Chapter 44: Goblin Marauders
Having heard Mira and Avia refer to their estate as one that was "just outside the capital," Wang Yu naturally expected that the trip to the capital would be a short one, perhaps half a day or a day's travel at most.
Only after he had embarked on the journey did he realize that "nearby" was relative. Aleisterre was a huge kingdom, and "nearby" had to be scaled up accordingly.
Aleisterre's capital was roughly 800 kilometers away. Because of the long line of carriages trailing behind the caravan, Wang Yu estimated that it would take at least three days to make it to the capital. It wasn't a particularly long journey, but it was longer than he had anticipated.
He was Elliot's only client on this trip, and his stash of gold coins would account for roughly a month's income for the Gnome Merchants' Guild.
They stopped for no additional business along the way, sticking strictly to the main route. They would be heading straight for the capital to submit Wang Yu's money to the main office there, after which the caravan would continue with its usual business.
Wang Yu tolerated boredom well. The carriage itself didn't offer much entertainment and was rather dull once the novelty had worn off, so Wang Yu focused on studying his wizardry runes.
Time passed quickly; two days flashed by in the blink of an eye, though he didn't make much progress. His talent was restricting his growth as a wizard, but he did manage to optimize his Double Jump spell rune, giving him two more uses of the spell in combat.
On the second night, the carriage continued to travel under the bright moonlight of the magical moon. Wang Yu momentarily frowned as he considered whether the blue moonlight came from reflected sunlight or if it was emitting its own glow; regardless, it was bright.
Considering the fact that vampires and such did exist in this world, he supposed that the moonlight was produced with some magical mechanism. Otherwise, there would be no reason for vampires to fear sunlight but not moonlight.
The bright moonlight made travel at night far less grueling. The horses took turns pulling the carriages in batches.
Emmon was lying on the floor of the carriage and snoring thunderously. Elliot, as if deaf to the racket, was half-draped over his wooden floorboard and sleeping soundly.
Meanwhile, Avia leaned against Wang Yu, two earplugs in her ears that Wang Yu had crafted out of the void. Her soft breathing against Wang Yu's shoulder suggested that she too was sleeping well.
Wang Yu blinked as he awoke from meditating on wizardry runes. He inhaled deeply, taking in the soothing aroma of the ling grass, which eased his mental fatigue and tension and lulled him toward restful relaxation. He had to admit that, stingy as he looked, Elliot was a decent boss.
There was no one driving the caravan at the moment; the trained horses were able to follow the road on their own. Wang Yu couldn't see Vena, who was likely on lookout duty.
He adjusted his posture slightly to make himself more comfortable, then shifted Avia's position to make it less awkward for him.
Then, he too closed his eyes. He was unbothered by Emmon's thunderous snores, which he could easily tune out. Falling asleep on cue was no challenge for Wang Yu, as long as there were no pressing matters on his mind.
Dreams soon enveloped his consciousness as he slipped into slumber. Right before sleep claimed him entirely, he directed his ripples into his heart, allowing them to pulse outward in slow, radar-like waves in time with his heartbeat.
Wang Yu had been trying to master the technique described by the protagonist of one of the webnovels he used to read. That protagonist had been able to pulverize enemies on instinct, even without conscious thought.
Wang Yu was far from that level, but he could manage a few simple things. For instance, he could allow his ripples to pulse naturally with certain rhythms in his body, like his heartbeat, that would provide a subtle and reliable warning mechanism.
After setting this up, Wang Yu drifted deeper into sleep. Rest was essential for him. For him, mental clarity wasn't tied directly to his mental energy, and sleep was indispensable.
The caravan rumbled onward along the trade road leading to the capital. It moved at a sedate pace as the horses trotted onward. The caravan was like a long snake slithering across the ground.
Nothing moved in the forest surrounding them. The trees stood like silent spectators, watching as the snakelike caravan wound its way forward.
In the darkness, Wang Yu's eyes suddenly snapped open. His ripples had detected something amiss, and instinct jolted him awake.
Fragmented images flickered across his mind as he shook off the last dregs of sleep, not yet fully clear-headed. His inner eye was, for the moment, providing him with only intermittent perception.
He could glimpse small, shadowy figures emerging from the underbrush by the roadside.
"Goblins?" he murmured. He gently shifted Avia away from his shoulder and against the wall, trying not to wake anyone. He swiftly slipped out of the carriage and climbed up to the roof, only to see a cloaked figure on the far side of the carriage. Though the figure was beyond the range of his ripples, her clear eyes met his gaze from underneath her hood, reflecting the bright moonlight.
