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Hunter and Sorsha had taken listened as the patrol approached Legolas' position. They heard the shouts of surprise as the elf revealed himself, but it was they who were surprised when the patrol leader ordered his group to attack the elf instead of capture him.
Hunter quickly grabbed Sorsha's shoulder as she started to rush to the aid of her lover. "Remember the plan, mi'lady. I don't think the elf would want you to reveal yourself by rushing to his side. Let us see how it plays out first."
Sorsha couldn't see the half-elf's face, but she shot a withering glance in the direction of his voice. The fire in her eyes clearly spoke the danger he faced if he did not release her. Hunter complied with the unspoken demand as the sounds of battle grew.
He cursed the elf and his stupid plan, but the die was cast. If he left the elf to his fate, then he would once again have to seek entry into the mage's stronghold on his own. Turning back to Sorsha, he spoke in a low voice.
"Approach if you must, but try to stay out of sight. There is no reason to reveal your presence to any other eyes that may be watching. The elf and I should be able to handle the patrol easily enough."
With that, he quickly turned and rushed through the trees. He found the elf hard pressed in battle. He was backed against a tree and surrounded by 4 goblins. The elf was doing well, considering he had only 1 dagger and no armor to protect himself. The goblin closest to him fell as the dagger was plunged deep into it's throat and the elfs natural agility was helping him to avoid the awkward attacks of the others. Still, he had two large gashes in his chest and arm from attacks he had not avoided. The patrol leader stood off to the side a little, watching the fight with obvious amusement.
The smile disappeared from his face as Aric sank an arrow deep into his chest. The goblin managed to turn towards the attack, only to see another arrow coming for his face. But, just before it hit, it seemed to "dissolve" in thin air, only to be replaced by several small globes of magical energy. These arcane missiles slammed into his face and head with brutal force, permanently ending any chance he would have had for a promotion. ~"Stupid, stinking goblin"~ thought the Hunter. But he had no time to reflect on it. Legolas still faced three goblins with only his dagger. The sound of the attack on thier boss had caused them to look his way momentarily, giving the elf a brief respite.
Aric quickly fired two arrows into the goblin farthest to his right, followed by two more into the next one in line. Both fell before they had a chance to react. Legolas used the opportunity to plunge his dagger into the heart of the last remaining goblin. It stood looking at him with a confused look on it's face. It didn't fall, but it had no strength left in its arms to raise it's weapon. Legolas grabbbed the sword out to the goblins limp hand and shoved it into the creatures gut. The light left it's eyes and it fell over dead.
As Legolas turned to thank Aric for his help, he realized that he still couldn't see the bounty hunter. ~ "That's odd. His attacks should've negated his Invisibility"~ Legolas thought to himself.
Just then, Aric removed the ring from his finger and came into view. "Well, elf...I certainly hope you have a Plan B. This one didn't seem to go to well."
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