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At someone’s yell (”GO!"), Jack turned to really take in the surrounding caravans for the first time. Everyone in them seemed to rise to attention at the ensuing danger. One of them, a blonde, elven woman, caught Jack’s eye, if only for the scanty way she dressed and the set of gifts she was so bountifully bestowed. The sounds of spooked horses and shouts became drowned out by the sounds of angry goblins and Jack tore his eyes away in time to see Eona cast her stone.

Jack hopped down from the cart and ran after Eona, quickly deducing that she was vastly outnumbered. He slashed through the two goblins that had their sights set on her, able to get them from behind while they obsessed over her. His sword hacked through with relative ease, like a knife through cold butter.

“Hey!” He shouted at the three goblins encroaching on Eona. Two looked his way, but one was too keen on fighting with the girl.
Jack kept the two goblins at bay with aggressive strikes and equally aggressive footwork. The creatures nicked him in the calves and thighs a few times, but the cuts were easily ignored. They weren’t so easy to deal with from the front. Wickedly fast and deadly sharp, goblins were never Jack’s favorite.

Eventually they both fell, after Jack used a fake-out move on both, and he checked on Eona before checking on the rest of the caravan trail. Mostly, he checked on the blonde elven woman. The crack of the leader’s neck would go unheard in all the commotion.

“There will be more,” Jack told Eona through his pants. He was speaking from experience and a little from fear. Sweat ran down his jawline and his bruised face glistened in the sun, his body trying to rid itself of the foul toxins he swam in the night before.

"By Myrkul's shriveled black balls," the dancing girl cursed as she watched the goblins rush in a staggered, chaotic line, with little thought or planning.

Two goblins weren't a bother, not from her vantage. The problem was that she didn't like people knowing she was capable of casting magic and that made the goblins a real problem.

She drew out the crossbow from behind the bench, aimed, and squeezed the latch. Little did she know that you weren't supposed to leave a crossbow forever drawn and the weakened limbs of the crossbow hurled the bolt with all the force of a limp wristed child. The bolt blossomed into a flower of feathers and wood six strides short of it's target.

Normally she'd just cast a simple illusion of herself being a demon or a form powerful mystic queen. Alternatively she could cast a slumber spell, a spell of holding or even summon a creature but all of those would reveal her magical ability.

Oh well...

The blonde elven girl began to cast, trying to keep her action subtle. Maybe they'd assume that half-elf druid did it. She began murmuring, fingers twitching, feeling the magical flows and redirecting them I to the pattern she desired of them. She was almost done when the white haired barbarian woman exploded out of the hay like a fireball, with a volume to match.

Startled, Assallya lost the flows of magic she'd been assembling to deal with the approaching goblins.

((We have at least two blonde elves lol ))

As the three horsemen closed the distance, the leader lowered his blade and swung swiftly, driving his shining blade deep into the chest of one of the riders, spurring it off into a mad cry of pain. It was dragged clean off its mount being carried a good ten feet before slowly being slid off into the grass by the Cossack who’d slain him.

What followed was the sound of a breaking back as the massive horse trampled over the lost goblin’s rat, slamming a hoof straight into the saddle. The force crushed straight through its hairy body before thrusting it backwards in a tumble.

The other two riders split from Ruslan, one heading left and the other right, preparing to flank the remaining few visible riders. It seemed those those watching that this had not been their first time performing this maneuver. However, in the carnage of the leader’s kill, a spear came screaming through the air striking the chestnut mare square in the neck, felling it immediately. It let out a painful neigh and In seconds, the horse hit the ground, spurring it’s hind legs into the air and tossing it’s rider face first into the ground. First, the horse rolled once then twice, spraying those nearby in a shower of dirt and grass. It’s momentum flung the rider below it, causing there to be a quick but loud snapping sound that rattled across the landscape. Second, the rider himself smacked against the grass only to be rolled onto his back before being crushed by his own mount. Unmoving, he let out a gasp of air before a dulling silence.

At the sudden event, Ruslan leapt from his horse unthinking and landed with a very erratic fall. His legs swung up to the left and he slid quite a bit before stopping himself with a rugged hand. Just as quickly as he’d fallen, the man spung back up and ran to his friend, unwary of the nearby threat.

((Sorry Doggie, but just for clarification sake, did you mean Assallya on the first paragraph? ))

Eona cleaned and returned her daggers to their sheaths. "Unfortunately you're probably right. I'm going to take a quick look around."

She closed her eyes and took a breath and then where a female half elf had been suddenly there was a fox with fur a very similar shade to Eona's. The fox looked up at Jack for a moment then slunk off into the under brush heading toward the tree line and quickly became hard to see.

