Zith leaned out of the window looking into Jordie’s backyard. She took in a long sigh, breathing in through the mask, half tempted to pull it up just to breathe a bit easier, but deciding against it. Someone could be watching. She was always worried about being watched. An old habit she’d never quite shook.
Things had been peaceful, at least. None of the King’s Men…yet. She was still paranoid about every unrecognizable person she saw. She knew what war was like. She knew ears were everywhere…along with eyes. To that end…
She leaned away from the window, casting one more glance out it, before descending the nearby stairs. No sign of anyone. The family was out, and the group was doing various other things, she was sure. Nendra and Fritz were scheming their little rebellion. Faris was off…well, she didn’t actually know. Essen was off to gather further shiny rocks to replenish their collection. It all worked out, in the end, that nobody knew her well enough to know her habits. She smiled a bit to herself, as she exited the house, and stuck her gloved hands in her pockets as she strode down the street. The townspeople gave her a wide berth, just how she liked. Nobody liked freaks in masks. But no one wanted to be the one to tell the freak in the mask to leave. At least the air was nice here. Nothing like the smog of certain streets back home.
It was around mid afternoon when she slipped into the tavern crowd. They’d seen her around a few times. She stayed away at nights, mostly. She was practicing then. She got a few waves from people she knew had no friendly intent. She slipped into a seat near the back, and ordered some food. She was a bit hungry, and she at the very least had gold to burn. She’d tried gambling with it a few times, but she didn’t really find it useful. Wasting or earning money didn’t mean a ton to her anymore. When the food got out, she didn’t touch it for a few minutes, and just sort of listened idly to the world around her. Nothing super interesting at first. Bad marriages. Owlbear encounters. A bit of fun news about supposed problems in the Governor’s Palace. But that was nothing compared to what she heard next.
“Goblins aren’t a normal sight arou-”
She didn’t listen to the rest, she’d already stood up, and moved over to the table who’d spoken it. Three human men, all of various ages, talking over a few mid afternoon drinks. Their talk silenced as she approached. She leaned down ever so slightly.
“What’s this about goblins?” She said, trying to keep her voice free of excitement.
“Oh-uh. Apparently I heard from a buddy of mine that a caravan of them passed through Otter’s Run, and were headed this way. Slow moving, but with a alotta goods. Just mentioning how ya never seem to see those in big groups like this. Should be interesting if they come by.”
A grin under the mask.
“Right, thanks, sorry for disturbing you-” She flicked a platinum piece into the man’s hand, moved back to the table, grabbing her sandwich to eat on the road, and left her payment. She then moved out of the tavern, slipped into the space beside, and sprinted for the outskirts of town-heading down the road to Otter’s Run.
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A few hours later, she was crouched down just below the edge of a hill. A small valley was here, around a main road. They’d come through here soon. Though doubt was creeping at her mind. It probably was just a normal caravan, but…
If her gut was right, they had made it this far east. And thus…
Action. Or…she’d try it.
As she waited, the doubt weighed further on her mind. But eventually, the sound of hoofbeats and cart wheels snapped her out of any contemplation. She summoned her arms and helm. The shadows of darkness around her formed up into condensed form, and a mask which layered atop hers with tendrils of gloom. She peered through its lenses, and could make out the two massive carts hitched to…worgs. A team of eight. She made sure she was hidden before looking closer. Eight guards per. Goblins with bows. Under the covered sections, she could make out a few bugbears. Four teamsters near the front keeping the worgs in line. Finally, near the front, a man in half plate. Hobgoblin. No lizardfolk, kobolds, or orcs. Lucky enough, she supposed.
She needed to be sure that these were like her, though. And she got her confirmation. As it passed by, she heard the hobgoblin speak, in goblin, to a bugbear standing beside him.
“Tell the Neophytes to watch for owlbears. Apparently this area’s infested with them. I don’t want any further delays.”
The bugbear nodded, and started to move towards the back. The back of the cart was almost out of reach.
That confirmed it though. Neophyte. The lowest rank amongst the goblin sects of the Empire. She got that grin under the mask again as she stood, and in one fluid motion, leaped over, landing on the back of the card with a soft thud. The two goblins closest to the back didn’t have time to reach for melee weapons, much less draw their bows back, before her arms grasped them, their own shadows wrapping them in holds back slamming inwards. The snapping of mangled bones being heard, before she sprung towards the next, a bugbear, who barely had time to turn before she struck him straight through the chest with both arms. He let out a gurgled yell. Alerting the rest. But she’d work with it. She sprung back from the now dead bugbear, and looked around-two of the goblins had taken the high ground. That was fine. They fired a pair of arrows, she dodged one and caught the other. She’d trained with make like this. She tossed it back, getting the shooter through the neck, and sending him to the ground in a pool of his own blood. She then launched herself upwards towards the other goblin, not missing a beat cleaving the other in half with a shadowy extension, still in her run, as she grasped the shortsword from his side. The two on the deck below had drawn back bows, but she jumped, tossing the shortsword midair to the bugbear that had been waiting just below her former perch, catching him in the shoulder, pinning him. A second bugbear came from behind, just as the arrows released. She ducked both, but the bugbears morningstar landed a hefty blow to her stomach. She doubled over, however as he moved in for a second strike, she commanded the headband she wore atop her head.
