"My Horde…we are on the verge on greatness!" The Goblin Lord sneered as he looked over the horde before him. "Tonight…we move to claim any and all human settlements for our own!"
The horde of goblins roared with delight as they raised their weapons high, each of them eager to kill all in their way, have their way with all the women, and engage in as much chaos as possible. The Goblin Lord had been cautious over these past few years, stories of a crazed adventurers hunting down other goblins, figure in bird-like masks capturing goblins for some unknown reason, and then massive monsters stalking through the forests had made normal activities quite troublesome. He had not survived this long to fall to strange circumstances, he secretly went about recruiting surviving goblins whose nests were destroyed to build up his army.
"Now behold, a force of more than 200 goblins. My shamans will rain down awful magic against the humans, elves, dwarves…whoever stands in my way. My champions will crush ad adventurer who would dare challenge them. The horde and wolf riders shall sweep through the lands like a great pestilence upon the land."
The Goblin Lord could not hold back his laughter as he looked over the force, things had finally settled down for him to act. The Hero and this, Goblin Slayer, were said to be residing in him other part of the country, by the time they or any other heroic force realized what had happened, he could prepare for them. That evening they would begin the long march forward, in roughly six days, they would reach the large human settlement, that would be their staging point before branching out.
THUMP!
The goblins suddenly ceased their laughter as the heavy sound echoed above their heads. They all looked upward, the rock above their heads shaking as dust fell down from the ceiling. Was it an earthquake or just a simple tremor?
THUMP! THUMP! THUMP!
The ground above them was shaking with every impact, the rock itself began to fracture as the sounds continued. The goblins nervously looked upward, wondering what was causing all these noises.
THUMP! THUMP! THUMP! THUMP! THUMP!
The fractures continued to grow and now the groaning of the rocks above sounded as it gave way. The goblins in the center screamed and ran as the rocks finally broke away and collapsed down on them. Those goblins not fast enough were crushed beneath the massive stones, the goblin champions and goblin lord shielded themselves from the debris as the chamber was bathed in the light from above.
"Stupid Manbeast…smash ground too hard."
The goblins regrouped themselves, carefully hiding within the shadows and could see several figures atop the debris, three of them were female.
"Is…is everyone alright?" Half-Dragon Priestess groaned as she pushed her sore body up and brushed away the dust the clung to her clothing.
"My wing…I don't think I can fly out of here." Harpy Scout hissed as she looked toward her left wing and could see the blood staining her feathers.
"None of you are leaving! You shall all pay for this humiliation!" Dragon Executioner growled as he knocked aside the debris from around his body but found his body a bit uneven. "What…feel dizzy. Those arrows, something on them. Damn these vermin, I should not have to work this hard to kill them!"
"Damn it, guess we have no choice but to…" Wolf Brawler suddenly paused as her ears could pick up the various sounds of cackling and chattering. "What the hell is that sound?"
The party looked toward Wolf Brawler as her ears twitched, Padfoot Monk also allowed his ears to take in the sounds and could confirm there were others around them. They quickly looked around, allowing their eyes to adjust to the darkness the surrounded them only to discover goblins. A quick evaluation of their situation revealed dozens of goblins around them and above them were a group of goblin champions are the one identified as the Goblin Lord by the Half-Dragon Priestess.
"Goblins…dozens of them." Half-Dragon Priestess nervously looked about the area as the goblins eyed them with sinister eyes. "Damn. We already have to worry about the Executioner but now goblins. Ancestors what are we going to do?"
Dragon Executioner grunted as he readied his war hammer but could see the others were distracted by something around them. He followed the gaze and saw the goblins surrounding them; hobs, champions and what looked like the leader cackling as they looked down on them.
"You damn goblins. They are my prey! I will not let you have them!"
The Goblin Lord heard the large man yelling at them, but he was only focused on capturing the women for breeding purposes and slaughtering the males from this intrusion.
"All of you! Slaughter these fools and capture the women! I shall defile them then you…"
The Goblin Lord was cut short as something hit his body, with such force he collided with the back of the cave a few feet behind him. There was such pain in his chest and as he looked down could see what appeared to be the handle of a sword or dagger.
