Limitless Lands: Book 1

by Dean Henegar

  Bhurke took one look at the chest the goblins held and shouted to his men, “There it is boys; the caravan pay chest! After those gobs! Payday for all of us when we catch them!” With that the whole force of mercenaries began to run after the goblins. It was then that I noticed that one of the goblins carrying the chest had a patch over his eye. That was the goblin that murdered Private Long. Knowing this goblin was far too sneaky to be caught unaware by our noisy caravan, this had to be a trap. They were the bait to lure us into the forest.

  “Stop! It’s a trap, Bhurke. They’ll be more goblins in the forest waiting to ambush you!” I yelled after him.

  “Get back here, or you’ll never work a caravan run again!” Daegan threatened.

  Five of the mercenaries turned back from the rush to the forest, sheepishly making their way back to the caravan. I remembered these five as some of the few mercenaries who had tried to do their job well. They didn’t fall asleep at their post, and didn’t participate in taunting my men.

  When they arrived back to us, one of them spoke. “Sorry Mr. Daegan, we all want to actually do our jobs. If I didn’t need the coin so bad I’d have never signed with the likes of Kofi and Bhurke. We’ll do what you hired us to do and stay to protect the caravan.” They moved back toward the wagons and I gave the man who spoke up a nod of approval.

  It was then I noticed Yendys and her two companions sprinting to the forest as well. She was in the same gear as yesterday and her two halfling companions wore what must have been the light leather starting gear. Her companions carried short bows in their hands and had a dagger in their belt. All three of the group were poorly equipped, they didn’t have a chance. “Yendys don’t go in, it’s a trap!” I yelled to her.

  She yelled back as she continued toward the tree line. “I know, but I just got notification that my animal companion is in the forest nearby! We’ll be careful, old soldier man!” I shook my head. Hopefully those kids could avoid the ambush that Bhurke and his men were surely walking into as the mercenaries were quite a bit ahead of the player group.

  “What do you want to do, Daegan? I don’t like those mercenaries, but I really don’t feel like leaving them, or Yendy’s and her companions, out there,” I asked.

  “I’ve never abandoned any of my caravan, even if they’re greedy fools. We’ll wait for them, but I’ll not leave the caravan strung out on the road as easy pickings for the goblins.” He scanned the terrain. Just past the burned-out caravan the road passed through a large open field a good distance from the tree line.

  “We’ll move the wagons over there.” Daegan pointed to the spot he had picked out. “That will keep us a bit further from the trees and I’ll have the drivers circle the wagons. We should probably prepare for an attack if what you guessed about the ambush is right.”

  Daegan had the drivers move out and begin the circle of wagons creating a makeshift defensive wall. While this was taking place, we began to hear goblin horns sound in the distance. The horns blew the one long and two short notes we had heard after our previous battle with the goblins. I had to assume this was the signal for them to attack and I heard that signal repeated from other locations in the forest five more times. Who knew how many goblins were in there waiting to ambush Bhurke and the halflings.

  The wagons were quickly circled and then the Mukok were unhitched and tethered to the ground inside the circle. They were typically calm beasts and the sounds of battle shouldn’t spook them into a frenzy. To reduce that chance, the drivers also tied blindfolds around the heads of the beasts which they said helped to calm them. I asked Barnaby and his people to help organize the settlers, separating any who had fighting skills and building a second barricade inside the circle of wagons using boxes of supplies to provide protection for the noncombatants. Sergeant Brooks then detailed 3rd squad to drive our defensive stakes into the ground around the wagons. I had remembered the goblins crawling underneath them to slash at the legs of the loggers in our previous fight and wanted to stop any similar shenanigans if we were attacked. I gathered the other two squads and marched them fifty yards from the circle of wagons to meet any foes head on. My men had been working hard, and the out-of-shape recruits from a week ago had hardened up. Muscle instead of flab showed and they could perform their basic fighting drills by instinct. Fighting in formation outside the wagons would be our best bet.

