Jeff Inlo - Pure Choice

As Ryson closed upon the eastern gate, he paused to call out to the gatekeepers and the nearest watch.

"Signal that the three rogues are all secured! I'm going to do a fast scout of the town to see if anything else is inside. Then I'll head to the south."

Once a guard nodded in acknowledgment, Ryson raced off and returned to his previous pace. He breathed deeply and quickly through his nose as he sprinted from one street to the next. He also concentrated on catching every sound that escaped each alley. The heavy rain and the growing winds made his every motion that much more difficult, but at least the residents of the town were all in shelters.

At the pace he set, he couldn't be absolutely certain, but he was relatively sure that no other river rogues had found their way inside the town walls. The scents he caught matched those of the other three creatures that had already been secured. It was possible he might have missed a small trail, but not probable.

Believing the rogue problem handled, Ryson sped off to the southern edge of Burbon. He could hear the conflict growing in the distance. It wasn't just arrows falling upon the southern wall. The delver caught the sound of shouts and clanging metal. Something other than a river rogue was already inside Burbon's walls.

After Okyiq gave the signal to fire, he led over a hundred goblins away from those that rained bolts and arrows down upon the town's wall. With his hulking frame visible even in the pouring rain, he brought the small horde around the base of a hill to Burbon's south. Near the border of the clearing that they would have to cross, he bid the pack to stop. Indiscriminately, he separated the group further, pulling a small contingent from the entire force that followed. About a dozen goblins surrounded him.

"You come with me. We get gate open."

He then turned to the remainder of the raiding party.

"You stay behind hill until gate is open. When gate opens, run inside! Anyone that stays here…" he paused to add emphasis, "…dies when I get back."

There was no "if" in the statement regarding his return. Okyiq didn't think there was any chance he would fall during the raid, and he would see to it that there would be dire consequences for any that didn't follow his orders. By sheer will alone, he would avoid death… cheat it, spit in its face.

The clarity of the order had its desired effect. Any goblin hoping Okyiq's probable demise would allow it to avoid retribution for misjudgments during battle quickly reassessed such convictions.

Peering around the edge of the hill, the huge goblin spied the wall. He could make out only a dim outline. The darkness conceived of the cloudy night sky and driving rain seemed to cover everything like a heavy wool drape that wavered only slightly against a fierce wind. Though Okyiq could not be certain of the guards' positions, he could see their signal torches. The fires remained lit despite the pounding rain, protected by canopies strung across the tops of the towers. The presence of humans remained apparent as shouts and screams from the wall followed the twang of bowstrings from the goblin ranged assault.

"We go now!" he shouted and took off in a furious sprint.

A dozen goblins followed Okyiq as they rushed toward the nearest gate. The goblin leader urged them forward through the clearing. The hail of arrows and bolts from goblins in the hills filled the air and continued to come down alongside the raindrops, falling hard upon the wall and guard towers. The projectiles were well off to the raiding party's left flank, creating no risk of the raiders falling to friendly fire. The same could not be said for arrows that might come from the human archers.

The driving rain, however, grew even harder, fell like glistening sheets across the clearing between the hills and Burbon's wall. The goblins' gray skin and dark metallic armor allowed them to blend in with the night storm. Even as they raced across open ground, not a single arrow flew in their direction. They reached the base of the wall slightly to the side of Burbon's southern gate without a single casualty.

"Up wall!" Okyiq whispered, but it still held the growl of authority and not a single goblin delayed in beginning the ascent.

They climbed over each other like excited ants on a pile of sugar. They were far from graceful or silent. During a clear and quiet night, several tower guards would have spotted them immediately, but the soldiers were not looking for goblins on that particular evening. If anything, a small goblin raiding party was the least of the guards' worries. What goblin would be foolish enough to call for a raid when a number of river rogues hunted for prey both inside and outside Burbon's wall?

The hail of bolts and arrows that came from the hills confused the human sentries, and held their attention. As the guards dropped low for cover, they tried to ascertain the source of fire. They struggled against the elements and risked injury as they peered over the edges of the wall. Unfortunately, they could not identify the threat.

Even at the top of the hill, the goblins' short stature worked to their advantage. The surrounding tall grass bent and buckled with the wind and rain, but it swirled about and masked the silhouettes of their forms. They fired over and over again, unable to target their foes, but knowing they were expected to continue.

The most experienced soldiers of Burbon recognized the bolts that fell from the sky and quickly associated them with goblin crossbows, but even they failed to look to the base of the wall for an initial raiding party. The tactics didn't fit with usual goblin activity. Never before had the little cretins unleashed a continuous hail of fire for a simple raid. Why would they offer a warning?

Worried far more about a full scale attack from an overwhelming force, they looked to the hills for signs of a great horde. They listened for the thunderous rumble of a great host that could not possibly hide their numbers, even in the darkness and heavy rains. To their confusion, no such goblin army stood in sight, and beyond the pounding of the rain, no riotous commotion could be heard.

Struggling with the darkness and the volleys from the goblin archers, the human soldiers battled uncertainty. A goblin horde would rush its prey with near disregard, and yet the hills offered little more than shadows in the grass. The prospect of a major goblin assault seemed to dwindle, but the soldiers could not totally dismiss the possibility. The southern tower guards sent warning signals, revealing the ranged assault and placing the town into a stage of higher alert.

Okyiq's ploy worked far better than he could have imagined, but if he knew the facts, even the boastful goblin would have had to admit that fortune played a greater role than his simple strategy. He did not know about the river rogues incursion into the town, had no idea that soldiers were placed at crossroads to deal with a breach that had already occurred. The soldiers on the walls were looking for rogues, not a mere dozen goblins brazen enough to cross the open ground to the south. The rain and the rogues-even the delver's trek through the town with his sword blazing a trail-forced the soldiers' attention away from the southern gate, but it was there that Okyiq broke through Burbon's defenses.

At the very edge of the gate, the goblins crossed over the top of the wall and slid down the inner wall planks like snow ogres gliding down an ice covered mountainside. They hit the ground hard, but seemed to bounce, almost as if their bodies were made of some rubbery substance. They drew their short swords and immediately attacked the gatekeepers before any of the guards could call out for help.

Okyiq moved with unfettered determination to the center of the gate. A heavy wooden post crossed through iron brackets and held both doors locked in place. With far more strength than an average goblin, he took hold of the bar handle and wrestled against the weight of the post. The crossbeam fought against the pressure, and at first refused to budge. Eventually, Okyiq's own determination surpassed the stubborn shaft. The beam creaked and crunched, but began moving in its track. Struggling and snarling, ignoring the pain in his back and hands, the fierce goblin lunged forward and slid the post beyond one of the brackets.