Rolf had on a green, short-sleeved tunic, over which he wore a dark green, hooded cloak. Underneath his tunic could be seen glimpses of silver mail gleaming in the moonlight. As was his wont when on the job, he carried his weapon, a hand axe, with his right hand whilst a couple of long daggers hung in their sheaths from his woven leather belt.
Sven walked a couple of yards behind Rolf, broadsword at the ready and his face barely visible behind the opening of his helm. The reinforced wooden shield he carried with his other hand was round, about two feet in diameter. One might think it odd for a man clad in heavy plate armor to opt for a wooden shield but as Sven himself put it, “My uncle had a wooden shield and his uncle had one and his uncle’s uncle had one, so it only makes sense that I would have one as well.”
Yumi was out in front. In full gear now, she was wearing a long-sleeved leather armor over which she had strapped across her chest a belt of copper-colored cartridges, each one around a couple of inches long. She carried a single-edged battle axe, gripping with thick leather gauntlets, and she had a second weapon hanging from the belt around her waist, another battle axe with a short handle and an ornate double-edged head.
Rolf stared at Yumi’s back as they warily plodded along between the lines of bushes and wondered not for the last time how in the heck they got themselves into this situation. Of course, it was something Severin had hired them to do and, of course, they were being amply compensated for their trouble, to the point well past generosity even as to be mighty suspicious.
And true enough, alarm bells were ringing like there was no tomorrow in Rolf’s gut but he saw very little choice in the matter. It was either take the money or do it for free, of this he was sure. Rolf sighed.
But it was just supposed to be the two of them, him and Sven. Yumi was not supposed to be part of the bargain. In fact, she was in no condition at all to be out and walking about let alone on a dangerous job. The way she had been drinking, there was enough alcohol in her system to stop a bull elephant dead in its tracks.
Rolf winced as he recalled how the conversation went.
“As you well know,” Severin had mentioned, “I own several properties not only here in Southbarne proper but in the surrounding regions as well. In particular, I have this blood berry plantation overlooking Red Cedar Lake a few miles east of here. It seems that someone or something has been attacking my crops in the middle of the night, damaging or uprooting the bushes and eating up all the berries.”
Severin paused and he wiped the sweat from his forehead with a handkerchief then continued. “Fortunately the buildings have been spared and none of my workers have been hurt. As of yet at least. We’ve set up traps around the plantation perimeter but no luck thus far. I suspect it might be a dire goat or even two. But, of course, it might be something entirely different. I want you to find out and put an end to whatever it is that’s been ruining my crops.”
Blood berries. Ugh. Rolf grimaced as he looked at the small red dots peppering the bushes around him. He didn’t care much for blood berries. Though far from being lethally toxic, Rolf found them quite unpalatable with its bitter sour taste and its juice that reeked of strong vinegar. The locals didn’t care much for them either.
They were quite popular up north though which made their cultivation quite lucrative. Among other things, they were essential in the manufacture of certain dyes and in the making of bloodred wine.
“Dire goats? Here?” Rolf remembered asking. “That’s highly unlikely don’t you think? They live high up the Ivory Spine.”
“Ah, not as unusual as you might think, my friend,” Severin had replied. “I’ve heard news of sightings as close as the Foothills of Hazzen.”
“Still,” Rolf commented, “I do not see why you would insist on us for the task. As troublesome as dire goats may be, they’re not something that any other member of the Axe Slayers Guild worth his salt couldn’t handle. Or of the Broken Blade Guild for that matter.”
“Oh, I would have hired others if I had to,” Severin declared with a slight smile. “But thankfully, there was no call for it. I have need of adventurers I can trust not only to do the job right but to keep quiet about it as well and there’s no one I trust more than you two. Now, now, spare me the speech about the integrity and professionalism of the guilds. Let’s just say I utter confidence in the two of you and would be more at ease with you on the job than anyone else and leave it at that. And besides, I know that speech by heart.”
“Fine then,” Rolf stated. “An overnight monster hunt, delivery by morning. Standard hush job. I take it you want the ‘No questions asked’ option as well? I must confess to being curious though. All this ado about dire goats of all things is highly irregular.”
“Yes, I will take the whole package.” Severin nodded. “And I will you pay a total of a thousand gold imperials each provided you keep property damage to a minimum.”
“A thousand gold imperials!?” Yumi exclaimed incredulously before Rolf could say anything in reply. “Woo-hoo! I’m in!”
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