Vark looks at Jex incredulously. “Y-you’d really rather wait for the sisters to strike first? There’s no telling what that move could be... or where..” His voice trails off, indicating that his protest isn’t really meant to spark a debate. For the time being he is up at the front of the pack with Val. It’s amazing watching her; even though he sees the signs here and there in the rocky landscape quite well, the way that she advances like a beast on the hunt is something else. He sticks close, trying to take notes to improve his own ability.

Tracking was never his thing. Bründir grew up mining and dining between a tavern and tunnels. Somehow Val saw these little ghosts in the rocks and convinced everyone they were real. For the first few hours, he thought everyone was under a delusion. However over time, he started seeing the signs too. When he pushed around a bend, the trail kept leading on, and he even spotted a telltale bush with several tertiary branches hacked off. This was it, either he'd gone completely mad and was seeing goblin ghosts, or they were gaining ground on a nest of the little cretins.

Hurrig knows when to let the others lead the way, not having been out of these mountains for a few years definitely dampened his senses trying to find his way. Still distracted with what he will say when he returns home to see his mother and father. Hurrig had been gone from Khaz a Grungon for nearly five years, he is certainly up for an earful about abandoning his work while in Shamley. What is he going to tell them he was up to. While sorting all of this out in his head, he stops walking for a moment and his holy symbol glows bright red. Letting out a big sigh, "I know, it's probably for tha best if I just come clean. May have ta move 'em to Sheercleft to keep an eye on 'em just ta be safe." The glowing stops, and Hurrig laughs his jolly deep laugh. He quickens his pace to catch up the lost steps behind the group.

As they break briefly, Jex whistles quietly. 

"How far ahead do you think they are? They must have had a break at some point right?"

He looks on ahead at the next section of the path. 

"I see what you meant now Val, look at this." He points at another sign. "I see it all very clearly now. You are a good teacher." He bounds on ahead, difficult to spot once again beneath the shimmering of his cloak. 

Val and Jex lead the wagon on for another four hours, picking up the pace as they grow more confident that the goblins are following the road. An hour or so after midday, Jex approaches a ridge on one of his scouting forays, and spots a clearing near a stream off the side of the road. Surrounded by alpine thickets, a small encampment has been thrown up against the mountainside.

A scattered selection of goblinoids stand guard at the entrance or laze near the campfire, as well as a couple of larger figures that could be ogres.

"Whew, looks like fun." Jex whispers. "Now how about a wager. I bet I can kill more before they discover me, than either of you can take in the battle." He offers his hand out to Val and Thurston.

“We-we’re battling them?” Vark says as he glances at the hulking figures below. “I guess we would have the element of surprise here.” He rolls his eyes at Jex’s familiar bravado, but then a wry smile crosses the half-orc’s face. “Speaking of surprise... how’d you like to steal a little of Jex’s thunder, Val?” Before she can answer, a light breeze whips around the goliath and the sorcerer. As Vark weaves his illusionary magic, it’s almost as if the wind blows their forms away into trailing smoke until there is nothing left. Vark’s disembodied voice chuckles before adding “Maybe it’ll help even the odds.”

Jex shrugs. "All the more sport. Better keep up then."

Jex disappears into the mountain scenery towards the camp. 

"Don' tell me yer thinkin' of divin' into them with yer pecker hangin' like that..." Brundir turns to look at the others to see if they share the skepticism about Jex's ambition, "Where in the Hells did Val and Vark go?!" Turning back, the dwarf sees the last flutter of Jex as he rushes away, "Damnit all, I'm about to just take bets fer if they win or die. Better go get'em 'fore they ruin the fun, eh?"

Thurston has been strangely quiet for the last day. He is ok he just enjoy the company of his friends and share with them the duties of preparing the camp, dinner and breakfast. During the pursue of the goblins track he tries to keep up to Val and be close to her, trying to see the subtle signs of the creatures passing. 
When they discover the goblins campment he starts to get ready. 

