Zilo sits for about an hour waiting for his friends, as suddenly Alaroc runs up to him frantically.
"Zilo! We have a job! Now!"
Zilo stands just in time for Alaroc to hoist him up in a fireman's carry.
"OH! Up we go, So we have our first job, where are the others?"
"Cruxis is already there, and May was informed, Maldrek is in the middle of making a deal."
Zilo hops off of Alaroc and begins running along with him.
"Sorry Al your swaying was making me sick."
"What swayi-" Alaroc is interrupted by a fence that he stumbles over drunkenly.
"Come on Al, we gotta move or else ... what's the job actually, you never said."
Alaroc holds his head as he stands up a bit to fast before running and speaking, "A group of Hobgoblin bandits are attacking a family, according to Cruxis."
"Cruxis found it out?" asks Zilo as they he waves at the gate guards that they bolt past.
"He was there when it happened. Then he sent Maldrek a message, but he's hiding with the family. They should be to the left over that ridge." Says Alaroc pointing toward the horizon.
The two reach the ridge and see May staring dumbfounded at the location in question. Once they reach her, both Alaroc and Zilo stare at the same thing as May, both taking up a spot to her left and right. Each stares with a shocked expression.
"You gotta be freaking kidding me." Says the man in a helm from another realm in front of Alaroc's Parchment.
"DAVE WHY!? WHY DID YOU GO TO THE FARM AGAIN!?" Shouts the man in the hat with Zilo's Parchment.
"Hey it paid off didn't it?" Says Dave.
"That's not the Point!" Shouts the woman with May's Parchment.
"And that's why I secretly messaged Jones that I was going to the farm this time. So I wouldn't be yelled at for it. So anyway I'm with the family right?" Asks Dave facing the man called Jones.
"Yes hiding in in the stables, What does Cruxis do?" Asks Jones, grabbing for a 20-Sided-Die.
Cruxis crouches looking along the stables for an able bodied horse with a man, woman, and teenage boy. Then Cruxis looks to the ridge and spots his friends.
"Okay lad, I think I see my companions ready to strike, are you ready with the gate?" Asks the paladin pointing to the teenage boy at the entrance.
"I'm ready sir." Responded the boy.
Suddenly the gate's bar is raised and Cruxis and the horses charge out of the stable into the homestead.
Around a dozen men clad in armor and leather turn to see Cruxis and the horses with the house on the left and the barn on the right. The bandits in front of the stable doors get knocked over as the horses rush past them.
As the Bandits recover and stand, Cruxis bashes them in the skull with either the flat of his blade or the front of his shield. After a few moments of confusion over the stampede the rest of the bandits have their weapons up, out and pointed at Cruxis. The family runs to their house for safety.
Cruxis has his eye on all of them, save for the quiet one at his flank with a dagger. The quiet one creeps up next to him and plants his dagger deep into Cruxi's side. Cruxis falls to his knees and the rest of the bandits charge. The Man's skill with a blade showed his mastery of the Rogue arts.
Before they can descend upon the downed Paladin, Alaroc streaks in from their flank and in one swift motion takes down three of the bandits at the front of the pack as a familiar inspiring melody circulates in the air.
As the quiet bandit sees his companions fall he rears back to fatally wound Cruxis. Just as the blade struck toward the hero's neck a scythe flies out in front of the bandit and rakes him back and away.
"Took you long enough." Said the Paladin healing his wounds as he stands back up.
"Hey that's a really tall ridge, anyway any of these guys stand out as a leader?" Asks May squaring off back to back with Cruxis.
As she asks Zilo is suddenly thrown through the air at the swinging stable doors, hitting his head on impact.
"Just him." Says Cruxis pointing to a behemoth of a half-orc, standing at least foot taller than Alaroc with only a hide skirt to hide his shame and a giant two handed club. The rest of the bandits look to have been downed from Alaroc's blade and Zilo's bow.
