As the party and caravan conversed over breakfast on the third morn, the goblins prepared their coming assault. With their prisoner complying with their wishes, it should only be a matter of time before even the most black-hearted traveler approached out of curiosity. Eight prepared their crossbows and another 9 prepared their spears, sharpened to a jagged point.<br/><br/>Tony spent the days listening, mostly. His poor speech â€“ they all seemed to take it for poor understanding, but he understood most every word that was said around him. And he began to realize that he knew things that some of the others in the group did not know he knew. One: there were three elves; what would that bull-headed human think of that? Her friend most definitely had the stink of an elf after a few days on the road. Two: the lead driver resented most, if not all of his guard. That couldnâ€™t be a good sign. Ignorant maybe, but Tony wasnâ€™t stupid.<br/><br/><br/>When he woke in the morning, it was to the faint sound of something with strings being plunked. It wasnâ€™t a sound heâ€™d heard before, nor could he say with any truth that he particularly liked it. Strange was all.<br/><br/><br/>He moved slowly because he didnâ€™t have any real interest in eating oatmeal for another breakfast, and it wouldnâ€™t much bother him if there was nothing left. When no one was looking he could maybe borrow a bow and get himself a bird for lunchâ€¦ After all, who would want to share a raw bird â€“ feathers and all â€“ with a dragon?<br/><br/><br/>Everyone chattered, and Tony didnâ€™t bother to disguise the fact that he was awake, but he took the time to brush his scales clean with one of the horse brushes. Thank the gods that scales were so much easier to clean than skin. His few belongings were already either bundled up, being worn, or waiting to be worn until after heâ€™d finished cleaning.<br/><br/><br/>He was quick enough to grab a claw-full of oatmeal â€“ since everyone was done, he didnâ€™t feel remiss about actually using his hands to munch it down â€“ before everyone was ready to go. Tony walked again, just like every day. Most horses refused to carry him and even if they would he was usually too heavy.<br/><br/><br/>Today was sure to be as uneventful as the last, and it took some preparing to walk so long every day with a shield slung across his back. â€¦Then the sound of a song drifted by on the air, stronger and louder. Tony didnâ€™t know much elven unfortunately. One of those things heâ€™d always kicked himself for never learning. He elected to stay behind, near the caravan, should the song turn out to be just a distraction.<br/><br/>Merry and enjoying the breakfast, the group easily hears the soft call of a womanâ€™s voice in the distance. It was more than likely in the direction of an outcrop of trees.<br/><br/>Myrist paused mid-word when he heard a soft female voice signing in the distance. He wasn't the only one to shift; the elves at least had better hearing than he.<br/><br/>Taliha groaned in annoyance, elven music assaulting her senses. Though it had made those, who seemed to know what was being said, nervous.  It was BCâ€™s pawing at the ground and tossing of his head that confirmed for her that there was something wrong. While the others packed up their gear and grabbed their weapons Taliha took the time to get BC and work on saddling him. If it was about to get serious she wanted to be able to mount up. When she was done, she pulled herself into her saddle and readied her bow.<br/><br/>Winwe listened to the song, quickly jumping to his feet and pulling out his swords in one fluent motion. He slowly advanced on the sound and in a low voice said â€œeveryone be careful, there's an ambush ahead,â€ for those around him to hear but not anyone watching them from afar. Another benefit of his scarf since it prevented unwanted listeners from reading his lips.<br/><br/>Boundary walked along with Anareecia and stopped, the foreboding sense he had felt before suddenly reaching a sudden apex. He drew his sword on reflex and held out a hand to stop her horse from leaving camp. He reached out with his magical senses and could feel....something, but could not identify exactly what it was. When the hooded man exclaimed that an ambush was about to happen it confirmed what his senses were telling him. They were about to get into a fight.<br/><br/>Walking beside Boundary, and leading her horse, Reece heard the elfin song in the distance. She was thrilled to hear her native dialect! So thrilled she was in fact, that it took a few verses before she realized it was really a warning.<br/><br/>Myrist listened for another second...she was definitely singing in elven. Now, Myrist was far from being able to speak elven fluently, but he had learned enough to catch the gist of her song. He turned toward the elven members of his party to see if they looked as concerned as he. Seeing that indeed they were, he wasted no time.