It had been a week since Finn and Darwin finished their hunting mission. The two had remained at the guild, resting ever since, thanks to the generous pay they had received from the guild. Currently, the two were sitting at one of the tables, bored. Finn was reading a book he had taken from the guild library on how to start using magic, while Darwin was complaining that he wanted to go on a long mission to test his abilities.
"It's a shame I don't have an Imperial gem yet. Otherwise, I would have started practicing right away" Finn thought, reading the book on basic magic.
"Ach, how boring... we have to take a long mission far from the capital, Finn!" Darwin exclaimed.
"We already looked for one, but they're all for Class C and above, remember?" Finn asked calmly.
"Sigh, yeah…" Darwin sighed, throwing himself down on the table.
"Don't despair, one will come out… or we'll increase our class, one of two" Finn said. 'Maybe I should go buy the Imperial Gem right now' Finn thought.
"Sure… I'll go to the bathroom, I'll be right back" Darwin said, standing up from the table.
Finn ignored him and continued reading his book, interested in how the world's magic worked, while calmly sipping his lemonade.
—
Darwin came out of the bathroom, noticing several adventurers looking at the quest board. They seemed to be looking at something in particular. Not wanting to be left with curiosity, Darwin approached, seeing the guild master putting a quest on the board.
Once he finished putting the quest, the guild master looked at all the adventurers gathered and then walked away in the direction of his office. Seeing the Master walk away, all the adventurers approached to see what he had posted, noticing a somewhat familiar mission.
"This mission again!?" complained one adventurer.
"Why the hell are they insisting so much? It's a shitty mission!" complained another.
"From what I've investigated, it's not just our Master; other Masters are insisting on this stupid mission too" said another adventurer.
"Why the hell don't they understand that we don't want to do it!?" said the first adventurer.
Little by little, the adventurers angrily dispersed, allowing Darwin to pass by and see the mission the Master had posted on the mural.
"Investigative mission: investigate the strange behavior of the goblins near the bridge over the great cliff…" Darwin read with interest. "This mission… IS PERFECT!" exclaimed Darwin before grabbing it and running towards Finn.
Darwin ran to the dining area where Finn was sitting at a table away from the others and showed him the quest with a smile. Finn looked at it with interest for a few seconds.
[Quest class: any
The merchants and adventurers have been having trouble crossing the Great Cliff Bridge and the road that connects to Firorn's capital. While the merchants claim they've been losing merchandise without realizing it, the adventurers indicate they were attacked by an organized group of goblins.
Quest description:
Make sure you find out what's going on and take care of the problem if possible. If not, return safely and report to your superiors. Remember that all adventurer cards carry an emergency call number in case things don't go well.
Time limit: none.
]
After seeing the quest, he turned to look at Darwin, who was still just as excited. Finn sighed softly, knowing Darwin wouldn't let this mission go, and grabbed the sheet of paper before standing up from the table.
"Okay, let's go tell Amelia" Finn said, walking toward the reception room.
"Yes!" Darwin exclaimed happily.
The two of them headed toward the reception area where they saw Amelia leaning against the counter, looking at what appeared to be a weapons and armor magazine. Darwin quickly approached, slamming the sheet of paper against the counter and scaring Amelia slightly.
'Here come these idiots...' Amelia thought, looking at Finn and Darwin. "What do you idiots want now? There are no missions available yet."
"Don't worry, we already found a perfect mission!" said Darwin, showing it to Amelia.
'This mission…' Amelia thought for a second, looking at the mission Darwin had given her. 'It's the mission the Master posted over a month ago…'
"We want to do this mission!" said Darwin quickly.
"I don't know, guys. This mission hasn't been taken for over a month…" Amelia said uncertainly. For some reason, this mission was causing her great anxiety and a bad feeling.
"Come on, Amelia. We've fought several goblins in the last month and nothing's happened" Darwin said, trying to convince her.
'This mission doesn't feel good to me... I feel like they should avoid it' Amelia thought uncomfortably. "I don't know, Darwin. This mission is much further away, and you'll have to spend a few days there..."
"Please!" Darwin begged.
"What's the worst that could happen? They're only goblins, and besides, we'll be in the forest three days from here. It's not that far" Finn said, supporting Darwin. He also wanted to do the mission.
Amelia looked at the mission for a few seconds before looking at Finn and Darwin and giving a small sigh of resignation.
"Sigh, okay... But make sure you bring enough potions. This will be a long mission and far from the guild!" Amelia ordered, and the two quickly nodded before leaving the guild.
Amelia watched Finn and Darwin walk away with a slight feeling of discomfort, then looked at the quest sheet in front of her, giving her a bad feeling. Without giving it much thought, she picked up the sheet and began to record the quest.
—
An hour later, Finn and Darwin left the capital with their small backpacks fully equipped with healing potions, nutrient bars, and a few changes of clothes. Not wanting to delay too long, the two headed south to the bridge, knowing the journey would take them about three days just to reach the bridge.
"So what exactly are we looking for?" Finn asked.
