As Shireling tests the edge of one of the boomerangs he asks, "So how does this work again?" "You throw it just like a throwing knife but you have to keep an eye on it because if you don't hit your target it will come flying back to you." "Seriously?" "Yes. That's why I wanted it! I don't run very fast so in case I miss I want it to find me not the other way around," says Temmie. "Makes sense." "So do you like them or what?" asks the impatient blacksmith as he eyes the growing party. "A few more test throws," says Shireling. "The halfling holds the coin for the party so you have to negotiate with him." "We already agreed on a price yesterday. No more deals! I already took one bribe to move your order to the top. Now where is my money?"
The problem with halflings, especially lightfoots, is that they can vanish very easily. In fact, Temmie just had to hide behind any one of his colleagues for a second and he was able to disappear. This was calculated though. Before the blacksmith realized it, there was the halfling. He had changed costumes into what seemed to be some kind of swimwear... banana boat I believe they are called. Due to his size, his garment could have come from any number of other party members including the eye patch of a fallen enemy. The surprise musical attack that came from the halfling was again being produced from his saxophone. This time the little man had pulled out all the stops and swayed with the music, closing his eyes as he leaned in to savor ever note. As it hit the blacksmith, you could tell he tried to resist but the halfling won him over so deeply that the blacksmith was their prisoner for the day. Similar to the love potions, any damage would release the blacksmith from this spell so they made sure that Thokk stayed with him at all times. Next, they raided his store, signed away the deed and work to Urza and had him write a note saying that he was off to seek adventure in the forest. In essence, he was their prisoner. The party left behind Urza but ventured off heavily equipped and with part of the wealth that the blacksmith had accumulated from his work. This was okay with most of the party because she seemed to not mirror their chaotic nature as much and there was only room for one tiefling in this party.
It took our adventurers not long to make their way through the town and into the forest that morning. It was still early so no one to really worry about. As they made their way, Xanaphina took lead along with Shireling. They made sure to look for the traps made by the huntsman and to look for clues as to where the goblins may be. After a hour or two, they arrived at the cave. Temmie riding on the blacksmith's shoulder was assigned to be lookout along with Thokk on the southside of the cave as the hunters inspected the stash. Following Frederick's specific instructions to not open it, they looked at the cave and the entrance and while Xanaphina watched to the north, Shireling prepared himself.
Shireling was still frustrated with the bell alarm he had tripped at the thief's hut but it was a good design and he planned to mirror it here. He studied the entrance to the cave and found a young willow tree. It was still small so it was pliable and had some nice bend to it. There was a strong stump across on the other side as well. He took out his supplies and decided to wrap the string around the stump, cross the path and then up the tree so he could hide the bell above, disorienting whoever would spring the trap. It was a good plan. It was poorly executed. With all his preparations he couldn't remember what knots to use or how to tie them so eventually he picked at least the three he could muster up and combined them into from what a practiced eye like the elf's could see - or anyone for that matter - was an utter mess. Functional was what he was going for, he said to himself. However, what he couldn't do with the string, he made up for with his ability to hide it. He gathered fallen leaves to cover the knot, took mud and wiped it along the thread so it wouldn't shine when the light hit it and took every precaution necessary so that if Xanaphina hadn't watched him build his contraption, she certainly wouldn't have seen it now that it was hid. To be frank, she was actually impressed.
Now with the first step of the plan completed, he walked out of the cave and looked above it. There was a spot there that they could lie in wait but how to get there... He looked in his bag again and this time pulled out his hammer, rope and pitons. He hated heights but in front of the elf, he had to show his skills and athleticism. He found the path he wanted to take, placed his pack at the base of a tree and took a few steps back. He ran at the wall and pushed up off the edge reaching for his grip. Hanging by only a few fingers he continued to climb higher but the weight of the rope and hammer was something he wasn't used to. In cities, there was natural handholds and so much easier. He looked down to examine how high he had gotten but by distracting himself, lost grip of the wall and fell backwards towards the ground.
The elf laughed which caught the attention of the rest of the party. Apparently for all that effort, the tiefling had only climbed maybe 5 feet off the ground and had another 15 or so to go. Humiliated and not determined to make a greater fool of himself he handed Xanaphina his gear which she gladly took and then slowly turned and returned to his pack. Confused he watched as she carefully walked around the cave and disappeared from view. A few moments later, he heard a small birdcall from above him and looked up to see her atop the cave. He smiled and took out a small bag and tied it to a bolt for his hand crossbow and fired it up into a nearby tree so she could retrieve it and throw the bolt back down. He quickly rearmed the weapon and gave a thumbs up to the rest of the party. Before he could find a good place to hide, he saw the other two waving their arms wildly, pointing to the north while the blacksmith spun in circles and twiddled his thumbs. The goblins had finally arrived.
