The Early Clash

 

    

 

THE BATTLE THAT MORNING...

 

 

The wind was blowing, the sun was warm, and the sound of goblins jumping and screaming through the forest was almost bearable.

Almost.

"Gor!" Elira called out. She ducked in time as a goblin flew over her head with a knife. It growled and bared its sharpened teeth as she smacked it aside with a tree branch. "We need your help over here!"

A short gnome with a leather pouch in his hand jumped from goblin to goblin as he ducked and dodged their attacks. They swung weapons and flailed clawed hands at him. He yelped in surprise as he pulled an item from his bag. "Take this, freaks!" Pulling out a small metal sphere, he threw it at a group of monsters. Metal tendrils appeared from the ball and netted themselves around the goblins, pulling them into a captured huddle. The monsters pulled and chewed at the cordage but could not free themselves.

The Gnome wiped his brow and sighed. "Thank Smelth, that worked!"

"Nox! Look out!"

The Gnome barely had time to turn around as a larger goblin swung a club across his face and sent him flying across the ground.

Two figures on the left side spoke to each other as they fought off their goblins. One was a male Human, and the other was a woman Tiefling.

The Tiefling warded the creatures away with two swords in her hands that were cast ablaze in blue flame. She roared at the monsters and cleaved any that neared her, though the numbers growing were scaring her. "Rav, there are too many of them. We should think about retreating!"

The Human male threw various knives at the creatures as they tried to grab at his arms. With a quick movement, he pulled his arm into an arc, and a large shadow appeared from the Earth that swallowed up two goblins in one quick movement. They disappeared into the darkness without a trace.

"We need that payday, Vess! The quest from Silverus said we needed to kill all the Goblins. Not just a dozen!" He turned to the other end of the clearing, where a large Cyclops stood against a tree with his arms crossed. He was a tall, imposing figure, nearly 7 feet tall. His skin was a dark shade of orange. At his waist, a pair of meteor hammers hung.

Unused.

"Gor, dammit! Get your ass over here. Kill these bastards for us!" Ravic continued.

Gor watched as his party fought off the Goblins. More were appearing from the shadows of the forests. Goblins were pack creatures and didn't travel in groups of less than 30. They were weak on their own, but with a group this big, they could handle even one of Tavash's larger mercenary groups.

They could wipe out one of their size in an instant.

"We should retreat," Gor told them. "These creatures are stupid. They can't fight for themselves. This isn't right."

Nox, the Gnome, glared at Gor as he threw more traps from his bag. "This isn't the time for a physical lesson. Get in here and kill these things!"

"I think you mean philosophy, Shortie."

Nox threw a rock at Gor that bounced off his forehead. Gor sighed. Nox got even more pissed.

Elira blew into her panpipes, and a storm started to brew in the clouds. The skies darkened, and thunderclouds grew.

Elira closed her eyes as her soul disappeared into her song. The sky grew darker. The Goblins froze, some looking up at the clouds and others shivering from the sudden breeze.

Vessara stopped her brawling as she and Ravic glanced at Elira.

"She's incredibly strong," he said aloud.

On cue, a lightning bolt struck a group of Goblins, turning them to ash.

The other goblins grew scared and started to flee. However, most were destroyed as several more bolts of lightning shot down from the heavens. The sky grew pitch black now, and the wind grew louder. It became a roaring beast that decimated the monsters attacking her party. Elira was a vessel through which the Gods seemed to channel their will.

However, it quickly became apparent that Elira needed practice.

Nox jumped to the side as a lightning bolt struck the ground near him. His short brown hair stood up straight and prickly. He threw his sack of metal traps and weapons to the ground as sparks protruded through the bag's opening. "Shit. You fried all of my gear, Elira."

Elira was unresponsive. Her body dropped to the ground. Her eyes opened, glowing with a brilliant energy. Her instrument fell slack in her hand and lay on the ground beside her.

The storm grew stronger, and more strikes attacked the Earth. Everyone huddled together around Elira as the remainder of the Goblins fled into the woods.

"This isn't going very well!" Vess shouted over the storm. "We need to wake her up. She's entranced again."

It was Gor who scooped Elira up and shook her like a rag doll. "YOU NEED TO WAKE UP OR WE ARE GOING TO DIE!" He flicked her on the forehead, and she choked.

He set her back down as she shakily stood to her feet. "Whoa...what happened?"

Another strike grew closer to Ravic. He parried some of it with his blades but was thrown back into Gor. Sparks scattered across his skin as he winced. "Stop...the storm. Elira!"

She looked at her party, and the situation quickly became clear to her. Quickly grabbing her panpipes, she blew a quick dozen notes. The storm immediately started to quell. The clouds dissipated. The sunlight appeared back over the forests. The forest returned to its otherwise calm nature. The group exchanged sighs of relief as they looked at each other, then at the scattered remains of the Goblin bodies around the battlefield.

"A bunch of them escaped through the woods," Vessara muttered. She squeezed out her red hair braid, and the water trickled down her gauntlets. "Silverus said we needed to kill all of them. We need to hunt down the rest."

"Don't bother with it," Nox told her as he gathered up all the ruined traps that had fallen out of his bag. "Goblins are fast. Tricky. They aren't fleeing. They're hiding. It would be a game of hide and seek that would last till nightfall. I don't need to remind you what kind of creatures run in these woods when the sun goes down."

The group exchanged nervous looks.

"So...what you're saying is we failed another mission?" Ravic asked.

Nox nodded.

The group muttered curses as they gathered up their things.

"Let's get back to Hagglestone," Gor muttered. Elira started to stand but quickly fell over due to weakness. He picked her up, and she sat on his shoulder.

"Thanks, Tower," She told him as she patted his shaved head.

He smiled at her as the group started trudging back through the trees towards the nearby town, where they awaited another lecture and possibly were fired.