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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Wicht" data-source="post: 1162766" data-attributes="member: 221">2.As luck would have it, there was indeed someone in the Thirsty Stag who has recently seen some Giant Bee’s in the forest.  He was a wood-elf hunter and he was very helpful, even drawing them a rough sketch of the direction.“North-East, towards the river,” said the hunter, “I came across a couple of them the other day.  Perhaps a day’s journey from here, just south of the river.”“Thanks,” said Hullifan.  Bare grunted in agreement.“No problem,” said the hunter, “but you two be careful out there.  I’ve also seen some signs of goblins lately, come down from the mountains no doubt.”“We will,” said Hullifan.Properly cautioned, the two young adventurers set off in a generally northwesterly direction.  Bare was, despite his youth, a skilled enough woodsman that he led them in a generally straight line in the direction they needed to go.  They traveled steadily and surely, the hours and the miles slowly passing behind them.  The signs of wood-life was everywhere and the day was pleasant.It was about four hours out of Oakheart that they saw the tracks.  Both of them, sharp-eyed elves that they were, spotted them at the same time.  Rough, heavy shod, but small footprints, were clearly evident in the soft forest earth.  “What are they?” asked Hullifan.“Goblins,” said Bare with certainty as he pushed aside some of the decaying foliage on the ground and looked closer, “perhaps four of them.”They stared at the footprints for a moment wondering.“I say we keep going and just get the honey.” Said Hullifan.“Come on,” said Bare, “We gotta follow these, just for a little while and see where they go.  We don’t have to do anything.  Just follow them.”With a sigh Hullifan gave in and so the two left off going north-west and instead started following the goblin tracks east.  Bare easily followed the trail.  The goblins, it appeared, had been none too careful about hiding their passage.About thirty minutes later the two elves heard rough high pitched voices ahead through the trees.  “Goblins,” whispered Bare to Hullifan, “I recognize the language.  Let’s go quietly forward.”  Hullifan nodded and the two drew out their bows and then proceeded stealthily ahead.“Stinking elves,” hissed one of the goblins (in the goblin tongue of course, but Bare understood him and so we will as well), “We ain’t seen no smelly elves and we ain’t goin’ to I’ll bet.  Not that I want to.”  “Scared are ya, Nekrit,.  We’ll be fine I tell ya, just to the river and then back.  We ain’t gonna fight them, just snoop them out a bit.”About that time Bare and Hullifan had crept close enough that they could make out four goblins, camped around a small fire cooking two rabbits.  The goblins were each armed with a bow and a short sword.  They were dressed in dirty leather armor.  The spot the goblins had camped in was heavily shaded and damp and cool.  “Let’s shoot them,” said Bare softly, “you go that way a little and I will stay here.”Hullifan nodded and started to creep to his right.  He did not get far. One of the goblins lifted up his head.  “What was that?” he croaked.  Without hesitation, Bare fired.  He knew all about goblins and he knew just where to hit them.  The arrow flew true and straight and with a croak the goblin that had spoken jerked up and then collapsed to the ground.  Hullifan’s shot was only a second behind Bare’s but his aim was not as sure.  The arrow grazed one of the goblins, but it was far from a fatal wound.  In an instant the three goblins were on their feet, bows drawn.  Their beady red eyes had no trouble seeing the two elves through the trees.  Bare’s second arrow landed in the goblin Hullifan had injured.  The goblin was propelled backwards and landed twitching slightly on the ground.  A goblin arrow flew past Bare, just missing.  The other goblin’s aim was better and an arrow sliced open Hullifan’s thigh.  The injury threw Hullifan’s aim off and his arrow flew wide.Bare fired a third time and again a goblin fell to the ground.  Another arrow, poorly aimed, flew past Bare.  Hullifan fired again and then Bare fired his fourth arrow.  Both arrows landed in the last goblin and with a croak and a sigh the he fell upon the earth, his life blood draining away.The two elves moved cautiously forward and then, convinced the goblins were truly dead, they searched the bodies.  There was dried and rancid food stuff in packs on the bodies but the elves did not touch that.  They did remove the short swords and the bows, noting that the arrows the goblins had been carrying were of passable quality and fit to fire from their own weapons.  Then, stamping out the fire, the two elves left the goblin bodies to rot upon the ground, food for whatever scavenger happened upon them.</blockquote>

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