2 Session: 1

Contemplating his next move, Gob scanned the room until his gaze settled on the huddled forms of the traumatized girls. Pondering his options, he considered bringing them to the nearest town, but the recent encounter with the girls just before meeting the cleric raised concerns about their safety during travel.

The dilemma extended further as he questioned how to avoid attracting unwanted attention, particularly from town guards. In any world, a man leading a group of naked girls would undoubtedly spark suspicion, and that was the last thing he desired.

Turning to the cleric with an air of authority "Cleric over here" His silver eyes piercing through the girl's body, caused the blonde cleric to flinch mid-comforting the traumatized girls.

She hurriedly approached him when he called."Yes, may I help you?" she inquired.

"Do you have any extra clothes?" he asked, redirecting his attention to the pile of naked girls."I can't bring them back to town like that"

"We didn't carry any extra supplies," the cleric timidly admitted, displaying embarrassment.

Silence filled the cave as the man's intense gaze bore into the cleric even more deeply than before. He sighed 

"I'm sorry," she apologized once more.

"I presume you also have no spells or potions, right?" he queried coldly, unsure if he was dealing with someone more arrogant than a dragon or simply an idiot.

"I'm sorry," the cleric apologized again, tears welling up in her eyes. The stress of it all getting to her

"Forget it. Just go back to calming those girls," he instructed calmly, flipping through his spell book and finding the cantrip Mending. He prepared to repair the girls' clothes one by one.

"Yes, sir," the little cleric answered as she rushed back to where the girls were and began offering words of comfort with Gob following behind.

He crouched in front of the girls, some moved away in fear as darkness slowly encroached one more as the priestess's light began to dim 

"Stay still, won't you?" he requested, addressing the group of girls who regarded him with fear, still likely not prepared to be around a male after what they had experienced mere minutes ago. The palpable fear in their eyes threatened to unleash all his pent-up desires.

To calm his nerves, he repeated the chants for his spells in his head before crouching down before them. His hands moved over their figure and quickly began to undress the rags that hung onto their form; collecting the remaining shreds of clothes that clung to their frail figures, as well as the pieces lying on the ground. Before quickly retreating into the darkness.

"Shh, everything will be alright, no one going to hurt you anymore," Cleric said, bringing the girls into a group hug her small hands barely able to fit even half of them in it.

Several hours swiftly passed as Gob cast Mend well over a hundred times to fully repair the clothing or, at least not make them look like rags.

Aware that his new goblin urges might react strongly to the sight of a group of naked women crying. he called to the little cleric, who was doing her best to comfort the girls." Cleric come here" 

"What can I do for you, sir?" she asked with a small gleam in her eyes, her worldview battered but refusing to collapse. She was a tough cookie for sure. Did she almost break down earlier? Yes, she had, and he savored every second of it. But where others would fall and break she.

"Dress the girls." He handed her the bundle of freshly repaired clothes before getting back on his feet, adding, "Make it quick; we're leaving."

While the cleric assisted the girls in getting dressed, he didn't remain idle. He tried to salvage anything he could find, which turned out to be almost nothing. Perhaps the mage's staff could fetch some coin, but besides that, everything else was useless for him to lug around. Not much he could do with a club thicker than his torso as a mage. maybe it could be used as makeshift firewood

"A throne…really?" he mused to himself, contemplating how highly the goblin mage thought of itself. He looked at it for a few seconds until he noticed something behind it that wasn't there before.

He conjured a small flame on the tip of his ring finger, gently touching the throne and causing it to erupt in flames. In a matter of moments, the once imposing throne of human bones was reduced to little more than ashes on the ground. After offering a small prayer for the deceased, he noticed an entrance that was covered up by the throne.

"A goblin safe house," he murmured, crouching down to open the door. He crawled through the passageway until reaching the end where he found an open room harboring a dozen or so small goblins even smaller than the normal ones.

"So, this is where you went, mister." He heard the cleric call out to him as she popped out of the tunnel."I thought you disappeared" She said before he eyes landed on the goblin children.

"Children" she hesitated, uncertain about what to say next. they were goblins, but they were also kids "What are we going to do about them, sir?"

"Kill them," the man declared without hesitation, showing no remorse as he met the fearful gaze of the green-skinned children.

