"How are you with a bow, Lady Grizgad?" Calaster whispered as he took up his own.

"Sit back and watch this," she said.

He smirked and allowed her to fire the first arrow, expecting she would aim for the hulking one near the campfire.

It soon pierced that particular one in a very special region.

Right between the eyes, sinking through the bridge of the nose and ending its miserable life. That was the signal for everyone else to attack.

They rushed in and circled around.

Three more of the goblins fell before they even had a chance to fight back, but the other eight were furious at this sudden assault.

They naturally were more aggressive than usual.

"I always love it when they try to put up a fight," said Calaster, drawing his sword to take on a pikeman.

Another goblin's feet were chopped off.

"Looks like we're not the only ones you sweep off their feet," Ginnie joked as she fought alongside her husband.

It was soon down to only five goblins.

Two of them moved to a nearby makeshift hut, whereas the other three engaged the foe straightaway.

Grigzad went after the other two.

(Lunch is coming up. See you Friday)

(I will see you then. Also, a bit of good news. I'm finally available this Sunday morning, so we'll be able to do a session then instead of Monday, since I'm working then instead)

Inside the tent, she found the goblins at a wicker cage where a young woman who seemed half-dead was laying, bruised and bloodied. They had evidently used her as a plaything, and now she was their hostage.

(OK)

Grigzad's adrenaline surged as a result.

Before either of the goblins had a chance to use the woman as a hostage, there was a swinging of steel, and both their heads went rolling across the ground.

The Uruk-hai then proceeded to reach out for the woman.

Her initial impulse was to recoil, as Grizgad's complexion and skin tone gave her the appearance of an overgrown, muscular goblin. "Please... don't hurt me..." she pleaded.

"It's all right," she said, holding out her hand.

Despite her skepticism and weakened state, the woman felt as though she could trust this stranger, and she extended her hand.

She held her close to her body.

After finding comfort in the Uruk-hai's embrace, the woman passed out. It was then that her long hair fell to one side to reveal her pointed ears, meaning she was an Elf.

She just kept ahold of her tightly.

By then, Calaster and his wives had eliminated the last of the goblins, and they rendezvoused with Grizgad just outside the hut. "Oh, no..." Ginnie whispered, making her way over to the Elf. "Is she wounded? If so, I have some medicinal herbs."

"I have a distinct feeling that she is, in more ways than one."

Indeed, upon a closer examination of the Elf, they found that in addition to the many bruises along her body, there were signs of forced entry along her private areas. "About what we expected from our kind," Yozza said contemptibly.

"She needs recuperation and treatment back home," Calaster said.

"I agree; we should get her back at once," said Mulsey. They carefully carried the Elf back to the horses. Luckily, they had brought along a cart just in case they had need of it. After covering her with a blanket and harnessing Boxatte's horse to the cart alongside Mulsey's, the two of them got onto it to tend to her on the trip back to the cabin.

Grigzad couldn't help but stare at her all the way.

Despite her disheveled appearance, her bearing suggested she may have been upper class or someone of high stature in her society. Perhaps when she awoke, she could fill in the blanks.

The Elf woman eventually came to, hours later, finding several different species of woman snuggling with her in bed.

Grizgad first and foremost was there to tend to her. Sheilan and the other goblins had wished to be there to assure her that unlike her captors, they were good goblins.

"It's all right. You're with friends," she told the Elf woman.

The Elf was understandably skeptical, but she felt she could trust these people, in particular Grizgad. "Might I know my savior's name?" she asked the Uruk-hai.

"I am Grigzad, of the Uruk-hai, of Middle Earth."

The Elf was astonished. "I have heard of your world. It is said to be the realm which gave birth to all such realms, including this one."

"And what is your name?" she asked her, holding her hands reassuringly.

"I am Ilnora Tyzaea of the Moon Elves," said the visitor, "I was on my way to the centennial Elven Gathering when I was accosted by those... beasts."

"The Moon Elves. I take it that you are no mere Moon Elf, though, but rather high on the totem pole."