Blessed Curse of Lust

A few days had passed since Yelena tested out her new powers. A couple of things happened during these. One of the main reasons was that Yelena noticed Lucia was in a bad mood. She wasn’t sure what was going on, and asking about it didn’t really result in any meaningful answer. Luckily, as the days passed, she slowly returned to normal.

The other news was much more positive. Both Lily and Thea managed to reach level 1 Vareen; Lily even learned a handful of level 1 spells too. This meant that their team was finally combat-ready.

They’ve already picked out a job during the week and decided to tackle it on Saturday after classes. While strictly speaking, it wouldn’t have been a problem even if they skipped the classes, especially if it was for a job, they thought it was better this way for now.

As expected, Valerie had yet to reply to Yelena’s offer to join the party. In fact, the princess seemed to do everything in her power to avoid Yelena at all costs. She didn’t even show up for sword practice. It was not surprising; she was likely still processing her feelings and trying to understand what had happened that night.

That meant only the three of them set out on this mission. They did some asking around in their groups and found a few potential candidates, but nothing was decided yet. After a long walk, they’ve arrived at the edge of the forest that lies close to the city.

All three were wearing enchanted leather armor. It was the set that was provided by the school for all students. As first-years, they had to make do with this; only after the second year would they have the opportunity to actually get their own gear. This was likely done to promote some form of equality between students from the nobility and those of more humble origins.

The same didn’t apply to their weapons. As a rule, they couldn’t use magical weapons, but they could use their own. That is what both Yelena and Thea did. Both have a masterfully crafted sword hanging on their hips. Lily’s case was a little different. She couldn’t afford to have a master smith make her a sword. Luckily, the school was more than ready to offer her one from their armory. While these were not nearly as good or fancy as the other two girls’, they will do the job.

“Okay, let’s get through the plan one more time. Just to be safe.” Thea spoke up as they arrived at the edge of the forest.

She walked over to a tree stump that was conveniently high enough and laid down her map on it. The other two gathered around it and looked down. This was not the first time they’d gone through it, but Thea was more than meticulous about the details.

“We are here at the edge of the Linall forest.” She pointed at the location where they were. “The mission is simple: we will need to kill a certain number of goblins and bring back their ears as proof.”

Thea stated their mission. It was a simple yet important one. Goblins weren’t exactly strong opponents. They were small and generally weak. Unlike their socialized counterparts, who were often regarded as smart and inventive, the wild goblins possessed very limited intelligence. Sure, they were capable of crafting cured tools from things they’d scavenged or stolen from nearby settlements; they even could employ some basic tactics, but overall it was nothing to worry about.

That being said, the wild goblins were not harmless. The danger mainly came from their astounding numbers. Their numbers grew rapidly, and fully eliminating them was almost impossible. Their main tactic was usually to overwhelm their opponents with sheer numbers.

“As we discussed, Yelena and I will be on the front. We will take the enemy head on. Lily, your job will be to provide support with your magic. Focus mainly on those who try to get around us.” Thea was detailing their plans.

The other two girls nodded along. They already knew their roles, but it never hurt to refresh before going into danger.

“The main thing is that we can’t let ourselves be surrounded. Goblins use their number to their advantage, and their preferred tactic is to surround their opponents and take them down with sheer numbers.” Thea pointed out the next important fact.

“If we do a good job, you wouldn’t even need to raise your sword the whole time. That being said, you can never predict what happens when a fight starts. Keep your eyes open and do your best to adjust to the situation.” That first part was aimed at Lily, since she will be behind the other two, but the latter part was for everyone.

Thea studied enough military history and tactics to know that no plan survives first contact. Sure, they prepared the best they could, but she was painfully aware that once the battle started, anything could happen.

“We should have no problem finding them. There are a lot of people walking around in the forests, so even if we just go straight ahead, we should bump into a group or two. That being said, it is generally more effective to look for tracks. They tend to leave a lot, so it shouldn’t be too hard.” Thea kept going with her plan.

“They tend to leave tools and weapons around that are no longer useful to them, and one of the best indicators is fresh animal corpses that were cut open by a sharp object. For whatever reason, they don’t bring back the whole carcass to their nests, just jut out some parts and meat to bring with them.” The brunette girl prepared thoroughly and learned as much as possible about their enemies beforehand.

“Speaking of their nests. Ideally, we shouldn’t run into one, but if we do, we will need to retreat immediately. They guard their nests very ferociously, and obviously that is where most of them are, so we could face up to fifty goblins at the same time. Even with magic, I don’t like those odds. Should be avoided at all costs.” Thea warned.

Both Lily and Yelena agreed wholeheartedly. The last thing they wanted was to try to fight off a small army. Even five or six at the time could be dangerous. Fifty would be suicide.

