it is packed down well and clear.”
They didn’t have long to admire the beaten path, however. Rustling in the trees caught their attention and their eyes darted wildly, looking for the source. Two arrows stuck firmly in Algan’s shield and a third narrowly missed Kunya as mad laughter echoed around them.
“Goblins!” Kunya shouted, murmuring the words of a protective spell as Algan readied his spear. “To the north, thirty meters or so!” The hulking warrior rushed forward at his best speed, plowing through the undergrowth with the presence of a giant. Laughter soon gave way to screaming as sharpened metal tore through flesh.
“Got one!” he answered, the lifeless body falling to the side through the leaves. Smaller spearheads poked ineffectively at his scaled armor and his shield, their blows turned aside easily. He retaliated with a vengeance, cutting the small creatures down and quickly dispatching them. “Two more! Another down!” he chanted, the noise of combat deafening the woods to all else. After a moment it was quiet again, and the silence of the wilderness surrounded them once more.
“Just a scouting party,” the wizard stated, scanning the trees for more. “Probably out hunting, I doubt they expected us.” She turned over the bodies, looking for anything that might give clues to the location of the den or any information about the raiding patterns. She found nothing but a few pouches of coins and the equipment they wore, and any that weren’t dead were scurrying away through the shrubs in terror. “Nothing but a little money and their awful-smelling gear. Let us move on.”
The day dragged on, and little else happened until they came to a clearing. It was enormous, at least sixty meters wide in all directions, and trash of various kinds – bones, old leather, and other refuse – lay strewn about in great heaps. In the center of the clearing stood a large mound of stones and mud plastered together. It likely served as an entrance to a goblin lair.
“I think we are here,” Kunya whispered. There was no sign of activity since the goblins usually rested during the middle of the day. “They are usually more active at night, so any that are not scouting are probably at home in there.”
“What are we waiting for, then?” Algan said, preparing his arms. “I’m going to show them a little trick.”
“Oh, will you now? I would enjoy seeing this.” She giggled, attempting to visualize what the inexperienced warrior might do.
Algan charged headfirst into the hole, spear leading the way. It didn’t have long to find a place to rest; not five meters inside one particularly ugly specimen found itself getting very intimate with the pointy end. It howled for a moment before being dropped to one side as Algan cut down several more and blocked the passage between them and Kunya. The pair marched down the passage, the clink of spearheads against armor coming from both sides as the warrior exchanged blows with the ugly humanoids before him. One or two ran away, but the rest met a grisly end from the courtesy of the great weapon Algan bore. Silence enveloped the cavern again before long, and Algan panted as he recovered.
“I don't care how tough I am, getting stabbed still hurts,” he grunted as one of his wounds closed before his eyes. A pale yellow light faded away from the injuries. “What's left?”
“There are three passages ahead, one forward and one on either side. I would guess that down the frontal passage there are a couple more splits, probably to accommodate rooms for storage or sleeping. Goblin lairs are relatively straightforward.” Torches lined the stone or earthen walls about every twelve meters and the passage was slightly twisted and wide considering the size of a goblin.
“Fine with me.” Algan stepped forward and heard a small click from the floor underneath. A javelin shot from the floor below, embedding itself deep in the flesh of his leg as he winced. It was pried away with a groan. “Why do they have to use so many spears?!”
“Traps? That would be new... I have not known the ones from here to use those in their own homes. Perhaps they were prepared for and expected a counter-raid?”
“I don't know but I'm not going to take chances now.” He walked to the left carefully, occasionally pressing the shield on the ground to check for switches like the first one. The caution was fruitless and they wandered into a rather large room, about ten meters circular. On the far edge were a couple of crude weapon racks, some crates, and a rather small wooden chest. A lone figure stood in the corner, whimpering as it watched the two move in.
“Oh? It looks like one has run in here.”
“I'll take care of it. Do you speak their language, wizard?”
“I am afraid not. You will have to negotiate, or translate for me.”
“I don't talk very well so I'll take the second option.” He knelt before the small creature, dropping his shield to the side and using the haft of the spear to keep himself steady.
The goblin almost squeaked as its voice broke. Algan began translations as it did so. “What do you want? You gonna kill me too?!” It quivered as it stood to face the humans.
“Hardly. I would like your help, if possible. I have no reason to kill those who do not cause problems.” The warrior translated for Kunya, it responding in a chittering, squeaky voice.
“My help? So your kind can slay me later, and exterminate us? I give you no help, I'm just a warrior. I just want to protect my kind from you filthy humans, and your elf and dwarf friends!” The creature cowered for a moment, then scurried forth without weapons and past the two. Neither made a motion to strike and they let the goblin run into the wilderness.
“Hmph. A creature that won't fight back doesn't deserve my blade. Let's move on.”
“Are we not claiming their goods?”
“Later. I don't want a spear in my back while I'm messing with a box of who-knows-what.” He moved forward across the hall to another room about the same size. Blankets and bedding lay scattered across the floor in great heaps. Moths flew from the cloth as they checked the room for anything that might be alive but it appeared that none sought refuge within. They moved to the right this time, into what would be the central path when looked at from the entrance. Surely as Kunya had said, it forked again into two tunnels about twelve meters from the crosswise intersection, and commotion stirred from both.
“Left or right?” the wizard asked in a whisper.
“Left.” Algan surged forward and caught himself in another javelin trap at the fork. He winced as it struck his armor ineffectively and he leaped into the room. Sailing over the heads of a half dozen goblins he lunged at a particularly large one. It deflected his attack with an equally large spear of its own and retaliated to no effect. Algan had paid no heed, however, to the two other figures in the back.
“An orc?!” Kunya cried out as she cast a shielding spell on her partner. “What is one of those doing with goblins?” She didn't need to wait for an answer. A large axe, big enough for an ogre, appeared in its hands from the wall behind as it swung at Algan. The blow connected and a twisted, toothy grin appeared on its face as crimson surged along the blade. It went for a second attack and collided with a large shield this time as the human reeled from the hit. Kunya appeared to glow for a second as she drew mana again to close Algan's wound. The warrior grinned.
“Ha, a worthy opponent!” he decreed, drawing his weapon from a small corpse on the ground. “This will be fun!” He swept the wooden haft about himself and dispatched the remaining little ones before bringing the point to bear, lunging again. The orc parried it easily and Algan ducked away from
