A ferocious squeal of delight filled the courtyard. Little sickly yellow creatures danced around the fire, ripping and tearing into the flesh of the now shredded deer.

Raylas crouched hidden at the top of the tower with the girl. He observed from his hidden position while she was sitting back against the wall, her face looking green.

“Disgusting creatures,” she spat.

“You can’t expect much civility from scavengers,” Raylas agreed. “I think an entire tribe came out.”

He counted easily fifty of them celebrating. There was a larger one in the middle, sitting on a chair that had mostly likely been stolen from an old farm or merchant cart. The surprising thing was it held a broken mace like a scepter, punishing lazy goblins which were not dancing fast enough for its liking.

It was surprising that this tribe was this big. The territory it would cover would be enormous, and the ecosystem would have been turned on its head. If Raylas was right then the reason they were attacked by wolves and other beasts throughout their journey was due to this hidden tribe.

If that was true, then they would be skilled in combat. So adding that with their numbers then maybe the zombies could be defeated?

It would be two birds with one stone. He could reduce the undead scourge a little and break up a threat to the tradeway. Unfortunately he wouldn’t be able to get the evidence that he orchestrated this because they wouldn’t be staying that long.

He looked outward. The sun was finally reaching the horizon. A slight bit of movement could be seen at the far hill as well, slowly shuffling forward in a jerking, twisted motion.

The main party had arrived.

Raylas turned to the girl and informed her to prepare to leave. They had planned to escape down one of the broken walls during the attack, escaping down the road until they were too tired to continue.

“Are you sure this is a good idea?” She asked as they rolled up the sleeping mat and put out their small fire.

“It was either this or fight the undead ourselves,” Raylas said. “Luckily the goblins didn’t push to explore further inside the fort due to the fire. I didn’t know if that would work.”

“You didn’t know?” Sapphire gasped.

“An old mercenary told us the strategy a few years back,” Raylas explained. “Goblins love fire. If it’s nearby they’ll go to observe it. If there is a large group around that fire, like a caravan or legion, they’ll avoid the area like the cowards they are. If it's a small group they’ll be cautious and see if there's an opportunity to steal it.” he gestured to the yard below. “If it's undefended, plus there is easy fresh food, they’ll rush to it like a moth to flame.”

“Then the deer…

“Was the lure to get them to stay,” Raylas confirmed. “They come to inspect the fire only to find a free meal with nobody around, so they come to celebrate the great find. We are safe since they’ll avoid fire in closed in spaces. They are not intelligent creatures, but they are not that dumb. The smoke from the staircase covered our fire so we could rest in peace.”

It was a desperate strategy to do that since the fire in the fortress would have trapped them inside the building. But that was only if it wasn’t for the condition of the fort. Walls were crumbling and created slopes that ended only a few meters from the ground. Too high up for a goblin to climb, but just close enough for them to be able to jump down once the battle started.

A screech echoed through the fort as one of the goblins finally smelled something was off. The larger goblin thumped it on the head knocking it unconscious and signaled for the others to continue their dance.

“Things are about to get chaotic. Be ready to move when I give the signal.”

Sapphire nodded in confirmation.

Raylas watched as the undead slowly approached. Luckily the wind was blowing away from the fort so the smell of death was hidden until they arrived just at the gates. Dozens of goblin screeches sounded at once which caused the entire tribe to freeze. The next sound was painful cries as the zombies finally started descending to feast.

Raylas signaled Sapphire and they both put on moist clothes over their face. Raylas rushed into the black smoke and felt a tug from the girl as she held onto a scrap of fabric tied to his pack. They quickly descended down a flight of stairs until Raylas felt the wall open up.

He placed his hands on the window and leapt out, emerging from the black smoke and onto the roof of the building. It creaked beneath his weight but held. He moved forward as a lighter thump sounded behind him as the girl jumped as well.

Raylas crouched and shuffled across the rooftop until they came to a ledge of the broken wall. It used to be a walkway to patrol around the fortress, but at the end of it was a ledge in which a large chunk of it had collapsed outward into a pile of rubble.

Raylas slid down onto the wall and helped the girl down. They rushed down the path and paused where the building ended. He peered around into the yard.

The goblins were screeching in fury and panic by that time. The only entrance to the fort had been blocked by undead who poured into the fortress like they did at the caravan. The goblin chief hissed commands and a number of goblins threw flaming sticks at the dead. Once they hit they fizzled out. Raylas smiled as the Chief hissed and another volley of flames were thrown.

Wet undead couldn’t be caught into flame easily. With the added factor of fresh undead as well they were using a useless strategy.

Raylas’ smile vanished as he peered into the crowd. He recognized two of the head members of the undead party who were biting the head of a goblin. They were the scouts who initially warned the caravan, one which ran into the tend to warn the Captain of the moving shadows.