The Orc hybrid looked uncultured and the angry spark in his eye showed the telltale sign of a Hateful Rager Barbarian.The giant man stepped forward and snarled at Alaroc, who stood between him and the 3 healers.
"Humans!? I hate humans like you." Grumbled the huge man with the look of personal scars against pure bloods like Alaroc, Cruxis, and May. Possibly also Zilo since there is little chance he knows or cares what a fetchling is.
Alaroc Leaps up to strike at the man's head, but he the Barbarian puts up his forearm in an unexpected block. Alaroc's blade plants itself a good quarter of the way into the huge tricep, before Alaroc is blasted a good 10 meters away from being side swiped by the massive club and colliding with the family house.
"RAAAAAH!!!!"
The giant man storms forward and whirls his massive club at the two humans. Cruxis lifts his shield and tries his best to hold his ground, but the sheer force of the giant is too much and he is also blasted into the distance along with a sickening crack from Cruxis's arm.
The huge man follows his attack along with a forward kick into May's blocking scythe. If two well trained warriors are obliterated by the Man's blows, it isn't hard to assume that May fairs any better. Luckily for her, Zilo is back up from his flight and he catches her so she isn't as crippled as the others.
Zilo winces as him and May look to the giant barbarian baring down on him.
"This guy is built like a Stone Golem. normally Maldrek makes a plan by now, so if you have a suggestion..." asks the bard worriedly as the man approaches.
"Not a plan, but I something is bugging me, I gotta look into something." With that May sweeps around and behind the stable leaving Zilo to deal with the raging enemy.
Just as the Club is about to break Zilo's skull, a dagger flies into the half breed's arm and gives Zilo enough room to side step to safety. The giant looks to where the dagger came from and sees Cruxis with his shield and sword on the ground and his arm extended out while his left arm dangles, broken.
Zilo skips to his side eyeing the huge man as Cruxis says, "Come on big guy, I ain't done yet."
"Me either." Says a voice from behind. The big man looks back to see Alaroc with blood dripping down his neck and onto his clothes while he holds his blade pointed to the large man.
"AAAAAAARRRRRRRHHHH!!!!!!" Shouts the giant as he hurls his club at Cruxis and Zilo while charging them. Zilo and Cruxis each hit the deck and Zilo quickly rolls to the side taking a knee and firing an arrow at the huge man, planting it in his chest to no effect.
Cruxis takes a knee and lifts up his blade, swinging for the charging man's side. he lands a solid chop, but takes a nasty punch to the jaw and is sent sprawling to the ground.
Alaroc charges in and cleaves his sword into the giant's shoulder, but is swiftly donkey kicked in the face. The big man now looks at the reloading Zilo. The Giant reaches back and rips Alaroc's sword From his shoulder awkwardly, giving Zilo the time to nail him with two more arrows.
The giant lumbers forward with blood flowing from his nasty shoulder wound. he takes a few steps over to Zilo and readies a giant swing, but before he can land a surely fatal blow, he falls to the ground.
Zilo slowly stands, looking over the barbarian with a big pool of blood forming. Cruxis crawls over to the fallen foe and quickly casts Stabilize to keep the giant alive till they can bring him in.
Alaroc holds himself up with his blade as Zilo begins passing around some healing spells.
"That was a hell of a fight, well done friends!"
Suddenly May bursts out of the barn and runs toward the recovering warriors and she shouts to them.
"We got a problem!"
Cruxis looks to her, puzzled. "But we just took care of the leader."
May stops to catch her breath in front of them and says, "That guy wasn't the leader, their leader is way worse, I just got away from him."
"How bad could he be?" Shrugs Zilo as the rest of the group looks to the open barn doors.
Standing there they see another Hobgoblin, but much cleaner looking and wearing a well crafted long robe. in his right hand he holds a wand sparking with electricity and in the other hand he holds an open thick leather bound book that looks to be sparking and flaming with an eerie glow.
"They have a Maldrek." Says Alaroc reaching for his flask.
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