As the night of 27th of September rolled in, Blade and Blacklight retired to have some well-deserved tea and cookies on the expense of their "landlady". For the last two days they had been rebuilding the hut, after Blacklight brought down one of the walls during a strenuous yoga-exercise (don't ask). The clay hut had been rather small, but the two fighters-turned-carpenters decided to build the new hut of wooden poles and add some space while they were at it. Such a course of events made Minna the landlady very happy and she showed her appreciation as best she could - tea and cookies it was. After this the fighters turned in for the night.
Somewhere a dog barked and a few drunken inn patrons made their way homewards, as the moon slipped behind the ill-boding dark clouds, leaving the poor quarter of Marketplace wrapped in total darkness. Almost soundlessly, a number of dark figures surged forward unseen on narrow pathways between the shabby huts made of clay and wood, whose residents had no idea of the evil that was passing under their very doors and windows. The dark figures inflitrated the poor quarter from all directions simultaneously, and converged on the hut in which they knew their prey would lie in sleep.
Someone struck a light and lit a torch, and many followed his actions. The light revealed the ugly, monstrous faces of humanoids that could be no other than goblins, led by a large hobgoblin. Their goblin weapons, tainted with rust, mud and dried blood, gave off a faint glint in the torchlight, and their scarred faces and worn-out leather armors indicated them to be no strangers to making use of these tools of death.
The large hobgoblin barked a short order in a deep, beastly voice, and torches flew on the hut, igniting its wooden walls and its straw roof. The goblins assumed their positions around the hut, ready to run through anyone attempting to escape the fiery bite of the flames that now enveloped the hut. Inside, something stirred and made a noise. In a matter of seconds, someone rose in the hut. The goblin with a crossbow had waited for this very moment in short distance of the window, he took aim and sent a bolt on its way. A silent meow of pain came from the inside, as it hit the side of a glowing Llama. Then a human rose, and the goblin took aim once more - the bolt hit true and with a resounding thwack! pierced the human's neck, who let out a horrible roar. The goblin smacked his lips gleefully in appreciation of a good shot, waiting for the target, whom he now knew to be Blacklight, to fall flat on the floor, spurting fountains of blood in all directions. To his immeasurable surprise the ranger ducked from view, still standing strong. A moment later, the goblins heard a muffled shout from inside and then the burning roof collapsed on the inhabitants, an old woman screamt her death scream and then...
...the ranger came through the front door like a ton of bricks, shattering the door into splinters and showering the spot where the hobgoblin stood with sharp bits of burning wood like shrapnel. The hobgoblin had managed to cover himself with a shield and attacked in return, but missed. Once outside, Blacklight's heart gave a jump - the hut was surrounded by enemies.
LaLa the lama spat and bit his way through the ranks of goblins and reached relative safety.
The goblins watching the other side of the hut were in for a similar surprise - Blade made his way through the dug-in pole-wall there, creating a hole large enough for him to get through. However, his attempts were blocked by two well-equipped goblins, one bashing his shortsword against his shield and the other furiously swinging a sword and an axe. As their attacks bounced off his armor, Blade tried to grapple the goblin who swung two weapons, but alas! unsuccessfully. The goblin was not fortunate either - when trying to block Blade's advance, he had struck him with the axe, but his hand trembled in the sight of the mighty warrior and the heavy blow landed into the wall, burying the axe deep into the wood. This was not going well. The goblins tried to stab Blade once more, and this time one was successful, making a shallow cut on Blade's body. This seemed to enrage the fighter to no small degree, and he bull rushed the now axe-less goblin right before him. The small creature had no chance, as the full power of Blade's mighty muscles was brought into play - the fighter charged through the wall and bits of burning wood went flying around him as he came straight through the opening like a cannon ball on fire and hit the goblin dead on. The goblin was swept from his feet like a feather and the two landed an incredible 25 feet away from the hut.
In the meantime, Blacklight was teaching his opponents about the sly ways of a spiked chain. In less than 20 seconds he had tripped and killed the hobgoblin chief and a goblin wielding a shortspear, in front of him another goblin with a shortspear laid, prone and badly hurt. The crossbowman tried to send bolt after bolt into the ranger at point blank range, but to no avail - the first bolt, fired in haste, had hit the hobgoblin critically in the biceps and spun him around, making him an easy prey for Blacklight. The rest of the bolts either bounced off the ranger's armor or just scratched his body, making minor wounds. The goblin ran away terrified as Blacklight tripped the last of the melee fighters in a spectacular manner, flipping the poor guy over backwards so hard that the goblin's head hit a rock when landing, making an ugly crunching sound, and followed up with a punishing whip of the chain.
