3rd June, 1329.

Ferniegair, Scotland.

Earth.

The scream of terror from Lady Douglas did not go unheard by the pages.

"What the hell?" Andrew said, turning to see. "Behind us!" He cried.

Being much closer to the engagement behind them, they all turned on hearing the cry. Iain, in command of the small detachement stared in momentary disbelief when he saw the monsters crash into the Princess's bodyguard.

This was not a band of goblins, but something different. They stood even taller, each rising at least six and a half feet in height. Their skin was a brownish yellow, but these creatures differed significantly from the scarcely clad goblins. Each wore a red-cap and padded armor.

Worse, still, there were nearly twenty of them. All were engaged in a desperate combat with the Princess' bodyguard.

Squire Iain and the Pages wheeled their mounts. Ignoring the remaining goblin threat from the forest. They galloped to aid the overwhelmed guards. Their priority now was to ensure the Princess and Lady Tatania’s safety.

Liam focussed on one monster, trying to identify it.

Hobgoblin Redcap

Level 6

?

Although Liam couldn’t see their health, their level was higher than many of the guards.

The hobgoblins had attacked without warning, having snuck up on the guards. All of whom had been watching the battle's progress with rapt attention. Already three of the horsemen were down, slain by vicious swings of pole-weapons. The others had spurred forward, driving the Hobgoblins back enough that the Princess and Lady could escape.

As soon as their escort had reacted to the foes, the two women had dug in their heels and galloped towards the Lord’s men as fast as their mounts would take them.

Lady Tatania yelled to her husband again. “James! Behind you!”

Lord James had already turned, hearing his wife’s initial cry for help, and seeing her flight.

He yelled to his men to follow, and disregarding any formation, spurred his mount into a gallop. His horse tore across the paddock, but was still more than a hundred yards from her. He spotted Iain's party was closer and roared out over the sound of trampling hooves. "IAIN! GUARD MY WIFE!"

Liam and the other Pages had indeed charged to the aid of the Lady’s escort and as they arrived, but were helpless to act as one beast darted out of the fray.

Lady Tatania’s horse was not fast enough, and the monster, longer-limbed than the others, saw easy prey. It ran forward, eating the ground between them in easy, loping steps, and cut the horse’s right hind leg clean off. The horse collapsed, sliding along the ground as Lady Tatania fell backwards off the mount. The Princess, hearing the horses scream, reigned in, and turning, watched helplessly as the Lady hit the ground.

Lord James howled in fury, still too far to affect the combat. “TATANIA!” He roared. Kicking his heels to force his mount to its breaking point.

Liam had also seen Tatania fall. Fortuitously, the collapse of her horse’s hind legs meant she didn’t have far to fall. Her increased wisdom allowing her the presence of mind to roll as she landed, reducing the impact further. She quickly inspected herself. The only damage done was to her pride and her clothes, though she felt a bit dazed.

Her mare, however, was twitching, blood fanning out of its leg to spatter gore upon the frozen ground.

Lady Tatania lay on the ground, letting out a groan and trying to regain her senses. Liam could see her look towards her mount. He saw surprise cross her face as she stared at the steaming pool of hot gore.

He was about to turn his mount to go to her aid, but before he could; the hobgoblin appeared before her. Huge and bestial, it leered down at her, its face twitching grotesquely.

It was reaching down with one meaty hand to grab her.

Liam could not hope to make it in time.

***************************

Iain and the pages had slammed into the fray just as the Lady’s mount had fallen. The squire heard his Lords order however, and slammed his visor closed, parrying a blow aimed at his horse. He kicked the steed forward, using its momentum to aid its turn back towards the Lady.

Iain could see through the visor of his helmet that his Lord was too far away to aid her, and so he angled his mount directly at the beast looming over his Lord’s wife.

It reached at her, pawing with a blood coated hand.

His horse galloped near the monster, close enough to smell its awful reek. It barely had time to register his presence before he was upon it.

Iain’s blade slashed down, severing the beast’s arm so it hung by a thin cord of muscle and skin. It reared back from Lady Tatania, turning to face Iain with a howl of fury. The squire yanked on his reins, wheeling his horse about, it skidded, rearing upon its hind legs as it turned on the frosty ground.

