Pure Choice dm-6

by Jeff Inlo

  He pressed through two swinging doors and the aim of the raid waited for him like treasure piled before a conquering warrior. For the large goblin, it was like finding a city of gold. Heaps of food seemed to wait on every table and in every corner. Meats, grains, fruits and vegetables appeared in every direction. There were shelves and cabinets filled with delicacies, and he wanted them all.

  "Fill your sacks!" Okyiq demanded.

  The goblins did so without hesitation, save for one, the one that Okyiq threw through the wide front window. The goblin was leaving a trail of blood wherever it stepped, even sent waves of thick red liquid across the floor as it pulled its large cloth bag from over its shoulder. While it moved through the stash of food with nearly the same vicious glee as its brethren, its vision quickly dimmed and the room began to swirl around it. It fainted with its sack only half full.

  Okyiq stepped up to the fallen goblin with fury.

  "Get up!"

  But the goblin had drifted off into unconsciousness from loss of blood.

  Okyiq kicked at the creature. Unfortunately for them both, the fallen monster failed to respond. It died at that very moment. The larger goblin cursed, pulled the half filled sack from the dead goblin's grasp, and threw it to another creature nearby.

  "Fill that one as well!" Okyiq demanded. He wanted a dozen sacks filled with food, and he would have it, even if one of his minions had to carry a double load.

  With the looting complete, Okyiq led his goblin party back out onto the streets. He surveyed the scene with impatience. The rain continued to fall in great sheets and pound the ground all around them. The conditions were near ideal for his minions to prowl through shadows and create chaos.

  The goblins had followed his commands. Many of them were hiding under the cover of porches or in small alleys, not allowing for archers to pick them off. Some were involved in small skirmishes with human guards that had moved in from the north, but the combat was limited, not what Okyiq had expected. He would have thought Burbon's soldiers would have rushed down from their elevated positions to meet the raiders head-on. He would have lost several goblins, but the threat of archers would have been eliminated.

  To Okyiq's growing annoyance, the majority of human soldiers were not actively engaging his minions. They showed great patience and resolve, qualities he always believed the humans had in sparse supply. They remained at their posts on the walls and in the towers. Very few guards moved in from street level, and those that did advanced cautiously and avoided full engagement. The small conflicts that erupted were controlled and quickly fell to the guards' advantage. Rather than allow the goblins to goad them into one furious encounter after another, the soldiers were forming lines to cut his minions off from the center of the town.

  Okyiq, however, didn't care about advancing further into Burbon. He wanted supplies, as much as he could take, but nothing more. He held no plans of conquering the human town, not with only two hundred goblins. He would never be able to hold his gains. Again, he was not an intelligent creature, but his considerations surpassed that of a normal goblin.

  He needed to create more havoc, to engage the human forces in condensed but bitter street brawls. He wanted mayhem, chaos that would distract the guards and allow him to send more pillagers into nearby shops and storehouses. For that, he needed the human archers off the wall and out of the towers, and all the ground forces occupied.

  Snarling with frustration, Okyiq looked about the streets, desperately searching for an answer, but his mind grew clouded. He had contemplated more strategy on that one night than he had done in an entire season. His mind was weary and irritation rattled his nerves.

  He almost ordered an immediate offensive. If the humans would not come off the wall or down from the towers, he would send his minions after them. It would be a suicide rush, but it would also create the necessary turmoil.

  Before he gave the order, he realized that his raiding party lacked any ranged weapons. Every short bow and crossbow had been left to the goblins still in the hills. Okyiq's raiders were armed only with short swords. They lacked the ability to attack the humans on higher ground unless they climbed to the higher elevations. If they did, they would be cut down by arrows and then outflanked by the soldiers in the streets. It would certainly be suicide, but it wouldn't be mayhem. It would be a quick slaughter.

  Not wishing to give up or to engage in a futile battle, Okyiq shouted out the only remaining order he could imagine.

  "Forget the soldiers! Take everything you find!"

  The goblins in the streets did not wish to leave the safety of their cover, but they had no choice. If they did not move, Okyiq would simply leave them behind to the soldiers. They scurried out from their hiding places and jumped toward the nearest buildings. Some were caught outside of locked doors or windows and were quickly brought down by human archers. Many, however, broke through weak barriers and made their way into the surrounding shops and storehouses. Nearly fifty goblins shrieked with glee as they ransacked that small portion of Burbon.

  Sy read the tower signals before the first messenger arrived at the barracks to inform him of the raid. He knew the goblins had broken through the gate, and he was already forming his own strategy as the messenger revealed the details of the goblin attack. He spoke out loud as if responding to the messenger, but he was really focusing his plan in order to ensure he was not making any error in tactics.

  "Residents are already in secure positions. Civilian casualties will be minimal at worse, especially if we hold the goblins to the southern section of the town. The thrust of the attack is on the south gate. I don't think this is part of some bigger assault. I'm going to bet the river rogue incursion and the goblin raid are unrelated, but I'm going to hedge that bet."

  He briefly scanned a map of the town.

