Sabre flew out in front of us while I sat on Bertolt's shoulder. He trailed on the elf boy's scent from the village gates, and we followed behind him. I felt a gaze from a distance. My eyes shot toward it, glimpsing for a second. A tall, dark shadow with callous eyes. Around its body eroded a familiar black mist, he gave off an aura of death. We locked eyes for a second, but that was all. His calculating sights returned to the giant village before he disappeared completely. It happened so fast I almost thought I had imagined it. Nobody else noticed him, I thought of bringing him up but decided to ignore it.
The elf boy had seemingly gone back the way we came. At least that's what it looked like from the direction sabre was leading us. Couldn't help but began to doubt Sabre's tracking ability. At the rate we were going it wouldn't take long for us to go past Madam Mopta's cabin. Yet, there was still no sign of him.
"He's gone back this far already?" I say stunned, we hadn't even got a whiff of the elf.
"He's fast," Bertolt said in agreement as he continued to run just behind Sabre.
-Meanwhile
A young man jumped from the trees landing a bit away from the goblins. He pulled a dagger from his boot started tossing it from hand to hand.
"So who wants to die first?" he asked the goblins with a devilish smirk.
"Hey wait, we can talk about this" the leader pleaded, walking backwards: the other two readily nodded their heads.
"Talk about what, how you stabbed me in the back? Tried to steal my share of the loot? Left me to die?"
"Just a simple misunderstanding. Bill said that you were going to kill us first. We just followed what he ordered" Sid, the second goblin explained. Bill looked at him angrily and was about to give a different excuse, but the elf interrupted.
"I don't care! Hand over my share, and your shares as well for my trouble. And maybe I won't slice your throats."
Both Bill and Sid nodded earnestly then looked to their third companion.
"Well Snark was in charge of keeping all the loot," Bill explained.
In unison with Sid, they parted away from the third goblin. The elf boy looked to him his cold stare saying enough. Snark paled away, trembling as he threw over two large brown leather pouches to the elf. As they hit the ground, all types of valuables; from gold to jewellery, poured out.
"Can we leave now?" Bill hopeful, asked.
The elf boy said nothing, giving nothing but a dead look- then a creepy smile. Before the goblins could react: he sped forward like a shadow. In but a blink, both Bill and Sid went flying with kicks to their abdomens. The elf then slowly and calmly walked to Snark. The goblin wet himself, screeching as he tried to run away. At alas, the elf was too fast, tripping him up and lifting him by the ankle. Like a baptised baby, he began to shake him rapidly. Buckets of treasure and jewels of great design began to spill out of him. So much so, that the two large pouches from earlier seemed minuscule in comparison. After emptying the goblin completely, the elf threw him like the rest.
"Don't you think you're taking this too far?" Bill asked in pain from not only his wound but the loss of all the treasure. These were items that they'd risked their lives to obtain.
"Just be glad I don't finish off all of you," the elf said nonchalantly, revealing a magic pouch of his own. It sucked up all the valuables without growing in size.
"I'd like to thank you, though. If you didn't backstab me, I wouldn't have an excuse to rob you dry.....although I probably would have done it anyway. Haha-"
"And I have to thank you wretches for gathering together. Now I can kill you all in one place" a voice from the trees taunted.
The sound of whistling arrows followed. Three shot his way. The two, headed for his face, were dodged effortlessly. A simple tilting of his head, side to side to evade their paths. The third arrow came from the opposite direction. Not aiming for the elf but for his pouch. It wrenched it from his hand and lodged it into a nearby tree. Riding up behind him was a group of three hobgoblins, another three rode up from the front. The elf looked to his left, two more riders and to the right a single rider, reined with a wolf-beast. Both elf and goblin were completely surrounded.
The hobgoblins didn't attack, they began circling menacingly, weapons drawn. Five of them held long cleavers, another three with bows. Their leader, wielding a long jagged blade with shark-like teeth.
"Four little rats finally caught, I get to kill you and have my treasure back Dahaha!?" The other hobgoblins sneered and grunted as their leader spoke.
"Please don't kill us" Sid begged already falling to his knees, his hands in prayer.
"Yeah," Bill added, "We were forced to steal from you by that no good elf."
Snark did the same, pointing at the elf while making gurgling noises that sounded like bird chirps. Urek simply laughed mockingly, and the elf boy spoke out, "cowards".
But the goblins didn't care, ignoring him as they continuously begged, wishing life than dignity. The elf boy stood calm, his face expressionless, but he knew his situation was dire. Escaping seemed nigh-impossible, the posse of hob-goblins encircled tightly around them. But then again, for him, impossible was simply another word for hard. He clutched his dagger fiercely, tensed and readied his body. About to make a move- he fell to one knee, clutching his abdomen. His injuries had flared up at the worst time. Searing pains ran through his body, and Urek ordered his men to halt. He glared at the elf triumphantly.
"Even the elf comes to grieve for his life," he mocked, his voice full of ridicule and malice.
"Me, grovelling for anything from you?" the elf retorted, laughing weakly as he willed himself back standing. Forcefully suppressing his injuries, he continued, "Do you even hear yourself..."
Then giving Urek the most taunting smirk, "oh wait".
Urek exploded, a fury like no other coursed throughout his body. The side of his head throbbed a constant reminder of his cut ear. The greatest humiliation he had ever faced. Haunted by nightmares of the incident, the scene playing over and over in his mind. More than driving him insane. He wanted nothing more than to personally tear the elf apart. But still inherently fearful of him. One on one, he would lose, his missing ear evidence of that. Rather than trod forward himself, he let loose the reins of his wolf-beast. It charged at the elf; ignoring the goblins as the taste of their rotten flesh still fresh in its gullet.
The elf jumped onto it and used its body as a propeller, launching off high in the air to escape through the trees. The archers fired on him in midair, their aim was straight, without a change in his trajectory the elf was to be hit. He would not reach the tree in time. 'To die like this, I refuse'.
The elf braced himself when something gripped his collar. It moved him, and the arrows whizzed by, narrowly missing. He looked up to see a furry black and white-winged tiger barely holding him up by its teeth. Before he was quickly dropped a little away from the hobgoblins, the cub unable to support his weight.
Urek ordered all the hobgoblins to assault the elf. However, leaving the wolf-beast to finish the goblins. Though it was reluctant at first, some food was better than none. The monster hungrily approached them, drool dripping from its jaws. Urek and his men had not only the elf but also as it seemed, the animal who saved him. It landed at his side growling fearless at the encroaching hobgoblins. Yet, it displayed no fierceness, the cat-like cub, cuter than anything. Having someone, even such a harmless looking pet, by him eased the pressure if nothing else.
"To be saved then die side by side some furry rodent, haha life loves its little tricks."
The furry animal redirected its growl to the elf, angered by his words.
"What? Don't tell me you understood that-"
"Kill them both," Urek interrupted.
The hobgoblins rode forward. Sabre inhaled and breathed out a gust of flame. Their horses reeled back in fear as a small circle of fire burned around Sabre and the elf.
"A rodent who spits fire, suppose this is the universe's idea of being funny,"
"Grrr"
Urek was quickly getting annoyed, his bowmen readied their aim. The elf braced himself again.
"And we're back where we started. Are you going to save me or kill me, Universe? Just bloody make up your mind."
"Meow"
Urek and his soldiers stopped. They stared at something behind the elf with not only awe but fear. Even their horses were becoming spooked.
The elf slowly turned round to see-
The ground began shaking......