So… Silanus´idea was not that bad… She actually liked it… She liked a word as a name, a random word that she once said, and now, it seems that the random word is her name. Oh well, atleast she is happy, and honestly the name is pretty good… Silanus cleaned his rheumy eyes, once again with his red tunic; a small grin appeared on Silanus´face, the centaur seemed to be really, really happy, perhaps now they can be friends… After all, she´s not a divine or a goddess or a bringer of fortune, she´s just a normal creature, like him, like any other creature… Why not being friends? Silanus answered to the centaur, now named Paradox: "Seems you really liked the name uh? After all, Silanus´idea was not as bad as he thought it would be, heh… Same, Paradox… Silanus is pleased too…" 

Silanus yawned and his eyes covered with tears, this always happened when he yawned, and it was damn annoying…. He quickly cleaned his tears with his hand, and then, the man looked at the pair of pants, and said: "When Silanus came to this place, his orc socii… Ehem, orc friends, warned him about the cold… Damn, Silanus should have listened… Poor, poor Silanus…" The man stood up, stretched his arms, then his neck and finally his legs… Then, he quickly put on the new pants, under his small, red skirt of course. Now, his legs were completely covered with the warm, warm pair of trousers… What an amazing, beautiful feeling! The pants were a little loose for him, but… Who cares!? Now he won´t be freezing! Well… Atleast not HIS legs…

Silanus felt stronger, healthier than before, now he felt like he could carry all his armor and his burdens, and even more! The man ran towards his armor and, carefully, he put himself inside of it, then his helmet, his ankle armor, his weapons and finally his backpack… Even after all of this, Silanus was still feeling good! That was a holy pie!

Silanus gave an adventurous look to Paradox, and with a little smirk on his face he said: "Well well, don´t you just wonder what below this place? The gateway to the underground room, what does it hide, eh? Since Silanus first saw it, he felt like the door whas calling to him… Why don´t you come with me, come on, Silanus bets you fit through it!" Silanus walked towards the wooden gatedoor, it had a small, rusty, basic lock; of course that would not stop Silanus… The man grabbed his dagger and hit it like 4 or 5 times, until the old lock broke in half, unlocking the gate… What was it hiding? Why was it locked? Things like this are what make Silanus curious… He opened the dusty door… And what he saw inside it… It was not what he expected, actually, it was way better than he thought… A… A cave, why was a cave there??!! A damn cave under an abandoned farm, protected only by a locked gateway. Also, the gate had some stairs, even a rhino could walk there! Silanus laughted and said: "Hah, see? You fit there!"

Paradox stood still, smiling at the man as he spoke. He seemed vaguely confused, but then swiftly turned to joy and contentment. He liked her name. She was happy. She was proud. She was now a creature of her own making. An individual, not controlled and blinded by her herd in a blanket statement. She was no longer just a centaur. No, she was Paradox. She was now unique for her kind. If she returned to her herd in the forest now, with a name, she would either be banished, or made a legend. It was rare for centaurs to have a name, only the great ones of folklore were blessed to be given one.

She watched Silanus, the man was talking to himself again. She turned an ear and watched as he slid the pants up his legs. She turned slightly for modesty's sake, it wasn't polite to stare. Once they were on, she turned back around and was pleased to find they fit. With the pants and boots, he no longer looked like a soldier. She slung her pack over her side and walked over to him. She stepped carefully around him as he put on his armor, weapons and supplies. "I see they fit well." She said, observing his fast movements. The spell works. She was content with herself.

Silanus spoke excitedly to her, eagerly discussing the door in the floor. It's a cellar, she thought to herself. Not much in it, that I haven't seen before. He seemed very overly excited about it. Like a child getting a new toy. He pulled at the wooden handles and the old lock, but they wouldn't budge. He enthusiastically started to stab the small piece of metal with his knife, until it shattered the locking mechanism inside and broke free. He quickly opened the doors and peered inside.

Cautiously, she walked up behind him and looked over his shoulder. It was quickly revealed that what was under the door was not a cellar.  She looked at the man skeptically as he talked about the steps, horses were not made to go on them, and they were generally tricky with an extra set of legs. For him though, she would try, though she had a bad feeling about it. She looked at him, catching his scent. She was glad the new clothes didn't change it very much, the last thing she needed was to lose him in the dark. She glanced at the steps again. "I can fit on the steps," she said slowly, looking down at him. "I ask that you stay clear and as far back as possible. I have no desire to squish you, but a horse's quarters are not designed for stairs. I personally have very minimal experience with them and the last thing I want is for you to end up under me."

