Greenways Goblins (Resurrection Quest Book 1)

by Daniel Schinhofen

  “Try to leave one alive. Maybe I can get it to tell us stuff,” Tom said as he went over the tree.

  “Good luck with that,” Dick said, firing a jinx ray at the next goblin that made it to its feet.

  “How long does slip last?” Tom asked, not wanting to step into the area.

  “A minute,” Dick said. He fired another jinx ray at the same goblin, because it had not died with the first ray.

  “We only have two left,” Tom grumbled. “Leave the smaller one alive.”

  “Sure, sure,” Harry said as he put his crossbow onto his back. “Dick, he’s yours.”

  “Fair,” Dick said, hitting the next to last goblin with two more jinx rays. “There’s one left alive.”

  “Stop moving or die,” Tom growled at the runty goblin.

  Whimpering, it stopped trying to get up, “Gruk going to eat me.”

  “I’ll eat you first if you don’t do as you’re told,” Tom said as the slip spell dissipated. Moving to the goblin, Tom picked up the pathetic creature by the neck. “Now, meat, you’re going to tell us about Gruk and everything else I want to know.”

  “No hurt Fubble! No hurt,” Fubble pleaded. “Fubble tell, tell lots.”

  “Good, but we have to make sure you tell the truth, meat. You see, goblins lie a lot, and we can’t have you lying to us,” Tom smiled. “Harry, let me borrow your knife, then you and Dick might want to take a small walk.”

  “You’re seriously going to torture that thing?” Harry asked, pulling his knife out and setting it on the tree.

  “It’s going to be incentive, and yeah, I might be cutting on him,” Tom replied, grinning wider as Fubble kept repeating that he would never lie. “I know you’re not good with the idea, so walk.”

  “If it gets us what we need,” Dick shrugged. “I’m glad Kevin isn’t here right now. You know he’d be shitting all over this idea.”

  Harry looked at what was left of his food, shook his head, and went in the direction the goblins had come from. “Just don’t prolong it.”

  With his two friends leaving, Tom let the smile slip. “Now, Fubble, I’m going to demonstrate what happens when you lie. After that we’ll have a nice talk, okay? Tell me the sky is red.”

  Fubble’s face screwed up in confusion for a moment. “Sky is red?”

  Nodding, Tom pinned Fubble to the tree with one hand, the two-foot creature nowhere near strong enough to get away from him. Grabbing the knife, Tom cut a deep groove into Fubble’s calf. Fubble thrashed, screaming, but could not get away.

  Tom kept the goblin pinned against the tree while he waited for the creature to stop screaming. Once Fubble calmed down, Tom smiled again, “That is what happens when you lie, understand?”

  “Yes, yes. Fubble sorry. Sky blue, blue sky,” Fubble cried.

  “Good,” Tom said. Sticking the knife into the tree, he grabbed the scraps of food Harry had left behind. “If you are honest with me, maybe you can have a reward.” Holding up a small chunk of the cheese, Tom gave Fubble another smile. Fubble failed to notice the lack of warmth in his eyes. “What is your name?”

  “Fubble,” the goblin replied instantly.

  “Good goblin,” Tom said condescendingly. “Say ah?”

  “Ah?” Fubble said, opening its mouth.

  Tom dropped the cheese into its mouth, letting it enjoy the small bite of food. “Has Gruk ever given you food?”

  “No. Gruk eat, then we fight for scraps,” Fubble replied, glancing at the rest of the food near his head.

  “Now, now, Fubble, don’t be greedy,” Tom said. “You’ll get more when I think you deserve it.”

  “Yes, yes. Fubble listen,” Fubble replied, seeming to calm some.

  “Good. Now, let’s move onto what I need to know,” Tom smiled. “How many goblins are there at your home?”

  “None,” Fubble said quickly, eyes going back to the food, not expecting the knife to cut into him again.

  “Fubble, you were told what happens when you lie,” Tom said soothingly as he waited for Fubble to calm down again.

  “No at home, driven out. Gruk lead us closer to village,” Fubble cried.

  Tom chuckled, “Oops. Sorry about that buddy. Here, have some more food.” Tom’s eyes held all the warmth of a snake as he gave Fubble some of the fruit.

  ~*~*~

  The first scream from the goblin made Harry shudder. “Dude, I’m worried about him.”

  “He’ll be fine. He might just cross the line at times here,” Dick said. “Tom’s embracing this world, maybe a bit more fully than even we are.”

  “He’s torturing the goblin,” Harry snapped. “We don’t need to. We can find the goblins on our own.”

  “Wait and see. If he doesn’t get anything useful from it, then we can have a friendly chat with him. If Tom does get good info, you might need to reconsider the options we have open to us. It’s not like he’s torturing a person. It’s a goblin: a small malicious creature that kills and takes what it wants.”

  Exhaling deeply, Harry tried to accept what Dick was saying. A second, more agonizing scream carried to where the two friends had paused to wait. “I don’t like it.”

