"Not good enough," Jake said, shaking his head. "I can't trust that your obligations fall in line with mine." He shook his head, turning away from the demon's extended hand. "There needs to be some way I can keep you in line without spending my whole rotten life breathing down your neck..."

The distant ringing of an alarm bell reached his pointed ears, and the half elf spun around to peer into the distance. In all direcitons more alarm bells took up the cry, and then a guardsman arrive on horseback. Blood flowed from an arrow wound to his leg. Jake and Nosdyn both hustled to help him down.

"Thanks, lads." the guard said with a wince, "I need to get inside and warn everyone! The goblins are attacking in force from the hills, they'll be here within minutes!"

"Nosdyn, help him inside," Jake snapped. "I'll see to the horse and then follow you."

As the demon and the guardmsan staggered inside together, Jake soothed the horse with his hands and his voice, clucking and calming it down. He led it over to a tree surrounded by some grasses and shrubs where it could graze, and tied it off. He turned and hurried inside after the others. The wounded guardsman's voice was ringing across the room.

"There must be hundreds of them, coming out of the mountains like ants from a hill! We're all doomed boys, doomed!"

"Hey!" Jake cried, running over to the open space beside the wounded man. "We're not doomed. We need to ally ourselves with the villagers, with the mercenaries and other warriors, and defend this land! Come on, you're the guardsmen! You're supposed to be the front line of defense! What do you say?"

"To... to the armories?" One timid young guard inquired.

"TO THE ARMORIES!" Jake roared, and the men set off in a frenzy to arm and armor themselves.

"Well, it looks like you'll have a chance to prove yourself after all," Jake said, looking around at the bustling guards. "These lot will need all the help they can get."

Jake unsheathed his sword and led the way outside. The crystal blade glimmered in the moonlight. The goblins had picked a pretty night to die. Soon they would know the skill of Jake Narmolanya, for soon they would meet the wrath of his blade.

They ran to the edge of the village where the fighting had already begun, goblins sweeping into the villagers in swathes, buzzing through them with their spiked axes and sickle swords.

"Now's where you get to prove yourself, Nosdyn!" Jake yelled over the screams and clangs of death and violence. "Guard my back!" He turned and plunged into the melee, crystal sword a lethal song in his hands.