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| - Kyle watched as the two young men were seized, bound and gagged by the goblins. Then they led them off into the depths of the cave. Kyle cursed them again. "If they get away," he said to himself, "So will our hopes of ever eradicating Nardek!" Walking quietly, he sneaked into the cave and started following the trail of stench the goblins had left behind. Hearing the voices, he chose a small passage leading uphill. The air grew thicker with the stench. Soon he could hear the goblins talking amongst themselves. "Have a look at this one," said one. "He doesn't look like a human! His ears are kinda pointy!" Kyle sneaked further in, and peaking over a large rock, he could see the party making their way upward. He waited until they were out of sight, then began following again. The voices grew louder. "He looks like a half-Elf! I've never heard of anything like that before!" came a mocking voice. "Even his face looks like one!" "It don't matter," said a gruff voice. "Nardek'll be pleased with them. Maybe they'll tell him where the headquarters of the Resistance is!" Kyle swore again. Kyle followed the group for about three hours. Soon, they halted. "I'm tired," grumbled one. "I'm not goin' any farther 'till we get a rest!" "Hey," said one, "Let's cook up our little captives here! We've had practically nothing except squirrel and rabbit ever since we got here!" "Nardek wants our captives alive," growled a deep voice, probably the leader. "We're not eating them!" Kyle peeked around the edge of the cave wall. One of the goblins leaped up to challenge the bigger one. "We don't need both of 'em!" he shouted. "One'll be enough!" The goblin leader took his blade and pushed it against the throat of the smaller one. "Listen, maggot, I don't care if we've got nothin' but worms and grubs! The prisoners are not to be touched!" The smaller goblin snarled, then backed away. "Have it your way, rat-scum!" he hissed. "Don't blame me if we starve!" The goblins were tired from their long march through the cave, so it wasn't long before, one by one, they dropped off to sleep. The torch that they had been carrying was starting to flicker out. Pointing his hand at it, Kyle set it alight again. Then, making sure they were all asleep, he slipped forward. It was at that moment that the smaller goblin, who had only been pretending to sleep, got up slowly. Kyle stood stock still and pressed himself against the wall to see what it would do. The goblin took his scimitar and then pointed the end at Ezra's throat. "You're dead now!" he sniggered quietly, and prepared to drive the blade in. But he didn't get far. Drawing his long sword, Kyle leaped into the air, and cut the blade deep into the back of the hideous creature. Without giving so much as a squeak, it fell down limply. Then Kyle went forward and prepared to finish off the rest of the goblins. However, he accidentally knocked the torch off its hold in the wall. It fell down on top of one of the sleeping goblins. It leaped up and gave a horrible shriek, the flames searing its skin. The commotion awakened the rest of the monsters. Their eyes opened, and came in view of the chaos: Kyle was blazing around, his mouth open and letting out a constant stream of flame. The closest goblins were scorched instantly. As some of the goblins picked up weaponry, Kyle used his long sword to break the binds holding the two humans captive, and the trio of them brandished their melee arms against the dozens of goblins. But the goblins were in thinned ranks now. Just as they threw their spears at the humans, Kyle opened up his hand, and suddenly the spears surged with electricity, and came to a clattering halt on the ground. Astonished, the goblins dropped their arms and ran for their lives as fast as they could. Meanwhile, the exhaused trio rested instead of followed suit. "I think it's about time we went home," said Ezra, still very shaken by his close-to-death experience. "Yeah, I think so too," replied Kyle, slowly. But as they turned to leave, Kyle sensed something sneaking up on him. He whirled around to see the goblin leader approaching him with its schimitar raised. Kyle had no time to conjure up any fire or lightning blasts, so he leaped out of the way of the weapon as it came down, then drew his sword. "Fool!" the goblin snarled. "You dare to challenge Oruk, king of goblins!" "King of Dipheads is more like it," the old man retorted, and charged sent his sword toward the creature. Oruk blocked it easily with his scimitar, then grunted. "You know nothing!" he mocked, showing his horrible teeth. Suddenly, there was a short blast of wind, and then before them stood, not a goblin, but a tall, cloaked man! The three stared in amazement, and Kyle dropped his staff. "It's you again!" he said. "Oruk the lich!" The man smiled sinisterly and pointed his long sword, no longer a schimitar, at the old man. "Yes, and you will pay for the wound you gave me!" Kyle lunged at the lich with his sword, but the creature dodged easily. "Fool!" he hissed. "I have grown in power since we last met! You will not defeat me this time!" Then Oruk's great scimitar came crashing down on Kyle's staff--and broke it. The old man tumbled backward in mild shock, as Oruk lumbered overhead. "Your fate is sealed, old man," he snarled. Just then Ezra shot an arrow at him...and hit him straight on! ...But it bounced off Oruk's plate mail armor harmlessly. Then Kyle streamed out another gout of fire. Oruk avoided it just as easily, but Silas was taken unaware, so that the fire scortched him lightly on the face, knocking him backward and resulting in a mild burn over his upper body. He fell onto the ground, reeling in pain. The lich laughed at the futile attempts, but his laughter was cut short as an arrow lodged itself in his armor. He whirled around to face Ezra. "Your pitiful arrows won't hurt me, boy," he mocked. Then a searing blast of flame caught him in the back. "Gaaah!" Oruk shrieked. "Your doom is sealed!" Another arrow found itself in the creature's shoulder, this time one of Silas's. The lich cursed and uttered a chant, then turned into a cloud which propelled itself back to the waiting goblins. Even Silas's spear passed harmlessly through its mist. And so it could only be said, Oruk was too powerful, and the three were not a match for him. They now needed to return to the valley to recuperate. The trio turned around, and headed up the steep incline toward the back entrance of the cave, through which they would go for their return home. On the way, Kyle told Ezra the secret that he had not been told for so long: "You, Ezra, have demonstrated yourself to be worthy of the quest that I now reveal to you. Your true test, is to vanquish the so-called Black King, who has for so long plagued these lands. Those goblins who said that you looked weird were speaking the truth: you are half-elven. The human half, Ezra, is the blood of the late His Majesty, King Elias." And at that moment, Ezra understood why the goblins wanted him brought to the Black King alive. And meanwhile, the remaining goblins kept running, further and further south toward the palace of the Black King Nardek. It would not be long now before "His Tyranny" would be notified... and before Lord Ceeziak's perceived insolence would result in the death of many in the village, and the kingdom...
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