Den of Surprises

Petra giggled as she swiped her shortsword across another goblin's chest. The goblin fell to the cave floor in a heap of bloody cuts and mangled clothing.

"This is great!" she announced with a smile.

Even Anne had the hint of a smile on her face as she cast another [Firebolt], disintegrating a goblin on contact. 

The malnourished humanoid monsters barely put up a resistance for this group. 

Fenn stood staring, mouth agape. 

"How?? Recruits of your levels should struggle with this! When I was a recruit we could barely hold down a goblin and stab it! This was supposed to be a humbling experience!" His eyes were wide with shock.

"Oh, the level from the application? I had my butler submit it, so he probably guessed. I'm level 16 by the way."

"I am as well," Anne spoke up. It was the first time she had spoken this entire trip. 

"What!? How am I supposed to teach a group that is nearly my level! I'm only level 31!" Fenn shouted again. The goblins were all dead now. "Gwen, please tell me you are a more reasonable level! It's 12, right?"

Gwen nodded. She had avoided fighting thus far. It was actually enjoyable watching Petra and Anne let loose on some small fries. 

"Wow, level 31! You're so strong and so young, Fenn!" Petra was panting slightly from the fight, but she was still all smiles.

Fenn looked away and blushed.

"I guess I am. If you say so, I must be, right!?"

Petra giggled again and spun around, sheathing her sword. The cave trip was carefree so far. 

Fenn had brought them to a cave under a mountain south of Glendon that is commonly home to goblins, no matter how many times adventurers clear it out. Monsters are drawn to this habitat like flies to honey.

"Well, we've pretty easily cleared all of the front chambers. The leader of the occupying tribe usually takes up residence in the last and largest chamber. That's just how goblin tribes work," Fenn explained.

Anne was furiously scribbling notes as he spoke.

"I hadn't expected on clearing the cave today, but we might as well, right? Maybe when we go back to the guild's notice board there will be a request from some spelunkers, or something." 

Fenn lead the group back to a stream they had been following through the cave. It was a slow trickle now, but Fenn had explained earlier to the squad that when it rains it would become a raging river. That's how the cave probably formed in the first place!

As predicted, the final chamber of the cave lay ahead at the end of the trickling stream. 

Inside the relatively large chamber were three figures, all seemingly larger than the previous goblins, but the visibility was too poor to see across the chamber. They had not yet noticed the group. 

"Hobgoblins?" Anne muttered aloud. 

Fenn's face suddenly became serious.

"The encroachment of the Ashen army on Easlan has driven stronger monsters from their homes over the Western Mountain Range back into Easlan. You need to keep your guard up for unexpected monsters at all times."

Anne jotted the advice down.

"If either of you can pick off one or more of the enemies with your bows it would make this much easier."

Both Gwen and Petra took the bows from their back and an arrow from their quiver. 

Nocking the arrow felt awkward for Gwen, as if everything she was doing was with her left hand. It was foreign and entirely uncoordinated. 

She thought back to the appraisal.

'Aren't I supposed to be a master of the bow?'

Embarrassed, she looked over to Petra to find she was having the same problem with her massive golden bow. 

"I think this is the wrong type of bow…" she muttered.

Fenn couldn't help but laugh and reply, "you would know if you had listened to my lesson about weapons, you know!"

Finally it clicked for Gwen. 

"Petra, can we trade bows?"

She looked over to see Gwen already handing over her bow.

"Oh, yes! I am proficient in shortbows. My butler must not have known the difference…"

Gwen smiled and nodded and traded her [Officer's Shortbow] for the [Bespoke Longbow].

It felt at home in her hands, and she nocked an arrow with efficient grace and dug the metal guard at the end of the bow into the ground for stability. 

The bow was nearly as large as her, with a draw probably as heavy. Gwen needed all of her power to draw it back.

Petra loosed the first arrow, just barely missing the hobgoblin to the left. Gwen had lined up for the right, and fired just as Petra's arrow hit the ground. The hobgoblins leapt in surprise at the noise.

The arrow hit perfect center mass of the hobgoblin, immediately knocking him to the ground and sending a splatter against the wall next to him.

"Great start!" yelled Fenn as he took his shield from his back.

"Let's take out the other two!"

He rushed forward with his sword and shield, leaving the others behind.

"I think he's having fun, too!" Petra laughed.

The trio advanced behind Fenn, but Gwen suddenly felt that something was wrong. Only one of the two hobgoblins, wildly brandishing a crude machete, ran to meet Fenn.

She squinted in the darkness to view the back of the cave in the dim light of the goblin's wall torches, and realized the hobgoblin in the back was holding a wand and focus!

"Fenn, look out!" 

Before he could react, the hobgoblin in the back sent a huge [Fireball] sailing over his ally's back, hitting Fenn square in his kite shield.

The force of the blast knocked Fenn back violently toward the other three, causing him to skid against the rocky floor of the chamber.

Petra screamed and Anne recoiled in horror.

"A goblin sorcerer! It's far too strong for us!"

Thoughts raced through Gwen's mind as she waffled between decisions. 

'If I do nothing, Fenn may die. But if I save them they will know I lied about my background. I'll have to leave the guild and be alone again!'

Gwen saw the sorcerer preparing another spell. Her choice was made.

[Shadow Form]!

A black, shapeless form leapt from the group and landed in front of the charging hobgoblin. Without a sound, a glint of metal flashed from the shadow and tore the goblin's throat apart. The shadow bounded forward toward the sorcerer as its eyes grew wide with terror.

"Is that… Gwen?" Petra asked while hunched over Fenn. Anne furiously scribbled in her notebook.

The sorcerer extended his hands and released another massive fireball toward the bounding shade. A mass of flames hit the rocky floor of the cave and exploded outward with tremendous force.

But the shade was nowhere to be seen. He flailed his head searching for the shadowy figure, but he never saw it even as it landed behind him.

The last thing the sorcerer felt was cool metal entering his neck.