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Story Hour
Milo Windby's Collected Story Hour
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<blockquote data-quote="Milo Windby" data-source="post: 1683" data-attributes="member: 202"><p><strong>Keep of the Borderlands -part eight (session two)</strong></p><p></p><p>The group, then inflated to ten strong, filed their way outof the caverns. They were constantly onguard for any more ambushes, but the trip out was uneventful. The caravan leader seemed shocked at thecarnage that lay in the group's wake. Milosmirked, we don't mess around, he thought to himself while glancing over at thepudgy, frightened man. The going was alittle slower to the hill this time due to the leader and his wife. The group stuck together on the way up,deciding strength in numbers was more important than scouting ahead to theirold camping grounds.</p><p></p><p>After setting up another cold camp the party slept. Two stood watch at any given moment exceptfor the caravan leader and his wife. Noone complained. The night passedquickly and no dreams were mentioned the next morning. The caravan leader was anxious to make it tothe Keep that day so they headed out as soon as their camp was struck. They made good time on the road back to thekeep. Milo again noticed the lack ofpeople along the roads, the plague seemed to be taking its toll.</p><p></p><p>They reached the Keep by early evening and were greeted bygaunt looking guards. The guardsrecognized the caravan leader immediately and ushered the ten of them throughthe gate. Charles and Gerwin led the wayto the caravan leader's home, setting a fast pace. They seemed more than relieved to be home. Milo didn't have the heart to tell them ofwhat was happening in the Keep currently, or that they would most likely bepressed into service as guardsmen. Oncethey reached the ostentatious home of the caravan leader he turned and beckonedthem inside. </p><p>As a gesture of gratitude he handed the group a hefty bag ofcoins. He also handed each a signetring. "For saving my life and thelife of my wife and men-at-arms I present to you this money and theserings. Those rings you hold will markyou as exempt from taxes and fees for one year. The moneychangers will not charge you for their services and themerchants will not charge you taxes. This is just a small token of our appreciation. Please accept these gifts," the caravanleader gushed to the adventurers. Theyaccepted the rings and money graciously, thanking the leader for thereward. </p><p></p><p>Before they left to check in with the priest the wife pulledMazithra aside. "Please take this dagger, it's been in my family foryears," she said as she pressed the hilt of a large dagger into Mazi'shand. "It's magically sharp andwill serve you well. Thank you so muchfor saving us, I thought I would die in that horrible place." Mazi thanked her and asked if there wasanything in particular she knew about the knife. "Only that it cuts meat and cheeses well. I've always used it in the kitchen,"the woman answered, turning slightly red. "I was told by my mother and grandmother that it had an enchantmentplaced on it, that's as much as I know." Mazi thanked her once again and the party headed to the temple.</p><p></p><p>Milo was eager to see what the woman had imparted to hiselven friend. He practically stood onhis tiptoes to get a glance at what was in her hands. Mazi shook her head in amusement as she held out the dagger. "Here you go, Milo. I don't think I have a use for this. It seems more your style anyway. The Goodwife said it was enchanted. It should be better than that little knifeyou carry around anyway." She saidas she handed the magic dagger to Milo.</p><p>"Really? Youmean it? Thanks Mazi! You're the best!" Milo said as helooked over the well-crafted weapon. Hecould feel a slight tingle as she handed it to him. Yes, this would serve him well, he thought as he stashed it inhis belt, removing the mundane blade that was in its place. I'll just have to sell this one I guess.</p><p></p><p>The group made their way to the chapel to meet with thepriest. The elderly man met them,eagerly awaiting news of the cups and their quest. Milo related to him their battles in the caves and the rescue ofthe caravan leader, his wife, and his guards. He also related that there was no sign of the cups from the priest'sdream. The old man looked crestfallen.</p><p>"I am very disappointed and saddened that you have notfound the cups yet. The people of theKeep grow weaker day by day, some have died from the plague already. I fear that if the cups are not destroyedsoon then the guards will not be able to fend off any attacks from the denizensof the caves or the hills." Thepriest told them. "We will ofcourse heal your wounds and provide you with more healing draughts. I beg of you to find those cups. The Keep's safety and our very lives dependon it!" He left them to theacolytes then. Once the six of themwere healed and given more potions they decided to restock their provisions andhead out in the morning.