Chapter 362 Unsettling Quiet

By the time Suzuka had said her goodbyes to everyone and returned to the inn, she found Olivia wide awake, sitting by the window with a cup of tea in her hand. The faint remnants of her hangover were gone, replaced by her usual sharp demeanor. She glanced over her shoulder as Suzuka entered, her lips curving into a sly smile.

“Well, look who’s finally back,” Olivia teased.

“I was beginning to think you’d forgotten about me.”

“Oh, please. I couldn’t leave without my favorite drinking buddy. You feeling human again, or should I give you more time to recover?”

Olivia took a dramatic sip of her tea and set the cup down.

“I’m as ready as I’ll ever be. That hangover didn’t stand a chance. I heard you went on a little shopping spree.”

“Just a little one. Got everything my town needs and then some. Oh, and I picked up this for you.”

She handed Olivia a small, elegantly wrapped box. Olivia opened it to reveal a stunning set of silver earrings with emerald inlays.

“Suzu…” Olivia’s voice softened as she held up one of the earrings.

“These are beautiful. You really didn’t have to.”

Suzuka waved her hand dismissively.

“Oh, hush. I saw them and thought of you. Consider it a thank-you for putting up with me.”

Olivia chuckled, already putting the earrings on.

“Well, I guess I can’t argue with that. They’re perfect. Alright, let’s hit the road before you start spoiling me even more.”

“Agreed. The sooner we get back, the sooner I can check on things at home. The goblins have probably already gotten into trouble without me there to keep an eye on them. But seriously, I'm curious to see how much progress they have done.”

Olivia grabbed her coat and slung it over her shoulder.

“Then let’s not waste any more time.”

Suzuka and Olivia climbed into the sturdy four-wheelers. The vehicles were packed to the brim with supplies Suzuka had bought during her spree at the marketplace, the storage compartments barely able to hold everything she’d stuffed into them.

“Ready for a long ride?” 

“Ready as I’ll ever be,” Olivia replied, stifling a yawn.

 “I hope this thing has some decent cushioning, or my backside’s going to hate me by the end of this trip.”

With that, the four-wheeler rolled out of the town, its sturdy tires crunching over the gravel path. As they exited the safety of the town's borders, the surroundings grew wilder. The paved roads gave way to rough trails, and soon enough, they were deep within the treacherous forest. 

They made frequent stops to rest, gather their bearings, and occasionally fend off creatures that strayed too close. Each evening, they found a safe spot to camp, lighting a small fire to keep the nocturnal predators at bay. The nights were long but peaceful, the crackling firelight casting flickering shadows against the trees.

After a grueling week of travel, the dense forest finally began to thin, giving way to the open expanse of Suzuka’s lands. However, her lands, usually a bustling hive of goblin activity, lay in a state of eerie silence. As she drew closer, the usual noise of axes and saws was replaced by an unsettling quiet. Her eyes narrowed as she took in the scene: the once-thriving deforestation project had come to a staggering halt. Trees stood half-felled, their fallen trunks strewn haphazardly, and the path cleared was barely a fraction of what it should have been.

Suzuka muttered under her breath, “What the hell happened here? This place looks like it’s been dead for days. Where are those lazy, good for nothing goblins? They were supposed to be done with this section by now. I swear, if they lay drunk in some ditch, I will make them regret their decisions!”

Olivia riding beside her said, “No idea where they could be, but it’s too quiet for my liking. And they definitely did not go for a drink. I think they got scared off! Goblins are skittish, but running off in the middle of work to get drunk? That’s not like them, not with how terrified they are of you.”

As she pressed on toward the main camp, her sense of unease deepened into horror. The familiar sounds of cheerful goblins had vanished, replaced by an oppressive silence. The walls of the camp, which should have been rising steadily, were now incomplete, standing like half-formed skeletons in the fading light. A shiver ran down her spine as she noticed the unsettling stillness.

