Siann watches the goblins from her hiding place, nodding as three depart , leaving the lone guard behind.
For a moment, she's tempted to try her skill against the lone guard, but thinks better of it, slowly retreating back to her companions.
Simon trots back , "Our goblin found some friends, he and two others went deeper, leaving one behind.", he reports.
"It might be smart idea to rest up for a moment before we get going," Drake says, groaning as he examines one of his own wounds. "Even if it's only a minute or two, it'll help these two get back on their feet. If we have the time, it'd be even better to take a bit to make sure these wounds are taken care of, but you're the one that saw where they were goin'. Did it look like they were gonna go find reinforcments?"
After some debate, the party reaches the decision to hole up in their current location and take a chance to recover from their wounds. They push some crates and bags into the entrance passage to form a barrier, and also set some around the crevasse to prevent anything coming up that way. Once it seems things are set, they sit and wait, applying some bandaging and using some liquor from the stolen supplies to dress their wounds.
The minutes pass by, with Drake and Jed keeping watch over the barricades, and Simon hidden in shadows closer to the next chamber over. There isn't a whole lot of movement for a while, with one goblin remaining on watch, and after some time a second joins it, the two looking towards the party's location but not moving to approach. They talk among themselves in rapid whispers, but Simon isn't able to tell just what they're talking about.
Finally, some half hour after settling in, Dom starts to come to, and everyone's working out the stiffness and pain of their wounds. Around the same time, a few more goblins come over to the spot Simon's watching, including one in a robe and a comically large and haphazardly constructed headdress. After some final whispers, one of the goblins steps forward and raises its spear, with a scrap of dirty white cloth waving from the shaft near the spearhead. "Tuce!" it calls out, and shortly thereafter is smacked on the back of the head by the robed goblin, there's another spatter of whispers, and then the goblins sheepishly steps forward again. "Truce!"
Dom comes to. He's groggy but mostly fine.
***
When he hears the goblins ask for truce, he looks back at the others incredulous.
But finally he shrugs and then says, "We might be willing to parley. But first things first. We came here for a dwarf. He still alive? If so, let us see him."
"They better have a real good reason why we should care."
'You know you don't want to let them live, don't you? We both know you want to watch the light fade from their eyes, let death overtake them, slowly...' Drake shakes his head again as the voice intrudes into his thoughts, but he maintains a frown even after it's gone. "I'd guess we killed their leader, but they've still got numbers. Why surrender now? Unless they have something to make us listen, they have to know we'll slaughter them on sight."
Siann frowns at the goblins between a couple of crates, then looks back at the others, "Let's see what they want..."
She calls out, "The robed one. Come forward....alone."
Once the posse hollers back, the goblin with the makeshift flag steps forward, as does the robed one. When Simon calls out for the robed leader to come alone, though, it shakes its head and calls out in reply. "You bigbad enough to kill cave-chief Klarg, you kill me pretty easy. I no come there alone. We talk like this. You listen good, good reason. We no got dwarf, but we got longhanks like you. Maybe we trade: you get longshanks friend, we get you money and you leave alive. Sound good deal, yes?"
Simon looks to the others, "Hmm, no dwarf. They want money for their hostage....Should we be leaving a bunch of gobs up here to cause mayhem?"
Dom thinks hard on whether the goblin is scared enough to comply with a deal. He shrugs.
"Here's the deal. You give us the prisoner and let us take your wolves, and I'll hand over my purse. We walk out of here and you don't eat lead. Deal?"
The goblin seems to consider Dom's response for a few seconds, and then finally it gives a slow nod. "Hmm. No bad deal. No bigbad deal, but no bad. Maybe you come talk my cave, see longshanks, we see you purse. How much shiny you got, yes? I go there. You follow after two minute, me warriors lead. No fighting here, yes?" The goblin casts its gaze on the others and they nod vigorously. "Good. You come my cave, we make deal." With that, the goblin turns and walks away, with a couple of the other goblins moving as attendants.
Assuming you wait , after about a minute the other goblins wave their flag again, followed by waving their arms, trying to get you to come over.
"I'll take point since this was my damned fool idea. If we can get the prisoner out without any danger more's the better. But everyone else keep your hands on your holsters in case this goes south."
Dom walks out.
"I don't see why we're bargaining for a prisoner we haven't even seen yet," Jed mutters. "Whatever, let's get this done." He clutches his rifle, almost hoping that the goblins tried to double cross them so he could clean house.
Drake doesn't say anything as they head forward, but it's clear from his expression he agrees with Jed. His hand rests comfortably on the butt of his revolver, his eyes sharp and alert for danger. "I'd try and plan an ambush, but I doubt they're smart enough for that." His free hand caresses the dragon's tooth that hangs at his belt, rubbing his thumb across its smooth surface. "They'll probably just come at us full-force, if that's the plan. I've half a mind to just finish it here, truth be told."
