The Adventures of Bard Ch. 03

Author's Note: The next chapter is in! Sorry for the delay. I tried something new with this chapter. It's twice as long as the previous chapters and has more action, characters, interactions and story development. As always, comments and suggestions are most welcome. Stay tuned for more chapters as Bard makes his way closer to Glenhearth!

Bard was in a good mood as he whistled an upbeat tune. It had been a day since his racy night encounter with the mysterious wood elf. After much pondering on the matter, the thief had decided that he had indeed fucked the wood elf and not imagined or dreamt it all up. He could not rationally explain why he knew this, but he knew that deep down it was the truth. Ever since that realization, Bard was in higher spirits as he continued down Darkwood Road.

The thief was glad to see more sunlight piercing through the forest canopy. He felt as though the woods were no longer as dense as before, though he still shuddered when recalling the first three days of walking in near darkness. Bard knew that by foot the journey through Darkwood Forest would take roughly five days. He looked at his well-worn boots and wondered whether he would make it out of the woods soon. The thought of being out on the open road with the sun clear in the sky made him smile, but his smile soon diminished when something troubling caught the thief's attention.

"What's this?" he muttered as he knelt down and examined the path carefully. Darkwood Road was an old and well-traveled cobblestone trail. The path had deteriorated throughout the ages, leaving many missing stones and gaps in the roadway. It became a simple dirt road before him, with an odd stone here and there between crushed leaves and twigs. Though he was no ranger, he could make out horse and wheel tracks -- and a lot of them at that. Bard was not alone on the road after all. The thief shook his head, scolding himself quietly. How had he not spotted the tracks before?

"Company on the road. Good or bad, I wonder?" he asked aloud with a frown on his face. The roads between towns and cities in the central Kingdom were relatively safe, but out here on the outskirts it was another matter. Stories of travelers getting attacked by goblins and orcs, or being robbed by highwaymen were not unheard of. Bard had in his travels encountered such highwaymen before, and had even been a part of such groups. The thief had opted out of such a lifestyle in favour of being a city thief, where he had access to greater riches and pleasures.

A shrill cry in the distance made the thief look up. He listened for a while until he heard several more shrill cries pierce the silence of the woods. They were the first sounds the thief had heard in days, and he instantly recognized them as goblin in origin. He couldn't tell how many of them there were, but he knew that a fight was coming. Bard was not afraid of a goblin or two, but he knew well the dangers of a raiding party. For a brief period in his life, the thief had served in the King's army before becoming a deserter. He had fought alongside fellow soldiers against goblin and orc tribes that threatened the borders of the Kingdom.

The thief did not revel in the idea of fighting goblins again. Bard looked up and considered climbing high up into a tree and simply waiting the conflict out. Better alive than dead, he thought grimly. He was about to scale up a large tree when he heard a battle shout challenge the goblin war cries. It came from men and women, and they were not far away by the sounds of it.

"Shit," he muttered as he moved towards the sounds of battle. It was against all reason to go into fight not knowing the odds, but he couldn't stand the sound of women screaming -- unless of course they were screaming in pleasure.

Bard did not have to run far before he found the source of the commotion. Up ahead on the road he spotted a large caravan of wagons and carts. They were parked on and off the road in disarray. He saw smoke up ahead -- one of the leading wagons was on fire. All around the caravan, men and women were fighting against a small horde of goblins. The little green bastards easily outnumbered the humans two to one. Bard noticed that the men were trying to push the goblins back, while the women defended the wagons, carts and horses.

The thief dropped his bag of stolen goods and burst into action. As he ran he drew two concealed daggers. Without slowing his pace, the thief hurled the two daggers with expert precision and watched them bring down a pair of goblins. Another goblin turned around to see what had happened, only to be met with Bard's boot crunching hard into its long nose. The goblin yelped in pain and fell down, holding its bleeding and broken nose. The men cheered at the sight of a new ally. A burly man nearby brought his wooden mallet down on the fallen goblin, and Bard danced to the side to avoid the splatter of blood.

Bard drew another dagger and quickly dodged a clumsy spear attack by a goblin. The spear stabbed into a tree behind Bard, its sharp tip getting stuck in the thick bark. The goblin struggled to pull the weapon free. Seeing an opening, the thief smiled sinisterly and thrust his dagger hand out, burying the weapon to the hilt in the goblin's small chest. The thief twisted the dagger before viciously pulling it out.