<br/><br/>â€œPack up fast!â€ Myrist commanded of the group, jumping to his feet and pouring what oatmeal was left over the fire. He quickly threw his things--dirty pots and pans and clothes out to dry--in the back of his carriage. â€œAnd ready your weapons. Youâ€™re guards, itâ€™s time you guarded someone!â€<br/><br/>Myrist and the other drivers hitched up their crews. The wagons would provide cover and Myrist could wield his bow or glaive from horseback if it came to that; he threw a saddle on one of his horses, just in case. They were riding slow and steady towards the singing in minutes, knowing full well that it was a trap. At least he couldnâ€™t hear any urgency in the womanâ€™s voice. Their enemy seemed ready to wait as long as it would take, which suited Myrist just fine. Slower was better if they were really going to just up and walk into this. Winwe crouched in a lower stance than normal, moving slowly towards the song,<br/><br/>Using caution, the group approached the sound of the music, prepared for what was to come. Step by step they grew closer as the voice grew louder, until a scream was heard, and a bolt whizzed past the back of one of the horses. They were going to disable the caravan! Myrist was ready with his bow, and immediately fired an arrow straight. As the bolt went flying past him Winwe stood straight and using his speed to sprint not towards the song but in a sort of arch to the left, Winwe was not stupid enough to run right at a archer, especially one he could not see.<br/><br/>Boundary saw the first bolt miss the horses and his reflex was to put up a barrier. He remembered what his master taught him, to focus his will in front of him and imagine a feeling of security. He held his hands out in front of him and focused his energies. He then had to connect a word to his will and the feeling. "Aegis!" he yelled out with deliberation and conviction. The air in front of him shimmered and he could feel the magical energies form the barrier in front of himself.<br/><br/>The arrow found its mark into the trees, but instead of a howl of pain you heard that of a deep battle cry. Seven more bolts were loosed towards the caravan; all aimed towards the pull horses. Four of which hit their mark in the hide of a separate horse. Unfortunately one buried itself into the shoulder flank causing the horse to whinny in panic, unable to move it kept its weight off the injured leg. One more battle cry sounded and nine rather short and stout goblins began to charge towards the caravan. The drivers drew their own swords and sought to protect themselves from getting injured.<br/><br/>Bolts whizzed across the path, cracked against solid wood and embedded themselves into something far softer. One horse screamed. Something had to be done about that! Readying shield more than sword â€“ to keep a bolt from piercing his eye or something equally unwanted â€“ the big half dragon barreled, bellowing loudly and angrily in draconic. Tony was big as he could make himself, with even his wings spread out to give him size and, hopefully, intimidation.<br/><br/>â€œGet behind the wagons until theyâ€™re close!â€ Myrist yelled as he used the inside of the driverâ€™s box in his carriage as cover until the arrows stopped falling. As soon as they did, he leaped forward with bow in one hand and glaive in the other, cutting the lines that held his horses in two clean motions. Neither of his two steeds was injured and took off running in different directions the moment he yelled, â€œKree!â€ They would never be hit before they got away, not those horses. That was a true blessing to Myrist; the sounds of the other horses panicking and screaming in pain were hard to listen to. He hoped the other drivers would treat their own horses with the same respect. Unfortunately hope only got him so far, as the drivers were too busy protecting themselves behind their respective wagons.<br/><br/>â€œWas anyone hit?â€ Myrist yelled as he quickly dove behind his own carriage and stuck his glaive into the ground. The drivers all grunted a negative. Heâ€™d had the three wagons ride far apart to make disabling them harder, and so didnâ€™t have too close of tabs on anyone not with him.<br/><br/>The second roar rose up and Myrist loosed an arrow around the rear wheels at the charging goblins, then another and another.<br/><br/>Myrist was able to take one goblin down as it charged with two quick shots, the third however went wide and he was forced to deal with two who were upon him. They jabbed at him with their spears aiming for his neck, hoping to make this a quick affair.  The remaining six took their own targets, two charging towards Winwe as they noticed him running around the side, two charged directly at Taliha, their spears pointed upward towards BC to attempt to skewer the large beast should he charged, and two towards boundary and Reecie each. Their spears held forward.