[[New Character - Shane]

As he watched the travelers leave his camp he looked at the equipment and gold they had left him. They were hoping he would join their cause and help drive off the goblins that had been raiding their little town on the river. It had been a while since he had done any mercenary work. It would feel good to be doing something besides thinking about what had happened...

He wasn't going to think about that now. He gathered his belongings, at least the few things he would need, a change of clothes, his sword, his armor, and some food. Looking around the small cabin he decided that this place would be ok till he got back, besides there was nothing here anyone would want, now.

He walked to where his horse was grazing and began to saddle the beast. He was a tall black stallion he had acquired a few years ago. After saddling him he began to pack his belongings and mounted the horse. He headed off in the direction of Riverbend, the city who needed his help.

As he neared the edged of the clearing he glanced back almost expecting to see them waving bye to him. His heart jumped a beat and he turned quickly and headed off to what lay ahead of him. Anything would be better than the misery he had allowed himself to be caught up in these past few months. He rode the rest of the day and made camp in a clearing off the path near a stream. He stayed there for the night and would make the rest of the journey tomorrow.

[Thorsten]

It had been three days since Repeeknon's disappearance. The party's quick flight from the camp had continued for a day - at M'Tago's insistence - and then settled back to its previous pace. At the end of the second day, the artificer had announced his intention to change course slightly to visit a small town on his map called Riverbend. When Thorsten had questioned his intentions, M'Tago only said that he wished to pick up some additional supplies. When Mirro pressed the matter, cleverly implying that M'Tago was hiding something, their employer finally conceded his desire to replace Repeeknon and would say no more. Thorsten hadn't seen a need for another guard, but had kept his silence.

They had come across a small road through the ever-thickening woods earlier that morning and M'Tago had found the corresponding trail on his map. "River's Way", as the map named the narrow path, dead-ended in Riverbend and so the party followed it.

Thorsten was riding at point as the group rounded a sharp curve in the road. The trail narrowed even further at this point, the forest growth encroaching upon the hard dirt wagon tracks they had been following. Several yards ahead, a large tree had fallen to block the path.

Thorsten sighed and rode forward to inspect the barrier. As he did so, something struck him as _wrong_ about the picture. The forest had grown eerily quiet. Thorsten's horse stomped it's feet nervously and snorted, pulling a bit on the reins. A picture suddenly became clear in Thorsten's mind. The sharp curve - the narrowing road - the fallen tree - the unnatural silence - it all screamed....

"Ambush!" Thorsten cried, wheeling his horse about. M'Tago 's horse had just rounded the curve with Mirro and Teren's cart close behind, effectively blocking any retreat.

There was a sharp shriek from the forest, followed by a multitude of snarling battle cries. Then the woods around them erupted with short brown-skinned creatures. Each of them carried a short spear and had a bloodthirsty look in its eyes.

"Goblins!" Thorsten shouted. He drew his long sword with his right hand and swung fiercely at the first of the repugnant creatures to reach him. The sword caught the goblin on the neck, slicing clean through.

Thorsten's horse, not bred for battle, shied at the approaching horde. Thorsten leapt from the saddle and rolled to his feet, his short sword somehow finding it's way into his left hand. The horse bolted into the forest, scattering the charging goblins in its path. Thorsten took advantage of the momentary confusion to down another of creatures and then the battle began in earnest.

[Shane]

Shane was a tall man and sat even taller in a saddle. He had long blond hair that he kept pulled back away from his face. There had many scars, yet only a couple rarely bothered him. He had few major injuries due to his skill with a sword and the ability to read his opponents movement.

He was used to fighting from in the saddle, or on ground. There wasn't much he hadn't fought, though it had been a while since he was a hired hand.

Shane was coming into Riverbend by way of animal trails. If there were goblins around he wanted to use the least likely path. They were probably haunting the main Trails, and he wanted to avoid a large party at all costs while he was alone. Goblins were generally pretty easy to go against as long as there were some companions with you who knew their way around a sword.

It was a good day to be traveling. The wind was mild, and the day was cool. As he neared the town he noticed that the wildlife seemed to have disappeared. More than likely the Goblins were near. He dismounted, and slowly moved to him to cover. His horse was battle mature, and knew not to make a sound. It had sensed the change in the woods as well.