Jack, having already been staring at Assallya, saw her waving her hands around in deliberate, magically inclined gestures. It didn't take a very smart man to put together that she was conjuring, lest she suddenly decided to dance, but Jack was unaware of her wanting to hide it. He turned away from Assallya to aid Eona with her battle.

After the goblins were strewn lifeless around the two, Jack looked at Eona when she responded to his sentiments then stared wide-eyed as she shifted into a fox. Their eyes met in a brief pause where Jack held his breath and then she was gone. He wished there was some kind of tell for those who could turn into animals. It was always so disarming.

He turned to see that the two goblins nearing Assallya were even more near. Though she wasn't in as much danger as she could be with her high vantage point, Jack still crept near to try and defend the wagon. He looked past the goblins to see another blonde she-elf, Jhanandra, and his eyes just about popped out of his head. Just his luck to choose the cart of modesty. He looked at Jhanandra’s feet to see a different looking goblin, crumpled and still. He didn't know enough about them to say the creature was the leader, but the different dress was telling.

A horse's loud cries ripped through the air then and Jack looked in time to see the screaming thing crush its rider. His heart skipped a beat at the sight of someone being injured so gravely and he would try to make his way to Ruslan, who kneeled by the injured man’s side.

“Look lively, man!” Jack shouted at Ruslan, whether he made it to him or not. His tone was desperate and his face held a stern sympathy that told him he understood the feeling, but they still had a battle to win.

His eyes caught Tonaf last. As short as he was, Jack had nearly overlooked him like he was but a boulder. He seemed to have his own goblins to take care of and Jack was locked in place, whether it be with Ruslan or trying to get to him.

It was pandemonium out there, horses, overly-large rats and goblins were running about all over the damned place, bo doubt with their leader slain any chance of forming anything like a plan for the goblins was dead as well.

With the leader slain Jhanandra set about skewering the corpse upon its own spear, hoisting the bloody mess high for the others to see. If the goblins were a cowardly lot- and there was little readon to think they weren't- they may lose their nerves and make this skirmishba swifter affair.

They were coming. He knew, as the tangles of green branch gave birth to more of the sneering goblins, dirks, axes, cudgels, whatever these primitive little beasts knew what to steal and what to use. It was made worse by their spiteful bravado. This ain't right! I've never seen the little monsters this brave before! Ton thought, aghast as his worst fear came to light. From the shouting outside, it seemed that the raid was taking a bloody toll.

The goblins gave him little time to further contemplation. As they closed the distance between themselves and the carriage, they hurled whatever hard object they could find, as wood, rock, pebbles and earth pelted the carriage wall. A rouge stone almost caught Ton by his left cheek, jumping his nerves when he moved to the left side of the window to take cover, further projectiles painted the inside of the carriage a mosaic of splinters and dirt.

Ton knew how much of a sitting duck he was in here. Commotion echoed from the outside, and he could hear the din of horses and clashing weapons outside. Truth be told, he didn't know which side was winning, but huddling in the carriage like a frightened lamb was like waiting for a quick death. Tonaf girded himself once again. The rhythm of stones and large sticks receded, but he could hear the nasally snarls and primitive talk of the beasts draw closer to the small carriage. Sharpened claws and chipped blades dug into the wooden frame like makeshift climing tools.

"For God's sake, I am not afraid of a bunch of cowardly little urchins!" He encouraged himself aloud as he darted to the exit, by the front of the now abandoned coach. The doorframe parted as he barged it aside, one of the rougeish little beasts fell toward the wooden platform with a thump, a rusty dirk slipping from it's hand down the staircase. Clearly the goblin did not expect the warm welcome, too startled to move even before Ton had cleaved it's pointed nose into two with his axe. He kicked the dead creature down the stairs of the carriage, where it landed on the dirt with a thump.

He scanned the forest timidly for more of the goblins, peering his head toward the rest of the road beside the driver's platform. He spotted more a few companions of the goblin he'd just slain, though their attention had shifted away from Ton, and more so on climbing into the carriage to raid the stores inside. No doubt they had no wish to needlessly put their lives at risk, nor was he willing to test his mettle outnumbered five to one of the cornered rats. The dirt road was already littered with the buggers, not to mention the giant rodents some of their kind rode upon.

He left the goblins inside to their distraction as he bolted down the stairs in search of a friendly face, a half-regret already forming in his mind that he did not have a lit torch with him to roast the thieves still within the abandoned carriage.

The field crunched below his dark leather boots as Ruslan sprinted across the leafy field with glistening green eyes. For he payed no mind to the sudden danger near twenty feet away, as his only concern was that of his dying, if not dead, friend who lay motionless against the rear legs of the Chestnut Mare.

"Branimir!" He shouted between phlegm filled breaths, "Branimir, my friend! Branimir, please! Oleski, help!"