<br/><br/>Taliha gave a sharp whistle which made BC, turn and get behind the caravan while she drew her bow and fired off one shot and then another at the two charging Goblins. Without waiting to see if they hit before diving under one of the wagons to come out on the other side, getting her bow read for another series of shots.<br/><br/>One of the arrows hit its mark, embedding into the shoulder of the goblin on the left. The second arrow missed wide and both goblins continued to run forward, the injured dropping his spear and removing a dagger with his good hand. They were upon the caravan now, preparing to strike upward once they rounded the back of the wagon.<br/><br/>Winwe saw two goblins running towards him there spears pointed towards him, he let out a groan of frustration; he was hoping to get behind the attackers and flank them. Winwe skidded himself to a halt lifting his right hand he summoned the magic within his being and said growl â€œle Vistoer (roots)â€ he attempted to pull the spears from their hands with the roots if not at least slow there run and tangle their feet.<br/><br/><br/>Winwe did not wait to see the effects of the roots not taking his eyes off the goblins but using his keen hearing to listen for the whistle of another bolt, he started to sprint towards, the two goblins,<span style="font-style: italic"> I have to get in close, at mid-range the spear is more effective, if I can get in close I can end this quickly and help the others, but I mustn't lose focus on this battle</span>.<br/><br/>Two goblins, spears in hand, quickly ran towards Boundary and Anareecia. Screaming in their own battle cry, they stabbed forward towards boundary once upon him.  However, the spears, much like the bolts, were batted to the side quickly confusing the creatures somewhat before they attempted to right their weapons again.<br/><br/>Anareecia immediately released the reigns of her horse, and folded her hands together with her arms stretched straight out in front of her. She bowed her head downward until her chin touched her chest, and closed her eyes. She made a behest of Mother Earth. Three feet in front of her the air seemed to unfold, like waves of heat above a fire. A silver wolf materialized through the displaced air. Reece fell to her knees from the strain of concentration and opened her eyes to see Boundary fighting one of the creatures.<br/><br/>Bolts whizzed past still, embedding into horse and dirt alike as the cacophony of combat flew around Tony. Steel on flesh and the cracking of wooden spears resonated in his ears. Breaking through the brush rather easily, he easily saw the culprits. Eight more goblins strong, armed with crossbows, and a giant hulk of hobgoblin armored in leather and holding a long sword in his left arm and an elf woman in his right. Seeing Tony he threw the girl to the side and readied his weapon.<br/><br/>Myrist dropped the bow and rolled backwards towards his glaive; the practices with his father were flashing in his mind now. Heâ€™d done the exact same thing as his father described a scenario much like this one and jabbed at him with sticks. As he hit his feet again his left hand landed on the glaive and pulled it from the ground; his right hand took the same time to pluck a throwing knife from his jerkin and flick it at one of the goblins. He was scared now. More scared than when he thought his father was going to take his eye out with that stick. Yeah, that stick hurt, he had a couple scars to prove it, but these goblins were thrusting spears at him.<span style="font-style: italic">Spears for the godsâ€™ sake!</span>The most dangerous thing Myrist had faced in the past was a couple wolves and now he was killing goblins with bows and spears... That thought suddenly died along with a dozen more similar ones. It had leaded him to one thought that overwhelmed all other thoughts in his head.<span style="font-style: italic">I just killed one, didnâ€™t I?</span>The image up that goblin toppling over with his arrows in it flashed across his mind.<span style="font-style: italic">I just killed it before it could kill me....I bettered it...I won...</span><br/><br/>That thought was amazingly comforting as his right hand joined his left on the glaive and he tried to bat the other goblinâ€™s spear away and get a stab in of his own.<span style="font-style: italic">I killed one when nine were charging, I can take two more! ... I hope.</span>The knife went wide but it caught the goblins off-guard. As Myrist came back into the fray he was successful in batting the spear away, but only partially. It's serrated edge catching his cheek and cutting it open for a minor wound. His counter stab was luckier, catching the attacker in the shoulder forcing him to drop the weapon. To close to get a stab in, the remaining goblin dropped his spear and removed a dagger, fumbling with it. The injured goblin cried out in rage and terror it reached out and raked Myrist's hand as it lay on the weapons hilt.