</p><p></p><p>While Milo was changing in the coins they found Maziinquired of the banker about higher valued coins that may be easier tocarry. Though the banker did not carryanything worth more than platinum, nor had he ever heard of any coin mintedthat was more rare, he was able to point her in the direction of the Keep'sjeweler. At the mention of jewelsMazi's pointed ears seemed to perk up. With a glint in her eye she headed over to the aforementioned shop. The next time Milo saw her he noticed aconsiderable decrease of the size of her money pouch. He also noticed a small blue gem set in gold, hanging from herear. It was hard to miss, she had herhair swept away from that ear as if to showcase the beautiful gem. Milo guessed at its value to be somewherearound 500 gold. A hefty bit of changeto be wearing on your ear, he shrugged. "Women," he thought.</p><p></p><p>The party spent a restful night in their rooms above thetavern after a refreshing dinner. Brigit and Jeremiah went easy on the drink that night. Perhaps they felt as Milo did, that theworst was ahead of them yet. They got anearly start the next morning, heading towards their favorite campsite atop thehill. It was past dusk by the time theyreached it. They once again set threewatches of two. The night passedwithout event, each of the watches struggled to stay awake. They spoke of their homelands to each other,getting to know Maruf and Thorgrim a little better. The dawn found the six adventurers already heading towards thecursed gorge and its deadly caves. </p><p></p><p>The gorge was still uninhabited when they arrived. The cave mouths hanging open like hungrymouths, ready to swallow unprepared victims to the center of the earth. Milo was feeling a little dramatic thatmorning. They started into the cavescautiously, on the watch for any more ambushes like the last. The party made their way to the hallway thatthey fought the ambush and reinforcements in. Once again the bodies were gone, no trace of the carnage or the clean upcould be found. Again Milo attributedthe lack of bodies to the denizens of the caves. He figured that he wouldn't want dead people lying about thestreets where he lived either. Carefully they moved past the intersection and around the corner of thenext corridor. No heavy bolts shot outof the darkness, not even a sound echoed through the abandoned tunnels. They came to an opening on the left of thepassage, a small room with some poorly kept weapons. Probably where the reinforcements were waiting. Milo tread softly down the corridor, henoticed a thin string suspended at human knee level. Along the string were tiny bells, a lot of them. It was a primitive alarm, buteffective. If any of them had trippedover it they would have made quite a noise. Milo quieted his friends down while he studied the simple trap. Well, he thought, here I go. He carefully cut the string at one end ofthe line with his new dagger, keeping it as still as possible as he lowered itto the floor. Unfortunately he couldn'tstop some minor tinkling from the bells as they reached the ground. He winced, knowing that someone waslistening for that precise sound. Hehoped that the noise did not carry as far as he feared it would.</p><p>"Alright, if anyone was listening for the bells thenthey're probably ready for us. Howabout we get the big ones up front, just in case?" Milo whispered as he turned to thegroup. He almost laughed when he caughtsight of them. They were holding theircollective breath, to the last one. Heshook his head a little and motioned for Jeremiah and Brigit to lead theway. Milo and Mazi followed with Marufand Thorgrim bringing up the rear again.</p><p></p><p>As they came around the next corner they could see thehallway ended in a wooden door. AfterMilo quickly checked for traps, finding none, Jeremiah kicked it in. The six of them charged into the room,hoping to catch the occupants somewhat unaware. They plowed into a large room, filled with hobgoblins. There were two tables turned on their edges,feet away from the party, with two hobgoblins behind each. Behind them Milo could see another dozen orso hobgoblins, including a very large, particularly mean looking one to theback. Thorgrim and Brigit wasted notime, they ran towards the tables while dodging all four crossbow bolts flyingtheir way. The hobgoblins seemed verysurprised at this tactic, they had assumed that their cover put them at anadvantage. Jeremiah gleefully strodeinto their midst after Brigit and Thorgrim yanked the tables down, leaving thelegs standing straight in the air. Jerswung his greatsword as he walked forward, slicing through one, then another ofthe surprised crossbowmen. Milo andMazi let their own missiles fly, the bolt finding the shoulder of one of theremaining crossbowmen. Mazi's arrowflew past the other hobgoblin as it leaned down to hurriedly reload its weapon. Maruf didn't give the beast time as hecharged towards him, he missed with his swing but distracted the hobgoblin fora moment.