Frederick's information was good. There were four goblins. Two small scouts, a large bruiser and one that appeared to be the leader was riding atop a warg - a large wild dog the size of a lion with fangs to boot. They had come to inspect the cave. As they approached all of the party found places to hide behind trees and whatever cover they could find, doing their best to disappear into their surroundings. Xanaphina crept closer to the edge opening the small bag revealing ball bearings that she hoped to drop onto her targets below. At the entrance to the cave, the leader started to bark commands and the bruiser stood guard while the other two looked around and then slowly entered the cave.
Tripping the alarm, the bell startled the goblins not knowing where it came from and out of nowhere the party attacked! The ball bearings did their job, raining down onto the two scouts below, one moved slowly so not to trip and fall prone but the other still scared from the bell was not so cautious. He fell and collided with his colleague making both tumble down into a pile. At the same time, Shireling fired his hand crossbow hitting the bruiser high in the chest near the armpit where his armor was lightest and out of the air came a screaming halfling that had been flung by Thokk yards away. As he landed near this group, the two goblins outside the cave sprung back defensively which saved the lead goblin as Xanaphina fired an arrow just missing him from above. Temmie sprang to his feet, smile spread across his face as he jumped up and performed a thunderwave! From his small body burst a large clap of thunderous sound and the vibrations decimated the surrounding area from the explosion. One of the goblins just inside the entrance died instantaneously. The lead goblin and bruiser reacted instinctively heading towards the most dangerous and obvious targets - the half-orc and the elf.
Temmie tried to disappear quickly but the goblin scout scurried after him injured and enraged. Goblins are not large creatures but to a halfling, everything is a big. As his pursurer knocked him to the ground and reached with both hands on his weapon above his head to deliver a killing blow, the creature froze and a sharp point suddenly protruded from his open mouth. The goblin's foot twitched right before his body was pushed to the ground by the tiefling who cleaned his rapier quickly from the assassination causing the halfling to burst into giggling as he scurried away. So much blood. So much fun.
Above the elf had knocked her third arrow that she fired at the goblin leader as he and his mount bounded up to the top of the cave. He had found the deer path on the northeastern side so quickly that he must have used it before. Her arrow sliced past the goblin pounding into the warg's back leg. She leaped from her perch rolling into a somersault as she hit the ground below, chased by the vengeful leader. As he and his pet fell, they landed on top of the unsuspecting hero below, clawing Shireling with its hindquarters. The halfling was not hit because he had scurried round to observe his mentor and companion the half-orc.
Thokk did not have it easy either. The bruiser was an experienced fighter and both dodged expertly not being able to land a blow, the goblin with his axe and the half-orc with his gauntlets. The goblin would swing a horizontal blow making Thokk spring back unable to close the gap, jabbing when he could to screw up the goblin's concentration. What took both fighters by surprise was a whipping and slashing sound that came through the air as Temmie's boomerang soared around the trees they were fighting next to and back to the halfling hidden in the brush far away. The goblin followed the arc of the weapon to locate his next target but should have known not to allow himself to become so easily distracted. Thokk punched hard into his abdomen knocking the wind out of the beast but not causing it to fall. In an immediate reaction, the goblin again took a fast swing with his axe at his large opponent who dodged causing the axe to lodge itself into the nearby tree. In one fluid motion, Thokk used his momentum and swung round with a haymaker to the goblin's face. The spikes on his gloves caught both the cheek of his enemy and slicing its throat as the half-orc powered through the blow. The enemy's lifeless body fell to the ground nearly decapitated as the blood began to pool. Again, from the bushes came the roaring laughter of the little evil halfling.
By this time, the lead goblin watching his band die one by one heard the familiar ping of the elfin bow but this time felt the arrow as it pierced his side. Reaching round to steady himself atop his mount he barked in pain and looked back to find the arrow just below his ribs. Shireling, still bleeding from his chest, seized this moment. Dropping his weapons, he jumped up behind goblin onto the warg, drawing two daggers while in the air. As he landed onto the beast he stabbed both knives high and deep into the goblin's back, removing one and twisting the other only to reach round and slice the leader's throat, pushing him off and onto the ground. The tiefling now covered in blood only had a second to exhale and catch his breathe before the wild dog bucked him off. Now free from all its tormentors it started to bolt for the woods. "I want to keep him! I want to ride him!" screamed the orc, looking up now that he finished taking the bruiser's head from its body. As he ran to intercept the animal, all the rest of the party made one last ditch effort to capture or slow the beast. The elf loosed an arrow. The tiefling rolled onto his feet and reached for his weapon while he ran forwards. The halfling sprang into action and readied his boomerang, throwing it with all his might! But again, he was not skilled with this new weapon and it whipped through the air barely missing Shireling's head as he ducked for cover missing his opportunity to capture the beast as well. A pointed glare was sent the tiny man's way as he again giggled in glee.