<br/><br/>As Myrist battled for his life, Winwe saw two goblins running towards him there spears pointed towards him, he let out a groan of frustration; he was hoping to get behind the attackers and flank them. Winwe skidded himself to a halt lifting his right hand he summoned the magic within his being and said growl â€œLe Vistoer (roots)â€ he attempted to pull the spears from their hands with the roots if not at least slow there run and tangle their feet. He did not wait to see the effects of the roots not taking his eyes off the goblins but using his keen hearing to listen for the whistle of another bolt, he started to sprint towards, the two goblins,<span style="font-style: italic"> I have to get in close, at mid-range the spear is more effective, if I can get in close I can end this quickly and help the others, but I mustn't lose focus on this battle</span>.<br/><br/>The roots halted the goblins charge, but not their spear-arms. Their attention still on the battle and their spears still in hand, they kept their weapons pointed forwards ready to skewer the elf once he was in range.<br/><br/>Winwe noticed the Goblins still and tried to use it as his advantage. He made a quick dart to the right, finally getting in range of the goblins and attempted to avoid their spears, but the goblins soon followed with his trail, not letting themselves get surprised as they lie in wait, and pierced Winweâ€™s right thigh nearly to the bone. Winwe grimaced in pain as blood gushed from the wound, making a sharp lunge towards the goblin with his right hand to ether pierce or at least knock the goblin back while with his left he swag at the spear shaft with trying to break the spear head off.<br/><br/>Taliha gave a sharp whistle which made BC, turn and get behind the caravan while she drew her bow and fired off one shot and then another at the two charging Goblins. Without waiting to see if they hit before diving under one of the wagons to come out on the other side, getting her bow read for another series of shots.<br/><br/>One of the arrows hit its mark, embedding into the shoulder of the goblin on the left. The second arrow missed wide and both goblins continued to run forward, the injured dropping his spear and removing a dagger with his good hand. They were upon the caravan now, preparing to strike upward once they rounded the back of the wagon.<br/><br/>Seeing that her shots were not as true as she would have liked she prepared herself another round of shots, Firing at the one with the spear as she whistled again. BC moved to come behind the Goblins, flanking them in hopes of trampling them beneath his hooves before trying to gore them on his horns. It was obvious she was only getting one shot off so she dropped her bow and drew her sword, making a lunge for the one wielding a dagger.<br/><br/>The second shot hit its mark as well, but just barely skimming the neck of the intruding goblin. The dagger wielding one leapt towards the charging bull barely avoiding the sword lunge, and digging a claw into the beasts hide and stabbing towards Talihaâ€™s exposed leg with the dagger. It left a gash in her shin, but did not impale for a minor wound. The remaining with his spear still in hand, attempted to gouge the large animal from the front, but his confidence did not hold, dropping his spear and mimicking his comrade thinking it would be safer on the beast instead of in front of it. It leapt on the other side grabbing its own dagger in the process.<br/><br/>Boundary grunted, his shield was not as good at blocking attacks with the force of an arm behind them, projectiles were much easier. His shield sparked brightly and his hands heated up from the friction of impact. Letting out a yell he shoved his barrier hard into the faces of the goblins and released it, letting its momentum drive them back and drawing his sword.<br/><br/>Driving one back successfully, the remaining continued its attack upon Boundary, driving the spear in a bat like motion and striking your side just as you drew the sword. Luckily the blow was superficial, the blade not piercing skin, but it was still easily felt. A bruise would be waiting after the battle.<br/><br/>Boundary grunted again, feeling the hot sting of the blow and the lingering pain thereafter. He ignored it and sliced his blade up vertically, attempting to bisect the creature. Seeing this it threw the spear in the path of the blade, but the blow was too much for the weapon and it split. However it gave enough room for the goblin to back pedal, retrieving a dagger from his belt, ready for one last stand.