</p><p></p><p>Brigit and Jeremiah were proving their prowess against thehobgoblins once again, each dispatching one of the ugly brutes. A look of fear spread among the assortedhobgoblins. One of the remainingcrossbowmen managed to fire another bolt off before falling to Brigit's ax. The bolt struck home in a chink through herarmor, wounding her in the side. Shegrimaced through the pain as she hacked through the monster. Milo and Mazi loosed another volley at theenemy, Milo's shot finding a target in one of the dumbstruck hobgoblins. Mazi's arrow flew wide again, she cursed asit clattered off the wall. Three morehobgoblins moved up to engage Jeremiah, Brigit, Maruf and Thorgrim. One of them made contact through Jeremiah'sthin armor, causing him to wince in pain. The wound was at the cost of its compatriot's attack as it stepped onthe beast’s foot, bringing a roar of pain from its mouth. The other attackers were unable to make adent in the adventurer's defense. Thecrossbowmen slowly retreated as they reloaded their weapons, allowing the otherhobgoblins to move in front.</p><p></p><p>Mazi pulled her bowstring back again, taking careful aim atthe nearest hobgoblin. She fired thearrow straight at the beast and pierced its lung, felling it instantly. It gasped for air past the blood that wasnow filling its lung. Milo's boltwounded another hobgoblin, grazing its arm as it raised its sword to attackMaruf. Disregarding the wound, thehobgoblin slashed at the man-at-arms. Maruf received the blow on his own arm and was unable to complete hisown attack. Near him Brigit andJeremiah fought on. Brigit missed withher next swing but looked on as Jer took out the second to last crossbowmen,two with one stroke. She admired hisability to cleave through the goblinoids so easily and tried to study histechnique as the battle raged on. Onthe other side of their fighting Thorgrim was engaged in a near even battlewith the hobgoblin in front. They bothswung at the same time, their swords grating as they slid to the hilts. Both pivoted their blades simultaneously,choosing to accept a wound in order to inflict one. Thorgrim's blade bit deeper than the hobgoblins, killing thecreature as it did its damage to the brave man-at-arms. </p><p></p><p>Milo fired another bolt into the fray, this time sinking thequarrel into the leg of one of the hobgoblins. Maruf also made contact with his weapon, scoring a glancing blow on hisopponent. Thorgrim, flush with hisvictory but wounded by the mutual sword thrust, wavered a little. It was just enough for the next hobgoblin tomake it past his defenses. He cried outas the sword was pulled from his gut, sinking to the ground unconscious. The hobgoblin laughed as it licked the bloodfrom its blade. The wound was severeand Thorgrim's blood quickly pooled on the floor. Milo quickly moved to his side, readying his incantations. Brigit and Jeremiah pressed forward throughthe hobgoblin ranks, not landing any blows but stopping their progress towardsthe halfling and the fallen Thorgrim. </p><p></p><p>With his friend fallen, Maruf had two hobgoblins to dealwith. The clumsy beasts attacked him,one shoving the other out of the way as it slid its sword into Maruf'storso. Maruf cried out like his fallencomrade, wavering on his feet as Thorgrim had before him. Milo finished his chanting as Mazi, Brigit,and Jeremiah fought to fend off the hobgoblins. They had seen two men fall and their morale was raised as theirleader shouted in hobgoblin at the rear, struggling to move forward through thefight. Thorgrim's eyes fluttered openas the wound in his belly closed. Milocould see that the man-at-arms was still injured and he whispered to him totake it easy. The soldier nodded andgot to his feet, readying his sword for another attack. The leader had almost made its way toJeremiah, obviously intending to take out the largest threat first. Milo noticed its progress and quicklyprepared another incantation. The lastcrossbowman let out a guttural curse as its weapon jammed. It pounded on the mechanism while itscompatriots attempted to wound the standing party members.