Blonde rogue finished hiding bodies of the goblins. They were extremely light, so even someone as weak as she was didn’t struggle much while dragging them by foot toward a secluded location where she covered their bodies with a thin layer of mud. She wanted to give them a proper burial, even though they were enemies, even though they were mere monsters, but by doing so she would waste too much stamina and time. All she did was covering the smell of their blood which would surely alert other patrols.
Goblins were numerous. Less than one hundred, but clearly over fifty.
Elana knew what had to be done. First, she had to deal with patrols roaming around the nest, then – she would have to keep dealing damage to the population – no, not direct one – quite the opposite. She would poison the water streams, scare the animals from hunting grounds – attack the resources.
It was pointless to attack warriors – she would most certainly lose. Instead, she had to destabilize their structure. Undermine the authority of the leader – his job was to keep the nest safe and make sure that they have enough to feed still growing tribe.
If food gatherers and hunters would vanish… the warriors would leave the nest and look for the source of damage. If she would keep attacking – eventually the leader would have to deal with the problem personally.
But that’s a matter for later. For now – she had to get rid of a possible source of threat.
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Some time later, the group of goblin’s hunters was moving back toward the nest, they already couldn’t wait till they could eat, drink, rest a little and play with their slaves before going to bed. Since the new leader took charge, everything became better – they had more food, their rides usually ended with fewer causalities and they had slaves! SLAVES! How many generations passed since the raid returned with something more than animals, food, and tools!? Usually, if they would kidnap the villager, the adventurers would come within a week or less to burn the nest down, but now – after the leader decided to relocate the tribe... he said that they have nothing to be afraid of – that humans would not come. It has been over a month – they kidnapped three more humans – but human’s vengeance did not come…
IT DID NOT COME!
The Lord was clever! And smart! Everything happened just as he said!
Four slaves in total! When only one or two were kidnapped by the tribe as big as theirs, usually only strongest warriors and most successful hunters would receive the privilege of attempting to make an offspring – otherwise, the human sow could die. That was a normal thing – goblins were known for their … endurance and number, so if the whole nest would try to have their way… in a week the sow would die of exhaustion. But with four!? Everyone had their turn! Shamans made an order-list, in the end – strongest had priority, but even then, at the end of the day the mere gatherer also could try his luck is passing his genes to the next generation!
Everything thanks to the Lord’s wisdom.
Then, they heard a snap. Like a twig breaking under the pressure of someone’s feet in the nearest vicinity.
No, they were too deep in the forest, it must have been their imagination! They were about to resume their journey when they heard a quiet song. Someone was singing happily, bit quietly, as if humming under her nose – her, indeed, it sounded like a female.
With few nods and snarls, the goblins agreed to check the location.
They moved close to one another, trying to avoid every bush and branch that could let out a sound and betray their locations.
They spread the bush aside revealing a clearing ahead.
A pretty girl was humming happily while picking up mushrooms to a small basket. Blonde hair, pretty face, traveling clothes.
Her body was covered in mud and herbs which hid her smell.
She thought, that just by masking her stench and coming early in the morning when most goblins were sleeping she was safe? That she could just come on in and pick up berries and mushrooms like that!?
Goblins faces twisted in a savage grins.
The law of the hunter – if they were to catch a human they could have their way with her before bringing the prize to the nest. Same came to food – they could take first, biggest portion – this way the Lord was making sure that they stayed motivated and focused during their patrols.
The hunter with a tattoo on his right arm already noticed the “eagerness” of his brothers – in their minds they were already imagining what they would do to a pretty little creature in the next few minutes.
He quickly checked the surroundings – there was nobody else around. No tracks, no footprints. Nothing. The girl was alone.
With moves of his hands, he ordered his brothers to move from the sides. They weren’t pleased. In the end, it was just a lone girl, small and weak in clothes that weren’t really suited for running away. They were probably thinking that he wanted to go first. Fools – he was the team leader – he would have priority either way.
These morons didn’t listen to his commands, instead, they jumped out from the bushes.
Experienced hunter hissed. Once they would return to the nest, he would have them whipped for lack of obedience.
The girl turned her head toward the sound source. Her cheerful expressions died as she looked at two goblins in terror.
Lucky for them – it appeared that she indeed was alone and not a bait, otherwise, his brothers would already end with arrows in their skulls. He also decided to leave the bush and join his kin.
The girl dropped the basket, turned around and started running away.
