top of the cliffs. Gurken and Melody waited a time, then walked to the cave opening.
"Oh, my!" Melody said, in a melodramatic tone. "Whatever shall I do? I'm lost and alone!" Gurken curled his mouth in disgust at such a ridiculous tactic. He took the axe off his back and stood at the ready.
They heard movement from within the cave. A large humanoid shadow flickered across the canyon wall. Gurken gritted his teeth and smiled. Melody swung her arms in a wide circle and crouched into a low fighting stance, her hands balled in to fists with two fingers on each pointing out.
"HAAARR!" Gurken growled in a deep baritone.
"YAH!" Melody gave a sharp bark.
A small reddish figure emerged from the cave opening. He was dressed in brown leather rags and had a long pointed nose, too large for human proportions. His ears were large and pointed on the top and bottom. He had two rows of sharp teeth in a mouth turned up in a large grin. He raised a wooden staff with two large feathers on the end and yelled in a high-pitched scream, "Now!"
"Goblins!" Moog said, his eyes growing large as dozens of goblins poured out of the cave opening. He gave a yelp and dove into the bushes.
Nauthiz, the dwarfen rune of self-reliance and recognition of one's fate, glowed, a bright yellow halo around the head of Gurken's axe. Gurken charged the goblins, hacking off limbs and hewing heads from shoulders, cutting a bloody swath through the oncoming horde.
Melody side-stepped the lead goblin, catching his arm as he stumbled by and swinging him around into the next, sending them tumbling into a third. She dove over another pair, pulling knives out of the goblins' belts as she passed and throwing them into the guts of two more.
Rocks rained down from above, striking several more goblins in the head, knocking them to the ground. The goblin with the staff stood at the mouth of the cave, waving the goblins on. Dozens more streamed out of the cave. One struck Melody in the leg with a club in an incredibly lucky blow, spinning her off-balance. Another clubbed her in the face as she fell, but she spun with the blow, matching its momentum and avoiding most of the damage.
She rolled back out of reach. "Too many of them!" she shouted. "Gurken, pull back!" Gurken cut down another half-dozen goblins, not hearing Melody over the thundering of his rage. Another dozen goblins came, overwhelming Gurken and piling on top of him. Before Melody could react, Pellonia screamed from above on the cliff. Melody jerked her head up, but couldn't see anything. She ran toward the cliff face, stepped on a goblin's head and jumped ten feet up.
She caught a small outcropping with one hand, and in a motion reminiscent of water flowing down a river, she climbed. With one final effort, she leapt from the cliff, flipped in the air and landed with a tuck and a roll up on her feet, ready to do battle.
Melody paused as she saw Arthur, tiny spears protruding from his flanks, lying on the ground, a front leg broken. He held up the orb, projecting brief but intense flashes of light at dozens of small goblins, blinding and startling them.
Antic balanced on top of his back, spraying goblins that made the ill-considered decision to approach. On the ground between Arthur and the cliff was Pellonia, unconscious and trapped in a net. Melody cocked her head to one side and sighed. She sprinted over to Pellonia.
"Thank the gods you're here, I can't hold them off much longer. There ar-" Arthur began.
"I'm sorry, Arthur." Melody said, frowning. She picked up Pellonia, net and all, and slung her over her back. She ran off.
Arthur was stunned.
Come now , thought Arthur. It's probably for the best. At least this way Pellonia will live, and with a spot of luck once the goblins overrun me, why, I shall waken once more in my own body. However, let us not go fondly into the cold night, but fight on. If these goblins want my hide, come now, I shall make them a time of it.
A goblin broke off from
"Oh, my!" Melody said, in a melodramatic tone. "Whatever shall I do? I'm lost and alone!" Gurken curled his mouth in disgust at such a ridiculous tactic. He took the axe off his back and stood at the ready.
They heard movement from within the cave. A large humanoid shadow flickered across the canyon wall. Gurken gritted his teeth and smiled. Melody swung her arms in a wide circle and crouched into a low fighting stance, her hands balled in to fists with two fingers on each pointing out.
"HAAARR!" Gurken growled in a deep baritone.
"YAH!" Melody gave a sharp bark.
A small reddish figure emerged from the cave opening. He was dressed in brown leather rags and had a long pointed nose, too large for human proportions. His ears were large and pointed on the top and bottom. He had two rows of sharp teeth in a mouth turned up in a large grin. He raised a wooden staff with two large feathers on the end and yelled in a high-pitched scream, "Now!"
"Goblins!" Moog said, his eyes growing large as dozens of goblins poured out of the cave opening. He gave a yelp and dove into the bushes.
Nauthiz, the dwarfen rune of self-reliance and recognition of one's fate, glowed, a bright yellow halo around the head of Gurken's axe. Gurken charged the goblins, hacking off limbs and hewing heads from shoulders, cutting a bloody swath through the oncoming horde.
Melody side-stepped the lead goblin, catching his arm as he stumbled by and swinging him around into the next, sending them tumbling into a third. She dove over another pair, pulling knives out of the goblins' belts as she passed and throwing them into the guts of two more.
Rocks rained down from above, striking several more goblins in the head, knocking them to the ground. The goblin with the staff stood at the mouth of the cave, waving the goblins on. Dozens more streamed out of the cave. One struck Melody in the leg with a club in an incredibly lucky blow, spinning her off-balance. Another clubbed her in the face as she fell, but she spun with the blow, matching its momentum and avoiding most of the damage.
She rolled back out of reach. "Too many of them!" she shouted. "Gurken, pull back!" Gurken cut down another half-dozen goblins, not hearing Melody over the thundering of his rage. Another dozen goblins came, overwhelming Gurken and piling on top of him. Before Melody could react, Pellonia screamed from above on the cliff. Melody jerked her head up, but couldn't see anything. She ran toward the cliff face, stepped on a goblin's head and jumped ten feet up.
She caught a small outcropping with one hand, and in a motion reminiscent of water flowing down a river, she climbed. With one final effort, she leapt from the cliff, flipped in the air and landed with a tuck and a roll up on her feet, ready to do battle.
Melody paused as she saw Arthur, tiny spears protruding from his flanks, lying on the ground, a front leg broken. He held up the orb, projecting brief but intense flashes of light at dozens of small goblins, blinding and startling them.
Antic balanced on top of his back, spraying goblins that made the ill-considered decision to approach. On the ground between Arthur and the cliff was Pellonia, unconscious and trapped in a net. Melody cocked her head to one side and sighed. She sprinted over to Pellonia.
"Thank the gods you're here, I can't hold them off much longer. There ar-" Arthur began.
"I'm sorry, Arthur." Melody said, frowning. She picked up Pellonia, net and all, and slung her over her back. She ran off.
Arthur was stunned.
Come now , thought Arthur. It's probably for the best. At least this way Pellonia will live, and with a spot of luck once the goblins overrun me, why, I shall waken once more in my own body. However, let us not go fondly into the cold night, but fight on. If these goblins want my hide, come now, I shall make them a time of it.
A goblin broke off from
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