"Strange behavior among the goblins" Darwin replied.
"And what would constitute strange behavior for a goblin?" Finn asked again, and this time Darwin paused for thought.
". . . Well, I don't know, to be honest" Darwin confessed. "Well, let's just review what we already know about goblins. Goblins can talk, develop simple strategies, team up with each other, use armor and weapons, they can also attack from a distance with spears, and lastly, they often kidnap humanoid women, especially humans and elves."
"Okay, I think I've got it. Anything other than that would be considered strange" Finn said, nodding.
Finn and Darwin continued their journey toward the southern forest. Two days passed quickly, and the two could now see the forest not far from them. The fog surrounding the forest soon appeared, enveloping them rapidly. The closer they got to the enormous forest, the less they could see due to the fog surrounding them. They were guided only by the clear path beneath their feet and the barely distinguishable headlights.
The two continued walking for a few minutes until they entered the forest. Everything seemed very quiet, too quiet for a magical forest, according to Darwin. After advancing a few meters, the two saw a large tree lying in the middle of the path. It looked as if it had been knocked down after a strong impact.
"It's a pretty big tree. I doubt the goblins knocked it over, much less with brute force" said Finn, looking at the broken base of the tree. "It looks like someone broke it with a strong impact" Finn thought.
Darwin examined the fallen tree, noticing a mark on it, but not being able to see it completely because it was on the side that was against the ground. Darwin tried to roll the tree, but it was too heavy, and he decided to call Finn.
"There's a mark here. Help me roll the tree so I can see it better" Darwin called.
Finn nodded, and after some effort, they managed to roll the large tree. They got a better view of the mark and also saw the damp earth underneath the tree when they turned it over.
"Is that a foot? It's huge" Finn said, amazed by the size of the foot, which was almost as big as his entire torso. "It looks like a human… or at least a humanoid race."
'Damp earth and a huge human foot? Why does it look familiar?' Darwin wondered. He then stood up and headed deeper into the forest, seeing several arrows and puddles of water and mud everywhere. But the most striking and important thing for Darwin were the horse footprints everywhere. "Is this…"
Darwin approached a tree, pulled out one of the arrows embedded in the tree, and examined the point and the wood from which the arrow was made. Darwin quickly noticed a peculiar and familiar symbol in the shape of a horse's head on the arrowhead. He then looked at the footprints again, causing Darwin to realize something important. Darwin opened his eyes in surprise and concern.
"Finn… I think we have to get out of here!" Darwin said desperately.
"What, why?" Finn asked, confused, still examining the footprint.
Crack! Crack! Crack! Crack!
The sound of branches and bushes breaking caught Finn and Darwin's attention. The forest fell completely silent for a few seconds, allowing Finn and Darwin to hear heavy, labored breathing coming from the trees that were barely visible through the dense fog. Darwin's growing concern, who now looked completely terrified, caught Finn's attention for a second, knowing something wasn't right. The sounds quickly intensified, indicating that it was rapidly approaching them.
"FINN, RUN!!" Darwin shouted, pulling Finn along.
Before both of them, a huge creature emerged from the fog directly toward them. The creature had a female humanoid body but a horse head that seemed to be unhinged, drooling profusely.
"Oh my god, what is that?!" Finn asked, running.
"That's a horse-woman!" Darwin replied, following Finn.
"And what does it want?!" Finn asked, scared.
"To rape us!" Darwin replied, his tears threatening to spill.
"No, let it rape only you!" Finn shouted, quickening his pace.
"Idiot, that thing isn't going to ask us!" Darwin said, doing his best to keep up with Finn.
"Why, God? I'm not into furry!" Finn shouted, scared, jumping between branches and bushes.
The two ran at top speed through the trees, trying to confuse the horse-woman with the trees, but she simply destroyed all the trees in front of her, crashing into them. The beast seemed unstoppable. Finn swore he had never run so fast in his entire life.
After running a few meters or maybe kilometers, Finn and Darwin stopped hearing the destruction caused by the horse-woman, gradually stopping to see if the horse-woman was still following them, but they couldn't find her, making them sigh with relief and hope.
"Did we lose her?" Finn asked hopefully, searching through the trees, but the mist didn't let him see much.
"It seems so" Darwin said, trying to locate the horse-woman. "Maybe the mist made her lose our trail…"
Boom!
The two heard a powerful crash of something hitting the ground, followed by two huge, muscular arms trapping Finn and Darwin in a tight grip. The horse-woman charged the two throughout the forest, constantly crashing into various trees with the aim of knocking them out. With his one free hand, Darwin quickly and constantly punched the horse-woman in the ribs, hoping to free herself from the grip, but it didn't seem to hurt her at all.
'This is bad! She wants to knock us unconscious with the impact against the trees. I don't know how much longer I can last at this pace!' Darwin thought worriedly, feeling his body slowly go numb. 'Besides, I can't free myself; her body is soaked with water and it's very slippery.'