They finished the discussion and prepared themselves. All three pulled their swords out, ready to engage the enemy at any moment. They slowly walked inside the forest. The trees grew so densely together that it was not easy to navigate.

All three girls were on the lookout for any signs of the enemy. Yelena and Thea looked calm and collected. The same thing couldn’t be said about Lily. The redhead looked nervous and worried. Not really a surprise.

Both Yelena and Thea grew up training for combat nearly all their lives. It was in their blood. Even though they’d never been in an actual fight, they felt ready and prepared. Lily was different. Until she came to the academy, she was living a normal, peaceful life behind the walls of her town. To her, this was scary.

Still, she didn’t let this fear get in the way. She knew there was no place for doubt here. Their lives were on the line, and even a single misstep could prove fatal. She knew she had to focus with all she had.

It didn’t take long before the group saw the first signs of goblin presence. They noticed footprints and a clear trail of blood going from one direction to the other. It looked fresh, which meant it must belong to a hunting party that had just passed through.

“What do you think? Should we follow?” Yelena asked Thea.

Thea observed the tracks and calculated their odds. She was good at these kinds of things; no wonder she was the one who put the plans together and will do so again in the future.

“Yeah, we can. Should move carefully, thought. Seems like they just finished a hunt, so they will be returning to their nest. If we don’t catch up with them soon, we should abandon these tracks.” Thea explained.

As mentioned before, they wanted to avoid getting too close to a nest. Usually, goblins choose deeper parts of the forest or caves to make their homes. Following a hunting party back could be risky, but it also allowed them to ambush the creatures if they caught up quickly enough.

“Okay! Let’s move then.” Yelena said, and the three set out to follow the tracks.

Lucky for them, it didn’t take long to catch up to the hunting group. Unfortunately for them, they couldn’t ambush them. The goblins’ hearing was good, and the girls were walking on unfamiliar terrain with a lot of dry branches scattered around. They were quickly noticed as they tried to approach.

The small green creatures turned towards the group following them. They were ugly beings with large noses and even bigger ears. They wore ragged leather clothes. It could barely be called clothes, to be honest; these beings did not care much about how they looked and wore them for more practical reasons.

The monsters snarled at their opponents and began charging towards the girls. Thea and Yelena stepped forward, both with their swords raised. Lily moved back a bit, giving plenty of space between her and the other two. She held her sword in her right hand and raised her left to aim and be ready to cast magic when needed.

There were four goblins in total. Two were wielding some makeshift bladed weapons, one a wooden club and the other what looked like a rather poorly made axe. These creatures were fairly small. At best, they reached hip level for Yelena and Thea. The girls were ready to engage.

The first one arrived, aiming for Yelena. The creature stabbed towards the girl with its weapon. While they were quick, their attacks were also very predictable. Yelena stepped aside to avoid the attack and countered. Her blade sliced through the air and into the goblin’s neck. With one clean sweep, the goblin was separated into two. Its head hit the ground and rolled away. Blood was spilling everywhere, covering Yelena.

The white-haired girl didn’t even flinch; neither did Thea. Lily felt her stomach turn at the sight, but she did her best to push this feeling down.

The second arrived and was going for Thea. This one decided to swing its blade towards the brunette girl’s thigh. Thea stepped back while she readied her sword. As soon as the attack passed before her, the girl moved forward again and stabbed her sword straight through the goblin’s heart. Just like the other one, this died instantly.

While the two girls were busy, the remaining two creatures approached at a wider angle. Instead of rushing in directly, they planned to flank Yelena and Thea. This was the thing Lily was waiting for. As soon as she had a clear sight, a blue circle appeared

Several tiny ice shards flew towards the monster. It had no chance to avoid or even properly react to the attack. All it could do was try to shield its face with its hands. It didn’t matter. The shards deeply embedded themselves in the goblin’s body, cutting into flesh and then reaching its internal organs. Within a moment, the creature fell over dead.

Lily turned her attention to the other one as quickly as she could. The last remaining goblin saw the magic and decided to forgo going after Yelena or Thea. It found Lily a much bigger threat. The monster was already rushing towards the redhead when she turned.

The other two were too far to stop it, and Lily realized she didn’t have the time to cast her magic again. She grabbed onto her sword with both hands. The goblin raised its axe and intended to smash it into Lily’s abdomen.

The girl wasn’t sure if she could dodge the attack like Thea or Yelena would; instead, she took up a defensive stance to block the incoming strike.

The two weapons smashed together. Metal scraped against metal. Goblins weren't strong creatures, and Lily, who was the weakest physically in her group, was, just like the others, armed with Vareen. This meant she was now stronger than an average trained soldier would be.

