The Dragon Slayers Dilemma Ch 03

Opening her eyes, Onyx scanned around the forest in which she lay with Khelvan. The rustle of the leaves making the only sound but something felt out of place. Her keen senses scanned around for traces of what had awakened her. Khelvan still lay beside her, the rise and fall of his chest showing him still to be deeply asleep.

Slowly getting to her feet, Onyx cloaked herself in a spell of invisibility, covering Khelvan's sleeping form with the same spell and also muting his soft breathing. Her emerald eyes quickly scanned the forest around her as she took to wing, rising above the line of trees. It was then that the smell assailed her nostrils, the familiar stench of goblins permeating the forest air around her.

"Filthy beasts......" she muttered softly as she began to circle the small clearing in which they gathered. Landing just outside of the goblins small camp she counted them quickly, "Mmmm, twenty of them not much to worry about. But they could be a scouting party." Closing with them, Onyx smirked when she passed within feet of the sentries without being detected.

Turning her head, she listened intently as what she guessed was the leader of this pack of goblins spoke to his fellows. They were speaking in their own language but she knew it fluently. "We need get back to army and tell them about elf village." Several others nodded in agreement, talking animatedly amongst themselves.

A shift in the wind brought something new to

Onyx's senses, a familiar smell of lavender and jasmine. Turning her eyes away from the goblins she quickly surveyed the surrounding forest, catching just a glimpse of another observer before he or she faded into the shadow cast by a large oak. "Mmmm, an elf from Istramia," the female dragon mused to herself. Looking closer, she could see the silhouette of the elf in the shadows, studying him....no....her even more. Likely this elf was a scout for the village and had seen the goblins.

Turning her attention from the goblins, Onyx moved silently around their camp, closing on the large oak in which the elf was hiding. Edging around the tree, Onyx approached her from behind; keeping her wings tucked tightly against her body should the elf become hostile.

Stretching the elf woman turned her head, her main of fiery red hair cascading down her shoulders as she looked at the dragon, "Greetings, honored dragon." She stopped Onyx in her tracks with her greeting, knowing she had been detected long before she came close to the elf.

Smiling Onyx inclined her head toward the elf, "Greetings, honored elf maid," she smiled as she continued; "I assume you are scouting out from Istramia?"

The elf nodded, "Yes, please forgive my lapse of procedure. I am Amberlee Oakwood, daughter of Mira Oakwood, Lady of Istramia. But I usually just go by Amber." She extended her alabaster hand to Onyx in the traditional greeting of the elves.

Taking her hand, Onyx commenced the greeting ritual, giving Amberlee a smile. "No worries, Miss Amberlee, we are not in court and have goblins around so we need not stand on propriety. I know of your mother though I have not had the good fortune to meet her yet. I am Autha though I more commonly am called Onyx."

Amberlee smiled in return, "A pleasure, Onyx. It seems these goblins are a scouting party for a larger force. They need to be dispatched before they return to their superiors with the information they gained about my village."

Sighing, Amberlee turned her sapphire blue eyes toward the goblin camp again, "But taking on twenty of them by myself will be quite a task which most likely would lead to my death."

Onyx nodded, "But you won't have to do that. As it were I am here to help and I have a human I am traveling with who is very skilled in many things."

Biting her lip, Amberlee nodded her gratitude to Onyx, "You have my thanks, Onyx. I passed by your camp earlier and saw you and your human....companion but I didn't stop to greet you. You and he seemed to be engaged in something of great importance and I did not want to interrupt." Unable to hold it back, the elf giggled softly as she recalled watching Onyx and the human engaged in a coupling. Never before had she thought about sex, she was dedicated to her duties as her mother's chief scout. Still though she felt a warm tingling in her vagina as she watched them, though it was not something she was unfamiliar with.

Noticing the elf's giggle, Onyx's mouth curled into a wry smirk, knowing what the matter in which she and Khelvan were engaged in that Amberlee saw. "Yes he is very dedicated to performing excellently in anything he does."

Amberlee blushed deeply, realizing that Onyx knew what she meant when she giggled. "I noticed and he is quite a good specimen of human." Pursing her lips, Amberlee looked back one time at the goblin camp, "Thank you again for your help. But I assume we are going to wake your human companion before we take care of the goblins?"