"Im, impossible. This blade…pierced through…my armor plating. How…how strong…"
The Goblin Lord let out a final cough of blood before falling forward, driving the blade furthering his corpse as he hit the ground. As the Goblin Lord wads giving his commands, the impatient Dragon Executioner had thrown his dragon tooth dagger at the annoying goblin.
"Pitiful goblin." Dragon Executioner frowned as he watched the goblin collapse dead after being struck by his blade and sneered as he returned his attention back toward the party of adventurers. "Now then, no more interruptions."
The goblins were indeed shocked to see their leader cut down in an instant by the large human and in mere moments the cave was alive with rage as they all descended on the adventurers. The party could had to focus on the approaching mass of goblins, thinking that the goblins would hopefully slow down the Dragon Executioner. Fortunately for them, the goblin champions would not sit idly by and leapt down from the ledge to attack the large man. Dragon Executioner grunted, with war hammer in hand he effortlessly swung his weapon and struck the closest champion as he closed in. The blow from the hammer shattered the goblin's head like a watermelon but the other three champions would not be deterred. Dragon Executioner readied his hammer once again but staggered a bit as his hammer slipped from his hand and hit the ground.
"Damn it. Something on those arrows making me dizzy." Dragon Executioner was suddenly tackled by one of the goblin champions, a creature as large as him who smashed it fist down upon his head. "You damn goblin filth!"
Dragon Executioner quickly took hold of the champion's head with both hands and began to squeeze. The champion struggled to break the large man's grip, but Dragon Executioner would not stop; he continued to squeeze as blood spilled from the champion's eyes and the crunching on his skull could be heard. The others battled with the smaller goblins as Dragon Executioner crushed the goblin champion's head between his hands before continuing his battle with the other champions. Talon would swoop in to tear out the eyes of goblin shaman's who readied to use their magic, while Harpy Scout would fire away with the dwindling number of arrows in her quiver. The others pushed forward, hacking, slashing and punching their way through the seemingly endless number of goblins who mobbed them.
"Evil little green men not let up. Keep swarming over us." Saber Rider used his mace to crush goblin bodies while hacking at other with his axe. "Fang, you okay?"
Saber Rider quickly looked around and smiled as the large sabretooth cat growled as it disembowel a couple goblins with its massive claws. Specter followed the sabretooth cat and pounced upon the goblins, tearing at their throats before flinging the smaller bodies aside. Wolf Brawler used her fists to target the nose, throats and eyes with her well timed strikes. Padfoot Monk struck at the goblins with his staff, the echoing effect of the goblins cackling sometimes making it a bit troublesome to always accurately pinpoint their location. Half-Dragon Priestess hacked at their bodies with her blade and when they got too close, struck them with her tail or burned them with her flames.
"I believe it would be wise for us to evacuate the area. From what I've heard, we are greatly outnumbered by the goblins, and we must still worry about the Executioner." Padfoot Monk swung his staff and smiled as it collided with the nearest goblin.
"I agree with Monk, we need to move before we become too tired to defend ourselves." Wolf Brawler moved closer towards Padfoot Monk to aid him.
"Agreed." Half-Dragon Priestess hacked at one of the nearby goblins before scanning the area for a possible escape route. "Ahead of us, I see a tunnel entrance. I'll clear the way and then we immediately move forward!"
She took in a deep breath and unleashed a large wave of fire upon the goblins, most of them quickly ran for safety while the few closest were incinerated. As the flames dispersed the party rushed ahead toward the tunnel entrance; Wolf Brawler taking care to take hold of Padfoot Monk's hand so he could follow while Half-Dragon Priestess and Saber Rider quickly calling for their animal companions to follow. Dragon Executioner grappled with one of the goblin champions when he saw his quarry running away from the battle with still dozens of other goblins chasing after them.
"You think you can escape me! I'll hunt you all down and feast upon your flesh!" Dragon Executioner grunted as he could feel several of the smaller goblins stabbing at his body while he dealt with the champion. "Get the hell out of my way you worthless goblins! I will not have you slow me down!"
xxxx
The party rushed through the cave as the rage-filled screams of the goblins followed behind them. They did not hear any further sounds shouts from the Dragon Executioner so they could only hope the goblins had slowed him down as well as the poisoned-tipped arrows Harpy Scout had hit him with, their biggest concern was to turn around and find him charging after them.