  Daegan hadn’t been idle either. The drivers were organized and began to douse the wagons and supplies with water to keep them from burning easily. He also detailed the few remaining mercenaries and some of the settlers to refill the large water barrels from the stream that was fifty yards behind the caravan. Stocking up on water was a good idea since the day was beginning to heat up. I had our men drink their water skins and sent a few men off to fill them again. Fighting is always thirsty work. I made myself a mental note to get the men extra water skins. Looking back toward the wagons, I noticed that Daegan’s drivers and most of the settlers were positioned behind the wagons with a few finishing up the secondary barricade of shipping crates. The defenders behind the wagons were poorly armed. The majority armed only with simple knives, shovels, or wooden staves. Armor was nonexistent among them, and only two or three had a shield. I ran back to the wagons, looking about until I found Daegan.

  “Daegan, I noticed your people and the settlers don’t have much in the way of weapons. I have a few spare short swords and some javelins stowed in our wagons that you can distribute,” I told him while detailing off one of my privates to show Daegan where the weapons were stored.

  “That should help a lot. All my men and most of the adult settlers are willing to fight. Having decent weapons could save some lives if the goblins attack. I’ll make sure the weapons get into the hands of those best able to use them,” Daegan said.

  “Sir, I know that many of the guards have extra weapons in their packs. If you like, my men and I could try to find them and get them issued out as well.” The mercenary who had spoken up earlier said this, offering to help in any way he could. My estimation of this particular mercenary had gone up another notch. I focused on his info.

  Liam, Mercenary Warrior, NPC

  “That would be a big help, Liam. I’m putting you in charge of the remaining mercenaries until you hear otherwise, or until Bhurke makes it back. Find those weapons then take any orders Daegan gives you. My men and I will be fighting out here. I’m counting on your men to help keep the settlers safe. You five are the only ones with any real training in combat. Make sure to utilize Barnaby and his loggers. I’ve seen them fight before, and those axes they wield are deadly to goblins as well as logs.” Liam nodded his head and gave his best impression of an imperial salute before running off to follow his orders.

  Chapter 14

  I wracked my brain trying to decide if there was anything else to be done in order to improve our odds. Feeling as prepared as possible, I settled down to wait for either a goblin attack, or for Bhurke and the halflings to return. I let most of the men sit to conserve their energy, while several watched the tree line for any activity. Earlier I thought I could hear distant shouts and the sounds of weapons clashing on the wind, but all had been quiet in the forest for the last few minutes. All too soon, one of my men on watch called out.

  “Movement in the tree line, sir! It looks like the halflings,” One of the privates reported.

  Looking toward the trees, I could see Yendys, along with her companions Drake and Quimby, moving as fast as they could toward the circled wagons. Quimby limped slowly along, resting his arm around Drake’s shoulder for support. His hobbling was slowing them down considerably and Yendys looked between the forest and Quimby before coming to a decision. She knelt next to Quimby as Drake covered the forest with his bow. A faint green glow could be seen coming from Yendys hand as she touched Quimby’s injured leg. Whatever healing magic she had used seemed to help a bit and Quimby was able to move a bit faster, but not quite at full speed.

  “Private Tremble, let Sergeant Brooks kn
ow I need him and 3rd Squad here on the double. It looks like we’re going to have company soon,” I ordered. Looking toward the circle of wagons, I could see that Sergeant Brooks was already moving with 3rd Squad toward us. “Cancel that private, he’s already on his way. Back to your post.”

  “On your feet!” I ordered to the men who had been sitting. They popped up and then sorted out quickly into line formation. Sergeant Brooks arrived soon after.

  “Sir, where do you want 3rd Squad, sir?” Brooks asked.

  “Have them fall in behind 1st and 2nd. We’ll use them either as a reserve, or to extend the line depending on how many goblins we have inbound,” I ordered.

