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.
In a narrow alley between two
closed merchant shops, Holli and Ryson reviewed the immediate area with a mind
toward remaining out of sight.
"Not many people on the
streets at night," Holli observed, "but enough for us to avoid
attention."
Ryson agreed. Scattered groups of
humans marched somewhat hurriedly down the avenues. Most turned into inns and
taverns, while others just moved through the gloom until they turned some
corner and continued forward out of sight.
Holli made no immediate move to
step out of 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.
In a narrow alley between two
closed merchant shops, Holli and Ryson reviewed the immediate area with a mind
toward remaining out of sight.
"Not many people on the
streets at night," Holli observed, "but enough for us to avoid
attention."
Ryson agreed. Scattered groups of
humans marched somewhat hurriedly down the avenues. Most turned into inns and
taverns, while others just moved through the gloom until they turned some
corner and continued forward out of sight.
Holli made no immediate move to
step out of the
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