Caisin never saw her coming. Startled, he jumped as Lucinda whispered, "There’s a small goblin army heading this way, and you need to move. You need to warn the town about them in case this is another of Borgakh's attacks on Traville."

Caisin gawked as Lucinda drank a green stamina potion and turned on her stealth, all but disappearing. The group left their hiding position and carefully but quickly moved down the valley. They met with one small goblin raiding party, but they quickly dispatched them and hid the bodies in some bushes at the side of the road.

Arriving at the narrow entrance to the trapped area, Grog took the lead again and moved slowly down the canyon. He held up a hand for them to stop. The day was fading into night, and Caisin could barely see him from the back of the party. Word was whispered back that there were more goblins in the trap area. Caisin moved from his position in the rear, sliding past the other party members to stand just behind Grog, leaving Sparky in the rear and Polly protected in the middle.

He could hear the same things now that Grog had heard: goblins working on something while being shouted at by some sort of a foreman. Caisin indicated Grog should move forward cautiously. As they came around the last corner, it became apparent what was going on: the goblins were seeking to reset the trap. The end of the tiny canyon was a bit more spacious, so the party gathered there to speak quietly.

Caisin looked around at the party and said, "If we have a battle here, we will be chased all the way back to Traville by the goblins. None of us are any good at sneaking. Any ideas about how we can get out of this pickle?"

Sparky craned his neck around to look into the broader canyon ahead. "The most natural way for these goblins to die is if they set off their own trap. I think I can hit the right piece of wood, which will send those boulders tumbling down. We will likely need to kill a couple of them, but it will take them a while to figure it out, and by then, we should be long gone.”

Caisin looked into the canyon. The goblins on the ground were doing nothing useful, except the largest one who was labeled as a foreman and yelling at the small goblin fixing the trap. Lucinda had done a good job and cut several ropes. Fixing the mechanism looked to be tricky work.

Sparky fired off a bolt of lightning. The first shot went wide of the mark, striking stone and not wood. The goblins all looked up into the sky. He fired off a second shot just as the big goblin turned around and noticed the party. Sparky’s second shot did the trick, hitting one of the boards holding the boulders in place. The board immediately snapped, and the boulders above strained for a moment, then began to tumble. The goblin assigned to re-attaching the ropes simply fell off his perch in surprise when the trap suddenly sprung.

Caisin realized he had underestimated the sheer volume of rock and waved for the party to back up. At that point, he lost sight of the goblins but could hear their angry shouts and pained screams. Then all was silent.

"We need to move fast; look for any survivors. I am sure guards will be on their way to see what has happened here," Caisin said. Then he led the party around the corner to see a fifteen-foot pile of boulders filling the canyon. They scrambled across to the point where they had entered the area. Caisin again looked around the corners but couldn't see any goblins outside, so the party sprinted for the tree line thirty feet ahead.

************

As Caisin and the others were returning to Traville, they began to notice more and more people on the roadways. Many of them were glaring at them.

"Dumb Christians."

"You guys are on your high horse again!"

"What were you thinking? Can't you just play the game like the rest of us?"

As they entered the town, a mob of players, mostly under level 3, began to murmur and shout at them. Grog looked up. "Where is John?"

Caisin's head snapped around, scanning the small hill which had a tight group of players. The four party members began running to the hill. As they approached, they watched as John appeared.

"There he is! Get him." One of the players on the hill yelled as other players rushed the large black man and began pummeling him with their fists.

As they arrived, Grog activated shield bash, and players flew out of his way. Some players stalking the hill glanced up when they heard the ruckus. Caisin saw the looks on the faces of the band attacking John turn from sadistic glee to fear. As they saw John's powerful friends approaching, many began to flee. Others stood to defend those who were pummeling John to death. Sparky reached out his wand, and a lightning bolt shot out, stunning the first row of five players between them and their suffering brother.

Polly looked concerned, but a moment later, a green cloud formed over John, and it began to rain on him.

Grog was the first to reach John, and he shoved those who were kicking and hitting the evangelist.

Now, at the top of the hill, Sparky suddenly doubled in size. He turned to the crowd and said, "Why? Were you offended by the food and blankets he was offering you?"

These words seemed to shock the crowd, and a stunned silence fell over the area.

"We mean you no harm. We only want to do you good. Can't you see that?"

People in the back of the crowd began to sulk away.

"If you stole anything, please keep it. If you need anything, let us know."

"Why? Because you have some secret advantage after you filed a lawsuit?" an angry voice shouted.

"We..." Sparky looked over at the rest of the party, who were busy ministering to John and then back at the crowd. "We only heard about this today, and we are as clueless as you are."

"Liar!"

"A small army of goblins is headed this way. We returned to warn you all."

But by now, the town square was emptying out.

Sparky's spell ended, and he shrunk back to his normal size.

John was sitting up, taking water now. "Therefore, I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong," were the first words out of his mouth. "I felt like such a cheat; I could turn the pain down."

"Yeah," Grog said, "but how many times did you die?"

John nodded. "I think I need to level up a bit."

Caisin smiled. "About time! But first, we need to defend Traville."

