doghead
thotd
Although the wind holds a hint of the coming chill of winter, the afternoon sun is warm. All that needs to be done has been done. So there is nothing for it but to enjoy it.
"All right for some," mutters Cromwell as he watchs some of his peers goof around beside the river.
****
"Its a knight. A real live one I tell you. He has armour an'all."
The responses are predictably sceptical. Knights don't come to the back end of nowhere. Anyway, no one of interest has passed the town since the gyptians a few week ago.
"He's down by the three falls. I was setting some snares. Come and look for yourself if you don't believe me."
Which, as no one does, and you don't have much else to do, you do. Along the way the story is told a couple more times and by the time you hit the cool shade of the forest, there are eight of you.
And you are wrong. Its the dogs that first alert you. Raised hackles and low growls tell you that there is something. Lucky for you that the you had the dogs. There is a knight. At least, there is a man, and he has armour, and a sword, and he is using both to protect himself from the half dozen or so goblins that circle warily around him. They have armour an'all too. Morningstars and shields. Some even have javlins. Some lie still on the ground. But you don't hear anything until you are almost upon the sunken clearing, cos that is all they are doing. Those that are standing. 100 ft from where you crouch. Circling and staring.
He looks pretty scruffy for a knight. His armour is tarnished and battered. And crusty with dark stains. He moves slowly too. Like a drunk man. Then one of the goblins attacks, throwing his javlin. The knight whirls around and knocks it down with his shield, and carves a bloody wound across the goblin that had leapt in close to strike the knight from behind. The other goblins fall back and the circling begins again.
"I could hit them easy from this range."
And before you can do anything, there is a yelp as one of goblins sprouts a feathered shaft from his leg. Goblin eyes swing around to scan the forest, the knight surges forwards, a goblin head comes from his shoulders, and there is panic in both groups as the goblins scramble backwards to get beyond the knight's reach, and you to get out of sight. But someone loses their footing and slips down the slope, a flailing hand pulling another down with them. One of the goblins yells and waves his arm twice. Two of the goblins break off, loping towards Jimni, his bow still in hand, and Oscar both sprawled at the edge of the clearing.
But you at the top have your own problems. Goblins, two, three, break cover barely 50 ft from your left and right, and bound through the trees toward you.
Before you can move, before you have begun to take in whats happening, Lisa is on her feet and, staff in hand, half running, half sliding down the slope. Maretta meanwhile, pulls outs her sling and prepares it.
"All right for some," mutters Cromwell as he watchs some of his peers goof around beside the river.
****
"Its a knight. A real live one I tell you. He has armour an'all."
The responses are predictably sceptical. Knights don't come to the back end of nowhere. Anyway, no one of interest has passed the town since the gyptians a few week ago.
"He's down by the three falls. I was setting some snares. Come and look for yourself if you don't believe me."
Which, as no one does, and you don't have much else to do, you do. Along the way the story is told a couple more times and by the time you hit the cool shade of the forest, there are eight of you.
And you are wrong. Its the dogs that first alert you. Raised hackles and low growls tell you that there is something. Lucky for you that the you had the dogs. There is a knight. At least, there is a man, and he has armour, and a sword, and he is using both to protect himself from the half dozen or so goblins that circle warily around him. They have armour an'all too. Morningstars and shields. Some even have javlins. Some lie still on the ground. But you don't hear anything until you are almost upon the sunken clearing, cos that is all they are doing. Those that are standing. 100 ft from where you crouch. Circling and staring.
He looks pretty scruffy for a knight. His armour is tarnished and battered. And crusty with dark stains. He moves slowly too. Like a drunk man. Then one of the goblins attacks, throwing his javlin. The knight whirls around and knocks it down with his shield, and carves a bloody wound across the goblin that had leapt in close to strike the knight from behind. The other goblins fall back and the circling begins again.
"I could hit them easy from this range."
And before you can do anything, there is a yelp as one of goblins sprouts a feathered shaft from his leg. Goblin eyes swing around to scan the forest, the knight surges forwards, a goblin head comes from his shoulders, and there is panic in both groups as the goblins scramble backwards to get beyond the knight's reach, and you to get out of sight. But someone loses their footing and slips down the slope, a flailing hand pulling another down with them. One of the goblins yells and waves his arm twice. Two of the goblins break off, loping towards Jimni, his bow still in hand, and Oscar both sprawled at the edge of the clearing.
But you at the top have your own problems. Goblins, two, three, break cover barely 50 ft from your left and right, and bound through the trees toward you.
Before you can move, before you have begun to take in whats happening, Lisa is on her feet and, staff in hand, half running, half sliding down the slope. Maretta meanwhile, pulls outs her sling and prepares it.
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