NOVEL NEXT (Book 2) Episode 77: Here Be Goblins
BOOK 2:
EPISODE 77:
HERE BE GOBLINS
"This couldn't have happened very long ago." Corwin said, studying the tableau on the trail ahead. "No buzzards, and the flies haven't gathered yet."
Vash nodded, frowning. A hundred paces ahead of where they stood was a pair of overturned wagons. The horses lay twisted in the harnesses, deep slashes gouged into their flesh. Bodies of men and women lay where they fell, pierced by crude arrows fletched with gray feathers. Crates of clothing and other supplies lay scattered on the road, tops broken open and goods flung about haphazardly.
"I think they were the refugee group we saw at Niall's Hold last week." Corwin said. "The ones Harlan couldn't convince to stay an extra day, remember?"
"I remember." Vash said quietly, scanning the thick forest on the western side of the road. He and Corwin spent the past three weeks as caravan guards for the Bonaduc Trading Company, led by the moody and cantankerous Harlan Bonaduc. Technically, their assignment was to guard Silas Quartercall's wagon, but they and the other Wayfarers hired on as guards, shared duties throughout the caravan.
Until this point, the journey had been pleasant. The early autumn weather meant warm days and cool nights, a far cry from the sweltering summer in Sathsholm that Vash put up with for over two years. The heavily laden wagons moved at an almost glacial pace, so travel was slow. They stopped at every town and village along the way to do some trading and not tax the supplies they carried. So far, the only thing Vash needed to guard the caravan against were mischievous children trying to steal an extra sweet from Sera Emberhart when she and the halfling cleric Edda Jannsdotter gave Temple services, performing rites and blessings.
"Bandits, do you think?" Corwin asked, shifting uncomfortably. They crouched in the brush by the roadside. Corwin in his heavy breastplate and bastard sword, was kneeling in an awkward position trying to keep his sword easily accessible while not getting himself tangled up if he needed to stand up quickly.
"Hard to tell from this distance." Vash said. "Last I heard, no one's spotted the Laughing Men this far south."
Corwin snorted. "Laughing Men, such a dumb name."
"Maybe, but if that trader was to be believed, they've hit three caravans out of five on the Rivermarch Road in the last three months." Vash said, thinking back to the haggard group of wagons heading south that Harlan shared a camp with a few days back. "Those travelers didn't think they sounded silly after they lost half their wagons."
Corwin made a noise that might have been acknowledgment or dismissal.
He's awfully sure of himself. Cass said, her voice rising softly from the back of Vash's mind.
We just destroyed a Dungeon Heart and killed a Sorcerer. Vash thought back at her. It's understandable to view bandits as a less serious threat after that.
You don't. Cass observed.
That's because I know too many bandits. Vash thought, remembering the groups the Eth Mitaan traded with back in Sathsholm. Underestimating them usually goes poorly.
"We won't learn much from back here." Corwin said, grunting as he shifted his weight again.
At least he doesn't go running off on his own and follows your lead. Cass said. Unlike that ranger girl.
Vash grimaced, thinking of Morwen. The Naeleshi elf was prickly on the best of days and difficult to read. When they worked together, Morwen had a tendency to wander off on her own or approach a problem in her own way, consulting no one else. It never seemed malicious, merely the obliviousness of the elves.
"All right, let's get closer, but keep your eyes peeled. Just because it looks like we're alone, doesn't mean we actually are." Vash said, rising smoothly.
Corwin groaned, his armor clanking as he rose to his full height, standing head and shoulders taller than Vash. "I've walked the Glory Road before." He said with slight irritation. "I know what I'm doing."
"Just keep close and stay quiet." Vash said, drawing his dagger and keeping his other hand on the hilt of his short-sword.
The damage to the travelers became more stark the closer they got. The arrows Vash had seen earlier were shorter than normal, but almost as thick around as his thumb, meant to do as much damage as possible. An intact arrow had lodged in the sideboard of a wagon. The rough iron head punched through the thick wood, shooting splinters out on the other side. The arrowhead was crude and wickedly serrated.
"These arrows would tear a person apart if you tried to pull them out." Vash felt his lip curl in disgust. "They're designed to hurt as much as possible as well as kill you."
"These slashes are odd," Corwin said, kneeling next to a dead horse. "They're almost all from a lower position slashing upwards. The cuts are jagged too. I haven't seen wounds like that since…oh, hell."
"What?" Vash asked over one shoulder. He was examining the shattered crates. Lots of valuables left behind. Good bolts of cloth shredded and ground into the dirt. Precision tools broken, paper and ink torn and spilled.
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"I think I know what attacked these folks." Corwin said, and Vash heard the distinctive ring of his sword leaving its scabbard.
Vash turned. Corwin was standing in the middle of the road, eyes scanning the forest that rose up the hill to the west. With his sword drawn and he held it as if ready for an attack. A moment later, Vash felt an urgent tug on his Core, his Danger Sense flaring like an alarm bell.
Following his instincts, Vash rolled to one side just as he heard a hisss-THWOK of an arrow nearly missing and embedding itself in the wagon behind him. Vash came to his feet, drawing his short-sword and looking about wildly. More flares of Danger Sense pushed him into motion. Arrows whizzed through the air, splintering against rocks or skidding off the dirt of the road.
High-pitched voices cackled and shouted insults in a harsh, guttural language. Vash still couldn't see where the arrows were coming from, and stopping to scan the area would invite another hail of arrows. He leaped and rolled, coming up in a crouch behind an overturned wagon. Movement in the bushes on the hillside above drew his attention, but whatever was attacking them was too small and quick for Vash to spot in the shadowy forest.
