MERCS:

  Christoph ‘The Bowman’ Gerd

  ‘I’ll go with you,’ Ashlyn said, changing her mind at the last moment.

  ‘I don’t want you to,’ Christoph told her. ‘It’s my decision to go back to the farm. It’s probably not a very good one. I’m not dragging anyone else into it.’

  ‘I’m not letting you go alone. It’s just—’

  He put a hand to her face, and looked into her brown eyes, flecked with green. He still found it amazing that she had chosen to be with him. ‘You have something you need to do. I have something I need to do. In an ideal world, we’d do it together. But this world isn’t like that.’

  She nodded. ‘Alright. I’ll see you soon.’

  ‘I’m counting on it.’ Christoph left her. He didn’t think he’d have found the strength to do it before. But Stiff had promised to look after her, and he had faith in his captain.

  Christoph made the short journey southwest. Not only was his family home close to Linby, but it was close to the land route from Dorwich to Avolo. Its location had been a great asset to his parents’ farm—demand for their produce had always been high, allowing them to expand.

  Now, however, that location had become a danger. He knew they’d be unwilling to desert what they had built. But it was unfeasible that the rampaging goblin warriors, desperate to keep their people fed, would not come upon such a resource. And take whatever they want.

  As soon as he arrived, Christoph was treated like a returning hero. His mother grabbed him, and he wondered whether she would ever let go. His little sisters looked shyly at him, as if he was now a stranger. His father had an unending set of questions about his experiences with Stiff’s company. He told a few stories, but he felt uncomfortable about boasting too much; or of worrying his family. He missed out incidents such as shooting Ashlyn; and decided against mentioning skeletons.

  While his family prepared a celebratory meal, he was relieved to escape with Wade for a walk. They conducted a circuit of the property, trying to work out how to defend the place. ‘It hasn’t changed at all,’ Christoph commented.

  Wade puffed out a breath. ‘Don’t tell your aunt that. She’s had me fixing this and that ever since we got here.’

  ‘And how does the farming life suit you?’

  ‘Not at all. I am ill suited to the work. But I get to spend my days with Femke, who is very suited to it. Eden is safe here. So overall, no regrets.’

  ‘But Eden is safe no longer,’ Christoph told him.

  ‘You really think the goblins will come here? It’s hard to imagine. It’s like this place exists apart from the rest of the world.’

  ‘I know. I grew up here, remember? But they’ll come, and I need you to convince my parents that we need to be ready.’

  ‘Of course. And your auntie is a sensible woman. It’s her they’ll listen to.’

  You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

  They discussed the issue over dinner, once Christoph’s sisters and Eden had been excused from the table. It made Christoph feel like an adult. Of course you’re an adult, he reprimanded himself.

  ‘I don’t think they’ll find us,’ his mother said, clearly in denial. ‘We are hidden by the woodland. They’ll walk straight past on their way south, without realising we’re here.’

  Femke frowned at her sister-in-law, but stopped short of arguing.

  ‘We need to prepare,’ Christoph’s father admitted. ‘But we’re not leaving the farm to become refugees and die in the gutter in Avolo. If we’re going to die, it’ll be here.’

  The Bowman knew this would be his father’s take. He also knew he wouldn’t be dissuaded. ‘Then we need a place to hide people.’

  ‘Already got one,’ said Wade. ‘Trapdoor in the cowshed. Right, Femke?’

  ‘Yes, that’s the best place. The barns are susceptible to fire.’

  ‘What?’ asked his mother. ‘The goblins will burn down our buildings?’

  ‘I hope not,’ Femke said. ‘But we must be prepared for anything.’

  It wasn’t easy to plan a defence of the farm. The goblins might attack from any direction. If they came from Dorwich, it would be through the trees that fringed the north and west of the property. From Linby, it would be through the muddy fields on the east side, where they grew crops and usually kept their herds.

  What they did have some control over, was where the fighting would take place.

  When Femke, on lookout duty, caught sight of the goblin band’s approach, she whistled a warning. Everyone knew where to take position. Christoph’s father took the non-combatants to the cowshed. The farmhouse was left empty. With any luck, it would remain unharmed.

  Christoph made his way to the cow field. The cattle lowed at his passing, probably asking for their evening feed. But they soon accepted his presence and didn’t fuss. He readied his bow and arrows, then watched.

  He saw the goblins approaching from the south, short spears gripped in both hands. His aunt backtracked ahead of them, picking her way towards one of the barns that clustered on the south side of the estate.

  The goblins had clearly seen her and picked up their pace. Christoph’s heart sank as he took in their numbers. There were a score of them—it was on the high side of their estimates for a raiding party. Their number, and the direction they had come from, indicated that they hadn’t stumbled on the farm by chance. It was possible it had been scouted by a sharp sighted goblin scout last night, evading detection from whoever had been on watch.

  ACTION ROUND

  Auntie entered one of the barns, closing the door behind her.

  Christoph could have fired at the goblins as they approached. But it wasn’t part of the plan, and the angle and distance weren’t in his favour. Instead, he waited.

  A scream tore the night. Christoph grinned. A goblin had fallen into one of the pit traps they had dug around the barns—that Femke had been careful to avoid. The loss of 5 hit points and 1 action point wasn’t much in the big scheme of things. But it was a start. The only thing more satisfying than a trap working was an arrow hitting its target. He hoped to experience that feeling before long.

  The goblins went careful now, quick to learn. Half of them piled into the barn after Auntie, the rest waiting outside. They were more cautious in their approach than Christoph had given them credit for, and tendrils of doubt materialised.

