Balion manages to hit one of the goblin dogs. It growls back.
"Simon! It's going to get bright here. MOVE." Aladdin shouts as he waits.
Simon suddenly springs gracefully away from the sorcerer, and delivers a slice to a mounted goblin.
However the swing was off-balance, and the lordling misses.
"Taste the rainbow!" Aladdin says as balls of light skitters (skittles) from his hands.
The goblin and dog closest to Aladdin, along with two other goblins, fall unconscious. One goblin and his mount remain standing next to Rolg, and one other goblin on foot blinks away the affect.
Squall turns to claw at the goblin threatening his master.
Squall's bloody claws rip out a goblin's throat.
“Omoară-l!”
“Mușcă genunchi!”
“Kill him!”
“Bite his knees!”
Seeing many of their kind fall, the nearby goblins focus their attacks on Aladdin.
One mounted goblin and one goblin on foot attacks Squall.
Bolgrith defends against two dogs and two goblins.
Both the mounted goblin and the one standing beside Rolg blink away the effect of the stormborn’s arcane blast. They slash and bite at the hobgoblin.
One mounted goblin and one on foot continue their attack on Balion.
The rest of the goblins have trouble landing their strikes, after seeing so many of their comrades fall to the bright magic or the angry woman.
Balion strikes out at the goblin's mount wanting to be free of the goblin dogs, and to prevent the goblins from escaping.
The ranger’s mace fiercely bashes in the side of the creature’s skull, and it collapses.
It’s rider hops out if the saddle and lands on its feet.
Rolg whips his flail around at the head of the Goblin Dog before him.
Aladdin speaks to Squall through their connection Drop down!
Squall drops prone.
Aladdin summons another ball of color and flings it over Squall's head toward the other clumped group of goblins.
Blood beginning to boil Bolgrith plants his feet and releases a vicious backhanded swing at the goblin furthest away from the group.
All but one of the goblins bathed in the shimmering colors fall to the ground, unconscious. The rest witness more of their comrades crumple to Aladdin’s magic, and disheartened, decide to flee.
“Fugi! Fugi!”
“Noi trebuie să avertizeze pe ceilalți!”
“Spune-i Gartok!”
“Run away! Run away!”
“We must warn the others!”
“Tell Gartok!”
The mounted and on foot alike scatter in all directions. Balion, Simon, and Bolgrith see an opening in the frenzied retreat.
Balion quickly seizes his opportunity to kill another goblin as it attempts to run away. The ranger swings in a wide arc the mace before him trying to crush the lungs of the fleeing goblin.
"There are more of them. The are off to warn a 'Gartok'."
"Dispatch those on the ground about us and let us be away before more come."
Balion’s mace whiffs the air. Simon arcs his scimitar at a fleeing goblin.
Jamie does not waste any time with Rolg’s command. Her heavy flail smashes in an unconscious skull, and then another.
Stumping over to one of the prone forms the dwarf grabs the creature by the collar and slaps it until it wakes up.
"Řekni mi, kdo je Gartok a já ulehčí odchod."
He raises his Aspergillum meaningfully.
Rolgs ears prick up at the sound of his native tongue.
"Good idea priest, but we mustn't linger long."
The goblin begins to stir, but it is plain that it cannot see. Other than blindness, it doesn’t seem to have any other injuries. It squeals at the dwarf’s words and pitifully raises its arms, which do little to protect its oversized head.
“"Nu! Nu mai doare!” it whimpers, “Gartok ia nici o spiriduși orbi! Lasă-mă să plec!”
“No! No more hurts! Gartok no take blind goblins! Let me go!”
Looking toward the North horizon he answers Rolg; "Agreed."
The dwarfs tone softens slightly. "Jsem velký a mocný léčitel, budu obnovit váš zrak. Řekni mi, kdo je Gartok?" He presses a gnarled hand against the creatures eyes and waits the few seconds until it's sight returns.
Whispering over his shoulder in common. "Jamie come over here, get ready to play 'Bad-Guardsman' if it doesn't co-operate."