On the other side of the hut, Blade finished up the two combatants and scared away an archer who was set on hitting him with an arrow, until he saw that no-one else was left standing and thought it better to show Blade his heels.
The three goblins still alive out of 9 attackers made an attempt to escape, but Blacklight stopped the crossbow-bearing goblin dead in his tracks with a well-placed shot, and the goblin collapsed with an arrow through his back. Blade did not bother to give chase to the archer, and one of the spear-wielders also got away. This left the axeman that Blacklight had tripped. As the swirling spiked chain made standing up dangerous, the axeman pulled a throwing knife from a bracelet and hurled it towards the elf, betting his life on this one throw. The knife missed. The ranger towered in front of him like Death become flesh... and the goblin, shockrealizing the folly of his very possibly last action, instantly begged for mercy. Blade and Blacklight relented, sensing an opportunity to gather some information about their attackers.
Blacklight managed to look incredibly menacing, wearing a spiked chain still dripping of goblin blood, a crossbow bolt through his neck, and a ruthless grin that implied life without testicles, should the goblin not spill his beans in a suitably forthcoming manner.
The goblin talked. He told the adventurers how he and his fellows were hired in the town of Skullreave by an unknown goblin for a considerable sum of money to track down the adventurers, how they had followed the adventuring party's tracks since the village where Sikomor had stayed, through Vanguard keep and the wasteland, stopping to go around the swamp that the travellers had so foolheartily crossed. He also spoke of strange Thraneians with golden eyes, mystical humanoids bent on the destruction of Breland and Aundair. When Blade and Blacklight moved away to ponder upon the fates of the axeman, the latter cut the ropes binding him by an incredible stroke of luck and fled. LaLa bit the face of the fleeing goblin and the adventurers also considered sending him a couple of arrows for companionship, but then thought better of themselves and let him escape alive.
The night was young, and the bodies of the fallen were already being looted by the old people who had suddenly appeared from little huts surrounding the scene. Little old ladies were trying on goblin armor and men were proudly swinging the small goblin weapons. All the people felt that they had won a great battle here.
Keepers of Eberron accompanied by their glowing Llama then found an old broken hut and converted it to an improvised tent. There was still time to sleep.
Somewhere a dog barked and a few drunken inn patrons made their way homewards, as the moon slipped behind the ill-boding dark clouds, leaving the poor quarter of Marketplace wrapped in total darkness. Almost soundlessly, a number of dark figures surged forward unseen on narrow pathways between the shabby huts made of clay and wood, whose residents had no idea of the evil that was passing under their very doors and windows. The dark figures inflitrated the poor quarter from all directions simultaneously, and converged on the hut in which they knew their prey would lie in sleep.
Someone struck a light and lit a torch, and many followed his actions. The light revealed the ugly, monstrous faces of humanoids that could be no other than goblins, led by a large hobgoblin. Their goblin weapons, tainted with rust, mud and dried blood, gave off a faint glint in the torchlight, and their scarred faces and worn-out leather armors indicated them to be no strangers to making use of these tools of death.
The large hobgoblin barked a short order in a deep, beastly voice, and torches flew on the hut, igniting its wooden walls and its straw roof. The goblins assumed their positions around the hut, ready to run through anyone attempting to escape the fiery bite of the flames that now enveloped the hut. Inside, something stirred and made a noise. In a matter of seconds, someone rose in the hut. The goblin with a crossbow had waited for this very moment in short distance of the window, he took aim and sent a bolt on its way. A silent meow of pain came from the inside, as it hit the side of a glowing Llama. Then a human rose, and the goblin took aim once more - the bolt hit true and with a resounding thwack! pierced the human's neck, who let out a horrible roar. The goblin smacked his lips gleefully in appreciation of a good shot, waiting for the target, whom he now knew to be Blacklight, to fall flat on the floor, spurting fountains of blood in all directions. To his immeasurable surprise the ranger ducked from view, still standing strong. A moment later, the goblins heard a muffled shout from inside and then the burning roof collapsed on the inhabitants, an old woman screamt her death scream and then...