  He caught a glimpse of movement on the roof of the barn. That was his cue. He selected an arrow of conflagration and put it to his bow string. Christoph admired Wade’s guts. Fighting in a battle was one thing. Sneaking around unarmed—putting your life on the line with only your skills of evasion to protect you—was something he couldn’t do.

  Wade retreated, a dark blur that leapt from the roof of the barn to its neighbour. Christoph aimed and released. His arrow lodged into the roof of the barn. Not long after, flickers of flame sparked into life.

  Christoph had to hope nothing had gone wrong with their plan. He prayed that Wade hadn’t acted before Auntie Femke had escaped from the barn. Had to hope that Wade had managed to attach his jammer bar to the barn door.

  The fire was taking—spreading fast on the dried thatch of the barn roof. Smoke billowed into the sky. There were cries of alarm from the goblins outside.

  Damn, didn’t take them long to spot it.

  One of them rushed to the door and yanked on it, but Wade’s jammer held firm. He heard shouts and banging coming from the interior of the barn, as the trapped goblins sought a way out.

  Now was the time for Christoph to shoot. He targeted the nearest goblin, and was elated when the arrow hit on the first time of asking. He was flabbergasted when the goblin hit the ground from just one strike. His proficiency with bows, enhanced by his Bracers of Archery, had taken 15 points of damage. It wasn’t quite enough to kill the goblin outright, but taking it out of the fight was all he needed.

  The other goblins reacted instantly, dropping to the ground or heading for cover. Not only that, the distance The Bowman was firing required careful aim. It meant, despite his new proficiency, he needed an action to target the next goblin before he could fire. He would only get off one more shot this turn.

  The pressure probably got to him, because the arrow didn’t get enough flight and failed to reach his second target.

  While Wade and Auntie kept a low profile, the goblins moved next. Christoph could hear the roar from the barn as the wooden walls caught fire. There was a crashing sound, and a plank came free. The trapped goblins were breaking out, before the fire and smoke could do their damage.

  Meanwhile, the nine remaining goblins outside the barn agreed on attacking Christoph. It was what he had expected. They made for the field, keen to get to him quickly before he could fire many more arrows. One of them moved with too much haste, stepping on one of the spikes he had planted along their likely route. It was only two damage. But the creature’s cry of pain had the effect of slowing the pace of his comrades.

  The Bowman knew this was probably the best chance he would get. Nine goblins, all of them within range of his weapon. Since levelling up after the recent barrow raid, he had four action points. That gave him four shots, making him a much more dangerous proposition than he had been in previous combats.

  It was a bitter disappointment, therefore, when only one of his four arrows was a hit. 12 damage was decent, but it meant the goblin he’d wounded was still on its feet.

  More crashing from the barn. The roof collapsed, spilling its burning embers onto those trapped inside. All of them took at least 1 point of damage. But it didn’t distract them from their task. They smashed a full sized hole in the wall, and the first of them squeezed their way out.

  Meanwhile, their comrades kept coming for Christoph. All nine of them reached the edge of the cow field. Seven of them had enough actions to climb the fence, and progress into the field towards him.

  Perhaps if he’d done better last turn, Christoph would have considered retreating. But it had been so bad, he refused to give up without another try.

  Two hits, he supposed, was better than one. His first strike was a perfect shot, striking the goblin in the face and killing it outright. The second struck the upper chest, dealing only seven damage.

  That should have been it. Five of the goblins could reach him on their next turn. Once he was caught in a melee, it was over.

  The cows saved him. Spooked by the appearance of the goblins, half a dozen rushed at them, perhaps worried for the calves in the field. One unfortunate goblin was knocked to the ground in the confusion. The others had to lash out, and change direction to get to Christoph.

  The upshot was that four goblins reached Christoph’s position without the points to attack him. Three more were stuck where the six cows milled about. The most injured had only just managed to clamber over the fence.

  Still. The goblins were in good shape, since ten more now emerged from the remains of the burning barn. With no other targets, they made for the cow field, reaching the perimeter.

  If nothing else, I have at least drawn them onto me, Christoph told himself. Knowing he could afford no more foolhardy decisions, he restricted himself to two shots. The first was smothered by the goblin’s hide armour. The second took it in the throat, killing it. The Bowman then turned and ran, reaching the far end of the field by the end of his last action.

  Wade shouted a challenge at the goblins from atop the second barn, but they were intent on Christoph now. The closest three followed him to the end of the field. Each had one action left with which to strike. Two of them avoided his ring mail, taking him down from 18 to 13 hit points, and costing him an action point as well.

  A fourth joined them, reducing his chances of escape. Two more had negotiated their way through the cows, while the last had just reached the bovine barrier.

  Five of the goblins who had escaped the barn ignored Wade’s distraction. They climbed the fence and ran towards Christoph, bypassing the cows who had slowed the other group. The other five turned to see the thief capering on the barn’s roof, and decided to go and kill him. At the end of their turn they had reached the barn, and Wade was in trouble.

  Auntie Femke appeared, her bow drawn. Her downward angled shot hit the turf next to one of the goblins. She had time to get off a second shot. This one got through her target’s hide armour, dropping it from 16 to 13 hit points.

  Christoph knew he didn’t stand a chance against so many goblins. But breaking from combat against four of them might be too much to get away with. It’s my only chance, he decided. He dropped his bow, grabbed at the wooden fence, and climbed.

  Four goblin spears came for him. Two punctured his back, and his hit points dropped to 7. He clambered over the fence. With only one action left, he staggered away, knowing he wasn’t going to get far.

  Two figures appeared in his peripheral vision, closing on his position.

  Shit on it.

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