Mariel watched Draul approach the stockade with a worried expression. She honestly believed that there wasn't anything they could do to make it out of Thistletop alive. With half their group likely dead from the collapsing bridge and the fact that there was nowhere else to go but further into Thistletop and the untold dangers within, Mariel thought that the only option they had to survive was to surrender. The goblins may kill them regardless but she hoped that they would be taken prisoner for questioning on Sandpoint's defenses. It was far from the perfect plan but it would give them a chance to come up with a better escape plan and to warn Sandpoint that they've failed.
Unfortunately, seeing his companions fall to their deaths was enough to push Draul over the edge. Mariel could feel his violent intent in his words and knew that he was going to fight his way through the goblins. Draul was a trained warrior that didn't back away from a fight but his new behavior was unlike him. Having heard stories of paladins falling from breaking their oath, Mariel worried that was the path Draul was on now. If Draul lost his divine powers, it would make fighting their way to safety more difficult, not to mention what would happen to him mentally.
Luxford meowed at Mariel's feet and she knew that he was impatient at her for doing nothing while Draul took action. Her familiar had a point in that there was nothing to be gained from standing out in the open. If she was going to make it out of Thistletop alive, she needed to stay close to Draul and try to assist him with her magic. It was far from the perfect plan but there wasn't any chance to talk about what to do now that Draul had kicked the wooden stockade door open. With a sigh, Mariel followed Draul as he rushed inside the stockade.
Mariel found herself in a room with the floor covered in hard-packed soil. Mounted on the eastern wall of the room were poorly preserved heads of horses and dogs, trophies to show the "might" of the goblins. Mounted on the wall by the door Mariel and Draul crossed through were a pair of large black wings tacked on to the wall by half a dozen knives. There were two wide doors, one straight ahead and one to her left, a smaller door to the left of the center door, and a hallway to the right. Six goblins stood in a loose formation in front of the large, central door with one of them calling out to the adventurers.
"Longshanks! Surrender-"
Draul silenced the goblin permanently with a greatclub swing. Mariel flinched when she heard the sickening sound of the goblin's skull breaking and braced herself for battle. Fortunately for her, the goblins swarmed the heavily-armored Draul, who stood his ground against the five remaining goblins as they swung their bades. Mariel relied on weaker arcane darts to strike at the goblins, striking down three of them with four missiles overall over the course of the battle. Draul fought ruthlessly against the goblins, his greatclub swinging down to crush the body of one goblin. The last surviving goblin tried to flee only for Draul to strike him across the back, breaking his spine.
"We press on," Draul told Mariel, heading to the door the goblins guarded.
"Draul, you're bleeding."
The paladin looked down at his body to see that the goblins had slashed across his armor four times with their blades. With a grimace, he placed his hand on his body, channeling his divine healer to heal himself like he had beneath the Glassworks. Mariel was relieved to see that Draul still remained a paladin but he was on a dangerous path. She thought she would be the last person to try to prevent a paladin from breaking their oath but here she was with little choice.
"My injuries have healed enough," Draul declared. "Let's continue. This door must lead to the goblin's leader."
"Draul, might I suggest we find somewhere to hide? That last combat left me drained. I'm afraid I won't be able to call upon my more simple arcane darts and I would prefer to save my more powerful spells for Nualia and her more powerful allies."
"Then take one of those daggers," Draul told Nualia coldly, gesturing towards the blades that held the wings up on the wall. "The goblins will search for us and they will not stop until they find us. We push on and deal with their leader."
Mariel sighed, realizing there was very little she could do to stop Draul. The best she could hope for was to stand by his side, make sure he didn't go too far, and hope they would find a way out of Thistletop. Hesitantly, she approached the large wings and pulled one of the daggers out. Mariel examined the dagger, noting the pearl embedded in the hilt. She wasn't much for using weapons and hoped to only use it as a last resort once she was out of spells.
Seeing that Mariel had armed herself, Draul pushed open the door the goblins guarded, revealing a short hallway that led to another door. Mariel followed the paladin into the hallway and watched as he tried to push against the door before them. It was locked, but before she could suggest that they try to hide and wait for the goblins to lower their guards, Draul struck the door repeatedly with his greatclub. It was a blunt approach but Mariel thought better than trying to talk Draul out of it.
At least that was she thought before she heard goblins coming from the trophy room they were in. They must have heard the commotion of Draul trying to break down the door.
"Draul, there are goblins coming our way!" Mariel warned.
The paladin turned away from the door in time to see four goblins rush into the hallway. Mariel held out her palms and shot a cone of flames towards the goblins. Two of them screamed loudly as they burned to death while a third managed to jump out of the fire, singed but ready to fight. Unfortunately for him, Draul charged him, throwing him off his feet with his greatclub swing that sent him crashing into the wall. The remaining goblin swung his wicked blade at the paladin, who blocked it with his greatclub.