With all the chaos ended, there was but one last thing to do. Thokk took the head of the bruiser and tied it to his keg to bring Frederick proof that the deed was done . This is when light singing brought the blacksmith back to everyone's memory. He was still sitting there humming a nice little diddy as the halfling approached the man who he believed had gotten the better of him before. "Remove your clothes and sit next to that tree," instructed Temmie. He sat patiently as they took some rope they recovered from the goblins and tied him to the tree. "Do it Thokk." The monk paused for the moment not knowing what to do with a helpless victim. He was a brawler and enjoyed fighting when there was a challenge and when danger loomed but not like this. Still, he lifted the goblin's axe and made one swift strike downwards with both hands. As they made their way back into town, he knew that decision would haunt him for many moons to come. He only needed now was some fire whiskey so he could forget the guilt.
By the time they neared the town, the sun was starting to set and they began to feel tired. It was a long day goblin slaying and as they past a few of the shops they could see a crowd gathered near Urza's new shop. Business must be good they thought but still curiosity made them venture closer. The rogue stealthfully made his way through the crowd to see multiple guards investigating the shop and a very frightened and upset tiefling yelling back at them. That is deja vu for you, thought Shireling. He crept back to his associates telling them the trouble that Urza was in and they discussed how this will probably create havoc for them with their plan to rob the lord by drawing so much attention to their interactions with the tradesmen in the town. Plus, they would be hard pressed to get to Frederick's hut with these guards running around.
At this moment, a recognizable voice asked, "Where have you been and what have you been up to?" It was the guard from the tavern and this time he was fully dressed wearing his captain's uniform accompanied by two more pairs of guards. It was hard to not be noticeable when your party is trashed and when it comes to the half-orc and the tiefling, covered in blood. Temmie, never being afraid, confronts the guard not realizing that they had met before, "Sir, we just returned from a tragic afternoon in the woods. We left to go on a short hunting expedition and brought plenty of rations for our party when we were set upon by a band of goblins. As you can see, we defeated our foes but not without some trouble," as he motioned to Thokk who proudly displayed his trophy. "That does sound like a terrible time my tiny friend however survival would mean your whole party would have returned. Where is the blacksmith?" "The blacksmith?" replied Temmie. "Yes. There was a note in his shop saying that he left with your band to go adventuring which is odd. He is a strong man and used to be a great warrior. He has no family so it is interesting that he would give up his lifelong dream of settling down with his very successful store and leave with your party especially when he could have been armed to the teeth. Goblins would not have given him any trouble yet where is he?"
Shireling seeing that the halfling didn't recognize the captain of the guard tried to help, "Well captain, the blacksmith was providing us information like a guide and eventually he decided that instead of getting us lost that it would have been best to just join us instead." "Still, which weapons did he take? I checked his inventory and none are missing? Why sell his shop? I don't think I really understand..." Temmie responded, "It was like I said before. We were ambushed and unfortunately in our surprise, they were able to kidnap the blacksmith. We tried to save him but it was too late. He is dead in the woods. We killed most of his captors but some got away." "Your story has changed again my small friend. How about your group comes with me and we can sort this out at the barracks." The party watches as the guards close in with their hands on the pommels of their swords ready to draw them at any moment. Shireling weighs the gravity of the situation and sensing Temmie's excitement for more blood intercedes, "We accept your offer but could you do us one small kindness. I hate to draw so much attention to myself. Can we go back to the tavern to clean ourselves up and gather the rest of our supplies? We left some on the edge of the forest." The captain contemplates this briefly and nods in approval and motions for one guard to stay behind as their escort and then the rest of his patrol returns to the shop for further investigation. "Perfect. Xanaphina if you would be so kind to return and get our supplies that would be greatly appreciated. Return the items we borrowed to our friend that gave us the intel. He does get impatient." Xanaphina understands and separates from the group, heading to Frederick's hut while the rest of the party size up the guard as he waits for them to lead him to the tavern. "This is going to be interesting."
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