Shane crept towards the main road and spied several Goblins laying in wait for something, or more likely someone. He watched for a moment until he saw a group coming down the road. He backed away, not wanting to get mixed up in a fight with a group he knew nothing about. He had no business with them. He had made it to his horse. When he heard one of the men yell "ambush."

~Well, at least they seem to be able to sense danger. They must not be too bad. They might even kill my reward.~ With that thought in mind he headed towards the fray.

He rushed towards the fray coming from the back of the Goblins. Several Goblins were caught by surprise when his horse ran them down and trampled them. One or two were surprised when a blade sliced through their armor. He was beginning to get back into the swing of things when he realized there were no more goblins to be killed. He wasn't real sure whether they had fled or had been killed. Dazed he looked at the group before him and said,"Shall we proceed to Riverbend?"

[Mist]

Lost in thought, Mirro missed all the signs of danger, a fact that he would chastise himself over later. Startled by Stiele's warning and the close proximity of M'Tago 's horse, he jerked back on the reins. The harsh and abrupt command triggered a typically mule-like reaction; it sat down and refused to move until it wished otherwise.

The gnome caught a glimpse of movement in woods, then another and another. Goblins, there had to be a couple dozen, or more, swarming about them. Without knowing their exact numbers or knowing what they have already seen, the illusionist's options where severely limited. As a delaying action and to debilitate their advantages of surprise and superior numbers, the Mirro initiated a thick illusionary fog, broadcast to low intelligence levels. The obscuring mist would hinder the animals, but that was a small price to pay for shortsighted adversaries.

Drawing his sickle, Mirro turned himself glass clear and disappeared into the woods in search of information.

[Drageon]

He was troubled by the something in the woods. A low growl announced that Ice could feel it too. Something was wrong; the quiet was peculiar. Then Thorsten yelled his warning.

As he spurred Thunder forward, a tenacious fog haunted his peripheral vision; the partner of an illusionist immediately knew it for what it was. The phantom mist was hardly perceptible to him, but it apparently hampered the vision of Thunder and Ice. Teren knew his horse would charge ahead blindly, Ice would too, but the dog did not have the advantage a discerning rider guiding him.

Teren pulled Thunder to a halt just behind Mirro's abandoned cart. A large number of goblins could be seen stumbling through the wood. The tight press of trees would make use of a bow difficult. He considered wading into the fray as Thorsten was doing, but Teren knew he was best at working the fringes on horseback, at maintaining confusion and taking the quick kill.

A goblin unexpectedly burst from the trees, his spear plunging for Teren's heart. In the blink of an eye, an enraged white beast tore into the tender area behind the goblin's left knee. Terentus grabbed the goblins spear, but when the monster stubbornly refused to let go, Thunder reared and front kicked the goblin squarely in the face.

"Ice, Kill!" A second goblin emerging from the brush faltered for an instant as the human pointed squarely at him. Just when it realized that a magic bolt was not coming, Ice was tearing at his throat. Another goblin charged the archer, leaping over its comrade and the murderous dog. Mid-jump it caught an arrow in its chest and an instant later it exploded, showering the area with goblin parts and gore.

Muttering to his bow, Teren began to pepper the woods with explosive arrows, mindful to the locations of Thorsten, M'Tago, Ice, and where he suspected Mirro to be. The arrows flew as if sentient, quickly weaving among the trees, as if seeking a target. Some missed, finding the ground, throwing up clouds of dirt and leaves with a loud shout. Others found the enemy. Some of the goblin died immediately, a small number died later, and those that survived the blasts, did so with grievous injuries or were struck senseless.

All of a sudden, several goblin burst out of the wood from the other side in a state of panic. They ran squarely into the side of Mirro's stalled cart, one accidentally skewering the mule in the neck with its spear. By the time they realized their position between an archer and a mage, Teren had already killed one. Enraged, they split up, three charging at Teren and four at M'Tago.

With no time or room for another shot, Teren spun Thunder about while drawing his bastard sword. "Ice, Kill!"

[M'Tago]

Stiele's cry of 'Ambush ' caused the artificer to look about in alarm. He had expected this. Ever since that traitorous Repeeknon had abandoned them, M'Tago had waited for his enemies to come.

M'Tago's hand reached instinctively for his saddlebag, but he stopped himself as he discovered that goblins, and not his pursuers, had fallen upon them. His horse pranced about in confusion, then reared as several goblins came at him with their wicked spears. Not an expert horseman, M'Tago was thrown as the horse kicked out in response to a vicious stab in its side.