  "If there's another wave waiting to hit us, it's going to come from the west… from the forest, not from the north or east. Last we heard, Ryson took care of the two rogues in the north and had headed east."

  With a practical plan forming in his mind, he called to the signal guard on the roof.

  "Send a message to be relayed by all towers. Guards in the western section of the town remain at their posts. Send the cavalry forces to the western gate as well. Signal all foot patrols in the north to move immediately toward the south gate. Tell them to cut directly through the center of town. I'm going to risk that Ryson can handle the third rogue to the east and that there aren't any more inside the wall."

  The signal guard on the roof relayed some welcome news in response.

  "Message from the towers, sir. Third rogue secure in the east. The delver is about to complete his scout of the town."

  The report slightly altered Sy's plans.

  "Signal back to the eastern patrols. Tell them to divide in two. Half stay at their posts, half move to the south."

  The captain took one pause to consider the forces he was deploying. He then issued his tactical decisions for dealing with the goblins directly.

  "Order archers on the southern walls and towers to remain at their posts. They are not to force engagement. Foot patrols are to form secure lines. Containing the raiding party to the south is top priority. Limited engagement and only when necessary to contain."

  Sy looked to the messenger. He explained his decision out loud in order to gauge the reaction of his soldier. An expression of doubt or confusion would offer him a chance to reassess his tactics.

  "Eastern section is highly residential. I don't want to leave it totally unprotected, but if we can contain the raid, it's worth sending more soldiers to the south. The little cretins are fast and hard to see, especially in this storm. I don't want to be fighting them all over the place. We hold them to the south and then we push them back outside the wall."

  The messenger showed not the slightest distress over the plan, and Sy believed he had utilized his forces without an oversight. He left the northern section of town vulnerable and cut his eastern forces in half, but he b
elieved the tactic necessary. He could dispatch his cavalry fairly quickly from the west if a need arose to the north, and he doubted additional attacks would come from the farmlands to the east.

  His priority centered on securing the town. For the first time in a very long while, goblins had succeeded in breaking his defenses. He wouldn't hide behind excuses. Yes, the rogues and the rains played a part, but allowing goblins to breach the wall was a monumental failure in his mind. If his troops were distracted, then he had not prepared them properly. He was determined to rectify that mistake, and to see to the battle personally.

  Before he ventured out into the heavy downpour, he made one last call to the signal guard on the roof.

  "Relay to all towers that command is heading to the south gate. Signal Sergeant Klusac to report to HQ. Then you can come off that roof, but stay by a window to keep track of all tower messages. It's getting harder to see the signals in all this rain."

  "Yes, sir."

  Sy turned to the messenger.

  "I'm going to the south gate. I want you to go directly to headquarters at the town center and wait for Klusac. Tell him he's in charge of communications until I send a message differently."

  The soldier nodded and headed off.

  Sy watched him only for a moment and then hurried off to the south. He had to shield his eyes with a hand at his forehead to see through the pouring rain. He frowned at the poor visibility. It was bad, no doubt about it. He almost forgave the mistakes that allowed goblins to enter his town.

  Almost.

  Then he thought about the harm that goblins could cause. People might die that night because his guards were careless, because he was careless. Rain, no matter how heavy, was not a significant excuse. He was not happy.

  Ryson reached the southern edge of Burbon just as Okyiq had ordered his goblins to loot the town. His delver vision cut through the darkness and heavy rain and he spied the little fiends rushing towards every conceivable prize in the area.

  He noted the careful movements of Burbon's soldiers and how they formed defensive lines to keep the goblins corralled. The archers remained on the walls, staying low to avoid incoming arrows, but they carefully targeted any careless goblin venturing out into the open. He was pleased to see he would not have to worry about casualties to the guard, but the raid remained far from over.

  Utilizing the darkness and the cover of the storm, the goblins scurried through every narrow passage like rats through sewer pipes. They broke into storehouses and shops, smashed windows and crashed through doors. They shrieked and squealed as they filled their sacks with everything and anything they could lay their hands upon.

  Disgusted with the sight, Ryson almost rushed after each and every goblin. His speed would have allowed him to disarm most of them. He could force them to drop their loot and retreat to the gate, but upon seeing Okyiq stalking across a narrow alley and leading eleven goblins heavily laden with plunder, Ryson decided to alter his plans.

  The large goblin was the biggest Ryson had ever seen. Even in the heavy rains, the bulky form stood out against the other smaller creatures. Ryson was no longer surprised they had succeeded in unlocking the gate. The colossal goblin looked almost as strong and as sturdy as a dwarf warrior. The delver realized the monster could probably slide the locking post from the gate buckles by himself.

  With his keen hearing, Ryson had heard the orders of the massive goblin and watched as the edicts were obeyed without delay. He realized the goblins were not acting in the fashion of a true horde. They did not rush forward recklessly like the incoming tide, unable to curb their instincts. They did not tear through Burbon with a group lust for violence and chaos. Instead, they had turned over authority to a single goblin and it was his voice they followed.

  It was not completely out of the ordinary. The goblins had often been used as pawns, pressed forward by the twisted desires of wicked sorcerers or conniving dark creatures of greater willpower. Still, when the goblin threat was unleashed, it was shoved upon victims like a turbulent dust storm rolling forward with constant and frenzied violence.