  Yendys jogged up to me while her companions made their way to the caravan. “Soldier man, Raytak, we got a BUNCH of goblins headed this way. That moron, Bhurke and his men were strung out all over the forest looking for the goblin with the pay chest when hordes of the little greenies hit them. His goons didn’t last five minutes before they were all dead or prisoner. I could see that Bhurke and a few of his men were clubbed down and taken toward the goblin camp while we ran back here. I did mention we found the goblin camp while looking for my unicorn, didn’t I? No, oh ok, yeah, we found their main camp and I’d say there’s about 200 goblins total headed this way. Bhurke and his boys dropped about twenty or thirty of them before they were overrun, but the rest are right behind us. One of them is a caster, even, and blasted poor Quimby in the leg while we were making our way back.”

  “Thanks for the report, Yendys. Head back to the wagons and help Daegan with the defense there, if you can. Your companions and their bows could be a great help in the coming fight,” I advised. Yendys nodded and began to jog to the caravan before stopping abruptly and turning back toward me.

  “Sorry, Raytak. I almost forgot the MOST important thing I need to report to you, sir!” She did a fake salute and continued, “I have to unfortunately report that I haven’t yet found a unicorn, dragon, or dragon unicorn. But the day’s not over and my animal companion is STILL out there; I can feel it! I’ll go help out now at the wagons. Shout if you need me!” She waved and trotted toward the circled wagons singing some song about rainbows and pink, fluffy unicorns. I stood there shaking my head.

  “That kid’s not right in the head, if you don’t mind my saying so sir,” Sergeant Brooks advised.

  “I wouldn’t disagree sergeant. Definitely something wrong with her. I think her heart’s in the right place, but her mind is in some other world,” I said.

  At that time, the goblins began to arrive. Crashing through the forest, they began to mass just outside the tree line. As the goblins poured out, they began chanting, cursing, and brandishing their weapons along with the heads of some of the mercenaries they had killed. Scanning their numbers, I found that most were the wretched goblin type we had faced earlier, weak fighters but still dangerous since they were present in huge numbers. Unfortunately for us, there were even more than Yendys had thought. I estimated there were close to 300 of the wretched goblins facing our forces. There were also twenty or so of the slightly stronger warrior goblins. Last to arrive was the goblin, adept. It looked like the same one we had fought earlier, but I had to admit I wasn’t a pro at telling goblins apart. The adept walked to the forefront of the mass of goblins and began to lead them in the chant we heard before.

  “Bree-Yark!”

  “Bree-Yark!”

  “Bree-Yark!”

  At least this time it was obvious to all present that Bree-yark did not mean, “I surrender”. I glared at the private who had said that in our earlier battle, daring him to spout off again. After working his horde up to a frenzy, the adept pointed toward our line and the mass of wretched goblins charged. The adept and the warriors fell in well behind the wretched goblins, content to use them as a meat shield as they overran our position.

  “Sergeant Brooks bring 3rd Squad in line on the right flank. We will extend our formation, but be ready to refuse the flank if the goblins try to get around us,” I ordered. I would have preferred holding some forces in reserve but with that many goblins, I needed as long a front as possible. I positioned myself in the line between 1st and 2nd Squad. That way all of our soldiers should be covered by the commanding presence aura from either myself or Sergeant Brooks. Brooks took the dangerous spot on the far right of our line.

  “Prepare javelins. Release on my mark.” Each man had been given three javelins and I planned to start using them at extreme range, in this case about fifty yards. The wretched goblins began to close. At one hundred yards, two of the goblins pitched into the ground with arrows protruding from their chests. When the goblins fell, they knocked over several of their comrades, creating a domino effect on the tightly packed horde. Taking a quick glance back to the caravan, I could see the halflings Drake and Quimby standing atop one of the wagons calmly firing their short bows into the wretched goblins. Several more goblins fell to the archers before they hit the fifty yard maximum range of the javelins.

  “Release! Prepare your next javelin!” With a heave I threw the javelin while issuing the order to prepare our next throw. Thirty-one other javelins followed mine taking a slow arc then tipping down to land amongst the leading goblins. With the tightly packed group, it was hard to miss. Dozens went down either from the javelins or from being pushed over by other goblins trying to avoid the missile fire. While observing this, I readied my second javelin.

