The trip back to Springbrook was generally uneventful. Runners had been sent to fetch wagons for the treasure, and the Militia sent out additional guards so the caravan was well protected on the way back.

As we expected, the monsters blocking the entrance to the clearing had faded into the woods after the dungeon boss had been defeated.

***

The fortification of Springbrook had begun. There was already the beginnings of a palisade around the town, and there seemed to be a great deal more activity than the last time I had been there.

“This is impressive.” I said to no one in particular as we walked up the road to town. There was already the framing of a gate in place, and more logs were being dragged out of the nearby woods.

“We were lucky this happened between harvests.” one of the Militia responded. “If it had been even a couple of weeks ago, many of us would have been out in the fields.”

I nodded absently as we walked. I wondered if it was always ‘between harvests’ around here.

***

We stalked through the woods, trailing the new Goblin scouting party.

Whoever was in charge of these ones seemed to have at least a basic grasp of stealth, and the others were either fast learners, or did what they were told out of fear. They flitted through the forest like shadows in the deepening twilight, headed in the direction of Springbrook.

This wasn’t the first party we’d found, and we doubted it would be the last. They were getting stronger though, and despite our attempts to wipe them out, eventually we’d run into one that we simply couldn’t deal with. We worked hard to ensure none escaped, preferring to let their leadership wonder about the fates of so many disappeared patrols.

Once we found parties too large for us to deal with, our tactics would change from stalking and killing them in the darkness to ambushing them as they attacked Springbrook. Striking at their rear as they engaged the Springbrook Militia manning the walls would certainly disrupt their plans.

For now we had been picking them off, and whittling them down as they went. Many were so afraid of making any noise that they didn’t even signal when they noticed one of their comrades missing. They gripped their weapons tighter and peered into the darkness, their eyes darting about ever more frantically,

***

The Goblin war party had made it to the gate and were stacking what looked like bundles of sticks against it. They aimed to burn it down.

Not if we could help it.

I cast Parvus Cataracta above their heads, soaking everything. Good luck getting a fire started now, I thought grimly.

Ixion drew a Lightning arrow and let it fly into a Goblin who had been right in the centre of the deluge. Lightning arced and danced around it and even shocked several nearby Goblins, although he looked disappointed when he didn’t see any damage from them.

This particular group had made it past our patrols relatively intact, and was the largest that had made it to the walls of Springbrook itself. Their war party leaders had cuffed a few heads when they realised many of their troops had disappeared, but they were within sight of the walls, so they weren’t about to turn back.

Now that most of them were gathered at the gate, looking to start a bonfire, we opened fire from the treeline. Arrows and spells arced across the expanse that had ironically been cleared for the archers in the town to shoot at attackers. We harried the flanks of the Goblins, keeping them packed tightly together against the wall.

I nodded to Ixion and he fired a flame arrow high over the town towards the river behind it. From off to the left a noise started to build. Low and thunderous, it built louder and louder. Suddenly, from around the edge of the town, a host of mounted warriors bore down on the shocked Goblins.

“Shift fire right!” I hollered and our archers and spellcasters added their weight of fire to the right hand side of the, now terrified, Goblins. Trapped against the wall they could only stand and attempt to fight, but the mass of lances and swords bearing down on them left no doubt as to the outcome of this battle. The Militia of Springbrook had been on the defensive for far too long, so they relished an opportunity to put their training to use defending their town.

***

“We need to go on the offensive.” I said wearily, after cleaning up from the battle. “If we don’t change something, we’ll eventually be overrun.”

Ixion nodded gloomily as he ran a stone over one of his daggers. “Maybe we need to look at this differently.”

“What do you mean?”

“We’re fighting a losing battle here. Eventually they’re going to show up in numbers we can’t handle and we’re going to be overrun. We don’t know how to stem the tide.”

“What are you saying?” I said irritated. “We should leave?”

“I’m saying that we need to look at the larger picture here. There are at least two different battles going on, and I’m not sure we can win both of them. We need to accept that all of this…” He waved around us. “...isn’t really real. It’s the outside battle we need to help win. Springbrook may be insignificant in that picture.”

“So you’re saying we may have to let Springbrook burn in order to fight the larger battle?” I sighed, “Let these people down? Let them die?”

“In order to ‘win’ the larger battle.” he paused. “Springbrook is a small town in the beginner’s area. We haven’t even left to see what is outside yet. Maybe we need to look bigger and make our priority finding other players and mobilising them, rather than trying to save one town. For all we know, the rest of the system could be in flames outside, and nothing we do in here is mattering. Maybe winning some battles out there will help with the war...and maybe it will draw focus away from Springbrook to boot.”

“Crap, I hadn’t thought of it like that. We’ve been so wrapped up in this.” I waved towards Springbrook. “...that we forgot to zoom out and see the bigger picture. The real mission.”

***

The citizens of Springbrook weren’t exactly happy with our decision to leave, but their Militia had improved significantly with training. We were also planning to draw as many of the Goblin patrols after us as we could to give them a reprieve.

However, the war wasn’t going to be won at Springbrook, and we needed to find the real enemy.