Hunter’s heart raced, his mind got clouded. The hunt starts!
Yes! Run little morsel! Scream and kick to the sides! The old goblin loved the challenge - when his prey was still trying to bite him when he was ending its life, he loved when his woman resisted – it meant that she was strong, and so would be his offspring. These broken dolls in the nest were nothing more than a cattle!
The three hunters bolted after the girl, while running, the most experienced goblin noticed that the girl while running away quickly drank some liquid from glass vessel and tossed it aside, while running past it, he noticed remainings of yellow liquid at the bottom of the glass.
But goblins weren’t aware of existence of stamina potions – not in vials. When they were sick shaman would give them healing salve in wooden bowls, and because goblin’s alchemy was far from perfect (read: extremely terrible) salve’s purity was on the lowest possible level, thus it was colored green or grey. He decided to ignore the potion, because of that he didn’t realize that the girl they were chasing wasn’t just a village girl, but someone having a connection with a guild of adventures.
The girl jumped over a fallen tree and vanished from their field of view for a few seconds. The goblin that was running just behind her followed her, but in mid-air, before he even vanished behind the tree trunk, he screamed in horror. Then, his voice suddenly stopped.
He and his brother got to the fallen tree and carefully looked behind it – there, they could see the body of their kin impaled on dozen of sharpened sticks that were half-buried in the dirt.
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Was it that girl’s doing? Of course, the villagers could rise these traps beforehand, in the end, these mushroom were quite valuable, shamans rewarded every gob that would find a new growing spot. Maybe human’s were just as desperately requiring all these herbs as shamans?
Yes, that was quite reasonable! Early in the morning, humans would send a child in the forest to get some herbs – this way the possibility of encountering goblins was greatly reduced. And even if the child would encounter a small squad of a goblin, it would run through previously set up trap-path that would slow them down.
Not even for a second did goblin considered that the reality was completely different. Not even for a blink of an eye, he considered, that this small fragile girl would rise the trap and risk her own life to lure them in.
They should leave her be, for now, it was the only logical solution, older goblin knew that. Blindly following after her would be a silly suicide! Instead, they should try circling and surrounding her from different sides, they knew the forest, they were faster, more agile and wearing less (if almost any) clothing, which would keep on hooking on every bush and branch. They should use that advantage to…
Seeing his brother’s dead body, his younger companion roared in hatred and wrath. He avoided the trap and resumed the chase.
Honored hunter growled and hissed “Back, you fool! Back!”
But goblins, especially those younger and less experienced very rarely listened to the voice of reason… and their older supervisors. These two brainless gobs were given to him to gain some experience, but they almost never listened to his commands. They dreamed about becoming warriors, so the duty of a hunter was almost a punishment for them. They could change their role in the nest if their actions would be appreciated. Bringing a woman into a nest was an action that would surely be appreciated. Bringing a woman that killed one of them – even more. To that gob, the running woman was like a free promotion ticket.
The older hunter knew one thing, if they would catch the girl, he would personally kill that disobedient idiot, then he would take the girl for a round… or five, before bringing her to the nest and reporting everything with all the details. They already disobeyed him twice, the great Lord wouldn’t mind him executing those maggots. He knew that because he personally informed him about that. “Their lives are in your hand. Do whatever you want with them. Make them into tools useful for the tribes… with any means necessary… or if you would think that they are no good, just got rid of them. We don’t need more useless mouth to feed.”
Chain of command in goblin’s hierarchy was everything. These two never gave it a second thought because they thought he was just a lone hunter and his voice meant nothing during the gathering. He will show them… well, one is dead so… He will show that one remaining fool how very mistaken he was.
The girl turned left and vanished in thickset of trees. The goblin running just seven or eight meters behind here grabbed the trunk of the tree on the edge wanting to use it to turn after her without losing momentum… But then, an arm armored with a knife protruded from behind the tree. The novice hunter literally ran into the knife.
The girl didn’t run away, instead, she hid behind the first tree knowing that goblins never check the ground on which they are walking. The blade of the knife sank into the flesh perfectly between the ribs, damaging the lungs and/or heart.
That gob was already dead, even though he fell on the ground still fighting for breath – both his inhales and exhales were letting out a wheezing sound, the red bloodish foam covered his mouth. He will be dying in agony for next minute to five – depending on how serious the wound was…
Or, he was supposed to, because the girl kneeled by his side, covered his eyes with her palm and quickly corrected her stab.