With a smile on his lips, the artificer threw his arms out wide.

[Thorsten]

Three goblins charged the fighter simultaneously from three different sides. Thorsten twirled through them like a dancer, his short sword turning away spear thrusts while his longer blade dealt death to the attackers. In an instant the three were dead, only to be replaced by six more.

It was then he saw the small group that rushed M'Tago.

His employer in danger, Thorsten slipped almost magically from amongst his foes. A block here, a twist there, and then he was flipping over the sole goblin that stood between himself and his charge. He had taken but a single step when he saw M'Tago launched into the air.

"No...!"

He would never make it in time.

[M'Tago]

All it took was a simple mental command to his cloak. The enchanted garment billowed and snapped around M'Tago like the banner atop a fortress as a storm approached.

In this case, the storm had arrived.

M'Tago floated in the air, fifteen feet above the ground. He touched the brooch at his neck and a shimmering translucent bubble of golden energy surrounded him, crackling like the fiery aura of an angry god. His clenched right fist began to glow red, as if in fury at the insignificant ants that dared attack him.

M'Tago pointed a scarlet finger at the goblins beneath him and rained death into their midst.

[Thorsten]

Thorsten watched in grim fascination as brilliant crimson bolts streaked from M'Tago's hand, reducing the goblins around him to piles of smoking ash. He had no time, however, to contemplate the hitherto hidden powers of his employer as the six goblins he had left behind caught up to him, along with the four from Teren's direction who now scrupulously avoided the powerful artificer.

An eerie calm settled over Thorsten as the goblins attacked. He moved without thought, weaving in and out amongst his foes, weapons acting independent of one another. He was only partially aware of his longsword hamstringing one opponent while his shortsword gutted another. He stepped over one broken body and spun into a roundhouse kick that sent its victim crashing backwards into the spear of a fourth. He sidestepped the thrust of another goblin and ran it through then spun into a defensive crouch....

No opponents remained. Goblin corpses littered the ground around him. He counted fifteen in his vicinity. He had killed them all and escaped without a scratch.

Nearby, M'Tago descended from the sky. The golden aura disappeared and the fire in his hand faded away. His cloak looked strange as it settled around him, motionless. He was unharmed.

[Drageon, Mist]

Terentus turned the first spear thrust aside with the flat of his blade. However, his return slash missed the killing stroke he had intended and instead severed the goblins upper lip and gums to the bone. Despite the pain, the goblin pressed his attack until Ice dashed under Thunder's belly and brought the goblin down by the groin.

The second goblin found Teren's sword arm a little more precise, as the bastard sword sheared off its fingers as well as the upper half of the spear. Thunder spun quarter-about and crushed the injured goblin beneath his heavy hooves.

In the heat of battle, Terentus lost track of the third goblin until a wooden shaft smashed into his face, causing him to stumble off the back of his horse. He landed heavily, his wind blasted from his chest. Through watery eyes, he watched the goblin draw back its spear for the killing thrust.

The goblin's victory was strangely thwarted when the air became alive and cut its throat. A spray of lifeblood washed over the fallen man. After Teren wiped the goblin gore from his face, he saw Mirro staring down at him sternly.

"I thought you were better than this," the gnome said in reprimanded.

"He broke my nose!"

Mirro bent low examining the young man's face, then unexpectedly grabbed Teren's nose and pulled him up to his knees. "Your features are still overly attractive, but you will be sporting an ugly bruise."

"I'm afraid your mule didn't fare as well," Teren said knocking the gnome's hand aside and standing up.

Mirro walked over to the animal and noticed it was near dead and well beyond any help. In a business-like fashion, the gnome placed his small foot on the mule's cheek and immediately brought his sickle across its throat. "Thunder must pull my cart to till I get a replacement."

[Thorsten]

Thorsten did a quick mental inventory. His horse was gone. M'Tago's horse and Mirro's mule were both severely injured, if not dead. And the blasted log STILL lay across their path.

At least none of the party was seriously hurt and they were out of any immediate danger.

It was then that he noticed the human stranger in their path with goblin bodies littering the ground around him.

[Mist]

Mirro noted the stranger as well, but they had more important matters to settle first, so he stepped forward addressing both M'Tago and Stiele. "There are still quite a lot of goblins up that ridge. Additionally, I have also seen a few run beyond, most likely for reinforcements. We had better move out immediately."

(to be continued...)