Trial by Fire

Part 1

Goblins are vile and vicious creatures.

They are small but unpredictable.

There's a saying that goes like this,

'Where there's a goblin, there's a horde.'

Following the trail deeper into the woods, we came across a hidden clearing.

There was a cave nestled among gnarled trees and overgrown bushes.

Smoke curled from its entrance.

This was it.

The goblin's lair.

Fresh tracks marred the muddy ground near the opening, and a crude spear, tipped with jagged black rock, lay discarded beside a large footprint.

"It seems like there is a champion among them," Zane said in a whisper after seeing the large footprint near the entrance of the cave.

"A champion," I echoed, my voice barely above a whisper.

The image of a hulking goblin warrior, stronger and more cunning than the rest, flashed in my mind.

"Do you think it's the one, Senjar? The one who wiped out the last adventurer party?" Zane asked.

"I did not see a champion but a shaman," I replied.

Zane's eyebrows shot up in surprise.

"A shaman, huh? That changes things a bit too. Shamans are bad news – they can heal their friends, buff them up, and sometimes even mess with your head with magic." He scratched his chin thoughtfully.

"Maybe that explains the smoke," Aria observed, her keen eyes scanning the cave entrance.

"Shamans sometimes use strange herbs and concoctions in their rituals."

A shiver ran down my spine.

The thought of facing a goblin champion was daunting, but a shaman with unpredictable magic was even more unsettling.

Durgin grumbled. "So much for an easy quest. Seems like every time we take a job, it turns out to be more trouble than it's worth."

Zane, however, straightened his shoulders, a determined glint in his eyes.

"Alright, listen up. We may have stumbled upon a tougher challenge than we anticipated, but we're not backing down now. We just need to adjust the plan."

"Agreed. But what's the plan?" Durgin asked looking at Zane.

"It's simple, go in there, in the cave kill everyone, and return to the guild to take the reward."

"Well. that's a hell of a plan, I am in." Durgin said while a smile forged on his lips.

A laugh snorted out of Aria, sharp and laced with disbelief.

"A simple plan, Durgin? That's like asking a squirrel to outrun a hawk. We just discovered a shaman and a champion – remember? Going in there swinging axes is a good way to get ourselves turned into goblin pincushions."

Zane's grin faltered for a moment, then returned, a bit more thoughtful this time.

"Alright, alright, maybe not that simple. But here's the thing – we have a skilled tracker, Senjar, who can lead us to the shaman. We take out the leader first, and then the rest of those green pipsqueaks will crumble. Right, Senjar?"

"Instead of going in," I said, my voice firm despite the tremor in my stomach, "what if we draw them out? It's less risky than charging in blind."

Aria raised an eyebrow, her sharp eyes scrutinizing the cave entrance.

"Draw them out? How? Goblins are cleverer than they look, Senjar. They won't just come out for a stroll."

A mischievous grin spread across Durgin's beard.

"Leave the ruckus to me, lass! I've got a few old dwarf tricks up my sleeve that'll have those green gits spilling out like startled spiders."

Lirien, the cautious one, pursed her lips.

"Luring them out might be safer than going in, but it's not without risks. What if they come out in a horde? Or what if the commotion attracts something else lurking in these woods?"

I nodded, acknowledging her concerns.

"You're right, Lirien. But do we have a better plan?"

Steel glinting in his eyes, Zane slammed his fist on a nearby rock.

"Alright, that settles it then! Lirien and Durgin, you two cause a ruckus – those goblins won't know what hit them. Aria, keep your keen eye trained on the entrance, picking off any stragglers who might slip past the initial chaos."

He turned to me, a hand resting on my shoulder.

"Senjar, you and I will be the fangs waiting in the shadows. We let the grunts tire themselves out on Lirien and Durgin's diversion, then we strike true when the champion and shaman finally emerge from their filthy hole. We take them down, quick and clean. Sound like a plan?"

A determined fire ignited in my chest. "Aye, Zane. Indeed a plan"

I glanced towards Lirien and Durgin, already exchanging battle strategies with a mix of excitement and caution.

Aria nocked an arrow on her bowstring, her sharp gaze fixed on the cave entrance.