</p><p></p><p>Mazi decided her sword was needed more than her bow. She switched weapons as she moved to thefront of the battle, near Brigit and Maruf. Jeremiah roared in rage, his eyes had a crazed look in them. A bit of foamed spittle escaped his mouth ashe slashed through another hobgoblin. His muscles bunched and he seemed to grow a bit bigger as his ragecontinued. Milo had a moment to reflecton this apparent change in his friend as he finished his spell and touched thebarbarian. He would be protected fromthe vile goblinoids a little more now. Just in time, thought Milo. Hewatched as a blow fell short of Jeremiah, the hobgoblin seemed to shy away fromthe towering human as it got near enough to strike. Brigit swung her axe in a great arc, keeping the hobgoblins atbay. Maruf moved up to engage thehobgoblins near the dwarf, directly in the path of a sword intended forher. He crumpled to the ground, ashocked stare at the ragged wound the sword caused. The beast the struck down Thorgrim seemed personally insulted byhis recovery. It charged the soldierwith a shout. Thorgrim took the attackhead-on and the sword pierced his armor. He sunk to the ground from the loss of blood. The hobgoblin grinned at Milo, as if challenging him to heal theman-at-arms once again. </p><p></p><p>Jeremiah, in an inarticulate rage, swung his sword at thecowering hobgoblins before him. Theyslunk out of his range, but not out of the range of Mazi's spinninglongsword. She slashed at one of themonsters, killing it with the graceful stroke of her blade. Near them Brigit knelt to feed Maruf one ofher potions of healing. He made it tohis feet shakily, thanking the dwarf as he stood. Milo was undaunted by the challenge of the hobgoblin, he loweredhis hands over Thorgrim, healing the latest wound but not bringing his fallencomrade to consciousness. Thorgrim wasstabilized, that's all that mattered to him then. A bolt whizzed by Mazi as she danced through the melee. Maruf took another minor wound from anadvancing hobgoblin. Jeremiah felt thesting of a longsword as well. A smallslash that enraged the angry human even more. </p><p></p><p>The hulking barbarian swung his huge greatsword out awayfrom himself. It pulverized first onehobgoblin, then the next. He shoutedsomething unintelligible and cast about, looking for another victim. Mazi tried to fight her way to the remainingcrossbowman. Her sword found anotherweak point and the beast that she was fighting crumpled to the ground. Brigit moved next to Maruf, both of themswinging their weapons at any hobgoblin that dared to come near the two. Milo was out of healing spells for theprostrate Thorgrim. He took aim withhis crossbow and fired another bolt at the approaching hobgoblin leader. It grazed the huge beast, only serving tomake it angrier. The monster stabbed atJeremiah, but was unable to hit him through the magical enchantment that Milohad cast. The two other smallerhobgoblins could not penetrate the party's defense.</p><p></p><p>Mazithra was in rare form as she spun around the clumsyattack of one hobgoblin. She expertlyslid her sword into the beast's breast, stabbing it through the heart. The hobgoblin didn't even have a chance tolook shocked, its face stuck in the same grimace it wore as it attackedMazi. Brigit moved to attack thecrossbowman, her ax falling short of the beast. It let a bolt fly at the other approaching enemy, Mazi. The bolt came nowhere near the dancingelf. Jeremiah towered over theconsiderably large hobgoblin leader and swung his greatsword. The sword sliced through the creature'sarmor and traced a nasty gash through its flesh. The leader held its wound and weakly stabbed at Jer. Milo took the opportunity to fire a quarrelat it. The bolt found its home in thebeast's brainpan, forever rendering it incapable of any coherent thought, oraction for that matter. Mazi made onemore graceful pirouette before she plunged her longsword deep into the body ofthe crossbowman. It gasped out in painas it fell to the ground. </p><p></p><p>Milo raced to the fallen form of Thorgrim. He confirmed that the man-at-arms was stillstable. He channeled some minorcantrips he had prepared into a small amount of healing and the brave soldierwas once again to his feet. The two ofthem stood to look around at the carnage. Not one hobgoblin remained standing. Many died by grisly wounds dealt by all six of the party. Milo spied a shine from the waist of thehobgoblin leader. He moved aside thetattered tunic the large hobgoblin wore and found a bejeweled silver belt. Near the back of the room Brigit uncovered acache of a gem, a potion, and a wand. Mazi eagerly snatched the gem, holding it out and trying to appraiseit. </p><p>"Let's leave that for later, Mazi. I think we can find out what all this isworth back at the Keep." Milo spoke up. "Maruf and Thorgrim are looking pale from the loss of blood and Ithink we could all use a little rest after this battle." </p><p>Mazi agreed and they stowed their findings. After searching the rest of the bodies andfinding more coins on each, the group trooped out of the caverns to the lightof day once again. Though they had onlybeen in the caves for a short while this time, it felt to Milo that they hadspent days within. He felt emotionally,spiritually, and physically drained as the group made their way back to thecamp. The battle was long and taxing. He had not exercised his divine powers tothat extent before and he felt the difference. Once they made it to camp he said another little prayer to hismysterious halfling benefactor, thanking Him for helping Milo to saveThorgrim's life. Exhausted, he fell asleepand didn't wake again until it was his turn at watch. They would go back to the Keep for more healing before trying tofind the cups in the caves again.