The trio approached the local Freelancer's Guild hall with an air of excitement. They've agreed to call themselves "Dreisterne" over breakfast earlier, though Nathan and Keith forgot to ask what it meant. The building, a sturdy stone structure with a welcoming wooden door, seemed to hum with the promise of new adventures. Inside, the hall was bustling with activity, as freelancers of all stripes chattered amongst themselves, trading stories and exchanging offers.
Nathan, Harald, and Keith made their way to the registration desk, where a clerk was busy processing paperwork. They paid one silver florin for each registration form, and Harald directed his companions to fill them out with a theatrical air.
"Please, gentlemen," Harald said smoothly, handing Nathan and Keith their forms. "We must ensure our entry into the guild is impeccable. The details are crucial."
Nathan accepted his form with a nod. "Understood. I'll get these filled out."
Keith, glancing at the form with a mixture of curiosity and apprehension, remarked, "Blimey, that's a lot of questions. How do they expect us to remember all this?"
Harald chuckled softly. "Consider it a formality, Keith. Just answer truthfully, and we shall be members in no time."
It took some time, but soon the clerk returned with their new membership tokens: small steel plates engraved with their names and the Freelancer's Guild crest, each suspended from a modest chain.
The clerk, a young woman with a friendly demeanour, handed the pendants over. "Here you go, gentlemen. Welcome to the guild."
Nathan took his pendant and examined it with a sense of pride. "Thank you, miss."
Keith, grinning widely, admiring his own token. "Ain't this a sight! We're official now, eh?"
Harald nodded, holding his plate aloft. "Indeed. Now, let us get to work."
The trio then made their way to the job board, a large wooden bulletin covered in various flyers and notices. Harald meticulously scrutinized each advertisement with careful attention, though Nathan couldn't help but notice that he skipped several of them.
"What about those two you've skipped, Harald?" Nathan asked.
"Oh, those?" said Harald dismissively. "Just menial work, not worth our time. Now, this one..." he continued, pointing to a flyer detailed a task to clear out a den of troublesome kobolds that had been plaguing a local farmer. "It does seem quite manageable for novices such as ourselves. And the payment is quite generous."
"That's tempting", said Keith. "But d'you reckon we could do it, though? Clearing a whole den of those blighters, I mean."
Harald laughed. "Clearing a kobold's den is every enterprising freelancers' first job, Herr Nimbus. Go ask anyone who ever registered in this guild, and they always say that this job is a rite of passage to greenhorns like us. As long as we keep our eyes peeled, I don't see any cause for worry!"
"Don't forget to look out for highwaymen. They like going after freelancers, especially the tired ones who go home with loot after a job" Keith warned.
Meanwhile, Nathan frowned as he tried to recall Mr. Eriksson's lessons about kobolds during the nights when they read through the old man's bestiary, but he couldn't seem to remember any details about kobolds. But then again, monsters have been his weakest subject since he's barely interested in learning about them. He puts his reminiscence at the back of his mind as he returns to the matter at hand, saying "If you say as much, Harald. Let's go with that one."
Harald, always quick to seize an opportunity, clapped his hands together. "Excellent. I shall inform the guild clerk of our decision" he said, ripping the flyer off the job board and presented it to one of the guild clerks to accept the job.
"Right then! Let's show 'em what Dreisterne's made of!" Keith exclaimed as he punched his palm with enthusiasm.
Dreisterne then visited Lyonsmeade's trading post to purchase necessities, namely torches, some flasks of oil, rope, and emergency medical kits containing poultices and bandages. Their excitement was palpable as they stepped out of Lyonsmeade gates, ready to embark on their first real adventure together and eager to prove themselves and make their mark as a true adventuring party.
The sun has almost reached its zenith as Nathan, Harald, and Keith made their way along the rugged path leading to the kobold den. The trail, though not far from Lyonsmeade, was treacherous, winding through dense underbrush and uneven terrain, and they were thankful that nothing untoward happened along the way when they finally reached their destination. Dreisterne made their last-minute preparations before they stepped through the mouth of the cave, which loomed ominously before them. The cave seemed unremarkable when they stepped inside, where they traversed a narrow, rocky opening barely wide enough for three people to walk side by side.
Nathan took a moment to light their torches before they ventured inside. "Keep your eyes peeled, gentlemen," he said, holding up his torch to cast flickering light into the cave's depths.
