A Quick Skirmish

"Goblins. Why did it have to be goblins?" Jack muttered to himself, motioning his fellow adventurers close by. Pointing out the five small humanoids, his three companions nodded and drew their weapons. Graven, the large barbarian, smiled and shouted as he charged towards their newfound enemies. "FOR ARCADIA!" Shaking his head, the dark elf followed after, his scimitars in hand. Talia, the third of their party, and the most noble of them (by birth and demeanor) also followed, while Jack slipped into the shadows, hoping to get behind the creatures.

The sense of surprise lost, the party quickly started the fight, the three warriors quickly taking down one opponent each. But as Jack snuck up behind the fourth, an unnoticed twig snapped beneath his feet, alerting the goblin to the danger behind. Smiling, the goblin slashed at Jack, cutting through his armor and creating a deep gouge in his side. His friends, seeing their companion wounded, quickly turned towards the goblin, but stopped as Jack waved his hand. "'Tis but a scratch!" and proceeded to swing his short sword, killing the goblin quickly.

As soon as he said it, though, Jack started thinking. "What? This is not a scratch, and Ason knows, I am not one to disguise my own pain. Have I simply gone mad?" But the thought passed quickly, and soon the fight was over. The band of adventurers looked through the camp the goblins had made, trying to find a clue for their next destination in their quest.

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"Okay, so that's 150 XP for each of you tonight. We'll resolve the perception rolls next week and I'll let you know what you guys find. Oh, and Marty? I'm putting a mark on my Gratuitous Python Quote list for you. Next one and I'm docking you 100 XPs. But good game, everyone. I'll see you on Thursday and email you some details from what the scouts you sent found."

Marty smiled, and put his sheet and notes back in his binder, loading his dice in his bag. Gratuitous? Yes. But it got a smile out of Abby, and that would be worth 1,000 XPs. "Yeah, if only I could be as cool as Jack is with Talia, maybe I'd actually have a chance there," he thought to himself as he headed out.