The Approaching Storm

Vargos and Orlan both take the arrows to the body, but your armor protects you from anything but a bruise.

Orlan retaliates with a wild sword swing, but it whistles in the rain above the diminuitive foes' head.

Sometimes Gristle surprised even herself. Seeing the one fleeing she tried to get another jab in while Kverula attempted to slice into his legs with her tusks.

Gritting her teeth behind her mask, Aolita focuses -- focuses on the things inside the fleeing man, eating their way out... but the man is too far away, and she feels her grasp on him loosen, and slip. Cursing, she flinches when there are suddenly arrows in the air. "Vargos! Watch the bowmen!" she calls.

Huffing, Vargos charges to the bowman who had moments ago tried to skewer him. His axe swings a wide arc, counterbalanced by his shield, flying towards the archer with great power.

Suffering from the larval infection, the figure falls to the ground once more and is beset by Gristle and Krevula, and takes another damage as the boar gores his leg.

Vargos clobbers one of the archers with his sword heavily.

The only good Ambrian is a dead Ambrian, Vargos thinks cruelly as he continues hacking away at the defenseless archer.

Vargos cracks the man twice and he drops, broken bones and gaping wounds leaving no doubt that it's instantly dead.

The infected one, scrambles away mindlessly, tearing at its skin and the grubs that boil underneath. Gristle and Krevula and each take a Free Attack.

The remaining archer seeing almost all of its companions down wants to run for the gate, but knows if it does, Vargos will likely cut it down. It surrenders, dropping its bow. Elvish eyes look from under the cloak at Vargos, and it hisses, "Mercy, warrior, I yield."

With as much aggression as he had swung his axe, Vargos rips the hood away from the figure. His axe hovers in the air poised to strike, but it continues hovering. The barbarian wasn't one for talking. He was a man of action. Still grasping the cloaked elf with his shield-arm, he turns to the new group without a shred of mercy in his eyes. They would have questions.

The assailant was down, clearly under the throes of something far worse than anything Gristle could further inflict upon him. There was no honor in attacking them. Gristle watched him scramble through the dirt and heard the calls of surrender from the other. That was enough for her. She pulled her spear up close to her body and patted her leg calling for Kverula to come to her side. Keeping a watchful eye on the one wallowing in the dirt Gristle leaned back against the post of the gate trying to keep her back protected and a watchful eye on the rest as events unfolded.

Aolita relents as well, letting the wild sorcery drift from her fingertips into the wind like ash. There are enough bodies already — another won’t help matters.

If nothing else, this proves to the woman that the group is capable. That a journey into the recesses of the Davokar might not be a death sentence for most of them…

The two remaining, one near dead and blood leaking from its mouth, the other weaponless at axe point, are under your control.

The two gate guards scramble to their feet, one woozy and rubbing a bump on the back of his head. He pulls a blade from his side, "Get him Fen, tie the blaggard up." The haler guard yanks his own belt off and secures the archer's wrists behind his back with a savage tug.


The small man that was being attacked stands hesitantly. He looks around. "I am Modek, guide. Are you explorer's license folk from Revora? Show me license and Modek take you into forest. If no, then forget saw Modek and Modek wait for people." He seems anxious to be off, even though that means leaving the elves in the guard's hands.

Orlan cleans his sword in the grass and dips his chin in greeting. "We are the explorers. Thank you for being our guide." He shows the license to the small creature.

Aolita comes forward as well, and that bone mask cants again as she asks a question.

"Why were they trying to take you, Modek?"

Not trusting anyone, especially goblins, Vargos takes his position beside Aolita and just a small step before her. His shield and axe are held loosely, but ready enough for anything. And he remains silent, a stoic statue capable of great violence.

Gristle feels a genuine smile lifting the corners of her mouth. To be so fortunate as to have another goblin to join her on this adventure was truly more valuable than the thaler she would be paid for her efforts. She wasted no time in closing the distance and giving Modek a hearty smack between the shoulder blades breaking into goblin speak as comfortably as her favorite cloak, and becomes uncharacteristically chatty.

"Fart-breathed stable scraping, don't you realize you could have gotten yourself killed. Lucky for you I've convinced these tall-folk to rescue you. You can thank me with an appropriate gift of suitable value at your earliest convenience. Not much good as a guide if you're dead in the elven cook pot I would say. I call myself Gristle. I do not think I have heard your name spoken in the camps, are you sure you know what you are doing? I'll do my very best to keep you on the tall-folk's good side, but you're going to have to help me out here."

"Then why do we still stand here at the gates wart encrusted frog licker, let us be about it. Show us these safe ways."

Doesn't seem like he knew the safe ways if he had elves chasing after him, Gristle thought to herself.

Vaila manages to drag herself up from the ground and wipe the spittle from her mouth. She does not look embarrassed, but she is, at least, apologetic. "I am getting old. I will try to not let this happen again... If it makes me a burden, protect me last, I can get along by myself."

"At last, you rise. And still wish to join us. You have guts, old one. I like that," Vargos grunts to Vaila. His facial expression doesn't change from looking as though he had just stepped in ogre excrement, but the tone of his voice almost seems amused. Almost.

"Goblin, lead the way. We have much to accomplish, and there seems to be danger already."