"Fucking human!" the goblin gurgled before it fell to the ground, still clutching the spear.

Mad cackling drew Bard's attention. He saw a group of goblins sneak around towards a nearby wagon, which was defended by a few women. From behind a window inside the wagon, a few terrified children watched the battle. The men were starting to push the goblin forces back, but no one was close enough to help the women out. Bard heard the goblins cackle with glee as they approached the wagon. "Titties and kiddies!" one of the goblins shouted as it began to run towards the women.

Goblin raiding parties were infamous for their general disorganization. Often goblin forces would split up right in the middle of combat; some goblins would continue to fight, others would pillage and loot, and yet more would try to rape helpless victims. Goblins were known for their lecherous behaviour, and it was no wonder that their populations were so massive. The little buggers basically spent their entire lives doing three simple things: eating, raiding, and fucking.

Bard dislodged the spear from the tree behind him and hurled the weapon at the leading goblin. The spear struck true, impaling the goblin and sending it flying back from the force of the impact. The spear and the goblin slammed into the side of the wagon. A woman nearby screamed at the sight of the goblin's body dangling from the spear, lodged into the side of the wagon. Bard heard startled cries from inside the wagon. He hoped he didn't kill some poor kid inside by doing that.

The sight of their dead companion did little to stop the other goblins. A few goblins glanced at him and then back at the women -- they chose tits and he couldn't blame them. He saw one particularly horny goblin attack a buxom young woman. The bugger's loincloth was already on the ground as it tore at the woman's clothing, despite her beating it repeatedly on the head with a metal pot.

"Show me your tits, bitch!" the goblin howled as he clawed at her top. He managed to tear some of the cloth away, but not enough to see her breasts.

It howled no more when Bard's dagger found the back of its skull. The busty beauty recoiled in disgust as blood splattered against her torn garments. A high-pitched laugh from above redirected Bard's attention. One of the goblins had managed to climb up on the roof of the wagon. It was clawing away at the top, trying desperately to get inside. Bard tried to pull his dagger out of the fallen goblin's skull but found it firmly lodged. Instead, the thief improvised -- he grabbed the dead goblin by the foot and swung it up at the goblin on the roof. Goblins were relatively small in stature, about three feet tall and they didn't weigh very much so the feat wasn't difficult to perform.

With great satisfaction he saw the goblin corpse slam into the goblin atop the roof. Both bodies went flying over the edge. The other goblins continued to harass the women, oblivious to the thief wreaking havoc among them. A woman with light bronze coloured skin screamed as two goblins choose her for their next assault. One threw itself at her legs and started dry humping her like a dog. The other goblin practically launched itself at her ass. It clung to her rear for dear life as the woman spun around trying to get the goblins off. The sight was absolutely ridiculous and if it wasn't for the dire situation the thief would have laughed out loud.

"Stop spinning!" Bard shouted at her. She stopped and her eyes went wide with shock as Bard grabbed the two goblins by their necks. He pulled them off of her body and some of her clothing tore away in the process. The thief slammed their heads against the side of the wagon repeatedly until he heard their skulls crack against the hard wood. Bard dropped their lifeless bodies to the ground and looked at the women. They stared back at him in stunned silence. He realized how ruthless and mad he must have looked killing those goblins in quick succession.

The silence was broken by the two women he had saved. They cheered and the rest of the women joined in after. Bard saw a young boy in the wagon fist pump the air. The thief flashed a wolfish grin at women and children before returning to the battle with the other men. It was a bloody business but eventually the sounds of battle ended. A few goblins were trying to retreat but the men chased and cut the goblins down. Clearly these people knew the dangers of letting a few goblins escape -- the little green bastards would return in greater numbers and with a vengeance if allowed to do so.

Goblin bodies littered the road and forest floor around the caravan. A few men were wounded, but no one seemed in danger of dying. The women were a bit shaken but overall they were fine except for a few tears in their clothing. Bard was actually surprised at how well the group had defended themselves against the goblin raid. These folk were not strangers to conflict on the road.

