I Have a Task Log

Chapter 219: Chapter 218: The Shadow of the Giants

"I can! I can!" a man shouted.

He was one of the two Adventurers among the slaves from the overturned cart. He looked to be only sixteen or seventeen, and despite everything he’d just been through, he still seemed remarkably relaxed.

"What have these goblins been making you do here?"

"We were sent deeper underground to chop large mushrooms and do some mining," the man said. "Other than that, we wove Capture Nets and did weapon maintenance."

Seeing Colin questioning the man, Ale quietly walked over to his side.

She asked in a low voice, "You’re thinking about the ’big fire person’ the Ogre mentioned, aren’t you?"

"Yeah..."

Colin rubbed his chin. "I suspect it’s a Fire Giant. Something as tall as two Ogres and associated with fire... that’s the only thing that makes sense."

The other two members of the party walked over. They both looked at Colin, clearly waiting for an explanation.

"You guys really should read a book sometime."

The Half-Orc and the Tiefling looked away—one at the sky, the other at the ground—with absolutely no intention of taking his advice.

Colin sighed and continued, "Fire Giants are another type of Giant, but they’re stronger than Frost Giants. They usually live underground, enjoy Forging, and are skilled fighters."

"They sound like Donkexes and the others," Orelia said.

Kase held back a laugh and added, "Why not just call them Giant Dwarves, or maybe Dwarf Giants."

"That’s an exaggeration. Fire Giants are bloodthirsty and warlike; they’re a race that loves keeping slaves. Donkexes and the others are decent people, at least." Colin hesitated for a moment. "But, it does seem that Fire Giants are indeed shorter than Frost Giants, only around eighteen feet tall, about the same as a low-sequence Stone Giant."

"Mr. Colin, Mr. Colin, what’s a ’sequence’?"

Colin just stared silently at Orelia.

The girl lowered her head, pretending not to notice his gaze.

Colin started to explain. "It’s a lot like the goblins’ caste system. Giants also divide themselves into various ranks. In total, there are six main types of Giants in the world.

"From the lowest sequence to the highest, they are: Hill Giants, Stone Giants, Frost Giants, Fire Giants, Cloud Giants, and Storm Giants. An infant from a high-sequence Giant has higher status than even the chieftain of a low-sequence Giant."

"The difference from the goblin caste system is that high-sequence Giants are genuinely stronger than low-sequence ones. Their temperaments and habits are also vastly different—it’s as if they’re entirely separate species."

Ale added, steering the conversation back on topic, "In some legends, Ogres are also considered part of the Giant lineage. They’re definitely more inclined to obey higher-ranking Giants."

Colin turned back to the young man who’d spoken earlier. "Speaking of which, have any of the prisoners here been transported elsewhere?"

"Yes." The young man seemed to have been holding that in for a while and hurriedly said, "Several of my companions from my party were taken away by the goblins!"

"Where exactly?"

"They followed the mine tunnel deeper underground. We don’t know where they went exactly."

’Just great. A group of Fire Giants using Ogres to capture slaves and mine iron ore. Sounds like a military settlement stockpiling equipment for a war.’

Colin couldn’t even be bothered to be surprised at this news.

’It’d be a miracle if I ever went on an adventure and *didn’t* run into this kind of trouble.’

The young man asked tentatively, "Can you rescue them? Heroes."

"Honorable Mage, we’re already exhausted. If we bring them along, we might not make it out of these hills," a nearby Adventurer hesitantly interjected. "I don’t mean to interfere with your decision. If you decide to go after the Fire Giants, we can live with that..."

Colin said frankly, "You’re overestimating us. That Fire Giant settlement isn’t something our little party can handle. We’ll just tell the City Guard afterward and let Edwin and his men worry about it."

Hearing this, the expressions on the surrounding Adventurers’ faces turned strange.

"Edwin, as in Mr. Helder?"

"That’s right."

"But that’s the Shield of Thousand Masts. For you to just call him by his first name..."

"It’s fine. He told me to call him that," Colin shrugged.

"Thank you, Mage."

At that, the looks the Adventurers gave him grew even more difficult to describe.

’They don’t think I’m just making an excuse to placate them when I say we can’t handle the Fire Giants, do they...?’

"Actually, I’ve been meaning to ask." One of the Adventurers glanced at the silent Kase and the Tiefling. "You aren’t the legendary Colin’s Party, are you? The Wolf Hunter of Flint Village, the Savior of Dragon’s Fang Castle, and the Conqueror of the Far North?"

"We’re Kase’s Party. As for those three titles—savior, wolf hunter, whatever—I don’t know who you’re talking about," Kase said, scratching the back of his head.

’Didn’t the people in Flint Village just call us the Wolf Hunters a few days ago?’

While grumbling to himself, Colin nodded and said, "Yes, that’s us."

"Then are the legends about you true? Did you really wipe out an entire army of Jackal Wolfmen?" "And you’re heading to Snow Deer Valley to end the Winter Calamity for good?" "We’re so lucky!"

The Adventurers all started clamoring at once, making Colin break out in a nervous sweat.

Fortunately, the wounded were still waiting to be tended to, so this barrage of questions didn’t last long.

Colin and his party gathered their loot. They also had Ale use her [Repair Technique] to fix the broken Capture Nets and a few other items.

Aside from the unsellable Short Spears, the rest of the equipment, along with the ore and Beast Hides, were all unceremoniously stuffed into the [Dimension Bag] to be appraised and sold later.

Next were the items they planned to keep for themselves.

First were five vials of Goblin Poison and a dozen or so rolls of goblin bandages.

It was worth mentioning that these goblin bandages were coated with a special poultice made from herbs, and they were probably a bit better than regular bandages.

Next were four bottles of [Weak Healing Potion]—also a nice find.

It was a good way to restock on Potions, so the Medicated Bandages they carried wouldn’t have to be used unnecessarily.

In addition, Colin had Kase help him harvest some fat from the Ogre’s belly, as well as its hands.

The former could be used to make candles that repel beasts, and the latter could supposedly be forged into items like Enchanted Gloves.

All they had to do was smear them with Antiseptic Oil and then toss them to Donkexes’s crew to deal with back home.

The group of Adventurers also got their own equipment, Potions, and supplies back. They were also given a share of the loot—three Gold Coins and some change. freёwebnovel.com

Led by Colin’s party, the whole group left the Goblin Cave and continued toward the main road. Their plan was to first take the captives they’d freed to the nearest village.

Flint Village and the villages to the north were about the same distance from their current location. freёweɓnovel.com

However, because Colin’s group also planned to complete a few bounties, the party continued to head north.