When their weapons met, Lily didn’t even budge; she could barely feel the strike. The same couldn’t be said about the goblin. As soon as it hit, the creature's arm bounced back, making it stagger backward.

Lily raised her sword, and with an adrenaline-filled scream, she swung her sword. The blade caught the creature’s side, then sliced into its body. Lily was surprised how easily it glided through it. Flesh, muscle, bones. It didn’t matter. The blade went across cleanly, separating the creature in half.

Blood was once again spraying everywhere. It covered Lily; some even got onto her face. The poor girl hunched over, holding her stomach.

“You okay?” Yelena rushed over to check on Lily.

The girl wasn’t hurt, but her stomach wasn't agreeing with these events, for sure.

“I’m… huegh… good!” She was gagging, ready to throw up at any second.

Yelena gave her a sympathetic look and rubbed the redhead’s back.

“It is fine. You will get used to it soon.” Yelena told her.

It was hard for Lily to believe. She wasn’t sure if she would ever get used to being covered in monster blood and guts. It smelled absolutely horrible, too.

“How are you… not even… affected by it?” Lily asked, as she looked at the white-haired girl who was also covered in blood.

“You know we used to go out hunting a lot. Sure, it is very different, but we got used to seeing blood and gore. As I said, soon enough it won’t be affecting you either.” Yelena replied.

It took a little while for Lily to fully recover. She wiped the blood off her face as much as she could with a cloth. In the meantime, Yelena and Thea began collecting the ears and putting them into a small leather sack.

“Okay, we are done here. Are you okay to go on?” Thea asked Lily.

The redhead nodded; she was mostly okay by this point. The group moved on to find their next targets. They didn’t need to search for long before they found more. Just as before, they dispatched these quickly. This time, Lily managed to avoid being bathed in goblin blood, which she was immensely thankful for.

“Okay, that should be the last. I think we can start to head back. If we run into any more, we can take care of them. We hit the quota already, but we can get a few extra points if we bring more.” Thea told.

The group began walking out of the forest. Just as they expected, they ran into more. Way too many. They weren’t even sure where all these came from. Did they accidentally get close to a nest? There were no signs of it, that was sure.

“Shit! There are like 15 at least,” Yelena looked through the large number of monsters that were quickly approaching.

“Run! We are retreating!” Thea screamed as she turned around, ready to run. Yelena followed, but Lily stood still.

“No! I have an idea! Get behind me!” The redhead said, raising her arm.

The other two had no time to argue; they ran past Lily and stopped. Both raised their weapons, watching in anticipation.

Once again, a blue magic circle appeared. This time, it was a different spell.

“Create water? What are you…” Yelena started, but then stopped when she realized something.

It indeed was the level 0 spell create water, but it was odd. The runes around it didn’t match the original design. It was a heavily modified version of it. The circle started glowing brighter and brighter until it was blinding. Lily was putting everything she could inside, overfilling the spell with a copious amount of mana.

She released it. It was like watching a large river flood. Weather rushed out of the circle with intense strength. It was a huge amount. Within a moment, it was spilling out in front of Lily; everything it touched was washed away in an instant.

It hit the group of goblins, and they were helplessly carried away by the water. Lily wasn’t done yet. She twisted her wrist in a 180-degree turn.

“Sequencing?” Thea cried out in complete disbelief.

Sequencing was a magical technique often used by more experienced mages. Normally, a spell had one set of runes that acted like detailed commands on what the spell was supposed to do.

With sequencing, the mage could write two or even more different effects into the spell and activate them either manually or with a timer.

When Lily activated the second sequence, all the water that had just been expelled froze in the blink of an eye. The goblins that were washed away got trapped inside a thick layer of ice. With no air and inside freezing temperatures, it was sure these creatures would meet a very unpleasant end soon.

“Hahhh! That was close.” Lily let out a sigh as she looked at her handiwork.

The two other girls watched with mouths gaped open. They sure weren’t expecting to witness something like this today.

“When did you learn that?” Yelena was the first to ask.

“Ah, you mean sequencing? My groupmates started teaching it to me at the beginning of the week. Only managed to finally get it the first time yesterday.” She admitted with an awkward smile.

“That was reckless, but… impressive.” Thea wanted to scold Lily for this, but she didn’t have it in her after seeing this spectacle.

Sure, it was a dangerous move, especially since Lily had only just recently learned this skill. This could have backfired very badly.

“I know… I just wanted to help.” She replied, looking away from the group in shame. “Umm… what do you think- how many extra points will we get for these?” She changed the subject and pointed at the massive group of frozen creatures.

“Not sure, but probably quite a bit.” Yelena chuckled.

Just this one group exceeded the original target by more than double. They sure were looking forward to a nice payday.