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Milo Windby, post: 1683, member: 202"] [b]Keep of the Borderlands -part eight (session two)[/b] The group, then inflated to ten strong, filed their way outof the caverns. They were constantly onguard for any more ambushes, but the trip out was uneventful. The caravan leader seemed shocked at thecarnage that lay in the group's wake. Milosmirked, we don't mess around, he thought to himself while glancing over at thepudgy, frightened man. The going was alittle slower to the hill this time due to the leader and his wife. The group stuck together on the way up,deciding strength in numbers was more important than scouting ahead to theirold camping grounds. After setting up another cold camp the party slept. Two stood watch at any given moment exceptfor the caravan leader and his wife. Noone complained. The night passedquickly and no dreams were mentioned the next morning. The caravan leader was anxious to make it tothe Keep that day so they headed out as soon as their camp was struck. They made good time on the road back to thekeep. Milo again noticed the lack ofpeople along the roads, the plague seemed to be taking its toll. They reached the Keep by early evening and were greeted bygaunt looking guards. The guardsrecognized the caravan leader immediately and ushered the ten of them throughthe gate. Charles and Gerwin led the wayto the caravan leader's home, setting a fast pace. They seemed more than relieved to be home. Milo didn't have the heart to tell them ofwhat was happening in the Keep currently, or that they would most likely bepressed into service as guardsmen. Oncethey reached the ostentatious home of the caravan leader he turned and beckonedthem inside. As a gesture of gratitude he handed the group a hefty bag ofcoins. He also handed each a signetring. "For saving my life and thelife of my wife and men-at-arms I present to you this money and theserings. Those rings you hold will markyou as exempt from taxes and fees for one year. The moneychangers will not charge you for their services and themerchants will not charge you taxes. This is just a small token of our appreciation. Please accept these gifts," the caravanleader gushed to the adventurers. Theyaccepted the rings and money graciously, thanking the leader for thereward. Before they left to check in with the priest the wife pulledMazithra aside. "Please take this dagger, it's been in my family foryears," she said as she pressed the hilt of a large dagger into Mazi'shand. "It's magically sharp andwill serve you well. Thank you so muchfor saving us, I thought I would die in that horrible place." Mazi thanked her and asked if there wasanything in particular she knew about the knife. "Only that it cuts meat and cheeses well. I've always used it in the kitchen,"the woman answered, turning slightly red. "I was told by my mother and grandmother that it had an enchantmentplaced on it, that's as much as I know." Mazi thanked her once again and the party headed to the temple. Milo was eager to see what the woman had imparted to hiselven friend. He practically stood onhis tiptoes to get a glance at what was in her hands. Mazi shook her head in amusement as she held out the dagger. "Here you go, Milo. I don't think I have a use for this. It seems more your style anyway. The Goodwife said it was enchanted. It should be better than that little knifeyou carry around anyway." She saidas she handed the magic dagger to Milo. "Really? Youmean it? Thanks Mazi! You're the best!" Milo said as helooked over the well-crafted weapon. Hecould feel a slight tingle as she handed it to him. Yes, this would serve him well, he thought as he stashed it inhis belt, removing the mundane blade that was in its place. I'll just have to sell this one I guess. The group made their way to the chapel to meet with thepriest. The elderly man met them,eagerly awaiting news of the cups and their quest. Milo related to him their battles in the caves and the rescue ofthe caravan leader, his wife, and his guards. He also related that there was no sign of the cups from the priest'sdream. The old man looked crestfallen. "I am very disappointed and saddened that you have notfound the cups yet. The people of theKeep grow weaker day by day, some have died from the plague already. I fear that if the cups are not destroyedsoon then the guards will not be able to fend off any attacks from the denizensof the caves or the hills." Thepriest told them. "We will ofcourse heal your wounds and provide you with more healing draughts. I beg of you to find those cups. The Keep's safety and our very lives dependon it!" He left them to theacolytes then. Once the six of themwere healed and given more potions they decided to restock their provisions andhead out in the