  The actions Ryson viewed did not match such characteristics. The goblins dashed through Burbon as individuals, single goblins following the orders of their master. Even as they clearly reveled in the thrill of the raid, they did so in a manner that reflected control and purpose.

  With the nature of the assault unfurling before him like some scripted play on a muddy, flooded stage, Ryson realized that targeting the goblin foot soldiers was not the path toward successfully ending the conflict. He needed to address the real force behind the incursion, remove the very will that pressed each goblin into becoming a dangerous menace to his home.

  With his decision made, Ryson raced toward the massive goblin. He readied the Sword of Decree in front of him as he became a flash of light and motion. In an instant, he was upon the pillaging group led by Okyiq.

  The goblins froze at the sight. Even Okyiq stood dazed at the near incomprehensible vision. A blazing sword shot at them as if unleashed like a lightning bolt from the sky. Many of the smaller goblins were knocked immediately from their feet and left to roll through mud puddles, struggling with their heavy sacks of loot.

  After stunning several of the smaller goblins with quick slaps of his sword to their swollen heads, Ryson turned his attention to the apparent leader of the raid. The delver had witnessed thousands upon thousands of goblins over the past several seasons, but the creature before him stood far more massive than any goblin Ryson had ever seen. A slap on the head was not going to achieve anything beyond incurring the wrath of the creature, and Ryson knew well enough not to grapple with the monster.

  Weaving about the goblin, Ryson never slowed. He became a dancing shadow in the rain, moving as if he found the means to evade each drop of water falling from above. He did not strike the goblin with his sword, but he called out a dire warning.

  "Recall your minions! Leave now!"

  The dizzied motion bewildered Okyiq. He could hear the voice but never focus upon the face that issued the declaration. The glowing blade rushed about him as if death itself had come to take his poisoned soul with a spinning, skeletal finger of light.

  The monstrous goblin almost issued the order to retreat. He had accomplished most of his objectives. He had entered Burbon and taken the human food. It sounded as if the humans were offering him free passage back to the hills, back to Dark Spruce.

  The thought of the forest, however, reminded him of his burning desires. He had gained control of that portion of the woods. That corner of Dark Spruce belonged to him, and he viewed Burbon as part of his forest. The humans would bend to his will, not the other way around.

  As his ambitions rekindled the motivation for his deeds, Okyiq found the clarity to realize that no human could move like the form that threatened him. It was another defender of Burbon, a more dangerous foe than a simple human soldier, and he was aware of the town's protectors. Without a shred of doubt, he realized he faced the delver and not the enormously powerful wizard. In that thought, he found courage. He called out to every goblin within Burbon.

  "Attack this delver… or die by my hands!"

  The order was roared out as if a lion had become enraged, and it brought a great pause to the goblin frenzy throughout the area. They ceased their shrieking. They stumbled to a sudden halt. Many dropped treasures in momentary confusion. They looked to their leader, saw that he was engulfed by the legendary movements of the speedy delver. Despite their fear of Okyiq, they were at a loss of what to do.

  Attack the delver?

  Did they dare? That was like attacking the wind… but that was the order. Okyiq frothed with rage, and the goblins could not deny the quandary before them. Attack the delver or face their leader's wrath-it was like a choice of trying to grasp rushing water or standing before an avalanche of boulders, a true dilemma that left the goblins dumfounded.

  Ryson decided to break the momentary stalemate. He ignored the surrounding goblins. They
were never a threat to him. Even with so many around him, what could they do? They carried short swords, not bows. They would have to get within arm's length to use their weapons. Even had they not carried sacks heavily loaded with plunder, they lacked the physical ability to match the delver's speed and quickness. No, the goblins throughout the streets posed no real danger.

  Okyiq was the one real threat to Ryson's home. The large goblin orchestrated the attack, used his unnatural strength to its fullest potential. It was not the frantic call of the horde that urged the goblins forward, but rather the harsh voice of their leader. It was not the furious stampede of the dark gray host that pressed the goblin storm onward, but rather the raised fist of one titanic monster. If Ryson wished to end the conflict, he needed to neutralize the leader of the raid.

  With surgical precision, Ryson stabbed at the monstrous goblin's shoulder. The tip of the Sword of Decree broke through the skin, but only by the smallest of margins. It was just enough to invoke the enchantment of the blade, a blade which was capable of burning the spirit, no matter how decrepit in nature.

  Okyiq howled in indescribable pain. His eyes shot open wide as every fiber of his being felt as if it was being consumed by the fire of a white hot star. He tried to pull away from the sword, but the cursed delver could counteract his every retreat. Desperate, he swung a free hand at the glowing blade, hoping to knock it away.

  Ryson countered by pulling the blade away at the last instant and then stabbing at another vulnerable section of the goblin's body. He danced about the monster's form, twirling about like a whirlwind constrained to a localized area. He stabbed with deft accuracy, always slicing the goblin's hide just enough to engulf the creature's soul with enchanted fury but never thrusting the blade to cause an egregious wound to its body.