Nodding, Onyx turned to head back toward her camp with Khelvan, "He is probably waking up soon anyway. If we are going to take care of the goblins we need to do it before sunrise." Weaving thru the forest the pair of females quickly arrived back to the campsite. Onyx flashed Amberlee a wry grin when they saw Khelvan's back to them as he stood on the edge of the lake still fully nude.

Amberlee blushed lightly as she giggled, seeing the naked human more clearly then when she watched him and Onyx having sex. At that moment, he turned to face, unaware of their presence making the elf maiden blush harder when she got a full view of his flaccid cock. Gasping, she covered her face, "Oh my, he is quite...." trailing off when she saw Onyx catch his eye.

Raising his eyebrow at the sight of the blushing elf, Khelvan looked back to Onyx. "Good morning, Onyx. I see we have another companion," he smiled as he looked at Amberlee again, disregarding the fact that he still stood there naked in front of the two females.

"Yes, Khelvan, and she has a need for our assistance. Now put some clothes on for love of the gods," she replied, extending her wings so to obscure the sight of him from Amberlee until he dressed. Turning to speak to her, Onyx studied Amberlee for a moment first, "You said you were a scout so you have some skill with blade and bow even more so then other elves. What other skills do you possess?"

Amberlee stood mesmerized for a moment, the image of Khelvan burned into her mind, before she responded, "Umm....yes those and I am a highly skilled tracker. I am also trained in the use of magic." She blushed again catching a glimpse of Khelvan beyond Onyx.

Finally dressed, Khelvan joined the Onyx and Amberlee, buckling his sword belts around his waist. "What's going on that we are needed?" he asked as he looked at Onyx, his eyes shifting from her to Amberlee and back.

"There is a goblin scouting party about a mile south of here. They seem to be on their way back to a larger force planning to attack the elf settlement Istramia," Onyx replied to him. Yawning, Onyx flapped her wings slowly, "Let's do this quickly too. I am hungry and need to feed soon."

Nodding Khelvan finished strapping and buckling his armor into place. "We surely would not want you to miss a meal, Onyx. You certainly are cranky when you do," he smirked, picking up his bedroll and pack.

Rolling her eyes, Onyx turned from Khelvan and headed back in the direction of the goblin camp with Amberlee in tow. "Don't mind him, Amberlee. Like most humans he thinks he is wittier then he really is." Amberlee giggled softly, her sapphire eyes darting to Khelvan.

The trio made their way thru the forest quickly reaching their destination. Still a hundred yards from the goblins, Onyx pulled the group up short turning to face her comrades. "How I see it we can do one of two things here. The preferable course would be to slay these goblins before they can return to their larger force with the information they have or we can follow them and gain more information ourselves."

Amberlee frowned slightly as she glanced toward the creatures, "It would do to know how big their larger force is but we do know they are located a few days to the south. Once we dispatch this scouting party we could also return to Istramia and I can implore upon my mother to send out a scouting party of our own to gain intelligence about them and see what kind of danger the elf settlements are in."

Khelvan and Onyx nodded in unison agreeing with Amberlee's assessment. "That would be a good idea as well. We could offer to take part of the scouting party too," he offered to the two females, his dark eyes scanning from the elf to the dragon and back.

"I think that is the best plan we can have. If we followed the goblins back to their tribe we risk losing the chance to inform the elves of the danger they face," Onyx said as she finalized their plans. Turning her head to scan the goblin camp, the dragon purred softly, "Do you two agree with this?"

Amberlee and Khelvan nodded their agreement to the plan. "Then let us carry it out and return to my people so they can prepare," the elf maiden spoke quietly. Readying her bow, she brushed a long lock of red hair from her face behind her pointed ear. "I think we should spread out a little to be able to eliminate them as quickly as possible."

Taking to the trees, Onyx glided from branch to branch making no more noise than a bird flitting from one to the other in the same fashion. Below her on the ground Khelvan crept toward the goblin camp, his steps sure and silent like a hunting tiger, the only sound, a soft metallic scraping, coming from his scabbards as he drew his swords. To his left about 10 yards Amberlee knocked an arrow into her bow.

