[x] Help out these weirdos. It seems like an easy enough job, plus that cave sounds interesting. There might be a fortune's worth of dust down there.
Roman had Rigur and a few other goblins escort him to the area where the human hunters were. He had learned that that was what these kids called themselves, "goblins." Weird gang name, but whatever.
The poachers had come down from the northeast and took to slaying any beast they could find. From the wild boars to stags and reindeer, nothing was spared. What was truly appalling to the goblins was that the humans never took any of the meat, instead taking only the hyde and fur. This made Roman suspect that the hunters were hired by some leather making company in one of the Kingdoms, or they were fur traders themselves.
According to the goblins, most humans stayed out of the Jura Forest because of all the monsters found within it. Roman thought that the kids meant the Creatures of Grimm, but on the second day of travel he was proven wrong.
While crossing a small river, his group was attacked by a creature that was a mix of a giant lobster and a shark. It only took one of his explosive dust rounds to kill the beast, but seeing such an impossible thing walking around shook Roman for a bit. It was a reminder that he was not on Remnant anymore, but another world entirely.
Another reminder was the moon. Seeing a perfect sphere in the night sky sure was a sight to behold, especially for someone who's always lived with a shattered moon.
On the fourth day of travel, they reached their destination.
"This is it," Rigur said. "This is the area where we spotted the humans last."
"Seriously? How could you tell?" Roman asked, feeling mildly irritated. "This spot in the forest looked just like any other spot that we'd passed through since starting this trip!"
Before Rigur could answer, an arrow zipped across the air, several inches from Roman's nose, right before burying itself in a nearby tree. This caused the goblins, with the exception of Rigur, to scream and run away deeper into the forest. Rigur, on the other hand, took up his club and fell to a fighting position.
About twenty feet away from them, three men emerged from the undergrowth. They were rough looking, mountain-men type, who wore leather clothing that had seen better days. Each carried a bow and a quiver full of arrows, and all of them were aiming at Roman and Rigur.
"Well, what's a fancy type like you doin' all the way out here?" asked one of the men.
Roman, was annoyed. This dunderheads just shot an arrow at him! Sure, it wouldn't have done any damage since it hadn't been strengthened by Aura (if it had, then it would have done more damage to the tree) but just the fact that it actually happened was insulting to him. He didn't let it show, though. To do so would undermine his professional pride.
"I was actually looking for you," Roman said, doffing his hat. "I'm Roman, and this is my guide Rigur." He motioned for the goblin to put his club down, which he did. "The company sent me," he lied. "They want to know how things are progressing."
The men put down their weapons. "Oh, s'cuse us, sir, we didn't know you were comin," said the oldest of the bunch, a white-haired goon missing his front teeth. "Did you want to see the boss?"
Roman smiled. It looked like his guess about these morons working for a trading company was accurate. "Sure. Show me to him."
Roman and Rigur followed the three men as they ventured deeper into the woods.
"I must say, it's quite brave of you men to come all the way, deep into the Jura Forest," Roman said. "I heard that this place was teeming with monsters."
One of the men laughed. "That it is, sir. But we got Mr. Breen with us."
"Of course, Mr. Breen."
Another man nodded. "Yup. If it wasn't for him, none o' us woulda made it this far alive. The comp'ny's really smart to hire a strong mage for us like that."
Mage? Must be a Huntsman. This could prove troubling.
Eventually, the five of them entered a clearing where the poachers had made camp. It was a large camp, filled with numerous tents and equipment. Roman counted about twenty people milling about; there were probably more out in the woods hunting.
The three hunters lead them to a large tent in the center of camp. The oldest went inside for a few minutes, then came out with a tall, strapping middle-aged man with mutton chops and a mustache. Although he wore the same type of leather apparel as the others, his looked more expensive and in much better condition.
"Hips says you're from the company," the man said. "What's up?"
What should Roman do?
[ ] Keep up the company act and find out more information about this operation.
[ ] Forget the act. Use his charm to entice the poachers into working for him instead.
[ ] Just kill everyone here. Short and simple does the trick.