==========

  [Sigurd]

  “Look out” he called, hoping for some miracle to intervene in the coming calamity. Perhaps Jenna would leap away or get rescued. Alas it didn’t happen, and he came thundering down the slope digging his pick into the ice as hard as he could. Sending ice chips flying as he slid, screeching ever closer.

  He swept her feet out from under her as he continued in his uncontrolled slide; he tried his best to catch her before she slammed down onto the ice. Whilst she didn’t land on the ice, she did land on top of him and as they came to a stop, Sigurd felt himself blushing.

  She looked away in a hurry, twisting so that they both splayed out on the ice. Sigurd breathed a sigh of relief and relaxed for a second before he climbed to his feet.

  Standing over Jenna, he offered a hand to her as she laughed at their misfortune.

  “Sorry about that, I’m a bit old for slides nowadays.” He said with a chuckle, lifting her to her feet.

  She coloured up nice and red at that and accepted his hand with a demure smile.

  “Thanks Sigurd” she mumbled, awkwardly.

  “Ah it’s no trouble, might be partly my fault after all.” He laughed.

  They walked over to Jackson, sliding their feet along the ice as they heard Sebastien set off, making sure to get out of the crash zone.

  Seb managed to skate down with significant skill, not quite as controlled as Kael had seemed but unlike Jackson, Jenna or himself, the man did manage to stay on his feet. Impressive.

  “Nice one” Sigurd complemented, congratulating him on his dextrous performance. Seb smiled back.

  “Thank…Look out!” he blurted as surprise and fear spread over his features.

  As if in slow motion, Sigurd spun around, ducking as he went. Across his vision blurred a shadow, framed in white, tearing the air as it went and leaving a trail of frosty whispers and cold air that swept past him raising the hairs on his neck and sending shivers down his spine.

  Ice blue globes of hatred stood out in the whiteness of Sigurd’s surroundings, their angry glare, sliding into him like a knife in the ribs.

  Like a thunderclap the sound of crunching metal reverberated around the room. A solitary clap that shattered the light-hearted fun. The world sped back up again and Jackson flew back, his armour dented in the front as the yeti’s blow landed true.

  Regaining composure, Sigurd scrambled forward, raising his axe up high as he shoulder-barged Jenna out of the way. The yeti’s arm had swung back in for another blow.

  The arm was already higher than his short stature. Sigurd thought that being a part dwarf had at least one advantage when facing such big enemies, reaching him was difficult.

  The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.

  The axe was ripped from his hands as the yeti’s tough fur sliced open around the blade on its return swing.

  The force of it spinning him around, sending Sigurd to his knees, scorching blood from the wound spraying him with the thick lifeblood that had fed its brutish, now severed limb. At least it hadn’t hit Jenna.

  With a shout, Sebastien launched himself at the yeti, sword glowing blue as the magic activated in time for a savage blow that speared into the back of the creature.

  Another spurt of blood burst out of the creature as Sebastien landed.

  The yeti roared in unbridled pain and thrashed around, sending Sebastien sliding back as he was kicked away.

  A searing heat passed by his back and burst forth into his vision as a bolt of intense fire slammed into the yeti. The howling fireball from Lorelei ate away at the tough matted fur of the monster, exposing its black flesh.

  She had arrived at a perfect time.

  The yeti stumbled back but didn’t fall over and Sigurd took the chance to close in on it. Pulling the daggers from his belt and slashing at its unprotected area in a flurry.

  The few moments of its unbalanced teetering stopped and it responded in short order, spinning and raking its sharp claws at him.

  Sigurd felt his back flay open as the skin, muscle and tissue ripped and shredded apart under the yeti’s claws. Pain lanced into him, catching his breath, but he ignored it, focusing on what was in front of him. He was the only front-line fighter available and this time he had to tank it.

  Thankfully, Jenna quickly hit him with a greater healing spell and he felt his body knit back together. Blood gushing flesh, raw and exposed became woven fibres of muscles sheathed in a thick layer of skin, protecting him f as he worked at the yeti, daggers flashing, he opened up the beast with a resounding fury driving his every action.

  Sigurd screamed, releasing all his might as another blow slashed open his back again and the pain and anger washed over him. He used it and further strengthened his blows, cutting deeper and deeper into the yeti. Gore coated his forearms and the beast collapsed with another roar, its strength failing as he decimated its innards, his back being slashed and re-healed as the yeti and Jenna fought a differing battle at the same time.

  It let out a final choking cough as the great lungs stopped expanding and the final beat of its great heart pumped out one more gout of blood.

  Sigurd fell back, crying out in pain as he landed hard on the ice, wound flaring in such intense pain that he felt his mind grow faint.

  He took a few shallow breaths as the pain grasped his heart in its icy fingers.

  As he let his head fall to the side, he saw Jackson, crumpled on the floor, ice spikes from the wall piercing his great steel armour and blood welling up from the entry points.

  ‘Ah, shit’ he thought, blackness followed soon after.

  =========

  [Marrok]

  The goblins made it to the dungeon after only a few hours of walking and just at the right time too as they saw, clustered around the entrance, a group of humans: adventurers.

  Marrok felt hatred curl in his gut, oh he’d love to bash their brains in, kill them, torture them. He hated humans. The others felt similarly, and he felt more than saw them get their hackles up at the humans by their dungeon.

  But sense prevailed and he quickly pushed the group off into the bushes, careful to remain unseen. He had heard that the guild often sent very strong teams to test out dungeons and this group seemed organised and well equipped.

  He knew that he needed to be clever about this, his tribe was small and they had just moved, with the dungeon to train in and the humans that would flock to it they would be set for their tally if they played this right. But it was tricky, he couldn’t afford to get it wrong.

  Sighing, and passing up the opportunity for another mark on his tally, he motioned to retreat.

  “What’s up Chief” Lorg asked.

  “Yeah, what’s the plan?” Shull this time.

  “How we gonna get them?”

  “We’re not!” he said firmly.

  “What?”

  “Why?”

  “Chief, you can’t do this, we can get another mark for our tally, show these humans we’re to be feared and prove ourselves.”

  “I would love to as well my brothers, but I have heard about this. When a dungeon is first discovered, the humans’ adventurers guild send out a very strong group to evaluate it. Look at them. Are they organised?”

  “Yes Chief”

  “Are they well equipped?”

  “Yes Chief”

  “That’s why I think we’ll likely die if we go at them, but we’ll also give away our presence, lose access to the dungeon and get the tribe chased away. Look, I hate humans like the rest of you, but if we play this right, we can pick off groups of tired adventurers when they come out of the dungeon – for years, killing them, and gaining much glory for the tribe and ourselves.”

  “Got it Marrok” Forroll said, “if we play this right boys we are golden, but if we fuck it up we’ll be chased off again.”

  “So, what are we gonna do Chief?”

  “We camp out here, watch for them to come back out and then we go in. Train in the meantime and let’s be smart about this.”

  “Got it boss”

  “Yep”

  “Sound.”

  They replied in various forms of assent. This was why Marrok was glad he had chosen them, someone like Glady would never have restrained himself. But this group were more intelligent, they could plan for the future, and he knew he would make them the most feared goblin tribe in all the land if they could play this right. Perhaps they would all become hobgoblins too.

  “Come on then, let’s find a clearing to train in where we can watch the entrance,” he said, driving the group up the mountain side.