Keith, carrying his shield and a wary expression, nodded. "And let's make it quick. I ain't too keen on tight spaces..."
As Dreisterne ventured further inside, the light from Nathan's torch flickered against the walls, revealing that the passage widened into a low-ceilinged chamber. The air was damp and cold, with a faint, earthy smell mixed with something metallic and acrid, possibly from the lingering presence of long-forgotten fires. The walls were uneven, a natural formation of jagged rock, but they were covered with crude, primitive drawings. Simple figures and chaotic symbols, painted in what seemed like a mixture of mud, charcoal, and maybe even blood, sprawled across the stone. Some of the images were childlike in their simplicity: stick figures hunting or dancing, while others were disturbingly detailed, depicting strange rituals or battles with larger humanoid creatures, with the stick figures being depicted standing triumphant over the larger ones.
Harald, his hat casting a shadow over his face, took in the sight of the cave walls, which were adorned with the intriguing drawings. "Fascinating," he remarked with a note of amusement as he studied the artwork with keen interest. "Something tells me that these kobolds love self-aggrandising."
Nathan couldn't shake the uneasy feeling creeping up his spine. He scanned their surroundings carefully, his gaze darting from shadow to shadow as his companions admired the cave's interior, feeling the hairs on the back of his neck prickle. "I don't like this..." he muttered to himself. Nathan's instincts proved correct when, suddenly, a glint of metal caught his eye. He barely had time to react as a crossbow bolt whizzed past him, narrowly missing his face and leaving a shallow cut. "Look out!" he shouted, his voice echoing off the cave walls.
Before his friends could fully react, a flurry of crossbow bolts rained down from concealed positions in the ceiling. Keith raised his shield in a desperate attempt to block the projectiles, while Nathan and Harald scrambled for cover behind the sturdy shield. Keith grunted as he shifted his shield slightly at a rapid pace in order to block as many projectiles as he could.
Harald wasn't so fortunate, as two bolts struck the pyromancer's kneecap, causing him to stagger. The pyromancer groaned in pain but quickly regained his composure. He took a deep breath, raised a hand as his face furrowed in concentration, and launched a bolt of fire from his palm which blazed a path through the darkness before searing one of the kobolds hanging from the wall. The creature let out a shriek as it burned and fell to its death. The fallen kobold's burning cadaver revealed that there were many others of its kin hanging by both sides of the hallway, each armed with crossbows and an assortment of weapons strapped to their sides. The kobolds, resumed firing upon their foes, taking care not to get hit by the magical fire bolts.
Dreisterne was nailed on their spot, their only other option being to retreat to the exit. All they could do at the moment was rely on Harald's barrage of fire bolts aimed for the wall-crawling snipers. "Keep it up, Harald!" Nathan urged as trailing lights from the flying flames illuminated the cave's interior.
As Harald's fireballs erupted against the rock and the kobolds, the darkness briefly flickered into bright reds and oranges, revealing even more hidden kobold holes; small tunnels snaking through the cave walls like a warren. The heat from his rapid-fire spells made the air thick and stifling, as smoke and the scent of burning flesh filled the cave, adding to the mounting claustrophobia.
Harald's rapid spellcasting soon took its toll. The heat from his magic left him breathless and sweating. "I can't keep this up for long," he gasped, his face flushed from exertion and the heat building up in his body as mana continuously channelled within.
Just then, a trio of kobolds burst out from the mural wall, their eyes gleaming maliciously. Nathan and Keith rushed forward, swords flashing as they cut down the creatures. Nathan had to take extra care wielding his sword, which was too long to wield in such a tight space. Recalling his fencing lessons with Mr. Eriksson, his right hand carefully gripped the lower part of his sword blade, turning it into a makeshift spear. He used it to great effect, as it still boasted a significant range advantage over the relatively diminutive kobolds and their shorter weapons. Add Keith's skills with his sword and shield, and the trio of kobold ambushers were taken care of in a short order.
Suddenly, Dreisterne could feel a chill run down their spines as the cave came alive with movement. Scraping sounds of claws against stone, the skittering of dozens of small feet, and the occasional, unnerving giggle of the kobolds, like mocking laughter bouncing off the rock. At this point, Nathan's senses screamed at him to turn tail immediately for his life.
"We've got to get out of here!" Nathan urged, his voice tinged with urgency. "This is getting out of hand!"