“We should move,” Sapphire whispered as she touched his shoulder.

Raylas nodded and pushed forward, jumping down onto the pile of rubble. As he landed some rubble slid down into the fort, dropping a few meters with a thump. The Chief swung around and caught Raylas’ eye as he dropped away outside of the fort. All Raylas saw was its face twist into fury before being blocked by the crumbling wall.

Once the girl followed, Raylas took her hand and started to run. The more space between the Fort and them the better.

Hours passed until they finally slowed down, gasping for breath. Raylas leaned back against a tree and started to laugh, relief rushing through him that the plan actually worked. Sapphire stood nearby, clearly winded but seeming better off than Raylas felt.

“If we played our cards right then we should have removed them off our trial,” he sighed as his heart slowed down to normal.

“Feels wrong,” Sapphire said as she looked back.

“Not if you’ve seen what Goblins would do if they caught us.” Raylas calmed himself and shrugged the back to get back into its comfortable position.

He looked into the sky. The moon was shining brightly but nowhere near full. Dark shadows filled the forests around the road, hiding who knows what. They had escaped one mess but could get caught up in another easily.

He gazed down the road the way they came. The smoke disappeared a while ago. If the job failed they wouldn’t know until the next day. Until then they should keep moving.

He pushed off the tree and continued his journey.

“Where to now, Master?” She asked.

“There is a town another half day down the road if we keep going this direction. We should arrive by morning if we are lucky.”

“Arrive?” she bounced. “Where are we going?”

Raylas smiled at her eagerness. “A small lumber village with no name. My group stayed here a few days ago before the attack. It isn’t much but there is an inn and shop which we can rest and resupply with.” He started down the road at a brisk pace. “The important thing is to move quickly and build distance between us and the fort.”

“Why?”

“The big goblin saw us escape. If they survive then we should be within the walls of a town before they find us.”

“Wouldn’t they attack the village, then?” Sapphire gasped.

“Goblins are too cowardly,” Raylas laughed. “If we get into the village they’ll leave us alone.”

“You know these monsters pretty well.”

“I’ve lived most of my life killing,” Raylas bragged. “Practically born with a weapon in my hand.”

“That would explain how you were able to demonstrate the Ousta forms so well,” she replied thoughtfully.

“Ousta?” Raylas heard that name before. “That was the kingdom you mentioned, right?”

“You have a good memory!” she said.

“Yes… the one with the mages.” Raylas shivered at the thought.

So much magic in one place… a nightmare beyond anything he could conceive. With the power of just a single mage one could turn the tides of a battle. With a small party you could walk through a city, their defenses be damned. An entire kingdom? Even the gods would tremble at such a thing if they still existed.

“Exactly!” Sapphire laughed, her hair seeming to even sparkle in the dim moonlight. “Not everyone could become mages, so a number became spellswords wielding their magics through their weapons. You did well for a novice earlier.”

Raylas frowned and touched the chain on his belt. He did well? Last time he tried to use it in a true battle it just got in the way. He was reduced to using his fists again. Even when he attacked her it wasn’t helpful except to tie her up.

“I’d rather have a good polearm than just this thing,” Raylas concluded, patting the blade tied on the frame of his backpack.

“A true warrior of Ousta isn’t limited to one weapon, though becoming a true master of one is indeed beneficial,” she lectured. “You are also more than just a warrior, but the heir of Aasim. You’ll do great things one day.”

“I’d rather have a nice cup of ale and a warm bed to sleep on,” Raylas snorted.

“You will have to fix your vulgar attitude,” Sapphire scolded. “The Aasim name is a sacred one, filled with the legendary exploits of Monster Slayers.”

“Legendary?” He slowed his step and gave her a cautious gaze. “Like a hero, legendary?

“One and the same!” she cheered. “The Aasim line is one of Heros and even dragon slayers.”

Raylas snatched the chained weapon from his belt and threw it away from him like it was poisonous. Sapphire jumped in shock then squeaked in surprise, running to retrieve it.

“You can’t abandon your weapon, Master!”

“Keep that damn thing away from me!” Raylas hissed. “I am no heir to a hero. I am not that Aasim thing you keep prattling on about. I am Raylas of Eilire, mercenary and scum. I do not desire to be anything else, so keep that cursed thing away!”

She froze, the weapon held out in hopes he would take it. Raylas started a brisk pace away, ignoring her. She slowly pulled the weapon close and hugged it as she started after him.

The next hours passed in silence. Soon, the light of dawn broke through the sky and a small village with a wooden wall came into view as they turned a corner.

“We’re finally here,” Raylas breathed tiredly.