He soon returned with some water for me. I took the glass and sipped. I took a few more moments to think. "I'm not comfortable playing slave girl at the moment. I need to feel I can trust your organization before I could do something like that given what happened tonight."
He sighed. "I do apologize once more. We did not give you a positive first impression at all."
"I am considering doing the scouting mission. However, I need more details first. Why do you suspect the goblins? Why would your patrol blunder into them in the first place? Why might they want to try and capture a patrol?"
"The Stone Teeth Goblins are the local tribe. They live up in the mountains and we've had a hands-off relationship with them. We don't send adventurers to attack them, and they don't raid our trade caravans. It's been this way for a few years."
"However, we just learned that they set up a camp in the foothills. It's not territory we claim, but there were concerns that it might be an advance camp for hostile actions. As a result, we increased patrols in the area."
"Now, one of those patrols, a four-person, all female, patrol, vanished. I don't the goblins took them, but we need to know for sure. If they did not, they might know something."
I thought about it for a few minutes. "All right. I'll take that job. I'm just going to look. I'm not going to fight, and if they need to be rescued, I'll come back here and tell you." He agreed, and we spent the next little while haggling my fee before I was led from the building and went back to the inn to get some sleep.
The next day, I went to the Adventurer's Guild. I registered with the Guild and spent the day studying the maps of the local area and doing my best to plan the route I'd walk. I also went to the market and purchased a few days of rations.
After another night at the inn, I checked out, pulled my backpack on, and headed out of the city. I spent the morning walking along the trade route and stopped to have lunch around noon. I occasionally passed by other travelers and the day was a simple one. I found a nice spot to camp for the night.
After an uneventful night, I headed more northeast and was soon in the foothills that led towards the lands of the Stone Teeth. I had not seen anything so far to make me think a patrol had come this way.
My pace got slower, as I was moving both gradually uphill and through forested terrain. But, it felt good to get the exercise and I was enjoying my walk. I had lunch along the banks of a stream, and I chose to walk along it afterward.
After about an hour I started to see markings on rocks, sigils of the Stone Teeth goblins. I kept moving until I found a trail leading up into the hills, and I took it. I walked for about a half hour, then I found a fallen tree to sit on and I waited.
It was about an hour before I heard the noises. I stood up and extended my arms out to my sides. "I'm unarmed. I'd like to speak to your chief."
Soon, a goblin came out of the trees. He was wearing a leather breastplate and pants and had a spear in his hand. "Who are you? Why are you here?"
"I'm Abby. I would like to speak to your chief. I come from the human city, and I am not here to cause trouble for you at all."
"You all alone?"
"Yes." I knew they likely knew that already, but I was making sure, to be honest with them, to prove I was not trying to fool the goblins.
"You want talk chief?"
"Yes. I just want to ask him some questions." I replied. "Could you take me to him, please?"
"You need to be a prisoner. Just to make sure you not tricking us." the goblin said to me.
I put my arms behind my back. "If you insist, I'll agree. But, it will be easier for me to keep up with you if I can use my hands. You are much more nimble than I am." I was not sure that was true, but flattery rarely hurt. As I spoke, two more goblins came out of the woods, and the three started to rapidly speak in Goblin.
After they finished, the one who had been speaking to me turned back to me. "You can be not bound. The trip is not easy. Follow us."
From there, we moved up mountain trails, steep ones at times, and ones I did not think a horse could take at all. It took a few hours, and I know that I slowed them down quite a bit, but by late afternoon, we had made it to the village.
The three goblins escorted me through the village. It was built into the side of a mountain, with most houses' front walls being the only visible parts of the house. There were a few wooden buildings, as well, but they seemed to be stores or taverns. Lots of goblins came to stare at me, and I guessed they did not get many visitors here.
Soon, we reached the town hall and they took me inside. There were more goblins here, including a few clear guards as well as the chief. The goblins with me took a few moments to talk to him, and then he looked at me.
"Why are you here?" he asked me.
I stepped forward toward his 'throne'. When I got close, I sat down in front of the throne, so that he did not have to look up at me. "I have been asked to come to see you from the human city. They are asking for your help." I knew there was no way the patrol could get horses up the trails we had been on, so I did not think that the goblins had the girls.
"We have no human girls here!" he said, with anger in his voice.
"Yes, sir," I said. "They know that. The humans hope that you might know who does have the girls. They are embarrassed that they do not know what happened, and hope that your tribe can offer some insight into why the girls vanished."
He looked me over, and his eyes lingered on my ears, a clear sign that I am not human. "What do you think of the humans?"