Goblin Tracks

Part 1

Sun peeked through the window, waking me up. My room was bright. Last night sure was wild! Everything that happened kept popping back into my head. Didn't want to get lost in those thoughts though.I Shook my head and got out of bed. Threw on my clothes and strapped on my armor. I Grabbed my new swords and headed out of the room.I Bumped into Zane just outside. He looked like he just woke up too, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes. "Hey Senjar," he said, all grin-like. "Where'd you disappear to yesterday? Didn't see you anywhere."Zane was always friendly like that. But when I saw him, this one picture flashed in my mind, something I saw last night."You good there, Senjar?" Zane asked."Yeah, yeah," I mumbled. "Just wondering, where was I yesterday?""Exploring town, I heard. Did you join the adventurer's guild?""Yep, joined up.""Nice! You seem happy about it. Anything good happen last night?" I knew exactly what happened, but I played dumb."Stuff happened, that's all.""Alright, alright. Cool new swords, huh?""Yeah, but about those gold coins you left in my room—""Oh, those? Reward for the quest.""Reward? What reward?""From killing that wyvern. You helped a bunch, so that's your share.""We got that much gold just for a wyvern?" If I got 10 coins, everyone else must have gotten 10 too. So, 50 gold coins in total? Just for one wyvern? Seems way too much."Wasn't any ordinary wyvern, Senjar.""Yeah, I figured.""We told the guild what happened, and they gave us extra coin since they messed up telling us about the monster. Makes sense, almost got ourselves killed."

Part 2

We headed downstairs and the others were already gathered around a table. Lirien, Durgin, and Aria were all awake and waiting for us. I sat down next to Lirien and felt my face get hot, a little flustered."You okay, Senjar?" Lirien teased."Yeah, yeah," I mumbled. "Just didn't sleep that well.""I'm starving," Zane announced. "Let's order some food."Durgin took charge and ordered food and drinks for everyone. A waitress, Lyra brought our food and placed it on the table. As she walked away, she winked at Zane, who swatted her on the butt – way too familiar in my opinion.We ate and drank, and Zane covered the bill for breakfast."Alright, now that that's done," Zane said, ever the leader, "should we get down to business?""Business?" I asked."We picked up a quest at the guild yesterday. Easy job, but the reward is high.""What kind of quest?" Lirien, looking stunning as always with her curvy figure, leaned in to ask."Goblins," Aria, our sharp-eyed elf archer, answered. "Apparently they've been raiding farms outside town, causing all sorts of trouble.""No one else wanted the job," Durgin, our gruff dwarf with his trusty axe, grumbled. "Bunch of weaklings, they are. Guild bumped up the reward though, so we figured we'd give it a shot."We spent a good hour huddled around the table, pouring over the quest details and hammering out a plan. Excitement bubbled in my chest – a real quest, But a knot of worry tightened in my stomach too. Goblins might be weak, but they were sneaky and vicious.As everyone started packing their things, Lirien pulled me aside. Her smile sent butterflies fluttering in my stomach. "Senjar," she said softly, her voice like tinkling bells. "Remember I promised to teach you magic? Well, this is it."She held out a small, intricately carved stick, a wand, a glowing blue stone nestled at its tip. "This is a beginner's wand," she explained. "Teachers give them to their students to learn the basics. Since you're just starting out, I thought…" Her cheeks flushed a faint pink. "I thought it might be helpful."My heart hammered in my chest. This wasn't just any wand; it was a gift from Lirien, the woman I was hopelessly falling for. I took the wand reverently, the smooth wood warming in my hand. "Thank you, Lirien," I stammered, my voice thick with emotion. "This means a lot to me."A satisfied smile curved her lips. "Just promise to be careful out there, alright?" she whispered, a hint of concern in her eyes. "And focus on your training."Part 3With that, we rejoined the group. The sun hung high in the sky as we left the bustling town behind, venturing deeper into the territory of whispering pines and rustling leaves – the Old Forest. The air grew heavy with an unsettling silence, broken only by the occasional snap of a twig or the rustle of unseen creatures.We walked with cautious steps, eyes peeled and weapons drawn. The forest floor was a tangled mess of roots and fallen leaves, muffling our footsteps. After what felt like hours, Zane held up a hand, signaling us to stop."See those tracks?" he pointed to a series of muddy footprints on the damp earth. "Goblin prints. Fresh ones."A surge of adrenaline coursed through me. We were close. Following the trail deeper into the woods, we came across a hidden clearing. In the center, nestled amongst gnarled trees and overgrown bushes, sat a gaping maw of a cave. Smoke curled from its entrance, a telltale sign of goblin activity.We exchanged silent glances, a mixture of anticipation and apprehension in our eyes. This was it. The goblin's lair. The place where danger lurked, and where our adventure truly began.