Corwin stood in the middle of the road, sword in hand. Each time an arrow came his way, he knocked it aside with a quick slash of his blade. The big man was watching, waiting for something as he scanned the bushes just to the side of the road.
Suddenly, Corwin let out a roar of challenge and fury. He slashed at a nearby bush, slicing the top branches off and sending leaves flying. A shriek of fear came from the bush, and a compact figure darted out. Only about three feet tall, the creature wore rough leathers and ragged cloth. A necklace of bones and teeth hung about its neck, just below its wide, scowling face. Its skin was the green of forest leaves, and it had a dappled coloration that gave it an almost camouflage pattern. It held a long iron dagger, almost as thick as a cleaver, its cutting edge serrated and jagged. Huge black eyes glared at Corwin, bulbous and wide with a mix of fury and terror. Its pinched face had a mouth full of sharp, yellow teeth, which it bared at Corwin once it got out of easy reach.
Corwin lunged forward. The creature dodged, emitting a cackling laugh. Stepping through, Corwin pivoted, turning the lunge into a slash. The green creature shrieked as Corwin's sword sliced through its torso, sending its head and one arm flying in a spray of dark green blood. He spared Vash a quick glance.
"Goblins."
The word seemed to trigger the creatures on the hill. Shrieks and calls in the goblin language came from all over. Arrows flew at a quicker pace, not even aimed, just looking to harry Corwin and Vash.
"Up the hill!" Corwin called. "Staying in the open is how they get you!"
With great strides, Corwin charged into the forest, setting off a wave of motion in the bushes ahead of him. One swing of his sword sent a small goblin body flying, blood and entrails streaming out from its wound. It hit the trunk of an oak tree with a crunch and slid slowly down, leaving a smear of green blood behind.
An arrow came close enough for Vash to feel the wind of its passage. He cursed himself for hesitating.
Don't think too much. Iona's voice floated into his mind. She often chided him for standing back and not taking action. Act. Your body knows what to do. Hesitation will get you killed.
Vash let himself sink into his Core and felt the patterns of mana engulf him, sharpening his senses and slowing his perception of time. He sprang to his feet and charged into the forest, following Corwin. From the movement in the brush, Vash calculated that there were only about six goblins.
Just a token party left behind to see what came next. Vash thought.
A warning tug on his Core told Vash to dodge to the left. An arrow flew past from above, tearing a hole in his tunic and leaving a minor cut on his shoulder. Vash ignored it, the mana swirling within him dampening the pain. He followed the arrow to its source, a goblin perched in a nearby tree, almost hidden in the dense foliage.
Vash threw his dagger, locking in Enhance Ability and boosting his Brawn and Agility. The dagger flew true, and the goblin squealed in panic when he spotted, too late, the flash of steel coming in its direction. The dagger buried itself in the goblin archer's chest, knocking it out of the tree, where it shrieked as it plummeted to the ground.
"Astochi!" Vash called, holding out his free hand. The dagger tore itself from the falling goblin, sending the creature spinning and trailing a stream of blood. Vash caught the dagger as it returned to his palm and kept moving.
Vash closed in on another goblin, an archer that dropped its bow and fled as soon as it saw him approaching. As Vash ran toward the goblin, his Danger Sense flashed. He skidded to a halt, not knowing where to dodge.
The goblin Vash was chasing let out a cackle and sliced through a rope nearby. Vash had a moment of confusion, then the snare closed around his ankle and he jerked up into the air.
That was smart. Cass said in a dry, sarcastic tone.
You're not helping!
The goblin darted back, grabbing its bow. It giggled as it drew one of its arrows and took aim at Vash, dangling upside down from the snare.
Vash suppressed his panic and let the calm he learned at the Eth Mitaan temple wash over him. He recalled a talent he'd recently uncovered in his Gideon's Guide. Focusing, he called up the Talent's formula and held the mana at the ready.
The goblin let loose the arrow with a whoop of joy.
Vash released Deflect Arrow and felt the surge of mana flow through his veins. He reached out with his dagger and nudged the arrow while he twisted in the rope snare, body spinning with the force of the arrow shot. Vash guided the arrow around his body and sent it back towards the celebrating goblin.
The goblin's cry of delight turned to a shriek of panic, which suddenly cut off when the arrow struck it between the eyes. The force of the arrow sent the goblin flipping in the air, body flailing like a rag doll.
Vash felt his Danger Sense suddenly fade. Corwin stood slightly uphill from him, scanning the forest, his sword coated in green goblin blood. There were some rustles in the forest, but they soon faded as the last of the goblins ran for their lives.
Corwin heaved a deep breath, then turned, looking for Vash. For a moment he looked confused, then his eyes turned upwards. A broad grin broke out on Corwin's face.
"Yeah, it's hilarious." Vash muttered.
"Goblins like traps." Corwin shrugged.
"I gathered that." Vash said. "Now get me down, will you?"
Chuckling to himself, Corwin found the snare and untied it, lowering Vash to the ground.
Grumbling, Vash loosened the snare from around his boot and got to his feet.
"At least that's over with." Vash said, looking over the goblin corpses. "They won't be coming back anytime soon."
Corwin winced and sighed.
"What?"
"The two that got away are heading back to their camp." Corwin said, taking out a rag and cleaning the gore from his sword. "If it's a big group, then we need to know so we can prepare the caravan. If it's just a small war party, we can likely take it out on our own."
"Which means?"
"It means." Corwin said with a slightly feral grin. "That we have ourselves a goblin hunt!"