  “Release! Prepare your last javelin!” Once again, we threw our javelins. The goblins had closed to thirty-five yards, but their momentum was slowed by the first volley. The second volley landed with less damage, still killing and wounding over ten goblins, but not causing the same chaos that the first volley achieved.

  “Release! Prepare to receive charge!” We threw our last javelins and the men raised shields as one. Swords slid from sheaths with a hiss while we prepared for the goblins to hit our shield wall. Quickly turning back to the caravan, I yelled to the two halflings atop the wagon. “Hit the caster if you can get a clear shot!” I hoped they heard me. Getting some ranged arrow hits on the caster may disrupt any spells he would sling at us. Our last volley hit the goblins hard. Being less than ten yards from our line, the men were throwing at the optimal range to do damage. Many of the throws from our stronger soldiers sent the missiles through more than one small goblin body, skewering the one behind the target as well. All told nearly seventy goblins had been killed by the combined arrow and javelin ranged fire. Unfortunately for us, that left over 200 to hit our thin line of thirty soldiers.

  As they approached, many of the goblins avoided our line, rushing to the sides and heading toward the wagons of the caravan. I had to hope that Daegan would be able to handle the forty or fifty headed his way as I had a fight on my hands with the over one hundred goblins hitting my line. The goblins hit our shield wall not in an overwhelming wave but in dribs and drabs, their mass thinned from the ranged fire and from many of their fellows choosing to move past us toward the potentially easier target of the wagons. The large shields as well as the discipline we had drilled into our men, began to show their value. As a goblin hit our line, the greater individual mass of our soldiers stopped them cold. The danger came as more and more goblins hit the line and began to flow around our flanks.

  “Right flank, left flank, refuse!” Sergeant Brooks and I shouted the order for the last five soldiers on each end of the line to swing inward like a door hinge, effectively keeping the goblins from getting around our flanks…at least for the time being. The wretched goblins beat about our shield wall with crude clubs and rusty daggers, causing little damage but making lots of noise. Eventually their superior number would encircle us. It was time to do something about those numbers.

  “Ready on the line…Bash!” I activated the shield bash ability. Goblins flew back from the line. Many were injured or knocked down by the heavy blow.

  “Thrust!” Swords thrust out from behind shields. The men aiming not for the goblins in front of them, but inst
ead stabbing the goblins to their right. A wail went up from the unprepared goblins as over twenty of their number died in that single thrust. The dumbfounded goblins were only focusing on the soldier in front of them, never suspecting their death would be coming instead from the man to their right. The unarmored goblin flesh proved no match for Imperial bronze. This maneuver had become second nature to our troops. Sergeant Brooks and I had drilled this with them for hours each night while on the road. It was the payoff for all the sweat they had shed for the prior week’s training.

  We soon found our rhythm. The line would attack with a quick thrust, then take a step forward into the gap the dead goblins left, all the while using the large shields to protect ourselves and the soldiers next to us. The cycle repeated over and over, leaving a carpet of dead or dying wretched goblins in our wake. Seeing their fellows so easily butchered, the weak-willed goblins in front of us began to falter. I could feel they were close to breaking. Only thirty or forty of the small goblins remained.

  I heard the goblin horn sound three quick blasts, the signal for retreat we had heard before. Another ten goblins were cut down as they turned and began running back toward the forest. Back at the tree line I could see the adept cradling one of his arms, an arrow sticking out of it, I had the feeling I would owe some halfling archers a drink or two once we got to a tavern. The halfling rangers must have thinned out the warrior goblins as well. I could only count fourteen of them making their way back to the trees.

  Turning my attention back to the caravan, the goblins there hadn’t fared much better than their comrades. Trying to climb over the wagons left them nearly defenseless, easy prey even for the untrained men and women of the caravan. The remnants of the goblins that attacked the wagons now began to flee back to the woods as well. A puff of green smoke appeared in the midst of the goblins and a medium sized dog appeared, summoned by Yendys. The dog immediately began to attack the nearest goblin.