Sirius Chapter 23: Chapter 22: Nightmare (1)

Read chapter 23 of Sirius by Dealer on NovelPedia.

The manor at the center of the village was the only relatively intact structure; a large horizontal wooden building with just two floors and a wide footprint. Inside was a spacious hall with several tables and chairs, and at the far end, the chair where the village leader sat. "When the attacks intensified, a nightly curfew was put in place." the chief said. "Concentrating the population in one location makes defense easier. Houses can always be rebuilt, as long as their inhabitants are still alive." "The way you said that, it wasn't always like this." Akemi observed. "Indeed." The armored man replied. "There have always been minor skirmishes, attacks, and abductions; but never direct, organized invasions like these." "Bator is right. Even so, we have no idea why they changed their approach." Beldor added. "We'll need more than that; what can you tell us about the enemy?" Wang asked. The old man nodded and looked toward Bator. "The enemy force is relatively new. A few years ago we noticed the goblins becoming more organized, and recently we confirmed our theory as to why." The armored man moved to a table and spread out a large map. "A Goblin King was born among the young; an extremely rare and equally dangerous phenomenon that can occur in crossbreeding." Bator pointed to a location on the map, north of the village. "Since then, the goblins of the region began gathering here. We don't know exactly how many there are, but fortunately, being a new force, the tribe only has one Shaman and one King." "How did you find out about the shaman?" Wang asked. "Unfortunately... we only found out last night." Bator said grimly. "The mana of the spell cast amplified the already high frenzy of the goblins; a classic shaman trick... which is why we suffered so many casualties..." Despite the knowledge gaps, the supplementary information provided by the system gave even Li, who knew least about this world among the three, a solid sense of what they would be facing. A Goblin King is smarter and physically stronger than a common goblin; among all variants, it is the only one with the potential to turn a small nest into a major threat. The Shaman is even more skilled in magic and more intelligent than the King, but physically frail. "Will you help us, miss?" the little girl tugged at Akemi's sleeve. "Will you make the monsters disappear?" "Maria, don't bother them." Beldor moved closer and drew his daughter near. Akemi shook her head, stepped toward the girl, placed a hand on her face, and said: "Don't worry. Soon enough you'll be able to run around with your little friend again..." "Then we should leave now!" Li exclaimed. "Are you sure? You just arrived." the old man asked. "We have what we need. The faster we deal with this, the fewer victims there will be." Wang replied. "In that case, allow me to escort you to the halfway point. I have to be back at the village by nightfall, so forgive me if I can't take you all the way to the nest." Bator offered. "Then we're counting on you." Li gave a slight bow. "It's nothing. To be of any assistance to the knights of the Order is always an honor." After the exchange, the group received some supplies and terrain information for strategic purposes, and soon set off toward the nest. As they walked, Akemi moved closer to Jihan and lowered her voice. "So, what do you make of him?" "He's more controlled than I expected. I thought he'd be a brat, but he's actually responsible about what he's doing." "Not Wang; the village chief, you idiot." "Ah! Well... I'm not entirely sure. He seems to genuinely care about Edremit, but something is bothering me and I can't quite place it." Li replied. "So it's not just me... do you think Bator is involved in this?" "Actually, no. What do you think?" "I haven't felt anything wrong since we left the village, but I'm not ruling it out. Either way, at least we're heading in the right direction." "How are you so sure?" "You may have forgotten, but my father was an elf and so am