Arwin watched Tix until her back had completely disappeared into the darkness, remaining in place for another minute before heading back to the tavern. “You took a bit longer than I thought you would. What happened? Get lost?” Reya asked. “No. Someone from a guild called the Iron Hounds tried to get me to join their guild,” Arwin said with a dry laugh. “They were a little pushy, but they gave up.” “Iron Hounds? I don’t think I’ve heard of them,” Reya said, chewing her bottom lip. “Maybe they’re new to the area.” “Probably,” Rodrick said. “I haven’t heard of them either. Why’d they want you to join? They need a personal smith?” “Yeah. It seemed like they were more concerned with stopping me from making gear for other guilds than they were with getting it for their own,” Arwin said with a shake of his head. “Can you imagine that? What a stupid notion. It sounded like their opponents were the other guilds more than anything else.” Lillia nodded in agreement, but everyone else stared at Arwin as if he’d suddenly sprouted a horn. “That’s like… half the point of a guild,” Reya said with a snort of laughter. “Of course they don’t want you working for anyone else.” “Wait, what?” Arwin asked. “Fighting other guilds? That’s not the point of a guild at all.” “Why’d the room change? Did we get lost?” Reya whispered. “Dungeons can change their layouts. They’re magic,” Anna muttered. “I wasn’t expecting goblins, but I suppose I should have. They fit right into the swamplike environment this dungeon seems to favor. “Haven’t fought these before,” Rodrick said. “I’ve heard they can be nasty in groups. Any suggestions, Arwin?” “Nasty in groups is accurate. But, alone, they should be quite simple,” Arwin said as he studied the nearest monster with a careful eye. [Swamp Goblin – Apprentice 8] The other goblins were all roughly around the same tier, with a few going above or below by one or two spots. None of them were going to be a significant threat in any stretch of the imagination – not to a trained fighter, at least. From Arwin’s experience with goblins, he knew the monsters were far from the cleverest. They generally threw themselves at their enemy with reckless abandon, hoping to win through sheer numbers. They were also incredibly deaf, generally due to their – One of the goblins let out an ear-splitting shriek and bashed its head against the wall, snarling in fury. A few of the others spotted it and did the same, filling the room with a cacophony of screeches and thuds for a few seconds before they went back to wandering around aimlessly. Deaf and half – blind. Typical. “We can handle them with no trouble,” Arwin said. “This is a perfect opportunity for you, Anna.” “For me?” Anna asked doubtfully. “They might be stupid, but I don’t think I can handle a fight with one of those things.” “You don’t have to handle a full fight. Just the last blow,” Arwin said. “Rodrick, with me. Reya, stay farther back and focus on slowing the goblins – and Rodrick, aim to cripple rather than to kill. The goblins are all going to horde, so let me take their attention initially. After that, just take them out one by one. Anna can just hang back for now.” Rodrick’s eyes flashed with understanding and he nodded. “I’m with you. Let’s do it.” “Me too,” Reya added. Arwin strode forward and activated [Arsenal], summoning Verdant Blaze to his hands. He hadn’t had a chance to use its [Soul Flame] related abilities yet, but he wasn’t about to splatter a goblin with them and steal the chance to gain credit for the kill from Anna, Rodrick, or Reya. I’ll use the stronger abilities when we run into an enemy that I actually have to try against. Goblins aren’t that enemy. The first goblin spotted Arwin when he was already upon it. The monster’s ears shot back as it bared its teeth, throwing its head back in preparation to let out a battle cry. Arwin’s hammer fell on the creature’s shoulder, pulverizing through flesh and bone as if nothing were there. Screeching in pain, the goblin crumpled. The other monsters in the room spun, finally spotting the adventurers. Their eyes locked onto Arwin and they sprinted toward him, drawing their weapons and screaming challenges. The first jumped – only to be enveloped by a shimmer of blue energy midair. The hilt of Rodrick’s sword slammed into its head, knocking the beast out cold and send it sprawling across the ground. None of the other goblins met better fates. Arwin and Rodrick carved through their ranks with the help of Reya’s restraining abilities, putting the goblins down like they were cutting grass. Between the three of them, only two goblins ended up dead on Rodrick’s sword. The rest laid, unable to fight, in piles around the ground. “You’re up,” Arwin said, nodding to Anna. “Get to it. None of us are going to get hurt fighting these things, so you can’t get energy from healing us. That means you’ve got to do the dirty work.” “This… somehow feels wrong,” Anna muttered. Rodrick walked up to her and flipped his sword around, offering it hilt first. She took the blade, holding it awkwardly in her hands. “You won’t get much credit for this. The Mesh isn’t stupid,” Arwin explained. “But you’ll still get some. There’s a degree of risk, and any challenge can give energy. Just be careful and take care of business. Who knows when you’ll get another free opportunity .” Anna nodded. She went up to the first goblin and plunged the sword down, missing its heart and driving through its chest. The monster hissed and bucked, trying to slash at her legs with its claws. She barely managed to jump out of the way in time to avoid getting hamstringed. “Don’t miss,” Arwin suggested. Lillia snorted, but Arwin could tell from the way that she was shifting from foot to foot that she was impatient to get to the point where she could do something. She hadn’t had a chance to fight anything since they’d entered the dungeon, and nothing they’d met so far had been edible either. Anna plunged the sword back down, putting the goblin out of its misery, and then glared at Arwin. He grinned in response. Shaking her head, Anna made her way around the room, killing the monsters. It only took about five minutes for her to finish the creatures off, but by the time she returned Rodrick’s sword to him, her forehead was covered in a sheen of stressed sweat. Her gaze was unfocused, a telltale sign of reading a message from the Mesh. “That was terrifying,” Anna said.