Maxuel's POV
We advanced cautiously through the forest until we reached the cabin. Unlike the first time, when it took us hours to get there, this time it was quick. A little over half an hour, we quickly chose spots to set up our simple tents.
It would be nice if we could all sleep inside the cabin, but even if we all slept on the floor and even on the stairs, there wouldn't be enough room for everyone. After all, in addition to the normal combat members, we also brought regular people to help organize our "small" attack group.
Including them, there would be almost 23 people, maybe even more than 30 (I've never been very good at counting). Strictly speaking, there might even be space in the cabin, but it wouldn't be comfortable at all, and before an important fight like this, being well rested is an inviolable requirement (when it can be met).
So we all decided to camp outside and use the cabin as a command center. Not even the group leaders agreed to sleep in the beds. Which makes sense, after all they would be an important resource for the injured.
The kitchen could be used without any problems, according to what the macho woman said. The game room would be used as a research area. Research what? I have no idea.
- Hey, dirt head, what are you doing with that face?
My brother asked, coming from nowhere. Sometimes he does that, one of his many annoying traits.
- Nothing much, just thinking.
- Then you better be careful. If you think too much, your head will get too hot and you won't be a dirthead anymore, but a real stonehead.
I really want to punch him in the face at times like this. But I know why he was doing it, for the same reason I usually make my jokes, distraction and safety.
Even if our plan (which doesn't actually exist yet) against the goblins was good, in a fight you never have any guarantees that things will happen the way you want. Adaptation and flexibility are essential at times like these, qualities that unfortunately I don't have much of.
I prefer a direct approach that guarantees success, whether attacking or defending. Unfortunately, this isn't a situation where you can do just one of the things.
– No need to make that face, we'll be able to defeat the goblins and who knows, maybe we'll even be able to go to that new floor.
– Honestly, it's not the goblins I'm worried about.
He said looking back, way back, beyond the trees, animals and monsters of the Trial. As for the group of knights and wizards that appeared today, if I didn't know how magic worked I'd say they would have sprouted from the ground.
It was strange, very strange, at least to me, that on the very same day we decided to attempt an attack against the goblins, a group from the order of mages that had failed miserably in the last expedition had appeared and practically demanded/forced the right to attempt a new attack focused on the Ordeal.
Them having the support of a small part of the Baron's private army didn't help with my worries.
Now that we knew what was at stake for Anna and her family, any presence that even remotely resembled the Baron made me apprehensive and angry.
Seeing my look and immediately understanding what he meant, my usually silent brother said,
– You don't need to worry about them, it seems that Mr. Lavier had already imagined that something like this could happen.
I raised an eyebrow, I'm sure I hadn't heard anything like that.
– Of course you haven't, you're not exactly the best at keeping secrets, little brother.
The urge to punch him in the face came back, stronger now.
- Well, I don't really know what he did to protect himself either, but I'm sure it's not something we need to worry about. He would never do anything that could harm Anna.
True, it was hard to find a father who spoiled his daughter like Mr. Lavier, especially since he always managed to maintain the delicate balance of spoiling her but not letting her turn into a condescending and arrogant brat, like many of the knights who stayed behind.
- I know, but it also makes me wonder how Mr. Lavier could have fallen for one of the Baron's tricks. Seriously, this is Mr. Lavier we're talking about! This is the kind of thing he can see from miles away, why didn't he see it!!!!????
I almost burst out in a scream of frustration.
-.... I don't know, and I don't know if I want to know. I just know that things are like this, and they'll only change with our help. So stop worrying about something that has already happened, stop thinking about what might happen, and focus on what is happening now. And on what will certainly happen because of what we do right now.
I hate to admit it, but he can be convincing when he wants to be, even if he is repetitive and a little disjointed.
– Okay, you airhead, I'm going to stop being so depressing.
I said as I stood up.
– And what should I do? You didn't come here just to see me and give a little speech, did you?
– No. Come on, we have to get ready.
– Have the scouts returned yet? Have you made a plan?
My brother didn't look me in the eye as he answered in an invasive way.
– Well... that's almost it.
For some reason I didn't like where things were going.
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Connor's Pov
– Can you repeat what you said, Mr. Connor.
Mr. Piqval asked, sweating.
We were in the cabin's dining room, all the leaders and my friends were together. None of them happy with the report I had brought.
– It's like I said, the number of goblins has quadrupled, and it seems they have some kind of wizard and archers in addition to the usual mounted goblins. According to one of Miss Yaou's scouts, they also seem to have hidden traps and prepared poisons.
No one's face has improved.
Understandable, among the supplies we have, several are herbal remedies from the Ordeal, which guarantee supernatural effectiveness. In addition to fruits that restore energy almost instantly.
However, no one brought anything against poisons, usually those bitten by the snakes from the Ordeal forest don't survive for more than 10 minutes.
And since they are almost invisible in this environment, it's hard for me to even tell where one is. There's even a request from several local healers and even from the capital asking for the capture of one of the snakes alive for study, and all the requests are quite generous with the rewards.
But as I said, it's almost impossible to tell them apart in this environment.
I think the fact that none of us have been bitten by one in all these months is a testament to our good luck. And on the rare occasions when it almost happened, I was able to tell where the snake was (usually in the nick of time but it was better than being bitten) by pure luck.
But obviously we never managed to capture one for the reward.
- They were probably already waiting for us, maybe even hiding several of them in the back of the forest, just so we could miscount their numbers. Tsk cheap trick.
Our wandering knight said harshly and angrily.
- So how do we do it? We've been fighting the goblins for a while now, so we know how to beat them. But a 4:1 advantage isn't a good prospect, especially if we have to worry about traps and poisons.
Lady Yaou asked, as she sharpened her favorite curved sword.