The shadows smothered him. And then superheated. As the next arrows released, she reached into the burning gloom, grabbing the body for a shield, before tossing it at one goblin, sending him off the cart. She could hear the crunch against the wheels.
The other, terrified, moved to run, as she hucked a dart into her throat.
The other bugbear unpinned himself, charging her, but caught a punch to the face, staggering him in turn, just in time to get decapitated with another stroke. She could hear scrambling from under the next bit of cover. She casually walked forward, forming shadowy blades out from herself, as she leisurely approached through the overhang. She could see the shape of the hobgoblin ahead, and the frantic teamsters trying to keep the cart on course. He had his sword drawn. A challenge. She charged forward, and moved under his swing, taking an arrow to the shoulder from the goblin just to the left, but caught the one to the right, and tossed it towards the final bugbear as he was leaping down from the roof. He hit the ground, and struggled to get up, as she grasped the hobgoblin firmly with both arms, dodged his overhead swing, and tossed him off the cart and into a tree. He’d survived that she was sure. But for now…
She turned, and stomped straight through the skull of the bugbear, and swung in a wide arc with her two blades. One goblin died, the other lost an arm, and tried to escape with a dive. She caught his leg, and slammed him into the side of the cart repeatedly. He stopped moving.
She was about to deal with the teamsters, when from behind her, whistling from the darkness-
Four darts. She drew on the headband again, her shadows forming to catch all four in a flowing motion. Emerging from the darkness, a woman dressed similar to her. Except more slender. Shorter arms. Less stocky. Hobgoblin.
“Zith’Tirr, I presume?” She said, a level of malice to her voice.
“Damn. Did I get popular or something?”
“You’re the only one who fits the bill. Most others have the intellect to stay put.”
“Ha. Funny. You seem nice, and I’d hate to break someone like you in half. So want to just call this one even?”
“You were going to swing at me once I turned my back.”
“True! But your death would be a lot less painful that way.”
The two stood in silence for a few moments. Sizing each other up, before they acted. Zith grabbing the bugbears corpse and hucking it, just as her own shadow started to twist against her. The hobgoblin ducked under, tossing another pair of darts, which were dodged, just as Zith’s arms moved to center, blocking a set of quick punches. Zith jumped backwards with all of the grace of a falling rock, but with a purpose. Pulverizing one of the teamsters on landing, and cutting another into thirds. The hobgoblin managed to nick her with a dart, but it was worth it to proceed to cut the reins and send the entire cart careening into a crash. Zith flung herself free, as did the hobgoblin, but she had a trick up her sleeve. Darts of her own, on her waist, which she flung towards the falling woman, who returned in kind. She caught one, and took the other to the leg. She hucked the caught one, just before hitting the ground.
She landed, wincing as she felt the blood leave her leg. She turned over. The hobgoblin turned around, ready to fight on-when she noticed her own dart in her neck. Zith grinned beneath the mask, giving the woman a mock salute before she proceeded to fall over, to hopefully bleed out She still had it.
She removed the dart from her own leg, and did a bit of first aid. The worgs had mostly died in the crash, but she finished off the ones that survived. She didn’t like animals suffering, even if they were strange wolf monsters. She then jogged back over a few hundred feet. The leading hobgoblin had made it a few feet. A lot of his bones were probably broken, but he was still crawling. She walked over, and planted her foot at the small of his back. Making a dent in the armor.
“Going somewhere?”
In goblin, he retorted with a string of curses.
“Not kind of you. Just need some information. Then I’ll leave you to it.”
“Never. I value my country. Interlopers like you will die in barbarity, and will never understand.”
“Barbarity, huh? Funny. Anyhow. I’d change your tune, unless-”
He was out cold. Shock probably. Barely breathing anyways. She sighed. And finished off what she’d started.
She walked away from the caravan, hands in her pockets.
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She got back to the house late. She’d stopped by one of the stores that’s open late. Run by a nocturnal elf. She appreciated his help.
She’d washed off in one of the nearby streams. Cleaned her fur a bit. Got the blood off her suit. Then spent a bit drying off, which took awhile. She was careful to be extra quiet, opening the back window, and slipping inside, creeping towards the stairs. That’s when she saw someone, and froze. One of Jordie’s kids. A young girl, about six. She had frozen too. Zith moved a step closer. Slowly reaching into the bag of goods at her side. Pulling out a sealed stick of green rock candy she’d bought. Carefully, and gently, she slipped it into the girls hand. Putting her finger to her mask’s lips.
“Shhh. Our secret.”
The little girl smiled. And Zith did too.
Kindling And Miscellany 