The smell of fried eggs, fresh bread, and sizzling pork fat wafted through the guild tavern. Morning sun filtered in through stained-glass windows, casting colored patches of red and gold across the floor. Adventurers sat at scattered tables, laughing, nursing bruises, sharpening weapons, or just enjoying a moment of calm before the next job.
At a corner table, near the hearth, Selena sat with a heaping plate in front of her: scrambled eggs, grilled tomatoes, slices of smoked boar, and a thick hunk of buttered bread.
Selena: "All of this… for me?"
Across from her, Red raised an eyebrow as he nursed a steaming mug of herbal tea.
Red: "Eat. You earned it."
Selena: "This isn't a victory breakfast. This is a festival meal."
Red: "You fought your first boss yesterday. Consider it an investment."
She didn't argue further. Her dagger calluses weren't even healed yet, but she was starving. She dug in with vigor, devouring her breakfast like a champion. Red simply sat, calm as ever, sipping his tea and occasionally pushing a pastry her way.
The Guild Murmurs
The tavern was unusually crowded for morning. A group of adventurers clustered at a nearby table, laughing too loudly for comfort. One of them, a stocky axe-wielder with a singed cloak and missing eyebrow, leaned forward and slammed his mug down.
Axe-Wielder: "Told ya. Not just wild boars this time — saw the tracks myself. Goblins. Not the usual kind either."
His companions grew quiet.
Rogue Adventurer: "Near Silverpine? That's too close."
Mage: "They always seem small until they drag off someone's sister."
The laughter faded, replaced by tense murmurs. Goblins. A word that turned even seasoned fighters serious.
Selena paused mid-bite, listening. Her appetite waned slightly.
Selena: "Goblins?"
Red: "Mm."
Selena: "Are they… really that dangerous? I mean, they're small, right?"
Red lowered his cup. He didn't speak immediately.
Then he leaned back and looked her straight in the eye.
A Brutal Lesson
Red: "You want the short version or the real one?"
Selena: "The real one."
He nodded, folding his arms.
Red: "Goblins are monsters. Not strong alone, weaker than a grown man. Dumb, too. But they're never alone. They breed like flies, hide in caves, and learn by watching. Weapons, traps, tactics. And they hate humans."
Selena's fork slowed.
Red: "When a village gets attacked, it's rarely for food. It's for slaves. Goblins take women. Breed more goblins. In days. Weeks, sometimes. A nest of five turns into fifty."
Selena: "Wait, they can reproduce that fast?"
Red: "Fast, and violently. It's not mating. It's rape. That's what makes them worse."
Selena's hand trembled, her appetite forgotten. The warm tavern seemed colder now.
Selena: "That's horrible."
Red: "That's reality."
The boisterous table beside them had gone quiet. One of the adventurers shot a glance their way, clearly listening. This wasn't a secret. Everyone in the guild — everyone older — already knew.
Red: "The problem with goblins is no one takes them seriously. Not until someone they know disappears."
Selena: "And by then it's too late…"
Red nodded slowly.
Fire in Her Chest
Selena stared down at her plate. The eggs were cold. The bread had lost its appeal.
She thought of her hometown, the sleepy village far from here. How easy it would be for goblins to slip in one night. How few men could fight. How few would be ready.
Selena: "That could happen anywhere, couldn't it?"
Red: "It already has."
Selena: "How do you stop them?"
Red: "You kill the nest. All of it. Burn it. If you leave even one behind, it starts over."
She sat in silence, her jaw clenched. Her hands were on the table, small, still rough from recent training. She looked at them like they weren't enough.
Selena: "I'm not strong enough."
Red: "Not yet."
Selena: "But I want to be."
He didn't offer praise. Didn't smile. But he nodded, once, sharp and sure.
After Breakfast
Selena stood outside the tavern, eyes on the training yard behind the guild hall. A few rookies were already there, taking swings at dummies with swords too big for them.
She didn't join them right away.
Instead, she reached down and tightened her boots.
Then she walked toward the weapon rack and pulled out a short sword — heavier than her dagger, unfamiliar in her grip.
Selena: "If I'm going to protect anyone… I can't just kill slimes."
Red, leaning against the fence nearby, watched without interrupting. He saw the tremble in her hand, and the fire in her eyes.
She swung once. Awkward.
Then again. Straighter.
Again. Stronger.
Each motion came with a thought. Of children screaming. Of villagers hiding. Of a girl like her, dragged into the dark by monsters no one took seriously.
Evening Comes
Hours passed. Selena's arms ached. Her legs trembled. She was drenched in sweat, her tunic clinging to her back.
Other adventurers came and went, nodding politely, offering advice.
But she didn't stop.
Finally, Red stepped in, grabbing the blade mid-swing.
Red: "Enough."
Selena: "I can keep going—"
Red: "You'll injure yourself. Train smart, not suicidal."
She panted, arms falling to her sides. Her entire body throbbed.
Red: "Goblins don't care how motivated you are. They care if your blade finds their throat before theirs finds yours."
Selena: "Then I'll learn."
She looked up at him, dirt on her face, determination plain in her voice.
Selena: "You'll train me, right?"
He looked down at her, truly looked, and saw not just a freed slave, not just a rookie.
But someone who had decided what they wanted to become.
He nodded.
Red: "At dawn. Every day."
That night, Selena lay in her bunk at the guild dorms, body sore, fingers raw. But her heart, her heart beat stronger than ever.
No dreams of chains. No nightmares of the past.
Just one clear image:
A cave.
A sword in her hand.
A scream in the dark, silenced.
Selena: I'll be ready.