Wang Yu glanced at the bushes by the roadside, then looked back at Vena. The forest ranger nodded, removing her hood without a sound and forming a few words with her lips.
"Goblins," Wang Yu read out, narrowing his eyes.
Vena had noticed what was happening and confirmed the target well in advance, a testament to her skill.
But what were goblins doing here? This forest was close to the capital, and part of noble territory besides.
The nobles' militias wouldn't tolerate such ugly, savage creatures trespassing on their land. Where had these goblins come from?
His gaze swept across the bushes, the bright moonlight offering decent visibility. Though his ripples had a limited range, his heightened senses detected unusual movement within the nearby shrubs.
They were on a rather barren stretch of land. Although there were a few villages around, the overgrown grass indicated that it was neither farmland nor a hunting ground. Perhaps these lands belonged to a neglectful noble. The tall grass grew densely and could easily conceal an adult from the waist down.
The grass was now rustling in an unnatural fashion.
As Wang Yu focused, he spotted green figures blending into the wild grass and running alongside the caravan.
For these short creatures, the grass was perfect cover.
"They even know how to use camouflage rather than rush in recklessly… Is this a goblin raiding party? Where did so many goblins come from?" Wang Yu was taken aback.
A single goblin was feeble and usually too dimwitted to do more than charge wildly into whatever it could find, only to be quickly slaughtered thanks to its relative weakness.
When goblins gathered in numbers, however, they could produce higher-ranking and more intelligent goblins such as goblin berserkers or goblin shamans.
Under such situations, the goblins would be able to adopt rudimentary tactics, such as camouflaging themselves as they were doing now. Goblins who had developed to this extent formed raiding parties—but how was that possible? They would have to be present in significant numbers to do so, and Aleisterre tended to be inhospitable to goblins. Any known goblin settlements would be wiped out by adventurers.
A goblin raiding party required at least a hundred goblins. Where had they all come from? Wang Yu, at least, was rather confused.
Still, this wasn't the time to question the goblins' presence. They were clearly targeting the caravan, so preparing for battle took priority.
The bushes on both sides of the road began to shake more vigorously. Though small, the goblins were surprisingly fast and agile, and could easily keep pace with the horses.
From the moonlit shadows, more and more of the grass began to move in a suspicious fashion, revealing the occasional glimpse of a battered helmet.
"A helmet? Where did these goblins manage to get gear…?" Wang Yu's mind raced as he continued to prepare for the attack.
The horses were clearly growing restless as they sensed the unusual sounds and scents around them. They slowed, snorting and trying to veer away from the underbrush.
Wang Yu leaned down and rapped on the carriage door. The thunderous snoring within ceased instantly. Soon, an orc's face poked out and looked up at Wang Yu. Wang Yu pointed to the sides of the road and mouthed, "Goblin raiders."
Emmon took a quick look at the bushes by the roadside. Orcs had better night vision than humans; whatever Wang Yu could see, Emmon likely could see better.
A few seconds later, the orc nodded to Wang Yu and retreated back into the carriage. There was a bout of shuffling and then a high-pitched yelp from Elliot, which was quickly silenced by Emmon's hand.
Then, Avia's worried face peeked out of the carriage. Wang Yu gestured for her to remain within but to stay on alert. She nodded and pulled back.
After a few more seconds, as the carriage shook, Emmon's burly form joined Wang Yu on the roof. A fully armored Elliot was tucked under his arm, his heavy armor making him look like an iron statue.
The orc placed his boss atop the carriage. Elliot immediately reached into a cloth bag strapped to his armor and pulled out a few scrolls, which he promptly tore open and applied to Wang Yu, Emmon, and himself.
"Magical shield scrolls? They're not cheap," Wang Yu remarked, noticing the thin magical film covering his body. These versatile scrolls were about forty gold coins apiece, and always in high demand thanks to their practicality.
"Life is more important than money, after all," Elliot replied. His voice was muffled due to the armor encasing him. For a gnome known for his stinginess, he was surprisingly willing to spend his gold in such situations.
Wang Yu nodded and turned to Vena, who was leaping between carriages and reaching out to touch the horses that were pulling them.
The horses, as if understanding her intentions, soon slowed under her touch. The lead horses followed suit, adjusting their pace to match the ones behind them.
