They stopped just before the clearing to the caves. Hannah, true to her word, didn't make as much noise as they expected. They hadn't alerted the monsters within of their presence yet, giving them the advantage. Jasmine was scouting ahead, looking for signs of guards, while the rest waited.
Jasmine approached the largest entrance and looked for any signs of life. She found footprints scattered about of the goblins. She exhaled slowly, thankful not to find any humans among them. She was also relieved to find no guards out front. Jasmine glanced back at her party and signaled that the main entrance was clear.
She repeated the process with each entrance. Some had no prints, and others had a few scattered about. None of them had goblins inhabiting them. Jasmine guessed that they must be either asleep or eating. Either way, the goblins did not bother with any guards. Or weren't intelligent enough for them.
She took a deep breath and readied herself. She prayed to their Goddess not to find any people within the caves. Not only to simplify their mission, but to save her companions from the sight. Jasmine glanced at her companions one last time before disappearing within the cave.
Her eyesight quickly adjusted to the darkness. Her skill allowed her to see in almost pitch black, letting her navigate the cave with ease. She followed the footprints leading further into the caves, careful not to stray from the most popular path. One wrong move could lead even an experienced assassin like her to get lost within the cave system.
It didn't take her long to find the goblin nest. She smelled it long before she heard, or saw, any goblins. It was that rotten smell all monsters exuded, mixed with rotten food and stale air. Even with her dulled reactions, she nearly gagged at the smell. She pulled her collar up and slowly approached the camp.
She scanned the cavern for her targets. She found most of the goblins in different states of sleep; only a handful were roaming about. At the center of the cave was a smoldering fire.
Jasmine tilted her head. Not smart enough for guards, but smart enough to cook?
That did make her job much easier. She didn't need the flint and steel she carried to start the fire, and if Lily's potion didn't mask her scent already, the smoke of the fire could. She took a moment to observe the roaming goblins before making her move.
First, she had to make sure there were no human prisoners. She snuck close to each of the makeshift structures the goblins created for themselves, looking for any signs of people. She only found food, animal skins, and equipment. Women made equipment from the merchants they attacked.
Jasmine glanced at the meat and animal skins. Her stomach twisted slightly.
She shook her head and kept moving. She slowly made her way around the camp for any side caves that could house prisoners. She explored any path that looked like it had goblin tracks, praying not to find anyone. By the time she made it back to the main cave, nearly a full hour had passed.
Several of the goblins that were once asleep were awoken by the roaming goblins. Jasmine watched in surprise as a guard transfer happened. The goblins were far more intelligent than she gave them credit for.
But why weren't they guarding the entrance?
Jasmine didn't know. She watched cautiously while the groggy guards patrolled the perimeter of the cavern. It seemed useless to roam, given they could just guard the entrances themselves.
Are they mimicking humans?
Jasmine recognized the guard rotations after a moment. The goblins were mimicking the humans they attacked. Something not unheard of, but strange nonetheless. She hesitated for another moment while she thought about Firewater's kin. She shook her head, realizing the difference between the two groups. One was only mimicking what they saw, and the other group understood why they were doing it.
Jasmine was satisfied with her scouting, so she returned to the entrance of the cave. She'd report back to her companions before starting the fire within the cave so they knew exactly how many goblins to expect. Jasmine counted fifty-four goblins, suspecting more in the surrounding caves. She held her breath all the way up until she exited the cave. She was so used to something going awry that she even snuck up on her companions.
Hannah and Ursa drew their weapons the moment Jasmine made her presence known. The two relaxed after seeing Jasmine and sat back down. Jasmine waited for a moment before explaining what she saw.
"No signs of prisoners or any living people," Jasmine concluded her report. She avoided the gaze of the three younger members. She could see them shift in her peripheral vision after hearing the "living" part. "The goblins are on the intelligent side, but not smart enough for it to be a major issue. Still, do not underestimate them."
Claire nodded. Her stomach was in a knot from imagining what Jasmine meant. She took a deep breath to calm herself before speaking. "So, we're going with the fire plan?"
Jasmine nodded. "Be ready for when I return."
Hannah and Ursa stood almost in sync. They had matching smiles as they started to stretch. Claire joined the two, while the twins watched their surroundings. They, too, thought it was going way too easily.
Jasmine made her way back through the cave, still on edge. Her body was expecting something unexpected to happen or a wild card to appear. But nothing did. She made it back to the large cavern and to the smoldering fire. She managed to slip past the guards easily, now staring at the remnants of the fire. She looked around for the best place to light.
She eyed the structure holding the food.
Jasmine readied herself and picked up the wood with the largest amount of embers. Quickly, but carefully, she moved over to the food storage. She set the wood down and blew on the embers to reignite it. After getting the fire restarted, she grabbed the dried animal hides and scattered them across the floor. She made sure they were all connected before grabbing her last preparation.
Lily had given her oil used in lanterns. She doused the floor, making sure not to make any noises. She retrieved the clothe within the bottle that had been soaking in the oil the entire day. She unraveled it and connected it to the animal hides on the floor. She took one last deep breath before dropping the end of the cloth on the log.
She only needed to wait a moment for it to ignite before she moved. Like a blur, she jumped through the entrance while barely making a sound. She sprinted past the guards, causing them to hesitate. There was a silence within the cave as the guards did their best to figure out what just happened. They looked toward the entrance, letting the fire grow.
Jasmine heard a faint roar come from behind her. She was already halfway out of the cave by the time they noticed her handiwork. She stopped to monitor their movements. She heard the panicking goblins as they tried to put out the fire. The ventilation in this cave was not enough for the fire she started. The helpless goblins started to scramble towards the entrance.
That was Jasmine's cue to keep moving.
She sprinted out of the cave towards her companions. They spotted her quickly, and the three warriors quickly moved forward. Elsie handed Jasmine her equipment while she took a moment to catch her breath. The twins and Jasmine settled roughly 20 feet behind their frontline.
Then they waited.
There was silence for several minutes while each Scarlet Seraph was tense. Ursa paced in front of the entrance before perking up. She heard the faint sound of running, which turned into a stampede. She raised her axe and suppressed her instinct to howl.
Jasmine knocked an arrow in her bow, ready to catch them by surprise. Elsie had her wand ready to do the same. Claire and Hannah stood beside one another with their shields raised. They would be the wall between the goblins and their companions behind them.
Ursa was ready to run into the cave. She was getting too impatient.