Jamie rises from smashing in another skull, grinning eagerly as she walks beside the dwarf. The goblin blinks, and its eyes widen when a hairy dwarf fills its vision.
“Mulțumesc. Gartok este cruzimea mare negru. Gartok este medie și puternică. Ai fugi acum, da?”
“Thanksies. Gartok is the big black buggybear. Gartok is mean and strong. You run away now, yes?”
The small goblin fidgets, and rolls to start to scurry away on all fours. Jamie does not wait and in a few steps keeps the goblin from escaping by pushing it onto the ground. The goblin yelps and squirms uselessly.
"Já jsem chlapík šotek, a já jsem slepý, jako jste byli. Gartok nebude vezmi mě Hust jako on nebude vás teď, že jste nám pomohli. Řekni mi, co Gartok plánuje. Proč se skřeti se shromáždili v takovou silou?"
"I am a fellow goblin, and I am blind like you were. Gartok will not take me just like he will not take you now that you've helped us. Tell me what Gartok is planning. Why have the goblins gathered in such force?"
The ranger acting in a brash unilateral decision heads off to track the goblins and ambush them further up ahead. Stowing his shield upon his back and picking his mace from the ground he sets a fast pace for himself.
The goblin stops struggling under Jamie’s boot when he hears Rolg’s words. He shows every little pointed tooth in his wide mouth in what couldn’t be anything other than a smile. “"Ei nu știu că de ajutor. Nu a fost încă. Gartok este să aibă sărbătoare pentru toate spiriduși. Da, o sărbătoare,” he looks to Bolgrith and the humans, “nu pitici sau bărbați permis.”
“They doesn’t know I help. Not yet. Gartok is have feast for all goblins. Yes, a feast,” “No dwarfies or mans allowed.”
Balion sets determined steps northward, his eyes studying the ground.
Since the goblins aren’t really taking any round-a-bout path, there isn’t really a way to “head them off” (I’ll apply your kn: geo roll to the efficiency of your travel). They are making a beeline for the volcano, or so it would seem according to the tracks. For their size, goblins are surprisingly fast, and the goblin dogs or those on goblin dogs can easily outpace you. It is physically impossible for you to catch up to the goblin dogs. If you start to “hustle,” you can double your move speed and catch up to the goblins on foot within twenty minutes, if they don’t notice you chasing them (note: hustling for more than an hour will start dealing damage to your body). If you start to hustle, it will be very difficult to keep tracking, but right now you can still see some of them. If they notice you, the chase might take longer. Is that what you want to do?
"Gartok bude vědět, že pomohl, když vidí symbol lidských měst vyryté na čelo."
"Gartok will know you helped when he sees the symbol of the human cities engraved on your forehead."
"Jamie draw your dagger and hold it over his face. Let him feel the point as I talk."
"Jak hluboko jsem vyřezávat závisí na vaší spolupráci."
"How deep I carve depends on your cooperation."
Jamie yanks a dagger from her belt and firmly holds the edge between the goblin’s eyes. A small dark bead forms at the tip.
The goblin lets out his most pitiful wimper yet. Simon, who was looting the dead, looks up at the cry.
“Nununu! Oprește-te! Bine! Gartok este colectarea de spiriduși la –”
“Nonono! Stop! Okay! Gartok is gathering goblins to –”
“Whoa! Stop! What are you doing?!” the lordling rushes to Rolg, Jamie, and Bolgrith’s interrogation.
“I won’t stand for this! Jamie! Let him go!”
"Simon." Rolg's tone is icy authority. "I have not yet led us into a course of action we could not handle with honor. I will not ask you to stand against your conscious, but neither must you stand here to be offended. Go and see to other matters. I am handling this. Trust me."
Rolg waits for the lordling to turn away, then turns back to the goblin.
"Dokončit vaše vysvětlení, a to bude konec. Neváhejte, moje trpělivost nosí tenké."
"Finish your explanation and this will be the end of it. Do not delay, my patience wears thin."