  “Would you rather they kill Sara, Charlie, or Wilma?” Dick asked flatly. “You know what my thoughts were on certain demographics of people back on earth. I could give two shits less about a goblin. As long as he doesn’t skin and wear it, I’m good.”

  Harry looked away from Dick, the loss of Kevin a bit more poignant for him in that moment. “Fine, but if this doesn’t pan out, I want it taken off the table in the future.”

  Dick nodded, “Fair. I’ll side with you if that is the case.”

  A long moment of silence fell between the friends as they waited. The goblin screamed a few more times until the last time, which cut off with a gurgle. Dick brushed his hands off and started back toward the clearing. Harry, looking a bit ill, followed a few yards behind him.

  Tom waved at his friends. He had a big smile on his face as he bent over one of the goblins and smashed his fist into its mouth. “Good news. Fubble, my friend over there, told me that Gruk, the leader, is holed up in an abandoned cabin about a dozen hours from here. There are at least thirty goblins there. They were displaced from their home by a bunch of hoblins.”

  “Hoblins?” Dick asked.

  “Bigger goblins, or something like that,” Tom shrugged. “He wasn’t giving me good answers at that point.”

  Harry stood there, staring at his friend the whole time. “Why are you punching that thing in the mouth?”

  “He has a golden hoop through one of his teeth,” Tom said, prying the tooth free. “Noticed it when I cut his ear off. Oh, almost forgot Fubble’s.”

  When Tom went to cut off Fubble’s ear, the other two exchanged a look. Dick shrugged, “We’ll keep an eye on him,” he said softly.

  “That’s all of them,” Tom grinned as he dropped the ear into a sack he tied to his belt.

  “Where did you get the sack?” Harry asked.

  “Took it from Fubble. He doesn’t need it anymore,” Tom shrugged.

  Harry looked past Tom to where the naked goblin lay sprawled out on the fallen tree. “His loincloth?”

  “It works for their ears. I’m not going to put them into one of our bags,” Tom said, looking disgusted. “Oh, Dick, can you clean this thing for me?”

  Dick nodded slowly, using occultism to clean the modified pouch. “Done. Are we going to go for a bit, camp for the night, and then hit them tomorrow?”

  “It’s the best idea,” Tom said. “According to Fubble, Gruk likes to nap in the afternoon.”

  “Follow me,” Harry said, moving away from the other two, cleaning his reclaimed crossbow bolt as he went.

  As they followed, Tom leaned in toward Dick, keeping his voice down, “He okay?”

  “The torture unsettled him,” Dick said.

  “A bit more like his brother than I thought,” Tom sighed. “I’ll try to keep my impulses down.”

>   “Thanks. You okay?”

  “Great,” Tom grinned. “Let’s go kill some gobs and earn our loot.”

  ~*~*~

  When they stopped for the night, the sun was still up. Stepping away from the trail they had been following, they found a clump of brush to use as a hide. Tom pulled out their food and went about preparing a meal. Harry pulled out a tarp and strung it up overhead because the sky above them started to become overcast. Dick used occultism to clean their clothes and camping spot, making it a bit nicer for them.

  The group was subdued as they ate. The long silence stretched on until Tom broke it. “How did the crossbow handle for you?”

  “I have to use both arms to cock it,” Harry said. “Might see if we can get a stirrup added to the front of it for me, or find a smaller crossbow.”

  “Something to look for when we get to a town or city,” Dick said.

  “Maybe some real weapons and gear if we can get enough coin, too,” Harry added.

  “I don’t need either much, but if I can find a teacher for more spells, that’ll eat all the money I can get. What about you, Tom?”

  “I don’t need weapons and can’t use armor, so both are a bit superfluous for me,” Tom shrugged. “No magic to train, either, so no idea yet. Maybe just relaxation? We’ll have to burn that bridge after we cross it.”

  “We setting watches tonight?” Dick asked.

  “Two-ish hours for each of us, and then six for you,” Harry said. “That’ll give us all enough rest to not feel dog tired.”

  “I get stuck with extra watch,” Dick sighed.

  “Suck it, elf-boy. That’s what you get for needing less,” Tom chuckled.

  “I will take solace in the fact that you will die before me if things go wrong,” Dick replied.

  “We still need to ask the bigger question,” Harry said, breaking up their back and forth. “Do we just kill the gobs and head back, or are we going to see about the hoblins?”

  “Kill them, head back, and then let Orbin know that a bigger threat might be about,” Tom suggested. “If he wants, we can come back out to deal with them. For a higher price, of course.”

  “I was wondering... do you think the gobs being pushed out by the hobs is a normal occurrence?” Dick asked the other two.

  “Maybe we’ll find out,” Harry replied. “I’m betting it comes down to what kind of place they had. They might have had the best water source in the area or a stable food supply.”

  “That begs the question of David and why he was captured instead of killed,” Dick said.

  “He was either mobile food supply, or they wanted to use him for another reason. Maybe as a bargaining chip with the hobs?”

  “I can see that... a peace offering,” Harry said. “Which means he’d be shipped off to the hobs, and a deal would be in progress for the two tribes.”

