Chapter 29: Village Guards and Crusaders
The group of guardsmen was made up almost entirely of Warrior Skill Gem equipped soldiers with combat gems and spell stones around level five, but with one Cleric among them for healing.
Each additional level applied to a Spell Stone would increase the effect of the magic by somewhere between twenty and twenty-five percent compared to a level one magical skill. So, for the common masses, one or two extra levels on a primary attack gem was a huge difference.
The addition of the three adventurers gave them a slightly stronger lead fighter, as well as a higher damage ranged fighter and Dominic, whose abilities none of them really understood. They would find out soon enough when they got into a fight, but with crafters, it could be hit or miss what actual combat abilities they had when they were still young.
But there was one thing that they all knew: Dominic was the blacksmith that came in with the caravan last night, and if you got in good with an apprentice blacksmith, you could save a fortune on repairs and new equipment in the long term.
The village had multiple smithy forges, most of which dealt with vehicle repairs and magitech items. Ones that were willing to take the drudgery of repairing armour and properly sharpening weapons were much harder to find, and most of the guardsmen either did it themselves if they could, or took it to the toolmaker.
So, they wouldn't turn down his help, despite the fact that he was only a level two Blacksmith Apprentice. As an innate magic user, that mattered less than a level two enhanced frontline warrior, who would take much more damage and be less able to block attacks. A lower level caster simply didn't do as much damage.
But most Goblins died against any magical attack, so it wasn't as much of an issue.
The guards let Wiz lead the team into the trees, following the footprints that the Garrison Commander had found. They didn't follow the main group, instead Wiz led them down a side path to see where the goblins had branched off to.
If it was not a diversion, it would likely be an ambush site, or a hunting camp where they were collecting food. Both were important targets to eliminate, and with four guards, a cleric and Dominic's group, they shouldn't have too many problems taking out an ambush team.