Burning Road

A Heist to Remember-Part VI

"The elders would reward any Raid boss greatly for the outcasts' heads, so I asked where has my uncle gone to?"

"How did you know where to look?"  Ragdhyl's inquisitive mind had to know how the raiding party could find them so fast.  It was uncanny.

"I had a scout pay a local scriptor to track your puny arm," the goblin laughed.

The others did the same like loyal peons.  Ragdhyl  was pleasantly surprised, he would have never expected such cleverness from his dimwitted people.

"Then I killed the scout for playing with magic.  Thanks to you and that one," he said pointing at Mimi, "the elders have declared it an offence punishable by death."

"Mate, a lot of goblins died here today.  Surely this wasn't worth it," Cyril said.  He had put his back to the party as had Vhal and Nailla, denying the surrounding goblins a blind spot.

"In the interest of the tribe, a goblin's life means nothing.  Neither does that of a nosy and butt-ugly creeper."

Mimi laughed but apologized immediately.

"Your deaths are worth the lives I've spent to get them."

"Look, I probably shouldn't have set the entire village on fire, but I was mad, and that stupid one-eyed elder had hurt Rag," Mimi said.

"That was my father," the goblin growled.

"Not my problem, Missy."

"But it is," he said menacingly.

"It's not."

"It is."

"It's not."

"It is."

"Pan!"

The goblin beside the raid boss jammed his spear in his leader's side, an expression of confusion and surprise written on his face.  The goblins hesitated, unsure of what was happening, and the team took advantage.  The goblins outnumbered them two to one but the element of surprise evened the odds.

Half of their number were cut down before The Raid Boss could give the order to attack.  However, once he gave the order the goblins counter attacked with the tenacity they were known for.  The Raid Boss lunged after Ragdhyl, but in an instant Mimi was on him biting his nose.  Angry goblins loved to bite in a fight.

The noise and mayhem must have masked their approach because neither side was prepared for the darklings that joined the fray.  With a heavy and savage kick, Tarsis One-Wing punted a goblin across the room, painting the wall with the creeper's guts.  Pan fell from the mess in a daze.  Nine creepers turned as one, the soul collector a towering death machine before them.

Mimi spit The Raid Boss' nose to the floor, and backed away.

"Death will only be the beginning of your torment," Tarsis boomed, the metallic stink of fresh blood on his breath washing over them.

Behind him were two imps, one in leather armor and the other carrying a soul cage.  The team was in trouble.  In close quarters they couldn't hope to match the darkling in brute strength.

"Tarsis One-Wing, correct.  Your name precedes you," Ragdhyl said.

"Your name won't matter," the darkling growled.

He stepped forward, and grabbed Ragdhyl.  Mimi and Vhal screamed. A Collector could steal one's soul with a touch. Vhal grabbed for Ragdhyl and Mimi jumped for the collector's face.  Faster than either, Nailla was suddenly within the giant creeper's personal space.