Darwin tried several times to hold the horse-woman, but his hand kept slipping because it was so wet, resigning himself to just hitting the beast.
"Finn, hit her as hard as you can, don't stop!" Darwin shouted.
'Shit, she's so strong, and her huge tits are suffocating me!' Finn thought, gasping for air. 'I have no choice, I have to do it!' "I'M NOT GOING TO BE RAPED!!" Finn shouted determinedly.
CHOMP!!
The horse-woman let out a scream of pain, followed by a great leap that lifted them both into the air. She then released them as she writhed in pain. Finn didn't hesitate to take advantage of this and hit the horse-woman hard in the snout, followed by a kick that disoriented the horse-woman for a few seconds.
"We're free!" Darwin exclaimed.
"And next time I'll bite your other one!" Finn shouted angrily.
It didn't take long for the two of them to realize they were in the air and falling straight into a huge cliff.
"A cliff!?" Darwin exclaimed, looking down the long drop and at the same time managing to see a large wooden and stone bridge not far from them. "We've reached the bridge! How fast did that damn horse-woman run? We were still more than a day away!" Darwin said in amazement. 'But this is okay. Many adventurers pass by that bridge. If we can call for help, we can get rid of this beast!' He thought, trying to look at someone on the bridge.
"Darwin, watch out!" Finn shouted, trying to warn Darwin.
Darwin turned around only to see the horse-woman falling at high speed toward them.
"FUCK!!" Darwin shouted.
The two were hit by the horse-woman, falling directly into the cliff.
—
From the bridge, Cristel and several adventurers returning from their mission were walking calmly when they heard a scream and saw three people falling from the sky into the cliff in the distance. Rodrick looked in that direction for a second, then nodded approvingly and continued on his way.
"Is it my imagination, or are several people falling into the cliff?" asked a woman dressed in a long black robe.
"Lady Cristel, you see them too, right?" asked a young knight.
Cristel narrowed her eyes, focusing directly on the people falling into the cliff and managing to see them clearly, as if they were right in front of her.
"Are those… Darwin and Finn?" Cristel asked, surprised.
"Do you know them?" a female archer asked.
"I've never spoken to them, but I know who they are" Cristel stated, remembering having seen them with Amelia several times in the past.
"Incredible, you know almost everyone in the guild!" Exclaimed a young woman carrying a small teddy bear.
"Hmph, as the next guild master, it's my duty to at least meet most of the guild members, since one day you'll all be under my care" Cristel stated seriously.
"Shouldn't we help them? It's a very long fall..." said the young woman
"They're not falling, they're using the height to their advantage" Rodrick replied.
"Yes, we'd only hinder their mission and adventure. Just look at them, great adventurers living the good life" Cristel said proudly.
"I see..." the mage replied, unsure.
'Who would imagine two D-class adventurers trying to tame a horse-woman, a C-class beast, or even a B-class beast? The perfect representation of what a male adventurer should be, strong, tough, and dominant' Cristel thought with a big smile. 'Sigh, I still remember my first time taming a horse-woman. It was... beautiful, although at that time I was already a B-class beast and didn't... D like them, and I was also accompanied by Ron and Vero, two young mytt-wolfs. It was definitely a great night… I should visit them sometime. I haven't seen them in two years.'
. . . . .
"Why the fuck isn't anyone helping us?!" Darwin shouted, watching as they got dangerously close to the ground. The horse-woman stuck out her tongue, licking Darwin's face. "Ugh, get away from me, filthy beast!" Darwin shouted.
"I have an idea, do the same as me!" Finn shouted.
Finn grabbed the horse-woman by the head and used his legs to push her off her abdomen. Darwin followed his example, and the two managed to turn around, putting the horse-woman underneath them.
The two held each other tightly, awaiting the imminent impact with the ground.
BOOM!!
—
At the guild, Amelia sat in her office, looking at a photo she had taken almost a year ago of herself, Darwin, and Finn drinking alcohol. Then she saw the mission on her desk. Ever since Darwin and Finn brought her the mission, she had had a strong feeling. Something in her told her she shouldn't have agreed to let Finn and Darwin carry out the mission.
'Back then, Finn couldn't even speak or express any emotion, but we still carry him with us' Amelia thought with a smile.
Then she moved to another photo where Finn was lying on an emergency room bed with his back open and several wounds. Amelia had taken this photo as proof of what Finn's former team had done. She had gone to accuse the Master of them and demanded that Finn be removed from the group. Upon seeing the situation, the Master harshly reprimanded the team, as what they had done was against guild rules, but unfortunately, he couldn't remove Finn from the team due to the same rules.
'Those bastards, using Finn as a shield to protect themselves from an ogre attack is really low... if it weren't for the stupid rules, I would have separated Finn from that group a long time ago' Amelia thought with suppressed anger.
Well, the rules stipulated that a team couldn't be forcibly separated by a receptionist unless the adventurer under their care so desired, but since Finn couldn't speak or express any disagreement, Amelia couldn't do anything.
"Sigh, I hope everything goes well" Amelia said worriedly.