by Eric Vall
“I’ll keep looking around, but we need to prepare for the worst,” I warned the three women. “Go ahead and arm yourselves.”
“We’re going to get our weapons,” Nicola said as she looked at the gnomes with a steady expression. “Try to stay calm. We promised to protect you, and we will.”
The brunette walked the few short feet back to the inside of the priestesses’ living quarters and slipped on her own sword belt before she picked up a handful of dangerous items and walked back to the fire.
“We have our swords, too,” Wilfrim said as he looked at Nicola’s weapon and patted his belt. “We never go anywhere without them.”
“Smart.” Penelope nodded.
“What do we have?” Aleia mused as she looked at what the dark-haired woman had grabbed. “I suppose it’s a sling, two bows, and a few spears.”
“I’m happy with a spear,” Penelope said as she reached out a hand to Nicola.
“Nicola, take a bow, too,” I instructed the dark-haired woman. “Then both you and Aleia will have a ranged weapon.”
“What are we doing?” the naiad fretted. “What’s the plan, master?”
“Try to get more information from the gnomes,” I instructed. “Find out exactly where they were when they got the feeling someone was following them. Did they hear hoofbeats?”
“Did you hear horses?” Nicola asked as she looked intently from one small creature to the next. “And was it the whole way here, or…”
“I felt it more strongly closer to our camp,” Wilfrim explained, “but I had the feeling they were moving in the same direction we were. But no, I didn’t hear anything.”
“You can’t let anyone discover the convent,” I warned my women. “I think you’re going to need to head whoever it is off at the pass.”
“What do you mean, my lord?” Aleia asked.
“Go out and search the woods,” I explained. “I don’t want you waiting here so long that the goblins find your living quarters. They could bring information like that back to the mountains, and tell everyone about the three beautiful women they found living alone in the middle of the woods.”
“Okay,” Penelope said. Her blue cheeks blanched a little and turned an even paler shade of cerulean, but she nodded firmly at the gnomes. “Jack has instructions.”
“What does your god say?” Elowise asked as she nervously chewed on her lower lip.
“He wants us to go to the woods,” Nicola explained. “Jack doesn’t want them to find the convent.”
“They already know where our camp is, so what does it matter--” Balabar complained.
“Not the time, Balabar,” Nissa said as she put a hand on her husband’s arm and shook her head.
“Fine,” the gnome man sighed. “As you know, I am coming to trust in Jack more and more. If that’s what Jack wants, that’s what we’ll do.”
“It makes sense,” Wilfrim said as he looked thoughtfully at the pile of weapons. “Especially because if they know where our camp is, we may need to hide here someday. Hey, you don’t have another sling, do you, girls?”
“Just the one,” Aleia said as she shook her head. She looked down at the spare bow, which was clearly too big for Wilfrim, and then she generously held out the sling she loved so much to the old man. “But I’m strong with a bow, too. If you want to use the sling, I’m happy to trade it out.”
“Thanks, Aleia,” the old man said with a grateful nod as he squeezed the weapon. “I’d feel stronger if I could shoot things out of the trees.”
“Understood.” Nicola stretched her hands out in front of her and cracked her knuckles, and I knew the brunette was ready to fight.
“I’ll stay here with the children,” Nissa said with pale cheeks and worried eyes. Roza began to fuss, and the blonde gnome woman started to sway back and forth to try to soothe the upset baby. “I hope it wasn’t the goblins. I’d prefer a wild animal stalking us through the woods.”
“Me too,” Wilfrim agreed, and then he turned to the priestesses. “We will follow your lead, so please, direct us.”
“Jack?” Nicola asked. “Can you tell us the rest of your plan?”
“Aleia, you’ll fly, of course,” I explained as I thought about what to do. “Penelope, Nicola, go down to the edge of the woods, and I’ll give you further directions.”
Nicola relayed my instructions to the gnomes, and then the small group sprang into action and started to march toward the forest.