Keith, gritting his teeth, took a defensive stance. "Right, let's make a break for it!"
Nathan helped Harald to his feet, supporting the injured pyromancer as they made their way toward the cave entrance. Keith followed closely, his shield taking the brunt of the kobolds' attacks. The shield-bearer grunted under the weight of the blows, but he held firm, determined to protect his companions.
The narrow tunnel leading to the cave's exit was a flickering, dimly lit beacon of hope for Dreisterne. The promise of freedom was only a short dash away, but their relief was short-lived. As they neared the end, two kobolds darted out from seemingly solid rock walls, their beady eyes gleaming with malicious intent. Before the party could react, the creatures upturned clay jars of oil onto the ground near the entrance. Nathan's eyes widened in horror as he watched the kobolds throw a lit torch onto the oil-soaked ground. Flames erupted almost instantly, roaring into a wall of fire that blocked the party's escape, and the arsonist kobolds escaped into their concealed tunnels before they catch fire, leaving Dreisterne trapped between the inferno and a rapidly increasing swarm of kobolds.
Keith, eyes wide, surveyed the situation with growing concern. "I'm not sure which one I fancy more: the fire or the increasingly hard place."
"Blasted creatures!" Nathan shouted, his face a mix of anger and panic.
Harald's face was twisted, not in pain but in anger and determination. "I will not let these cave-dwelling lizards decide our fate!" he hissed through gritted teeth. The pyromancer pulled out the crossbow bolts still embedded in his kneecap, groaning from the pain.
"Are you barking mad!?" Keith exclaimed, shocked by Harald's sheer will. "You'll bleed out!"
Harald chuckled with a pained smile on his face. "And I can move more easily. Now, schnell!"
Nathan and Keith exchanged worried glances but knew they had little choice. They followed Harald as he limped towards the inferno, albeit at a quicker rate without his knee being constrained by the crossbow bolts. The heat was intense, making their skin feel like it was burning under the onslaught. Keith, his face flushed with anxiety, kept a tight grip on his shield as he maintained his defence of his party members.
"Come on, everyone!" Keith shouted, his voice barely audible over the roar of the flames. "We're almost there!"
Harald nodded, each step a challenge, but he pushed through the agony. As the party reached the edge of the fire, Nathan took a deep breath.
"On three! One!" Nathan said, bracing himself.
"Two!" Keith said, his shield still taking its beating.
"Three!" Harald shouted, and they jumped.
They leaped through the fiery barrier, plunging into the flames that threatened to consume them. They were fortunate that the radius of the firewall was small, but the flames still licked at their clothes, and as the three of them emerged outside, they immediately hit the ground hard, rolling over and over, frantically slapping at the flames that clung to their clothes and skin, desperate to put them out.
"Get it off! Get it off!" Keith yelled, smacking at his smouldering cloak.
The sound of their frantic breaths and the crackling fire filled the air, but the kobolds did not pursue. Their shrill, chattering laughter echoed from within the cave, a mocking sound that seemed to taunt Dreisterne's harrowing escape. As the flames continued to dance at the entrance, sealing it off, the kobolds stopped their barrage, apparently content with having driven the intruders away. Their jeering voices then faded away as they retreated deep into their lair.
Panting and covered in dirt, sweat, and soot, the party finally managed to smother the last of the flames. The adrenaline of their escape still coursed through them, but the danger had passed.
Nathan, his heart still pounding in his chest, glanced back at the cave entrance, now a fiery mouth that spat heat into the open air. "That… was too close," he muttered, wiping sweat from his brow as he glanced over at Harald. "Are you alright, Harald? How bad is it?"
Harald, still writhing on the ground, groaned. "I'll survive. The fresh air is worth the pain."
"Blimey, mate, you really are a nutter," Keith said, weakly smiling as he shook his head. "Never thought I'd be running through a wall of fire. Anyway, I thought you're a fire mage, H? Couldn't you just dispel that fire or something?"
"Pyromancer," Harald corrected with an air of tired annoyance. "Also, outright manipulating elements sourced outside our bodies is a high-level skill, and I am nowhere near proficient in deflecting a simple bolt of mana, much less sweeping away that inferno with a wave of my hand."
Nathan, looking around to ensure they weren't being pursued, nodded. "Well, there's one experience we won't soon forget. Now, let's put as much distance between us and that wretched cave as we could."
