The day couldn't have started better the sky was clear, the sun was warm and all seemed to be going well for the newly founded Adventures Guild. Valendryan didn’t waste any time getting his new cohorts ready for the day.
“Come on Valendryan it’s too early to go looking for adventure, besides no one is going to want to give us any real quest until we’ve proven ourselves.” Was the general consensus from Phlipper and Nillian but Alfie was nowhere to be found so the three set out to look for their new friend.
The search didn’t take long as they found Alfie wide awake playing with the bear outside in the yard.
“Hey guys what’s up?” Asked Alfie
“Valendryan wants us to go find some work for the guild so that we can start building up a reputation.” Replied Nillian.
“Sounds like fun! How about we split up into teams and ask around town?” Said Alfie.
After some talk the party split up into pairs Nillian and Alfie would stick together and so would Valendyan and Phlipper. The day for Valendryan and Phlipper seemed to zoom by without much event and with Valendryan’s mood lessened they decided to return back to the guild house to see if the other pair had found any success. As the sun was beginning to crest towards sunset they neared the southern gates of Rolent and instead of just the four Goliaths there was a Centaur talking to one of the guards.
“This must be our quest Phlipper.” Said Valendryan as he walked up to the Centaur and Goliath.
“What seems to be the problem gentlemen?” Valendryan asked as they approached.
“This Centaur says that a Lumberjack that normally makes the rounds hasn’t passed by their encampment since he went out in the morning.” Came the deep commanding voice of the Goliath.
“Perhaps we could help you investigate?” Asked Phlipper.
“I don’t see why not but we should get going before it gets dark, the area the Centaur is describing sounds to me like it would be near Goblin territory.” The Goliath said as he began jogging off in the direction given by the Centaur. The Elf and Gnome struggled to keep up with the Goliaths massive bounding stride.
“Hey Mr.Goliath isn’t the Centaur going to come help us?” Panted out Valendryan.
“The name’s Valath and the Centaur Rylar doesn’t want to interfere with Rolent, Apparently this lumberjack helped him out some years back and he’s just returning the kindness shown to him.” Said Valath who showed no sign of fatigue from the jogging they’ve been doing.
Just as Valendryan and Phlipper were going to beg Valath to slow down the dense vegetation slowed them down enough to provide much needed relief to their aching legs.
Valath began to give directions when they heard a distant moan of pain. Valath charged off not wasting any time from his years of training toward the noise while the others struggled to keep up. As they neared the noise the vegetation thinned as they entered the loggers clearing.
“Help!” Cried the man who was pinned under a fallen maple tree.
Phlipper summoned his Mage Hand which he directed to pull the man out once they lifted the tree. With Valeth on one side and Phlipper and Valendryan on the other they tried to lift the tree but it just wasn’t enough so Valendryan pulled out his Lute and began to intertwine his song with the magic of the world and at the climax of his verse the Goliath felt a surge of strength and was able to shift the tree just enough for the Mage Hand to pull him out.
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The man was hysterical from the pain, his legs were crushed and he was making to much just to me noise as the atmosphere entered an early twilight they heard the howl of distant howl of wolves. The two smaller adventures seemed to be stunned by fear at the noise but Valath snapped them out of it.
“I’d wager we can make it back to the southern gate if you can cast some more of the magic Elf.” Said Valath.
“I can’t do that again but i can temper the man’s pain so they’ll have a harder time tracking us by sound.” Valendryan said.
With that he hummed a tune and the man fell into a dreamless sleep, and with that the massive Goliath picked up the man and cradled him in his arms they began to follow the trail they had left with Phlipper’s Mage Hand attempting to cover their tracks.
The snarls and howls began to grow closer and the party could feel the vibrations in the air every time a branch snapped from a wolves paw.
“We’re not going to make it at this rate.” Said Valath flatly.
“Me and Phlipper can stall them so you can get him to safety” Said Valendryan and with that Valendryan played a tune and the Goliath began to speed away.
“Well that was very noble of you Val but how are we supposed to take on a pack of Goblins!?” Phlipper said.
“We set an ambush and try to take some of them out by surprise.” Valendryan said.
The pair scrambled into a tree and tried to come up with a plan.
A group of four Goblin wolf riders arrived at the spot where the party of Adventures split up and began chittering and began cackling as a Fireball slammed into one of them combusting into an inferno as the laughing turned to screaming while Phlipper and Valendryan seemed to appear from nowhere as the Bards cloaking song was broken by the Mages Fireball.
The three remaining Wolfriders realising their companion was doomed to the mages fire turn to charge the pair of attackers. As the Wolves charged Valendryan and Phlipper barely managing to dodge their attacks returned the charge with a song that seemed to cut like a knife's edge slashed through one of the Goblins cutting him in twain. Along with another fireball that turned another rider and his mount into an inferno. With only one Goblin left alive he got the other wolf now riderless and sped off back where they came from.
“We did it!” Cried Valendryan.
“More for the better, i was running out of energy.” Phlipper said panting with a sigh of relief.
But the festivities wouldn’t last as a corus of wolf howls pierced the quiet night and even more unpleasant noises began to converge on the pair.
“I should’ve stayed a lawyer…” Sighed Valendryan.
As he attempted to cloak him and his Gnome companion but failed to bend the magic to his will. With a pang of pain shooting through Valendryans mind for having tried over exert himself.
“Can you do anything Phlipper?” Asked Valendryan cradling his head.
“That’s not really in my wheelhouse Valendryan sorry.” Replied Phlipper with a hint of dred slipping through.
The crashing and crunching of the pursuers drained Valendryan and Phlipper of what remained of their hope. As the pack of now twelve bursted out into the clearing greeted only by the two smouldering amalgams and the split goblin they fanned out searching for the perpetrators and just as one of the smaller wolves who Valendryan recognized to be the wolf of which he deprived it of its rider closed in on their hiding spot six deafening battle cries put dread into the hearts of the Goblins as the six Goliaths crashed into the clearing and the night turned into an absolute bloodbath the Goblins not standing a chance were decimated by the squad of Goliaths only taking minor scrapes and flesh wounds compared to the absolute decimation of the Goblins.
“Valath?”Asked Valendryan once the destruction was over.
“Ahhhh there they are, Drinks are on me tonight friends!” Boomed Valath just now coming out of his bloodlust.
The journey to the southern gates still took them an hour at a walking pace, but that night they reveled in their successful adventure. Later that night they stumbled back to the Guild house to a welcome from Nillian and Alfie.
“You won’t believe the day we had.” slurred Phlipper.
“I guess we’ll have to see who had the most eventful day then.” Replied Nillian with the hint of friendly competition
The friends seemed to form a closer bond with each other as they reflected on their day.
“What in the hell is a Germalin?” Asked Valendryan and Phlipper in unison.