D&D: HFF: Careful approach, you are not in the best tactical condition
From Create Your Own Story
You take a breath and clear your mind of any distractions. The forest fades into a green background of nothingness; the figures around you become expressionless shapes. The only sound you hear is your steady breath. The only movements you see are the footwork and crude attacks of the goblins. The whole world is moving slower, the colors are dull and distant, your motions a finely calibrated choreography of least exertion and maximum effect. Any attack that wouldn’t take out a target becomes an unnecessary waste of time. Any incoming hit that wouldn’t warrant a more active response is evaded with minimum effort. Now and then, the edge of a weapon brushes against your skin, missing its intended target. A few superficial scratches are an acceptable price to pay for maintaining your tempo and posture.
The goblins attack from every direction with wild determination, putting their full strength behind every hit. They have stopped screaming and cursing now, their breathing becoming harder, their foreheads wet with perspiration. A full minute has passed without even one of them managing to land a good hit. You had the time to measure their reach, their speed, the extent of their skill. You change your stance, throw your hair back and look for an opening.
The goblin to your left makes an overambitious lunge with its pointy stick. It looks so slow and clumsy, even an amateur would know how to respond. The stick is deflected by your dagger, your axe arriving at the same time to separate the goblin’s head from its neck. Before the creatures have time to get over the momentary shock, a kick sends another of the attackers crushing into the shallow stream, the back of its head meeting the wet stones under the surface, painting the cold waters with blood. Another attack comes from your side, the green monster looking pale and desperate as it has just figured it is now the prey, instead of the predator. Your axe moves fast, slicing the air until it chops through flesh and bone and wood, cutting off the goblin’s fingers along with the handle of its club, making it cry in agony. The last attacker shifts its gaze from one defeated monster to the next, its eyes wide with fear. You allow yourself a smug grin and comment “Prepare to meet the big goblin mama in the sky, loser”. It didn’t have time to register your words before your knife was tossed hard into the goblin’s forehead, only the crossguard stopping its flight through the creature’s brains.
The last survivor is still screaming in pain, kneeling and holding its mangled hands in the air. You walk slowly towards it, shaking your hips in a confident gait. You kick it to the ground and kneel over it, bringing your faces close. “How stupid do you feel now?” The goblin is in no shape to respond, whimpering and trembling under your gaze. You decide to end its misery, enough time was wasted and you still have more important things to do. The edge of you axe is pressed on its neck and a sharp pull takes the life out of its eyes.
You stand, shake the hair out of your face and look around. Everything is quiet once again, the forest taking its form again in your eyes, from a green background to a million colors and shapes. The birds and rodents return after a while, getting back to their natural behavior as the riot of loud sounds and violence has ended. You examine the scene and silently take note of your best moves and your mistakes. This was handled well, not your best performance but a pretty good result considering your initial disadvantages.
Looking down at your body you notice all the blood. Most of it isn’t yours but you let a soft sigh when you consider having to bathe again in the icy waters. Oh, well…
It takes a bit more than expected to dislodge the knife from the dead goblin’s skull. You kneel by the stream and wash your weapons until all the disgusting bodily fluids are gone and your can catch your reflection on their blades. You close your eyes and breathe slowly, calming yourself before getting through the chore of washing your skin with freezing water, again, when the very loud sound of a hunting horn comes from the trees somewhere close. The sound echoes for a few moments, distorting as it bounces around the deep canopy, becoming more like the call of a giant wild beast. As it finally subsides you can hear the footsteps coming from the direction the goblins must have arrived. A satyr appears between the trees, a fey of the forest. He is holding a big hunting horn with ornate carving and a spear, carrying a sack made of deer skin on his back. He notices you and gives a big smile
“Fair lady, did you happen to see any goblins pass this wa-“, his question is cut short as he spots the dismembered corpses between him and where you’re standing. He raises a brow, crooks his smile in an expression of amusement and continues “Well, seems like the fair lady handled these ruffians quite well by herself. Would you care for some honeyed wine? It’s the least I can offer for helping me deal with them. Lykomedes the hunter, at your service” he says, giving a courtly, if somewhat exaggerated bow.