"But they're just children," she pleaded. extending 

"Maybe… but it takes only a single child with revenge on its mind to burn the world down," he calmly explained, snapping his fingers to conjure a large flame between his fingertips.

"Maybe they're good goblins," she argued.

"Maybe the goblins outside were the best goblins," he mused. As a former human, he struggled with his goblin instincts, barely able to control himself. Now, imagine how easily newly-born goblins would succumb to corruption.

"Can you be responsible for their lives?" he asked. "Will you raise them to be good goblins?" he continued, his penetrating gaze unwavering. She didn't say anything 

"No? Then what happens if they grow up?" He continued not caring about the discomfort on her face. "What will you say to the next village girl who falls victim to them?" He questioned unrelenting in his questioning 

"Answer me," he said coldly, his demeanor unyielding, yet he softened a bit, deciding not to apply more pressure to the girl. It felt like he was stomping on a crying puppy when he saw tears threatening to break out any second.

"Remember, mercy is for the strong, and you aren't nearly strong enough to be merciful to something that will try to kill you the second you turn your back on it," he calmly stated, tilting his head to avoid a blow from one of the goblins who thought it was time to strike.

He swiftly seized its neck, snapped it, and threw it against the wall. Then, he directed the small will-o'-wisp into the center of the group, igniting a large bonfire that turned everything it touched into cinder within seconds.

"Don't look into the fire for too long unless you want to go blind." He walked out of the cave, cutting a piece of wood to fashion makeshift torches.

As the cleric's light began to wane, almost non-existent now he feared the impact on the girls' psyches. He lit a torch as the cleric's light finally went out, leading the girls through the cave and hopefully to the outside. 

Everyone walked in silence, with only the sound of footsteps and the occasional rat scurrying, interrupting the heavy silence that hung throughout the air. They continued until they came upon the resting form of the wizard girl, her breathing now heavier than before, and her veins inflamed, distinct on her pale, clear skin. The poison was spreading, and she wouldn't survive the night.

Amidst the chaos, he had forgotten about her. His mind, exhausted from dealing with the goblins, the girls, the voices—it was all too much for him. With a heavy heart, he handed the torch to one of the girls as he lifted the wizard onto his shoulder.

They needed an antidote, and they needed it quickly.

"Cleric, how far is town?" he asked, regaining his pace with the wizard on his back. Her weight felt light and fleeting as if she might float away like a balloon at any moment.

"Town is half a day's walk from this cave," she answered, her eyes fixed on the wizard's body. Gob nodded in acknowledgment, and silence once again enveloped the group. They continued walking before Gob stopped, causing the entire group to follow. A crossroad lay before them. Contemplating his decision, he sighed before taking the left tunnel.

"Mister, the entrance to the cave is this way," the cleric said timidly, pointing to the other tunnel, unsure whether he was lost or if there was a greater reason behind his actions.

"I know," Gob answered without turning back and continued. "You all can go; no need to wait for me." Gob proceeded down the wrong tunnel. The girls exchanged glances with one another before deciding to follow. He was the only one among them with any combat capabilities; there was a fighter, but she was in no state to fight.

After a few twists and turns down the cavern, he found himself back in the chamber where he put those goblins to sleep. Observing the now-awakened girls, Gob turned to the cleric.

"Cleric, could you check on them?" Gob said, picking up the ripped cloaks on the ground surrounding them.

He was grateful that their clothing was less destroyed than the previous group of girls, he swiftly repaired a set of cloaks within minutes as he waited for the cleric to finish her medical check. Once the clothes were repaired one could tell that the girls here wore clothes vastly different in quality compared to the last.

He concluded that they were most likely part of a merchant caravan that was raided by the goblins.

"They can't walk unsupported, sir." the voice of the cleric awakened him from his thoughts.

"Why's that?" Gob calmly asked, his eyes shifting to the new additions to the group who were being supported by other girls. They were a liability, one that he felt unsure if he could handle.

Never make a decision if you can't be responsible for its effects, and he didn't think he could be responsible for the lives of four crippled girls. Ten girls that could support themselves were already a limit, and now he had to add four more cripples to the equation… Things weren't looking good.

"The goblins broke their legs," she answered with great sadness in her voice, unable to help them without any of her miracles left and unsure of Gob's response. While his face was hidden behind the mask, his eyes told the whole story of what was going on in his head.

Morality or practicality: Is it better to do the right thing or the smart thing?