Closing with the goblins, they spotted the pair of guards, one half awake as he leaned against the trunk of a tree. His companion having his back turned to the trio while he was urinating on the same tree. Indicating for the other two to hold their positions, Onyx hopped from one tree to the next until she was perched on the branch directly above the goblins.

Looking down upon the goblins, Onyx sent a telepathic message to her companions, "Wait for my signal, you will know it, then dispatch the second goblin while I take care of the sleeping one." Spreading her wings slightly, Onyx glided down to the ground behind the sleeping goblin, touching down just as quietly as she had moving thru the trees.

Creeping up to the goblin, she growled softly as she extended her talons, the razor-sharp tips ready to rend flesh and bone. Just reaching him, Onyx prepared to strike when his companion turned, seeming to notice her presence. Drawing his sword he attempted to sound the alarm when a pair of arrows sprouted thru his throat ending his yell quickly in a soft gurgling. Collapsing to the ground the goblin woke his companion from the small bit of noise he made as he fell.

The remaining goblin woke quickly, reaching for the horn to blow the alarm when his hand was pierced by one of Onyx's long tail spikes.

Attempting to scream out, his throat was just as quickly pierced and crushed when the dragoness grabbed him by his neck. Once she was sure that the goblin would not draw another breath Onyx dropped him to the ground and signaled for Khelvan and Amberlee to move forward.

Joining together they hid the bodies of the two goblins before discussing their next move. "This was only two but most likely there will be more guards," Onyx spoke quietly to Amberlee and Khelvan. "From my count earlier we should still have a dozen and a half of them, most sleeping, but likely to have more guards around."

"Though goblins are foul creatures, I prefer not to murder them in their sleep," Amberlee said as she looked from Khelvan to Onyx. "The odds are 6 to 1 in their favor though so I am not against it either," her eyes returning to Khelvan again.

"From what I see most of them are clustered together around their fire," Khelvan observed, not noticing the elf's gaze as he looked toward the goblin's camp. "Ten by my count so that leaves eight more spread out around them," his lips turning to a crooked smirk, showing he was deep in thought.

Examining her talons with a bored expression on her face, Onyx looked at the pair, "I could do a fly-by on the group clustered together. A stream of dragonfire is quite effective for that." Without waiting for them to respond, she spread her wings and leapt into the air, beating them quickly to gain altitude as she began to make a wide circle of the goblin camp.

Shaking her head, Amberlee sighed in exasperation, "Is she always that blunt?" Picking up her bow, she raised her eyebrow as Khelvan laughed derisively, "I suppose that is a yes?" Turning she began to silently stalk toward the goblins, checking over her shoulder to see if he was following her.

Containing his laughter, Khelvan nodded, "That is putting it mildly. I've only known her for a few days and she is quite abrasive at times." Falling in step behind Amberlee, his mind wandered slightly as he watched her firm ass switching back and forth in the tight leather of her pants.

Shaking off his carnal thoughts, Khelvan stopped next to the elf maiden, scanning the sky around them wondering where Onyx would come in from. "I wonder how she plans to signal us....", trailing of as he caught sight of the dragon.

Quickly she swooped in toward the goblins, her maw opening as she unleashed a long gout of flames at the creatures. Goblins began scrambling around quickly in a desperate attempt to escape the dragon's searing flames. They did not make it far as they were quickly put down by multiple arrows suddenly sprouting from their chests.

Circling around for another pass, Onyx felled several more goblins quickly with her deadly firebreath. Any remaining creatures were quickly dispatched by the human and elf on the ground, working together as though they were trained to fight side by side. Blade and arrows flashed as the goblins fell quickly to the onslaught of the three companions.

Landing in the center of the camp, Onyx surveyed the scene around her quietly for a moment.

Joining her, Khelvan and Amberlee looked around for any survivors of their quick assault. Turning in unison, the trio caught the sound of a soft groan, a small, even by goblin standards, a small female goblin crawling out from a pile of her slain companions.

Stepping over to the creature, Onyx prepared to finish her as her hand was stayed by Amberlee, "Hold, lady dragon, this one survived and we may be able to gain some information from her." Shrugging, Onyx left the elf to detain the goblin returning to Khelvan's side.

"It seems our little entourage is growing," Khelvan observed as he cleaned his swords off while watching Onyx approach.

