Lazybones
Hero
Chapter 16
“No, wait!” Leana cried, but her calls went unanswered as both sides reacted to Vinx’s unexpected attack. The sling stone seemed to be flying straight toward a point between the goblin boss’s eyes, but at the last instant one of the warriors stepped in front of her, his shield raised. The missile bounced off it with a heavy thunk.
The other goblins spread out to face the intruders, dodging and darting as they came. Greghan drew his sword and stepped forward to protect Leana, who was still trying to defuse the situation. Neither side seemed eager to leap into melee, so for the first few moments they just faced each other across fifteen feet of open space, waiting for the other to make the first move.
That changed a moment later as Vinx launched a second missile, this time right at the goblin protecting the boss. The stone conked the warrior solidly on the head, and he stumbled back, his shield dropping to his side. That left and opening for Ravani, who fired an arrow into his chest. The goblin let out a soft sigh and collapsed to the floor.
The goblin boss shrieked, and produced her own bow. She started to aim at the elf, but saw Folgar’s hands start to glow as he pointed at her. She released her shot just as the wizard launched a spray of magic missiles. The arcane darts struck her in the hip, chest, and shoulder, and she shrieked in pain as she sprang behind the cover of the throne. In turn, her arrow stabbed deep into Folgar’s arm. He grimaced and fell back to the shelter of the doorway. The boss launched a second arrow a moment later, but it shot past all of them without hitting anyone.
“Kill them!” the goblin yelled. “Kill them all!”
Her remaining warriors obeyed. Two spread out to flank Greghan, but his long arms and longer weapon gave him the initial advantage. He swung hard at the first one; it wasn’t the most elegant stroke, but as the heavy blade struck the side of the goblin’s head his skull literally came apart, spraying the wall with blood and brains and bits of bone. The other one yelled and slashed his sword across the back of the warrior’s legs. His coat of mail protected him from being completely hamstrung, but he cried out as the rough edge of the goblin’s sword bit deep long the back of his left thigh just above the knee. He stumbled forward, clutching the wound as he tried to remain upright.
The last goblin took a swing at Leana, but she ducked under the stroke. Clutching her mace in both hands, she smashed the weapon hard against his shoulder as he turned. The goblin cried out and staggered back a step, badly hurt.
As the battle in the center of the room devolved into a violent, close-quarters melee, Vinx dropped her sling and rushed forward. As she ran, she drew something out from behind her back. It was a small sword, its bare steel glimmering brilliantly as it caught the light of the torches. The dwarf muttered a curse as she made a beeline for the throne, and the waiting boss. The goblin saw her coming and drew her own sword. She raised the weapon to strike, but at the last instant Vinx ducked her head and threw herself forward. She rolled and came up as the goblin cursed; her sword had gotten embedded in the side of the throne. The dwarf smiled, then thrust. Her blade drove through the goblin woman’s side, the tip piercing the links of her mail shirt with ease. The two came close together as the dwarf pushed her back against the back of the throne.
“You should have killed me when you had the chance,” the dwarf said. The goblin spat in her face, so Vinx pulled her sword out, then drove it in a second time, hard enough that the tip held in the back of the throne.
The goblins howled as their commander perished, but they were in no position to go to her aid, not with the four adventurers in their faces. Folgar blasted the one that had cut Greghan with a ray of frost that splashed across his legs and back, leaving a crust of ice covering his coat and leggings. The goblin feinted at the warrior, just enough to cover his retreat as he limped for the nearest exit, a narrow opening in the wall next to the throne on the right. The one that Leana hit beat him to it, vanishing through the gap even as the goblin boss breathed her last and slumped down against the sword impaling her against the throne.
“They’re getting away!” Ravani yelled, sprinting after the fast-moving goblins. The one Folgar had iced had been somewhat slowed, but it still managed to duck through the exit before the elf could get off a shot. There was another door in the back of the room, easy to miss in the confusion, but thus far no threats had emerged from that sector.
“Wait!” Leana yelled as Ravani sprinted past her. She took a step after him, but hesitated. “Grimdark! Are you all right?”
Blood was still dripping over the warrior’s boot and onto the floor, but he nodded as he hastily bound a rag tightly around his injured leg. “I’m fine, I’ll be right behind you!” Leana looked back at Folgar, but the wizard had already removed the boss’s arrow, and he was doing much the same with some bandages from his healer’s kit. Seeing both of her wounded companions in decent shape—or at least not in immediate threat of dying—the priestess hurried after her reckless friend. Vinx, she saw, hadn’t joined the pursuit; she appeared to be trying to disassemble the throne, looking for something.