The trio made their way further away from the cave, their hearts still racing but relief washing over them. They found a safe spot to rest and regroup, and they immediately patched each other up. Nathan carefully inspected Harald's knee, which was swollen and bruised from the crossbow bolts.
"You should really see a Healer once we get back to town," Nathan said, his tone gently insistent. "That punctured kneecap might get infected if you don't get it treated properly."
Harald winced as Nathan cleaned the wound, his usually composed demeanour showing signs of strain. "I shall consider it, though I must admit, I had hoped to avoid further medical expenses," Harald replied, his voice strained but dignified.
Keith, meanwhile, was bandaging his own minor burns and scratches, grumbling under his breath. "Same here, H. But I don't think you should be saying that, with your knee being the state it's in." He finished up with his bandage job before he continued, "Anyway, I didn't think it'd be this rough on our first job. We barely got out of there alive."
Nathan, finishing up with Harald's knee, glanced at Keith. "Let's face it. We weren't as prepared for this job as we should have."
Harald, clearly deflated but trying to maintain a semblance of optimism, rubbed his temples. "We mustn't be discouraged. I propose we give the cleanup job another attempt once we're better prepared. Those scaly schweinhunden won't be able to withstand us for long."
Nathan shook his head, a note of practicality in his voice. "Even if we pool our coins together, we wouldn't be able to afford a good quality sword from the town smithy, let alone buy an arsenal to clear out a kobold den of that size," Nathan said while pointing in the general direction of the cave. "At this point, it might be more sensible to pay the job incompletion fine and save up for more important things, like your knee, Harald."
Harald's face was a mix of frustration and resignation, and his knee emitted a sharp pain as if to drive home Nathan's point. "Very well. We should call this a day," he said, letting out a disappointed sigh.
With a resigned nod, the trio packed up their minimal supplies and began their slow journey back to Lyonsmeade. The mood was somber as they trudged along the road, their heads bowed and spirits low. The pain from their wounds, combined with the disappointment of their failed job, cast a heavy shadow over their resolve, and trekking through the gruelling path back to the main road to town certainly put an even greater damper on Dreisterne's collective moods.
While they were on their way back, seven men emerged from the bushes on both sides of the road. Keith could feel a weight in his stomach as he recognized his former band of highwaymen standing before him.
The burly leader of the band, a towering figure with a rough voice and a sneering grin, stepped forward. "Well, well, well, if it ain't me old mate Keith. Fancy seeing you here." His accent was thick and gruff, his presence commanding. "Now, you lot can save yourselves a world of hurt if you just hand over all your coin and gear."
Keith's face hardened, his expression a mix of anger and resolve. "Ain't you too big and strong for begging, mate? Bugger off and get a job if you want coin."
The burly man's grin widened as he turned his gaze to Keith. "I see wee little Keith has grown himself a spine. But, come on now. Join back up with us. I'll give you a fair chance to prove you're not some fair-weather friend. All you gotta do is take care of your new pals here."
Nathan and Harald glanced at Keith, though they had no reason to worry when they heard his immediate and resolute response: "That's rich, coming from someone who abandoned his own at the drop of a hat. Besides, I never fancied working for you in the first place, you filthy knob."
The burly man's expression darkened. "So be it then." With a cruel laugh, he waved his hand, signalling his men to attack.
The fight erupted with a sudden ferocity. Dreisterne found themselves at a severe disadvantage, outnumbered seven to three. The bandits surged forward with malicious intent, their weapons drawn and eyes gleaming with menace.
Unlike the cramped cave battle before, Nathan now had the space to wield his greatsword with full effect. Gripping the handle firmly, he prepared to swing, but just as he raised the blade, a moment of hesitation crept in. He remembered the words of Mr. Eriksson, his old mentor:
Those who bear weapons must be prepared to embrace death.
The weight of those words lingered in his mind. But the urgency of the fight pushed the hesitation aside. With renewed focus, Nathan swung his sword with spellbinding speed and finesse, cleaving through the air and dispatching two of the attackers with precision. His mastery of the long blade quickly evened the odds, his strikes both deliberate and deadly. "Keep your heads in the game!" Nathan shouted, his voice cutting through the chaos.
Keith dextrously moved his shield about to fend off blows from various angles, gritting his teeth as he delivered well-timed counterattacks against his erstwhile allies. "Can't believe these blokes think they can just-Harald!" he cried when he noticed one of the bandits charged at Harald, ready to cave the pyromancer's skull in with his mace.
