alley. She watched those that passed intently and tried to
ascertain the overall sense of those that lived within Huntston. She noted that
most kept their heads down and their eyes forward. They did not seek attention,
nor did they care to closely examine their surroundings. They moved onward with
focused determination.
The elf then looked up and down
the streets trying to locate any of the goblins that entered the town. She
could not find a single one, and the magical flow continued to disrupt her
senses. She believed she caught remote vibrations, but it was like smelling
smoke from a very distant chimney. She turned to the delver with a request for
his unique abilities.
"Without venturing out into
the streets, can you detect any signs of the goblins nearby?"
Ryson concentrated on everything
he could see, hear, and smell. He revealed what he sensed as he focused on
catching any lingering indications of the dark creatures' presence.
"They're definitely in town,
but we already know that. I can catch faint scents of their trails, but they're
not nearby. I can tell you this; they've been in this town for a while, at
least it smells that way. It's kind of like the scent is beaten into the
ground. The thing is, it's not real strong. I don't think they hang around in
this area, or even in the streets. I can't see them anywhere, and I can't even
hear them. Still, it's like..." He paused for long moments trying to find
the words to explain what he sensed. "It's not like they're hiding, but
they're not out in the open. Maybe they're all holed up in some tavern."
"A large group... all in one
tavern?" Holli offered. "I would think you would hear them. Even if
they were across town."
Thinking about how drunken goblins
would act if dozens had gathered in a single establishment, Ryson realized the
night was much too quiet for such a possibility.
"Yeah, I probably would, but
I don't. I really don't know where they might be, but they're not out in the
open, and they're not close by."
Holli frowned. She did not like
any of the information they were discovering.
"We have to be careful,"
she finally said. "This feels beyond strange. Obviously, something is very
wrong here. Goblins enter the town, and then disappear. The humans allow them
to enter, and do nothing to guard themselves against the incursion."
"So what do we do now?"
"Let us walk these streets
and alleys with a careful eye. We will walk as the other residents. We will
seem as if we have a certain destination and move with little delay. We will
mask our attention to details as we travel, but we will both watch for
indications of what is really going on here."
Ryson agreed and followed Holli
out of the alley. He let her set the direction and pace and he did everything
in his power to appear detached from his surroundings, but nothing could have
been further from the truth.
He soaked in everything around him
with all of his senses. In mere moments, he was flooded with tension. Holli was
right, something was very wrong in Huntston and the delver could sense it with
every fiber of his being.
The people that moved past him did
so with both fatigue and suspicion, not focused directly upon him or his elf
companion, but at every dark corner. They did not appear to shrink from some
perceived physical presence lurking in the shadows, but rather an undefined
terror that could drift out of any concealed gloom, as if madness would take
hold of them if they allowed their guard to fall. It was like they expected
disaster at every turn and their constant alarm exhausted them.
Beyond the anxiety that seemed to
smother each human inhabitant of the town, Ryson continued to sense the faint
traces of dark creatures. It was almost as if every road led to a pack of
goblins waiting behind some lonely corner, yet they never encountered a single
creature.
Both Holli and Ryson peered into
many inns and taverns, but they never entered any of the establishments. Holli
slowed the pace sufficiently
ascertain the overall sense of those that lived within Huntston. She noted that
most kept their heads down and their eyes forward. They did not seek attention,
nor did they care to closely examine their surroundings. They moved onward with
focused determination.
The elf then looked up and down
the streets trying to locate any of the goblins that entered the town. She
could not find a single one, and the magical flow continued to disrupt her
senses. She believed she caught remote vibrations, but it was like smelling
smoke from a very distant chimney. She turned to the delver with a request for
his unique abilities.
"Without venturing out into
the streets, can you detect any signs of the goblins nearby?"
Ryson concentrated on everything
he could see, hear, and smell. He revealed what he sensed as he focused on
catching any lingering indications of the dark creatures' presence.
"They're definitely in town,
but we already know that. I can catch faint scents of their trails, but they're
not nearby. I can tell you this; they've been in this town for a while, at
least it smells that way. It's kind of like the scent is beaten into the
ground. The thing is, it's not real strong. I don't think they hang around in
this area, or even in the streets. I can't see them anywhere, and I can't even
hear them. Still, it's like..." He paused for long moments trying to find
the words to explain what he sensed. "It's not like they're hiding, but
they're not out in the open. Maybe they're all holed up in some tavern."
"A large group... all in one
tavern?" Holli offered. "I would think you would hear them. Even if
they were across town."
Thinking about how drunken goblins
would act if dozens had gathered in a single establishment, Ryson realized the
night was much too quiet for such a possibility.
"Yeah, I probably would, but
I don't. I really don't know where they might be, but they're not out in the
open, and they're not close by."
Holli frowned. She did not like
any of the information they were discovering.
"We have to be careful,"
she finally said. "This feels beyond strange. Obviously, something is very
wrong here. Goblins enter the town, and then disappear. The humans allow them
to enter, and do nothing to guard themselves against the incursion."
"So what do we do now?"
"Let us walk these streets
and alleys with a careful eye. We will walk as the other residents. We will
seem as if we have a certain destination and move with little delay. We will
mask our attention to details as we travel, but we will both watch for
indications of what is really going on here."
Ryson agreed and followed Holli
out of the alley. He let her set the direction and pace and he did everything
in his power to appear detached from his surroundings, but nothing could have
been further from the truth.
He soaked in everything around him
with all of his senses. In mere moments, he was flooded with tension. Holli was
right, something was very wrong in Huntston and the delver could sense it with
every fiber of his being.
The people that moved past him did
so with both fatigue and suspicion, not focused directly upon him or his elf
companion, but at every dark corner. They did not appear to shrink from some
perceived physical presence lurking in the shadows, but rather an undefined
terror that could drift out of any concealed gloom, as if madness would take
hold of them if they allowed their guard to fall. It was like they expected
disaster at every turn and their constant alarm exhausted them.
Beyond the anxiety that seemed to
smother each human inhabitant of the town, Ryson continued to sense the faint
traces of dark creatures. It was almost as if every road led to a pack of
goblins waiting behind some lonely corner, yet they never encountered a single
creature.
Both Holli and Ryson peered into
many inns and taverns, but they never entered any of the establishments. Holli
slowed the pace sufficiently
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