<br/><br/>The second goblin in his brawl instead focused its attention on the wolf that was suddenly upon him, snarling. It attempted to bring itâ€™s spear to bare on the beast, but too little too late. Now relying on its strength and claws, they matched blows rolling on the ground, neither gaining victory over the other.<br/><br/>Reece remained on her knees for a moment, watching the wolf and the ugly creature rolling around clawing at one another. Noticing that the creature had dropped its spear, she glanced over again to see how Boundary was doing against his creature. Seeing he had it handled, she darted towards the spear that lay on the ground. Holding it up over her shoulder with both hands, she plunged the spear downward towards her wolf and the offending goblin, hoping to strike at the goblin.<br/><br/>Unfortunately the goblin saw this on a glance, and positioned the wolf in the way of the spear. With a howl the beast released its grip on the goblin and slowly began to dissipate. Free of the beast the goblin righted itself and drew a dagger, ready to kill the woman. The spear out of the question now, she quickly drew her own dagger ready to defend herself.<br/><br/>Thinking fast, Tony decided that the big one was the most danger. Crossbow bolts would cause harm only where they didn't bounce off armor and shield so... His response was to discharge lightning at the sword, seeing that one bit of metal as a weak point.<br/><br/>Stunned from the blast of lightning, the hobgoblin shook it off, keeping a grip on the blade. He charged towards Tony sword held high and swung down with a force, slamming into the large shield and bruising the arm that held it from the blow<br/><br/>Tony almost stumbled, but the shield held and his arm held and a blind charge gave not too much ability to change direction. Knowing this, he feinted, snapping his tail at ankle level before stabbing forward.<br/><br/>Myrist hardly felt the cut or the scratches. He had his weapon sticking in a wretched fiend of a creature and adrenaline pouring from his pores. Today was for living and he knew he had the advantage of both weight and strength in this battle. He used it, wrenching the glaive sideways, trying to drag the one goblin into the other by the wound in its shoulder. If luck was with him, the pain would cause the injured one to let go of his hands, if not black out--Myrist twisted the glaive for good measure--and the collision would cause the other to drop its dagger, which it didnâ€™t have a firm grip on yet. Then he could slaughter them in his own time.<br/><br/>This turned into a perfect strategy. The superior strength allowed Myrist to do just as he thought. As if in slow motion the glaive brought the injured goblin crashing into the other forcing the remaining to drop the dagger. A twist and a stab from his weapon was all that was needed to end the scrawny beings lives. His battle over Myrist quickly tended to the wounded horses.<br/><br/>The Goblin Winwe lunged at held his spear tight, and this was his undoing. Winweâ€™s sword pierced the little monsters body through killing him quickly. His second swing was well aimed as well, cleaving the blade off the spear lodged in his leg. Luckily the head remained and did not open the wound further. Trying to re-double his efforts at the lost comrade, the remaining goblin tried a last ditch effort to lodge the spear into the skull of the elf.<br/><br/>Winwe quickly pulled his blade from the goblins chest, and made to roll out of the way of the spear from the second goblin. This was made awkward and incredibly painful from the spear head in his thigh, the pain was enough to blur his vision for a brief second. He persevered however, swinging his blade in a parrying motion towards the spear hoping to knock it aside<span style="font-style: italic"> if I can knock it aside I might be close enough to get a shot at his chest</span>he thought clamping his jaw together to try to hold back the pain. The spear stabbed through air and the resulting motion of the elves parry threw it further away, making the goblin stumble. This was the only opening the bleeding elf needed and he rushed in to make a slice across the monsters chest, felling him in one swipe.<br/><br/>Hissing in pain Taliha swung the sword in an arc, aiming to cleave the little bastard in half or lob his head off. BC, bellowing in pain and rage at seeing his Mamma injured lowered his head swinging his horns trying to hook the offending individuals.<br/>She succeeded in cleaving into the first who struck her, digging the blade into the soft tissue at its neck, but not quite cleaving through. Its limp body slid easily enough off the edge with BCâ€™s harsh movements. The remaining goblin, being jostled by the beast, stabbed its dagger downward out of reflex to steady his self, digging the blade deep into the hide of the steer. BC bellowed, jerking his head downward to try and gore the tiny prick that had caused him pain. Seeing that holding on was not aiding his effort, the goblin released the dagger and dropped to the ground. Not the smartest idea however, as the horn of the steer pierced its shoulder, causing him to howl in pain. Taliha was prepared with her sword, stabbing into its exposed neck.