The stank of sweat and waste lingered in the air like a barn that was recently cleaned of its unwelcome vermin. Agmar petrified with fear laid limp watching the vague shapes of rafters pass overhead hoping that playing dead would leave him unharmed as he was drug across the dirty floors of the tower floor. Helpless to his impulse, he croaked. Down and down in the tower the hideous goblin pulled him along. In the lowest level of the tower a dozen goblins gathered each equal to Agmar in size. When Agmar finally came too he found himself soaking in the steam of a large cauldron. A goblin of pale green skin approached the soaking toad. He smelled like months of sweat covered in wet dog with hints of rotten meat. Draped over his shoulders was the poorly cleaned skin of a wild dog. His oversized ears were adorned with the heads of large roaches, antennas and all, his snaggletoothed mouth dripped saliva.
"How's the soup?" He snickered.
Agmar looked back over his shoulder hoping it was not him who he was addressing. Turning back around Agmar sank down into the water, gurgling the water he replied, "needs ale?"
"The Frog, says it needs ale!" The snaggletoothed goblins shouted.
Not a moment later another goblins rolled out a barrel that looked as though it had been sitting in the tower cellar for ages. They goblins together raised the barrel up to the edge of the cauldron. Agmar's eyes bulged from his head in excitement. The water bubbled as loud croak echoed in the cauldron.
"For God and King!" echoed from the far side of the room as William kick in a hole from above. He dropped down with the crunching of bones as he landed on a goblin. In one smooth motion he lobbed off the head of a startled goblin. One of the goblins holding the barrel to the edge of the cauldron turned aside drawing his bone dagger. The world began to slow as Agmar watched all his hopes and dreams tumble back over the edge of the cauldron and the barrel crushed the goblin below it. The crack of bone and wood echoed in his mind as the contents of the old barrel spilled across the floor. Agmar's eyes began to swell with tears of burning anger. Touching his pinkies and thumbs together and interlocking his knuckles Agmar focused of the goblin with the bone dagger. His necklace began to shake violently as a gust of wind burst forth. The goblin mid stride was whisked off the floor and dashed against the large tarnished mirror that hung on the wall. Levi whirled down from above, his entry was replied by the club of a goblin. Levi taking a bashing returned the strike. Two more goblins encircled William with crude spears ready. The goblins seemed to crawl out of their hidden nests in the rubble drawing crossbows, bolts few bouncing off the cauldron. A goblins spear struck William in the calf and then another in the shoulder. In a perfect series of punches and kicks Levi strike a goblin into the rubble. Barreling across the room the ghostly specter of a bear trampled a goblin crushing him dead. William drove his sword through goblin after goblin till the remaining few scattered.
Levi, sore and bruised, grappled the snaggletoothed goblin in wild dog skins. William holding a wound on his arm asked, "Why were you robbing the miller and where is the rest of the goods?" The goblin defiant replied with a snicker and growl. Levi pulled him tight in his arms and said, "Don't make me take off my belt. I'll give you a reason to cry."
The goblin a bit stirred from Levi replied, "We were hungry, we stole and ate." William approached the goblin drawing his sword and pressed the cold steel against the goblins throat. "By the steel of my blade, if I find you are lying, I will kill you." The goblin feeling a little more desperate for his life began to glance at the tarnished mirror on the wall. William following the direction of the goblins eyes walked over to the mirror to examine it. He could barely make out his image. An inscription in some ancient language was written on its perimeter. The fogged image of himself seemed larger and distorted. Rubbing the mirror that he might see clearer, he found himself not looking at his reflection but a larger more hideous beast.
William was kicked to the ground before the mirror as a large hobgoblin stepped out of the mirror. He was a good head height taller than William with a large bald brow, a flatten nose that look more as a beak than a nose. He wore a harden leather waist band draped with possum skins that still had their heads. In his hand was a heavy branch worn down to a club, smoothed by its use and polished with the blood of it's victims. The hobgoblin snorted as he looked across the room.
"Masta, we followed ya orders. Grug knows not how they found us." The goblin managed to speak despite Levi's arm wrapped around his throat.
The hobgoblin stepped over William and drawing back his club, slammed it into the goblin knocking both Levi and the goblin to the ground. William rolled to his feet as stared the hobgoblin in his yellow eyes. The hobgoblin stepped up to William and struck him to the ground. William rolled with the strike crashing into the mirror. The hobgoblin turned once again to crush the head of Levi and raising the club above his head the hobgoblin was tackled to the ground. Upon him stood the ghostly bear. The beak nosed hobgoblin wrestle and thrashed till free. The bear slashed him across the chest and with a mighty swing he brought his club down on the head of the bear. Once, twice and three times, the aberration dispersed in smokey vapor. Agmar fell back in the cauldron, blood dripping from his nose. William barren of armor felt naked against such a formidable foe. William charge at the hobgoblin once more hoping to intercede as he attempted once more to crush Levi, and with a thrust of his sword, William skewered the hobgoblin's side.
With a roar the hobgoblin turned around striking William in the head with his club. William's head rang, the noise of the world around him was muffled as blood blinded his left eye. Levi flew into the air crying out, "Forty-eight palms!" and in a fury of strikes Levi cracked the ribs of the hobgoblin. In a flash Levi was behind the hobgoblin, "Mighty wind kick!" he shouted once more as he whirled around in the air bringing his heel into the back of the hobgoblin. The hobgoblin grabbed Levi by the neck as he squeeze with all his might. Levi could feel his larynx crushing under the pressure as the veins in his head began to swell. William brought down his sword on the Hobgoblin's arm, once, twice, three time. The arm of the hobgoblin dropped to the floor with Levi gasping for air. A burst of wind streamed from across the room knocking the hobgoblin face down, the wind took the form of a bear and sank its jowls into the back of the hobgoblins neck. The hobgoblin was no more.
The bear nudged the hobgoblin onto its back reveling a wine gourd. Taking the gourd into it's jaws, the bear waddled over to Agmar in the cauldron and after a long drink Agmar laid back and continued to soak in the cauldron broth."That was a close one," the frog said, "he almost broke my wine gourd."
YOU ARE READING
Adventures in Zephlanore
FantasiaA young swordsman, an odd monk, and a drunk toad find themselves on the adventure of a life time. This ragtag gang become the greatest of friends through the trials and tribulations of their small town of Fellfall when they are tossed into a perilou...