Your jog takes you to fifty feet behind three goblins, with three more about thirty more feet ahead. The goblin dogs and riders are at least two hundred feet away. If you slow down, all of them will get away.
The closest three notice Balion and scream, and those on foot turn and see the persistant ranger, and set a frantic, faster pace.
Simon frowns at Rolg and doesn’t move, nor does he say anything. At Rolg’s words to the goblin, he seems to relax a bit. A distant scream from the north catches his attention. Perhaps one hundred feet away, the rest of the party can see Balion giving chase to the goblins on foot.
"What...?"
The goblin (who expresses some confusion at the Common tongue) flinches when Rolg and Jamie’s attention turn back to him. It takes a moment for the goblin to find his voice.
“Cruzime, distracție, și pentru a-tot el numește.” he croaks, “Am auzit giganți vin prea. Pentru mai mult de sărbătoare. Pentru război.”
“Buggybears, goblins, hobgoblins –all he calls. I heard giants come too. For more than feast. For bigfight.”
As these words leave his mouth, the small cretin slumps and his face takes on great remorse, and he wails, “Lasă-mă să plec! Sunt trădător foarte rău!”
“Let me go! I am bad bad traitor!”
Jamie snickers at the goblin’s yowling.
Rolg waves a hand for Jamie to stow her knife, but indicates that she should continue to restrain the Goblin.
"Jste zrádce. Alespoň bude Gartok vidět to tak. Uvidí mě takhle taky. To je důvod, proč se nemůže vrátit k němu. Pokud se někdy zjistí, že jste nám pomohli ... No, víš, co by se stalo, stejně jako já.
Budu tě pustit, pokud si přejete, ale jste vítáni na pobyt u nás. Jsem dodržovány, bál se, a miloval tam, odkud pocházím. Dokonce bledé kůže. Mohu vás naučí žít v otevřené. Ne více skulking, ne skrývání, nic víc krást.
Vy dovednosti lze dobře využít a vy byste se bát usmrcením pro jejich použití.
Znamená to, že lepší zvuk na mizerného života sám? Nikdy nemůžete vrátit do šotek společnosti. Budou sníst zaživa a pak bojovník Předci bude pečené naživu po celou věčnost. Vaše utrpení nikdy neskončí.
Pokud zůstanete se mnou když budu vás naučí jiný způsob. Můžete žít život, který chcete a být odměněn za to po předat.
Jsem Rolg, a dávám vám své slovo, že se Gartok zemřeš hrozně. Se mnou budete žít slavně.
Vyberte."
"You are a traitor. At least, Gartok will see it that way. He would see me that way too. That is why you cannot return to him. If he ever found that you helped us...Well, you know what would happen as well as I do.
I will release you if you wish, but you are welcome to stay with us. I am respected, feared, and loved where I come from. Even by the pale skins. I can teach you to live in the open. No more skulking, no more hiding, no more stealing.
You skills can be put to good use and you would not fear being killed for using them.
Does that sound better to a miserable life alone? You can never return to goblin society. They will eat you alive and then the Warrior Ancestors will roast you alive for all eternity. Your agony will never end.
If you stay with me though, I will teach you another way. You can live the life you want and be rewarded for it after you pass.
I am Rolg, and I give you my word that with Gartok you will die horribly. With me you will live gloriously.
Choose."
Aladdin watches the interrogation, not understanding a word, but pulls out a potion and uncorks it, drinking it.
The goblin looks thoroughly put-out at Rolg’s mention of “no stealing”, but by the end of his offer, the small amber goblin eyes look hopeful. “Nu fura este trist,” he states, thinking. He looks up quickly, “Dar noi înjunghie oamenii și apoi să ia strălucitor, da?”
As he says this, he casts a malicious glance to the woman holding him to the ground. He tries to struggle out of her grip, but manages to only get his left hand free. He gestures as he says, “Voi merge cu tine, daca nu este prea plictisitor. Sună-mă stabi. Îmi place să înjunghii.”
