The Iron Teeth

Queen of Swords 14

Blacknail the hobgoblin stalked through the dense forest scrub with a merry spring in his step and a huge grin on his face. He had just killed three human warriors! How amazing was that? Incredibly super unbelievably amazing is what it was!

When he finished off Malthus and his last two minions it would be a total of... seven human warriors! He couldn't wait to tell everyone about how awesome he was. Saeter would be so impressed, Herad would give him more cheese than he could possibly eat, and everyone else would finally realize how much better at everything he was than them.

Up ahead, across a few dozen feet of thick bush, the three remaining assassins were slowly trudging back towards the city. They were slowed down by the need to check for traps and watch for ambushes. Much to Blacknail's disappointment they'd already found and disarmed one that had been in their way.

The hobgoblin was keeping his distance from his prey for now, and waiting for an opportunity to appear. At the pace they were going they wouldn't be able to escape from the forest any time soon, so he could afford to be patient. Rushing in would be stupid; Malthus wasn't a human he intended to underestimate again.

After a few more minutes of watching, Blacknail stealthily moved up beside his quarry and narrowed the distance between them. The assassin to Malthus' left was beginning to slow. Instinctively, the hobgoblin's eyes picked out the fact that the man's legs were dragging and his shoulders had started to slouch.

He tore his eyes away from the man and turned to study the terrain. If the assassins kept their current course they would soon pass next to a small ridge. It was the perfect place for an ambush. Now he had both a place and a target. It was time to put his latest brilliant scheme into action!

The hobgoblin picked up his pace and moved through the underbrush to cut off his quarry's path. He quickly crept through the trees until he reached the ridge. He then looked out from behind a large moss covered rock that sat at the very edge of the ridge. Malthus and his men were approaching so Blacknail quickly ducked back out of sight.

The trio of men were looking very nervous as they carefully moved through the brush. One of them flinched and jumped slightly when he was startled by the cry of a blackbird. He wasn't Blacknail's target though. The hobgoblin was aiming for the other assassin, the one that hadn't reacted at all and looked tired.

As Malthus and his men drew closer, Blacknail took out his sling and silently loaded it with a stone from one of his pouches. He then peeked ever so slightly out from his hiding spot and watched hungrily for the right time to strike.

Below him, Malthus turned away to look off into the opposite side of the forest and the fatigued assassin slouched and looked down towards his feet. Blacknail made his move. There was a quiet rustling as the unseen hobgoblin rose to his feet and then a loud crack as his spinning sling unleashed its payload.

All three assassins flinched at the noise. The stone zipped through the air towards the off guard man's chest, and instead of ducking or dodging he froze. Malthus acted quickly, though. The master assassin's cloak whipped around him as he moved with lightning speed and tackled the other man to the ground.

Blacknail clenched his fists and hissed in annoyance as his projectile sailed harmlessly off into the trees. He didn't have much time for regret though; Malthus was back on his feet within seconds and headed Blacknail's way.

"Come face me, you cowardly abomination!" the Knifeman roared as he dashed towards the earthen ridge the hobgoblin stood atop of.

"Maybe later!" Blacknail yelled back as he quickly ran away and disappeared into the trees.

It took Malthus several seconds to climb up the small cliff that lay between them. The soil was loose and wet so by the time he got to the top the hobgoblin was long gone.