Poor little man” says Thurston shaking Jex’s hand “you are going to be so embarrassed. I even offer to create a distraction for you. I can go down there and challenge one ogre to fight me. Even if they do not accept all eyes would be on me and you can sneak behind and do your thing. Of course the ogres counts as three...” 

Hurrig hangs his head in his hands, “We shoulda put together some type of plan before just running in there...” Turning to Brundir on their descent upon the camp, “I have a feeling that we’re going to have our work cut out for us.” 

"The ogre counts as one. Don't make a noise until you see the bodies dropping." Jex's parting comment to Thurston whispers from the wind. "Remember how we got into Sheercleft".

Carefully, Jex lowers himself on to the rocks beneath the path that lead into the back of the camp. Taking his time he carefully picks his way from place to place, rock to rock, descending the cliff towards the smouldering campfires below. His cloak shifts to take the colour of the cliff, hiding his descent, should any of the unlucky creatures below happen to look upwards. There is no alarm from below though, and the goblins continue to chew on what they don't realise is their last meal. Avoiding the group at the fire, he heads left, hugging the cliff and softly stepping up some wooden steps, listening out for any creaks, he listens at the entrance to the tent, cautious for a few more seconds before again heading around it along the edge of the camp.

He takes in the scene around him. He finds some large creatures by a second fire, one two headed. There are some bugbears by the entrance. He takes a minute to reflect and congratulate himself again on taking three of them down alone back in Sheercleft. This was no good though. He couldn't take out 5 goblins in conversation with each other at once. It would create a disturbance and Val and Thurston would come down to the camp and then they might win. 

Thinking carefully, Jex grins mischievously. He begins by spreading some caltrops on the ground beneath the steps and some ball-bearings on the corner between the tents. Next he takes a little bell from his pack and hangs it delicately from the crossbeam of the tent. Swinging in the mountain breeze it makes a small chiming noise. He steps back into the shadow of the tree ready to strike at the neck of anyone leaving the tent.

Hurrig with Brundir and Thurston by his side march toward the gate, after catching up with the paladin. Hurrig leaves the strategy to Brundir and Thurston, the two with ambitions of leading and training Sheerclefts guards. After deciding to attempt to bottleneck the goblins and create a diversion To allow Jex, Vark, and Val to infiltrate the camp, they continue down the road, coming over the crest in the road and into view of the camp. “We’re gonna need a bit of support here.“ Hurrig quickly says a prayer over the small party, Moradin’s symbol growing brightly. At the same time, Brundirs broach begins to glow just as bright. The feels a surge of power wash over them, stronger than the last time the dwarves did this. Thurston goes on about a head start and Hurrig simply shakes his head, “I hope the others know what they’re getting into. I hope I can get to ‘em quick enough if they need it.” The group reaches there destination and fortifies there hold of the road.

The concealed sorcerer runs ahead, feeling the confidence of his plan surge through him. Having seen how the goblinoids tend to scatter once their leaders are defeated, Vark has only one target in mind. But his eagerness gets the best of him as he brazenly moves far too close to the bugbear guards as he passed them. One of brutes sniffs and snorts at the air before alerting the others in its guttural tongue. Already well into the camp, Vark turns as he notices the bugbears begin to fan out, hunched to get their snouts closer to the ground, clearly following his trail. He covers his mouth to prevent expletives from falling out and considers his next move. He could easily turn the winds to throw off their scent, but he suspects that would cause his invisibility to fade and then he’d be even more compromised. No, he must stick to his plan and do it quickly. He glances around the camp and immediately spots the large central tent. Not seeing any clear leaders outside, it’s as good a bet as any for the location of the hobgoblin in charge. He runs over, looking back to see his pursuers slowly advancing on him. Turning back to the tent he peaks in, and is delighted to see a wicked looking hobgoblin, surely the leader he has been seeking. With no telling where Val, Jex, or the others are, and with enemies bearing down on him, he decides to act. A bit of a grin spreads across his face as he begins to feel his infernal magic stir within him. His focus is so intense that the edges of his vision begin to burn red, and the same hue glows around the edges of his target. Already his own form begins to shift crimson as well. His invisibility starts to dissipate as red arcane energy coalesces at the tip of Path Maker, ready to launch towards his prey.

