Episode 3

The mountain air hung thick and wet as sun and dew discussed the merits of turning to fog in the cool breeze. While most of the armed caravan grumbled about the inconvenience and possible safety of riding this slick, narrow mountain trail, Shiro could hardly contain he tired satisfaction.
It had taken most of the night but he had finally found the state of mind needed to reach some sort of 'mage sight.' He could not do much with it at the moment, other than see hazy auras surrounding his traveling companions and their mounts, but it was more than he had yesterday. 'Maybe' Shiro thought ' there are other tricks to handling this magic tucked away in things I know from my world, like chi or something.' 

For now though he was trying to determine what he could with his new sight. The military men around him were emitting various shades of greys and brick reds as they ran the spectrum annoyed with the weather to quietly enduring. Lily seated behind him however, was practically a kaleidoscope in comparison. Every time she caught him looking at her, while her face did not flush, her aura sparked rose pink before settling into a muted white with flecks of pink and calculating dark blues. 

 As Shiro opened his mouth to strike up conversation a horn sounded from one of the forward scouts urging haste to the column. Around a mountain bend the source of the alarm became visible, a caravan of four wagons overturned and smashed to bits with several slaughtered horses. Lily retched and Shirk gagged at the human remains littered across the trail mixed with goblin parts.

 Knight Commander Wildingmonte surveyed the scene issuing orders, a scout approached and though Shiro was out if ear shot the gesture to the tree line indicated the ambush's retreat vector. "Sargent Whitecrag!" Wildingmonte bellowed the Sargent snapping to attention "Sir!" "Take a squad to follow that trail, can't have a goblin nest this close to the Dawnwall." "Sir yes sir! squad four with me." A mix of knights and mages dismounted then formed up, after a brief hesitation he handed Lily the reins of their shared mount to form up with the squad. Whitecrag frowned at the budding hero "What are you doing lad? Not sure the commander will approve." Shiro shrugged after the Sargent dared a look at the Commander "firstly 'hero' is not a rank near as I can see. The second this is a quick skirmish right? and the commander is gonna find something to test me with once we get to the Dawnwall. Might as well start practicing field work." Sargent Whitecrag sighs "If you get yourself killed you have to explain it to the commander then. Unit march!" he orders.

A while later the march slows and the unit spreads out in a loose line. Scouts had arrived  moments ago to report the goblins were set just inside a cave opening. Now the line crept forward with the ends of it planning to wrap around the hill and take up posts at any potential bolt holes the goblins had prepared. Shiro, Sargent Whitecrag and a mage who Shiro thinks is called Thunderbreath, lurked at the edge of the clearing to give the rest of the squad enough time to get into position. 

This was Shiro's first time seeing the goblins of this world, well alive as his stomach quivers again at the carnage on the road. Vibrant green skin of course, and standing about five and half feet tall, clothed in what appeared to folded blankets adorned in patterns of varying brown and green squares. The fact that none of them appeared to have any traditional marks of femininity confirmed the assumption that this was a raiding party from somewhere else. Off to the side just out of sight to someone in the cave a rude cage was tethered to a tree with two guards lounging near it. Inside the cage a woman was curled, what Shiro could see of her bare arms and legs were darker than that of the people he had seen so far and her clothing was more akin to something that he had seen in media back in his world of a wandering fortune teller. At first he could not see the bundle she clutched to her chest until she shifted a bit and her curtains of curly hair parted to reveal it. Shiro nudged the Sargent and pointed, eliciting a nod and a series of hand gestures indicating that once combat was joined he was to tend to the captive. A bird call rang out through the woods promoting the soldiers and goblins into a rush of activity. The goblins , even the two on guard ran to the cave opening as Sargent Whitecrag lifted spikes of ice from the ground and Thunderbreath whipped his glaive in ornate spell patterns summoning a wind that hurled the ice spikes into the goblins, those of who made it to the cave entrance were frantically trying to haul wooden barricades across, by this time it was to late and the two warriors were among them now slashing, glaive of ice flash freezing flesh where it made contact. Shiro was at the cage before he could see what affects the physical attacks of the wind mage were augmented with. The woman sat up and pushed herself to the very back of the cage at the sound of conflict, anxious green eyes darting around as she clutched the bundled to her voluptuous chest. "It is okay,' Shiro attempted to soothe 'we are here to rescue you" he took steadying breath lining up the glaive to strike the wood of the cage, then thought better of it and set his glaive aside. drawing the cleaving blade on his belt to make short work rope that bound one of the panels. A hold position horn sounded behind him as he helped the woman out of the cage then remove the gag he had not noticed until now. Once done he realized the temperature was dropping fast, puzzled and still wary he picked his glaive back up and stepped to where he could see the cave mouth. Whitecrag and Thunderbreath were doing some sort of tandem spell as Whitecrag summoned colder and colder temperatures and Thunderbreath pushed a heavy and steady wind into the cave, dragging the cold with it and leaving hoarfrost on stone and plant. "What the hell Sargent? We got them all and the hostage is secure." "Standard operation Hero, clear any structures to prevent reinforcements or enemies at our back, besides that was to few goblins to take out that caravan."

As the sounds of more fighting echoed from other positions Shiro grappled with if he was comfortable with allies who would turn a cave system into a polar vortex to flush their foes. On the one hand, it was very reasonable and tactical to do as they were. On the other, flooding the a tunnel or a bunker with subatric conditions seemed an awe-full lot like a war crime.
Cries from the rescued baby interrupted Shiro from pursuing this line of thinking for to long. Not wanting to take a chance on something happening, and to give himself space from the moral quandary he returned to where the woman was stretching. "My name is Shiro with the Holy Army brigade that has rescued you' he said as formally as he knew how 'Lets get you back on the road and have a healer take a look at you" The woman nods and silently follows along. 
Not wanting to subject himself to the scene of slaughter, he opts to usher the woman onto the road a little bit farther down than where he and the squad had entered the woods. Once on the road she looks back and asks "Was there anyone else?" Shiro wonders if he should lie or be blunt, but the woman reads the conflict on his face "No, I suppose there would not." With that one of the healers who had been stationed to aid anyone who exits the woods whisk the woman and child off, leaving Shiro to return to his mount as the rest of the squad begins retaking their places in the train, laughing and trading stories.

The troop mounts up and forms ups, leaving Shiro to wrestle with his conflicted feelings....