Arkady misses badly with his wild stroke, but Forte's crushing weapon is right on target. He smashes into the shoulder of one of the goblins, bringing it down with sheer force. Ullar also is rewarded for his efforts by hewing down his opponent. Swinging their long swords two-handed, the goblins respond viciously, Arkady getting the top of his head bonked by the flat of one sword and narrowly avoiding a terminal appointment. Ullar's opponents cannot penetrate his plate mail, and one tries so hard as to fall upon the floor with the force of his missed blow. Forte, as is usual for him, gets nailed in the leg with a chop, and falls backward, stunned.
As one of Ullar's targets is trying to get up, the other tangles himself in his fallen form and tumbles himself. The one who does manage to get up is rewarded for his trouble by being nearly chopped in half by Ullar's greatsword. Arkady misses again, but his goblins do as well. Asif jumps into Forte's spot, taking on his opponents, narrowly dodging one, but being struck by the same one that stunned Forte, who has regained his balance now. Asif cuts down the first, and runs a red streak down the other with his glancing stroke.
These goblins seem unusually bold, though, as they continue even against the harsh odds presented to them. Ullar fells his last opponent with a smashing blow to the head. Arkady's voices certainly don't seem to be offering him up any advice on swordsmanship as he misses again, but Ullar swings around and guts one with another strong blow. The other misses while Asif fells the last one on that side of the room. Cursing, Arkady swings again at the last goblin, missing very narrowly and leaving Ullar to clean up, which he does with a low slash into the thing's groin.
"Die you filthy rats!" Ullar shouts in excitement., while slashing the goblin in his groin.
"Many apologies efendi for my intrusion. I mean no disrespect Forte, to your skill as a swordsman. But an opening I saw in the enemies ranks and as I hold your all true as friends, that opportunity had to be taken" Asif speaks.
"No problem," the large warrior replies. "The important thing is to defeat the enemy." Forte looks at his mace. "But right now I'm not really a swordsman. I guess I'm a maceman," he says with a grin.
"Many thanks efendi, I find some warriors be sensitive about such things. The preservation of our lives far outweighs such false feelings as pride. Yes much pity is it that your scabbard is spare and you must fight with mace. Much skill did you show when we first met. Funny that is was with blades of anger then, not friendship. Worry not my friend I am sure upon our travels we shall regain your a fine sword."
"I hope so," responds Forte. "Now, shall we continue on?" he asks the group.
"Forte, I had no idea you were looking for a sword. I have this one from the archers in the forest." Arkady rummages in his pack and pulls out the sword that he took from the archer leader. "You can use it if you'd like."
"Actually, Ullar is using my sword until he finds one." Forte takes the sword and examines it carefully. "I would like to use this one, until we find another. Thank you."
With no time to gather themselves, another group of goblins comes rushing in through the door on the opposite side of the room. There are ten of them, about half of which are much larger than the others and the ones here before.
Seeing his opportunity to strike without endangering his companions, Ratlin steps forward, weaving his hands about in an incantation. Abruptly, all the smaller goblins (five) and one of the larger fall to the ground. One of those that fell asleep is probably dead, as Rhune feathered him with an arrow a second before Ratlin completed his spell.
"Yeah.....take that." Rhune yells.....
Ratlin looks over at Rhune and smirks, moving out of the way of the flailing warriors.
The largest yellow-skinned goblin yells out loudly and turns and retreats back into the doorway, leaving the other three to fight the warriors in the room and guard his escape.
"Oh NO you don't." says Ullar, running forward to stop the largest goblin from fleeing. The warrior tries to strike down any goblins blocking his route to their leader, feeling rather confident with Forte's greatsword, again.
Ullar smashes through his opponent, it's innards spilling onto the floor.
Seeing Ullar chasing after the leader, Tolik follows without thinking, in his head preparing his spell in case they catch the large goblin.
Arkady once again misses, though his opponent does not make him pay for it. Asif, in a rare move, bangs his scimitar on the goblin's sword, shivering his arm and sending the weapon flying, but his other stroke is true, slashing into the creature's leg and felling it.
