Glenfort River...this tiny river has been essential to the development of Glenfort Village for generations as it flowed through the village from the western forests. There were many dangers that came to the river, attracted by its pure waters. As John neared the river, he saw three goblins and a Plains Spider camping near the river. What a strange sight! How was it that a Plains Spider was able to rest peacefully beside those goblins? Could it be that the goblins have somehow tamed the large spider? John scanned the belongings of the goblins and wondered if they were the ones who stole the materials of the temple. But, he couldn't see any crates of any sort just small boxes. John didn't want to find unnecessary trouble and decided to search elsewhere. However, it was just at that moment that he mentally face-palmed himself. Why was he looking for a crate? The missing materials were only four medium-sized items, which could be fitted within a couple of small boxes...small boxes! That's it!

John turned around and saw the four small boxes lying at the feet of one of the goblins. Those must be the stolen materials! These goblins must be the thieves. John scanned the goblin camp once again, rubbing his chin as he began brainstorming a plan. This was the first time he was going to fight against goblins so he didn't want to recklessly charge in without testing out these green monsters' battle strength. After some careful thought, John decided to cause a distraction and try to draw one or two of the goblins out. He bent down and used the tall grass to partially mask his presence. Then, he circled around the camp and hid behind a large tree.

Now, it was time for the distraction. John scanned around the vicinity of the tree and picked up a small rock. John tossed the rock up a few times to test the weight and nodded with satisfaction. The rock was just the right size to throw. Then, he looked at the goblin camp and tried to gauge the distance between the tree and the camp. With a hoist, he launched the rock over his shoulder and quickly hid from sight. The rock soared in the air with a perfect arc and smashed right into the campfire. Sparks flew out and scattered around the camp causing the goblins to scramble to their feet. Shouts of rage erupted as one of the goblins told the other two goblins to go check out the cause of the disruption.

The two goblins picked up their weapons and made their way towards the tree that John was hiding behind. John also drew his weapons in preparation. He held his dagger up and tried to track the two goblins' movements through the reflection of the dagger. The goblins were about four feet tall with pointy ears and hunchbacks. One of the goblins had on leather armor with some chains wrapped around it at certain areas and it held a small bone club. The other goblin had on a grayish blue shirt and pants with a black belt tied to its waist. In its hand was a crude dagger. Judging by the way this goblin moves coupled with the mouth cover, John could guess that the goblin must be of the thief profession. Both goblins were wearing simple cloth caps. While John was tracking the Goblin Thief with his dagger, he suddenly realized that he had lost track of the other goblin! Where was that green bastard?

Suddenly a screech came from his left. John spun around just in time to see a bone club come flying towards his face. John jerked his head to a hard right, nearly twisted his own neck but was lucky enough to dodge the direct hit. However, though the direct hit missed, the indirect hit landed. The bone club bonked on John's shoulder, quickly forming a bruise. John had expected his shoulder to dislocate. Fortunately, the Goblin wasn't strong enough.

So this was the strength of a goblin? Hmph, I worried for nothing.

John thrust out his sword and pierced the goblin in the leg. Why the leg? Well, the goblin managed to jump back and avoided a fatal blow. Fast little buggers, but not fast enough. John lunged forward once more and swiped his dagger, however, his attack was cut short as a sharp pain erupted on his back. Shit! He had forgotten about the Goblin Thief! He can't falter here. He gritted through the pain and continued his attack on the Goblin before him. The dagger scraped past the enemy's throat, drawing a thin line of blood. John rushed towards the Goblin and kneed it in its head. A sharp crack erupted on contact and the Goblin collapsed onto the ground, its lower jaw unhinged from the attack. The Goblin struggled to its feet and upon seeing John lunge towards it, it swung out its club and landed a lucky hit on the young Shadow Walker's shin. John winced at the blunt attack and kicked the club away. Then, with a Piercing Strike, he killed the Goblin.

Quickly, he turned around towards the Goblin Thief only to be met with another cut. Luckily, the dagger was crude and relatively dull so the wound wasn't serious. John roundhouse kicked the goblin and then punched it in the nose. Green blood gushed out from its nose as a wave of dizziness began to set in. As the Goblin Thief shook its head to awaken its senses, John thrust his sword forward and pierced through the goblin's chest. The Goblin Thief roared in pain and lashed out with its dagger. Another cut appeared on John's chest. Ignoring the wound, John raised his dagger and plunged it into the goblin's eye, piercing through and into the brain. After a brief struggle, the Goblin Thief died. John gave the goblin a kick forcing the body off of his two weapons. John quickly peered from the tree towards the goblin at the camp.

Whew...luckily that goblin didn't notice a thing. John sighed as he wiped some sweat from his brow.

After taking a few more breaths to calm his nerves, John rushed forward and charged towards the Goblin. He used his favorite starting move and pierced the Goblin in the throat. As he withdrew the sword for another attack, he heard a hissing sound and his feet suddenly stopped moving. Shit! The Plains Spider! A club came crashing towards him soon after. Luckily the Goblin was shorter than him by a lot and could not reach his head. However, the Goblin still tried and the club smashed into John's collar. John hammered the Goblin with a fierce punch and sliced open both of its eyes. The Goblin grasped its mangled eyes and collapsed onto the ground. Seemed the Goblin was out of commission for now.

"Whew, now this damned Web Trap!" John muttered, he bent down to cut the spider silk and felt something brush past his head.

The Plains Spider had taken advantage of John's inattentiveness and pounced at him. However, luckily, John bent down at the right moment and dodged the attack. John saw the spider hiss, its fangs baring. The Plains Spider charged towards him once more. The young Shadow Walker quickly cut apart the Web Trap as he kept his eyes on the spider. There was too many spider silk, John couldn't finish cutting himself free in time. The spider pounced and the young man could do nothing but bring up his left arm to block. The fangs sank in just as John cut the last strings of the web, freeing him from the trap. Before the spider could inject any poison in its bite, John slashed out with his dagger and wounded the spider. Then, he continued the attacks with a firm kick, knocking the spider high in the air. As the spider fell down, John lashed out with another dagger attack. But the nimble spider grazed past the dagger and bit into John's right arm. The young warrior roared as he flung the spider off of his arm and pierced the spider through its wound, pinning it to the ground. The Plains Spider struggled as it tried to free itself. While it was struggling, John picked up his dagger and approached the Goblin. He nudged the body with his foot and deduced that the Goblin was dead.

With a sigh of relief, John sat down by the fire and began checking on his wounds. Just a couple of bruises and scratches. The only problem was the cut on his back. John glanced at his health and saw that he was down to less than a hundred health points. The young warrior grimaced and reached into his bag. He pulled out his last small healing potion and downed the tangy fluid. Seconds later, his wounds healed and his fatigue relieved. He, then, bent down and began searching the Goblin for any money and was able to uncover three hundred pieces of silver. Then, he searched the four small boxes and nodded with contentment. As he had guessed, the boxes contained the stolen materials. John grabbed the four boxes and stored them in his knapsack. Then, he walked towards the dead spider and pulled out his sword. He cleaned his weapons of any blood and fluid before sheathing them and putting them away. Now, it was finally time for him to head back to the village to submit the completed quests and restock on small health potions.