morning. While Milo was changing in the coins they found Maziinquired of the banker about higher valued coins that may be easier tocarry. Though the banker did not carryanything worth more than platinum, nor had he ever heard of any coin mintedthat was more rare, he was able to point her in the direction of the Keep'sjeweler. At the mention of jewelsMazi's pointed ears seemed to perk up. With a glint in her eye she headed over to the aforementioned shop. The next time Milo saw her he noticed aconsiderable decrease of the size of her money pouch. He also noticed a small blue gem set in gold, hanging from herear. It was hard to miss, she had herhair swept away from that ear as if to showcase the beautiful gem. Milo guessed at its value to be somewherearound 500 gold. A hefty bit of changeto be wearing on your ear, he shrugged. "Women," he thought. The party spent a restful night in their rooms above thetavern after a refreshing dinner. Brigit and Jeremiah went easy on the drink that night. Perhaps they felt as Milo did, that theworst was ahead of them yet. They got anearly start the next morning, heading towards their favorite campsite atop thehill. It was past dusk by the time theyreached it. They once again set threewatches of two. The night passedwithout event, each of the watches struggled to stay awake. They spoke of their homelands to each other,getting to know Maruf and Thorgrim a little better. The dawn found the six adventurers already heading towards thecursed gorge and its deadly caves. The gorge was still uninhabited when they arrived. The cave mouths hanging open like hungrymouths, ready to swallow unprepared victims to the center of the earth. Milo was feeling a little dramatic thatmorning. They started into the cavescautiously, on the watch for any more ambushes like the last. The party made their way to the hallway thatthey fought the ambush and reinforcements in. Once again the bodies were gone, no trace of the carnage or the clean upcould be found. Again Milo attributedthe lack of bodies to the denizens of the caves. He figured that he wouldn't want dead people lying about thestreets where he lived either. Carefully they moved past the intersection and around the corner of thenext corridor. No heavy bolts shot outof the darkness, not even a sound echoed through the abandoned tunnels. They came to an opening on the left of thepassage, a small room with some poorly kept weapons. Probably where the reinforcements were waiting. Milo tread softly down the corridor, henoticed a thin string suspended at human knee level. Along the string were tiny bells, a lot of them. It was a primitive alarm, buteffective. If any of them had trippedover it they would have made quite a noise. Milo quieted his friends down while he studied the simple trap. Well, he thought, here I go. He carefully cut the string at one end ofthe line with his new dagger, keeping it as still as possible as he lowered itto the floor. Unfortunately he couldn'tstop some minor tinkling from the bells as they reached the ground. He winced, knowing that someone waslistening for that precise sound. Hehoped that the noise did not carry as far as he feared it would. "Alright, if anyone was listening for the bells thenthey're probably ready for us. Howabout we get the big ones up front, just in case?" Milo whispered as he turned to thegroup. He almost laughed when he caughtsight of them. They were holding theircollective breath, to the last one. Heshook his head a little and motioned for Jeremiah and Brigit to lead theway. Milo and Mazi followed with Marufand Thorgrim bringing up the rear again. As they came around the next corner they could see thehallway ended in a wooden door. AfterMilo quickly checked for traps, finding none, Jeremiah kicked it in. The six of them charged into the room,hoping to catch the occupants somewhat unaware. They plowed into a large room, filled with hobgoblins. There were two tables turned on their edges,feet away from the party, with two hobgoblins behind each. Behind them Milo could see another dozen orso hobgoblins, including a very large, particularly mean looking one to theback. Thorgrim and Brigit wasted notime, they ran towards the tables while dodging all four crossbow bolts flyingtheir way. The hobgoblins seemed verysurprised at this tactic, they had assumed that their cover put them at anadvantage. Jeremiah gleefully strodeinto their midst after Brigit and Thorgrim yanked the tables down, leaving thelegs standing straight in the air. Jerswung his greatsword as he walked forward, slicing through one, then another ofthe surprised crossbowmen. Milo andMazi let their own missiles fly, the bolt finding the shoulder of one of theremaining crossbowmen. Mazi's arrowflew past the other hobgoblin as it leaned down to hurriedly reload its weapon. Maruf didn't give the beast time as hecharged towards him, he missed with his swing but distracted the hobgoblin fora moment. Brigit