"Stop it! It's trying to run!" Tepis explodes out of the bush and sprints for the little green man. The sisters react too late and before they can take more than a few steps, the goblin has already picked up speed. It quickly accelerates and dives into an escape hole nearby. When I leave the bushes and rejoin them, they're staring down into the burrow. "Damnit, I've never seen one run so fast. They usually just attack."
"Well, it's too bad, but we'll just have to move on. There will be plenty more once we get inside. Nigel said that the Black Ravens have a party there as well. Maybe this one escaped from them." Sierra sighs heavily, sheathing her short side in its scabbard at her side. Unzipping her parka slightly and smoothing her hair, she huffs. "Hopefully they don't all run for us. I didn't expect goblins to be so fast!"
"You've never hunted them before?" Tepis seems surprised. "Isn't one of the perks of being in the guild that you get access to this place."
At this, Sierra turns crimson. Rita answers instead,
"Actually, Big Sis and I have only done guard missions before. Mr. Chiang's motto was safety first, always. How were we supposed to know that there'd be something so monstrous outside Tiendas..." She trails off sadly and Tepis looks stricken.
"Oh...crap. I didn't mean it like that. Uhm, anyways, it's fine, I'm not a goblin expert but I've killed a few before. They're not tough! Just follow my lead. I'm a solo Hunter though, so I may not always be able to communicate clearly...." His words are enough to perk up the sisters and I note how nervous he is around them and the way he glances at Sierra out of the corner of his eye whenever he thinks she's not looking.
Someone has a crush.
"Why are you a solo Hunter anyway, Tepis?" The older sister's abrupt question catches him off guard. "I heard you already unlocked Basic Combat with your sword a long time ago. With your skills, you could definitely leave this town and join a more experienced party!"
"Umm..." Tepis nervously looks anywhere except at Sierra. A little smirk touches my lips before the fleeting emotion slips away and I return to ice. "N-No reason. I just like Snowfall is all!"
"You...like Snowfall?" Rita leans in suspiciously. "Really? You like this crappy town in the middle of nowhere?"
"Mhm! I always hoped to live in a small town quietly, you know. That's how my parents raised me. Stay safe and prosper, hahaha!" He chuckles through clenched teeth. Now it's his turn to turn red. Fortunately, Sierra has already turned away and is looking out at the Feral Goblin Dungeon.
"Well, I suppose that's very admirable. Personally...I've always hoped to show Rita the city, one day. But for now, we just don't have the money." The pretty older sister stares off into the distance, completely unaware of Tepis's panic.
"W-What! Really?" When she turns around curiously, he hurriedly covers up his blunder, "Ah, I mean, that's great! Exactly how I feel!"
"You have a lot of money though..."
"Ahem!" He coughs into his hand. "What I meant was that once I've leveled up enough, I intend to move to the city. M-Maybe if the timing is right, we could even go together! It'd be safer that way after all!"
"Haha, if we ever get that kind of money, sure." Sierra's off-hand reply puts a smile on the boy's face. Rita appears to have caught on to something. The little siblings are usually more perceptive after all.
"You're really red, Tepis. You okay?"
"Eh, hunting goblins is hard work."
"Sure..."
The party banters back and forth, and I'm seemingly forgotten which is fine by me. Snow crunches underfoot as we walk up to the main entrance of the dungeon. It's like some giant just took a pickaxe and decided to carve a massive yawning pit into the side of the mountain. Of course, knowing the way the System reorganizes the terrain when it spawns dungeons, it's entirely possible that something like that actually happened.