“Should I head up to the sky now, my lord?” the fairy asked.
“Go ahead,” I replied, and Aleia flew up into the air and soared toward the trees.
The other two priestesses and the three gnomes stopped at the edge of the woods to await more instructions.
“What do you want us to do, master?” Penelope asked. “Should we start walking?”
“I want you to wait for Aleia,” I decided. “She can help me scan the area first, and then I’ll tell you where to go.”
I focused my attention to the lithe fairy sailing through the air with an expression of intense concentration on her face.
“How are you, Aleia?” I asked.
“My heart is beating really fast,” the strawberry-blonde told me. “I certainly wasn’t prepared for this today.”
“Yeah, you’re telling me,” I sighed. “But we really needed to be ready for those goblins to come back at any time.”
“I still can’t see anything through the trees,” Aleia sighed as she changed the subject. “You don’t think Wilfrim is crazy, do you?”
“He might be,” I admitted. “But better safe than sorry.”
The bright summer sun glared down onto the treetops and made it hard to see, so I turned my attention back to the ground. I almost didn’t expect to see anything at all, but then suddenly, something red caught my eye. It looked like a trick of the light at first, but then I zoomed in even closer and saw a goblin’s hideous face.
Fuck.
The ugly creature was marching through the woods at a rapid pace, and he held a wooden spear with a sharp metal tip. There was about a mile of forest between the gnome camp and the convent, but the goblins had already traversed about three quarters of the distance.
I was about to call out to Nicola and Penelope when I suddenly heard the goblin speak.
“Halt,” the red creature hissed.
To my dismay, I started to hear louder and louder rustling.
“Jack?” I heard Aleia ask in an anxious voice. “Are you there?”
“I’m here,” I said in a grim tone. “Wait a second.”
Then, a big gust of wind blew the brush back, and, all of a sudden, I caught a glimpse of something horrifying.
The first goblin had been talking to at least four other soldiers. They were in a straight line behind their leader, but their position had been obscured to me because they were ducking behind the thick foliage. They were armed with barbed spears that were at least the length of their approximately-four-foot bodies.
“What’s our plan, boss?” another goblin’s voice came out of the woods, and I carefully tuned in.
“Shh,” another voice whispered. “We’re trying to be quiet, aren’t we?”
“That’s right, I want to look for the gnomes, but we need to take it nice and slow,” the lead goblin growled. “We got lucky they weren’t around when we came to scout out their camp, but I don’t want them coming back while we’re taking their shit. If we look around long enough, and we don’t find them, we can get down to business. I just don’t want to fuck around after their history with Robert and Orm.”
“Robert and Orm are so fucking weak,” another goblin scoffed. “Those little bastards are even smaller than we are, so I’m not sure what the problem is.”
“I want their gold, and I don’t want to get caught,” the leader insisted. “Don’t need any bullshit out of this day, just goods.”
“What’s going on?” fierce little Aleia asked as she paused in the air and drew her bowstring. “We must p
rotect our convent at all costs.”
“Good girl,” I laughed. “It is goblins. They’ve come here to rob the gnomes and not to fight, but they’re already really close to the convent. I need you to get ready to shoot.”
“I understand.” The fairy nodded.
“I’m going to give your sisters their orders now,” I told the strawberry-blonde. “Stay on alert, but don’t attack just yet. I’ll let you know what to do. Nicola, Penelope, you’re going to be tracking these goblins through the forest. From what I could see, there are about six of them, and they’re only about a quarter of a mile away, so you need to tell the gnomes it’s time to move.”
“Yes, master,” the blue woman said with a big sigh, and then she turned to the rest of her party. “We all need to be very quiet now. There are goblins about a quarter of a mile away, and we’re going to tiptoe through the woods for a sneak attack.”
“Damn,” Balabar swore. “I was hoping it wasn’t them again.”
“Don’t you worry about us, Penelope,” Elowise whispered. “We can creep right through the trees on silent feet, and no one will hear a thing. You just lead the way, girls.”