The gap in the wall led to another staircase that was similar to the first one, bending around a sharp corner as it descended. Ravani reached the first landing at the bend just in time to see one of the goblins rushing for a side passage that presumably led back to the exit, if his mental image of the place’s layout was accurate. The main corridor continued past that before disappearing around another turn to the left. The goblin was limping but was picking up speed as he shook off the ice crystals covering his stubby legs.
Unfortunately for him, he couldn’t outrun Ravani’s arrow.
The elf reached for another arrow, looking for the last goblin. He had been wounded as well, but given that he hadn’t been slowed down like the one Folgar had hit, he was probably well gone by now. But even as the thought passed through Ravani’s mind, he heard something; a soft clicking that was coming from somewhere ahead. He lifted his bow, ready to take a shot.
What he saw, however, was not what he’d expected.
A massive spider came around the far bend at the end of the passage. It was clinging to the ceiling, but that was in no way hindering its advance. The elf stared at it, and as his hands trembled he realized that he was still holding onto his bow; he’d forgotten about it in the sheer terror of the moment.
He lifted the bow, but before he could draw the string back the spider twitched, flicking its backside forward in a gesture that felt obscene. Ravani didn’t immediately realize what it had done until a thin, almost invisible filament drifted over his shoulder. He tried to duck away from it, but knew it was too late even as his arm was pinned against his side, and he was yanked violently off his feet, further entangling him in the strands of webbing. By the time he rolled to a stop at the top of the second flight of stairs, it was all he could do to twist his head enough to see the spider coming.
“Help!” he yelled, as the monstrous creature skittered forward along the ceiling.
Game Notes:
This fight was like the echo of the centipede fight; this time it felt like the characters couldn’t miss. Because of the way the Initiative rolls worked out, the goblin warriors (and several party members) technically went before Vinx in the order, but despite some tweaks to the narrative I kept the results as indicated by the dice (e.g., Vinx has two attacks with her sling, so I just described the first [a miss] as the one that kicked off the battle). The dwarf did get the kill on the boss, with two hits that combined for 15 damage. Way to steal the heroes’ thunder, NPC.
“No, wait!” Leana cried, but her calls went unanswered as both sides reacted to Vinx’s unexpected attack. The sling stone seemed to be flying straight toward a point between the goblin boss’s eyes, but at the last instant one of the warriors stepped in front of her, his shield raised. The missile bounced off it with a heavy thunk.
The other goblins spread out to face the intruders, dodging and darting as they came. Greghan drew his sword and stepped forward to protect Leana, who was still trying to defuse the situation. Neither side seemed eager to leap into melee, so for the first few moments they just faced each other across fifteen feet of open space, waiting for the other to make the first move.
That changed a moment later as Vinx launched a second missile, this time right at the goblin protecting the boss. The stone conked the warrior solidly on the head, and he stumbled back, his shield dropping to his side. That left and opening for Ravani, who fired an arrow into his chest. The goblin let out a soft sigh and collapsed to the floor.
The goblin boss shrieked, and produced her own bow. She started to aim at the elf, but saw Folgar’s hands start to glow as he pointed at her. She released her shot just as the wizard launched a spray of magic missiles. The arcane darts struck her in the hip, chest, and shoulder, and she shrieked in pain as she sprang behind the cover of the throne. In turn, her arrow stabbed deep into Folgar’s arm. He grimaced and fell back to the shelter of the doorway. The boss launched a second arrow a moment later, but it shot past all of them without hitting anyone.
“Kill them!” the goblin yelled. “Kill them all!”
Her remaining warriors obeyed. Two spread out to flank Greghan, but his long arms and longer weapon gave him the initial advantage. He swung hard at the first one; it wasn’t the most elegant stroke, but as the heavy blade struck the side of the goblin’s head his skull literally came apart, spraying the wall with blood and brains and bits of bone. The other one yelled and slashed his sword across the back of the warrior’s legs. His coat of mail protected him from being completely hamstrung, but he cried out as the rough edge of the goblin’s sword bit deep long the back of his left thigh just above the knee. He stumbled forward, clutching the wound as he tried to remain upright.
The last goblin took a swing at Leana, but she ducked under the stroke. Clutching her mace in both hands, she smashed the weapon hard against his shoulder as he turned. The goblin cried out and staggered back a step, badly hurt.