"I see a bridge ahead! We'll need to hurry if we're to get at a better spot to defend ourselves!" Half-Dragon Priestess worried that the goblins would overtake her and her friends. "Damn it. This is a huge number of goblins to deal with and the possibility of the Executioner catching us too. Have to think…have to plan for some way to counter them."
Ahead of the party was a small stone bridge, on either side was dark abyss but there was no way to tell how deep it was. Right now it was their best bet to get away from the goblins, Half-Dragon Priestess and Specter were the first to run across since they led the group, and directly behind them was Wolf Brawler leading Padfoot Monk. What they did not know was the bridge was far from stable given the constant movement of the goblins across it; with every heavy footfall the stone began to crack and small parts of it feel down below. Harpy Scout and Saber Rider started across the bridge with Fang following behind and Talon above them.
CRUNCH
The stone bridge suddenly gave way and broke apart; Harpy Scout and Saber Rider screamed as they fell into the darkness below with Fang letting out a roar as he plummeted along with them. Half-Dragon Priestess and the others turned as they watched their comrades disappear from sight.
"NOOOOOO!" Half-Dragon Priestess's eyes were wide as she rushed toward the edge, ready to jump down into the darkness but was held back by Wolf Brawler.
"You damn idiot! Don't go running off the edge!"
"Rider! Scout!" Half-Dragon Priestess screamed as she frantically searched through the darkness for her friends but could see and hear nothing. "Scout! Rider! Answer me please!"
"….we're…we're alright."
From deep within the gorge, they heard Harpy Scout call out to them as well as the groaning of Saber Rider and a growl from Fang.
"Ancestors…thank you." Half-Dragon Priestess let out a sigh of relief as she placed a hand on her chest before calling back into the darkness. "Are you hurt? Can you climb back up?"
"I don't think we'll be able to climb back up. My wing is injured so I can't fly up and Fang can't climb out." Harpy Scout frowned as she looked around at her surroundings, worried that they would not be able to escape.
"Bird Girl. I find another tunnel. We go this way." Saber Rider placed a hand on her shoulder and pointed toward the opening in the wall next to them.
Before they could ponder what to do further there was the cry of a few goblins falling over the edge down into the pit with Harpy Scout and the others. The few goblins not fast enough to stop themselves fell over the edge or were pushed over and hit the ground where Saber Rider moved to kill them with his axe. The goblins angrily howled at the figures below and slowly started to descend down into the pit, ready to finish off the surviving adventurers.
"They're coming! We'll meet back up with you at some point!" Harpy Scout yelled up at her friends above as the goblins began to descend.
"Bird Girl we need move! Talon, fly ahead and find exit!"
Talon screeched as it flew through the tunnel; Harpy Scout reluctantly took off down the tunnel with Fang following her and saber Rider bringing up the rear as the first few goblins had reached the floor. Half-Dragon Priestess and the others nervously watched their friends run from the approaching goblins but Wolf Brawler could see the others goblins seemed to be moving back into the cave they had come from.
"Priestess, we better get moving ourselves. Those goblins are going to be looking for another way to reach us." Wolf Brawler placed on her friend's shoulder and pulled her away from the edge.
"But the others…no, you're right. We need to move ahead and make sure we find a way to regroup with them." Half-Dragon Priestess reluctantly followed with the others back through the cave behind them.
They ran further ahead, careful to watch for potential traps set by the goblins when they to a section where the cave split into two separate sections. In the few moments the three adventurers struggled to catch their breath though the screeching of the goblins could be heard echoing throughout the cave.
"Which way? Damn sounds, I can't tell exactly where they're coming from." Wolf Brawler looked to her left and right as she struggled to try and discern the best location to travel.
Half-Dragon Priestess too was struggling to catch her breath as she looked to her left and right as she contemplated what action they should take, all the while the cackling of the goblins echoed around them.
"We should split up."