*********************

The Princess had looked on in horror as the monster reached for Lady Tatania. She had been sure the Lady was about to be eaten, or something worse. Instead Iain had saved them. As soon as she saw him, she felt safe. She had forgotten the battle, and now only saw Squire Iain, his attribute enhanced form sitting confidently atop his horse. He was straight-backed, strong and capable.

A Squire no longer to her eyes, but a Knight trained in battle. His intent focused. She had never seen a man look so… beautiful.

She heard a voice calling to her.

“Highness, take the Lady and Run!”

The voice was coming from behind Iain’s visor.

In a rush, she came back to herself.

Her mind clearing, she looked about and, seeing how dire the situation was, turned her mount towards the form of Lady Douglas.

The Lady, having regained her feet, had scrambled away from the monster and sprinted towards the Princess, who leant down, helping her onto her mount.

Together they drove the horse forward, galloping towards the onrushing mass of cavalry that had formed up behind Lord Douglas, coming to their aid.

**********************

The Hobgoblin ignored the women now that a challenger had gained its attention. The arm was slowly but noticeably stitching itself back together. Corded muscle reforming before Ian's eyes.

The wound was still bleeding profusely as the monster started to laugh. It ran a sharp clawed finger over the wound, savouring the pain. Beckoning the human warrior to come closer, the Hobgoblin stalked forward, its long blade now held in a one handed grip.

Iain, however, was no fool. He had gained enough distance from the beast that he’d been able to turn his mount before the monster reached him. He’d put every single one of his newly gained available attributes into vitality, knowing with certainty after seeing the harpies that one day, he would face a monstrous foe like this.

Since that day, he’d wondered what other beasts existed in this world, and how he could face them. The discovery of the Systems appraisal of each attribute confirmed for him that the best way to survive this apocalypse was to stack his points into health, at least for the time being.

He’d been to tournaments before, and practiced with the quintain, so he knew he could take a hit. What he didn’t know was if he could take a hit from a monster. He was about to find out.

The beast bore a large broadsword, not dissimilar to the Claymore’s Iain had seen the highlanders use, and now the blade rose. Iain threw up his shield, hoping that he had enough vitality to withstand the blow.

The massive weapon smashed into his shield harder than anything he’d felt before, splintering the dense wood, but Iain had angled it so the cutting edge bounced.

Despite this, the blade hit with so much force that it knocked him flat back against his horse’s rump.

Even the Boar wouldn’t have been able to muster that much force! Iain thought.

Slightly dazed, he saw an opening through the visor slit of his helm.

Grinning, Ian levered himself back up in his seat. The heavy blade, meant to be wielded in two hands, had not stopped when it hit him, but had carried on, bouncing off the shield. The wounded beast tried to recover, but the weight and momentum of its swing carried the steel forward, forcing the beast to twist awkwardly. It’s back now to Iain.

Spurring the mount to leap forward, Iain raised the point of his sword and it slammed into the monster’s head. The blade penetrated deep, wedging through its skull and shattering the bone. Iain twisted the arming sword once. Finding that it had broken enough of the skull to withdraw easily. The simple trick allowed the blade to be thrust from horseback, and not catch in the flesh of an enemy.

The monster dropped in his wake, its massive blade falling to the ground with a loud thump, audible even over the hammering of his heart and his mounts’ hooves. Reining his mount in, Iain turned to see the Pages engaging the other six monsters that had sprung from the direction of the lake.

A glow of holy light had risen over him, and he smiled. Assigning the points once more into vitality.

He was level 9 now and had over 410 health. He’d only started with 150.

The system made him at least twice as hard to kill. He thought.

He wondered briefly if he might put points into strength or agility next.

That is a decision for another time! He chastised himself for his distraction and turned back to the fight.

***********************

Liam and the other pages spurred their battle-trained mounts into a gallop as they neared the Hobgoblins. The horses responded by tossing their heads to the side; ramming their shoulders into the monsters as they smashed past.

The results were spectacular as all six hobgoblins fell back, two even being pushed under the horses’ hooves as they trampled past. Andrew and Llywelyn’s horses glowed brightly as the hobgoblins they hit died to the crushing blows of hooves.