Polly ran over to Gwen's shop and noticed she was crying. "Are you okay, Gwen?"

Gwen looked up, tears streaming down her face. "No, I am not okay. Why would people do that? Why would they beat someone like John? I mean, he is so nice."

Polly considered how to respond and then pulled the Bible out of her inventory. "Jesus taught us, 'But I say to you who hear: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, and pray for those who spitefully use you.' That's not always easy to do, but John has been doing it. Also, the Bible says there is a spiritual war going on, and it is no different here."

Gwen looked up, "Yeah, I get that, but why would they attack him? What has he done?"

Polly turned some pages in her Bible, "The apostle John wrote this: 'Do not marvel, my brethren, if the world hates you.' There have been periods of intense persecution of the Christian church. Under the Roman Emperor Nero, Christians were fed alive to lions. They were burned alive and forced to face gladiators with no weapons; the list goes on and on. He had no specific reason to do these things. Our enemy, the devil, does not need a reason to hate us, and when he stirs his people up, it can get really bad.

Stolen story; please report.

"Hey, I came over here for another reason. There is an army of goblins heading in this direction. We will defend the Bird and Baby and thought you might want to move your stuff over there for a while."

Gwen lifted her head and wiped away her tears. "Okay. The chest is amazingly light but still hard to carry. Can you help me get the other stuff?"

A minute later, they were moving fast toward the Bird and Baby, stopping everyone they could and letting them know what was happening. Most scoffed at them and simply ignored the warning.

Polly helped bring Gwen's stuff inside the inn and indicated she should stay there as she returned outside to prepare. As she did, the goblin army marched out of the forest on the east side of town.

***********

Lance approached the hut wrapped in obscurity, his Cloak of the Shade augmenting his sneak ability. He threaded his way through the guards standing casually on either side of the gate that guarded the entrance to the yard around the shaman's hut. His hair stood on end as he passed within inches of them undetected. Avoiding the small piles of leaves and sticks scattered across the area, he quickly approached the building indicated on his map by the dragon.

He looked back up the hill to where Lucinda was hidden, covering his approach and retreating with her bow. Turning back, he set his eyes on the ramshackle building that was the shaman's hut. It was made from branches and boards; the roof was flat and covered with moss and grass. From its center, a thin stream of smoke arose from a battered-looking chimney. The building looked like a strong wind could push it over. He moved around to where the door stood open like the maw of a sleeping beast, shadows seeming to move in the dark entrance.

He paused before entering, allowing his eyes to adjust to the near-complete darkness. Finally satisfied, he stepped through the doorway. As he did, he felt a slight tug at his leg and then a small snap. He had broken a tripwire. He ducked, but nothing happened. Should he retreat? Should he press on? He looked outside at the two goblins leaning against the posts he had just passed; they were still arguing amicably in their guttural voices.

Lance decided to continue, but first, he turned around and set a trap in the entrance behind him. Any goblin seeking to enter or leave would trigger it. Moving further in, he took small steps, moving mere inches at a time. His fingers brushed something, and he jerked them back. He stared ahead but could see nothing but grey. He reached out and touched again and breathed a sigh of relief. What he had felt was a woolen blanket stretched across the entry area, blocking all light from inside. Suddenly, the blanket jerked aside an angry-looking goblin before him.

The goblin wore a high-collared robe, had a bone stuck through its nose, and stood about four feet tall. It looked furious as it began waving its hands in a complex movement. Lance realized the creature was attempting to cast a spell, so he reached out to stab it. Its cape, made from a shiny black material, suddenly moved and diverted the strike. The goblin smirked at him, its eyes widening in anticipation of the spell firing. Lance struck again. This time he jerked forward, which caused the cape to respond, and then stopped, changed his grip on the dagger, and slammed it down into the shaman's chest, breaking the flow of the spell.

The creature's eyes went wider and it hollered loudly, calling for help. It tried to turn, but Lance struck again using the same stuttering technique. It reduced the damage, but it worked.

Outside, Lance heard a bowstring release and the howl of a goblin. A second later, he heard his fire trap erupt in the doorway. It was only then he realized setting a fire trap in the only entrance to a building made entirely of wood had not been wise. His opponent lunged for a staff leaning against the wall. Lance dove for the creature and was able to catch the corner of its pants. Pulling back hard, he caused the shaman to stumble to its knees. Lance pounced, summoning his sword and burying it in his enemy's side. The creature screeched and threw a powder at Lance's eyes.

The attack caught him full in the face, yellow powder searing him and causing his eyes to burn. Lance activated his belt and lunged again, arms wide. The goblin had moved toward the door, but Lance's left hand brushed and then grabbed cloth.

"Fire's getting dangerous!" Cletus shouted. "You need to get out of here."

Just then, Lance heard a heavy thunk as something released in the doorway.

No time to mess around, he thought.

Lance pulled hard on the cloth and while it tore a little, the creature didn't have much weight and was easily lifted off its feet by giant strength. Lance felt for his sword, still embedded in the struggling shaman's side, jerked it out, and swung at the small beast. Lance felt the creature go limp and lose a quarter of its weight. Something wet hit the floor. Still blinded, Lance worked quickly to remove the cape, finding it easy now that the goblin was headless. At the same time, he thought, loot.