As the battle in the center of the room devolved into a violent, close-quarters melee, Vinx dropped her sling and rushed forward. As she ran, she drew something out from behind her back. It was a small sword, its bare steel glimmering brilliantly as it caught the light of the torches. The dwarf muttered a curse as she made a beeline for the throne, and the waiting boss. The goblin saw her coming and drew her own sword. She raised the weapon to strike, but at the last instant Vinx ducked her head and threw herself forward. She rolled and came up as the goblin cursed; her sword had gotten embedded in the side of the throne. The dwarf smiled, then thrust. Her blade drove through the goblin woman’s side, the tip piercing the links of her mail shirt with ease. The two came close together as the dwarf pushed her back against the back of the throne.
“You should have killed me when you had the chance,” the dwarf said. The goblin spat in her face, so Vinx pulled her sword out, then drove it in a second time, hard enough that the tip held in the back of the throne.
The goblins howled as their commander perished, but they were in no position to go to her aid, not with the four adventurers in their faces. Folgar blasted the one that had cut Greghan with a ray of frost that splashed across his legs and back, leaving a crust of ice covering his coat and leggings. The goblin feinted at the warrior, just enough to cover his retreat as he limped for the nearest exit, a narrow opening in the wall next to the throne on the right. The one that Leana hit beat him to it, vanishing through the gap even as the goblin boss breathed her last and slumped down against the sword impaling her against the throne.
“They’re getting away!” Ravani yelled, sprinting after the fast-moving goblins. The one Folgar had iced had been somewhat slowed, but it still managed to duck through the exit before the elf could get off a shot. There was another door in the back of the room, easy to miss in the confusion, but thus far no threats had emerged from that sector.
“Wait!” Leana yelled as Ravani sprinted past her. She took a step after him, but hesitated. “Grimdark! Are you all right?”
Blood was still dripping over the warrior’s boot and onto the floor, but he nodded as he hastily bound a rag tightly around his injured leg. “I’m fine, I’ll be right behind you!” Leana looked back at Folgar, but the wizard had already removed the boss’s arrow, and he was doing much the same with some bandages from his healer’s kit. Seeing both of her wounded companions in decent shape—or at least not in immediate threat of dying—the priestess hurried after her reckless friend. Vinx, she saw, hadn’t joined the pursuit; she appeared to be trying to disassemble the throne, looking for something.
The gap in the wall led to another staircase that was similar to the first one, bending around a sharp corner as it descended. Ravani reached the first landing at the bend just in time to see one of the goblins rushing for a side passage that presumably led back to the exit, if his mental image of the place’s layout was accurate. The main corridor continued past that before disappearing around another turn to the left. The goblin was limping but was picking up speed as he shook off the ice crystals covering his stubby legs.
Unfortunately for him, he couldn’t outrun Ravani’s arrow.
The elf reached for another arrow, looking for the last goblin. He had been wounded as well, but given that he hadn’t been slowed down like the one Folgar had hit, he was probably well gone by now. But even as the thought passed through Ravani’s mind, he heard something; a soft clicking that was coming from somewhere ahead. He lifted his bow, ready to take a shot.
What he saw, however, was not what he’d expected.
A massive spider came around the far bend at the end of the passage. It was clinging to the ceiling, but that was in no way hindering its advance. The elf stared at it, and as his hands trembled he realized that he was still holding onto his bow; he’d forgotten about it in the sheer terror of the moment.
He lifted the bow, but before he could draw the string back the spider twitched, flicking its backside forward in a gesture that felt obscene. Ravani didn’t immediately realize what it had done until a thin, almost invisible filament drifted over his shoulder. He tried to duck away from it, but knew it was too late even as his arm was pinned against his side, and he was yanked violently off his feet, further entangling him in the strands of webbing. By the time he rolled to a stop at the top of the second flight of stairs, it was all he could do to twist his head enough to see the spider coming.
“Help!” he yelled, as the monstrous creature skittered forward along the ceiling.
Game Notes:
This fight was like the echo of the centipede fight; this time it felt like the characters couldn’t miss. Because of the way the Initiative rolls worked out, the goblin warriors (and several party members) technically went before Vinx in the order, but despite some tweaks to the narrative I kept the results as indicated by the dice (e.g., Vinx has two attacks with her sling, so I just described the first [a miss] as the one that kicked off the battle). The dwarf did get the kill on the boss, with two hits that combined for 15 damage. Way to steal the heroes’ thunder, NPC.