Simon shrugs, "I'm for the same thing , Drake, but let's see what Dom's gambit gains us."
He walks forward with the others, hands loose at his side.
The party steps out from their cover and moves into the larger chamber. When they get within about twenty feet, the goblins start to head off, although at an easy pace for you to keep up with them. They head down a passage that slopes slightly upwards, and leads to a rickety wooden bridge that heads over a lower passage where the stream runs, some twenty feet below. The passage curves around for another forty-odd feet of distance before opening into another large cavern, clearly set off from most of the cave complex.
This cave is divided in half by a ten-foot-high escarpment of stone; the northern half, which you've entered, is lower than the southern. A steep staircase that looks more natural than carved leads up to the taller section. The air here is hazy with the smoke of a cooking fire, which burns in the lower portion, near the party's entrance. The smoke mixes with the pungent scent of unwashed goblin and poorly cured hides, likely from the makeshift bedding strewn about around the fire.
Standing atop the ledge is the robed goblin, still with its ridiculous headdress. Kneeling next to it, bound and gagged, is a middle-aged human man whose likeness all but Simon recognize: Sild Winter, a retired regional marshal, now serving as security chief for Gundrenn Rockseeker's mining business in Phandalin, according to the job posting and the letter left for you. He looks pretty beaten up, with heavy bruises across his brow and cheeks, the angry purple contrasting strong against his salt-and-pepper hair in the firelight.
The robed goblin is currently holding an old pistol, pressed into Sild's ribs as the party enters the cave. It nods its head at Sild and glares down at you, a pointed look in its beady eyes. "So, longshanks got make good deal for me let longshanks friend go. Me got bigger hand, yes? You give lotsa shinies, and you get longshanks. All you purse, all you money." Sild gives a muffled grunt, and the goblin thumps him with the pistol, quieting him again. "What you think?"
Dom stares down at Sild for a moment, his jaw clenching in anger at seeing him trussed up. He then reached for his purse and shook it so all could hear the tinkling coins within.
"Now, now. The deal was for my purse. That there bag could feed the lot of you for a bit. But my compadres are a little less generous, I'm afraid. So don't get greedy, cause that's still a heckuva deal, amigo."
The goblin shakes its head again and pushes the pistol deeper into Sild's side. "Nuh-uh, longshanks. You no got no good deal chips, me got them all. You give all gold, you get longshanks friend. You no want, I can push?" The goblin gives a sneer, and says something in its own tongue, causing the other little monsters to laugh.
While the goblin is distracted, Dom squints, draws his pistol and fires, his hands quick as lightning
Quick as lightning, Dom draws and fires his pistol while the goblins laugh. The older model in the goblin's hand spins out of its grip, and it lets out an angry shout while the other creatures reach for their weapons. Negotiations have broken down, as they're wont to do when the parties are a hard-up posse looking for their pay and a bunch of stinking goblins. A gunfight was sure to start sooner or later.
"Well it seems like negotiations have failed. Ain't that a damn shame." He raises his rifle and aims to put a bullet in the nearest goblin.
When the weapon goes flying from the goblin's hands, there is a brief, quiet moment before all hell breaks loose.
"Don't tell me how to play my hand, son."
Siann , hands on her hips, scowled up at the treacherous goblin, when Dom draws and fires.
With a sardonic glance in the man's direction, she thinks "Good, now we can clean this den out..."
Drake, having had his hand resting comfortably on the holster of his pistol for the entire exchange, draws his revolver and slams the hammer backwards as the barrel clears his holster. "Didn't think we'd cheat, I'm guessin'," he quips, his barrel still smoking.
Jed and Drake are quick on the draw after Dom's first shot, and one goblin goes down with a blast from Jed's rifle. Another narrowly avoids Drake's rapid shot, falling onto its stomach to avoid fire.
The goblins begin to mount a return assault, although it seems they really were unprepared for this turn of events--some of them, at least. Of the six left standing after Jed's attack, three dive for cover and weapons. The robed goblin, for its part, simply shrieks and pushes Sild forward off the ledge. The man gives a muffled shout as he falls, and then slams into the ground, lying still after impact. The final goblins loose a pair of arrows, one for Dom and one for Jed-- both hit, causing pain to the men as they're pierced with crude iron.
Jed grunts before he topples forward, the arrow buried in his gut.
Round 1
Simon sprints up the stairs, teeth gritted, headed straight for the robed goblin....
Dom levels his pistol at one of the goblins on the ground and fires.
He then moves towards the base of the stairs.