The dragon snorted her displeasure, "Elves value life in all forms, even that of their enemies." Brushing off a bit of offal from her outfit, Onyx began the walk back to their campsite.

Following behind her Khelvan, Amberlee, and their prisoner wound thru the forest at a steady but easy pace. The gap between them and the dragon widened as she took longer strides then the diminutive female goblin.

Sighing, Khelvan jogged to catch up with her, watching her silently for a while. Occasionally he checked over his shoulder to make sure that Amberlee and the goblin had not fallen too far behind. Walking alongside Onyx, the human noted the look of displeasure on her face, "You think we should have killed the goblin?"

Shrugging, Onyx glanced over her shoulder at the pair following them. "Goblins are never to be trusted. That one will likely try to slit our throats while we sleep," she snorted softly, shaking her long mane of hair.

Arriving at their camp a short while later, Khelvan began preparing to bed down for the night. The twin suns had fallen below the western horizon casting the forest in a dim orange haze. Onyx settled down next to him, tucking her wings tightly against her back, "If we must drag the goblin with us, can we at least throw it in the lake to remove the stench?"

"Why do you not like goblins?" Amberlee inquired when she joined them, stretching out her toned legs as she rubbed a cramp out. "Don't mistake me, I am not very fond of them myself. For centuries they have murdered elves and desecrated our lands," she turned her eyes toward Khelvan, trying to gauge his thoughts.

Onyx shrugged and snorted, "My reasons are my own, just as humans hate dragons, elves hate orcs, so on and so on." Glancing toward Khelvan, the dragon shook her head as she stood and doffed her clothing, "I am going for a swim." Walking past Khelvan she brushed his arm with her tail causing him to turn and watch her descend into the water, his eyes following the hypnotic sway of her hips.

The goblin watched the exchange between the trio quietly her gaze following the humans when Onyx trod down to the lake to take a swim. Settling down as comfortably as she could with her hands bound, Ezra closed her eyes and listened to the sounds of the forest. She didn't understand why the elf decided to spare her life. Certainly if their roles were reversed she would not deliver the same favor. She understood fully why the dragon hated her though, as a shaman of her people she knew the histories between the her race and the dragons. The goblin almost laughed when she thought about the war between the humans and the dragons going on now. It was merely a few centuries while the enmity between her race and dragons was steeped in thousands of years of hate. Even though her race was short-lived when compared to the other races goblins had long memories.

Reflecting inwardly, Amberlee quietly observed the unsaid tension between Onyx and the goblin. It was true that she did not like the creature herself but the outright murderous gleam she saw in the dragon's eyes told her there was something deeper. She watched the goblin as the female closed her eyes and got more comfortable in the bed of leaves she had fashioned for herself.

Pursing her lips thoughtfully for a moment, Amberlee felt an epiphany of sorts. She remembered reading somewhere in her studies about a long seated hatred between goblins and dragons but she could not recall the reasons for it. Sighing she too settled in to get more comfortable.

Her attention turning to the human, Khelvan, he said his name was, as he cleaned his swords, wiping the blades down with a rag to clean them off. She could tell they were of Elvish make and very likely to be enchanted with some form of magic. She noted the odd tension between him and Onyx, as if something more was there then it seemed. She had witnessed them the previous night while in the throes of passion together which she found in itself an unexpected enigma. Shaking her head quietly, she watched him as he finished his task before stowing the rag away and returning the weapons to their sheaths. Then getting to his feet he trod off after the dragon, clad only lightly in a tunic and breeches.

For his part, Khelvan did not understand why Onyx so fiercely despised the goblin. But on the other hand, other races didn't understand the hatred humans had for her kind either. He laughed wryly, even he didn't fully understand it but he had witnessed the devastation wrought by dragons upon his own village so many years ago. He was among the fraction of villagers that survived the attack and since that day when he was still an untested youth he vowed to learn the ways of the slayers and kill as many dragons as he could until he drew his last breath.

He prayed silently to the gods for answers to his current dilemma. Why did he not slay this dragon he was with already? He still despised her race but in her presence he only felt that anger seep away to nothing and be replaced by a need he never recognized before. Was this a test by the gods? He did not know the answer which troubled his mind. But he was certain that with Onyx, he felt something different, something about her that he could not place.