"Cover them up." He threw the newly repaired cloaks and clothing at the blonde girl and began to make his way back to the crossroad leading outside the cave. He chose morality today because, God knows, he would need it from now on, or he would be taking a step closer and closer to the devil each day.

The small cave system became an imposing labyrinth where time seemed to crawl to a halt. The group had to slow their pace drastically to avoid outpacing the crippled girls.

It was a challenging NPC escort quest all over again. Gob wished he had Healing Word or just more spell slots to heal their legs and get out of here. It was a long day, and he wanted to rest. There was a limit to the blood, gore, and green skin musk that a man could handle before he went crazy.

God knows how long.

When Gob and company finally reached the outside of the cave, the sun was far into the west, they had to cover as much ground as possible and find a better site to set up camp before night's embrace came around 

The goblins he dispatched inside might have only been home guards, and he had no intention of lingering long enough to confirm.

"Cleric, which way is town?" he prompted.

"It's that way," she answered, noticeably less unsettled, as she pointed north.

"But," the cleric tried to articulate something, but it got caught in her throat.

"What is it, cleric?" Gob asked, turning around.

"My name is Priestess, not Cleric," she answered apprehensively moving closer to Gob, squirming under the goblin's gaze.

"Is there a difference?" Gob raised an eyebrow below his mask

"I guess not," she answered awkwardly. "I'm sorry for wasting your time." before melding back into the group of girls.

They covered as much ground as possible before the sun began to set. Gob decided they should utilize the remaining light to prepare camp. Walking blindly at night with a group this large and with such little fighting power was inviting disaster.

"We'll set up camp here tonight," Gob addressed the group of girls. "You four, go collect dry wood in pairs; don't wander too far." Orders and instructions flowed smoothly from his mouth, assigning roles to each girl. The older and more able-bodied ones were tasked with collecting wood for their makeshift shelter and vampires, while the younger ones stayed behind to tend to the injured.

"Is there any way I can help sir?" Priestess asked as she and the fighter were the only ones left without something to do.

"Take care of the wizard," He said as he lifted the small girl off his shoulder and placed her in the Priestess's waiting arms. He walked past the priestess and up to the fighter who was leaning on a tree losing her lunch.

He waited for her to be done before asking."Have you regained your composure?" Gob asked, his imposing form towering over the girl.

"I have, somewhat, yes," she said wiping away the remainder of her lunch off her face with the sleeve of her shirt

"I'll be out for a bit. Can you fight?" Gob inquired.

"My father taught me martial arts, not that it did much good against the goblins," she said, sounding almost broken and disillusioned with the world.

"Scared?" He questioned, and the girl nod 

"I have no words of comfort for you," Gob stated plainly. Comforting people wasn't his strength, and he wasn't going to start now. "I have a task for you, but I will find someone else if need be"

"What is it?" she asked, suspicion filling her eyes.

He unsheathed a blade from his waist and extended the weapon towards her, the hilt resting in his open palm. The girl hesitated, her trembling hands reaching out to it. Her fingers curled around the hilt, a silent understanding passing between them.

"Protect everyone until I'm back," the man urged, his gaze unwavering. "Bare your fangs at anyone that seeks to harm you or them," 

She grabbed hold of the blade and held it close. The girl looked at the short sword, her eyes reflecting a mix of determination and fear.

Seeing this Gob turned and left, his form fading into the shadows of the forest. Then she glanced to where Gob last stood before tightening her grip around the hilt. And set out to do her task and protect the rest of the girls.

With his newfound dark vision and heightened sense of smell, Gob skillfully traced the scent of his impending prey. He moved with eerie silence through the treetops, pausing to glance down at the vast hoofprints scattered on the forest floor. They were larger than most, signs that a big game would be on the menu tonight.

Following the prints led him to a clearing where a colossal boar lay, its massive form towering over him, even without standing upright. 

It was asleep, that made things so much easier.

Creeping up beneath the boar's neck, blade poised, Gob took a silent breath before skillfully plunging his weapon deep into its neck. A torrent of blood and gore cascaded down upon him.

Startled and awakened, the boar squealed in fear and agony. Rising to its feet, it vigorously attempted to shake Gob off. Unyielding, Gob held fast and drove his blade deeper, reaching the bone. Despite being slammed into a tree and subjected to the boar's desperate attempts to scrape him off, Gob maintained his relentless grip.

