain shrugged at her.

"King said to go. To wait, to watch."

"For nothing." A note of rebuke entered the Chieftain's voice as he frowned at the female Goblin. Not nothing. We watch for King's enemy." The magic using Goblin drew aimlessly in the dirt with one finger. She sounded dour, sulky.

"No special enemy here. Just regular enemies." The Chieftain shrugged again.

"Didn't have to come." The female Goblin spun to face him, glaring.

"Thought we could get to high floors!"

"What is, is. No use complaining. King asked, we go. First floor only place he can send." Kit sounded entranced. Even though he couldn't see her, Wyatt could picture her tail thrashing about wildly.

'Are they talking about the Winter King? They are here because he asked them to come — he sent them?' The magic using Goblin continued, looking around in dissatisfaction.

"Could have sent us higher. Be useful there." The Chieftain shook his head.

"Weren't in right place to get to other floors. You know this."

"But now we stuck here!" The Chieftain scratched at his belly, digging into a spot that was itching him. He sounded very unconcerned.

"Lot of food here. We can keep hidden. Don't attack, don't get attacked. Simple" The female magic user laughed derisively, shaking her head.

"You simple! And cowardly. We kill little Adventurers, easy. We get weapons, potions … and I get more bones. Stronger magic." She gripped at the fetishes hanging from her neck with a grin, and Wyatt realised they were the perfect shape and size to be human finger bones. The Chieftain grunted in annoyance at her, slapping at his thigh.

"Not coward, is smart. Here Goblins safe. We Keep safe. Eat and Level. We kill little Adventurer, then Big Adventurer come. Then we die — like rest." The female Goblin folded her arms stubbornly.

"We hide in little forest. No future here." At that, the Chieftain sounded amused as he corrected her.

"Big forest. Scouts who left not come back, remember? Even big kin not come back. No, we stay here." Whether or not the female Goblin didn't have a rejoinder, of if she'd just got tired of the conversation, Wyatt didn't know. He watched them a little longer, but they didn't say much else. The Goblins seemed to communicate nonverbally using gestures much of the time, only speaking when needed. Wyatt didn't quite know what to make of what he'd seen.

The Goblins seemed almost halfway normal at times, interacting with one another in a very relaxed manner. But then there was the use of human bones, the talk of killing Adventurers for their loot. Even the off-handed and unconcerned remarks about others of their tribe leaving and not coming back. That spoke to a casual attitude towards life — both human and their own — that Wyatt couldn't reconcile with. Deciding that he'd seen enough for now, Wyatt turned and left as quietly as he could.

He moved through the woods in silence until Kit leapt up out of his shadow.

"I take it we are far enough away now, Kit?"' Yes, you can turn off your Skill.' Wyatt walked with Kit through the woods for a few minutes, just thinking. Then he glanced down at the silver fox.

"We didn't find out how they got into the dungeon. It didn't really sound like they knew much about it themselves." Kit shook her head.

'No, we didn't. But what we did learn … if the King they were referring to is the Winter King, then he is the reason why they are in the dungeon.'

"I heard Hazel, the [Receptionist] at the guild mention him. Who's the Winter King?" Kit shot Wyatt a rueful look.

'It's so strange to hear someone ask that, even knowing what I do about you. Everyone knows about the Winter King.'

"Well, I don't. Is he like the King of the Goblins?" Kit shook her head.

'No, not at all. Well, sort of, but not in the way you mean. No one knows all that much for sure about him.'

"How can that be? Hazel just mentioned him off-handedly. What about this 'enemy' the Goblins were talking about?" Kit looked thoughtful as she padded through the woods.

'An 'enemy' is news to me. Unless they just mean the world in general? The Winter King doesn't accept visitors to his realm. He does have power over Goblins, Wyatt, but it isn't just them. There are a number of races that fall under his aegis.'

"When you say races, do you mean —" Kit nodded at him.

'Not human. Or humanoid, rather. Ogres, Banshee, Trolls … that sort of creature.' Wyatt grimaced.

"So monsters, basically."

'That's right.' Wyatt was silent as he took that in.

"Where is the Winter King? Do people know that much?"

'Yes. He rules over a frozen plateau and alpine region in the centre of the continent. He stays quiet for years at a time, sometimes decades. Then, without any warning, raiding bands and even armies begin to march, all under his banner.' Wyatt frowned, thinking that over.

"So he's just a problem for this continent? How many are there? Continents, I mean."

'How many? Three. The one we are on is called Styrrias.'

"And another is 'Terregal'? You mentioned it before. The one with [Knights]?" Kit flicked her ears.

'Yes, and the last continent is Belthenia. But the fact the Goblins were talking about [Knights] is really … odd.'

"There aren't [Knights] anywhere else?" Kit shook her head.

'Very few. Terregal is where you find most of them.' Wyatt frowned.

"Wait. If the Winter King is in Styrrias — which is where we are — why did the Goblins talk like he sent them here? If you are right and they are from the other continent."

'I … don't know. But I think we should tell someone.' Wyatt slowed his steps, coming to a stop. They were close to getting out of the woods, and he could see slivers of blue sky between the tree trunks. Wyatt rubbed at his forehead, feeling frustrated.

"Do we really have to tell someone?" Kit stopped as well. She turned to face Wyatt, blinking in surprise.

'You don't think this is important?' Wyatt folded his arms, trying to think how best to explain himself to the silver fox.

"Is it really though? Important, I mean. As far as I see it, nothing has changed. It's not like we learnt anything useful about how the Goblins got into the dungeon. Just that they were sent, and that doesn't really matter, right? It didn't sound like they could get back at all — or even up to another floor. I just … don't want to get caught up in any more vitally important, earth-shattering events. I've had more than enough of that already." Kit stared at Wyatt, processing what he'd said.

'We do know something, Wyatt. We know where a whole group of Goblins are holed up.'

"Yeah, Kit, we do. But did it sound to you like they were intending on doing anything that would risk drawing attention to themselves? Particularly their leader. I don't know, Kit — they just seemed like people to me, even if they were different." Kit cocked her head at him.

'What do you mean, you saw all the bones.' Wyatt shifted uncomfortably.

"Yeah, I did. And I also remember seeing Raek and the others attack that first group of Goblins without a moments hesitation."' … what if these Goblins attack someone else? Wouldn't that make you responsible, Wyatt?' Wyatt sighed, feeling down and discouraged.

"Kit, if I see someone in trouble, I'll step in if I can. Hell, I'll even fight Goblins if I have to. And perhaps if I hadn't just seen them up close, if I hadn't listened to them speak, I would report their location. But … they just seemed like a people to me, Kit. A hunted people. How else are they supposed to live? You heard that Chieftain, he just wanted them all to be safe. I … don't know if I could lead Adventurers to them after hearing that. Not when I know how they'd all be slaughtered offhand."

Kit regarded him seriously, her eyes intent.

'You might regret this, Wyatt. History has a way of repeating itself.' Wyatt's face closed off as he remembered. He couldn't stop his voice from sounding short, clipped.

"I know it does. But I don't want to be a part of it repeating. Not if I can help it." Wyatt strode off towards the farmhouse, struggling to get himself to relax, Kit trotting silently at his heels. He could feel the tension in his muscles, the worry that he was doing the wrong thing. It was a far cry from how he had felt only a few hours before when he'd woken up. He needed a distraction, something that would cheer him up. He knew just what to do.