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Baelerwyn was on his feet with weapons drawn. "Any ideas?"
Malphus tossed the runic-glass spectacles to the ground and roared as he brought his hammer down. They shattered as a few of the smaller goblins flinched. Malphus spoke in a low tone. "You want to kill the last dwarf on this wretched continent, do ya? Now's your chance!"
The leader bared his teeth and howled.
Baelerwyn protested, "Malphus!"
Malphus surged forward as five of the goblins met him head on. The taller one swung, but Malphus had anticipated the arc. He barreled into the goblin and sent it hurling into two others behind it.
Two more leapt into the air to converge on the dwarf. Malphus's hammer caught both of them in a single swing. They crashed against the stone wall of the building, broken bones protruding from torn flesh.
Baelerwyn had kicked Zalmo back inside. "Shut the door and keep it that way!" There were too many to have to keep an eye out for the gnome.
The elf moved around, bouncing between each of the goblins, trying not to let them surround him.
A dagger struck deep into his shield. The Feir'Dal rotated the buckler downwards, pulling the goblin with it. His axe swept in from overhead with a crack. He rebounded just in time to avoid another vicious thrust.
The remaining three near Malphus advanced towards his exposed back. Malphus spun around with a crushing swing. His hammer caught the closest goblin's foot. It screeched in pain. The hammer sang upwards to stretch the creature up off its feet. It dropped to the ground like a rag doll.
The leader was stunned, trying to muster the courage to keep up the attack, but his legs wouldn't budge. Malphus grunted as he tossed his hammer straight at its chest. The tall goblin ducked to the ground. The heavy weapon sailed straight into the goblin behind the leader.
The tall one stood, amazed that it was still alive. However, the dwarf was now without his dooming hammer. It grinned, dropped its shield, and drew a second blade.
The two charged into each other. The curved blades shot towards Malphus's gut. The knives stopped with only the tips stabbing into the dwarf. Two stubby gloved hands gripped the goblin's wrists.
They stood face to face, locked in savage combat. The goblin snapped at Malphus, tearing off a patch of his beard. The daggers dug in deeper. Malphus winced in pain as he was forced against the stone wall.
The goblin's tongue lolled in its mouth, "I'm going to savor every bite of your flesh, dwarf." Its spittle was hot upon Malphus's face.
The dwarf's arms began to shake. "Here's a taste for ya!" Malphus jerked the goblin's arms out horizontally. The daggers split through the dwarf's sides as the goblin fell face first into a bearded head-butt. It landed flat on its back while chocking on its own teeth. Malphus scooped up the daggers and planted them into the scrambling fiend's calves.
Zalmo peaked out from behind the door. Malphus looked like he could barely stand, but without an immediate danger.
Baelerwyn was faring worse. There were no major wounds visible on the wood elf, but he had slowed considerably. The two aqua goblins surrounding him were faster than the others. They kept their distance, waiting for the moment to deliver a killing blow.
His mind raced. Think Zalmo, think! He pulled his pack tight to his frame as he did whenever his adrenaline rushed. It dawned on him. The pack. He ran full tilt at the two blue-skinned assailants.
Baelerwyn saw the gnome racing in. "Zalmo, no, stay back!" The exhausted elf pleaded.
"Ever seen a gnome before?" The closest attacker turned it's pointy-eared head toward the voice. Zalmo slid between its legs through to the other side.
The tomahawk twirled through the air into the creature's skull.
The other goblin took off after Zalmo.
The gnome ran as fast his short legs could carry him. The fiend was gaining fast.
Zalmo waited until he felt it grappling with the belts on his backpack. He stopped, dropped and pulled a little ripcord that he'd fashioned for such an occasion.
The pack opened an air pocket that sprayed seeds into the tackling goblin's face. Zalmo called the botanical evervine, a magic-crafted vine that grew endlessly at astonishing rates whenever the seeds were exposed to the sun. They sprouted as tangling roots flowed into the flailing goblins mouth, ears, eyes and throat.
The creature fell to the ground. Mere seconds later the thrashing stopped as the vines continued to expand throughout the twitching corpse. Zalmo found himself in a mix of relief, dread, and fascination.
Malphus staggered towards his weapon, blood trickling down his sides. It lay heavy upon the grass next the splattered brains of the unlucky. He stood over the two wailing goblins he had swept against the building.
He lifted the hammer and their crying moans turned to screams. The pain in his torso bit into him as the hammer dropped again and again and again. Baelerwyn rushed over to Malphus just in time to catch him as he fell. His almond shaped eyes looked over the dwarf's wounds. "You're hurt badly, you fool."
Malphus roared, "Not as badly as I'm going to hurt that one!"
Fear overtook anguish on the prostrate leader's face. It removed one of the daggers with a curse, and gave a wet, hair-raising chuckle. "I won't have the pleasure of tasting your vermin flesh, but he will. You're all dead!" It drove the blade into its heart.
To be continued...