"Asif, look out." Rhune yells at the young man....trying to make her way to him to help....
Asif retrieves his other scimitar as the others engage on the opposite end of the room.
Arkady gets his head banged once again by the flat of this goblin's sword, but his drought finally ends as he cuts down into the left clavicle of the monster, felling it.
Arkady stands shaking in the center of the room shaking, tears running down his face. But the goblin's death sated the voices for now. He wipes his sleeve across his eyes and shakes his head to clear it. He smiles weakly at the others, His eyes red and swollen. When he speaks his voice is harsh and husky from screaming. "Well!! That could have gone better." Arkady then tries to assist with the bandaging and comfort of the wounded.
After tossing Forte the spare longsword, Arkady rushes to follow after Ullar and Tolik. The voices are thankfully quiet.
Just then, five more goblins come rushing in from the double doors behind you, engaging the non-warriors in the rear ranks. Amibar, Pietro, and Dakath are forced to fight with them. Amibar had been holding his sling, as had Pietro, and Dakath his bow, all of which they are forced to drop and draw melee weapons.
Ami yelps in alarm as the five goblins seem to charge at him alone. He steps back, dropping his sling and fumbling for his dagger.
Pietro gets his foot practically nailed to the marble floor, as the goblin stabs completely through it. Amibar also gets the same treatment, though the wound is not so severe.
Crying out in pain and anger, the little Gnome doubles his efforts to defend himself, now favoring one leg. Swinging his dagger rather incompetently, he hopes sheer luck will make it connect with an opponent.
As Tolik and Ratlin have moved out of the way, Rhune and Forte attempt to get in and help, but they cannot do so immediately. Pietro barely manages to limp aside as he swings limply with his quarterstaff, but is clearly out of his league in this arena. Amibar and Dakath manage similarly ineffective strikes, while Dakath manages to take a thrust to the side for his troubles.
Pietro's two goblin opponents overwhelm him as he attempts to move out of the way, stabbing him twice as he falls to the floor. Rhune jumps forward to take his place, pushing them back but not wounding either. Amibar, with an amazing display of combat effectiveness, stabs his opponent right in the throat! Blood gushes out on him as the goblin falls. Dakath is able to ward off his opponents as Forte moves in to take his place.
"WooHoo! Did you guys see that? I got him, I got him!" the little guy jumps happily, then lands badly on his hurt leg in a puddle of blood, making him lose his balance. He flails wildly with his hands as he falls to the ground.
"Excellent work!" yells Forte, not even bothering to look around to see what Ami actually did.
Pietro falls to the ground, bleeding heavily. He tries to stand up, but he doesn't even get half way before falling back to the ground. "A vrai Malakkia." It is obvious that he will not be able to move very far this way. The young elf puts his hand to his chest, closing his eyes for a moment and uttering something in a language you do not understand. It is obvious though that he is trying to heal himself. After the healing, Pietro again tries to get up. In a glance you can see the elf does not look to well. The bandana around his head is showing blood, and the new wounds on his body make him look like a dead man walking. He is looking around for a second to see if he can use his sling, if that is not possible in this cramped room, he plans to get his quarterstaff and try to hit any goblin who tries to move through the line of friends.
The other warriors must wait until a better moment comes, and in any case are alert to more opponents coming in from the opposite door. Rhune lunges forward with her sword, stabbing the fellow in the eye as she neatly sidesteps his partner's attack. Forte smashes one of his in the head, crushing it's skull, but for his reward Amibar manages to wildly slash him in the leg in a battle frenzy. It is a minor wound, but hurts doubly because of the source.
Realizing he had hurt his friend, all semblance of joy for having downed the goblin leaves Ami's face. " Forte, I'm sorry! I... I didn't mean it, I slipped... See? I'm more harm than use to you guys..." his face is a study in misery as he backs away towards the door.