The remaining ten escorts who had been guarding the lady had been fighting all out to stay alive, and despite approaching exhaustion, could now recover for a moment. The King’s messenger looked about to faint, despite having recently leveled and quickly assigned his points to vitality, having slain two of the hobgoblins. He grit his teeth as pain washed over him.

Liam, who had arrived first, wheeled his mount to follow the other boys back to the monsters. As he turned saw that Lord Douglas had sent some of his men to slay the last of the goblins from the forest.

Four men now protected the Princess and Lady Tatania, who once more rode. Having selected one of the slain Men at Arms mounts.

Lord Douglas’s had not stopped. Despite feeling relieved that his wife was now safe, he had continued his charge, seeking vengance for his wife's discomfort and his own fear.

He crashed into the melee with all the impact a Lord of his station should.

The hobgoblins, still reeling from the impact of the pages mounts, crumbled under the impact of the Lord's cavalry.

The hobgoblins had still been getting to their feet and turned towards the new assailants in horror. Even out of formation, the impact of the horsemen was horrific to behold.

Lord James’ sword gleamed red as it cleaved through the neck of the largest remaining beast.

Decapitating it entirely in one massive blow, he rode past, his red blade rising and falling as he passed other monsters. As he passed through the mass of combatants, Lord of Douglas turned his mount to continue the fight.

Watching in awe, Liam was sure he could never achieve the feat as he was now, despite his strength improvements. He assumed that this was the effect of higher levels of skill in swordsmanship.

Liam and the other pages rejoined the skirmish. Liam singled out a dangerous-looking hobgoblin. It was armored in mail and wore a helmet, making it stand out from the others, who only wore gambesons and skull-caps.

It was fast and wielded a sword and shield. Liam had never fought from a horse before and struggled to figure out where to hold his shield in relation to his sword. If he engaged on the right, he could use his blade to wonderful effect, but the horse would impair his shield. If on his left, he would have amazing defense, but difficulty in landing a blow.

In the end, Liam gave up on the use of each separately, and used them in tandem.

As his shield hung on a strap, Liam grasped the blade of his sword with his shield hand, now holding the weapon like a short spear.

He blocked a blow to his head, his shield hand supporting against the Impact, and causing the blow to slam to a halt against his sword. Changing his grip on the sword so he held the blade with both hands, Liam turned his sword into a hammer. He hooked the Redcap’s blade to the side with the sword's crossguard, and, reversing it quickly, slammed the pommel into the monster's face.

Reeling back, the hobgoblin tried to raise its shield, just as Liam brought the sword smashing down and over the defence of the Hobgoblin. The cross guard struck through the open visor of the monster’s helm and deep into its skull.

Wrenching the crossguard free, Liam kicked out with a stirrup’d foot, knocking the dying Hobgoblin prone.

On the ground, Liam could no longer reach it, but his horse could. Trained to stamp constantly when in the presence of loud shouting, clashes and the general battle noise, it began thumping its hooves into the ground, bucking slightly in order to mash whatever lay under-hoof into oblivion.

The Hobgoblin gave a brief scream, cut off with a sick crunch. Victorious, Liam and his mount both glowed.

The rapid demise of the armoured Hobgoblin distracted another beast. Andrew, facing it, pulled back on his reins and shouted, causing his horse to rear up and flail with its hooves. The heavy impacts of the horse’s hoof-blows caused the monster to shy away. It was unprepared when the horse dropped back to its haunches for Andrew to thrust forward with his sword. His blade, carried by his straightened arm and the weight of a falling horse, drove the weapon clean through the Hobgoblins’ thick gambeson and through its heart.

This single blow killed it outright, and with a shout of jubilation, Andrew turned to look at his friends. “Did you see that? I had Iain teach m….” His words turned to a scream.

His horse, shying from a savage strike, saved him. The hobgoblin had approached him from behind, having seen its compatriot fall. It now sought revenge.

Wielding a pick overhead, it took one step away from the Men at Arms it had been duelling and slammed its weapon down.

The pick struck Andrew in the leg with a heavy blow, piercing the chain, gambeson and flesh beneath.

