The path was wet and dewdrops slid down the black blades of the long grass as Gray Fox hunted. He froze as still as the night air and sniffed the salty scent of his prey. Everything seemed to hold its breath as the climax of the chase filled the silence with anticipation. His clawed fingers slid noiseless into his lion's head box and carefully withdrew the tattered ball that wrapped up the necessary spell components. His breathed words were timed with the quarry's careful and timid movement.

​

"The strength of earth is mine to evoke..."

Another slither in the grass in front of him.

"The strength of earth is mine to evoke..."

​

The wind chose that time to send a muggy breeze to swim a river current directly toward him that parted the sea of darkness and revealed his position."The strength of earth is mine to evoke!" He shouted causing the ball to warm and glow with power and a fraction of a second later burst into a writhing mass of roots as he sailed it at his target.

​

The beast blinked stupidly at the curious sight rushing toward it before rolling to the side with a reptilian hiss. "...mine to evoke!" Gray hadn't waited for the ball to miss he knew it would the moment he let go. The second magic ball scored before the monster saw it coming and where it struck the writhing roots twisted about and sunk deep into the ground.

​

Gray Fox whooped and rushed forward counting as he practically swam through the knee high dampness. "6, 7, 8, 9..." The creature twisted but the magic held fast to its feet.

​

Just a little closer, he drew the simple short blade, "18, 19, 20, 21..." Gray was nearly there with plenty of time left. The beast opened its massive jaws and hissed as it whipped its ridged tail in Gray's direction. At thirty-four Gray Fox entered the now beaten down circle of swamp grass and crouched on his haunches, blade held in front and tail flicking in anticipation. Though stopped, the reptile could still damage him if he was too slow with this last move. He hesitated as the count hit forty-five and the creature lunged for him. The entangle held but it still cost Gray precious seconds.

​

"51, 52..." the magic was fading so he darted forward and leapt onto the bone ridged back of the beast bringing the blade down into the thick skull of the swamp dweller.

 

The blade bounced, "57, 58..." too slow, too dangerous...

​

Gray Fox had no time for another spell and his sword work was nothing akin to a proper swordmaster. Desperately he jammed the blade into the throat of the green lurker just behind the jaw and felt it sink through the hide armor.

​

"60" and the magic gave up allowing the predator to roll and throw Gray Fox into the wet darkness with a splash. He sputtered and was slowly on his feet listening to the thrash of the dying monster. He chanted, "I enchant thee with barkskin" repeatedly causing his hide to become rough and cracked as he moved towards the slowing thrashes smelling the mix of salt and blood. It took just a few steps to bring him to the site of the death. His sword was bent and still lodged in his prey, another expense at the swordsmith, but the red glow in the eyes of the large beast faded before dying completely. Still Gray waited knowing that things often held to life a little past death for revenge's sake. Once satisfied he strode forward and yanked the blade free spilling the black tainted blood onto the boggy ground.

​

​

"Another rogue down. That's three this month."

​

Big Duncan, the Sheriff of Storm Coast, grunted with the effort of sliding the massive carcass onto Gray's skinning table then stepped back as the druid went to work opening the body up. The dull glow of swamp fire cast the den in a ghoulish haze of smoke and shadow.

​

"Three too many, your people brought a plague when you landed on my shore." The fox growled and ripped the yellow lining of the stomach open revealing a partially digested goblin. He pointed with his vlawed fingers and looked menacingly at the sheriff who shrugged.

​

"Are you saying you never had greenies in your land before us? Seems a tad farfetched to me."

​

"Believe what you will but no, my swamps were clean of the vermin for decades."

​

Duncan raised an eyebrow and the corner of his mouth twitched upwards, "Clean? Really? Not even one of the runts just happened to wander into your territory, ever?"

​

"Not. Ever." Gray Fox snapped his jaws when he enunciated and drew close to the martial fighter staring up at him intensely. The silence lasted a few moments before...

​

"Boop." Duncan said as he brought his massive scarred knuckles down to lightly tap Gray's cold nose.

The two locked eyes and stared as Gray resisted the maddening desire to twitch his nose.

​

"Boop boo-" As he tapped Gray's nose again, Fox lashed out with his knee into the big man's groin causing him to make the most akward, "Ghurk!" before crumpling over.

​

"Don't ever do that again." Fox sniffed and turned back to the body ignoring the coughing giant as he finally twitched and rubbed the itch out of his nose. The goblin was still mostly intact within the belly of the beast. Fox reached in and turned the head of the creature expecting it to roll with ease since the neck was broken.

​

The Goblin's eyes snapped open as did its mouth in a hideous show of broken teeth and it sucked in a wheezing breath. Gray Fox stumbled backwards jaw hanging open as the goblin squirmed.

​

And then there was the Sheriff. Standing between the two he stabbed the bent sword into the chest of the foul goblin twisting the blade with a squirting "splorch" as the monster died for a second time.

​

Neither moved or spoke, they stared in disbelief as the knobby fingers reached from within the carcass and wrapped slowly around the blade. Then fell limp to move no more.

​

"This is no ordinary goblin. This is worse." Gray Fox stepped closer and pressed a hand to his collection of claws hanging from his throat.

​

"Agreed," said the Sheriff, "I'm going to get answers and you are going to help." They stared in the flickering hazy light of the den. Fox's ears quivered but he made no move to smooth them. The silence was agreement enough for Big Duncan so he left without further comment leaving Gray Fox to dispose of the remains.