“No stealing is sad,”
“But we stab the men and then take the shiny, yes?”
“I'll go with you, if you isnt too boring. Call me Stabi. I like to stab.”
Sincerity. Non-aggression. Poop-eater mans.
"Existují způsoby, jak krást bez krást. Naučím vás. A ano, dostanete se bodnout věcí, pokud jste se mnou zůstaň, ale nesmíte bodnout, dokud ti neřeknu konkrétně, nebo pokud váš život je v bezprostředním ohrožení.
Vím, že skřeti že Skřítci jsou těžký a nudný, ale bude váš druh vlastně znamená je disciplinovaný. Varuji tě jednou: mě neposlechneš a já tě zabiju.
bejte mé slovo a budete mít více zábavy, než byste mohli vědět."
"There are ways to steal without stealing, Stabi. I will teach you. And yes, you will get to stab things if you stay with me, but you mustn't stab unless I tell you to specifically or unless your life is in immediate danger.
I know goblins think hobgoblins are stodgy and boring, but the would your kind actually mean is disciplined. I warn you once: disobey me and I will kill you.
Heed my word and you will have more fun than you could know."
Wat?
"Jamie, let him go."
“BALI- dammit…” the lordling’s shout to the ranger fades into grumbling.
Simon hurriedly upends his pack until he finds a scrap of paper, and he hastily scribbles something, and rolls up the paper around an arrow. After a moment’s concentration, he looses it high overhead.
The shot soars and lands about ten feet ahead of Balion. The ranger finds a note wrapped around the shaft, in nearly illegibly scrawled handwriting.
Balion. wat u doin. come bak.
The ranger able to easily spot the tracks of the dogs and goblins alike, and under the bright sky, Balion is able to follow them for quite a distance. It is not midday yet, and the party is just less than two hundred feet south of you.
Bolgrith listens to the exchange with interest, only looking up at Simons words. Sighing heavily to himself he clips his Aspergillum to his belt and tightens his shields arm straps before saying a quiet prayer and allowing the divine power to flow through him and outward. The warm healing energy seeks out all in their present party, including the little goblin 'Stabi'.
Jamie pushes Stabi aside, and he rolls to his feet. He shields his eyes from the sun as he looks over the piled equipment looted from his fallen comrades. He begins to exchange his armor and add blades to his belt. The pit-fighter stands and wipes the blood from her breastplate and shield, and then absently kickes a decapitated goblin head and chuckles as it bobs down the hillside. Stabi seemed too busy to notice.
“So are we gonna go, or are we gonna screw around?” Jamie drawls, fitting her shield over her back and breathing slowly as Bolgrith’s wave of healing energy covers her. Stabi starts in surprise and then goes back to equipping himself.
Simon also thanks the dwarf, and then picks up his bow, and adds Balion’s mace to his belt. “He’ll be wanting this back. Shall we follow?”
"Best get after the boy." Bolgrith says as he begins trudging his way in the direction Balion left. In a sour mood he stalks past Jamie, knocking on her armor as he passes. "Didn't get hit that time did ya?" He asks following with a grumbled; "Gorram magic works just fine." almost under his breath.
"Where did Balion go?"
"The fool went off chasing the damn goblins." The disgruntled Priest harrumphs into his beard. "He best make quick work of it, I've little patience for goblins today." Almost as an afterthought he adds; "Present company excluded."
"HE WHAT!?"
Rolg curses under his breath.
"Simon, how important is he? Do we have to go after him? I do not think it advisable, but this is your show for now."
"Well, what is he going to do even if he finds the Goblin encampment? We had trouble enough with just a small regiment of goblins, we'd fold under the weight of a full camp." Aladdin said looking a little less green from his wounds.
Simon listens to Rolg as he stares at the northern horizon. He turns to Stabi.
“Stabi, au fost un fel de echitatie dvs. nord pentru a satisface Gartok? La Mt. Focsânge?”
“Stabi, were your kind riding north to meet Gartok? At Mt. Fireblood?”