Andrew howled and almost dropped his sword, grabbing at the wound. He trapped it with his shield arm against his chest as his horse removed him from danger.

The hobgoblin had more immediate concerns, however, as the other pages took revenge on Andrew’s behalf, Llywelyn thrust hard at the monster, only to have his blade knocked aside.

“Now!” he yelled.

From the other side, Aidan spurred forward and rammed his spear through the monster’s bicep. Now holding its pick with one hand, the large green skin hauled the heavy mining tool over its head, and Llywelyn cut into its armpit, severing the muscles.

The pickaxe descended to the ground while the Pages began hacking and stabbing brutally, only ceasing once they’d fully dismembered the monster. Exhausted, the Princesses escort dealt with the last two beasts. Only seven of them remained in the saddle, the rest having fallen to the ambush.

*********************

After the duel to save Lady Tatania, Iain had joined her escort. “Are you well, Milady?” He asked. She nodded, looking about for her husband. Spotting him, she let out a breath. “Thank God!” she said. “I thought he’d fallen!”

Iain shook his head. “It’ll take more than this to fell Lord Douglas.” He said. “I don’t know if you’ve seen him fight before, Milady, but he is truly in his element on a battlefield. Few can stand against him, even in great numbers.”

The princess was scrutinizing him, but turned away, blushing, when Lady Tatania noticed. The lady smiled knowingly at the flirtation. She would have to put a stop to it if it carried on, but for now things seemed innocent.

They watched as the last of the hobgoblins died to the Princess' guards, waiting as Lord James and the others regrouped around them.

As they rode back, Aidan and Llywelyn both wore a cheerful expression, having taken down three monsters between them. They glowed with additional levels. Aidan had already assigned his points into Agility, finding the attribute suited the use of a lance, while Llywelyn said increased his vitality by a few points, growing slightly. The rest, he refused to say, blushing and looking away.

Andrew was less happy, having killed only one, and he had received a nasty wound to his leg. It wasn’t bleeding too much after he tied a silk scarf around the wound, but surely pained him. He chatted happily about the levels he’d gained and how he’d learnt the thrust he performed from Iain.

Unfortunately for him, he’d leveled before he had received his injury. He now had to wait for it to heal on its own, or, if he was lucky, find some new beast to slay. He looked back over his shoulder at the dead monsters, hoping that a surviving monster might charge at him and give him an excuse to slay it.

Liam looked over the carnage. From the wood line to the road, a charnel house of scattered goblin body parts lay scattered. He noticed the larger goblin with the black spear was nearby and he focused on the body.

Would you like to loot:

{Goblin Chief, Level 3}?

[YES] NO

Liam could not remember slaying the goblin, but selected YES, and received:

Goblin Cloak. (Common)

A goblin cloak.

Durability 3/10.

When he took it from the holding space - as he now thought of it - an immediate and foul smell assailed him. It clearly used the cloak for a variety of personal hygiene functions.

He flung it away without a second thought.

Then he looked at the next item.

Black Spear of Gori’cal (Uncommon) Level 2

+2 to Strength

+2 to Will

+2 to Charisma

Durability 30/50

A spear that gives a slightly improved ability to command others.

Liam decided to keep the spear, dismouting to gave it a quick wipe through the grass of the field. He deemed it sensible, just in case any of the goblins' habits had left a mark on the wood.

As he held it, he felt the slight boost in strength. Oddly, no discomfort or pain accompanied the boost to his stats.

The entire group's attention refocused on the village a moment later as a bellow of rage echoed from within the house at the centre of the settlement.

Despite their victory over the Goblins in the wood, the party realised they still had to contend with those barricaded within the Hamlet, and it was now that they made their presence known.

From the hamlet, a horn blew, and several massive green-skinned creatures emerged from the huts.

Liam focused on one of them. It was a massive creature, standing over seven feet tall and covered in slabs of muscle that put even the Messenger of the King’s recent strength boost to shame.

Orc Reaver,

Health: 1130/1130

Level:??

It opened its mouth and roared, its fellows forming a shield wall. They bashed their formidable weapons upon shields and metal scaled armor. They were beckoning the knights to come forward.

To come forward and die!