Jeff Inlo - Chain of Bargains

While the elf guard considered the deficiencies of the town's defenses, Ryson reviewed the grounds ahead of them. He considered several paths to reach their goal without being detected, and he revealed them to his companion.

"They've got two blind spots," he declared as he pointed. "There and there. We just have to keep low and break around that silo and none of the guards will spot us. It's a pretty easy path. If you want to stay totally concealed, there's a drainage ditch that runs from the edge of town to the eastern river. The banks are tall enough to conceal us all the way to those buildings over there. Another way would be to cause a distraction to the east and we could walk right up that trail to our left. You could also cast a shadow spell over us. With that and the darkness, I don't think they'd see us if we walked right up to them."

"No spells for the moment," Holli replied, and then she revealed the anomaly she sensed in the magic around the town.

"Any idea of what's causing that?" Ryson wondered aloud.

"Magic is a current that will bend to those that know how to use it. While the flow is quite strong, someone could simply be monitoring the magic in a more active manner as opposed to passively riding the flows, pulling in all they could muster but not absorbing it for any use. There also could be an item of enchantment that is redirecting the magic for a similar purpose."

"And any spell you cast might get someone's attention?"

"It is a possibility. I can not say for sure until I understand the source of the disturbance."

"So better safe than sorry."

"That is my position."

"Okay, no shadow spells. It's still not going to be difficult to get across the clearing. I'd pass on the distraction as well, no sense raising any alarms. I would also think the ditch is a bad idea. We'll get into town, but we'll be covered in mud. Might be hard to avoid attention that way. The blind spot over there is my first choice…" Ryson paused and listened deeply, and then sniffed the night air.

"A sizable pack of goblins is coming up from the forest," he warned, "but they're across the river, southwest of our position. They're using the road. Fairly close."

Holli could not yet sense them, as the strong current of magic flowing in from all directions disrupted her abilities.

"A raid?" she asked.

Ryson shook his head.

"No way." He was convinced of that fact, and revealed why. "They sound… drunk."

Holli's expression revealed disbelief.

"You're going to hear them in a moment." Ryson explained. "They're not even trying to keep quiet."

Within a few short moments, the elf did hear the clamor. She could not believe it, but it sounded as if the they might actually be trying to sing. Singing goblins was not something she ever thought she would hear, and once she heard it, she decidedly didn't wish to hear it again. It sounded more like the anguish of metal grinding against rock to an unsteady beat.

"How many do you think there are?" she asked.

Ryson shrugged at first, but then offered his best estimate.

"Two dozen, maybe even three."

He paused and sniffed the air again.

"Wait… there's more… behind us. They're not using the road… they're between the rivers."

Holli went silent and removed the bow from over her shoulder. She readied an arrow just in case they were spotted. She motioned Ryson to remain still and under the cover of thick tree limbs. Eventually, she heard the rustling of branches and brush at ground level on both sides of their position. Remaining silent, she pinpointed the location of four more goblins moving through the trees.

The goblins did not spot either the elf or the delver. They were actually quite oblivious to their surroundings. They showed little care to what might be in the forest and even less concern over the town they approached. They ventured out into the clearing with total disregard to the guards on the rooftops, and they stumbled onward through the field without trying to hide their advance.

Once they were out of earshot, Holli whispered to the delver.

"We can use this. Follow me."

The elf dropped out of the tree and quickly chose a path that led toward the town but away from the goblins that continued to stumble carelessly ahead. She crouched low and motioned for the delver to do the same.

"Keep to the shadows, but move low to the ground, as if you are just another goblin walking toward the town."

"Won't that be dangerous? What if a guard gets lucky and spots us. If they mistake us for a goblin, they might fire an arrow or two in our direction."

Holli looked across the river at the group of goblins that were now in sight. They continued singing and walked brazenly forward toward the sentries that waited at one of the bridges.

"I do not think that will be the case."

Ryson wasn't so sure he agreed with the assessment, but he played along. He crouched low and hunched his shoulders. He bent his knees and pulled his chin into the top of his chest. He kept his arms close to his body to keep their length concealed. If someone spotted his outline in the distance, the delver would appear much like one of the goblins that carelessly ambled forward ahead of him.

That thought offered little solace. He moved carefully among the shadows and did his best to stay silent and out of sight. If he was seen by one of the guards-and thought to be a goblin-he didn't think it would turn out well for him.

As an additional precaution, he kept his eyes on the goblins that had wandered out of the forest before him and were staggering up to the town limits just ahead. He also watched the guards on the roof tops.

The goblins showed no concern. They stumbled forward with the town their clear objective. They moved through the light of several lanterns without care. They did nothing to hide their approach. They also showed no sign of aggression. Their crossbows dangled over their backs and their short swords remained sheathed at their hips. If it was their intention to attack the town, it was the absolute worst display Ryson had ever witnessed.

As for the guards, they clearly spotted the incoming goblins. They would have had to have been blind to miss them. To Ryson's amazement, they took no defensive position or action. No arrows were fired and no alarms were issued. The guards simply remained at their posts and watched the goblins with a dismissive nature.

Ryson turned to Holli to express his disbelief when he noticed she was watching the goblins on the road. He watched as well and his amazement grew.

The goblins crossed the bridge without a care to the number of human sentries posted at the far side. Again, it was clear that Huntston was their ultimate destination. Thankfully, they stopped singing, but they did not cease their snorting and twisted giggles. They sauntered past the guards as if they did not exist and entered the town like nothing more than loggers returning home.

Even more surprising, the sentries made no attempt to keep the goblins from entering Huntston. They did not even stop them for questioning, as they had done to numerous human travelers that attempted to enter the town in daylight. The sentries simply stepped aside, though with obvious disgust to the creatures that filed past.

"Do you believe that?" Ryson whispered to Holli.

Her answer was short and punctuated with a tone of anger.

"No."

"What in Godson's name is going on in these towns?"

"We will find out soon enough. Let us reach the empty alleys and then we can adopt a plan for further investigation."

Ryson agreed and the two figures slipped silently through the night. They crossed the clearing without incident. If anyone had seen them, which was doubtful even in the open space, it didn't seem to matter. No alarm had been signaled and no patrols had been sent out into the streets to investigate intruders.