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"Ask if there is another way into his lair, like a back way in," Tavi suggests. "It might help to know how many goblins we are actually dealing with too," she says thoughtfully.

Barlemus and the goblin have a couple of exchanges in Goblin. Turning to her, Barlemus shakes his head. "He says there is no way into the cavern except through the main entrance. As for numbers, he claims there are more than 200 warriors, but that doesn't count women, children, slaves, the shaman, the chieftain and their elite bodyguards."

"Oh, that is a daunting task," Tavi says with wide eyes. "Okay, so it looks like we go through the main entrance then. Are there guards at the main entrance?"

"Of course there will be," Arvin says. "There's not even any reason to ask that."

"He's rude, but he's right," Barlemus says. "Even gobos aren't stupid enough to not guard their own homes from predators. We'll have to approach carefully."

"All right," Tavi says. "Then do either of you have any other ideas on what to ask him before we start coming up with a plan?"

"No," Arvin says. And in a blink of an eye, he pulls out an arrow, nocks it, and fires. It pierces the hanging goblin's throat, ending its life immediately.

"Damn," Barlemus says.

"O...Okay then," Tavi says. "So it isn't a wise idea to just barge into their lair. My original idea was to pretend that I had actually captured the Night Stalker. Once we were inside, we would surprise attack them. That idea could technically work if you think about it as we have a third person now."

"I'm liking this all ready," Arvin says. "What did you have in mind?"

"The idea is that you, Arvin, stay behind and just kind of follow us until we get to the entrance. I don't know how many guards that the entrance is going to have, but I'm working under the impression that it is only going to have a couple," Tavi explains. "I explain that I captured the Night Stalker, and then you start taking out the guards from a distance. That gets us inside I think."

"Ut, what if there are more than just a couple of guards?" Barlemus asks.

"We should be able to see for ourselves when we get there. Goblins have terrible eyesight in the day, correct?" Arvin points out. "As long as we remain cautious, we'll likely see them before they see us."

"Exactly," Tavi says with a nod towards Arvin. "If there are more, then we can come up with another plan to get inside. I'm not exactly sure where we are going once we are inside though," Tavi admits with a sigh. "I would rather just get my sister's and go, but that might not stop the goblins from finding another innocent girl to slaughter."

"Let's just focus on finding and saving your sisters," Barlemus says. "We can make up the rest as we go."

"Wonderful," Arvin mutters.

Ignoring the elf, Barlemus says, "Okay, so where exactly are we heading then?"

"Arvin knows the way, so I suggest that he takes the lead," Tavi says with a light smile. "Either way, it is probably going to be a long walk."

Arvin follows the tracks for quite some distance, with Barlemus and Tavi trailing behind. It is mid-afternoon before the elf freezes and holds up a hand to indicate they stop.

Ducking down and slipping through the shrubberies, Arvin gestures for them to follow. He points out ahead a small cave opening largely camouflaged by local flora. Had they not been looking for it, they might have not noticed it otherwise.

Two goblin guards stand at attention, each armed with spears, bucklers, and leather armor. Each wears a tin whistle around their necks. The goblins try to stand in the shade, squinting against the bright sunlight.

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The party travels 8 miles in three and a half hours. It is now 3:30 PM.

"See, two guards," Tavi whispers with a grin. "We will have to be quick though, as those goblins could easily call for more with those whistles."