<br/><br/>Boundary smirked he had put it in a disadvantageous position and given himself the opportunity for another attack. Bringing his sword back to his body in a defensive stance, Boundary crossed his left arm over his right and pointed it at the goblin, hoping he could get it with one good magical attack. He did as his master taught him, focusing his determination and will in the palm of his hand and imagining the essence of flame. The magical energies in the air gathered around his palm and awaited the word that would give them form. "Ignus!" he shouted, the energy coalescing into a ball of raging flame and jetting forward from his palm towards the goblin, ready to explode on impact.<br/><br/>And it did just that, the ball exploding upon the goblins chest and throwing him back a good 7 feet, motionless. The effect had its effect on those around as well, you easily feeling the heat of the blast, your hand burning anew. The goblins however, was very dead and the battle won<br/><br/>Reeceâ€™s battle continued nearby, the goblin charging forward. Reece was ready and sidestepped, slashing with the dagger into the goblins side. Angered, the goblin quickly turned and slashed the dagger down the forearm.  The pain was to great apparently, as Reece dropped her dagger and screamed, clutching her wound as she turned to run away.<br/><br/>Boundary clutches his right hand, which stung rather badly from the fire spell he had used...he had not intended to use so much power. Hearing a scream he looked over to the left and saw Reecie clutching her arm and the glint of blood on the goblin's dagger. The pain in his hand was suddenly replaced with anger towards that monster. His eyes abandoned their disguise, his eyes flaring a bright amber color and he focused his energy in both of his hands, hoping to direct his spell in its general direction. Moving his left hand in a throwing motion he physically threw his will at the monster just as he willed the spell to life with a word, "Forzare!" his aura and will forming into a wall of pure force that hurtled toward the goblin.<br/><br/>The force struck the goblin right in the back, thrusting him and the spear forward directly at Anareecia. Unluckily it struck the girls thigh, causing her to stumble forward in pain, but the goblin was very dead. The cost for this deed was great. Boundaries hands even now were red with heat and painful blisters were beginning to form up on his palms. The current threat, at least, was over.<br/><br/>The ploy worked for Tony slightly, the tail causing the beast to stumble, but the stab missed vital areas, stabbing instead to the shoulder of his weaponless arm. A howl of pain and the giant goblin sidestepped to the half-dragons weapon arm and slashed in a low sideways arc, cutting a gash into Tonyâ€™s thigh.<br/><br/>Ignoring the pain as best he could, Tony decided for one more lighting blast, this however much weaker, meant to simply blind the beast giving Tony room to attack. It worked, and once the power was released the half-dragon immediately bashed the shield forward with all his strength. The Hob-goblin stumbled backwards and fell, rubbing his eyes furiously to try and regain vision. Taking no chance, Tony forced something else through the goblin's eyes while it was struggling - the point of his sword - favoring the wounded leg.<br/><br/>Seeing their leader fallen, the remaining goblins with crossbows in hand quickly fled to the thin forest in the distance. The battle was won.<br/><br/>With extreme luck, no more horses were injured beyond easy healing, though many had arrows sticking from their bodies. Tony was relatively unharmed from his brawl, with only a superficial cut to his thigh. Myrist came out with an obvious cut to his face, and badly scratched hands, but otherwise no worse for the ware, much like Taliha did with a small cut to her leg. BC was breathing somewhat heavier from the deep wound to his chest, but upon inspection it looked as if it would heal well enough if well-tended. Winwe still kept the spear blade lodged into his thigh, and the wound would need tending too before further strenuous action took place. Boundary suffered no cuts, but his hands were badly blistered and it would be very difficult to wield a weapon with them for at least 2 days while they healed. Reecie suffered more, the spear still embedded into her thigh deeply, and the wound to her forearm still bleeding. It would need medical attention and more than likely she would not be able to walk well for 3 days while the wound closed.