Poor Grunge and Grack

The night was light, brightened by the brilliance of the moon, it was almost like a twilight day. 1

It was a perfect night...if it was in the night that you dwelled. 2

Grack and Grunge were two simple goblins making their simple living by preying on merchants or any other hapless fool that wandered their way. They sometimes got a pretty good haul of shiny coins and tasty liquor. 3

Not that taste mattered much to them, they were goblins after all. As long as it made them giddy, it was good.4

Yup, a perfectly normal night for Grunge and Grack, eating nice roast pig merchant...along with his pigs. 5

The fire was crackling merrily, the man flesh was unusually tasty, and after the drinks they'd been having well it wouldn't be too suprising if someone could sneak up on them.6

A shadow, unnoticed looms up behind the two goblins. Quickly it pounced on Grack who without even a chance to scream dissappeared into the shadows. 7

Grunge turned groggily to address his friend and received the shock of a lifetime when he saw that he wasn't there. 8

Picking up a firebrand he holds it like a torch, looking out into the darkness. "Uhhh, Grack? Where's you?"9

Grunge would be able to hear it know, a quiet gurgle and wheeze. He's heard that sound before, it was akin to slicing the throat of a helpless child, but this time Grack was missing, and Grunge didn't know why. 10

Stepping away from the fire he calls out, "Finds somethun' Grack?" 11

No answer. 12

Nervously he begins to cast his gaze through the shadows, trying to find out what was going on. 13

Goblins were mostly nocturnal, but right now he wished to Heaven and Hell that it was day!14

Taking one more step forward the hapless goblin Grunge saw something that would horrify him for the rest of his very short life. 15

His buddy Grack was in the hands of some man, no it must be a devil in disguise! Grack's lifeless form was spattered with his own black blood. 16

Looking up from his kill the hidden demon looks at Grunge. 17

Grunge has never seen anything like this, but he's heard the stories. The countless horrible stories about a wraith that went around slaying his kind and drinking their blood. He made sport of their deaths and even the mighty, but stupid trolls shook in fear at the mention of him. 18

It was Ryuzen! 19

The burning dark red eyes pierced right through Grunge, the shadows were wrapped around Ryuzen so it was hard to see him even on this moonlit night, but the glint of the moon on his long fangs was bonequaking as he smiled ever so evilly. His face and fangs and clothes were all stained with the black blood of Grack. 20

Grunge was frozen only long enough to notice these things though. "Ohhh devuls!!!" He drops his makeshift torch turning to run away from Ryuzen, that horrible monster of death whom all goblins regarded with an almost worshipful fear. 21

He ran for all he was worth! Not daring to look back, in his black heart he knew it was hopeless, but the need to survive drove him forward. He didn't want to die dangit! He was a cowardly, snivelling, bullying goblin who would rather see his friend get killed than to get killed himself! He had a lot of bullying left to live for!22

Finally Grunge was out of breath, he had to stop, despite how much he didn't want too, but it didn't seem like he was being followed. 23

Perhaps that monster had been satisfied with just Grack. He certainly hoped so. 24

He shivered at the mere thought of having seen that...that thing! There wasn't a proper name for the kinds of horrors that unholy beast embodied.25

*Snap.* A twig broke and instantly all of Grunge's fears awoke once again, before they'd even had a chance to settle! 26

He drew his short sword, trying to steel himself for whatever came next. The sword rattled slightly in his hand it was trembling so much. 27

He whirled around, trying to see through the moonlit darkness. 28

A shadow moved just on the edge of his vision, enough to keep scaring the crap out of him. 29

He knew what was going on, he and Grack...poor Grack, they had done this kind of thing to their victims many a time before, playing with them. 30

It didn't help to know though, it made it worse. The utter dread was unbearable.31

The shadowy monster named Ryuzen looms up behind Grunge, arms spread wide to catch him in his grasp of death, promising to bring him down with pain as the blood would be drained from him. 32

But despite his fear, Grunge wasn't going down without a fight. He whirled around, lashing out with his shortsword and catching that monster right in the gut. 33

He could see the blood staining his sword in the moonlight, and he cackled with glee! He had cut him! The great Ryuzen was dying on his blade! 34

Ryuzen's body was limp, lifeless. 35

Grunge just stood there laughing. 36

Then Ryuzen's weight shifted. 37

That was enough to cut Grunge's laughter off right there, he stared incredulously at the corpse, it was a corpse wasn't it? He had killed Ryuzen after all! Sure the stories had said the goblin slayer was immortal, but those were just stories! 38

Ryuzen lifts his head, the malicious glint of pure evil in his dark red eyes. Still stuck on Grunge's sword he reaches out and grabs him, pulling him closer, closer. 39

Grunge screams for mercy, screams from fear! 40

And then silence. The scream cut short by sharp fangs piercing his neck, the black blood oozing out of his veins and being greedily taken in by that monster the goblins feared so much. 41

As he drank, Ryuzen pulled Grunge's sword from his body and the wound began to heal itself. 42

The moon watched from heaven. 43

~Fin~ 44