Clutching her wounds, Libi focuses her mind and reminds herself how to control her body when damaged, just as she was forced to training with Uncle.



~SE++

Lucian watches the battle unfold from his vantage in the snow. He sits up for a better view as Tovar eviscerates the remaining grounded goblin. He briefly considers returning to the fight but decides against it. Five against one? I think they can handle this... He sheathes his sword and lies back down, cradling his head with his hands.

Peeking out, Aregano notices that it's just the one goblin left.

He calls out to him "You're the last one standing, so you get the prize. Toss down your weapons, and come down peacefully. We have some questions, and then you can go free. Oh...which of these guys would you say ate the saltiest foods? I find those are the ones that taste the best usually..."

Tovar takes a few steps towards the tree, stopping to pick up a goblin corpse.

He roars at the goblin in the tree. Come down now, and maybe we'll let you live. Or at least, end your suffering quickly. He tries to judge the weight of the goblin corpse he picked up to see if he would be able to throw it far enough.

The goblin eyes Aregano and considers the elf's offer. Then he blanches at Tovar's words. He seems scared, less so because of the barbarian's threat, and moreso because the barbarian is handling his friend-corpse Snowflake like a sac of garbage.

"Um. How 'bout this. Me no give you weapons and me no come down, but me point you to where dragon-men tol' us to guard dragon? Yes? Otherwise me poke more holes in halfing's bleeding whore, yes?" He points his crossbow at Libi.

Speak quickly! Tovar drops the goblin corpse on the ground. You might get a shot off, but it will cost you your life.

The goblin's crossbow shivers a little, then steadies. "Easy easy no get your rabbit furs in a twist! Walk north and you come across goblin tracks in snow. Many tracks there--two foot print for one fighter, yes? Follow those to cave. There another bunch of goblins there, guarding dragon. You go now, yes?"

"Let's retreat!" Nolan cries to the other adventurers, but feeling cheated in his revenge against the goblins. At least many of them died...

Aregano rubs a few of his chins in thought from behind the tree.

"Why did the dragon-men tell you to guard the dragon? And what were you promised in return?"

Lucian stands up and shakes the snow of his uniform before moving forward to the assembled group. Noting the Goblin in the tree he bows slightly before turning to Nolan. "As much as I appreciate your assistance and... convenient timing I have to wonder what exactly a Cleric such as yourself is doing on this mountain alone. Care to enlighten me?"

Nolan retreats outside the crossbow range of the goblin to speak with the tiefling. "Hi, my name is Nolan. My party was hired to slay a baby dragon, but three days ago we were ambushed by goblins. My party was slaughtered. I am the only survivor." He says that last part looking to the ground with a guilty voice. "When I recovered enough from my wounds, I tried to return to Talcar, but without any knowledge of how to do that. Since then I was wandering these woods without hope until I heard the fight."

"Blessed be Avandra!" Nolan says and kisses his holy symbol.

Lucian rolls his eyes as Jason shouts out his prayers. "Well it would seem we are working towards the same goal. You were not by chance hired by a group of Dragonborn were you? Nevertheless if you are fit and willing I would allow you to accompany us on this task. Just remember that while you are here you are working with and under the command of the Tower - which means you are under my command. I trust that will cause no issues?"

Nolan frowns. He is not used to be bossed around by a lowborn person. That is outside the church hierarchy. He wants to spit on the tiefling's face, but instead he swallows his spit and his pride, and he answers his question.

"Yes, we were hired by a group of dragonborns some days ago."

He stops to think a little. The church of The Freedom Path gives him clothes, food and shelter for free, but he needs money if he wants to mount a new expedition to free his lands.

"Okay, I think I can accept that, but I will need a new payment arrangement since the old one is lost. And I need some real food. I am living with just rations for three days now."

The goblin shifts uncomfortably on his perch, eyeing Aregano, then watching the tête-à-tête between Lucian and Nolan. He turns to Aregano and shrugs. "Dragon-men say, 'Here, we give you dragon. Keep in this box. Will make 'frigid air' even when warm. Now we make frigid air every where! Now can you go so I knows you won't be killing me?"

As much as it pains me to allow you to live, a deal is a deal.
Tovar looks around at the group.

He grins, however, if you follow us, or if I ever see you again, I'll gut you.

He starts to walk away

Aregano, still staying behind his tree, continues to stroke his chins.

"Hmm. Did you happen to catch the name of the dragon-men who left the dragon with you? Or if you can remember, what color were they?"

"No name," the goblin says. "But they orange."

Aregano's plump brows furrow as he considers how likely it is that there are two groups of orange dragon-born mixed up in this situation.

"Tovar, could you carve a couple hams off those goblins before we move on?"

"Anyone else troubled by the idea that our employers here might be leading us into a trap of some kind?"

He nods a thank you to the tree goblin as he starts to walk and think.

Tovar eyes Aregano. Don't you know not to eat blue meat? Now dragon meat, I hear that's good stuff.

You think this might be a trap? He wrinkles his forehead. Hadn't thought about that. Either way, we just kill'em all, right?

Aregano seems jarred as he is yanked out of his mental reverie.

"'...don't...eat'?"

His mouth almost refuses to even form the words. He shakes his head...the grin he normally wears fading for a second. Then to himself...

"No, I definitely don't like the taste of that..."

He shuffles over to a goblin corpse, draws his dagger, and deftly butchers a few steaks off the corpse. He wraps them in some cloth taken from the body, and deposits them in his satchel.

His purple hand materializes near the stick he was previously using for walking, and starts to stab into the snow in front of him while he walks. He scoops up a ball of snow, flavors it just so, and takes a bite. He mumbles to himself...

"What would their angle here be? Why leave the dragon with goblins and then send us to get it?"

He munches pensively as he walks.