and Jeremiah were proving their prowess against thehobgoblins once again, each dispatching one of the ugly brutes. A look of fear spread among the assortedhobgoblins. One of the remainingcrossbowmen managed to fire another bolt off before falling to Brigit's ax. The bolt struck home in a chink through herarmor, wounding her in the side. Shegrimaced through the pain as she hacked through the monster. Milo and Mazi loosed another volley at theenemy, Milo's shot finding a target in one of the dumbstruck hobgoblins. Mazi's arrow flew wide again, she cursed asit clattered off the wall. Three morehobgoblins moved up to engage Jeremiah, Brigit, Maruf and Thorgrim. One of them made contact through Jeremiah'sthin armor, causing him to wince in pain. The wound was at the cost of its compatriot's attack as it stepped onthe beast’s foot, bringing a roar of pain from its mouth. The other attackers were unable to make adent in the adventurer's defense. Thecrossbowmen slowly retreated as they reloaded their weapons, allowing the otherhobgoblins to move in front. Mazi pulled her bowstring back again, taking careful aim atthe nearest hobgoblin. She fired thearrow straight at the beast and pierced its lung, felling it instantly. It gasped for air past the blood that wasnow filling its lung. Milo's boltwounded another hobgoblin, grazing its arm as it raised its sword to attackMaruf. Disregarding the wound, thehobgoblin slashed at the man-at-arms. Maruf received the blow on his own arm and was unable to complete hisown attack. Near him Brigit andJeremiah fought on. Brigit missed withher next swing but looked on as Jer took out the second to last crossbowmen,two with one stroke. She admired hisability to cleave through the goblinoids so easily and tried to study histechnique as the battle raged on. Onthe other side of their fighting Thorgrim was engaged in a near even battlewith the hobgoblin in front. They bothswung at the same time, their swords grating as they slid to the hilts. Both pivoted their blades simultaneously,choosing to accept a wound in order to inflict one. Thorgrim's blade bit deeper than the hobgoblins, killing thecreature as it did its damage to the brave man-at-arms. Milo fired another bolt into the fray, this time sinking thequarrel into the leg of one of the hobgoblins. Maruf also made contact with his weapon, scoring a glancing blow on hisopponent. Thorgrim, flush with hisvictory but wounded by the mutual sword thrust, wavered a little. It was just enough for the next hobgoblin tomake it past his defenses. He cried outas the sword was pulled from his gut, sinking to the ground unconscious. The hobgoblin laughed as it licked the bloodfrom its blade. The wound was severeand Thorgrim's blood quickly pooled on the floor. Milo quickly moved to his side, readying his incantations. Brigit and Jeremiah pressed forward throughthe hobgoblin ranks, not landing any blows but stopping their progress towardsthe halfling and the fallen Thorgrim. With his friend fallen, Maruf had two hobgoblins to dealwith. The clumsy beasts attacked him,one shoving the other out of the way as it slid its sword into Maruf'storso. Maruf cried out like his fallencomrade, wavering on his feet as Thorgrim had before him. Milo finished his chanting as Mazi, Brigit,and Jeremiah fought to fend off the hobgoblins. They had seen two men fall and their morale was raised as theirleader shouted in hobgoblin at the rear, struggling to move forward through thefight. Thorgrim's eyes fluttered openas the wound in his belly closed. Milocould see that the man-at-arms was still injured and he whispered to him totake it easy. The soldier nodded andgot to his feet, readying his sword for another attack. The leader had almost made its way toJeremiah, obviously intending to take out the largest threat first. Milo noticed its progress and quicklyprepared another incantation. The lastcrossbowman let out a guttural curse as its weapon jammed. It pounded on the mechanism while itscompatriots attempted to wound the standing party members. Mazi decided her sword was needed more than her bow. She switched weapons as she moved to thefront of the battle, near Brigit and Maruf. Jeremiah roared in rage, his eyes had a crazed look in them. A bit of foamed spittle escaped his mouth ashe slashed through another hobgoblin. His muscles bunched and he seemed to grow a bit bigger as his ragecontinued. Milo had a moment to reflecton this apparent change in his friend as he finished his spell and touched thebarbarian. He would be protected fromthe vile goblinoids a little more now. Just in time, thought Milo. Hewatched as a blow fell short of Jeremiah, the hobgoblin seemed to shy away fromthe towering human as it got near enough to strike. Brigit swung her axe in a great arc, keeping the hobgoblins atbay. Maruf moved up to engage thehobgoblins near the dwarf, directly in the path of a sword intended forher. He crumpled to the ground, ashocked