09-15-2013, 08:02 AM
Thud.
A goblin landed squarely between Nyx and Whirda, his dark eyes flashing excitedly. He hopped from foot to foot in a triumphant dance, waving his spear about in the air in a victorious gesture. Lowering his spear from the air, the goblin eased into a stance, his gaze hardening as he tried to decide which of the ladies he'd pick off first.
“Blondie die first!” he finally screeched in Goblin, apparently not aware that 'blondie' spoke his language. As he crept towards her, brandishing his spear menacingly, she eased herself into a battle stance, ready to slit his throat. Whirda prepared to lunge, but then--
Thunk.
The goblin's advance was cut short as an arrow pierced his skull. He didn't even have time to wail in protest.
Thump.
The goblin slumped to the floor in complete silence. The blow killed him instantly – he didn't even have time to cry in protest. Nyx and Whirda shot each other confused glances before advancing towards the corpse. Nyx turned to scout the trees for any signs of an archer, but they were lifeless. Meanwhile, Whirda tugged the arrow free of his skull and held it up to the light to get a better look.
“As I expected.”
“Elves?”
“Yeah. Any sign of them?”
“Not that I can see.”
“Typical.”
Some would argue that Nyx wasn't very 'worldly', but she knew enough to recognize the work of an elven archer when she saw it. They had the uncanny ability of being practically invisible if they wanted to be, and their arrows were often silent and aimed with deadly precision. The goblin was a shining example of that.
The forest fell silent again, save for the sound of the retreating drums. Nyx jerked her head in the direction of the sound. “Shall we? If the elves wanted us dead, we'd know about it.”
Whirda nodded in agreement. “You sure you're ready?”
“As ready as I'll ever be. I have something I want to try.”
The steady beating of the drums grew louder as they approached. Soon, the warband itself came into view. Nyx's gaze was immediately drawn to the three goblins at the heart of the warband: the leader and his lieutenants. Each of them rode strange beasts Nyx recognized to be raptors – strange scaly dinosaur-like creatures that walked on two legs and had two spindly little arms. They were known for their speed and ferocity. The strange thing was that they were all decorated in a ritualistic manner with feathers and bones – Nyx guessed that was the work of the shamans, who also seemed to be serving as the leader's lieutenants.
The rest of the goblins were on foot. The warband itself was in a fairly standard formation, with the brawlers protecting the casters. Nyx couldn't see any archers amongst the party on foot, so she assumed that they would be following from the safety of the treetops. She wasn't far wrong. The goblins lacked the subtlety the elves had, and the odd rustle of leaves helped to give an indication of where they were hiding, or where they had been.
The heaving mass of green skin ground to a halt as it reached the remains of the scouting party. The beast the leader rode let out a terrifying screech, which apparently was a recognized signal within the warband as the goblins on foot quickly moved to investigate. The leader and his lieutenants advanced much slower, forming a grim procession towards the remnants of their allies. A few of the archers hung from the trees, wanting to get a closer look at the scene.
In unison, Nyx and Whirda readied their weapons. Whirda drew her kukri, sinking into a battle stance. Nyx unfurled the bandage from around her palm and reached for her trusted dagger, joining Whirda in a low battle stance. Silently, they advanced. Whirda had her eyes set on the rear guard, a trio of goblins. They remained behind as the others moved closer toward the clearing. Among the rear guard were a brawler, a mage and a scout. They frequently jostled with one another, hissing at each other in a language Nyx didn't understand.
“Are you thinking what I'm thinking?”
A goblin landed squarely between Nyx and Whirda, his dark eyes flashing excitedly. He hopped from foot to foot in a triumphant dance, waving his spear about in the air in a victorious gesture. Lowering his spear from the air, the goblin eased into a stance, his gaze hardening as he tried to decide which of the ladies he'd pick off first.
“Blondie die first!” he finally screeched in Goblin, apparently not aware that 'blondie' spoke his language. As he crept towards her, brandishing his spear menacingly, she eased herself into a battle stance, ready to slit his throat. Whirda prepared to lunge, but then--
Thunk.
The goblin's advance was cut short as an arrow pierced his skull. He didn't even have time to wail in protest.
Thump.
The goblin slumped to the floor in complete silence. The blow killed him instantly – he didn't even have time to cry in protest. Nyx and Whirda shot each other confused glances before advancing towards the corpse. Nyx turned to scout the trees for any signs of an archer, but they were lifeless. Meanwhile, Whirda tugged the arrow free of his skull and held it up to the light to get a better look.
“As I expected.”
“Elves?”
“Yeah. Any sign of them?”
“Not that I can see.”
“Typical.”
Some would argue that Nyx wasn't very 'worldly', but she knew enough to recognize the work of an elven archer when she saw it. They had the uncanny ability of being practically invisible if they wanted to be, and their arrows were often silent and aimed with deadly precision. The goblin was a shining example of that.
The forest fell silent again, save for the sound of the retreating drums. Nyx jerked her head in the direction of the sound. “Shall we? If the elves wanted us dead, we'd know about it.”
Whirda nodded in agreement. “You sure you're ready?”
“As ready as I'll ever be. I have something I want to try.”
The steady beating of the drums grew louder as they approached. Soon, the warband itself came into view. Nyx's gaze was immediately drawn to the three goblins at the heart of the warband: the leader and his lieutenants. Each of them rode strange beasts Nyx recognized to be raptors – strange scaly dinosaur-like creatures that walked on two legs and had two spindly little arms. They were known for their speed and ferocity. The strange thing was that they were all decorated in a ritualistic manner with feathers and bones – Nyx guessed that was the work of the shamans, who also seemed to be serving as the leader's lieutenants.
The rest of the goblins were on foot. The warband itself was in a fairly standard formation, with the brawlers protecting the casters. Nyx couldn't see any archers amongst the party on foot, so she assumed that they would be following from the safety of the treetops. She wasn't far wrong. The goblins lacked the subtlety the elves had, and the odd rustle of leaves helped to give an indication of where they were hiding, or where they had been.
The heaving mass of green skin ground to a halt as it reached the remains of the scouting party. The beast the leader rode let out a terrifying screech, which apparently was a recognized signal within the warband as the goblins on foot quickly moved to investigate. The leader and his lieutenants advanced much slower, forming a grim procession towards the remnants of their allies. A few of the archers hung from the trees, wanting to get a closer look at the scene.
In unison, Nyx and Whirda readied their weapons. Whirda drew her kukri, sinking into a battle stance. Nyx unfurled the bandage from around her palm and reached for her trusted dagger, joining Whirda in a low battle stance. Silently, they advanced. Whirda had her eyes set on the rear guard, a trio of goblins. They remained behind as the others moved closer toward the clearing. Among the rear guard were a brawler, a mage and a scout. They frequently jostled with one another, hissing at each other in a language Nyx didn't understand.
“Are you thinking what I'm thinking?”