Kelewen

Fortune or Fate?

Three of the goblins began binding Kaiden's feet so that they might more easily drag him back to their village. The other three pulled Rook's hands together in front of her and wrapped a leather cord about her wrists. She did not resist, fearing that if she did her hands would be bound behind her back instead. This way, at least she might yet find some opportunity to act.

Not realizing that Stybs was not affiliated with the others, Rook felt only dismay at the arrival of yet another goblin.

Garuk narrowed his eyes suspiciously at the large newcomer, lowering his bow now that their prisoners seemed sufficiently in check. He'd heard of the Liberator, of course. They all had. But the exaggerated tales portrayed the famous goblin as taller than an orc, broad shouldered, clad in armor made of dragon hide, and eyes that blazed red. And he did not connect that image to Stybs.

"These ones belong to us now," Garuk said in the goblin tongue, assuming Stybs was hoping to claim whatever coin these two might be carrying for himself. But even if this new guy was tall, there were six of them and only one of him. Garuk wasn't about to be cowed. "Beat it, Stretch."

Slave ship wrecked

Ulric narrowed his eyes, picturing each of the four escaped slaves. He'd been involved in collecting many of them in the first place. He was fairly certain the face print wasn't of the albino girl, so it must be the other. "This one was rather unremarkable," he commented as he examined the ground a few moments longer, noting by the tracks in the soft earth how the others had turned and come back to aid this girl.

"A man, perhaps her uncle, sold her to the captain in Port Harwick." Had it not been for the fact that they didn't normally collect slaves from the area in and around Port Harwick, Ulric might not even have remembered the girl. The local lord there employed a strong home guard that served as a deterrent for the snatch and grab tactics. "A drunkard paying off a gambling debt, if I remember rightly," he shook his head with disdain for such an individual.

"You captured one of the others we hunt, didn't you?" he asked Dinah as they continued down the trail that lead to the swampy lowland.

---

Anxious to not anger the village elder further, Brinley hurried after Willow, not even waiting to hear the answer about which direction to the river. The albino girl seemed to be certain of the direction to head and even if it wasn't right, they could always correct it once they were out of range of the natives and the threat of being handed back to Ulric in ropes.

Fortune or Fate?

That latest post is my effort to pull the story toward the ruins/magician's fortress. If anyone helps Rook, awesome! But I'm at least hoping they manage to haul Kaiden away.

@Blox... if you return, apologies for making your character into a goblin sacrifice. ;)

And if anyone wants one of those other goblins, feel free to claim them!

Fortune or Fate?

The small group of goblins that passed the invisible elf continued on, oblivious to her presence, and headed into the surrounding woods. The moon would be full in just a few nights and they were on a mission to obtain the required sacrifices.

But they had not traveled for more than a quarter of an hour when the sharp-eared Garuk paused. "Do you hear?" he asked the others quietly in their native tongue. It was a voice... maybe human, maybe elven... but definitely not far away. He grinned, extremely pleased that perhaps they would not have to travel all the way to Ashdown to obtain the sacrifices.

They fanned out and crept forward quietly, now communicating only via hand signals.

---

Kaiden's unconscious form was heavy and awkward, but Rook managed to drag him to the edge of the clearing. A few times she thought she might have heard a small noise escape him and hoped that might mean he would wake, but he remained blacked out.

Carefully she laid him down and was in the process of arranging his head and arms in a position that didn't look too terribly uncomfortable when a rough voice in an unfamiliar tongue barked out from behind her. She spun in surprise, only to find six vicious looking creatures with greenish skin, cruel eyes, and even crueler weapons had encircled her while she fretted over her fallen friend.

Goblins! She reached instinctively for her bow, but the weapon lay uselessly in the middle of the clearing!

"Nee down!" spat one, motioning toward the forest floor. Rook looked about wildly. When she hesitated, one of the goblins with a bow pointed it at Kaiden. "Down! Or deed deed deed!" it said and the archer, not seeing another option that didn't get herself or Kaiden killed within the next few moments, slowly got to her knees.

Slave ship wrecked

When the others didn't run, Brinley paused long enough to realize the man was the very same one that broken their chains just hours before. She hadn't recognized him immediately as it had been fairly dark in the hull of the ship, plus he had been in significantly better shape earlier.

"Oh! Sir," she said. The 'sir' felt awkward, but she didn't know how else to address him. She stepped forward, "I thought for sure when Ulric caught you that... that he would kill you for helping us. We owe you a great debt."

When she glanced down she saw Oliver scratching in the dirt and looked closer at his message. "Not if we can get to those ships," she said determinedly.

Fortune or Fate?

Well, the splint is finally off of my finger! I can almost type like I used to. The one finger still doesn't always go where its supposed to but it's close enough.

@Assallya

RP injury?

Slave ship wrecked

@Kelewen

Maybe if one or two of them gets caught again xD

@Nikki Moonlight

Great minds think alike. ;)

Welcome @Oliver!

Fortune or Fate?

The noise ahead ceased a few moments before Rook broke through the thick foliage. "Kaiden!" she gasped, seeing her friend lying unmoving on the ground, his head tilted slightly to the side and a bit of blood on his clothes. For a moment, she actually thought he was dead and her heart jumped into her throat.

Keeping a firm grip on her bow helped keep her hands from shaking as she hurried toward her friend, dreading what she would find there. When she reached him, she spun in a slow circle, surveying the brush for sign of danger. Spotting nothing, she knelt and a small wave of relief washed over her as she realized Kaiden was breathing.

She set down the bow with the arrow still knocked loosely. "Kaiden," she said as she took hold of his shoulders and shook gently. "Kaiden, can you hear me?" She trying to whisper, but fear made the pitch of her voice rise involuntarily. "Please, Kaiden, wake up!" His head rolled slightly to the side.

Forcing down the panic that threatened, she took a deep breath to steady herself and decide on a course of action. "Didn't my mother tell you to watch out for me?" she said then, only slightly calmer, but enough to slip her arms under his shoulders and begin to drag him out of the small clearing, hoping to keep him safe by hiding his location. Of course, she didn't have enough hands to carry the bow too. No matter... she'd just have to come back for it...

@Kiss Of Night@bloonewb@Marcus XVI@Gareth@MayLily915@Polybius

Slave ship wrecked

While she didn't have the same urge to go punch the elder that Oliver did, Brinley felt a similar sense of despair. Fleeing the slave ship had been nothing but a futile gesture that would earn her nothing but perhaps a lashing. She clasped her hands together to keep them from shaking.

But then... "Ships traveling away?" she repeated, almost in disbelief. Dare she hope again? "Which way does the river flow?" she asked, then realizing the "game", added: "... so that we may avoid it."

"Wait!" The cry rang out from not far away... just outside the ring of huts in the foliage.

"It's them!" Brinley cried in dismay, not realizing it was the sailor that had broken them free. "Run!"

Slave ship wrecked

Is anyone else "secretly" hoping this story eventually takes us to this mysterious Ghurkon?