At the cries, the third rider cut his charge immediately, stirring up the Coal coated Mare and reigning her towards Ruslan, who now rested on his knees over the fellow Cossack, Branimir. This warrior, named Oleski, rode hard across the grassy plain, taking note of the nearby threat. Instead of riding straight towards the couple, chancing a similar fate to his fallen friend, he chose the caravan in hopes those within would aid in reaching the pair. For he knew well enough, he'd be no match for that many riders and he wondered if they'd even come to notice.

Eona's journey through the under brush so far hadn't shown any signs of more goblins on the woods. She was sniffing one last place when she heard Ruslan call out. Shifting directions she ran towards him and his friend instead. Taking a moment to pause while still a few feet away, she shifted back into her usual form then walked the last few steps. Two quick shifts after a fight might have been a bit much.

"Do you need help? I'm a healer," it was fairly obvious that the man on laying on the ground did need help, but it was only polite to ask after all. She knelt next to them and started looking them both over, ready to begin helping as soon as she was given the okay.

It seems that everyone was doing their part in the skirmish, goblins and conpanions aside, though while many on both ends made themselves busy in the surrounding area there were still goblins reaching the carts and wagons. Many here may be warriors or even just capable of simply handling themselves but the merchants and their kin were unlikely to be so skilled.

Since she was in an agreement with the merchants already it was time to continue earning that ride, the she-elf hopping onto her cart so that she may better stride with great hast from transport to transport- already sue eyed a quintet of diminutive greenskins clambering over a wagon- they sought riches but death was all there was for sale on this road.

Too distracted by their attempted burglary to notice the fair barbarian come their way one was executed by decapitaion, his head rolling around the roof- which now sported a heavy gash in the wood. Another saw his kin be killed and hollered a cry for aid, to be abruplt silenced when a kick snapped its neck.

The others now however were coning straight for her, a little spear nicking her outer right thigh drawing crimson but getting thrown clear of the wagon to its death by the flat of that runed greatsword. The last two leapt for her face, one getting bisected by Jhanandra's blade coming back around but the last got upon her torso, using her busom for a foothold it seized her right shoulder and thrusted with a rusty shank made for her jugular- only a quick headbutt made the weapon miss its mark and become buried in the she-elf's left shoulder while its little owner fell down to the wagon roof.

Enraged at taking not one but two wounds, Jhanandra forewent the use of her blade and wrenched the shank free instead- to which the last goblin of this particular group was then gutted with. Finally a corpse with entrails in tow was flung from the wagon, its riches and occupants safe- for now.

Amidst a loud clucking from a caged chicken on the roof of the vardo wagon, the blonde dancing girl hurled her near useless crossbow at the first goblin. He had wrapped his leathery hands around the spokes of the wagon wheel, clearly attempting to climb up. The crossbow thumped into the goblin but the glancing impact did little save further annoy him.

Okay. She was definitely going to have to resort to magic!

An unseen hand reached out. It belonged to a third goblin who'd come up the other side.
He grasped her ankle, pressing the anklets against her skin. He yanked and Assallya fell upon her buttocks atop the stowed luggage, distributing any thought of spell casting.

"Get off my wagon!" the girl cried and planted her bare foot into his face, knocking him back but not enough to send him flying off the wagon's side

Hearing the Commotion the wander ran in from the tree line leaping out onto the battlefield-turned road, Cloak and coattails billowing behind him, accessing the danger he un-sheaths his katana, with a dark blueish-purple energy trailing off the blade, as he slashes through a cluster of goblins running in from the trees. Quickly darting towards the wagons slaughtering any goblin in his way with quick but deadly swipes, heading towards the wagon with a woman trapped up top as goblins climb up its sides. He brings his arm back, and then thrusts it forward, launching himself at an insane speed as he brings himself to a stop and lodges his blade within a goblins head using the blade to cast it aside, then he grabs another goblin by the foot as it reaches the top and throws it upon the ground, Quickly flattening its head with a quick stomp to the skull, Then grabbing onto a ledge on the wagon he launches himself into the air falling into a downward spiral katana first into the third goblin skewering it into the ground. As he pulls the katana free a lurking 4th goblin swipes at his legs with a short sword taking a inch off his cloak as he dodges, instantly he grabs the goblin by the face and begins smashing its head into the wagon side until there's nothing but a red goop stain on the wagon, seeing that the there were no more goblins near the wagon he darts off into the swarm slashing through the entanglement of goblins and their rat mounts. (Sorry if this is a bit too gory or brutal, or just too in detail if any of you have a problem with the gore or in depth detail of me killing monsters please let me know)

The blonde dancing girl was about to make a gesture to cast a spell as the blonde swordsman came to her aid. A spell to enlarge the man, to make him the size of an ogre or perhaps a spell to double his already impressive speed!

