01 - The Party
A party of seven members surrounded a six-foot wide trapping pit in the middle of a forest. Like most party arrangements, it consisted of an archer, a swordsmen, a scout, two spearsmen, one tank and one porter. The absence of a healer was conspicuous, but not uncommon for a party made up of freelanced rankers.
The party lowered closer to the edge of the pit and inspected the content of the pit. The jagged opening and sporadic markings on the dirt wall suggested it was dug out quickly with a blunt shovel. Inside the pit, a borpine–a large hog-like creature with twelve bladed spines radiating out of its back– squealed beneath a layer of fallen leaves and debris. The mewling sound of pain accompanied a series of wiggles as the creature attempted to pry out the wooden stake pierced through its stomach. The party smiled upon their stroke of luck; though the previous party had set the trap, it was they who benefited. They reached down and stabbed the borpine with their spears and arrows, swiftly ending its misery.
Ian, the porter with a buzz cut and camouflage gear, descended down the pit. As the person on the bottom of the totem pole, he was in charge of all the manual labor. With the nimbleness of a cat, he avoided the remaining wooden stakes, looped the jute twine around the legs of the giant carcass, secured the knot, and then attached it to a rigging. The other party members hoisted the rope from above and hulled up the carcass while Ian climbed back out. The actions performed smoothly without much verbal communication, a sign of experience.
After wrapping the carcass into a sack, the party tethered it to a nearby tree while the scout marked their current location on the map. The "x" denoted their current location, a wooded area near a flag symbol located on the lower quadrant where they planned to retrieve it on their way back.
The party regrouped together around the map to strategize their next move. The hand-drawn map of the Riverside Realm, which the scout had acquired from the ORA forum for $2,000, was a useful tool but not always accurate. The fields within the otherworld realm shifted dynamically to a point that maps could become obsolete within a year. Nevertheless, maps were indispensable for any expedition into the otherworld realm. On the map, a river cut through the middle dividing the field into the east and west quadrants. A dark circle around the map marked the location of the electric fence and the dividing border between the otherworld realm and the real world. The four flags on four tangent points of the circle marked the location of the checkpoint gates. Near the middle, the symbol of the skull and crossbone marked the location of the goblin settlement.
"How many goblins?" Kramer, the swordsmen and leader of the party, asked. His fingers tapped twice over the skull and crossbone.
"According to the forum, the settlement have at least two dozen goblins," said Shirley, the scout. She had researched the Lakeside Realm prior to entering. The most up-to-date knowledge and information was crucial to keep the party alive. The settlement varied in size, ranging from fifteen to forty-eight goblins.
"The party that came out before us was in rough shape," said Ian. "They didn't carry out any loot and said they landed into a trap. We should plan on there being more."
"Amateurs," Kramer sneered. "They probably jumped in without a plan."
"So, what's the plan?" asked Mitch, the tank in charge of protecting the party. Ian caught the slight sarcasm from Mitch's tone. They both disliked working with Kramer, but his group was one of the few freelance rankers willing to venture into a rank D realm.
The party of six to seven members wasn't enough to take down a goblin settlement, but they could kill one or two goblins. The problem was time. The allotted time in the Lakeside realm was 1.5 hours, which was the standard restriction for a 2-miles radius otherworld realm. This allowed other parties the opportunity to enter the realm.
The party decided on the hit and run strategy. It was risky, but it should be enough to ensnare at least one goblin. Most monsters were primitive and lacked basic intelligence, but goblins had a high degree of survival instinct. They rarely traveled alone, and often in pairs. Goblins with settlement also had enhanced defense and ways to defend themselves. With an incoming party almost every hour, the goblins were accustomed to various types of attacks.
Before carrying out the plan, the party searched the vicinity for any potential traps. Once they cleared the area, they formulated an attack plan and an exit plan on the map. Everyone moved into position and tied a blue scarf on their left wrist as a signal for Mitch to begin. Mitch charged through the tall grassy field toward the goblin's settlement. The dozen wooden huts appeared in clear view, prompting Mitch to roar out a battle cry.
Near the entry of the settlement, the guarding goblins perked up their pointed scaly green ears and turned their oversized heads toward the large muscular human. At the sight of the charging human, they took out their wooden bow and attacked. Arrows shot out toward Mitch, who took little effort to block two primitive stone arrowheads with his metal gauntlet, knocking them to the side. The other arrows missed him completely. As the goblins looked for more arrows to reload, Mitch activated his taunt and dashed south where the other party members were hidden.
Five goblins with stone hammers and a high-pitched giggle followed, but the other goblins stayed behind to guard the settlement. Melee goblins were stronger and more ferocious than long ranged goblins. Once they chased down a prey to the ground, the first thing each goblin did was take a hearty bite of flesh from their captive. The high-pitched giggling of the chasing goblins were known to send chills down a person's spine, but Mitch used it as a way to gauge their distance.
Mitch ran through the wooded path, jumping up over the overgrown boxwood and large prickly sandbur weeds. If he was in the real world, he wouldn't be able to jump far with his 250 lb weight. But inside the otherworld realm, the added strength made it possible for him to jump higher than usual. Unlike Mitch, the goblins plowed through the thick vegetation, which slowed down their movement. When Mitch couldn't hear their giggling, he slowed down to allow them to catch up. The trick was to run fast enough to separate at least one or two from the rest of the goblins, but slow enough to prevent them from giving up and returning to their settlement. Mitch stopped in the middle of a small glade and took on a defensive position. With Mitch taking aggro, the other five party members powered through the first goblin that arrived. Once the first goblin died, the second goblin growled in rage and dashed toward Mitch with its stone hammer. Suddenly, Kramer's blade swiftly slashed through the goblin's head from behind, dislodging it from the goblin body. Most people would preserve the corpse for a higher payout, but goblin corpses weren't that special.
Goblins have been extensively researched since the appearance of the otherworld realms. Much of their anatomy and genetics had been documented. Scientists believed their organs had evolved from the synapsids family. If they were on earth, their ancestors would have been the lizards from a million years ago. A goblin weighing 100 lbs could still be traded to the ORA for $40,000, even without its head.
As soon as the second goblin's head rolled onto the ground, a white flash blinded everyone's view. A white flash meant one thing, a treasure chest. The white swirl disappeared near the goblin's corpse and a wooden chest the size of a small ottoman appeared in its place.
"Wait!" Ian cried out from his hiding location behind a tree further south.
Despite Ian's warning, the other party members jumped closer toward the chest, a rare sighting that appeared only 1% of the time. The chest opened, revealing a kiln-fired set of eight bowls and plates. There was nothing else of value. At the same moment, a black light flashed from the chest location– A trap!