Wolf Brawler and Padfoot Monk looked toward their comrade, a look of shock on their face only matched by the uncertain expression on her face.
"You sure? If we do we there's no guarantee the goblins won't overwhelm either group." Wolf Brawler took in a deep breath and sighed as she looked to her friend.
"I know, but if we keep going this way, we may not find the exit to this cave or waste time when we could be finding the others." Half-Dragon Priestess looked to her hands and found them trembling then looked to her comrade. "Specter and I will take the route on the right while you two take the route on the left. If we find the exit or others we'll rush back to find you."
"The same goes for us." Wolf Brawler smirked as she reached up to slap her friend on the shoulder, even though she was much shorter. "Fight smart. It's far too early for any of us to fail in this adventure."
Half-Dragon Priestess nodded as she watched the two rush through the entrance on the left; she hesitated for a few moments before moving down the path on the right with Specter. Half-Dragon Priestess was running down the cave entrance at first but then found herself slowing down, both of her hands trembling so she stopped herself to try and steady her breathing.
"Steady yourself. Steady yourself." Half-Dragon Priestess closed her eyes to concentrate but soon dropped her weapon to the ground before slumping to the floor. "Specter…I don't know if I can do this."
The white dire wolf could hear the goblins off in the distance but focused on his master before him, a small whine escaping as he moved towards her.
"We've completely separated from everyone. I suggested it but I'm terrified of the thought of being alone." Half-Dragon Priestess closed her eyes and instantly saw the images of the human hunters who abducted her and the Dragon Executioner looking back at her. "My friend along with Rider, Fang and Talon are lost…maybe swarmed by the goblins and now I'm apart from the others. What if my decision to go on this journey gets them all killed? How can I face the others if I'm the only one who makes it back?"
Half-Dragon Priestess clutched at her legs with her arms as she draped her wings around herself, Specter whining as he moved to lay his head upon her knees.
"Were you ever afraid papa?"
Half-Dragon Priestess opened her eyes as the question echoed in her mind, one she had asked her father sometime ago as he trained her.
"Oh most assuredly little one, every quest we have ever undertaken I was afraid. Afraid for myself and for those who travel with me. I would think, will this be the last time I am able to fight? Will I survive this encounter? But I also realized that I was not alone in those fears, your grandpa, older sisters and even your older brother were also afraid just as I was."
"They were?"
"Oh yes, even someone like Milord Goblin Slayer is afraid of what might happen during a quest. We prepare, but no one person can be completely ready for every possible situation."
"So what do you do if your that afraid?"
"Being afraid is not cowardly, but if you completely give in to the fear then you have truly lost. Understand the fear and use it to push you forward, fight to the very end and you shall conquer the fear!"
Half-Dragon Priestess looked ahead at the other side of the cave wall then turned toward her left at the darkness of the tunnel before her. There was no way of knowing what was down that path, but if she continued to sit there she would fail her comrades and be swallowed up by the goblins.
"Thank you, father and ancestors." Half-Dragon Priestess got back to her feet, she reached down to retrieve her swordclaw with left hand then smiled as she reached over to pet Specter atop his head with her right hand. "And thank you boy for always sticking by me. Let's finish this quest and find the others."
Specter barked as his tail wagged and the two continued down to tunnel, Half-Dragon Priestess could feel the path was descending the further she went.
"I don't think this will lead to the exit, but hopefully I'll be able to run into Scout and Rider if I keep going down this path."
Unbeknownst to her, several yellow eyes watched her some a small cave off to the side; those inside hungrily watching the female rushing towards what was essentially a dead end. Half-Dragon Priestess and Specter charged forward until the cave began to level off and there she found several entrances and before them were crude iron bars. She and Specter slowly walked past them and could see several snarling wolves within these cages, eager to attack the two. She soon realized there was no way for the two of them to go any further but before she could curse her luck, she noticed figures in the last three cages.
"Elves." Half-Dragon Priestess looked within the cages to find female elves laying on the cold ground, filthy rags barely covering their nude forms. "Are any of you alive? Can you hear me?"
Several of the elves struggled to open their eyes, their minds wondering if their broken minds were playing tricks on them as they heard a familiar language. Upon seeing Half-Dragon Priestess and the dire wolf, the elves rushed toward the cage bars, their eyes filled with sorrow and relief.