"Well met, stranger!" an older man said as he approached Bard. "Had it not been for your timely arrival, I fear we'd be a bit bloodier! Or a bit deader!" he laughed as he extended a hand out to the thief.

Bard shook the man's outstretched hand and grinned. "Happy to be of service, good sir." The older man had silvery-blonde hair and seemed to be in his early fifties. He was in relatively good shape and health but for the gash on his forearm.

"Call me Gaben." The man swept his hands out around him. "This is my caravan of travelling entertainers, The Four Corners. You might have heard of us? We sing, dance, and perform shows in all the major cities and towns of the Kingdom. The goblins came upon us as we stopped by the river to take a break and water the horses." The caravan master spat on the corpse of a nearby goblin. "What do we call you, hero?"

"Bard," the thief said and bowed his head slightly. "Your people handled the situation remarkably well."

Gaben stood tall and proud. "We're a hardy folk and have learned the dangers of the road. This isn't the first time we've had to defend ourselves, nor the last!" The troupe cheered as they began to gather around Bard, some clapping him on the back in thanks.

Bard noticed the younger woman from before, who was partially covered in goblin blood thanks to the thief. Despite the mess, he could see that she was a gorgeous little thing, with blue eyes and blonde hair tied in a ponytail. She wore a simple brown tunic, or at least what remained of it from the horny goblin's attack. He could tell she had a great pair of tits underneath her clothes.

Gaben saw Bard looking at the young woman. "This is my daughter, Gina. You saved her life. How can I repay you?" the man asked.

"Goblin slaying is all the reward I need," the thief said with a grin on his face. He glanced at Gina and her ample bosom and his grin widened. Now those would be a good reward, he thought. The young woman looked him up and down and crossed her arms against her chest. She had a look of revulsion on her face. Bard wondered what the hell her problem was.

The caravan master bellowed in laughter. "Spoken like a true champion. But we can't have you go unrewarded. Where is it that you are heading?" Gaben inquired.

Bard considered the different towns and cities beyond Darkwood Forest. "Glenhearth," he replied.

Gaben beamed at him. "Same as us! Of course you'll accompany us then? Eat, drink and take comfort in taking your feet off the road for a while. We have plenty of space on the wagons. You're more than welcome to join us." The man smiled and clasped Bard's shoulder.

The thief's stomach growled in response and the people around him laughed. "Who can argue with that?"

"Good man," Gaben said. The man's nose wrinkled and his expression seemed to sour. He looked at Bard as if seeing the man for the first time. "No offense, but you could use a bath. You look like you've been through hell." The caravan master looked around at his disheveled troupe and chuckled. "We could all use a bath actually. Thank the gods there's a river right there."

Bard realized that he must have looked and smelled like shit. He had escaped through the sewer system of Riverwood and had been on the road for several days now. Goblin blood now stained his clothing as well. Probably why Gina had scowled at him, he thought. He decided the first thing he would do once reaching Glenhearth would be to buy new and stylish clothing. The thought reminded him of the bag of stolen goods and coins he had left behind before he had joined the battle.

"A sanitary suggestion, caravan master. I will join you after I retrieve my belongings. A man can't run into combat carrying all his travelling gear, can he?" he grinned.

***

The cool water of the river felt good on Bard's skin. A few of the men from the caravan had joined him to clean their wounds and scrapes. The women were bathing nearby, just on the other side of the bridge. Bard wasn't sure why there was a need for privacy, since he could clearly see them from under the archway. The thief spotted two caravan guards, who were watching over the wagons and horses diligently. Bard did not expect the goblins to attack again though. Another pair of guards were busy piling up goblin corpses off to the side of the road.

A burly man named Gregory passed a bar of soap and a sponge to the thief. Bard recognized him as the man with the wooden mallet, who had smashed the goblin's head in during the battle. The thief thanked him and took the items gladly. He scrubbed himself rigorously until he once again felt clean. Bard looked at his now clean hands and remembered the night with the wood elf. He tried to shake the memory of the pond from his head.

The sound of women giggling interrupted his thoughts. He looked towards the bridge and saw a few of the women looking at the men, or more specifically looking at the new and freshly cleaned thief. Gina was among them. She had a towel already draped across her body and was leaving the water. Her eyes caught his and she smiled shyly before disappearing up the riverbank. The thief grinned. He found it amusing that she wasn't scowling at him now that he didn't look like a filthy beggar on the road.