"Alright then," Lirien boomed, her voice laced with power.

"Let's show these goblins the fury of a mage." She raised her staff, the tip glowing with magical energy.

Durgin, with a roar that shook the very leaves on the trees, hefted his axe.

"Time to show these runts the meaning of Durgin's fury!"

With a shared battle cry, Lirien unleashed a torrent of fire blasts toward the cave entrance, momentarily illuminating the darkness within.

Durgin charged forward, a whirlwind of steel and fury. The air crackled with anticipation, the silence broken only by the pounding of their approach.

We held our positions, nerves taut as a bowstring.

The goblins wouldn't know what hit them.

This was it.

The hunt was on.

Part 2

Lirien, her face a mask of fierce concentration, slammed her staff down.She chanted an intermediate fire spell."Let the gods, unchain the blaze's might, Summon forth, a serpent fiery light, Crimson scales, that shine like burning gold, Rocket forth and strike the target bold, [PYROPESTIS]"  A gout of flame erupted from the tip, a roaring serpent of crimson that rocketed towards the cave entrance. It detonated with a thunderous BOOM! that rattled my bones and sent a plume of smoke billowing skyward. A primal roar, raw and powerful, echoed from within the cave, shaking the leaves loose from the trees overhead.Durgin roared with laughter. He flung a handful of vials into the cave entrance with the grace of a catapult. Each vial shattered in a spray of emerald fire, unleashing a thick, noxious fog that choked the air with a stench of rotten eggs and troll sweat. The already panicked shrieks of goblins inside the cave escalated into a maddening cacophony.Aria, perched atop a rocky outcrop like a silent predator, surveyed the scene with a hawk-like gaze. Her bowstring sang taut as she nocked an arrow, her keen eyes tracking the churning green fog at the cave entrance. Any goblin foolhardy enough to charge through that mess would find a swift death at the end of her arrow.Zane and I crouched in the shadows of a gnarled oak, our breaths coming in ragged gasps. Adrenaline pulsed through my veins, a metallic tang on my tongue.The cave entrance disgorged goblins like a festering wound spewing maggots. A tide of green skin and gnashing teeth flooded out, a cacophony of shrieks and guttural roars filling the air. Every runt brandished a weapon – crude swords more suited for hacking firewood than flesh, and bows strung with what looked like rotten catgut and tipped with arrowheads fashioned from rusty nails. They swarmed towards Lirien and Durgin, the only clear targets in the initial chaos.Lirien, a sorceress with eyes that mirrored the flames she commanded, unleashed a torrent of destructive fire. The air itself seemed to warp as molten fury surged towards the oncoming wave, engulfing several goblins in a fiery pyre. Their high-pitched shrieks were quickly snuffed out, replaced by the enraged bellows of the remaining goblins. But for every one Lirien turned to ash, two more seemed to take its place, a relentless tide of green pushed forward by a bloodthirsty hunger.Durgin roared back a challenge that echoed through the trees. His axe, "Grinder," a double-headed beast that looked like it could cleave a troll in two, swung with a terrifying grace. Each swing was a bloody ballet, a gruesome testament to his unmatched dwarven strength. Goblins were cleaved in half, their limbs spraying in macabre arcs. Yet, they kept coming, a relentless tide of green fueled by a primal urge to kill.Just as the sheer weight of numbers threatened to drown Lirien and Durgin in a wave of green fury, a new shadow emerged from the cave entrance. This wasn't your average, snot-nosed goblin. This one stood taller than his brethren, his muscles straining against crude plate armor cobbled together from scavenged scraps. His face, a grotesque caricature of goblin features, was twisted in a permanent snarl that revealed two tusks that protruded from his lower jaw like miniature daggers. In his hand, he wielded a massive cleaver, its serrated edge gleaming with a malevolent light that promised a slow, agonizing death. This wasn't just a goblin champion; this was a nightmare born from the bowels of the earth. He surveyed the battlefield with cold, reptilian eyes, his gaze finally settling on you and Zane, the two figures still hidden in the shadows. A guttural growl, laced with a hint of amusement, rumbled from his chest. The party was about to get interesting.