"Thank the gods! You came for us!"
"How many in your party?"
"Please save us! Don't leave us here to die!"
"Please try to remain calm." Half-Dragon Priestess raised her hands to try and calm them down. "My party and I accidently fell into this nest but now that we're here, we'll get you back to the surface."
"Behind you!"
Half-Dragon Priestess turned, her eyes wide as she saw several goblins cackling as they readied their weapons and began to open the cages where the wolves had been. She and Specter turned to see the group of goblins now atop their wolves ready to pounce upon them.
"Specter, we can't abandon these poor souls to the goblins. We fight until the last goblin has fallen! Ancestors give me strength."
xxxx
"Talon! You fly ahead! Find exit or others!"
Talon let out a screech as he flapped his wings and flew forward; Harpy Scout, Rider and Fang moving through the underground caverns. They had a fairly decent head start on the goblins, but could not afford to stop now otherwise they be overrun.
"Just…just a moment to catch my breath." Harpy Scout called out as she gasped for air.
"We rest but then we need to keep moving."
Saber Rider and Fang also stopped along side Harpy Scout to rest up; Harpy Scout looked toward her quiver and sighed in frustration as she confirmed her suspicion, she had completely run out of arrows. Above them were several large creatures scuttling around, fresh prey had wandered into their territory and they were eager to feed.
"Damn it. Going to have to switch to my dagger." Harpy Scout once again exhaled as she shouldered her bow. "Wing is injured and now no more arrows. This could not be a worse situation."
"Here."
Harpy Scout looked toward Saber Rider and in his left hand, extended towards her, was his small sabertooth knife.
"What's this?"
"Knife made from second mother's tooth. Will keep you safe."
"Rider I already have my…"
"You take! You no have arrows, so I want you to hold this."
"Okay. Thank you." Harpy Scout smiled as she took the knife in her left hand, actually feeling relatively confident in its weight.
"Second mother always look out for me and Fang. Now she keep you safe too."
Harpy Scout wanted to say more but soon noticed Fang looked about as its ears twitched. She and Rider began to look about, thinking it was the goblins but saw nothing, but then they looked upward and saw them drop down upon them.
"Spiders!"
The cave spiders were roughly the size of house cat and quickly pounced upon the group, Harpy Scout and Rider collapsed to the ground as the spiders moved to bite them. Harpy Scout in her disgust was hacked away at the spiders with her dagger and Rider's knife, horrified by the feel of their legs on her skin. Order would grab at the spiders with his clawed gauntlet and smash them upon the cave floor, grunting as the innards and blood splashed on his body. While they tended to the spider on their own bodies, they heard a pained growl and could see several spiders on Fang, at least three of them having bite his thick hide.
"Fang!"
Rider scrambled back to his feet and moved to help his brother as did Harpy Scout. The two went to work tearing the spiders off the large saber cat, tossing them to the floor before stepping upon them with a satisfying crunch. Saber Rider looked around the area, still fueled by his rage to see if there were any other spiders before hearing his brother let out another painful growl. He turned to see Fang topple over and hit the ground with a thud; Rider's eyes were wide as he tossed his weapons aside and moved towards his brother's side.
"No! No! Fang alright? You be okay! Fang need fight poison." Saber Rider carefully placing his hand on his brother's side and slowly shaking him. "You need stay awake!"
Fang let out another painful meow, struggling to move his legs as he laid his head down on the cave floor. Harpy Scout carefully looked over the large cat's body, she was not sure how much of the venom got into the system or how strong it was but they need to move him out of the way before the goblins came. She looked toward Saber Rider and could see tears already running down his face as he continued to clutch at his brother.
"Rider we…"
"WE NO LEAVE FANG! I NOT LEAVE MY BROTHER!"
"We're not going to leave him here. We need to move him further away before the goblins get here."
"Right…we move Fang." Saber Rider stood and placed his arms under Fang's armpits and began to drag. "Come on Fang! Need to move you!"
