Day 24: A Friend in Need

I've been trying more and more to piece together just what happened the other night. It seems pretty clear that Grens doesn't have the power to reanimate Junior if he is destroyed. If he did he wouldn't be so protective of him.

That leaves me with the unsettling idea that the Demon--which is the only name I can think of for whatever is controlling us PC's--that the Demon somehow undid me and Tallow's raid. That raises even more questions though. Most notably how, why and how do we stop it.

The thing is, if the Demon can not only control our actions in the moment (how we speak, who we fight, everything) but can also go back and edit things in the past, then do we really have any free will at all? Or is the Demon some kind of Fate that hangs over every aspect of our lives?

Worst of all, where do our memories go? I remember very clearly that Tallow and I killed that skeleton. But I'm the only one, it seems, even though all four of us were there. Tallow's always acted like this PC thing is perfectly normal, and I can never tell if he's faking or really believes it. The wizard has every reason in the world to lie to me and string me along. But even Gunth acts like he doesn't remember anything, and he just about died of laughter when he saw the skeleton dead. Now when I mention it he looks at me like I'm crazy. I'm the only one of the lot of us who actually seems to know what's going on!

Well, we've got a more immediate concern. We've been following this trail, landmark by landmark, and sure enough we found more evidence that we're not the only ones. Tracks, in a few places. At first I thought we'd just found a wolf track, but the prints were awfully big and then we saw footprints farther down the way. It looks like these hobgoblins have a large number of dogs with them and are wearing hard-soled military shoes. Not a good sign.

Last night we saw smoke only one mountain away. It was from the other side of the mountain, and so faint it was hard to tell how big their camp might be. Way I figured it they must have a single giant fire in order to put out that much smoke, but Gunth wasn't so sure. We hid ourselves well off the main trail and had no fire.

So this morning we set out real slow. We went down into the next valley and as we came out of the treeline Tallow helped us put together bundles of branches to hold over our heads as camouflage. We event tied some to the burro. Not great up close but from the top of the next mountain it could fool a rear scout.

We made it across the valley and started up the next side. This side was pretty sparse on trees so we kept the bundles. It was a grueling, sweaty climb with those branches but I wasn't about to put mine down. As we approached the point where the trail broke the ridgeline, we halted and let Tallow scout ahead. He came back and reported it was clear.

From that point on we were on high alert. As a small company we were moving fast compared to whatever military force was ahead. We knew we were gaining on them. So we started walking off the trail, and pausing frequently for Tallow to scout ahead. The trail doesn't run over the very tops of the mountains, just sort of loops over their shoulders, but being near the ridge still gave us a great view up ahead. We were coming down a south slope again so there were more trees. We ditched our bundles and kept weapons out at all times. Tallow sneaked around way ahead, then I led the burro (officially making me the main target) and Gunther guarded Grens at the rear. It wasn't that I wanted to be attached to the noisiest member of the party, but I actually found it a lot more palatable than holding the wizard's hand and staring down his skeleton all afternoon.

Eventually Tallow came back from one of his scouting expeditions with a worried look on his face. "Rock outcropping ahead," he panted. "I shimmied up and took a look. They're stopped down there."

"Can you tell how many?" I asked.

Tallow snorted. "Of course I can. About two score, maybe four dozen. A few riders, not many."

"Riders?"

"Yeah on flippin' dire wolves? Gods man, you sure you were a soldier?"

I didn't respond.

Tallow went on. "Anyway, way I figure it if they're holding position we ought to do the same. I wouldn't move up on 'em till we have a real plan. Which, by the way, we're gonna need real damn soon."

"We're not gonna come up with it here," Gunher said. "We should pull back a little. They might be stopped 'cuz they know they're being tailed. We should pull back and get off the trail till we decide how to proceed."

"Yeah, that's a lot of beast men," I agreed.

"No shit. Awright, any objections Wizard? Your boner over there got any ideas?" Grens didn't answer. "Awright, let's get out of here. Peaceful contact my ass."

So we back-tracked a bit, then cut even farther off the trail. Eventually we found a spot that had three things we needed: a bowl-shaped depression to get us out of the wind, real thick conifers to hide us, and a protruding rock ledge from which to spy on our neighbours. We convinced Grens to leave Junior a full 200 feet downhill from us, on the side toward the trail. That way we got the burro up where we could keep an eye on it and where the corpse wouldn't scare it. Then we set about planning.

We all agreed from the outset that just walking up to them was a bad idea. Even unarmed under a white banner of peace we'd probably be attacked. They weren't called beast men for nothing, and an unarmed human was just easy pickings for them. So we had to come up with some other plan.

I'm not gonna recount all the arguing. Basically we had three different plans, championed by three different people. Mine, of course, was the best.

What I said we ought to do is find someplace we could really fortify--a rock formation with walls on all sides, a narrow defile with lots of cover, something where a few people could hold against a large force and where cavalry (or gods-damned wolf cavalry) would be useless. We make sure to line some of the defensive locations with a bunch of sharpened poles, like we have a whole troop of levied spearmen up here. Then we light campfires and wait for the hobgoblins to come to us. When they do, they'll either attack us (in which case we hold our ground and cut them up) or realise they're in a weak way and try to bargain with us. And that's all we want in the first place. There's a chance they'd try to circle around us, but given my experience with goblins that wasn't likely.