The remaining two turn and run, while Forte breaks one's spine in two with his mace. The other dodges strokes from both Amibar and Rhune and dashes out the double doors.
As one of the remaining goblins rushes towards the open double doors, Amibar swings half-heartedly at him, all the spunk drained out of him.
"'Tis but a scratch," Forte claims, his face a mask of pain and annoyance. "It happens. Next time I'll try to be more careful, and not get in your way," he says to the gnome. "That goblin sure gave me a nasty one, though." Forte rips a sleeve off his shirt and ties it around his leg over the wound to stop any blood flow. (ooc: using his non-weapon first-aid incompetency)
Dakath takes aim at the fleeing goblin and throws his dagger at it.
The magic dagger sinks into the back of the goblin's head like butter, dropping him to the ground dead and blocking the double doors from closing with his corpse.
Dakath nods in satisfaction at the outcome of his attack. "Guess I just find moving targets easier to hit." he looks over at Rhune, remembering their practicing against a tree trunk.
Looking over at the goblin Ami killed, Forte looks suitably impressed. "Nice work," he congratulates the gnome.
Rhune dashes out the double doors after it to try and get a swing on it before it runs away completely, but finds Dakath has the matter well in hand. She then checks on Asif to make sure he is alright, "Asif, love, are you alright? Is everyone okay?" once done with that Rhune goes to the sleeping ones to takes them out.....checking the bodies.
Asif nods wringing his sore hand in the air. "No blood is lost my love.. A simple bruise is all I shall have." Asif with his good hand retrieves his dropped blade, cleans it on the corpse of one of the dead goblins then sheaths it. His sore arm hanging gingerly by his side.
Ratlin watches her go as he is helping the others, "Leave two alive, the large one and a small one so we can interrogate them."
As there are no more Goblins about, Ratlin begins using his herbalism skill to help bind wounds and stop the various blood flows. After that, he heads over to the sleeping goblins to slit throats, but finds that not an easy proposition.
They are far from bodies. While everyone else has been sitting about, the five goblins (the one that Rhune shot did not get back up) have risen and now engage the party, with Ullar and Tolik, and right after that Arkady, having run out the other door.
"What the......." Rhune utters in shock back-peddling from the goblins, sword in hand.
Forte and Asif wade into them, both missing rather badly, while Rhune moves backward in surprise that her targets are up and about. Asif feels a slash across his belly from one of the goblins, while Forte for once is uninjured. Both prove unable to hit once again, in unusual displays of incompetence. Fighting alongside Asif, as she prefers, Rhune is similarly ineffective.
Muttering some elven curse, Rhune tries to hit the goblin in front of her.
Forte gets a slash in the cheek, one that bleeds heavily and looks very nasty, while the other avoid injury. The goblins seem to be gaining confidence as they escape being hurt themselves.
Dakath then moves as quickly as he can to retrieve his dagger.
He pulls his dagger out of the dead goblins head, pausing in revulsion for a second.
Forte manages to compound his battle worries, sending his 'mystery mace' flying from his hand in frustration. He grasps for the sword that Arkady gave him while taking yet another thrust from a goblin. He now seems quite unsteady, a familiar state for him. Rhune stabs one in the face, felling it, but it does not seem to hurt their morale any.
Forte falls to the ground taking stab wounds in the belly and his much abused thigh. Asif finally manages to fell one of his opponents, while Rhune misses, but in response one of the monsters rakes Asif's bearded cheek, letting blood flow through his dark hair.
Taking Forte's place, Dakath enters the fray, but misses by quite a bit. Seeing Asif injured appears to have created some kind of manic energy in Rhune, as with a monstrous slash she fells two of the creatures, leaving only the largest, who takes a stroke from Asif but does not fall. Rather he fights to the end. Beating his long sword past Asif's defenses, he smashes the Arab in the side of the head with the flat of the blade, sending him reeling. But Asif is not one to take such without retribution, and he quickly reorients himself and slices the fellow down with a pair of vicious strokes.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAIIIIIIIIEEEEEEEE" Rhune yells, amethyst eyes swirling in rage.
