Nelli didn't much like goblins, but they were better than going out into the wilderness alone. She would have rather hired elf guides, but her funds were rather limited, having just finished her apprenticeship in a trade which was not very well paid, at least not at her skill level. Which was why she had decided to go out in the wilderness in the first place: she needed to improve her skills in order to be able to make a living. Or just to stay alive. Her goblin companions had accepted the job quickly and without questions, which she appreciated, as she didn't think she would have been able to explain exactly what she was looking for.

Rekrek, the leader of the goblin trio, had started asking questions eventually, but only about the basics, such as which direction she wanted to go. Unfortunately, she was often doubtful and insecure about those questions as well, which had made him doubt her. He was very polite, especially for a goblin, and that was what really worried Nelli. Few things are as frightening as a friendly goblin. She felt certain that Rekrek and his companions were expecting something more from this quest than the simple sum she had promised them, and she wondered how they would react if she wasn’t able to provide that reward. She hoped she would find what she was looking for soon, before Rekrek figured out that she didn't know what it was. She had made it a habit to always keep an eye on her companions, and sleeping in the tops of trees the goblins couldn’t climb, especially after the incident with the scythe tiger. Grap, the tracker, had been completely surprised by the beast, which had suddenly flung itself from the underbrush. Fortunately, he had managed to avoid most of the attack, but he had still gotten a nasty scratch on his arm. Krik, the archer, had reacted quickly, and put two arrows in the tiger before it could make another charge. Then Rekrek had moved around behind it to finish it, but he was stopped in his track by Nelli, telling him not to kill the animal. Obviously, this made the goblins quite upset. Not only had Grap been hurt, and Krik’s arrows had been broken as the tiger struggled, but letting it go would also mean that a large income would vanish. The skin alone could have paid for most of the expenses of the expedition, not to mention the weapons and equipment which could be made out of the teeth and bones. But Nelli had insisted, and then shocked the goblins further by walking up to the tiger and kneeling next to it. She stroked its back carefully, humming a soothing melody, and then she pulled the arrowheads out of the tiger's flank and bandaged its wounds. To the goblins’ surprise, the tiger let her tend to the wounds without trying to kill her, and when she was done, she had simply whispered something in the beast's ear, and it had walked off peacefully.

Granted, being able to hug a tiger and walking away from it had secured some respect, but the goblins were still bitter about the lost income from the kill. Since then Nelli had tried to act more decisively in order to instill confidence in her guides. To her own slight surprise, she had actually found herself more and more confident with each step and each challenge. As they went deeper into the forest, there was more fighting, but none of it with any creature of market value, which made the goblins more and more annoyed. At the same time, Nelli was getting less worried. She could feel that she was getting close. The next day, when Rekrek pointed out that their provisions would not allow them to keep going much longer, she simply volunteered to hunt, and came back with two rabbits only a half hour later. The goblins couldn't help but be impressed that she could pull something like that off by herself. She wouldn't tell them how she did it, but Grap thought he saw claw wounds on one of the animals. He decided not to worry about it, as he considered it more important that his hunger was satisfied than his curiosity. And the day after that, Nelli suddenly stopped and smiled, pointing confidently to a clearing that was vaguely visible through the underbrush. She had found what she was looking for.

Grap crept carefully forward, and returned after fifteen minutes with the news that the clearing was guarded by elementals. After making sure that Nelli was completely certain that this was where she was going, the goblins prepared themselves for battle. Nelli got her thick staff ready, and joined them. It was a rough battle, but with the element of surprise on their side, they were able to gain a quick advantage. After a few minutes, Rekrek put his dagger through the last of the elementals, and looked around. They were all bruised, and Grap had a wound on his arm, but nothing serious had happened. He smiled, knowing that the quest was almost over. He turned to Nelli, still smiling, asking her to finally explain what they were here for. Was there buried treasure under the clearing? Did these trees carry rare or magical fruit? His smile started fading, however, when Nelli explained to him that the goal of the mission had not been treasure or resources, but experience. She had faced all the challenges the woods had for her, and she had overcome them. Now she felt secure in who she was, and she felt truly connected to the forest and the creatures in it.

As she finished her explanation, the goblins threw looks at each other, retreated a few steps to have a hushed conversation, and then Rekrek spoke again. He explained in a somewhat condescending tone, that he felt that their contract should be considered invalid, as they had expected a financial gain from the quest itself in addition to the very reasonable fee which they had charged her. He said it quite eloquently, which made Nelli think that this was a prepared speech he often used before turning on his clients. He also explained that there were two methods of contract termination. Either she could just give her weapons, money, and valuables to him and his companions, and they would leave her peacefully. Otherwise, they would find themselves forced to take action. The phrase he used was “unpleasant action”. He really did recommend choosing the first option. After all, he added, if she's so connected to the forest, she'd surely be able to get out without their help. Nelli smiled back, because now she suddenly knew that he was right. She could make it better without them. Suddenly her previous thoughts that goblin companions were better than no companions seemed absurd. But, she told them, that didn't give them a right to her possessions. So if they would just be happy with what she had already given them, everything should be fine.

Then several things happened at once. Rekrek made a signal to Krik, who quickly placed an arrow on his bow and raised it. At the same time, Nelli let out a whistle. A fraction of a second later, as Krik released the arrow, a tiger jumped from a tree and batted it out of the air. At the same time, another tiger came out of the bushes and stood next to Nelli. Surprised, Rekrek looked around, and realized that another three tigers had quietly stepped into the clearing, and the goblins were completely surrounded.

Nelli smiled again, and spoke the last words the goblins would ever hear. It was a simple and polite explanation that she was not the one who had failed to fulfill the agreement. After all, she had paid the goblins to protect her from the threats of the wild, and they hadn't even noticed that a pack of tigers had followed them for two whole days. So their agreement was well and truly void, and none of them had any responsibility to keep each other alive any longer. Then she nodded at the beasts, and the last thing that Rekrek saw was the tattered bandage wrapped around the tiger which mauled him.