Against her better judgment, Mariel closed the distance between her and the last remaining goblin. If Draul intended to fight his way through Thistletop, she needed to conserve what magical power she had left, and if that meant using her new dagger, it was a risk she was willing to take. She stabbed at the goblin's back and he yelped in pain. Before he could retaliate, Draul slammed his greatclub down on the goblin's head, ending his life. Mariel turned away at the sight of the fallen goblin, shaking her head as she pulled her dagger free.
"I've almost broken through the door," Draul said and turned back to the door. "A few more hits will get us through."
"Draul, we can't fight off an entire goblin tribe ourselves," Mariel told him sternly. "We're surrounded."
"There's no other path to take now that the bridge is gone," Draul shot back, his tone bitter.
"Would the Dawnflower really approve of wiping out these goblins as our first option?" Mariel asked.
Draul glanced over his shoulder at Mariel but found himself at a loss for words. Mariel understood that Draul wasn't going to be convinced by logic and took a different approach. Although she thought reasoning with the goblins wasn't the best option, bringing up the suggestion reminded the paladin of his oath. Draul turned away from Mariel and looked down at the ground, considering her words. She hoped that even if they continued forward that he would take steps to follow his oath and ensure he didn't break it. It would be great if they could negotiate a way out with the goblins but Mariel was more concerned with stopping Draul from losing his divine powers.
With a deep breath, Draul lifted up his greatclub and slammed it against the door, breaking his way into the next room. Mariel followed the paladin into a large room with fur lined up against the walls. Four square poles crafted from timber with metal spikes embedded in them held up the ceiling. Mariel frowned at the sight of severed hands impaled to the walls and thought that reasoning with the goblins wasn't a likely option. In the far corner of the room was a wooden platform where a goblin wearing studded leather armor along with a spiky metal throne sat, his hand resting on a sword. A giant lizard, bigger than the goblin, rested by the throne, eyeing Draul and Mariel with a hungry look. Mariel frowned seeing that the goblin's skin was covered in bark and she wondered what he had planned.
"Longshanks," the goblin on the throne growled. "One with green skin and a big club and one with blonde hair in robes like in Sandpoint. Where are the other longshanks?"
Draul took a deep breath, calming himself down. "You must be Ripnugget. I heard that you lead the Thistletop goblins."
The goblin cackled. "If you know my name then you know that I am to be feared, longshanks."
Draul took a step toward the throne. "Ripnugget, I-"
"No!" Ripnugget held out his free hand to stop Draul. "You have not earned the right to approach my throne! You will not take another step unless I tell you!"
"Very well," Draul said, taking a deep breath. "Ripnugget, your goblins have killed many people, including my friends. It is with great restraint that I stay my hand from striking you down. It is not too late for you to turn away from this wicked path you're on and find redemption through-"
"Boring!" Ripnugget shouted and shook his head. "I grow tired of listening to the one who killed my people. Your companion, however, looks like one who values the power of the spoken word. Let her come to my throne and make a case for peace."
Mariel frowned and crossed her arms. "You must take me for a fool if you believe that I would step away from my friend and put myself in danger by getting close to your sword's reach."
"Longshank, I ask you for truce and you think I would kill you?" Ripnugget said with a smirk. "I wouldn't cut your head off with my sword."
"So you intend to feed me to your lizard then?" Mariel asked and shook her head. "Or perhaps there are goblins here that are waiting for your command to strike?"
Ripnugget gasped. "There's no way you can know that!"
"It is the most likely scenario though," Mariel said. "Goblins aren't strong but they make up for it with their tricks and cunning."
"I can see that you do not care to change your ways if you are lying to us," Draul said and gripped his greatcub tightly. "Let's do this, Mariel."
"Kill them!" Ripnugget shouted.
Mariel held the palm of her hand toward Ripnugget and shot a globe of burning fire at the goblin hero. Ripnugget wasn't able to get off of his throne in time and screeched in terror and pain when the flame struck him. The lizard by Ripnugget lunged toward the adventurers but Draul stepped forward. With a swing of his greatclub, Draul slammed the lizard into one of the poles, and between the force of his attack and the spikes on the poles, the lizard met its end.
An arrow flew past Mariel's shoulder from above and she turned to look up. When she accused Ripnugget of having the goblins that serve him kill her, she thought he was stalling for reinforcements. However, four goblins had climbed up the poles with the spikes and three of them were armed with bows. Mariel shifted out of the way of another arrow fired at her when she took notice of the fourth goblin that started to sing in a nasally tone. She recalled that there was power with music, and while the archers were dangerous, they were even more so if motivated by their companion.
Ripnugget lunged off his throne, burned badly by the sphere of flames, and stabbed Draul in the shoulder. Draul threw Ripnugget off of him and his greatclub became engulfed with a gold-and-red light, granting the paladin divine power. He struck Ripnugget with his weapon, driving the goblin warrior back with sheer force. With Draul fighting Ripnugget, Mariel decided to focus on the goblins and raised her hand up. The flaming sphere collided with the singing goblin, ending her life as she fell from the pole, shrieking while on fire.