It turned out to be unnecessary. The man... with... with ... Assallya was stunned to see stitches across the man's throat. She was no healer but that looked it should have been nigh unsurvivable. Was he some form of revenant perhaps?

"Well fought-" the blonde woman began to say, planning on thanking him when he just off and ran, completely ignoring her.

"Well... That was odd."

A group of three goblins prevented Jack from aiding Ruslan, their little daggers slicing through his legs as he tried to trudge through them with a hacking sword. Where he struck blades with one, another would jab him in the legs. Jack gritted his teeth, more annoyed by the creatures than in pain. In time, while also trying to keep the pointy parts of the goblins at bay, Jack saw that Eona had joined the man and he didn’t know whether to be relieved or doubly worried. How well could the girl defend herself in the midst of the fray? Jack had only known her mere moments before the ambush, but he didn’t want to see her crushed under the same fate of the man at her feet.

Jack’s attention was stolen away by quick movements and the singing swipes of a katana. In minutes, the goblins surrounding the stranger (Murcary) had fallen, leaving the vardo wagon still once more, if not a little bloodied. As quickly as he had come, he was gone, disappearing into the forest without so much as a word. Jack blinked after him in a similar fashion to Assallya and might have met her eyes if she thought to look down.

If she did spare a glance, she would see a creeping goblin jump onto Jack’s back and start clawing at his face with sharp nails. Fortunately for Jack–though he didn’t feel so fortunate at the moment–the goblin didn’t appear to have a weapon.
“Aghh!!” Jack wailed as the goblin raked him across both cheeks, adding to the already throbbing pain of his bruises.

He reached around and grabbed the goblin, blindly clutching it by its knobby shoulder, and flung it to the ground like one might do with a football. Then he stomped on it with a strong boot, his hazel eyes blazing. He didn’t even have time to see the outcome of the stomp before the three goblins imitated their fallen comrade’s move. They all jumped onto Jack, clutching onto him with clawed fingers and trying to jab him with their weapons. The weight of them made Jack stumble until he was brought to one knee. He grunted as he managed to throw one of them off, the other two still attached and wildly trying to kill him.

Erupting from a strew of goblins Murcary dashed at tremendous speeds back to the wagons after slaying the incoming reinforcements. Arching his arm back as he launches his sword into the head of a goblin pinning its lifeless corpse to a nearby wagon, following up he uses his sheath as a blunt weapon as he swings it into the goblins faces knocking them off Jacks back. "Mind If I cut in?" he asks as he grabs a powder from underneath his cloak and throwing it into Jacks face. "It's gonna sting, but its also gonna close those wounds up a lot faster than it would take to find a healer" he said reassuringly as he plucks his sword off the wagon letting the goblin corpse slump down. Bringing himself into a ready to strike position as he guards Jack from the oncoming goblins as his face heals up.

Jack felt the relief of weight and claws leaving him as Murcary swiped one of the goblins off of his back. He tried to blink the blood out of his eyes while he clutched the last of the three goblins with one hand, his sword in the other. Jack thought Assallya had come down to help him, but upon spearing the goblin and hastily wiping at his eyes, he saw that it was the stranger from just seconds ago. Had he appeared here from nothing?

“Go ahead,” Jack responded to the katana-man with vague amusement. He was doing a pretty bang up job of getting rid of the pests, far be it from Jack to stop him from cutting the workload. And then the man pocket-sanded him right in the face.
“Blue blazes!!” Jack shouted and scrunched up his eyes while he rubbed at them in a panic. They burned, as well as the skin around them, and the pain bolstered his worry. “Gods be damned! What was that?!”

He may have shouted over some of the man’s explanation, but he would understand in time that the powder meant to help him.
“A bit of a head’s up next time, yeah?” Jack told him, still blinking the tears out of his eyes.
They did start to feel better, no matter how long it felt like it took. His cheeks started to burn less as well and he poked at his face where pain should have been.

“Gods be damned,” Jack repeated, though it was a murmur under his breath this time. That stuff really worked! He hoped it got rid of the green and purple too, and returned him to his natural, handsome self.

Once his eyes were clear enough to see, albeit red from the irritation, Jack would check back on Eona and the man she went to help. If things looked rough for them, he would run to their aid after only a second's hesitation.

Her current foes slain the barbarian had but to go and find more goblin carcases to make. It was a mess out there, little greenskins and travers aplenty running about with no semblance of a coherent defence or assaumt to be seen anywhere...

Ruslan stared up hopefully at Eona as she rushed towards them. For the man below him was still breathing yet severely unconscious and unresponsive. Outwardly, he looked quite aright minus a handful of grass stains, bruises, and scrapes. However, upon inspecting his chest It appeared that the weight of his steed had completely crushed his ribs, creating a small indent upon his shirt.

“You can help?,” Ruslan said between seething breaths, “I fear he won’t wake up.”