Lots of things happen simultaneously. Jex let's out a grunt of annoyance as a disturbance beyond the tent announces the early arrival of his companions. Too late for the goblin that answered the bell though. He steps out, and though his muscles tense, Jex sends his hidden blade through its neck. Pulling it back beside the tent he melts back into the shadows with it.

"One" 

The unsuspecting hobgoblin hears a snarl from the entrance of the tent, but there’s no time to react. By the time the mage is revealed, the spear has already launched a garnet bolt of energy that slams into the warrior’s torso. His body is slammed into the chair behind him, and the sword in his hands clamors to the floor. He attempts stand, but it’s to no avail. The half-orc’s momentum keeps him spinning up into the air as his spear whips around in a deadly cyclone. Another crack of thunder as the second bolt rips through the air before ripping clean through the hobgoblin’s chest. A gargle of blood is all that escapes his mouth which, like the rest of his face, is frozen in a mask of terror.

Valaith fumbles around a moment as she suddenly turns invisible from Vark's magic and she cannot help but chuckle. "Thank you, Vark! Let us show that little elf who is the best!" She starts moving quietly towards the gate, but stops and quickly pours several cups full of water into her chalice and speak quietly the word that transition the water into thick, bright blood which she downs rapidly gulp after gulp, feeling the strange icy magic work its way down her gullet and leaving that bitter chill in the pit of her stomach that spreads out into her limbs. Rook thrums in conjunction to the strange magic of the Chalice and Valaith feels herself entirely prepared for the slaughter she is about to heap upon these foul creatures...

As she passes silently by the bugbear guards she notices them both begin to sniff around. She pauses, thinking they caught her smell, but as they move away and towards another position she realizes it was likely Vark. She glances around quickly and does not want the young half-orc having to face these two alone, so she gathers Rook in hand and stalks towards the bugbear. 'Be with me Larkin, protect the young orc... He is worthy, not like the vermin that killed our people.' She steps up to the closest bugbear and with a rush of empowerment of the rage of her people's deaths fueling her scream she brings the massive maul down in an overhead swing! The bugbear sidesteps just enough in his search for Vark that the hammer slams into his shoulder instead of its head. The creature's shocked cry of pain is overpowered by the echo rip of the thunder as she appears, standing over this pitiful bugbear that looks up just in time to see this beautiful goliath woman raise her blackened hammer above her head and with another primal scream brings the weapon down a second time directly into its head...

The shower of skull fragments, blood, and brain sprays all over Val, Vark, and the stunned bugbear who one moment was searching for a strange smell with his friend and then next staring at a warrior queen covered in the remnants of his companion's head. Blackened sparks twirl and swirl around the haft of Rook as Val and the spiritual warrior, Larkin, step between that same bugbear and Vark. "Run away little one and live. Stay and die like him."

The shouts begin as a small collective of individual surprises, but the rumble is just enough to be heard from the road, "Suppose that's our cue, eh?" Brundir waves for Thurston and Hurrig to follow him as he draws his blade and rushes forth.

Vark's malicious grin turns to a smile full of pleasant surprise as his arcane focus fades and he realizes what he's done. To him the fatal assault was a sign that he is getting a grip on his new powers after all. He turns as he feels viscera splash against his back and hears Val's voice behind him, but he is not prepared for the awe inspiring sight of the bloody beauty. The goliath is truly the belle of the brawl, and Vark has stop himself from sputtering some nonsense as he tries to collect himself. The nearby goblins, just now poking up their heads to take notice of the unfolding carnage provide a perfect distraction. He runs, and then flies towards them on a pyroclastic cloud popping with sparks and embers. The blade of pathmaker begins to glow ruby-red as he touches down, then flicks the weapon up right into the nearest goblin's face. A torrent of dark crimson flame pours out, reducing the cretin at point blank range to soot while burning and singing the rest.