Nathan slowly walked in the direction the last goblin tried to flee to, sometimes using shadow movement in the trees to avoid the animals of the. The Forest of Myrkvoir was home to many animals, including the boars Nathan fought earlier. There was a different breed of wolves, unlike Ravenskor[1]; they had orange and white fur and were much, much smaller in frame, only slightly larger than your average dog. Clearly meant for agility and evisceration. Nathan decided not to play around with these animals and focus on the main quest at hand.
'Why couldn't they have been a group of five? I could already be back at the inn, lying on my bed.' Nathan kept cursing his fate until he found a dirt path that seemed to be made by continuous use of the trail. Seeing that path most likely led to the goblin camp, he decided to follow it, still being wary of the possibility of goblin patrols and scouts using shadow movement anytime he needed to avoid detection. Now he was finally where he needed to be, the goblin camp!
"I expected more straw huts and wooden walls in a clearing of the forest, not a fully staffed base in a cave with scouts on the outer walls. Aren't the goblins way too smart?!"
The cave mouth wasn't open the way a natural cavern should be. Stone had been dragged and stacked into a low wall that curved inward, forcing anything approaching to slow and funnel toward the entrance. The rocks were uneven, gaps filled with packed dirt and scraps of bone, but the structure held. Crude charms hung from protruding stones—teeth, metal shards, bits of rusted gear—clattering softly whenever the wind shifted.
Two goblins patrolled the wall instead of standing guard. Their routes overlapped, each circling back toward the other before turning again, never leaving the entrance unwatched for more than a few heartbeats. Every few steps, one would glance toward the forest, then back toward the cave, alert in a way Nathan hadn't seen from the goblins he'd fought before.
Beyond the wall, the cave widened into a broad chamber lit by scattered fires. Smoke drifted upward through cracks in the ceiling, darkening the stone but never thick enough to choke the air. Rough stone huts filled the space, clustered close together, their placement chaotic at first glance. But the longer Nathan watched, the more deliberate it felt. Each hut broke the line of sight. Narrow paths twisted between them, forcing movement to slow, forcing anyone inside to commit to a direction with no clear view of what waited ahead.
Weapons weren't scattered randomly. Spears and crude blades rested in shared piles near the center of the camp, guarded and easy to reach. Smaller goblins moved around the edges, carrying food or scraps, while larger warriors lingered near the main paths, watching. Any raised voice died quickly, disputes silenced by a sharp look or a step forward from one of the armed goblins.
The deeper parts of the cave were quieter. The fires burned lower there, shadows stretching longer across the stone. Goblins avoided that direction unless they had reason, and when they did pass through, their movements became restrained—heads lowered, voices muted. Whatever ruled this place didn't need to be seen to be obeyed.
This wasn't a den. It wasn't a nest.
It was a camp built to survive.
'What the fuck are the goblins on?! There's no way an unintelligent monster like the goblin could have such a complex base. How powerful is the chief to have this much intelligence?' Nathan decided to wait it out and observe for now; it's much better to have a plan in this type of situation.
So he watched.
Hours passed. Then more.
The stone wall at the cave entrance wasn't tall, but it was solid, fitted from uneven slabs scavenged from the surrounding forest and old ruins. It curved slightly inward, forcing anyone approaching to funnel through a narrow passage. Goblins patrolled it in pairs, rotating regularly. Not randomly. Never alone.
That detail stuck with him.
Inside the wall, he could make out movement—crude stone huts arranged with intent rather than chaos. Paths had been worn into the earth, not by wandering, but by habit. There was a rhythm to it all. Goblins moved with purpose, hauling supplies, sharpening weapons, and reinforcing weak points in the wall. This wasn't a nest. It was a functioning outpost.
Nathan noted the times.
Guard shifts changed roughly every two hours. Runners moved in and out of the cave mouth in irregular bursts, likely messengers or scouts. The most heavily armed goblins—larger, broader, with better-maintained gear—rarely left the inner area. When they did, lesser goblins deferred to them instantly.
Hierarchy.
More telling still was what didnt happen. No shouting. No infighting. No careless wandering into the woods. Every goblin that crossed the perimeter did so with intent and returned on schedule. Whatever ruled this place understood discipline.
Nott hovered silently beside him, unusually restrained. Even she seemed to recognize that this wasn't something to joke about.
Nathan sketched the layout in his head over and over again, mapping blind spots, timing patrol overlaps, tracking which routes were least watched. By the time night fully settled in, he knew the pattern well enough to predict movements before they happened.
This wasn't going to be a charge.
It was going to be an intrusion.
And if he made a single mistake, the entire cave would wake up to him at once.
Nathan adjusted his grip on the daggers resting across his lap and sank deeper into the shadows, waiting for the moment when routine became opportunity.
Nail was furious in his white expanse.
"WHO LET GOBLINS ADVANCE THIS MUCH?!?! Any adventurer would get killed in that cave, even if they were S rank!" Goblins have always been a low-intelligence creature, and Nail knows no one really controls the balance of the world; the system does, in its weird, mystical way. "Well, Nathan, it's been nice knowing you. I need to start looking for another candidate."
[1] I finally decided to give the forest Nathan started in a name. Sorry, it took me 18 chapters to do, but hey, I'm here now. I really hope y'all are enjoying the book so far! Happy Reading - sleep-deprived Hobbyist