Rejoining with the guilders at the gate I look to them and ask, “Where too?”

   The girl confidently replies, “So, what we’re looking for are places where water typically accumulates before entering the ground.”

   That's a complicated way of asking where they can find some puddles, “So you want to examine places that experience water runoff?”

   Her voice hesitates, “uhh… Yes?”

   Then I know a place I found while following a deer like creature, “There are some hills to the southwest where water pools in their ravine.”

   Her expression brightens from the information, “Than that sounds like the place to start, lets go!”

   Traversing the terrain, The walk would be around half hour to the hills. Which I determine to be plenty of time ask some questions.

   Starting a conversation I inform them, “You never did introduce yourselves.”

   At these words she looks flustered, “Oh, uh, my mistake I was just so caught up in doing the job. Sorry. I’m Artisie, and he is Rolt.”

   Well now that I now who they are I can find out more about where they're from, “The guild you mentioned what’s it like?"

   At my mention of the guild her cheeks become rosy, “The Lindwel Guild? Its wonderful! Its never dull and there’s always interesting people to find there. My dream is actually to become a Master and lead my own crew.”

   Rolt interrupts her day-dreaming with a blunt comment, “You don’t have the exalted blood.”

   Artisie becomes indignant to Rolts words, “Neither does Karus!”

   Rolt raises one finger, “Karus is the exception, don’t use him as an example.”

   Pushing back into the conversation I say, “Excuse me, but what is exalted blood?”

   They share a look, and Artisie answers with, “You don't know? You must be a new sprout! Do you even know about your pilgrimage you are to take to the Lotus tree?”

   I haven't even left this village yet, “No, do I even need to undertake such pilgrimage?”

   She squints with curiosity at me, “Of course, don’t you feel the compulsion, the need to drink the nectar of it’s flowers?

   That is rather strange information, “I’m more of a meat eater.”

   She keeps squinting but it loses the inquisitive quality, “Weird, Anyways, exalted blood are those who are blessed by the spilt blood of Elman.”

   That's not what I want to know, “But what does that do for them?”

   She answers, “Well, usually they can use powers beyond magic.”

   Now there’s something beyond magic? “What kind of powers?”

   “Uh, Master Zeena can change her skin into a tough hide like that of a Bulgu.” She says this with a sense of admiration. 

   Pausing to think, I observe the surroundings. We’ve been following a path worn down by the passing of animals. There’s no man made trails to maneuver this deep into the forest. Rolt has been alert since we left the village, but he is even more attentive now. There weren’t many properly working ecosystems left back home, and with the adage of the foreign animals that are here, I am  not attuned to the all the warning signs. However, from observing Rolt I infer something is out here. 

   activating my enhanced hearing, I hear the scampering of little feet in the underbrush. Looking to the sound I catch glimpses of red beneath the foliage ahead. The Red Skins are here. They've set up an ambush on this animal path, waiting for some creature to use it.

   They’ve got a degree of cleverness, but not enough to stop me.

   Artisie finally notices their presence as the six of them jump out onto the path. She yells in a higher pitch, “They’re red!?”

   Not wasting any time listening to her words, I attack. Going for the closest one to me by swinging my weapon onto its head with such force that a series of cracks are heard as its skull caves into its chest. The neck bones having been obliterated. From behind me I hear a loud humming. Giving a glance back I see that it’s coming from a rod Artisie is holding. However, I quickly shift my focus back to the Red Skins, who after witnessing what happened to their comrade by my hand, have even uglier faces and begin charging me all at once.

   Artisie yells again starting with, “Dryad Dodge!”

   Giving her the benefit of the doubt, I dive to the side.

   She shouts, “Firebolt!”

   I feel an intense heat pass over my back before hearing an explosion of fire and feel the fire's embers lick my skin. Flipping over I see the scene of two melted Red Skins, a burning fire covering a few square meters, and a excited Artisie. Our actions have removed the Red Skins numerical advantage, and seeing this they flee. We don’t pursue.

   Rolt looks agitated, but before he says anything I address Artisie, “You started a fire in the middle of the forest.”

   She looks questioningly at me, “Yeah?”

   Can she not think about the repercussions of her actions? “You need to put it out!”

   The realization of her potentialy starting a forest fire dawns on her face, “Oh, oh, yeah I do uh, give me a moment.”

   She wields the rod again and the humming restarts. I stare, waiting to see what happens. After a moment the rod starts ever so slightly glow faintly at the end and she exclaims,

   “Waterball.”

   A sphere like mass made of a few liters of undulating water is lobbed onto the burning area extinguishing the flames. This miraculous phenomena leads me to be more troubled than amazed. The artifacts I've seen in my travels only ever had a fixed set of actions that could be performed with them. Artisie had just shown she could perform multiple.

   If it isn't an artifact than could it really have been magic that she cast? I suppose it shouldn't be that hard for me to believe, artifacts were the equivalent of magic back home.

   Rolt finally speaks whats on his mind, “I really should deduct from your score for negligence, but I’ll let it pass for now.”

   Artisie replies relief washing over her face, “Thank you Rolt, you’re the best!”

   Finally processing Artisie’s earlier words I ask, “Why were you surprised that they were red?”

   She squints at me again, “You really are new. They’re usually green.”

   Green? I guess they really do fit the bill of goblins. The red color is still troubling though, “Why might their color be different then?”

   Her expression loosens, “Well their color actually comes from what they eat. They get their usual green color from eating plants. There are occasions where they have other colors like white, which happens when they eat bones.”

   Interesting, a possible adaption where their dermal cells have vacuoles for storing indigestible matter that then provides protection? Its a shame this is extent of what the knowledge I've picked up, after being trapped in multiple laboratories a few times can, allow me to do.

   While lost in thought, we arrive at the destination. Turning to Artisie I inquire, “What now?”

   “Uh, now we just need to walk around and look for anything that doesn’t belong. Yeah that’s it.” She says sounding unsure.

   “How very specific. I’ll start looking over there.” I point to a rather nondescript spot, 

   She replies, “Ok, then I’ll start here.”

   Only a few minutes pass, before Artisie lets out a yelp, “Ow, ow, ow. Why are there nails sticking out of the ground.”

   Hurrying over to her, I see what she stepped on. It’s the metal grass. She also isn't wearing proper foot wear. Instead of having boots she has on moccasins. While she’s nursing her foot I examine the ground noticing the discolored grass forms a growing trail, leading to the west. To the breathless forest.

   Making this observation I tell the duo, “We can’t follow this to its source, at least not without proper preparations.”

Armored99

I had to take some time figuring out the direction I wanted the world building to go.