A catspaw

Nyali had to admit, she had never looked better. The the flowing silvery-grey blouse and corded vest in midnight blue that she wore were made of some oddly heavy silks. They still felt as fine as any she had ever encountered but had proven nearly impossible to cut. Something that had come quite handy over the last week as she made her lord's offer to the bandit tribes of the Heart Margreve. She had survived a half-dozen bolts and arrows so far and more than that in cuts and stabs with nothing more than some bruises. That was to say that if she was not very fast the flanged mace-head swinging towards her was going to cave in her torso like it wasn't there.

~Fuck, I should have taken that breastplate from Sarah.~ She managed to think as she gave up on offense for a moment to roll away from the towering hobgoblin Glazk. Glazk lead the largest band in this part of the country and did not like being undermined. He liked being told of the consequences or refusal even less. That was predictable and why she had saved this dickhead for last.

Glazk had gotten word of her mission fairly early and had met her at the mouth of his warrens with a few of his biggest thugs in tow, raring to prove himself. She had walked into his obvious trap just because that was part of the mission, they must be given a fair chance. It wasn't a bad deal really, all they had to do was give up the raiding and he would trade with them. Produce, meat, hides, textiles, ores and gems. He'd even offered to pay a handsome sum for old legends and histories, enough to get any tribe started off. By the time she had gotten halfway through her little performance she had been effectively surrounded as goblin minions crept out of smaller burrows.

She danced away from a trio of goblins and surveyed the chaos around her. Glazk, his two lieutenants and a gods damned troll were advancing on her again. She had expected a band of goblin-kin to field numbers, though she may have underestimated them. The stink and smoke from the warrens was covering at least a few of the runts that had slipped out of view and she knew the hobgoblin bastard fancied himself a tactician, there would be more he could call on... Plus a trick or two held in reserve most likely. If she let herself be corned to close to their ****-holes she was done for.

As she baited the troll into charge that she could redirect into the runts nearest her she sorely missed having full access to her feline gifts. Few people ever question her claws or where they go when she sheathed them but her kind could feel the power in the beast blood. She and every other full-blood of her tribe had been able to transform their fingers and toes before they could talk. Some of the more magically gifted could even use it to become even more ferocious in battle. That power was denied her now, though she was not diminished. In it's place she could feel a new well of power flowing into her from her lord. She was stronger, faster and more cunning now than ever.

Best of all she wasn't alone. Half a dozen wolves as empowered as she was had been laying in ambush now tore from the trees and cleared a path to her side. A pair of halfling archers, formerly in the employ of a human raider who had wisely chosen to take a bribe and flee, started peppering the larger targets with arrows from the branches above. From the distance she could hear the cries of her new allies further out raising a ruckus and splitting the horde.

Splitting the horde and Glazk's focus. She charged the hobgoblin she would have found much more imposing a few days ago with Papa and his kids in tow. Glazk's cronies went down fast as they were mobbed by the beasts and savaged. The rage on his face nearly masked his fear as the hobgoblin thrashed out wildly with his mace to ward off the pack. He may have stood a chance if the beast weren't smarter than he was. Nyali and Papa closed in from his flanks and the cat-girl slammed her dagger into his abdomen as the massive wolf latched on to his arm with the sound of snapping bone. With more mercy than she would have been shown had she been on the losing end Nyali pulled his own knife from his side and put it trough his eye, putting an end to his screams of pain.

"That's Enough!" She shouted channeling a bit of Simon's charm to make herself heard through the din. "Glazk is dead! This is the chance he didn't give you, take it!" A bolt flew from one of the ****-holes despite a number of the goblins hesitating. With a swipe of her sleeve she deflected it away while one of the wolves dragged out the offending goblin and tore out his throat. "Your last chance!" She added glaring into the carnage and smoke.

A significant portion of the remaining goblins took the chance to run and she let them. To the fleeing goblins back she shouted again. "The Heart Margreve is under the protection of the Sly Lord of Tir an Fiain! Follow the One Law and be friends or..." She gestured to the savaged forms of the hobs as she let the alternative speak for itself. That did the trick it seemed as what few still held weapons and lived dropped them. She found herself barely holding herself back from going jelly-legged and huffing as the rush of battle faded and a wave of bone-deep weariness replaced it. With all the grace she could muster she turned her back to leave the stinking scene, trusting her allies to watch her exit.

"Hold on pet!" Came a rasping but still strong voice as an elderly hobgoblin woman aided by three goblin attendants exited the main pit.

She couldn't keep the snarl off her face at the insult but Nyali was a messenger and wouldn't let the old bitch get to her. She kept her voice low and even as she paused and looked over her shoulder. "Yes crone?" She replied staring her down without quite turning away from her path.

"You've killed the boss and scattered our hunters. You say your Sly Lord protects the forest, what about us then? If we are to be friends would he let our young starve? What about the wasp-things coming from the east? They take our hunters and foragers as easily as they take our game." Spoke a goblin female from the elder's side. Without the filed teeth and screamed obscenities Nyali was slightly surprised by the eloquence of the goblin ladies. She turned to size up her new associates, already having gained some respect for their wisdom.

~Their first thought is for the band, Momma would have liked em'. Gods and demons the ladies aren't nearly as ugly as the men. I wonder if they have those long tongues too...~ She mentally shook off the post battle arousal to play her part. "My lord will pay for goods, in ore, gems or food. He will also reward well for true-told stories and legends."

"He wants our secrets?" Rasped the elder in accusation.

"Apparently he does." She admitted frankly. She quite enjoyed seeing her opponent's tactic crumbling as the elder was at a loss. "I may not care but he wants to know everything about everything. You get to pick what secrets to give up and we can negotiate what you get in return. The more valuable the knowledge the better the reward." She added sensing that they were on the hook.

"So where is he? This lord, does he have a castle? A fort? How do we find him to trade? We hadn't heard of this one till last week." Came the clear voice of the goblin who had spoken before. With the elder being supported by her two companions the goblin left the cluster at the entrance. "I don't trust it. Too good to be true."

"You can find shelter at the bronze gates." She said, having repeated the instructions many times now. "A days travel west of Oldwater mill just off the trade road. If you need proof see for yourselves." With that she resumed walking away. She could hear the women whispering among themselves as she got herself further from the stinking warrens. Glad to be done with her mission and ready to head home to Lara.

The pair of halflings dropped lightly from their perches as she and the wolves passed beneath them and the scrawny looking one put a tiny hunting horn to her lips and blew a shockingly loud note. The rest of her companions soon found their way to them at the signal. Without wanting to delay any further they started off home.

"Wait!" The voice of the goblin she had spoken to earlier came from behind her. "I am Seer Trossa and I'm to go with you and see if you speak truth. I have songs to sing with our wisdom if so. Your master will see to my pay going to the band. Yes?" She huffed as she caught up with the group. "Hold on! is this all of you?" She sputtered looking at the rather unimpressive gathering that had been making a rather out-sized racket during the fight.

"That can be managed, I think." The cat-girl replied not bothering to hide her satisfaction. "And yes, this is all of us. Only the archers are real fighters." The wolves around her growled as one until Nyali placed a hand on Papa's back and corrected herself. "Besides the pack and myself, of course."

The two women sized each other up for a moment before the tiny green one decided cunning was preferable to brute **** and acquiesced. "So what do you think your boss is doing right now?" She asked falling into the group.

"Probably playing a game of Lover's Quarrel." Nyali shrugged in reply.

"I don't know that game. How do you play?" Trossa probed.

"He stands in between his lovers and they both try to stab each other while he tries to stop them."

"This is a game?"

"Yeah. Everybody gets to have fun but me..."