“That’s good.” Nicola nodded with a determined set to her lips. “Let’s go.”
“We’re also here to cover you, girls,” Wilfrim said to the priestesses. “We really don't want to put you in too much danger.”
“That’s kind of you,” the brunette responded, “but we’re your sworn protectors, and we’re very fierce. We’ll travel ahead by a little ways, and you can stand back until it’s time. I don’t want any of you being injured if these goblins catch us off guard.”
“You’re so brave,” I praised the dark-haired priestess as the party began to creep quietly through the woods and slink from tree to tree. “I want you to lead this group.”
Nicola didn’t respond in words, but a pleased smile spread across her lips, and her tan cheeks grew pink. The brunette sped up a little to move ahead of Penelope, and then she turned back to the rest of the group and held up a finger to her lips.
“What are they doing, my lord?” Aleia cut in. “I still can’t see much.”
“Wait for your sisters and the gnomes to reach the goblins,” I explained to the fairy. “I want all of you to ambush them at once.”
“I’m here, master,” Aleia said with pursed lips. “Just let me know.”
The gnomes and the priestesses were almost silent as they crept across the forest floor, but every so often the underfoot crack of a branch made me flinch. The party was almost within striking range of the goblins, who were also almost entirely quiet.
“Get ready, Nicola and Aleia,” I said to the two priestesses. “You have those bows, and it’s almost your time to shine. Can you see them yet, Nicola? We’re lucky their red color stands out from the green.”
“I can’t,” the brunette said as she gritted her teeth and peered off through the trees.
“You’re going to meet them in a small clearing,” I explained. “On my count, you need to strike.”
“Wilfrim!” Nicola whispered over her shoulder. “We’ve almost caught up to the goblins, and I want you to get ready with your sling. Balabar and Elowise can back us up with their swords.”
“Yes, ma’am,” the old gnome nodded. “I’m prepared.”
The brunette led Penelope and the gnomes a few feet further to the edge of the clearing, and they all peeked from around thick tree trunks in search of the goblins.
“Jack, they’re on the other side of the clearing,” Aleia hissed. “They’re right there…”
“I know,” I responded. “Just another minute or two…”
And then suddenly, with wide, nervous eyes, the leader of the goblins entered the clearing.
He glanced around at the open space, which was around fifteen feet across, and he crooked a red finger and beckoned to his troops. When the goblins all encroached upon the clearing, I knew it was time for me to count down.
“Three, two, one!” I said in the priestesses’ heads. “Gooooo!”
Everything happened all at once.
Aleia shot an arrow from the air, but it barely whizzed by a goblin’s shoulder, and the ugly creature looked around in shock.
“Get down!” the goblin shouted, and all of the red monsters instinctively ducked and covered their heads. Several of them scrambled to pull out their spears, too, but I didn’t wait long enough for them to all get the chance.
“Shoot again!” I implored the fairy. “You too, Nicola!”
The brunette released her first arrow from her position behind a tree, and it hit one of the goblins square beneath his shoulder blade. The projectile lodged deep into the goblin’s back, and the creature whirled around frantically to search for his assailant. Thin streams of deep red began to trickle out of his mouth and ears, and then he collapsed to his knees before sinking to the ground face-first.
“Yessss!” Nicola hissed. “One down.”
The goblins continued to look around with increasingly desperate expressions on their faces, and they each brandished their spear as they tried to figure out where the attacks were coming from.
“I got this,” Aleia said as she hovered just above the tops of the trees, and an arrow shot forth from her bow and directly into a second goblin’s eye.
“Holy shit, Aleia,” I gasped. “Nice one!”
The creature’s eye immediately burst into a mess of crimson goo, and he instinctively put his hand up to the fletched stick sticking out of his face before he keeled over backward.
