Chapter 30: A Tattoo

I stumbled when the Queen asked Veda to become a Keeper. Though, the others just thought I was being clumsy, Jikani wondering how I could be so strong yet uncool. To which it's a fair view, I've had a rough time keeping myself from reacting when something happens on my other's end, causing me to look absentminded as I nearly run into many things and people throughout the day. 

But I think I'm getting better at not doing so, if not slowly. 

We finished a number of Hobgoblins parties that were scouting around Farnom Village, the group mostly doing so without my intervention till we couldn't find more within a thirty-minute interval. Seeing no more, I signal everyone to get ready for the trip back to Farnom but as we start, Floris runs off to some nearby bushes. 

"Something wrong?" I ask. 

I see Floris pick through a bush before showing me a flower growing on it. "It's a Bellwort bush, mainly used in some antivenom potions. It's on a request I noticed before we left, 2 silver a piece. So, if we could start collecting them now, we could make a lot of coin on the way back!" 

I examine the yellow flower that looks like a hanging bell from its upside-down petals. With a short glance around, I notice a few more bushes of these we could collect, making 2 silver each a lot of money if the party picks them in bulks. 

"Alright sure. We can take a minute to grab some before heading back. Just be careful of any hobgoblins that might still be in the area." 

Everyone shouts in affirmation as we start gathering up this flower. Thankfully, Floris had brought some baskets in his backpack, I can only wonder if it was a blessing or a curse that we halted there considering the enemy who arrived shortly after... 

I was focusing on Veda's conversation with the Queen when a sudden spike of Bloodlust rose up nearby. It was a thick coat, a creature that wished for Death upon another, aimed at our 'weakest link'. Had my hand not reacted for my weapon in time, Floris would've been dead before anyone knew what happened.

The sound of steel hitting steel rang out as my two-handed sword blocks the spearhead held by a green tattooed arm aiming for Floris's neck coming out from the bushes. Everyone was in shock by the sudden development, the party delayed in their response, but the hobgoblin too didn't dare move for this long-lasting second of silence. I too was surprised, but by the appearance of this arm, being something more than what a normal hobgoblin would do. But also surprised by the precision and skill put into this hobgoblin's attempt to assassinate our caster in a single move.

The party finally registered what happened, the first being sapheir and Jikani pulling out their weapons, the baskets dropping to the ground. Next was the hobgoblin who tried to go for Floris again, blocked by my weapon that I was barely keeping hold of with this one arm due to the distance I actually was from Floris. Floris finally reacts, making distance from the hobgoblin and this angers it, making it come out of the bush afterward, but not for him but for me. I would've been confident in taking this thing on alone, but my instincts told me of something coming at me from behind at the same time.

A wolf with white fur jumps out at me the moment the hobgoblin lunges for me, attempting to take my left arm, but Sapheir moves in between it and me. He tried to stab it but it was fast enough to dodge, but Sapheir's shield was raised, striking it in the face. With Jikani getting an arrow on her bow sting, this situation looked to be in our favor but after blocking one last strike aimed at my chest, I noticed something that made my skin crawl. "Get some distance!" 

As I shout that, Sapheir takes a few steps back towards his comrades, concerned by the shock in my voice while Jikani aims to hit the White wolf. Everyone was now closer together while the Hobgoblin jumped back into the bushes the moment it spotted Floris casting his magic, making some kind of sound after. The wolf reacts to the noise and disengages from the fight, getting out of reach of Sapheir before making laps around the trees. Floris launched the fireball after the hobgoblin but we didn't hear it make any noise, only seeing the bush burn. 

At first, it would've seemed stupid to hide from a fireball in the bushes, but after considering how quickly it got in there, it didn't make much of a difference as it already left. That speed also explains how it got so close to Floris before I even felt the bloodlust. 

The White Wolf is only lapping around the area, just out of view and with enough cover by the foliage and terrain to dodge Jikani's arrows. 

With the hobgoblin not making any moves, I take this moment to get a better look at my two-hander, verifying my fear as I see the green spots on every spot I blocked with. Either a poison or an acid, regardless, the feeling it gave off made Verei's instincts dread the idea of it touching me. "Be careful! Poison weapon!" 

I could hear one of them swallow saliva as tension grew from that knowledge alone. There was apparently a crash course for F-rank Adventurers on what to do when facing something using poison, "Keep enemies out of range and be light on your feet." Though Sapheir doesn't have many ranged options, the one most disadvantaged here is Floris who is lacking in both defense and movement. 

And that tattooed hobgoblin knew it. 

'But did it also know he was capable of healing magic or am I thinking too much?' 

Either way, it's dangerous. It knows how to assassinate, even knowledgeable on how to apply poison to its weapon and ensure an easy kill by either puncturing a vital or slowly and painfully weakening prey with a scratch. 

The next time the Assassin Hobgoblin came out, he aims for Sapheir, as if trying to deny my theory of Floris being the primary target. Jikani fires her arrows, keeping the Hobgoblin at a distance from Sapheir, but it was able to get close enough that I had to intercept it with my spear. When it tries to strike me, I simply block it with my shield only for it to retreat before Floris can fire off his spell. 

Something felt off about the Hobgoblin in my confrontation with it, but I can only push that idea to the side as I hear the sound of the White Wolf thumping around my blind spot. But it only continued moving at a distance around us. 

We went back and forth like this for a while; The hobgoblin shows up, trying to strike at one of our members as if fishing for a mistake before making a retreat. Each time, escaping back behind one of the bushes or blocked our line of sight using one of the trees before we could get a hit in. Then silence filled the air again, all except for the galloping sound of the White wolf. 

The position of the Hobgoblin's entrance and exit is different every time too. Sometimes it went after Jikani only for Floris to support her, me being unable to reach them before it jumped back into the brush.

Other times it went for Floris only for me to make it retreat with a quick use of ranged attacks such as my dozens of throwing knives or chucking my spear or axe. The major exception was my two-hander I left close to Sapheir. My skills with it may be good but it will slow me down if I need to protect Floris who is defending Jikani. 

Weapon retrieval is possible when the target is Sapheir, the easiest moment of defense for all of us to counter considering either I am nearby or he is covered by both ranged offensive allies. 

But inevitably, something would change in our enemy's movements.

The White Wolf that was circling around us jumped at Jikani at the same time the Hobgoblin went for Sapheir. My worry was on the Hobgoblin more than on the White Wolf so I left helping Jikani to Floris while I prepared the retrieved spear for the Hobgoblin. 

My worry wasn't mistaken but my gut feeling screamed of a problem, I overlooked something that needed to be noticed now. This feeling of bloodlust made me turn my head as I noticed the White wolf was blocking Jikani off from Floris, and Floris was about to be pincered by two Hobgoblins with the same tattoo on their right arm, matching the one I was about to face. The realization hit me worse than any headache I've had, even back to that first time I opened my eyes in that crater. 

'There were 3 of them.'