Then she saw it - a grotesque trail of dark, sticky blood smeared across the ground. Her pulse quickened as she followed the ghastly path, her eyes widening in horror at the scene before her. Goblin bodies lay strewn across the earth, their once-green skin now marred by grotesque wounds. Their tiny, mangled forms were drenched in pools of dark, coagulated blood. Massive claw marks were gouged into their flesh, the sheer brutality of the attack evident in every savage detail, unmistakably the work of Bloody Wolves, or as the goblins called them, Pig Wolves.

 “Whatever hit them didn’t play nice. Tracks are all over the place… most likely Bloody Wolves.” Olivia whispered.

Suzuka clenched her fists, trying to reign in her growing anger.

“Pig Wolves. It’s always those damn beasts. But how’d they get this far in? With Jacob's help others should’ve kept them in check! He's a 4-star mage for God's sake, this should have been a piece of cake for him. Look at all this, it's a mess!”

Suzuka dropped to her knees beside the bodies, her fingers trembling with rage. The sight of her goblins, her precious working force, cruelly slaughtered and left in such a state, ignited a fierce storm of anger within her. The ground around them was littered with more of their broken bodies, each one a chilling reminder of the violence that had erupted in her absence.

Olivia, walking close behind, could only watch in stunned silence as Suzuka’s fury reached a boiling point.

“God damn it! What the hell happened here? Why are the goblins dead? Where is everyone? What’s Jacob doing? He should have protected them! For God's sake! He had one job! One! To look after things while I was gone! And look how it turned out!”

Taking a few deep breaths, she calmed down.

"Well, whatever. We can get more goblins at any time, I just hope Silvia and the dwarves are alright. That's most important thing right now."

Olivia replied with a hint of sarcasm, "Oh, poor goblins. You should at least pretend you feel sorry for them, poor things."

"No time for pity or sobs. We need to hurry and see if the others are fine. And if Jacob messed up and it's his fault, I will skin him alive."

As they approached the main camp, Suzuka and Olivia noticed it had expanded with new buildings in their absence. A few unfinished wooden structures dotted the area, and nearby, the remains of a barn stood half-constructed. The barn, intended for storing crops, had sturdy walls but a roof that was only partially in place. Surrounding it was a ramshackle barricade made of small logs with sharp sticks protruding from them. Many of the logs were broken and stained with blood, indicating a fierce struggle.

Inside the barricade, Suzuka saw a dozen goblins cowering in fear. Their eyes hollow and dark-rimmed, sunk deep into their faces. They clutched makeshift wooden spears that were hardly more than oversized splinters, and their heads were adorned with dented, rusted cooking pots. Their clothes, once sturdy and functional, were now little more than shredded scraps hanging limply from their gaunt frames.

 Suzuka made her way toward the ramshackle barricade where the pitiful goblins huddled inside. The makeshift barriers, a sorry attempt at defense, seemed almost laughable in the face of her fury. The goblins within, their clothes in tatters and their eyes wide with terror, flinched at every rustle of leaves and snap of branches, their entire bodies quaking as if they were prey waiting for the next predator.

As Suzuka's towering form emerged into view, the goblins’ initial reaction was one of ecstatic relief. Their protector had arrived! But that brief moment of joy quickly spiraled into sheer panic. The sheer force of her presence was like a storm, and they could see the storm clouds of rage gathering all around her. Their elation twisted into a desperate, self-loathing fear as they cowered, dropping to their knees and wringing their hands in trembling regret.

Suzuka approached the barricade. Her gaze was as cold and unforgiving as steel. In a display of sheer might, she seized one of the wooden logs, and with a single, powerful yank, she ripped the barricade apart. The logs were thrown aside with such force that they scattered like splinters, flying through the air as if they were nothing more than fragile toothpicks. The barricade, once a pitiful shield, was now a broken mess, lying in ruins at her feet.

The goblins, utterly overwhelmed by her display of raw strength, fell prostrate on the ground, their cries of fear mingling with the harsh sounds of their shivering bodies. Suzuka’s rage was a living, breathing entity that seemed to choke the air from the very space around them.