I found that the questing system was far from what I had expected, thanks to years of RPG games filling my head with LIES. The first and foremost cruel reality, was that the quests themselves rewarded no EXP. This cold fact, made sense after I thought about how EXP was actually the transfer of 'soul energy' or whatever. The logic was far from comforting me about only getting EXP from the monsters killed during the quest itself. The second egregious fact is that the Adventurers Guild took 20% of all Novice quest monetary rewards, like some kind of brokers fee. The 'fee' was reduced 5% each rank, so an Apprentice would be charged 15% and so on. The currency reward seemed adequate even after the gouging by the Guild, until factoring in repairs, expenses and living costs. The only real reasons to do quests are reputation and rank advancement, making the weak quests I chose to start with barely worth the travel to turn them in. I wasn't even close to upgrading to a copper Apprentice badge. I imagined that at the silver badge of Veteran rank, the reward money and reputation were on the level of Nobility. I couldn't even imagine having a golden Master rank badge, I assumed they were regarded like royalty, and probably slay Dragons before breakfast. But I was a bronze Novice, just a working class grunt.

"So, we gotta 'up our game'." I Announced to the party, after turning in the Novice quests at the Guild. "This quest was downgraded to Novice recently. It involves wiping out a small goblin village that just lost their 2 Chieftains."

"Seriously?! Now you wanna wipe out your pet HobGoblin's entire tribe?" Scolded Ned. "What did little Hobo ever do to you!"

"Where is Hobo?" Casey asked searching for the 'HobToddler.'

"Once I learned my Pet Status allowed him to enter town, I payed a Young man working at the stables a few slivers to watch him while I quest." I informed, then added, "There was a quest to kill the entire tribe... So if anything I saved the little turd machine."

"Yo. Is it me or is that lil' Hob, growing ..crazy fast?" Randy wondered.

"It might just be how HobGoblin's grow, I mean we can't judge a different species, by human standards." Remarked Ned.

"Or ...maybe 'cause I let him take naps in the lobby." I admitted.

"...You WHAT?!" Ned's pale, undead face seemed to turn a hue of red, unless that was my imagination.

"What? I made sure it was safe, first!" I offered, "...I saved his life." I reasoned softly.

"He seemed fine, while we were playing ..peek-a-boo." Casey absently interjected, then reacted to the bewildered stares. "What?!"

"Why don't I just ask Shorty about the lobby?" Randy offered to consult his AI.

"I was trying to avoid asking about the lobby effects, incase the AI's were programmed to report those kinda things. Like plausible deniability, ya know?" I confessed.

Oh, right. Word. I'm gon' ask about Pet's in general then." Randy informed as he pressed on his PAC's screen.

There was a digital zap sound and a small AI appeared in a spark of light.

"Yo shawty!" Randy cat-called to his AI.

{Greetings} The bug zapper fairy replied.

"Ey, is the only way to get a Pet to butcher the family, and steal the baby? Or is there other ways?" Randy snickered, while staring at me.

The AI's body seemed to hum for a moment and she replied, {That is the common way. Although there are traders who sell Pet's, But their methods of procuring them are unknown.}

"Oh shit. Aight thanks." Randy dismissed his AI.

"Well, Lets just go slay some Goblin's... and we'll figure out the ethics later." I suggested.

-----

After traveling the familiar dirt road and flat grasslands past the river camp area, we entered the forest with little resistance. A few Wolves and a low level Harpy, Found their final resting place in my inventory, while encountering our group as we re-entered the area I obtained my Pet. The Hob corpses were gone but the ground were they had laid, was still pressed flat. This meant that they were recently removed, either by despawning, or the Goblin's returning to collect the dead... I couldn't be sure. The mounted Hobs Had left an obvious trail, even I could have tracked. It didn't take Casey's Nightkin tracking to find the out skirt of the Goblin's village. We were just out of sight from the crude guard station, made of piled branches for walls and a stump to sit on, when Casey opened a party text:

Party text: Casey Jones, Randy Jenkins, Ned Bailey, Bruno Jenkins.