Asif staggers beneath the rain of blows from the goblin his sight hazy with the pain and loss of blood from his abdomen. Summoning hidden energy he counter attacks and with great relief sees his opponent drop. . Sheathing his left blade he clutches his bleeding chest and half sinks to the floor, his balance kept only by using his other scimitar as a brace between him and the floor. Putting up as brave a face as possible he shouts to Rhune:
"Rhune GO, fear not I shall live. Go help Arkady".
Looking to Asif and the door...."Asif.....oh Asif...."reluctantly Rhune turns and goes to find Arkady, "I will be back, don't you die on me." she shouts over her shoulder
Meanwhile, in the other room...
Ullar, followed closely by Tolik, dashes out of the room after the giant goblin. They rush through what must be the main hall of the goblin chambers. In it are a rough wooden platform with a seat upon it, an equally crude table. Hanging above the platform are ten skulls in helmets, human-size, a tattered, unrecognizable flag, a decorated hunting horn, some jeweled spurs, and a beautiful golden goblet.
However, what draws your attention is the door on the opposite end of the room, which is just closing behind the big fellow, who is quite a bit speedier than Ullar in his armor. Crossing through that door, the pair come upon what looks like yet another room full of yellow goblins, eight of them. Heartened by their reinforcement, the big fellow leads them against Ullar and Tolik, who now are vastly outnumbered.
Tolik sends his spell, a bolt of magical energy, at the Chief, but it does him little harm. His charge at Ullar, though, takes him back, as his sword smashes into Ullar's armor, shooting sparks most unnaturally as it completely shatters the plate on his right shoulder, making Ullar wince in pain. Meanwhile the others have leapt forward and are charging to join him.
Backing up against Ullar, Tolik finds himself attacked by two goblins, and he frantically jumps about trying to dodge their swords. Ullar swings his greatsword low and crashes into the chief, sending him flying backward.
He rises and urges the goblins to continue attacking from behind them. There is one positive note, though, as Arkady rushes in to join you. Tolik dodges to let him join the fray, but not before he is nicked in the side by one of the goblins. Ullar, his armor sagging from the Chief's vicious stroke takes another shot in the leg, and begins to feel his armor loosening. Not a good thing when surrounded by goblins! Knowing that the best defense is a good offense, Ullar cuts through the leg of one of his opponents, dropping him.
Scrambling to keep his armor up, Ullar misses his strike, but Arkady does not, felling a goblins with a stroke to the belly. Then the warriors appear to heat up, as between the two of them, in a frantic play of blades, they fell three more, leaving three plus the Chief.
Wounded badly, the Chief steps back into the fray, as these are perhaps the boldest goblins you have ever encountered. And their leader re-entering combat appears to have boosted them up, as one smashes his sword into Arkady, sending him falling backwards towards the door, leaving Tolik to fill his place once again! In a thrashing, heavy-handed manner, Ullar fells two more of the goblins, just as from beyond the double door opposite, two more come charging in!
The Chief smashes his sword down once again into Ullar's armor, but this time the armor holds, and the force of the blow sends the sword flying from his hand. However, Tolik is felled by the other goblin with a stroke to the belly.
The Chief does not seem to have the heart without his blade, and leaves the two new goblins and the last from the room, dashing out once again. Ullar chops down the one that felled Tolik, moving forward to combat the other two, not willing to allow the big fellow to escape this time either. He strikes down another of the newcomers, with the other unable to get past his armor, as the Chief disappears out the door.
Just as Ullar smashes the last goblin's head like a grapefruit, it slashes him in his exposed shoulder, cutting to the bone. Looking about, Arkady thrashes about in pain and Tolik is completely unconscious or dead. The Chief has dashed out the door, though there might still be time to chase him down (unlikely in Ullar's now damaged armor).
Before he is forced to make a decision, the rest of the group comes walking in through the door, assisting Arkady and Tolik.