Mercy

The five companions moved well together. They had come together only recently, and motivated by purely economic considerations, but they moved with the coordination of a team with years of experience. The elven ranger skipped from shadow to shadow, his arrows singing through the darkness to drop enemies. The Eladrin wizard chanted and flame exploded across the field, scorching enemies and leaving them reeling in confusion. Those who managed to push through, slammed into the shield of the Dwarven warrior and were cut down by the human warlord. The Half-Elven cleric healed his companion’s wounds and boosted their strength. Paid to bring down a tribe of goblins, they had fought they were through a series of caves with a growing sense of dread. There was clearly more at work here than simple goblins.

Nonetheless, their goal was near. The elf appeared suddenly behind the dwarf after scouting the next corridor to report that the leader of the goblins was just ahead and he was asleep. They crept into the room with the sleeping goblin lord. As they moved to position themselves to strike the Dwarf tripped on a rock his armor setting off echoes in the sprawling cave. As the goblin sat up the elf leaped forward, his longsword flicking out faster than the eye could follow only to be blocked by an iron bracer. The other companions sprung to attack and the battle was joined. The goblin fought with speed and fury, but he was badly outnumbered and unprepared. When a strike from the elf left a trail of blood along his cheek he threw down his weapons and raised his hands.

"Please!" he squealed, "I killed, but I just wanted to lead my tribe in the ways of war! To show them that I was a great warrior! Then HE came! I don't want to fight for Him anymore! Please, let me live!"

"Very well," said the wizard. "Swear not to follow us and we will let you go."

The elf spun to face him, astonishment in his eyes. "You can't be serious!"

"What? He surrendered. We can't just kill him!"

"Like Hell we can't! He KILLED people! He ADMITTED to killing people! What we can't do is let him go."

"But he surrendered!"

There followed a hasty debate. The ranger and dwarf (chagrined to find themselves in agreement for once) wanted to see the goblin killed. The warlord and the wizard wanted to let him go. Neither side wanted to back down.

Finally, the cleric stepped in. "We have him in our power. To kill him now would not be an act of justice. Rather, we shall tie him up and leave him here. We can come back for him later, and bring him before the proper authorities."

Though no one was happy with this plan, it was agreed upon. The elf trussed him up and hung him on the wall and left to scout the next room. It was a long hallway with a curtained portal at the end showing light and leaking the sounds of revelry. As the companions moved into position, the wizard turned back and stared at the goblin. He flicked his wrist and muttered under his breath, then turned to the business at hand.

This next room, though, was beyond anything they had faced so far. These goblins were organized and numerous. They were strong and well trained. They were prepared. The wizard let loose a wall of fire the engulfed the entire room in flames. The elf set loose a rain of arrows and the cleric set of bursts of radiant light that burned the wicked and comforted the holy. The dwarf and the warlord charged, the dwarf slamming into enemies and the warlord dancing death with his blade.

Suddenly the cleric spun around, just in time to see the goblin king escaping back the way they had come. None of the companions had ever seen him move so fast. None of them had ever seen ANYONE move so fast. With a shout to his God he sent a blast of holy force at the fleeing goblin's back. The goblin fled, but the cleric followed energy pouring from his fingers in an almost continuous stream.

Cleric and goblin were 50 yards away before the others even noticed. The elf shouted a curse and danced after him. The wizard continued to rain fire and the fighters continued their assault, but without the healing power of the cleric, they were rapidly wearing down. The goblins kept coming, pouring into the room like ants. They fought now, on the retreat, backing slowly into a corner so they could defend.

The wizard was the first to fall. A secret door fell open behind him and his powerful magics were no match for the swarm of steel that rushed at him. On his death, an explosion shot forth from his mangled corpse, incinerating all in its path. The dwarf slammed his enemies aside, bulling toward his fallen comrade, trying desperately to preserve him for a later revival. But even his mighty charge was not invincible. A small slip in a pool of blood left him vulnerable and he was quickly dispatched.

The warlord seemed to slow for a second, and then to explode into motion. His sword was faster than lightning. His feet danced a complicated waltz. He was death incarnate and none could stand before his blade. Warriors came at him and then they died, piling at his feet until they almost seemed to form a wall around him. Then the goblin clerics struck, and he was frozen in mid swing, helpless, as he too was cut down.

The cleric sped after the fleeing goblin king. They were running through territory that the cleric knew, ground that he had already seen, and he ran without hesitation. He caught glimpses of his prey and raw force flowed from his God, to his hands, and then at the goblin. They begun to descend stairs into a lower level when the goblin suddenly turned. He shrugged off a bolt of force, seized a knife from one of his fallen guards and flung it at the cleric. The cleric clutched at his stomach and stumbled backwards from the shock of the blow. The goblin king seized another weapon, a sword this time, and charged at the cleric swinging with all his might. As his sword cleft the cleric’s skull, two arrows seemed to grow out of his chest, sprouting twin red flowers. The elf had avenged his comrade, but with no armor and no companions to guard his back he fell quickly to the mob that now pursued him. The lords of death ruled once more.