"Firebolt," he calmly uttered, channeling arcane energy through his blade into the boar's esophagus. Flames erupted between the tissue, softening the bone. Unimpeded, Gob's blade sliced through the now brittle structure, causing more boiling blood to pour onto his mask.

Bloodlust surged within him as the giant boar's squeals resonated through the night sky, startling nearby birds into a mass exodus.

Dodging a final attempt by the boar to skewer him with its tusk, Gob rolled to the side as the mighty beast succumbed to its wounds. Though still alive, its gurgled breaths struggled to supply oxygen to its massive body through the collapsed throat.

Unhooking his mask, Gob revealed his long ears and distinctive green skin to the world after hours of concealment. Opening his maw, he bit into the still-breathing boar, which whimpered in pain and fear as a painful death awaited.

This gruesome act persisted until he devoured the entire front leg, and the Gods were feeling merciful, the boar succumbed halfway due to blood loss.

A sinister grin adorned Gob's face as he reveled in the feast of blood and pain for the day. Redonning his mask, he severed the eaten leg, removing any evidence of his gruesome indulgence.

With considerable effort, he began dragging the boar's corpse back to the campsite, all while scanning for herbs and plants that might counter the poison afflicting the wizard.

As he made his way back to the site where the girls were, Gob stumbled upon a cluster of herbs that bore a striking resemblance to those he had employed to counteract various poisons in the past. These were the same remedies he'd relied on when some newbie in his platoon ingested something they shouldn't have or felt adventurous. Although uncertainty shrouded their potential effectiveness in alleviating the wizard girl's symptoms, it was better to try them and have them fail and not have tried at all.

It didn't take long for him to see the light of a campfire in the distance, with renewed vigor he dragged the boar even faster towards the fire.

"Who's there?" Fighter asked, blade pointing at him when he got within 30 meters of the fire.

"It's me. Calm down," Gob stated matter-of-factly as he dragged the boar to the side, watched warily by the girls who distanced themselves. Upon nearing the fire, he checked his blade for chips or dents.

"What's that?" one girl asked, pointing to the recently killed boar.

"Dinner," he said, rising and expertly plunging his blade into the beast once more, digging into its hide but no more. With surprising precision, his blade glided across the boar's hide as he skinned and gutted it. He turned its hide into makeshift ropes, hanging it on a tree with great difficulty to drain its blood. The girls could only watch with a mix of horror.

Priestess appeared visibly disturbed by the blood and gore sprayed around her, yet she found herself unable to avert her eyes from the gruesome scene.

When the blood was fully drained Gob cut chunks off the boar and cooked it over the fire with the girl's help.

Amidst the crackling flames of the makeshift campfire, dancing shadows painted the faces of the group of silent girls. Clad in simple clothing, they formed a circle, weariness etched into their expressions after a day filled with challenges. The scent of a modest meal wafted through the air, and the only sounds disrupting the starved girls devouring piece after piece of boar. 

Gob sat near them working on grinding the herbs into a drinkable paste for the wizard girl. His concealed eyes scanned the surroundings with vigilance in case anything smelled the blood and interrupted them

Once he was done he handed the makeshift stone antidote to Priestess to feed to the wizard.

When the meal concluded, he rose, his figure imposing in the firelight, and addressed the group with a deep, resonant voice.

"I shall take the first watch tonight," he declared, his words carrying a weight that further quieted the group. With a nod, the girls acknowledged the unspoken understanding, recognizing the oni-masked man as the guardian of their rest.

The girls, still wordless, began to prepare for sleep, arranging makeshift bedding around the fire. The oni-masked man moved to the outskirts of the camp, his silhouette blending with the shadows as he kept a watchful eye on the surrounding darkness.

As the others settled in, the night unfolded with a symphony of nocturnal sounds – rustling leaves, distant hoots of owls, and the occasional snap of a twig. Gob in the oni mask remained vigilant, his senses attuned to the subtle shifts in the night.

The flickering flames of the campfire cast an otherworldly glow on the oni mask, its features eternally frozen in an expression of stoic resolve. The girls, nestled in their improvised sleeping spots, felt a sense of security, knowing that the enigmatic guardian stood watch, his oni mask a silent sentinel against the unknown.

Under the night sky, the Gob stood alone, a silhouette against the darkness, his watchful gaze piercing through the shadows as the silent girls drifted into a well-earned slumber.