  “Bridge. Burning. Later,” Tom said. “Roshambo for first watch?”

  “Sure,” Harry said, holding out his fist.

  Dick held up a hand, then dropped it, “Begin.”

  Pumping their fists with each syllable of the word, the two friends threw out their choice on the bo. Harry held out rock while Tom and Dick held scissors. Harry fist pumped, and Tom flipped him off.

  “Suck it. Still champion,” Harry laughed.

  “You’re going to lose one of these days,” Tom grumbled.

  “I can’t believe you chose that as the contest,” Dick laughed. “It would have been an even match if you had me choose a number instead.”

  “Whatever,” Tom said. “Fuck you both, I’m going to bed.” Snagging one of the blankets, Tom rolled himself up in it and tried to get comfortable.

  “Watches start when the sun sets,” Dick told Harry, who was still smiling over his win.

  “Figured,” Harry shrugged. “Get your sleep, pointy. We’ll need you ready for tomorrow.”

  “That’s what they all say,” Dick chuckled as he grabbed the other blanket.

  Chapter Eleven

  Tom was not happy to be woken for his watch, but he got up and did the job. Lips pursed, he came to the realization that it would be hard to accurately judge time. Staying on his feet to make sure he did not fall back to sleep, he did some mental math and began to silently count.

  Tom lost his count somewhere between four and five thousand. Guessing where he had been, he kept going until he slipped again just over seven thousand. Starting again at one, he counted out the last few hundred before he went to wake Dick.

  “I’ll take over,” Dick whispered, getting to his feet before Tom could even move toward him.

  “Thanks,” Tom mumbled and snagged the blankets Dick had vacated, going back to sleep as soon as he laid down.

  Dick felt wide awake, so he took a seat near his friends. Checking over their gear, he rearranged the three bags. All the food went into one, camping items fit into the second, and all other items went into the third. Using the straps on the bags, he attached the anti-venom vial to Tom’s bag and the liquid fire vial to his own.

  An unknown time later, distant voices caught his attention. Goblins... should I wake them or let them sleep...? I’ll let them sleep. If they get closer, I’ll wake them. Plan in mind, Dick waited to see if the goblins would be coming closer. After a few minutes, the voices faded away, heading down the backtrail. Well fuck, they’ll find the bodies. We’ll have to decide to turn back and go after them or push forward.

  The next couple of hours dragged slowly for Dick, but in time, the sky began to change color, letting him know dawn was coming. Setting out breakfast, he woke his friends, nudging each with his foot. “Wake up. Food is ready, and we need to talk.”

  “If I ever pull last watch, I’m going to kick you, too,” Tom muttered as he sat up.

  “What’s up?” Harry yawned.

  “An hour ago, goblins went past us toward the bodies we left back there.” Dick explained. “After them or onward?”

  Tom was wide awake now. “I think it’s best if we don’t get pincered. It’s already going to be up in the air since we don’t know if more groups have been sent out, but we know these ones are here.”

  “I agree. Go after them, kill them, then head for the camp,” Harry agreed, munching on a handful of dried fruit.

  Tom nodded. He had already finished his meal and was bundling the blankets up. Dick took the blankets and stuffed them into the bag they belonged in, explaining his rework of the bags.

  “Sounds good,” Harry said. “Let’s go. We don’t want them to get even farther ahead.”

  Following Harry, the other two moved as quietly as they could while keeping up with him. It was a couple of hours before they caught the group of goblins. The five goblins were having an argument very similar to the one they had heard from Fubble’s group. Closing the distance to strike, the three men felt confident, right up until Tom’s foot came down on a dry stick.

  The clear snap of the twig made the goblins look behind them. “Elf-spawn and dwarf? Get them! Gruk be happy with us,” the largest of them snarled as it began to spin a leather sling around.

  “Fuck,” Tom snapped, stepping in front of Dick.

  Dick recited his spell, using slip to coat the area right in front of the four goblins charging at them. The goblins went down, sliding forward and becoming entangled with each other.

  “Shaman,” the leader howled as it released the stone.

  Tom grunted and sidestepped, intercepting the stone with his chest. Deep pain radiated from the wound, and the shortness of breath that immediately followed made him think some ribs had been broken. He used clotting blood and the pain vanished, his breathing becoming easier. The goblin had reloaded its sling and was spinning a second stone around. “Harry, come on.”

  “I was out of range for melee and had a bad angle,” Harry said, his bolt catching the goblin in the side. “I’ll finish this one.”

  “Trow?” the goblin leader asked, obviously surprised by the crossbow bolt. Its eyes widened. “Adventurers�
�� Gruk must be told.”

  Dick’s jinx ray hit the goblin in the back when it turned to flee. “It didn’t die?” he asked, surprised when the goblin staggered, but stayed on its feet. He had been expecting it to die and had not started casting again.

  “Got him,” Harry said as a second bolt flew. The goblin let go of the branch it had brushed aside, which was enough to deflect the crossbow bolt. “Fucking shit fuck!” Harry snapped, taking off running after the goblin. “I’ll get him! Kill those.”