Casey: I will take out the guard, then move forward to scout. Ned grab the body and hide it away. Randy cover us with your bow, Don't shoot unless necessary. Bruno your stealth sucks, and your armor is too shiny. You just stand by.

Ned: Got it!

Randy: Yup.

Bruno: Are you putting me in Time Out?!

Casey: I'm sorry, you're just not very stealthy.

Randy: Yo, he's 2 fat to be stelthy

Casey: At least he can spell stealthy!

Bruno: Have I been a bad boy?

Casey: We don't have time for this shit, guys!

Bruno: Casey.

Bruno: CASEY

Bruno: CASEY!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Casey: WHAT?!

Bruno: Say I've been a bad boy, Casey.

Party Text has been Disconnected......

The moment Party Text went down, Casey disappeared. I struggled to hold back laughter as Ned went to retrieve the Goblin corpse. Randy drew an arrow, then nocked it while scanning the trees around the guard station. I spawned my new throwing knives and belted the sheath to my arm. I then summoned my curved sword and Sharpened heater shield in the same way. When Randy let out a hushed psst sound, I followed him to our rendezvous point. Meeting up with the party I got a look at the Goblin village in the distance, It was very rudimentary. There were a few shabby structures made of thatch and wood and about 2 dozen course lean-to's. The small clearing was surrounded by large trees, and the few dirt paths were barricaded with sharpened logs and branches. One crude fence held several forest boars, I assumed were livestock. Casey appeared in my shadow, then walked around me and gave a report.

"I could only confirm 9 Goblin's patrolling, several seem to be up in that thatch building. Casey apprised. "If each of you can take down 2 Stealthily, I can handle the last 3. Then we can meet by the thatch building and find out more and stuff."

"2 Aint shit for me and Ned, it's Fathead we gotta worry about. Think you can do it Fathead?" Randy taunted.

"I'll do my best, asshole." I retorted.

Casey then disappeared again, and Ned drew the dagger I had made for him. Randy creeped along the lean-to's with surprising stealth for the loudest mouth in all of Methuselah. I barely heard an arrow zip through the air, followed by another almost instantly. I saw Ned grab a small Goblin and slit it's throat, then shove the knife in it's heart for good measure. The goblin never made a sound, and Ned looked back and gave a shaky thumbs up. I was searching the area with my AVA when it scanned a Goblin crawling out from some sort of mud hovel, none of us even saw:

Name: Forest Goblin Level 6 HP: 120/120 ST: 60/60.

A bipedal monster commonly found in all regions of PLSR-08(Methuselah). A small tribal creature capable of primitive technology. The basic of the three Goblin species.

Before I could perforate the creature with my sword, it let out a loud scream and began running towards the boars. I gave chase but had no chance of catching the creature, as it reached the boar pen and effortlessly pulled open the gate. The small creature then mounted one of the boars and charged in my direction, while the other tusked pig monsters fled the pen. I pulled up my shield and activated my Guard skill, giving the bladed shield a faint glow. I planted my feet as the Fast boar and its small rider crashed into me. It felt like an elephant hit me as I held my ground, then shoved forward sending the mount stumbling aside and it's rider tumbling over. I then placed my shield between me and the boar and thrust my sword down several times into the small dazed Goblin. The boar charged again, this time with out rider and instead of taking it head on, I sidestepped it while slashing at its legs. The swine monster crashed hard against the ground, squealing and snorting loudly. I then finished the monster, But not in time to notice one of the patrolling Goblins had gotten behind me. Taking advantage of my unprotected back the goblin shoved a spear blade into the flap for my wings. I had hoped the flap would offer some protection against arrows, but knew it wouldn't offer much against direct melee.

"FUCK, oh ghhhah, FUCK FUCK FUCK!" I Man-cried.

