Chapter 53: I Got You

Alcar took a step back, wary of the pair of kobolds that were flanking him. He turned from one to the other, knowing that the stream was immediately behind him. He was in trouble now, and couldn’t afford a stumble.

The kobold to the eastern side had discarded the crossbow on the ground – presumably out of bolts. That was a let-off – as he had no shield, Alcar knew he would have been defenceless against further shooting. Not that he had the skill to defend himself against swords, either.

He did, however, have the benefit of greater reach. He took a step towards the shooter, and thrust the end of his staff out at the koblod’s scaly hyena-like face. It snarled and pulled back, but as he heard footsteps behind him, Alcar ducked and pulled to the side... just in time for a sword blow from the second of the pair to swing harmlessly above his head.

The first kobold had now regained his poise and was beginning to advance again, and yelled out as he did so. Presumably calling for reinforcements, Alcar thought. A compliment of sorts.

But also a death sentence.

Then, Brutus charged forward. The dog crashed directly into the kobold which had unsuccessfully shot at it, knocking the creature from its feet, and then leaping on top of it. Seizing the moment, Alcar whirled around and thumped his staff into the body of its partner, leading to a yelp of pain as the second kobold staggered back once more, stunned.

He was holding his own, for now.

That was when Alcar felt an explosion of pain in his leg. He stumbled and fell, rolling, and saw that an arrow was protruding from his calf muscle, and he was fairly sure that it was touching his bone. He looked to the east; sure enough, another band of five kobolds was approaching from that direction.

Alcar knew he couldn’t move with an arrow protruding like this. It would be hella painful if he pulled the missile clear, he knew, and would gush with blood... but how could he run on without doing so?

Gritting his teeth, he dropped the staff and pulled the arrow out, howling in pain. He then the healing potion from his pocket, yanked out its cork, and drank it down. Then, grimly, he raised his staff again for a fight that he knew he couldn’t win. Brutus came to his side, and growled, as the two kobolds advanced once again.

Alcar heard the twang of a bow from behind, then, and for a moment he thought that there must be further kobold reinforcements – coming at him from both ends of the gulley. But then a figure streaked past Alcar from behind – a human figure. And then another.

“Leppie?”

It was indeed the half-elven healer, dressed once more in her black robes, and she was holding a crossbow of her own. Beside her was an unfamiliar-looking figure with a hooded face and a composite bow; it was neither Kora nor Zaxon the Khranulian, Alcar was sure of that.

As the sorcerer gaped at the unexpected help, one of the closer pair of attacking kobolds fell dead with an arrow in its chest, its short sword clattering on the ground to the side, and then a second was knocked off its feet by Leppie’s crossbow bolt, flying dramatically through the air before splashing down dead into the stream.

The pair of archers then advanced towards the newly-arrived group of five kobolds further along the path, who shot one wayward arrow, and then fled.

Leppie now turned to Alcar. “You got hit, man. Can you walk?”

“Leppie! Thank you, thank you... yes, they hit my leg, but I had a healing potion that Etienne gave me. Only one, but it did its job.”

“Then let’s move,” growled the hooded stranger.

Alcar stood with a grunt, Brutus licking at his hand. “How the hell did you find me, anyway?” he gasped.

As he spoke, he looked from Leppie to the hooded figure. The bowman was a muscular male with a chain mail vest and bare arms, below which smooth skin with a greenish hue marked him as non-human. He was no orc, however. Alcar could inside the hood that see that Leppie’s companion had multiple narrow tentacles hanging down where a human’s hair would be. He held the bow with poise and confidence, and barely gave Alcar a second glance.

“This here is Ubund,” said Leppie, as they began to hurry on. “He’s from the Islands of Dubasa, in fact, but has lived in these parts for many years. He is willing to act as our guide.”

“You reached me in the nick of time, Lepp,” Alcar replied.

Ubund waved a hand and moved into the lead, holding up his composite bow, and scanning the rocks, ready to fire again at any moment. Behind, the healer looked around at Alcar. She nodded at him with a tense smile, but soon she, too, was scanning the cliffs on either side again. “It’s good to see you, apprentice. But there’s much to do if we’re going to get out here safely.”

“Thank you, my friend,” said Alcar.

She shrugged with a half smile. “Companions, right? I got you. Plus I’d feel quite a debt to your master if I didn’t get you back alive.”

He frowned. “Talking of which, what of Kora? Did you reach her farm?”

“I went in that direction, and before long I saw that the goblins were pursuing me. That’s when I met Ubund. He knows these cliffs, and he helps travellers. He led me to a safe cave, and we spend some time there. We watched the goblins go right on past.”

“Okay...” said Alcar. “And then you went on to the farm?”

She shook her head. “There was no need. We sheltered, for it had begun to get dark, and then, at nightfall, we heard a group moving on the road. Ubund and I went and watched the road from behind a cluster of trees. Then we saw the escaped slaves. Kora was there, together with seven others who had fled the goblin caves.”

Alcar smiled, shaking his head slightly. “To think that Etienne was right. He told us that the goblins are bad at holding on to their slaves.”

“Well, perhaps, or maybe we should give the escapees the credit for their actions. Kora was safe and well, anyhow, but she told me she wanted to return home rather than continue to Gilmour Village. She and the other escapees were speaking of revolution.”

“Hmm. All hail the revolution, I say,” replied Alcar. “The sooner we get rid of Duke Frage, the better.”

The were now hurrying past another large flat area strewn with boulders as the gulley widened out. Alcar could see that the cliffs became lower up ahead; with luck they could escape the area inside a few minutes. The road must still be to their right; to the left – northwards – were the rounded tops of a cluster of hills.

“But what of Olynka and the halfling?” said Leppie after a pause.

“Safe, as far as I know,” said Alcar. “They hurried on ahead when the kobolds attacked, and I was forced to stop and hide. Like you, I made use of a cave. So for all I know, the two of them could be far ahead by now. Hopefully the are well away from danger.”

Leppie nodded.

Just then, there was movement from behind a boulder up ahead, and the same group of five kobolds emerged and charged towards the small group of adventurers. This time, however, Ubund made short work of the attackers. The first kobold fell swiftly with an arrow in his chest, and by the time Leppie had had time to load her crossbow, two more had similarly dropped to the ground. The last pair hesitated, one of them dropping his sword in shock, the other holding a bow with an arrow readied.

Alcar, growling with anger, strode forward and thumped his staff upwards hard between the kobold archer’s legs, and it squealed in pain and then began to crawl away. The last of the group likewise fled. Ubund gave a curt nod, and then hurried on.

”Man – he’s a hell of an archer,” said Alcar, nodding ahead towards the guide.

“Right.”

Leppie looked back around at Alcar. “Is your leg all right? I’m a healer, remember.”

“The pain has almost gone, my friend.”

“Good. But there may be more injuries to deal with before we get out of here.”

“You are aiming for the road?” asked Alcar.

Ubund glanced back at this, and Leppie shook her. “No. To the hills. Ubund knows a route to the village that way – away from both kobolds and Imperials.”

“Sounds good to me.”

“Come on, let’s get out of here before the rest of that tribe manage a better-organized attack.”

With this, Leppie ran on, the mysterious hooded Ubund alongside her.