I activated it, and my body lurched forward quickly. In a literal blink of an eye, I crossed a small distance from where I originally stood. The muscles in my legs felt warm and taunt immediately after use. It was like I just finished a hard sprint. I glanced at my HUD and saw that my stamina bar dropped by a quarter, even with the reduction skills that I had. I went through my bag and fished out a stamina potion, and took a quick swig.

This one tasted like tart citrus with a hint of mint, which made me gag a little. I drank half of it and put the rest away. I glanced at my stamina bar and saw that it was climbing back up quicker than before. It gave me enough time to sit down and plan out my next course of action. I had a handful of copper from the last few goblins I killed along with the necklaces, which would net me some of the smaller coins. I also had another sword, though I wasn’t sure how much I could get from it.

With a sigh, I pulled my legs up to my chest and started to think about my life. Was I terrific enough to complete this quest? Did I have what it takes? For the first time, I started to feel doubt gnaw at me. What if I failed? What if I couldn’t complete the task. Question after question bombarded me, and I started to panic.

Calm down, Ziva, Calm Down. I kept telling myself as I took a few deep breaths. I still have a hundred years left on this quest; why was I getting so worked up over it? I took a deep breath and steadied myself. I got this. I can do it. I pushed myself up and decided to go back to hunting goblins. I needed the money, and now I needed the experience.

I blunk behind a goblin and plunged my dagger into its neck before it could even react. I clamped my hand around its mouth so it couldn’t scream. I drew my dagger out once more before I stabbed it once more. This skill was so useful. Though goblins are weak, so it couldn't be considered too accurate of a test.

I set the goblin down, and I rifled through its pockets. I gathered a handful of coins and its necklace, though sadly, it was also unarmed. I glanced around to make sure that there were no other threats in the area before quickly moving back towards my bag. I placed the necklace with the others and placed the copper into my coin bag.

This was long and tedious, but as long as I can keep it up, I can gather a fair amount of coin rather quickly. I wiped the dagger clean before putting it back into my sheathe. I downed the rest of the stamina potion from earlier and looked back. So far, I have killed four goblins. I glanced at my exp bar and saw that it was close to hitting level three. However, the question is if I want to stick with the class or switch to the other.

The retributer class felt nice. The skills that I currently had were excellent, along with the bonuses it granted me. The assassin class was also a solid choice, but it wasn’t really my style. However, the skills came in handy. After bouncing it around my head for a while, I decided that I would stick with the Retributer class for now. Once I get some money saved up, I want to buy a new weapon and unlock another class that I can use in tandem. Time to finish hunting so I can get back to town before nightfall.

The next goblin fell before me with a knife plunged into its neck, and a notification appeared in my vision.

I took its sword and rifled through its pockets, and withdrew another handful of copper. This kill was slightly harder than the others. It caught wind of me, which made it hard to sneak attack. The last few packs have been roaming together, and I have even seen tall, muscular goblins clad in rusted iron armor wielding wicked-looking maces and clubs.

I should call it a day at that point. I am not going to risk my life trying to fight those guys. In fact, I haven’t ever seen anything like them. Maybe I should report this to the guild. I rushed to my bag and gathered everything. I wrapped the swords up, pushed them into my bag, and checked to ensure that everything was in place. I swung the bag across my shoulders and looked around to make sure I was safe before I started to head back into town.

I set the cluster of goblin necklaces on the desk and looked over at the attendant. “Here is the proof of kills. I also come with some information regarding the goblins.” The male attendant quickly counted the cluster of necklaces, gathered some coins, and placed them on the counter.

He raised an eyebrow as he swept away the necklaces. “What would that be, Miss Estelle.”

“While I was out hunting, I started seeing goblins that were far taller than the rest. They wore rusted iron armor and had these large menacing looking clubs. They started to accompany the groups of goblins shortly after I started to wipe out a few packs.”