Gunther didn't like that plan. I think he just disliked it because of the amount of work it would take. He preferred that we sneak up to their camp in the early morning, just before dawn. That's a weak time for a camp even if you're nocturnal (though these creatures seemed to be moving by day). We head in from one of the sides and do some butchering. Basically hit 'em hard, then pull out and run. Do it again if needed, with maybe a feint in between. He reasoned that the only way we're going to get hobgoblins to talk with us is if we pound their numbers down to nothing first. I pointed out that we could do that from a defensive position as I had suggested, but he just can't get it through his head.

Tallow had his own idea. He figured that if we were going to get near enough the camp to attack anyway, we may as well go in with a goal. He wanted to identify the beasts' leader and abduct the poor bastard, then force him to come to terms with us. This was altogether the stupidest plan I'd ever heard. Getting in was risky enough on its own. Taking the goblin king alive and getting out seemed impossible. And these critters weren't rational human beings like the rest of us. They'D probably disown their leader and fight to succeed him. Loyalty seemed unlikely. So we'd be left with a single useless hostage and no leverage whatsoever.

Since the knuckleheads didn't agree with me I asked Grens. I figured that no matter how much he hated me he had to value his own life and he was probably smart enough to know that my defensive idea was the safest plan we had. When I asked him, all heads turned to him.

Grens stayed silent a long time, then spoke up. "I stay at the rear. I do as I please. I support you as long as I can and if I am in danger I run. Once we pull out we'll be doing a lot of running so be ready. I'm not taking any living hostages. We damage them, we run, and we wait and see. That's the plan I vote for."

Tallow and Gunther agreed it was our best bet. Then I agreed it was our best bet. I didn't really, of course, but the Demon made me say it. So it was agreed.

"Can we at least put up some defences here?" I griped. "They're gonna chase us somewhere, it may as well be a place we can hold."

"I want to get enough rest tonight," said Tallow. "But I'll heLp you till it's dark out."

That only gave us a couple of hours. What we did was sharpen stakes to surround the bottom of the rock ledge, which would be our holdout. We had to use thin poles and knives because the sound of a handaxe chopping would echo for miles. We chose the place where we would tie the donkey right outside palisade and the place where Junior would fight from inside, so that the donkey would spook and get in the enemy's way. We piled up deadwood, dry needles and plants in several places and had firewood and tinder just waiting to be lit inside the palisade. Hopefully we could start the fire quick before they caught up to us and then stop a few of them as they came past the burn heaps. We even secured ropes so that in a pinch we could swing off the sides of the ledge to run away on the slope below. Not bad.

As night fell we noticed there was no hobgoblin campfire below us. Tensely, we went over the plan again. We would sneak down, fan out, and let Tallow scout. We'd kill any hobgoblin scouts along the way. Tallow had a signal to give if he was spotted while spying and, if not, we'd all go in together. We were each to kill four hobgoblins before pulling out. We went over tactics and battle commands and nominated Gunther to be in charge during the raid. We ate cold food in silence and then got ready for some nervous sleep. I thought bitterly of all the sliding-rock traps I could have made if I'd been given time to properly plan our defences.

Gunther and I placed our bedrolls near each other, with Grens a little farther down. Tallow was on first watch. Before I could even pull my blanket over me, I heard the unmistakable call of a bluejay.

Bluejays only come out in the daytime.

I prodded Gunther and held up one finger for him to stay silent. Another bluejay call, and then silence. It was coming from uphill, which meant there was no skeleton between us and them. Shit.

I motioned to Tallow, and he looked up to where I was pointing. We both reached for weapons. Just then, another sound:

"Peash! Pegash in par-ten, shudder mon." We all stayed perfectly still, waiting for the inevitable attack.

And waiting.

"Peash eh shay, un come in peash, non fighteng tirnight!"

I didn't know what to do. Did it just say what I thought it just said? I guess it did kind of sound like goat mating, the way they talked. It was similar to the goblins I'd heard but deeper and a bit more garbled.

"If you come in peace then show yourself," yelled Gunther.

"In come out, non fighteng! Non shooting! Treat wish regard!"

"Okay, just come out."

The brush rustled on the ridge above us. We saw a single silhouette emerge and slowly put his hands in the air. I couldn't believe it. This thing was as big as a tall human! And strong, and a veteran by his looks. He was nothing like the little goblins I'd fought!

"In come to rirquesht. In come fon friendership. Need help orf human. Need help en camp."

"Did you come alone?"

"Non! More up hirll. More watcher men. Come fon help orfet!"

The guy's accent made me want to chuckle, but my nerves were stretched tight enough to pop. I didn't like this. I worried they had a trap for us. Tallow, to his credit, played it cool.

"What help? What can we do for you?"

"Many wournders. Wourn--wournded. En camp. Come help heal, come help heal!"

"Grens, they think you're a healer," whispered Gunther.

"That's becaause he is a healer," I hissed over to him.

Tallow continued. "We would be honoured to meet with your leaders, and help your healers as best we can."

"Don't do this, Tallow!" Now it was Grens' turn to whisper desperately.

"Arren healersh not livern. Fire birng--fire es bad! Arren healersh die in fight. Many wourn, wourndeds. Come wish!"

"Please Tallow, don't do it," continued Grens.

"We will come with our healer, if you do not attack us. We will come only on our temrs. Do you understand?"

"Esh! Come!"

"Do you understand?"

The hogboblin looked almost angry from impatience. "Esh! Conme on urreh termsh! Come on owrn termsh! Come nahr!"

"Okay guys," said Tallow. "Looks like we have a relief mission to do."

I have to go--

Editor's note: The entry breaks off suddenly. Nothing further was written that day.