Harpy Scout was shocked by Rider strength, even though he struggled to drag the saber cat, the fact he could even move him further toward the side was impressive. Harpy Scout carefully brought up the rear as Saber Rider pulled the weakened Fang over toward the side of the cave.
"Rider I can hear the goblins, they're getting closer!"
"Alright. I set Fang over here." Saber Rider gave the cat a final drag and set him behind some nearby rocks before going for his weapons.
"Alright, we should…"
"You go watch Fang. You keep him safe and I protect you and Fang."
"What the hell are you talking about? You can't take on the goblins by yourself, let me help you."
"No. I need Bird Girl to keep my brother safe." Saber Rider looked toward his weakened brother, a visible frown present on his face. "Saber mother and Fang save me when I all alone. They my family when I had none. I could not protect second mother but I can protect Fang! And I protect you!"
Harpy Scout was in complete shock of what he was saying, they'd only known each other for a couple weeks, yet here he was ready to lay down his life to protect her and his brother. She nodded her head as she moved closer towards Fang, her dagger and Rider's knife in hand ready to keep him safe. Saber Rider breathing heavily as he rubbed the tears from his eyes, his clawed gauntlet tightly gripping his mace and his right hand around his axe.
"YOU NOT TOUCH MY FRIEND AND BROTHER!"
xxxx
Padfoot Monk grunted as his staff continuously clanked against the top of the cave, even his ears would scrape from time to time and he ducked his head to keep up with Wolf Brawler.
"Damn cave is getting smaller. Just the right size for the goblins to move through." Wolf Brawler growled as she too found herself needing to watch her head. "Monk how are you doing?"
"A, a moment please Huntress. I…need a few…"
Huntress looked back toward Padfoot Monk and saw him trembling as he was practically on his hands and knees.
"Hey are you alright?" Wolf Brawler, being a much smaller, was down on one knee as she placed her hands on his shoulders. "What's wrong?"
"I…I am ashamed to say…I don't do well in…smaller spaces."
"It's alright. Everyone is scared of something."
"I…after losing my sight. I believed there was nothing that could frighten me, I could not see it. The small spaces…proved me wrong." Padfoot Monk sighed as he struggled to steady his fast breathing. "As part of my training, I was placed in a cave, it was sealed."
"That sounds far too harsh for training."
"Perhaps. But it was to see how determined we are in fighting for our survival. I was given food for three days and told to find my way out of the cave. After three days, I realized I had been going in the wrong direction."
"How…how did you survive?"
"The fear of starving forced me to rethink my plan; in my panic I began to dig furiously in what I felt was the right direction. A day and a half later I escape the cave, crawling through a space barely large enough for my body. During that time…I truly thought I was going to die. This cave…as it gets smaller, my fears are running wild once again."
"Monk, listen to me." Wolf Brawler moved her hands to either side of his face. "We're going to make it through this ordeal. You've already endured much, so don't be afraid to lean on me for support. I'll lead the way and you follow and together, we'll be out of this wretched place and find the others."
"I…thank you Huntress. I shall do my best to no slow you down." Padfoot Monk took in a deep breath before slowly exhaling as he readied to crawl behind Wolf Brawler.
The two moved through the small space, the sudden shrieking of the goblins closing in as both worried they would be caught in this narrow area. They redoubled their efforts to move through the small space when it suddenly opened up to a larger spot. Now out in the open, they readied for the incoming goblins when a sudden screeching could be heard. Wolf Brawler looked around and to her surprise found Talon screeching overhead.
"Talon! Where are the others? Wait there's no time! Go Talon, find the exit!"
Talon could hear and see the smaller female figure pointing towards the larger cave entrance and he flew out of there. He'd find the exit and if possible alert anyone else to what was going on to get help for Saber Rider and the others.
"We need to make sure this place is clear of the goblins so the others can join us. Are you going to be okay?" Wolf Brawler raised her fists to fight in anticipation of the incoming goblins.
"Yes. Apologies for earlier Huntress, but I am ready now to fight beside you." Padfoot Monk readied his staff to aid her in defense against the goblins.
"We're going to see this through. We're going to regroup with the others and continue adventuring together!"
"Yes Huntress! I hear them, they're coming through!"
