Elvenblood

"Run Alenya, run!"  Tarrick screamed as he reached for his sword.  He roughly pushed her away from the camp into the woods.  "Run quickly and don't stop!  I'll catch up." he gave her one more shove then turned to greet the goblins with sword in hand.

"Argghh!" With a great battle cry, Tarrick went for all three goblins hoping to distract them from Alenya's crashing through the woods behind him.   They quickly circled around Tarrick, swinging clubs in every direction.  They're teasing me, Tarrick thought, they have me marked as easy prey, and probably rightly so.  One club caught him sharply on his shoulder bringing him to his knees and tears to his eyes.  Rolling swiftly to dodge a killing blow, Tarrick brought his sword up and into the middle of the nearest goblin.  Stench filled his nostrils as the creature spurt black blood over him.  Enraged, the other two stopped their games now intent on ending this swiftly, one pulled out a huge sword!  Goblins don't have swords, Tarrick thought frantically.  Goblins with their size and strength rarely used any weapons except for crude clubs.  They couldn't have made them, he thought as he parried with the goblin.  The other goblin circled around back with club in hand.  "No!" the first goblin yelled, "Go after the other one, this one is mine!"  The goblin's guttural speech was difficult for Tarrick but he understood most of what was said. He gave the goblin a poke in the arm, slicing it from shoulder to elbow.  While the creature screamed in rage and pain, Tarrick went after the second goblin now making a move to go after Alenya, he must buy her more time.  His sword clubbed the goblin and veered off missing his mark.  The goblin turned, smiling a toothless grin, saliva dripping from his big, ugly lips.  Yelling and swinging his club in circles, he went for Tarrick at the same time the injured goblin attacked.  One club hit Tarrick against the side of his head with a sickening crack, as blackness surrounded him as he heard hoof beats and shouting . . .