"Oh what I would do to fuck those pair of titties!" sang a young man by the name of Thomas. The men around him chuckled and voiced their agreement. "But Gaben would have my balls cut off," Thomas lamented.

Bard smirked. "Who could blame a father for protecting his little girl?" He passed the soap and sponge to Thomas.

"Have you seen those jugs? She's a full-grown woman!" the young man complained as he began to scrub himself down.

"That she is," Gregory murmured before waving his hand dismissively. "Bah, not to worry. There'll be plenty of women at Glenhearth."

Still clutching the soap and sponge, Thomas crossed his arms across his chest defiantly. "I don't want other women," he declared boldly.

Bard raised an eyebrow at the man. "Ah, you fancy the girl. Does she know?"

The young man seemed to pale. "N-n-n-ooo," he stuttered. "She doesn't really know I exist." Thomas was taller and a bit younger than Bard but he didn't have much meat on him. He was neither handsome nor ugly, just lanky. The young man came off as shy and uncertain.

"Well then, you have to get her attention and impress her," Bard suggested.

"I tried to do that today, but she was too busy gawking at you smashing goblin skulls!" Thomas said angrily. The men stopped cleaning and even some of the women were looking over to see what the loud outburst was about. "Sorry," the young mumbled once he realized that everyone was watching. "I was just hoping that she'd see me doing something heroic. I even killed three goblins today!"

The thief grimaced. "Believe me, it wasn't my intention to rob you of a chance to sway Gina with your bravery. I was just trying to help."

"I know, I know," Thomas mumbled in disappointment as he got out of the water and climbed up the riverbank.

Bard kind of felt bad for the wimp so he called out after him. "Hey. Tell you what. I'll help you get into her pants."

Thomas turned around and stared at Bard with wide eyes. "How?" he asked, barely able to contain his excitement.

Bard shrugged. "I don't know yet but I'll think of something."

The young man gawked in disbelief for a while before a goofy smile formed on his face. "Thanks, Bard!" Thomas practically skipped up the riverbank. He slipped and fell, but got up almost instantly and kept going as if nothing had happened.

Bard sighed, not sure why he had just promised the fool such a thing. "I'd prefer to be the one getting in her pants," he confessed to the men around him.

"We all hear you," Gregory agreed. "Like I said though, there'll be plenty of beautiful women in Glenhearth. And if you can't wait until then, there's always Maya."

"Maya?" Bard asked, noticing that the men had grown hard at the mere mention of the name.

"The Myran with the long brown hair and big tits," replied Arnold, a dark haired man in his early thirties. He nodded his head in the direction of the bathing women. "She's a... uh."

"An exotic dancer and a prostitute," the Gregory finished for the man. "Gaben keeps her around because she attracts lots of attention to the caravan and earns extra coin on the side. He doesn't allow us to purchase her services though," he said with a frown on his face.

"You're married," Arnold reminded the burly man.

"A man can dream and have his fantasies!" grumbled Gregory.

The thief looked at the women and easily spotted Maya. She was the woman he had saved from the two horny goblins. Myran's came from the conquered province of Myr, an arid region in the southern portion of the Kingdom. The people from there had light bronze coloured skin, and often had dark brown hair with amber coloured eyes. Myran women were exotic and beautiful, which was why at least one or two could always be found in any high-class brothel in the Kingdom.

Maya was in the middle of washing her considerable bosom when she noticed Bard staring. She smirked and grabbed one of her big breasts and squeezed it. The other women saw what she was doing and laughed at her as they threw a towel over her head. Maya giggled and pulled the towel down, draping it across her body. She flashed Bard with an infectious smile before leaving the water with the rest of the women.

Bard grinned. He was beginning to like this troupe of entertainers.

***

The large caravan quickly organized itself after the goblin attack. Any damage to the wagons and carts was swiftly repaired, except for the one burnt down wagon which was salvaged for any undamaged goods. Some of the men sported bandages, and were restricted to lighter duties. One of the women had cleaned Bard's dirty clothing in the river and her husband had provided the thief with a spare change of clothing while his garments dried in the laundry cart. The man was similar in height and stature to Bard, so the clothing fit well.