Then a rock came sailing from the sling in Wilfrim’s hand, and it smashed into a different goblin’s forehead. A look of shock and panic flashed through the creature’s eyes, and he began to run.
Instead of retreating into the clearing, though, the monster with the oozing crater in his skull dashed forward directly into Penelope’s path. The goblin and the naiad stood frozen in place for a moment as their eyes locked, but then Penelope shrieked and drove her spear deep into the goblin’s abdomen.
The naiad had a look of horror on her face as she tried to yank her spear free again, but she only succeeded in raising the twitching creature a few feet off the ground. Then Penelope shook the long, wooden shaft with all her might, and the dead goblin went flying backward into a pile of dead leaves with a sickening crunch.
“Ughhh…” Penelope moaned as she stared at her spear, and the unidentifiable translucent goo on the shaft made her gag a little. Still, the brave blue naiad regained her bearings almost immediately and brandished her weapon again. “Which one of you is next?”
“Damn, Penelope,” I marveled, but there was no time left to chat.
Three goblins were still standing, and the general had his spear poised at Wifrim’s neck.
The little old man was quaking with fear as he attempted to pull his sword from his belt, but the goblin had him locked in place with his back against a tree. The hideous creature kicked the gnome in the balls and smashed him more firmly against the bark, and then, with a malicious laugh, he put his spear to the gnome’s throat again just to terrify him.
A thin scarlet line started to run down Wilfrim’s neck as he doubled over and clutched at his groin, and just as I was about to command the women to save him, an arrow streaked through the air and hit the general in the back of his neck.
A wine-colored geyser erupted from the front of the goblin leader’s throat, and I realized Aleia’s arrow had pierced all the way through his scrawny neck. The goblin reached one twisted red hand up toward his throat and the other toward the back of his head, and then with a pitiful whine, he collapsed on the forest floor.
“Only two left,” Penelope gasped as she stared at the goblins, who stood motionless between the trees with their snaggle-toothed mouths hanging open. “Sorry boys, but you’re dying today.”
“Like hell we are!” one of the creatures squeaked. “Regg, run for it!”
“This wasn’t fucking worth it--” the other goblin growled, but
then Nicola shot one last arrow from close range and pierced him directly in the heart.
“Yeahhh! Take that!” the brunette cheered as the injured goblin collapsed to the ground.
Then the projectile snapped in half beneath his broken body, and his friend took off running toward the road.
“Fuck this!” were his only words as he sprinted away.
Nicola and Aleia each let one more arrow fly, but they skimmed right past the disappearing goblin.
“Shit!” Aleia swore. “He’s going to get away.”
“Let him run,” I told the priestesses. “With any luck, he’ll warn the other goblins not to come back here.”
“As he should,” the fairy huffed while she sailed down toward the ground. “Wow, this was all so unexpected. But fun!”
“Yes, it was,” Nicola said, and then the brunette erupted into uncharacteristic nervous laughter. “But I… I can’t believe we killed that many goblins.”
“You’re so good with those arrows, sisters,” Penelope giggled in response to Nicola’s laughs, but her smile didn’t reach her eyes. “I am not sure I enjoy killing, though.”
“Sometimes you do what you have to do,” I told the naiad. “When you’re up against an armed opponent, you have to consider the price of deciding not to fight back. Those goblins all had spears, and you may be larger than them, but a weapon like that to the head or heart would be the end of you. The important thing is that none of you were harmed, the gnomes are safe, and none of the goblins know about the convent. Once the wall is built, you’ll be even safer.”
“That’s right, master,” Aleia chirped, and I was happy the strawberry-blonde was in decent spirits. “I’m proud of us for acting as quickly as we did. Let’s go back to the convent and let Nissa know all is well. There’s work to be done, and I, for one, would like to do something else today other than slay goblins.”
The fairy began to walk back toward the garden, and the rest of the group followed.
I admired the way the priestesses stood straight and proud as they returned from their battle. I was always happy when they felt good about themselves, and it could only make them stronger.