The goblin archers continued to fire arrows at Mariel but the invisible armor that surrounded the wizard kept her safe. Mariel was glad to have cast a defensive spell before going through the thorny labyrinth that protected Thistletop. She lowered her hand and the flaming sphere collided with Ripnugget one last time as he struck Draul across the knee. The orb of fire dispersed afterwards but it provided Draul the opening he needed, catching Ripnugget under his chin with his greatclub. Ripnugget, the leader and hero of the Thistletop tribe, collapsed to the ground and was still.
Seeing their champion fall didn't strike fear into the remaining goblins' hearts. Instead, they focused their volleys on Draul. Two arrows struck the paladin in the back, and although he turned to face the archers, Mariel saw his eyes close. She watched helplessly to see her friend collapse onto the ground, unable to continue the fight. Draul must have been worn down by Ripnugget enough, and with the goblins they faced before the throne room, his endurance couldn't keep up. It was possible that the paladin drew breath but it wouldn't matter unless Mariel could deal with the remaining goblins.
"Time to stop holding back," Mariel whispered quietly to herself.
Mariel was no longer concerned with conserving her magical power for a fight with Nualia or Tsuto. She needed to use her magic to survive. The goblins continued to fire arrows at the wizard but her magical barrier kept her safe from the most lethal attacks. Mariel held her palm out toward one of the goblins and summoned a flaming sphere once more, striking down one of the goblin archers. An arrow struck her across the cheek and she grimaced in pain, knowing she needed to end this fight. With one hand, she directed her flaming sphere towards one of the goblins, burning him alive; with her other hand, she pointed at the last goblin and blasted a ray of fire that seared itself into the goblin's skull.
With the goblins killed, Mariel took several deep breaths before sighing in relief. She survived another fight, and although the odds were against her, she felt that she had the common sense to make it out of Thistletop. Mariel stepped forward to kneel by Draul and checked for a pulse. She nodded to see that he was still breathing steadily despite his injuries. It was even more important to find somewhere to hide from the goblins while she treated Draul's injuries. It was only when Mariel struggled to lift Draul up that she started to think about leaving him behind. She dismissed those thoughts, recognizing that even while leaving him behind would help ensure her survival, she wasn't that heartless.
Mariel finally mustered enough strength to hold Draul up only to drop him immediately when she spotted two men standing by the door into the throne room. She recognized Tsuto, who had an arrow nocked on his bow that was aimed at her, but she turned her gaze to the large bugbear that stood next to him. The bugbear held a large and menacing flail in his hands and wore a necklace of pointed ears around his neck. Mariel gasped softly, trying her best to muster her courage in the face of her enemies. Even with what magic she had left, she wouldn't be able to hold her own in combat without Draul to keep them back.
"Today must be my lucky day," the bugbear grinned. "I get to add another set of ears to my collection."
"Bruthazmus," Mariel said quietly, taking her time to speak to ensure that her voice didn't crack. "Tsuto."
"How does she know my name?" Bruthazmus asked, glaring at Tsuto.
"How should I know?" Tsuto shot back with an annoyed tone. "We'll take her down below for questioning with everyone else."
"We only need one to torture," Bruthazmus said, stepping forward. "You'll take the half-orc and I'll take her ears."
"Draul's a paladin!" Mariel quickly said, taking a step back. "If you know anything about paladins, it's that their will is strong. He won't crack under pain."
"Then we'll kill him, break you, and I'll take your ears from what's left."
"We're taking them both prisoner," Tsuto said in a firm tone. "Tie her hands up. We don't want her to cast any spells."
"She won't cast any spells or I'll bash her head in," Bruthazmus snorted. "Do you understand?"
Mariel nodded and looked down at the ground, hating that there wasn't anything she could do to stand up to Bruthazmus. She had to comply with her captor's demands to survive and that was assuming that the bugbear didn't kill her anyways. Mariel wasn't sure how she was going to get herself or Draul out of Thistletop now. She fought back against her fear, determined not to break so easily if only to defy her enemy.
A thought came to Mariel's mind as Bruthazmus restrained her hands behind her back. She had been captured with Draul, but in all of the chaos of fighting through the goblins, she lost track of Luxford. Her familiar was somewhere in Thistletop, and while she didn't think that he could save the day, there was still an incredibly small chance. All Mariel could do now was hold onto that hope.
A/N: Not much to say here for now. I've moved my primary writing day from Tuesday to Thursday and that's about it. I'll have another announcement coming up at the end of the month but for now, I'll leave you with this chapter.
From half the party falling victim to the trap on the bridge to the rest being caught in Thistletop, how will our brave adventurers make it out of their most dangerous adventure? You'll find out soon enough.
Until next time.