The party made their way out of the tavern, the cool evening air a welcome respite from the stuffiness inside. Leon's mind had settled somewhat, though the occasional phantom scent of blood would drift through his nostrils, reminding him that peace was always temporary.

  "The cave is just beyond that ridge," Sarah pointed toward the darkening horizon. "Should be an hour's march at most."

  Queen adjusted her shield, the polished metal catching the last rays of sunlight. "I still say this is beneath our abilities. Investigating strange noises? We're adventurers, not curious children."

  "A job is a job," Kennedy replied, twirling his staff idly. "Besides, easy coin means easy living."

  The forest path narrowed as they ventured deeper, trees crowding closer on either side. Leon found himself scanning the shadows between trunks, old habits refusing to die. In the war, ambushes came from the stillest places. The most silent corners.

  The cave entrance yawned before them like a wound in the earth—dark, jagged, and damp with unseen moisture. Sarah raised her torch, casting flickering light across the stone.

  "Stay alert," she whispered. "Those 'strange noises' could be anything from bats to a bear."

  They entered the cavern in formation—Queen at the front with her shield raised, Sarah and Leon flanking, Kennedy providing magical light from behind, and Adriana observing their tactics with studious attention. The young knight's hand hovered constantly over her sword hilt, eager to prove herself.

  They hadn't ventured far when the scuffling sounds became apparent. Small, numerous feet shifting against stone. The unmistakable guttural chattering of goblin speech.

  "Goblins ahead," Leon warned, his voice a practiced whisper. "I count... seven, maybe eight."

  Sarah nodded. "Standard approach. Queen draws attention, Kennedy provides support, Leon and I flank. Adriana—"

  "Watch and learn," the young knight finished, poorly concealing her disappointment.

  The skirmish erupted with Queen's battle cry as she charged forward, shield becoming a battering ram that sent two goblins sprawling. Kennedy's fingers traced glowing sigils in the air, summoning a barrage of purple energy bolts that struck with precision.

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  Leon moved with practiced efficiency, his blade finding the gap between a goblin's crude armor plates. The creature's squeal died as quickly as it began. Another lunged at him with a rusted dagger, which Leon parried before severing the creature's arm at the elbow. Dark blood spurted across the cave floor as the goblin howled, clutching its stump. Leon ended its suffering with a swift thrust through its throat.

  Within minutes, the skirmish concluded. Eight goblin corpses littered the cavern floor, their blood forming small, dark pools on the stone.

  "That was so easy," Queen complained, wiping her blade clean. "Barely worth the effort."

  Kennedy knelt, cutting an ear from each corpse with methodical precision. "Easy or not, these fetch a silver piece each at the adventurer's guild. Proof of extermination."

  "Don't get ahead of yourself, Queen," Kennedy added, securing the grisly trophies in a leather pouch. "You're such a brat."

  "At least I did something," Queen retorted, glancing pointedly at Adriana, who stood at the edge of the carnage, her sword still clean. "Unlike our observer."

  Adriana's cheeks flushed with embarrassment. "I was... assessing the situation."

  "Yeah, that was so easy!" she added with forced enthusiasm, trying to mask her discomfort at being singled out.

  "Pfft, like you did anything," Queen scoffed. "All you did was sit back and watch."

  Kennedy's eyes narrowed. "Says the defender. All you do is defend."

  "That's literally my job, you magical scarecrow!"

  "Calm down, both of you," Sarah interjected, her voice firm but weary. "They were just goblins. Save your energy for real threats."

  The group exited the cave, the mission completed with minimal effort. The forest had grown darker during their time underground, the path now illuminated solely by their torches and Kennedy's magical light.

  "We need to get back and claim the quest before night falls," Sarah announced, quickening her pace. "The guild master hates processing payments after hours."

  They followed the winding dirt road back toward town, bickering good-naturedly about who had displayed the most skill during the brief encounter. Leon remained quiet, content to let the familiar voices wash over him. Simple missions like these were a balm—just dangerous enough to require focus, but not enough to awaken what slumbered within him.

  The road curved sharply around a dense copse of trees. As they rounded the bend, shadows detached themselves from the greater darkness. Six figures materialized across the path, blocking their way.

  "Hand us your money!" The first bandit bellowed, brandishing a rusted sword.

  "Yeah, give us everything you have," another added, stepping forward with a crude club studded with metal spikes.

  The bandits wore dark clothing, their faces obscured by black turbans and masks that left only their eyes visible. Their weapons gleamed dully in the torchlight—a mismatched collection of blades and cudgels, likely stolen from previous victims.

  Leon froze. The black turbans. The foreign eyes peering through cloth masks. The world around him began to blur at the edges.

  No. Not here. Not now.

  But it was too late. The dam had broken.