The snaking caravan began to slow down. Elliot and the others were gradually bringing it to a speed more suitable for close combat.
As the caravan slowed, the goblins following alongside no longer had to strain to keep up. They became more frenzied and stopped trying to conceal their presence—no, they might even have believed that their camouflage was still working. After all, that was what Wang Yu and the others had tried to let them think.
The goblins began to spread out. Occasionally, one would even leap out from the waist-high grass along the roadside—small green figures, some of whom sported bloodstained iron helmets.
"They're getting excited," Vena said calmly from behind them. "Get ready. They're about to strike."
Though Wang Yu had sensed her presence with his inner eye, he couldn't help but admire her stealth. If his aura weren't active, he wouldn't have noticed the ranger's approach at all.
"Damn it, Vena, you're as sneaky as ever. You scared me half to death! But these damn goblins are even more detestable. They look just like us gnomes, but they're acting like demons!"
Elliot cursed, startled by Vena's sudden appearance, though most of his complaints were directed at the goblins. Their small green forms appeared and disappeared as they wove through the roadside.
Some people did mistake gnomes for goblins thanks to their similar size, and Elliot's animosity was only natural.
Emmon, on the other hand, wasn't bothered by Vena's sudden arrival. Despite his rough-looking appearance, he was far more cautious and observant than he seemed.
He took a massive club from his back and swept his gaze across the surrounding bushes.
Wang Yu was ready as well. He had drawn his sword. With a quick cast of wizardry, he layered a barrier spell over the magical shield from Elliot's scroll.
Against this horde of small, weak, and poorly equipped creatures, the best tactic wasn't to engage in drawn-out combat. Rather, it would be best to bolster their defenses enough to charge in and cut them down relentlessly.
Shrill screams and grunts erupted from the goblin raiding party as they finally succumbed to bestial violence and madness.
They burst out of the bushes on both sides of the road, yelping as they charged forward.
Ugly green faces twisted into grotesque grins as they rushed toward the caravan from all sides. The horses neighed in alarm as they attempted to bolt, but a soothing melody from Vena calmed them. They maintained a pace just slow enough for the goblins to keep up as the caravan continued along the trade route.
Wang Yu glanced at the goblins. There were far more than he had expected. At least a hundred had already emerged from the grass.
He noticed some goblins wearing ill-fitting, oversized iron armor with equally large bloodstained helmets—standard military equipment that made Wang Yu frown.
What concerned him even more were the bloody clothes on some goblins, along with bloodstained pitchforks, hoes, and other farming tools.
He exchanged a look with Emmon and Vena. The two caravan guards were glaring at the goblins with revulsion and killing intent. It was clear that they had recently raided a village—and succeeded, by the looks of it.
As for the villagers, goblins were indiscriminate about the food they consumed. Wang Yu sighed, but there was no time to commiserate. Just where had such a large, organized band of goblins come from? Perhaps the military equipment harbored an answer.
Gripping his sword, Wang Yu waited for the right opportunity to strike.
A green wave of goblins surged forth from either side of the caravan, a dense mass that looked terrifying given their numbers and grotesque features. However, the mass of goblins was a perfect target for a magician.
As the goblins charged toward what they believed to be a small, weak group of four—like the villagers they had to have slaughtered earlier—two blazing fireballs were launched from the carriage.
The explosions tore into the goblins' ranks, incinerating those closest and sending green blood splattering across the road. The unlucky ones closest to the blast were reduced to charred fragments,while those farther out were flung through the air. They spat out green blood as their organs ruptured and they perished.
Those further out were knocked down and struggled to stand, or they clutched their heads and screamed as the loud explosions left them dazed and disoriented.
Before the goblins could recover from the blast, two figures leapt down from the roof of the carriage—Wang Yu on the left, and Emmon on the right.
Wang Yu's sword sliced through the goblins as if they were nothing but dolls, severing a group of them with each swing.
Goblins who had escaped the explosion or managed to recover tried to attack Wang Yu as they waved an assortment of crude weapons. Given their numbers, they could well be a genuine threat if they managed to strike him.
This was a standard goblin tactic: swarming in overwhelming numbers to bring down stronger foes. Even so, they wouldn't have a chance to harm Wang Yu. Each blow was intercepted by the layers of barriers that he had cast around himself.
A hatchet joined the fray, cleaving goblin limbs and scattering severed arms and heads in every direction. Before the goblins could break through all of Wang Yu's defenses, he would slice through them all like a farmer butchering chickens…
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