The male attendant scrunched his eyes and nodded his head. “I see. Thank you for the information. We may be dealing with hobgoblins, which is a big deal. Thank you for the information, Miss Estelle.” He reached under the counter and placed a silver coin with the others. “This is your payment for the information. If it is found to be false, then you will be forced to pay it back.” I nodded towards him, unconcerned with that. I mean, after all, I didn’t lie. I pulled the coins into the bag and started to head over to the blacksmith I visited yesterday.

“Welcome back!” The young boy at the counter chirped out to me. I gave him a wave and walked over to the counter, and placed the bundle of swords on it.

“I am here to sell these weapons.” I unwrapped the swords, and the boy took them. He may be young but looked over it with sharp eyes that carried experience. He was surprisingly astute for his age, though I don’t blame him. He must be training to take over his father's shop one day.

“This one is in better condition than the last one that you brought in. How does five silver sound?”

“Ten.” I shot back. I knew it was far more than the sword was worth, but what would a little haggling hurt?

“Too high for it. Six and a half, and that's as high as I am willing to go.” He narrowed his eyes and stared at me as he waited. He was surprisingly mature for his age.

“Deal.” He took the swords and walked over to a weapons rack behind him. He placed them gently down before going back to the desk and pulling out a pile of coins and sliding it over. I took the five silvers and the large piece of copper and placed it in my coin bag. It was starting to feel hefty again, and it warmed my soul a little. I liked having money and not having to struggle every day to make ends meet.

“Thank you. Now that I am here, though, I do want to purchase a weapon. I was hoping to get a staff this time around.”

He nodded his head and shouted into the back. “Hey, Pa! That lady from yesterday is back; she is looking for some weapons.” A few moments later, the blacksmith came out from the back.

“Ah, hello again. How are ya today.” He looked cleaner than yesterday and was wearing a simple tunic and wool trousers.

“I’m pretty well. I came in to sell some weapons and pick something up. I was considering getting a staff of some sort.” I explained to him as I shifted my bag.

“Hm, A staff is a mighty weapon; the only issue is going to be trying ta pierce armored foes. Ya want a spear, Warhammer, or somethin for that. Besides, didn't cha say your class was more focused on being an assassin?” He led me over to the polearm and staves section.

That's right, and I told him I was an assassin, though I want to learn other classes. I did not want to focus on just a sword. At least until I found the perfect one for me. “Yes, I was trying to fill out some skill slots that I have leftover. I thought the range on a polearm would be a nice change of pace.”

“That's fair. How much are ya willing to pay, lassie?” He asked as he started to look through the weapons.

I opened up my coin purse and looked through it. “Well, I don’t have much, sadly,” I replied and put the coin bag away.

The blacksmith ran his fingers over his facial hair and looked like he was thinking for a moment. “In that case, how about a short spear? They are one of the cheapest options next to the staff, but I think a spear will serve you better.”

I thought it over for a few seconds. “That should work. I will take one then. Whichever is your cheapest option.”

He went through the racks and pulled out a spear with a soft brown wooden handle and a dark brown iron tip. He handed it over to me, and I took it. The spear's shaft was just as long as a sword, and the tip was a light grey that had a dull reflection. The weight felt just right in my hand though I would need to practice for a bit to get used to it. “How much?”

“Seven silver.” Was his response.

“Five.” I shot back. I wanted a new weapon and didn’t want to clear myself out of my cold hard coin.

“Six and a quarter.” He fired back, and I nodded.

“Deal.” I reached into my coin purse, pulled out six silver and twenty-five copper, and handed it over to him.

“Thank ya for ya patronage. Would you like a receipt?”

I shook my head. “No, thanks. I only take them out of principle most of the time.”

“Ah, well, thanks. If ya come across things you want to sell, bring them here. I’ll gladly give ya a fair amount!” I nodded and smiled at him as I walked out of the blacksmith's shop and back towards the adventure hall. I wanted to train with this new weapon and distribute my skill points before returning to my hunts.