"Oh, damn it all," Drake says as one of his companions topples over again, ducking behind a crag of rocks and swinging his revolver out from behind cover. He fires off another shot at one of the goblins near the robed one, but scowls at it goes off-target again.
Simon rushes up the steps, and slashes out at the robed goblin with his shortsword. It gives a yelp of pain and jumps back, blood flowing from its forearm. Dom turns his gun to fire on one of the goblins on the party's level, and it drops to the ground with a bullet in its chest as he rushes to the base of the stairs. Drake dives into cover and fires once, but the shot ricochets off the rise of stone.
The goblins raise their weapons and begin a true counterattack, those that are left, at least--five now. The robed goblin draws a knife from its robe and slashes at Simon, slicing a small wound along the monk's thigh. The archer left down below aims at Drake this time, but its arrow glances off the stones he's behind. The other three goblins are equipped with short swords, and they attack one party member each. The rush is effective, and all three take wounds from their slashes.
Siann stifles a gasp at the firey burn of the robed gob's cut to her thigh, but she remembers her training and stares down the goblin leader confidently.
Then she feels the cold steel of the other goblin's sword enter her side, and she looks down incredulously at her lifeblood spilling down her side, for a moment the tough-boy facade fades and the young woman she is truly....is revealed on her face.
Then with a slight murmur, she collapses to the ground.
Jed lays on the floor, bleeding rather profusely from his arrow wound.
Drake grunts with pain as the goblin's crude blade scrapes across his ribs, but takes a step back away from the creature, his free hand clutching at his wound. He levels his revolver at the goblin's chest and fires, blowing a hole the size of his fist through his assailant. "Dom! Get down, would ya?" he shouts, ducking back behind the rocky outcropping. "We need to put these buggers down."
Dom shouts in pain, but grits his teeth as he draws his dagger and attempts to shiv the goblin back.
With their compatriots on the ground, Dom and Drake are hard-pressed in fighting back. Drake fires a shot from over his cover, blasting a hole through one goblin's chest, but Dom has trouble returning the attack against his assailant as he scrabbles into cover himself.
The robed goblin falls back, looking to reload its pistol. The other goblin by its side scrabbles down the stairs, looking for a threat but apparently undecided on who to attack. The goblin harrying Dom continues its attack, but it stumbles as it follows him behind some stones and its sword scrapes into the dirt. The archer looses another arrow at Drake, and once again the projectile shatters off the stone.
Dom switches his dagger and pistol hand, and throws another stab.
Jed lays on the ground, the puddle of blood growing to slightly unhealthy looking size.
Watching Dom fend off his attacker, Drake takes aim on the robed goblin again, preparing to fire off another shot as he pops out from behind the row of stalagmites. "Even if you win and you escape from here, it's just like the last time; a trail of bodies, lying in puddles of their own blood. I told you this would happen... you should've listened." Drake growls under his breath, cursing as the voice lurking in his head mocks him. "Fine... you win. Just this once." Drake rips the last arrow from his flesh, tossing it aside as the bleeding seems to magically staunch itself. He stands up from cover revolver in hand, his already naturally green eyes growing with a surprising--and unexpected--eldritch power.
Yo̸u҉ ͟t͜h̀i͢n̶k̡ y͜o͘u're gǫnn͢a͟ k͏ill̴ ͞m͏e?̕ he calls, his voice taking on an almost eldritch taint. "Í'̸ll ͠c͟rac͞ķ ͡yǫųr f*͠cki̡n͢g̵ bones̛ ̢and̀ ̶fee͟d t͏h͜em to̧ t̨h̀e ͠ẁo҉l͝ve̢s.͏ ̴No͢ ̴o̷n͘ę ̸kil͢l̢s̀ Thȩ ͢Ẃe̛ndigo." He fires off a shot at the robed goblin again, a toothy grin on his face. "R̕uǹ òr͢ die͠;͞ ̶it'̴s̷ yo̶úr̢ ch҉oi̵c̶e̛."
Dom's dagger lands in the goblin's eye socket.
As Jed and Simon lie on the floor, Drake stands up and fires at the archer who's been harrying him, blowing a hole through its gut. Dom lashes out at his attacker, and drives the knife through its eye, laying it low as Drake shouts out with frightening energy. There's a pregnant moment of hesitation, with the goblin on the stairs frozen in place, and then the goblin leader's head pokes out from the cliff above, looking down with fearful eyes.
"Go," it croaks after a moment, and it wiggles its fingers as if in dismissal. "Take you longshanks and go. No come back, we no fight you. You take monies, you take friends. Leave now." It then creeps back, and after a moment, the goblin on the stairs drops its sword and slowly steps back up as well.
Dom hesitates for a split-second and then moves to staunch the bleeding of Jed.
"Get to Simon, Drake!"
