Chapter 22 - Class trial part 4

Cantorn huffed a little as he tried to catch his breath. He was bloody all over, his face sprinkled and his clothes drenched with it. Slightly mad at having gotten so dirty, he kicked the severed head of the goblin chieftain. It rolled through the now messy interior of the hut, sullying the expensive-looking beast hides on the ground even more. 

This goblin had been a lot tougher to beat than the mage before. While the mage was smart, he had seemed to lack a bit of practical combat experience. Sure, he had been a 'Battlemage', but that was in name only. In reality, he had probably only fought those weaker than him and overwhelmed them with his magical prowess. The chieftain on the other hand was strong. He may have lacked the smarts that the mage had, but he'd made up for it with an incredible combat sense. There had been multiple occasions where Cantorn felt more than just pressured by the knife skills that his opponent portrayed, even earning him a few large wounds on his torso. 

His respect for the goblin kind grew with every minute and he truly wondered why they were not seen as much more of a threat in the actual world. Whenever he had heard of them before, people talked down on them, even belittling them as an inferior species. In his own experience, however, they were a force to be reckoned with, as no one was able to predict what the strongest of their kind were capable of. They had portrayed a higher level of skill in both magic and physical fights than he would've ever guessed, even performing feats that he was unable to do. Perhaps most other sapients that came in contact with goblins had felt the same but did not want to admit that such an uncivilized race could turn out to be an actual threat. It certainly would fit their arrogance.

Well, in the end, he had bested all he encountered. They were strong opponents, and even better ones for him, as he was able to train his skills while fighting them without being at too high of a risk. He could feel himself advancing, even though he was unable to level up right now. Whenever he fought, there was a tingling feeling throughout his body. It was like a weird rush, something he didn't know he needed before, and yet he craved it now.

Onwards it was then. Cantorn began to scan the room with his eyes, although he already knew where he would find most of the interesting information. The interior of the whole hut was bleak yet very luxurious. Only a few pieces of furniture decorated the now battle-scarred room, but each and every single one of them looked precious. He almost wished that he could take some of them with him to redecorate his own home. 

There was a large bed in one corner, covered with expensive fabrics. Right next to it was a bedside cabinet crafted from dark brown wood. This was also his object of interest, as he could already see a few scrolls being messily stuffed into it. Apart from those two pieces of furniture, there was only a single table, made from the same wood as the bedside cabinet, and a large throne-like chair. A subtle smile appeared on the elf's face, as an image of the comparatively smaller chieftain sitting on this big throne formed in his mind.

Wiping the image from his mind again, as to not be distracted, Cantron swiftly moved over to the bedside cabinet. In one fluid motion, he opened the drawers and began rummaging through the various scrolls and papers. What he found was truly a goldmine of information. If he were not a rogue in training, and killing the leader of the kingdom wasn't his sole intention, he could've easily allowed a full-blown army to invade the outskirts of this nation. The scrolls had various pieces of information on food supplies, weaponry, strategic positions of other villages in the vicinity, and much more. 

As he, however, wasn't interested in most of that, there was only little relevant knowledge for him to gain. The most important of all was a map of the kingdom, and although drawn sloppily, it was still useful. He now knew where to go, something he didn't before, as well as having a bit of insight into the general layout of the capital. It seemed to be around five times the size of this village, with large wooden palisades surrounding it. As it was built on a large hill or small mountain, he didn't know exactly where the distinction between the two lay, the highest place was obviously where the warchief's castle was built. Sadly he was unable to make an accurate estimation of what the castle would look like, as the sketch turned muddled there.

 The other interesting insight he gathered concerned the social structure of the capital. Contrary to this village, where normal goblins and their stronger siblings, the hobgoblins, mingled, the capital housed almost exclusively hobgoblins. He only knew of this, because this dear village chief wished to become a citizen there. However, from what he could decipher, there seemed to be some form of bias against normal goblins, as they were seen as inferior. Wanting to live in the capital then meant, that as a normal goblin you'd have to be a fair bit stronger than the snobby hobgoblins, just to get acknowledged. 

It was fascinating for him to see how one small step in the evolutionary ladder could cause such discord. Well, in the end, it could only benefit him, as his looks were much more similar to those of a hobgoblin than their lesser brethren. 

Cantorn felt a little put down by the fact that he was unable to gather more intel on Braar, the king himself, but he was confident nonetheless. It was time to finish this and finally lay hands on his class. Slowly getting up from in front of the cabinet, he pulled up his hood and strolled towards the entrance.

Just as he was about to leave, an idea popped up in his head. Smiling inwardly, he prepared his morbid parting gift. One that stemmed from his more primal side, completely breaking with his previously pacifist life. It was time to start a new chapter in life. With a confident stride, he stepped out into the cold air of the night.

*******

As the sun rose again for the third time in this parallel world, outcries of anger and fear could be heard throughout a certain goblin village. A small crowd had gathered in front of the chieftain's home, a place that normally only received silent showings of respect. Uncertainty hovered over them like a dark cloud, while a light breeze began to blow. Up in the air, the chieftain's long hair blew in the wind, his head neatly impaled on a flag pole.

Ludan

Welp, here's a new chapter I guess.

To be fully honest with you, I'm probably the laziest person I've ever known, and I don't think that will change in the near future. I am, however, trying to change my work ethic little by little and am hopeful to finish this 'Class trial' arc with the next two chapters still in this week. The second chapter may be published on Monday if I don't manage to finish it before, but as I have it roughly planned out already, it should be doable. 

Stay tuned and I'll see you soon!