Swift dead. Unnecessary action. Most of the goblins would never shorten the death of their enemies, quite the opposite, they would dedicate his or her agony to Khai’li – the goddess of carnage and mother-god of greenskin.
And then, the girl stood up and look in his direction. She was crying. None of the goblins manage to attack her, all her limbs appeared to be fully functional, so she wasn’t burdened with any physical pain.
But she was crying.
Despite of that, she wasn’t afraid. She wasn’t nervous, she didn’t prepare her weapon in anticipation of battle nor was looking around trying to see if any reinforcements came. She was murmuring… over the goblins she killed?
She wasn’t a normal gal! Not only because she just managed to kill two hunters and was just readying herself to kill him! No! There was something in her eyes… Why is she looking at him with pity?!
- “I will save you… from your grief and further sins. Even if it means that I myself will have to carry your sins from now on…”
She said quietly, peacefully, but the hunter didn’t know the common speech, only Lord and shamans did.
But something in her tone made him shiver.
No! She is just a lone girl! She is no longer running away, so that must have been her last trap! Now, it was only her – the little girl, against him – experienced hunter that killed dozens of creatures! Wolves! Even bears! There is no way that she would beat him in one versus one dagger combat!
He brought his knife and started to carefully reduce the distance between them, putting his feet softly on the ground, just in case she had another trick in her sleeve.
But the girl changed the grip on her blade, now she was holding it with her three fingers by the opposite side of the tool – a throwing stance. That’s how she sees it? The closer he would get, the greater were chances she would land her throw, but also meant that goblin can just jump at her and knock her off guard.
Who would move first?
Ten meters. Finally, the girl started showing signs of being nervous. Ha, in the end, she had only that one chance – only one dagger – only one throw.
Eight meters. The girl actually made a step back
Six meters, her hand trembled with anticipation – that betrayed her – she would attack soon
Five met…
She threw! But too low, as if aiming his feet instead of corpus! Foolish girl, didn’t she know that goblins could, as for their size, jump really, really high?
That’s what he did – he flew into the air readying his own dagger – he didn’t want to kill her, just stab in the arm – in the end, dead she would be useless.
But then, as he was over a meter in the air without possibility to change his trajectory, she pushed her coat aside revealing at least ten more shiny knives.
The way she kept picking one after another was simply beautiful – it was a move she had to be training for hours per day, day after day, week after week.
Goblin was in the air for mere four or five seconds, but when his body touched the ground again he already had three daggers sticking out from his corpus.
He collapsed and rolled over the ground.
He will die.
Funny. He was told that death in cold, but right now his whole body was hot. So hot – because of the blood escaping through holes.
He was lying face in the dirt, but not for long. The girl kneeled by his side and rolled him over, putting his head on her laps.
- “Shh.. Sh… It’s ok. It’s over now. You don’t have to cry…” girl would wipe down his tears off his face with her thumb, even though she was crying by herself.
She was sad for killing him? Was that even possible? If that would be her bleeding to death in the soil, he for sure wouldn’t be crying. Bah, maybe he would even try having a go with the girl before her body would turn cold…
- “It’s ok. No need to worry…”
He couldn’t understand a word, but her tone was so comforting.
For the totems. How beautiful she is. Even if she is crying, even if she is so sad…
Hey, he knew that one day he would die, maybe once he would become older and couldn’t keep up with new hunters, maybe he would make a mistake while hunting some predators and they would start tearing his body into pieces…
But not even in his bravest dreams he thought that he would be dying in arms of a beautiful girl. At least not like that.
- “You can go now, I am purifying you off your sins… Gentle mother of the Sun, Forgive your son that was lead astray, Bring your mercy on his face, and let him enter your Kingdom in Heavens…”
Was she… praying for him? How unusual.. how u… Unus…U…
He died, in the deep dark forest, in hands of stranger that somehow became even closer to him than his own mother than he never knew.
He died purer, with no hatred in heart, not cursing his killer. Quite the opposite. In his last thoughts, he was happy and wishing her best in her life.
Elana kept crying. That’s the trait she would never lose in her journey. Each time she had to kill – doesn’t matter who – the bandit, the beast, or even an animal, she would shed at least a single tear.
For that day the little girl that was afraid of her own shadow died, being replaced by velvet assassin, the adventurer known later as El, the Mercy Blade.