...the ranger came through the front door like a ton of bricks, shattering the door into splinters and showering the spot where the hobgoblin stood with sharp bits of burning wood like shrapnel. The hobgoblin had managed to cover himself with a shield and attacked in return, but missed. Once outside, Blacklight's heart gave a jump - the hut was surrounded by enemies.
LaLa the lama spat and bit his way through the ranks of goblins and reached relative safety.
The goblins watching the other side of the hut were in for a similar surprise - Blade made his way through the dug-in pole-wall there, creating a hole large enough for him to get through. However, his attempts were blocked by two well-equipped goblins, one bashing his shortsword against his shield and the other furiously swinging a sword and an axe. As their attacks bounced off his armor, Blade tried to grapple the goblin who swung two weapons, but alas! unsuccessfully. The goblin was not fortunate either - when trying to block Blade's advance, he had struck him with the axe, but his hand trembled in the sight of the mighty warrior and the heavy blow landed into the wall, burying the axe deep into the wood. This was not going well. The goblins tried to stab Blade once more, and this time one was successful, making a shallow cut on Blade's body. This seemed to enrage the fighter to no small degree, and he bull rushed the now axe-less goblin right before him. The small creature had no chance, as the full power of Blade's mighty muscles was brought into play - the fighter charged through the wall and bits of burning wood went flying around him as he came straight through the opening like a cannon ball on fire and hit the goblin dead on. The goblin was swept from his feet like a feather and the two landed an incredible 25 feet away from the hut.
In the meantime, Blacklight was teaching his opponents about the sly ways of a spiked chain. In less than 20 seconds he had tripped and killed the hobgoblin chief and a goblin wielding a shortspear, in front of him another goblin with a shortspear laid, prone and badly hurt. The crossbowman tried to send bolt after bolt into the ranger at point blank range, but to no avail - the first bolt, fired in haste, had hit the hobgoblin critically in the biceps and spun him around, making him an easy prey for Blacklight. The rest of the bolts either bounced off the ranger's armor or just scratched his body, making minor wounds. The goblin ran away terrified as Blacklight tripped the last of the melee fighters in a spectacular manner, flipping the poor guy over backwards so hard that the goblin's head hit a rock when landing, making an ugly crunching sound, and followed up with a punishing whip of the chain.
On the other side of the hut, Blade finished up the two combatants and scared away an archer who was set on hitting him with an arrow, until he saw that no-one else was left standing and thought it better to show Blade his heels.
The three goblins still alive out of 9 attackers made an attempt to escape, but Blacklight stopped the crossbow-bearing goblin dead in his tracks with a well-placed shot, and the goblin collapsed with an arrow through his back. Blade did not bother to give chase to the archer, and one of the spear-wielders also got away. This left the axeman that Blacklight had tripped. As the swirling spiked chain made standing up dangerous, the axeman pulled a throwing knife from a bracelet and hurled it towards the elf, betting his life on this one throw. The knife missed. The ranger towered in front of him like Death become flesh... and the goblin, shockrealizing the folly of his very possibly last action, instantly begged for mercy. Blade and Blacklight relented, sensing an opportunity to gather some information about their attackers.
Blacklight managed to look incredibly menacing, wearing a spiked chain still dripping of goblin blood, a crossbow bolt through his neck, and a ruthless grin that implied life without testicles, should the goblin not spill his beans in a suitably forthcoming manner.
The goblin talked. He told the adventurers how he and his fellows were hired in the town of Skullreave by an unknown goblin for a considerable sum of money to track down the adventurers, how they had followed the adventuring party's tracks since the village where Sikomor had stayed, through Vanguard keep and the wasteland, stopping to go around the swamp that the travellers had so foolheartily crossed. He also spoke of strange Thraneians with golden eyes, mystical humanoids bent on the destruction of Breland and Aundair. When Blade and Blacklight moved away to ponder upon the fates of the axeman, the latter cut the ropes binding him by an incredible stroke of luck and fled. LaLa bit the face of the fleeing goblin and the adventurers also considered sending him a couple of arrows for companionship, but then thought better of themselves and let him escape alive.
The night was young, and the bodies of the fallen were already being looted by the old people who had suddenly appeared from little huts surrounding the scene. Little old ladies were trying on goblin armor and men were proudly swinging the small goblin weapons. All the people felt that they had won a great battle here.
Keepers of Eberron accompanied by their glowing Llama then found an old broken hut and converted it to an improvised tent. There was still time to sleep.
1 comment:
This is fun!
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