Harald momentarily ignored the pain from his wounded knee and demonstrated surprising agility as he shifted to the side, evading the downward swing of the surprised bandit's mace. He then shuffled slightly forward as he crouched before deploying an uppercut delivered with all the force of his body to the bandit's lower jaw, and he sent the mace bandit crashing to the ground with a bone-rattling impact.
"These ruffians underestimate us," Harald grunted, his voice strained but determined. Nathan and Keith could feel their jaws drop for a second after witnessing the pyromancer's unexpected display of skill in a fistfight.
However, it did not take long for Harald's injuries to take their toll. His face was etched with pain as he struggled to maintain his footing, his wounded knee throbbing intensely. The bandit leader noticed Harald's weakened state and, with a wicked grin, brandished his hatchet, moving in for the kill.
Nathan's eyes flicked to his friend. "Harald, watch out!" His voice carried a hint of desperation, knowing that he couldn't intercept the bandit leader in time.
In a desperate bid to defend himself, Harald summoned the last of his strength, breathing deep before launching a fireball from his outstretched hand. The blazing orb streaked through the air and struck the bandit leader's head, engulfing him in flames. The man's scream of terror and agony was a stark reminder of the danger they were facing.
Keith, his anger and resolve burning fiercely, observed the bandit leader's suffering. He was tempted to just let nature take its course and watch him burn to death.
Even as the searing flames consumed him, the bandit leader's face contorted in pain and desperation. His voice, barely more than a hoarse whisper through the crackling fire, reached out to Keith. "Keith… please… help me…" His plea was ragged and tinged with the stark realization of his grim fate. The heat warped his words, but the raw, trembling fear was unmistakable as he reached out with a trembling hand to his former underling.
All the plea did was infuriate Keith, who knew first-hand that the burning man before him offered no such help to his victims, putting them to the sword after robbing them. With a decisive swing, he lopped off the bandit leader's head, not so much intending to put the burly man out of his misery, but more to Keith wanting to deal everlasting damage to the despicable thief.
The aftermath of the skirmish left the road in an eerie quiet, broken only by the sounds of heavy breathing and crackling fire from the burly man's corpse. The remaining highwaymen had fled, their ambitions of easy spoils dashed by the grim fate of their leader. As Nathan scanned the area, his heart sank when he saw Harald collapsed on the ground, his complexion a ghostly pale and small tendrils of steam rising from his skin: a tell-tale sign of magical overexertion.
Nathan rushed to Harald's side, his voice tinged with concern. "Harald! Heavens, you've pushed yourself with that spell, didn't you?"
Harald, barely conscious, managed a strained reply. "Perhaps I did…overheating…certainly feels…unpleasant…"
Nathan turned to Keith, his urgency palpable. "Keith, help me get him up. We need to- wh-what are you doing!?"
Keith was darting from one dead highwayman to the next, hastily rummaging them for the coins with machine-like efficiency.
Nathan's eyes widened in protest. "Keith, we need to get Harald to town now! We don't have time for this!"
Keith glanced up, his face set in a serious expression. "Look mate, we've only got enough florins for the fine and the Healer, yeah? Unless you fancy spending nights at the stable, living off dry bread and water for days and doing our next job with damaged gear, we need every coin we can find. Like it or not, this is just how things are, and corpses have no need for money anyway."
Nathan, seeing the sense in Keith's words but still uneasy about the act, sighed heavily. "Fine, but make it quick."
Keith nodded, his fingers moving swiftly over the bodies, collecting what little money he could find. Nathan and Keith, now both supporting Harald between them, began the arduous task of carrying him away from the scene.
Harald, wincing with each step, tried to offer a weak smile. "I... appreciate the help."
"Shush now, Harald. Save your strength." Nathan replied, his tone firm yet reassuring. "We're taking you home."
Dreisterne hobbled home and reached Lyonsmeade when the sun had just set. As the trio passed by the alarmed town guard, Nathan felt infinite gratitude to the universe for granting him and his friends the chance to get away from the kobolds and the highwaymen with their lives, so much that he wouldn't mind if the Freelancer's Guild took Dreisterne's entire savings as their fine. Their lives and the lessons the three of them hopefully learned were more valuable than all the gold in the world.