Under the guise of night's embrace, he clandestinely retrieved his spellbook. Its pages whispered arcane secrets that only he dared to unravel under the moon's embrace.

Amidst the quietude, he traced the lines of spells with his eyes, committing them to memory once more. In the clandestine dance between quill and parchment, he inscribed ancient incantations with a precision unfamiliar to him but familiar to this body. This wasn't just about advancing levels; it was a communion with the magic that coursed through his very being.

As the ink flowed from the quill, the choice of his wizard subclass took form—a decision etched in the ink that linked him to the path of the blade singer. A necessary choice, he understood the harsh reality of his solo journey, this wasn't a campaign with a party but with a singular player character which was him. For him, fighting in melee was not a matter of preference but a strategic necessity.

With the weight of newfound power settling upon him, a mental scroll unfurled, revealing an array of spells tailored to his chosen path. Each incantation sparked a connection, and he absorbed the knowledge, preparing for the solitary encounters that lay ahead.

The hushed cadence of footsteps interrupted the dance between quill and parchment. His gaze shifted from the spellbook to the approaching silhouette of Priestess, her figure delicate against the night's canvas.

"Trouble sleeping?" he inquired, pausing his inscription to give her his undivided attention.

Priestess settled beside him on the log, whispering a sincere "Thank you."

"What for?" he inquired, eyes searching hers, probing for any lingering distress.

"For saving us... for saving me. Without you, I don't know what would have happened to me inside that cave." The mere thought of what the goblins could have done sent shivers down her spine. This man, no matter how imposing and mysterious, had become her hero today.

The stern facade of the man softened for a fleeting moment. "I think any man would want to save a girl as cute as you," he said, a hint of warmth in his tone. A breath of longevity allowed him to drop his commanding tone.

"Cute?" She asked confused 

He chuckled softly at the confusion plastered on the girl's face, he reminded him so much of a bunny he couldn't resist wanting to take care of it, even going above his goblin instincts of pushing her down here and now. "

Your reactions are so adorable." He said 

"Thank you, I guess," she said, turning her head away from him. If it were bright outside, Gob would surely notice the faint tinge of red that kissed her cheeks. The girl quickly recovered, though, and began to ask Gob questions.

He gave vague answers, enough to satiate her curiosity but not enough to reveal his gobliny nature or his dimension-traveling abilities. He would throw in his questions here and there to make sure the girl felt she wasn't talking to a wall.

"So, um, what's your name?" she asked, losing a bit of her cheeriness from before. "I told you mine, but you never told me yours... I thought it would be nice."

He hesitated, unsure of what to reveal – his character name or his real one. Who was he truly? Was this just a dream of John Smith, a man who had lost too much, maybe even his mind, down a long road of bad decisions? Or was he Gob, a goblin with more sentience than normal, who had dreamt a story a little too fantastically for a world filled with magic?

"Gohn, I'm Gohn," he answered unsurely. Priestess's face contorted in surprise, unsure how to react.

"Did you give me your real name?" she asked as she held her staff a little closer to her and scooted a bit away from him in surprise.

"Yes?" Now he was just as confused. Why was she making such a big deal out of it? She was the one who asked for his name, so why was she surprised?

"I can't accept your proposal; I'm only 15. I want it to be an adventure for a little longer before getting married."

At those words, he stared blankly at the girl, unsure what dumb custom this was.

"What?" Gohn asked as silence hung in the air, both waiting for the other one to go first.

"Are you not from around here?" she inquired.

"I'm a traveler, yes," he answered, still beyond confusion over this whole ordeal.

"We refer to one another by titles and jobs around here, you see. Names are only given to people you trust the most." She looked at him, squirming even more than before. "Giving out your name… could be seen as a marriage proposal."

Unsure what to do next, he decided that he was not dealing with this tonight and stopped the conversation in its tracks. "It's best you get some sleep; it's been a long day," he finally advised, his eyes scanning the perimeter with practiced alertness.

Priestess looked like she wanted to say more but gave up. "Uhh, yes. Good night, and may Earth Mother bless all of our sleep." The priestess offered a short prayer before leaning over him and using it as a pillow.

Gohn sighed unsure what to do with the sleeping girl on his shoulder and just held still fear of waking the girl of god from her slumber. The night quickly turned into day.