At first light the three were gathered near the front door ready to depart. Tarquin looked at Anya to make sure she was properly prepared.
"So, it should be about a half days walk through the woods to the edge of the hills, we should be able to see tracks that will lead us to the right cave." He explained the plan, "we will eliminate all of the goblins and then anything we find will be ours to keep." looking at Anya, "I have first right to any magical items we find, everything else will be split in three equal parts. Is that acceptable to you?"
Anya, surprised that he would offer equal shares, nodded her head in agreement.
With that they set off toward the cave.
As they move along, they move with purpose. After walking for a couple hours, they slow the pace a little bit. Lexi speaks up, "Keep an eye out for any traps. Goblin traps are tricky, they use dead animals like squirrels and deer to lure people in. We don't want to fall for one."
Tarquin spots a dead squirrel; he taps Lexi on the shoulder. Looking at it she can see the tripwire tied to it. "Damn it, there they are." hitting the tripwire with her sword, disarming the trap before it could go off. "Good thing we caught that, those sneaky buggers."
As they move on, they notice tracks headed toward a cave off in the distance. "There it is," Tarquin whispered, "I can see their torchlight, they're definitely in there. We've got to be careful now."
They walk quietly up to the entrance of the cave, listening for any footsteps. "Do you hear anything? We've got to stay quiet if we want the element of surprise." Lexi whispered.
Peering inside the cave they notice a couple goblins playing cards and eating a big roast chicken. "They don't look like they're paying attention. I'm going to sneak in quietly and take out the closest to the opening." Lexi slowly slides into the cave, quietly tiptoeing through the darkness, carefully positioning herself just behind the one eating the chicken. Getting in the perfect position and raising her sword above her head. "NOW" Striking down the goblin with a powerful blow.
With her signal, Tarquin and Anya rush inside as well. Each with sword drawn they slash at the two closest goblins, killing them on the spot. Looking over at Anya, Tarquin asked, "Are you ok?"
She replies, "Yes." with a determined look on her face.
Lexi had moved alongside them and had also slashed one of the goblins with her sword and stabbed a second with her dagger.
After finishing off the goblins they hear footsteps and voices from deeper inside the cave. "This way," Lexi stated.
As they move further into the cave, they notice a group of goblins carrying a bag of grain. They slowly move towards the goblins, trying to get as close to the goblins as possible without getting caught. Getting closer, so close they can hear their conversations. One of them is saying something about planning an ambush for later today.
Slowly and cautiously, they get within range of the goblins, making sure to stay as hidden as possible. Seeing a good opportunity, Lexi gives a nod and moves to attack. The other two follow behind her, taking out a couple goblins by surprise with their quick and efficient attacks. "That's what I'm talking about!" Lexi said, smiling.
Seeing a goblin trying to run away, Tarquin fires a small lightning bolt striking him in the back.
"Any remaining goblins may have heard the fighting. We won't have the element of surprise anymore, watch for any potential ambushes." Looking at Anya and Tarquin, Lexi asked, "Ready for the next wave?"
As they round the corner, they see a large number of goblins rushing toward them. Fighting aggressively, slashing and stabbing with their swords and daggers trying to hold them back so they can't get surrounded. Tarquin uses his sword and then fires a ball of fire at two a little further away.
Seeing the fireball hit two goblins with a burst of flames, Anya couldn't help but be impressed. She stayed with them as they moved forward, cutting through the crowd of goblins.
Seeing the momentum shifting in their favor Lexi yelled, "We're doing it." Seeing one goblin get in close to Anya and starting to swing toward her Tarquin quickly stepped in with his sword blocking the attack. Seeing him block the attack Anya moved close to the goblin plunging her sword into its belly. "Good work," Lexi called, "keep up the good fight."
Looking forward they could see there were only three goblins left, each took one and finished them quickly. Seeing the last of the goblins fall they each breathed a sigh of relief. Looking around they noticed that all of the goblins are defeated and were lying dead on the ground.
Good job Anya, "now we will look through the cave and check the bodies for anything we might want to take." They begin to search the area.
Near the back of the chamber, they find three small bags of gold. They also pick up a handful of gems. Picking up a bag of gold, Lexi sees a small shiny gemstone lying in the dirt. Picking it up she holds it up to the light and calls over "Tarquin, do you think this is worth anything?"
Tossing it to him he catches it and holds it in his hand. "I don't know what it is, but it does contain magic." He smiles as he tucks it into his pocket.
Moving to the table they quickly pour the coins out and Lexi begins to divide them in three. As she does, Tarquin moves through checking the pockets of the goblins, finding a few more coins to add to the pile. Once done, Lexi passes a bag of coins to each of them.
Looking at the coins Anya was smiling we joy. This was more gold they her family would make on the farm for two seasons. Lexi then divided the gemstones evenly between them. Each receives 5 gemstones.
"I think we are done here," Tarquin said, "it is time to head back into town."
The three of them headed out of the cave. As they walked out Anya took a deep breath of fresh air. "I can't believe we just did that. Thank you for allowing me to join you today."
"What are you plans now?" Tarquin asked her.
Anya thought for a moment, "I think I will return home to see my family, with this money I can help them fix the farm and give them a better life. There will be time for me to travel in the future."
As they walked along, taking in the scenery and enjoying the fresh air, they came to a crossroads. "This is where I turn in order to go home. Thank you for everything you have done for me. Perhaps when I am older, I will come visit you again." Anya gave both Tarquin and Lexi big hugs before setting off.
As she started to walk away Tarquin called her name. As she turned around, he tossed her his bag of gold to take with her. Smiling and waving she turned and walked on.
With the quest done they made their way back to the village.