Game Master in Another World

After a short walk, we found ourselves behind a small hill in a stand of trees.

"I think here is good enough," Igasnov said, pointing at the timberline.

We wandered into the woods, finding a small clearing before coming to a halt. Toby, Vera, and Igasnov dismounted.

This time, we still felt fairly fresh; our Nightmare form seemed much more suitable for transporting three people, and the slightly slower progress was hardly noticeable.

We shifted back into our humanoid form, Juliana stretching her arms as our equine hooves morphed back into hands.

"Can we have some berries for tonight?" Toby asked.

Juliana smiled serenely. "Sure, I shall provide suitable sustenance."

She spoke her familiar druidic incantation, rapidly manifesting a fruiting bush from the soil.

Toby began picking the plump fruit. "Thanks. I was thinking we likely don't want smoke tonight to avoid detection, so I might make a simple salad."

We watched as Toby sliced some foraged leaves alongside the berries, added chopped herbs, and tossed the ingredients to mix them. He then included some of our dried meat, tossing the mixture once again.

Shortly after, we had an appetizing salad served on simple wooden plates.

"This looks really good," Vera said, eagerly grabbing a portion.

We took a plate and began to eat. The leafy greens were slightly bitter, but the sweet berries counteracted that flawlessly. The saltiness of the cured meat also added a pleasing texture and an extra kick of flavour.

"This is suitably exquisite," Juliana said between mouthfuls.

Toby blushed slightly at the praise.

After finishing the meal, we felt quite content; as usual, the magical berries provided more than enough sustenance to sustain us for the entire day.

"What shall we do for the rest of the afternoon?" Vera asked.

"I want to practice swinging a stick," Toby said enthusiastically.

Igasnov smiled at the boy like a proud father.

"I want to explore the wider area," Juliana added.

"I will pray this afternoon," Igasnov declared, carefully clearing his plate.

We wandered out through the stand of trees and back onto the mostly empty plains. The scenery felt remarkably ordinary—gently rolling countryside dotted with scattered clusters of timber.

"So, my lord, what is it that you wish to achieve?" Juliana asked suddenly.

I took control of our vocal cords. "That is quite a broad question. Could you be more specific?"

"Well, after you have uncovered the history of Ravencrest and potentially punished the wicked perpetrators, what would you seek to do? Would you simply disappear once more?"

I paused for a moment; I genuinely hadn't considered the aftermath.

"Well, since I have no ability to be with Illara, I suppose I will try to maintain peace in this world."

"Would you consider helping me achieve a humble mission of mine?" Juliana asked softly.

"I cannot think of a reason why I couldn't, depending on what it entails," I responded hesitantly.

"Well, I wish to restore the natural world and find ways for people to live in better harmony with it."

I could likely use some purpose, and this particular goal sounded perfectly reasonable for a druid.

"If it doesn't require anything too extreme, I should be able to assist you with that after we have finished our current work."

Juliana gave a small, joyous jump, and I could physically feel her smile widening across our face.

Because we were walking without paying close attention, we failed to notice the green humanoids raising their crude bows until they released an arrow at us.

The projectile missed, sailing past our heads with a sharp hiss and instantly drawing our attention to the scene unfolding ahead.

Five goblins were charging us with jagged weaponry, while five more nocked fresh arrows in our direction.

We dodged another two arrows as they neared and fluidly drew our scimitar.

The five charging attackers reached us; two brought their clubs down viciously toward our skull. Juliana effortlessly deflected one strike with the flat of her blade while ducking the other. She then kicked the nearest goblin squarely in the chest, sending the creature flying backward into the dirt.

The three remaining melee fighters attempted to surround us, wildly swinging their bludgeons.

Juliana pirouetted, sweeping her scimitar in a deadly, silver arc. Two goblin necks were caught in the path; their heads were sliced cleanly off, tumbling into the grass. The third managed to duck the blow just in time.

A glint of sheer terror flashed in the eyes of the survivor.

Suddenly, a heavy blow from the goblin we had kicked earlier landed hard against our leg. I felt a sharp, unexpected pang of pain.

Frowning, Juliana thrust her blade straight through the creature's ribs, withdrawing it in a crimson flash. The goblin collapsed into a rapidly pooling puddle of blood.

The last remaining frontline fighter made one final, feeble attempt to swing his club, but Juliana caught his wrist mid-swing. A look of profound shock spread across the creature's face as her scimitar sliced open his gut, spilling his entrails from his small body.

Five more arrows shot towards us; we nimbly dodged each projectile and sprinted directly towards the archers. Seeing our rapid approach, the backline scattered in a total panic.

Juliana cast her usual entangling spell, securely binding four of the fleeing enemies in thick roots, though the fifth managed to leap over a growing vine and bolt for the trees.

She raced after the escapee, catching him with terrifying ease. The goblin dropped instantly from a single, brutal slash across his spine.

Juliana then walked casually back to the restrained survivors.

She stared down at them and began to speak in fluent Goblin.

"Where is your lair?"

The first captive spat fiercely at her; Juliana smoothly removed his head before the saliva even hit the dirt.

"The first goblin to tell me gets to live."

All three remaining captives frantically tried to speak over one another.

"It's in the hill with the trees nearby!" one finally managed to shriek above the din.

"Thank you," Juliana said sweetly.

She swiftly executed the other two; their brief screams were silenced almost immediately.

True to her word, Juliana released the final goblin from the magical vines.

"I am going to take a nap now. Feel free to leave."

Juliana lay down on the grass and pretended to close her eyes.