"R̛ųņ.͞" The word echoes through the caverns more than it ought to, its power hanging palpably between Drake and the goblin leader. His eyes lock with the robed goblin, staring him down like a predator that had cornered its prey. "Ń̵̹̖͕ò̬̺͙̲̕w̧҉͉̯͎̕.̷͎̠͈͎̬͙̲͉̜͜" He growls once, a gutteral sound that doesn't feel like it ought to come from a human throat. He lunges forward once, his teeth bared like a wild animal, hoping to scare the two remaining goblins into fleeing. Assuming they do, Drake takes a few steps towards Jed and Simon, dropping to his knees as he tries to staunch Simon's bleeding. "D̘̙o̺͉̰n͍̙'t̩̕ ͖̫̗͎̙y̨̤̪̹̩̮o̳͔ú͕͇̼͔̙̺̯ ͕̞̥̕d̲͔̖i̗͝e̼ ̻̣̬̟́o̤n̛̫̮ ̬̼m̶͔̻͖̼̰̼è͙̙̭͖," he mutters towards Simon's unconscious body, his hands pressing down on the bleeding wounds as he unravels a bit of cloth. "N͓͔͍̥o̭̹t͚̦̠̻̥ ̥̮͚n͚͙͘o̸̘w̠͔̯̥," he says quieter, the eldritch power leaving his voice slowly. "N͠ot̢ again." His hands shake heavily as he binds the wounds, his mouth twitching as he pulls them away, covered in blood. He shakes his head, and the last of the visage fades away. "Not today," he says even quieter, almost a whisper.
"Y̲̥̰̺̕͘͟o̤̼̗̟͝͝u͍̙̩͇̫͚̦̕ ̡̛͔͎̝̭̪̯͎̞͉k̶̤͍̭̙͠n͕͘ͅo̩͕̻̞̪w̛̹̖͎̖͙̭̦̟ ҉̦̳̹͚̤̣̻i͓̬̰̪̞̬̣̺̕͘͜t̡̮ͅ'̶̪͈͎̜͢s̺̺̺̯̞̫̱̳ ҉̵̫̖̼̩̝͔͠o҉͎̟̯̘̺̀n̜̹͝l̸̬̫y͕̦̠ ̨̗̯͔̯ḁ̙̠͖̲͇̥̜ͅ ̗̩m̛̝̹̪̲͙̣͎a̢̱͎̪̗͢͝t̥̰̜t̯e̡̠ŗ̞̗̞̩̞̗͚ ̣̞o̧̳̭̩f͏̡̦͔̘̭͍̭ͅ ̷̳̭͖̻̻̻t̴̗̩̜̝͇̖̰̮i͚͓̦̗͎͓͝m̸̮̝̼̤͚͘e͏̗͔.̹̰̤̱̬̻̥͢.̶̷̡͉͈̳͈̱͉̦̰.̡̧̫͚̻̮̮͕̦͙́ ͓̺̳̭̀W̠̣̣̭̭͎͈ę̶̷̣̠̫̩̖̘͖n̷̜̻͈̯͇͜d͟҉̼̼̤̳̯͕̜̜͡i͚͎g̴̵͇̀o̵͔̣̞̜̩̪͠͠.̸̲̗͙̬̝̀"
Seeing that Drake had Simon's bleeding under control, Dom moves over to Sild Winter to see if the man could be brought back from the brink.
"Stay alive you stubborn bastard."
As you minister to Simon, you have to slide aside some of the wraps that cover his body. Also, in the process of staunching his most grievous wound, you have to uncover a sizable portion of his back and side.
As the wraps give way, you're presented with the evidence that Simon is in fact no 'boy', but in fact a young woman.
All of the small , little things about Simon that you brushed aside as foolish nonsense come flooding back; the way he stood with hands on hips when he was annoyed, that reminded you so of a mother , or sister, or aunt. The playful twirl he sometimes made when manuvering through combat, bringing to mind the graceful turns of a swan dancer you saw once in the big city.
Rocking back on your heels, as you come back to yourself from that dark place inside, you can't deny what your eyes and hands tell you:
Simon ain't no Simon at all.
The goblin on the stairs squeals and skitters back up, and the robed goblin also falls back, cowed by Drake's demeanor. The two gunslingers still standing move to gather the others, patching them up as they can--Dom even manages to bring Jed to as he stops the bleeding. Simon and Sild are both still breathing by the time they're reached, and a little quick work makes sure they won't bleed to death unless injured anew.
With Jed on his feet, the three men are able to bring Simon and Sild out from the caves, and they make their way back to the entrance, where the afternoon sun and burbling stream seem unchanged by the events that took place here. It's a long walk back to the wagon, but everyone's still alive--and stronger for it.