stare at the ragged wound the sword caused. The beast the struck down Thorgrim seemed personally insulted byhis recovery. It charged the soldierwith a shout. Thorgrim took the attackhead-on and the sword pierced his armor. He sunk to the ground from the loss of blood. The hobgoblin grinned at Milo, as if challenging him to heal theman-at-arms once again. Jeremiah, in an inarticulate rage, swung his sword at thecowering hobgoblins before him. Theyslunk out of his range, but not out of the range of Mazi's spinninglongsword. She slashed at one of themonsters, killing it with the graceful stroke of her blade. Near them Brigit knelt to feed Maruf one ofher potions of healing. He made it tohis feet shakily, thanking the dwarf as he stood. Milo was undaunted by the challenge of the hobgoblin, he loweredhis hands over Thorgrim, healing the latest wound but not bringing his fallencomrade to consciousness. Thorgrim wasstabilized, that's all that mattered to him then. A bolt whizzed by Mazi as she danced through the melee. Maruf took another minor wound from anadvancing hobgoblin. Jeremiah felt thesting of a longsword as well. A smallslash that enraged the angry human even more. The hulking barbarian swung his huge greatsword out awayfrom himself. It pulverized first onehobgoblin, then the next. He shoutedsomething unintelligible and cast about, looking for another victim. Mazi tried to fight her way to the remainingcrossbowman. Her sword found anotherweak point and the beast that she was fighting crumpled to the ground. Brigit moved next to Maruf, both of themswinging their weapons at any hobgoblin that dared to come near the two. Milo was out of healing spells for theprostrate Thorgrim. He took aim withhis crossbow and fired another bolt at the approaching hobgoblin leader. It grazed the huge beast, only serving tomake it angrier. The monster stabbed atJeremiah, but was unable to hit him through the magical enchantment that Milohad cast. The two other smallerhobgoblins could not penetrate the party's defense. Mazithra was in rare form as she spun around the clumsyattack of one hobgoblin. She expertlyslid her sword into the beast's breast, stabbing it through the heart. The hobgoblin didn't even have a chance tolook shocked, its face stuck in the same grimace it wore as it attackedMazi. Brigit moved to attack thecrossbowman, her ax falling short of the beast. It let a bolt fly at the other approaching enemy, Mazi. The bolt came nowhere near the dancingelf. Jeremiah towered over theconsiderably large hobgoblin leader and swung his greatsword. The sword sliced through the creature'sarmor and traced a nasty gash through its flesh. The leader held its wound and weakly stabbed at Jer. Milo took the opportunity to fire a quarrelat it. The bolt found its home in thebeast's brainpan, forever rendering it incapable of any coherent thought, oraction for that matter. Mazi made onemore graceful pirouette before she plunged her longsword deep into the body ofthe crossbowman. It gasped out in painas it fell to the ground. Milo raced to the fallen form of Thorgrim. He confirmed that the man-at-arms was stillstable. He channeled some minorcantrips he had prepared into a small amount of healing and the brave soldierwas once again to his feet. The two ofthem stood to look around at the carnage. Not one hobgoblin remained standing. Many died by grisly wounds dealt by all six of the party. Milo spied a shine from the waist of thehobgoblin leader. He moved aside thetattered tunic the large hobgoblin wore and found a bejeweled silver belt. Near the back of the room Brigit uncovered acache of a gem, a potion, and a wand. Mazi eagerly snatched the gem, holding it out and trying to appraiseit. "Let's leave that for later, Mazi. I think we can find out what all this isworth back at the Keep." Milo spoke up. "Maruf and Thorgrim are looking pale from the loss of blood and Ithink we could all use a little rest after this battle." Mazi agreed and they stowed their findings. After searching the rest of the bodies andfinding more coins on each, the group trooped out of the caverns to the lightof day once again. Though they had onlybeen in the caves for a short while this time, it felt to Milo that they hadspent days within. He felt emotionally,spiritually, and physically drained as the group made their way back to thecamp. The battle was long and taxing. He had not exercised his divine powers tothat extent before and he felt the difference. Once they made it to camp he said another little prayer to hismysterious halfling benefactor, thanking Him for helping Milo to saveThorgrim's life. Exhausted, he fell asleepand didn't wake again until it was his turn at watch. They would go back to the Keep for more healing before trying tofind the cups in the caves again. [/QUOTE]
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Milo Windby's Collected Story Hour
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