I can’t leave without the staff, Lance thought. His fumbling search took precious seconds, but his hand finally felt the wood of the item which he promptly deposited into his inventory.

Lance urgently felt around the perimeter of the room, keeping to his hands and knees to avoid the smoke that was filling the top of the room. He found the door right after he found the dead guard lying in the doorway. Still blinded, Lance felt over the goblin, and when his hands found the creature’s head, he recoiled. It was a nasty mess of broken bones and flesh. Standing tentatively, he felt in the upper part of the doorway, where he found an axe that now swung freely.

Lance figured the fire had released the trap that should have sliced him in half if it had worked properly. The goblin guard had just been in the wrong place when it did. Lance turned and began crawling forward.

This powder is terrible, Lance thought. The sweat from his forehead kept washing more into his eyes, and it burned something fierce. He suddenly stopped and popped a skin of water into his hands, washing his face as best he could. Some sight returned, but his vision was still blurry. Lance lurched forward, sliding over the guard and under the axe hanging in the doorway, doing his best to avoid the burning wood on either side. As he slid through, he looted the unfortunate goblin.

Outside, he gulped air and then noticed the other guard was crawling forward, an arrow sticking out of the middle of its back. As Lance got up, the guard also pulled itself up, using the fence to balance itself. It grabbed the rope attached to the large alarm bell which stood in the yard, but as it did, an arrow sprouted from its left eye. The guard's hand tangled in the rope, and as he fell, the bell was rung resoundingly.

Dong. The sound reverberated throughout the valley.

As if the burning building wasn't enough, Lance thought to himself as he sprinted past the creature, through the gate, and up into the hills where Lucinda waited, bow in hand.

"A little late with that shot, don’t ya think?" Lance chided.

"The fence was completely blockin’ my view," she replied coolly.

As Lance ran into the hills surrounding the valley, he glanced over his shoulder. A mass of goblins was emerging from homes and other buildings. Many were giving chase; the others were pointing and shouting. Anger was bubbling through the camp.

As they ran, Lucinda spoke in her southern drawl, “Mad as hornets, must’ve loved that shaman.”

*************

Lance and Lucinda ran. They ran their stamina bars until they were nearly empty, slammed down a green potion, and kept going. They did this until they were out of potions, then walked at a pace that allowed their stamina to build slightly over time.

They were generally faster than the goblins, and the stamina potions were a huge advantage. But the goblins easily kept pace as they ran on the road on the valley floor while the two thieves had to run over rough, hilly ground. It was frustrating and soon took a turn for the worse. The bank of the river they had crossed only an hour ago was swarming with armed goblins and spell casters. There was no way through, and they were not going back the way they had come.

The river ran in a wide canyon. As they approached the edge, Lucinda called out, "There is a small path here that runs into the mountains."

As one, they veered onto the track and began to climb into the hills in earnest. Arrows and bolts of fire fell around them, setting small blazes in the underbrush. An arrow grazed Lucinda, but as Lance watched, she briefly glowed, and the wound disappeared.

After turning onto the path, the canyon, which was on their left, had grown deeper and deeper as they traced the river out of the goblin's valley. Eventually, the river meandered away from their path and was lost among the hills. Looking behind them, the goblin's valley stretched below. A few goblins could be seen still chasing them hundreds of yards behind. Their small bodies could not keep up.

They pressed forward again, pushing hard. After another half hour, they lost track of the goblins and felt safe to take a rest. They backtracked on their path a hundred yards and carefully masked their tracks as they moved off the path toward a small overhang they had spied on earlier.

After half an hour, a band of four goblins marched past on the trail, doggedly following their tracks. They trekked further up the hill, following the trail, but soon they were returning, diligently searching for where they had left the track. Lance and Lucinda tensed as they watched through dense foliage. The goblins did not pause when they came to the place where they had crossed over rocks to get off the trail, and soon, the yelling and howling voices of the goblins could be heard descending the path.

"We shouldn't stay here too long," Lance noted. "They will be back with more to scour these hills."

"I don't doubt that they will," Lucinda agreed, "but for the moment, we need a small rest."

They both took out bread and water, replenishing their stats as best they could. Lance noticed the top third of his stamina bar was red, and when he asked Cletus about it, he saw Lucinda lean forward and listen in.

"Yeah, you guys both have the exhausted debuff, so your stamina is depleted. Abilities like climbing or sneaking are decreased by two levels. You need to sleep for eight hours to remove this debuff."

Makes sense, Lance thought. If I made that climb in the real world, it would take me a week to recover.

"I don't think we are going to get any better. Let's go," Lucinda suggested.

Lance rose to his feet, a little shaky but determined. They set off parallel to the trail they had been following and soon crossed another that led them closer to the main starter area. They were careful to avoid leaving any tracks as they neared the crossroads and stayed off the trail for half a mile before finally giving in and rejoining the road.

Soon, they found another trail that led downhill. Following the new trail, they started to see bits of distant forests through the hills. They were still a long way off, but as they pressed on, the valley came closer and closer. As exhaustion was overcoming them, they found a small and empty cave to shelter in for the evening.