Through her squinted eyelids, we watched the creature look around shiftily before slowly withdrawing a rusted dagger from his belt. He crept towards our prone form, weapon raised to strike.

Once he was within range, Juliana swiped her scimitar in a blinding flash, cleanly bisecting the treacherous goblin.

"Goblins truly are the most foolish and predictable creatures," Juliana sighed, meticulously wiping her blade clean on the grass.

"Shall we clear this infestation properly, then?" she asked.

"Yes, I think this would be an excellent opportunity to help secure the route for our caravan."

We walked towards the wooded hill the goblin had indicated; a faint wisp of dark smoke drifted above the canopy.

The hill itself appeared fairly nondescript, covered by a dense thicket of kānuka trees. Small, winding paths that looked like animal trails led directly into the heavy brush.

"Would you like me to handle the tracking?" I asked.

"That would be most splendid," Juliana replied.

I took control and dropped to my hands and knees, inspecting the trails closely. Dozens of small, humanoid footprints led in and out of the undergrowth.

We crawled through the narrow passage, tracking the mud impressions.

At the first fork in the path, I inspected the dirt again; the vast majority of the footprints only continued down the right-hand path. We followed suit.

Next, we encountered a poorly camouflaged snare trap. I quickly disarmed it by tossing a heavy stick into the loop, causing the mechanism to snap shut harmlessly around the wood.

We pressed further down the claustrophobic path, the dense vegetation forming a natural, suffocating tunnel.

It wasn’t long before we arrived at a small cave entrance, resembling an oversized rabbit warren dug directly into the hillside. The footprints continued inward, and thankfully, the tunnel appeared to widen just beyond the opening.

We crawled into the cavern and were immediately assaulted by the foul stench of rotting food and raw sewage. The horrific odor caused me to physically retch.

However, once fully inside, we were able to stand, albeit with a slight stoop. From deeper within the earth, I could hear the echoing sounds of guttural chatter.

We crept down the cramped passage, the putrid smell intensifying with every step.

"I will leave the rest to you," I offered.

Juliana retook control, her movements instantly becoming smoother, silent, and far more assured.

Within thirty seconds, we encountered our first sentry. He was completely unaware of our presence; Juliana swiftly stabbed him through the throat, causing the creature to choke on his own blood as he collapsed to the stone floor.

We stepped over the small corpse and continued. As the tunnel opened up further, we spotted a modest chamber where four goblins sat eating what looked like roasted rabbit. One of them glanced up, its expression of mild confusion rapidly warping into sheer shock.

"Intruder!" he shrieked, scrambling for his weapon.

Juliana casually tossed a bolt of magical flame, instantly striking the screaming goblin down.

The remaining three charged us. The cramped space prevented Juliana from swinging her blade effectively, so she instead thrust it clean through the vanguard's chest. The last two scurried around their dying comrade, jabbing wildly with jagged daggers. Juliana spun gracefully to dodge their attacks, grabbing one assailant by the scruff and hurling him violently into the cavern wall; a sickening crack echoed as his neck snapped.

The final survivor turned to flee. Juliana scooped up a discarded dagger and hurled it flawlessly into his back, sending him face-first into the dirt.

Suddenly, the rapid patter of numerous footsteps echoed from deeper within the warren.

As a larger horde poured into view, Juliana conjured a roaring wall of fire directly on top of them, then began slowly pushing the inferno down the tunnel. The vanguard was instantly incinerated, while the ranks behind them shrieked in absolute panic. She relentlessly drove the magical flames forward, leaving no gaps for escape. A few crude arrows flew blindly through the blaze, but they were sluggish and easy to evade.

We pursued the retreating horde down the narrowing passage until it opened into a wider cavern where natural sunlight poured through a jagged hole in the ceiling. Several crude grappling ropes were being desperately tossed toward the opening, each failing to catch on the rocky rim.

As we closed in, their efforts became completely frantic. When one hook finally managed to stick, a dozen panicked goblins clambered over one another in a desperate bid to climb, only for their combined weight to rip the rope right back down.

Juliana pushed the wall of fire into the chamber, cleansing it of filth and eventually driving the horde past the exit hole. Terrified screams filled the air as an untold number of goblins found themselves violently cornered against the dead-end wall.

Juliana mercilessly pressed the flames into the packed crowd. The horrific sound and smell of burning flesh mingled with their agonizing shrieks as they were roasted alive.

Eventually, there was nothing but dead silence and the suffocating stench of charred meat.

Juliana dismissed the spell, allowing the thick smoke to clear and reveal the sheer scale of the destruction.

A massive, fused mound of blackened humanoid bodies lay piled in the corner, their exact numbers impossible to discern amidst the macabre wreckage.

"It appears this was a newly established warren; it wasn't completely excavated yet," Juliana remarked clinically.

"I shall collapse it, ensuring it will be of no use to any scavengers or stragglers we may have missed."

Juliana cast a levitation spell, floating gracefully up and out through the hole in the ceiling.

Once we were safely looking down into the crater, she cast another powerful incantation. The earth began to violently shake before the entire structure caved in on itself with a deafening rumble, burying the goblin corpses in a permanent, earthen tomb.

We continued our ascent, rising above the forest canopy before drifting back toward the safety of the open plains.

"It feels deeply satisfying to cleanse the forest of such evil. Shall we return?" she asked with a bright smile.

I nodded Juliana’s head in agreement, left quietly reflecting on the fact that her methods, while undeniably brutal, were terrifyingly thorough.

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