Turning to face the Goblin ripped the spear from my back, as I grabbed his head and plunged my thumbs in his eye's. The Goblin began to scream and shriek, as it kicked and flailed its limbs wildly. I had lifted it off the ground by it's head then I used the blade of my shield to bash Its chest. This left a large tear across the goblins torso, I then bounced it off the ground and grabbed my sword that had fallen by my feet. If the first Goblin's scream hadn't alerted the village, this Goblin surely had. I roared loudly as I took the curved sword and decapitated the blinded monster. Several Goblin's had exited the thatch building Casey had spotted, and a few came from the woods. The building must have been hosting a war meeting because several of the little green creatures whistled and the escaped boars suddenly raced to their side. The now mounted riders grabbed tufts of hair on the swine's backs and barreled for my location. Randy popped up from a lean-to, then loosed an arrow dismounting one of the many riders. Ned Casey and Randy began tearing through the non-mounted goblin's on their way back to help me, but the mounts were ultimately faster. Quickly I was surrounded by monsters mounted atop monsters, weilding crude spears. One must have been overly confident at these odds because it charged impatiently. I rolled under the spear and threw a Knife from my arm to his neck using Quickshot, then I kicked the boar turning to charge at its ally and finished the dismounted Goblin. Now I faced four mounted riders at my North, East, South and West. East and West charged at the same time, with lowered spears. I grabbed East's spear and pulled it off the mount, but West found the leather on my thigh and tore through to flesh.

"Mghhh, Fhh" I clenched my teeth, and lifted my shield back up from missing the block. I threw a knife, not at West, but it's swine mount. This caused the mount to reel backwards and West came falling to the ground. I used the moment to finish East Then rose up to block an attack from West. North and South used my engagement to charge. I narrowly missed South's spear, but my shoulder was grazed by North's. My well made armor held true for this strike and I ignited West with a Firebreath Then struck his heart with my blade. Now It was down to North and South. I turned to South and fired my Sparks spell, but the wild and weak bolt missed. It was nowhere near as impressive as when that jerk Faerykin used it on me. I did succeed in startling them with my magic, now they were circling cautiously. This gave me a moment to catch my breath. But it was only a moment as North charged in and south followed a moment later. North had started first and was closer, I turned my back to South for just a moment as I sidestepped North and activated a Sparks on my shield this time. To North's and my own surprise the shield cracked with electricity as I bashed North with the new move I had just improvised. The force of the shield and the visible current of electricity hit the creature simultaneously as it fell down and convulsed. I turned and grabbed the now frightened South's spear and yanked the Goblin my way. Holding it off the ground, I headbutted the Monster then slammed it to the ground. I stomped on its neck the moment it hit. With the blade of my shield I began to bash the tiny green body of the monster repeatedly. I spotted North struggling to it's feet in my peripheral, and I then kicked his unbalanced body back over. I then hacked off the Goblins head and threw it at the mount that stared at me fiercely.

"AAGGGHH! Come at me you piggly fuck!" I shouted, while filled with adrenaline and rage.

An arrow then struck it's backside, and the boar charged forward. I Only saw the boar charging, So I ran Sparks through the shield again. I caught the boar in the head with the shield and it spun wide knocking me back. I threw a knife and caught it in the side, then noticed the arrow. I decided to stop and let the swine monster run away, but enraged it turned back and charged a second time. I sunk my sword in its neck and the boar gurgled a squeal, then the 'mana' transferred from its body to mine. Looking around I saw The party had cleared the rest of the village, and were observing my battle with wide eyes. Randy used a Minor heal on me then I spawned a bitter health potion for good measure.

"That was intense, dude. You ok?" Ned asked.

"Yeah, just full of adrenaline, I'll be straight in a minute." I answered.

"That'll do pig" Randy said while looking at me, not a boar.

"Yeah, that was awesome." Casey smiled, "I'm still in the mood for bacon you know."

She eyed the boars I had killed, and chuckled.

"Girl, when am I not in the mood for bacon!" I laughed.