She looked at the dark cavern again, then back to Silanus. "But first, give me your torch, I will light it this time."

After Paradox entered inside the caverns, she asked for Silanus' torch…. Well, she did break the other one, but… Why not? Silanus dropped his heavy backpack to the ground and began to search for his torch.."Damn, where did Silanus left his torch this time..? There…" The man mumbled to himself before finally finding the torch and taking it out… He quickly set it on fire, and before handing it to Paradox, he looked around and said: "Woah, this place is huge!" The cave had many, many small bats sleeping above the man and the centaur's heads. It had a complex system of tunnels, it was impossible that nature made those deep tunnels… Perhaps it is an abandoned mine or something… Who knows…

Silanus handed the lit torch to Paradox and said: "You lead, Silanus will follow…"

Paradox jumped down into the cellar after Silanus, careful to avoid landing on him. She brought with her a piece of planking, covered in pine pitch at one end. She skipped forward a step, her hooves rattling loudly on the stone when she reached the ground. She bent down to the side, extending the rustic torch in front of her. She lifted up one of her forelegs, and raked her hoof against the other. A tall arch of sparks shot out from between her hooves and ignited the flammable tree sap. She stood upright and held the torch over her head, illuminating the cavern. She handed Silnaus his torch back and kept her own. Silanus said he would follow her as she led the way. Lucky me, she thought. She walked forward, the sound from her hooves echoing throughout the caves. The stone walls were shiny, they looked almost wet in the torch’s warm glow.

The cave was cool, and she couldn’t see the end of it. This is definitely not a cellar. She ran her fingers along the wall, and when she pulled back, the tips were slightly tacky. She licked her fingertips, the taste was salty with a hint of copper on her tongue. Odd, she had never been in a cave like this before. She glanced behind, making sure Silanus was behind her. She flicked her tail and felt his body with the long hairs. She knew where he was now, so she wasn’t tempted to kick him. She would have prefered it for him to put a hand on her flank, so fi the torches died she wouldn’t lose him and trample him accidentally.

She felt a draft pick up above her head and the flame flickered, but didn’t go out. She shivered slightly as the cool air went up her shirt. She had a bad feeling about this place, but she didn’t know why. Her ears flattened against her head and she felt her hackles rise along her back. “Silanus,” she whispered hoarsely. “I don’t like this place. Something bad happened here, I can feel it in the air.” Like static.

She kept going further into the cave and gradually became aware of the walls getting closer together. The cave was so narrow now that she couldn’t turn around if she wanted to. After a short while, it widened back out again and she heaved a sigh in relief. Suddenly there was a loud rumble and she felt the ground give way.

Perfect, she had her own torch, now they both had torches. Silanus kept his own torch, but he did not lit it, because he didn't see any need to… After all, Paradox was leading the way. This cave was… Odd… The echo of strange noises could be heard everywhere; Silanus wondered: "What in the world is causing those noises? Is it just my imagination…?"

Silanus was nervous, really nervous… He often looked behind him to make sure they were not followed… However, he could not see anything… It seemed that Paradox, his centaur companion, was pretty nervous too. She mentioned how she had a bad feeling, that something bad happened… Before Silanus could answer, a screech was heard, a loud one. Suddenly, a small, green creature jumped to Silanus' back. This creature had a wooden club with iron spikes around it, and a strange thing covering it's head… It seemed to be a skull, perhaps an ogre skull, due to the large teeth it had. The small creature climbed the man's back and smashed his head with the club three times, but his thick helmet protected him… Silanus quicly punched the creature with his elbow, throwing him to the ground, then the soldier grabbed his spear and impaled it inside it's neck, obviously murdering it. Silanus yelled: "Goblin! There are goblins here, we are ambushed!"

Two more goblins appeared, this time infront of Paradox. One of it had an axe made with bones, quickly, the goblin jumped towards her …

Paradox heard Silanus shout and saw the two nasty little creatures rush towards her. She didn't have time to reach for her bow and her bag was covering her dagger. They were upon her and she reared up, her head almost touching the cave's ceiling. She lashed out with her forelegs, each hoof as big the goblins bodies. She caught the one in the head and it flew back against the wall with a wail. The other with the axe swung wildly at her legs and she was forced to retreat a few steps. 

She brought her weight down on the goblin, pounding it into the earth with her hooves. It caught her cannon bone with the axe and she gave a beastly scream. She snarled at it, still screaming, and caught the edge of her hoof on its neck, severing the head from the body. She seethed and looked around for more, letting her beast half take control. She realized that they were dropping from the ceiling. She twisted around as she felt a light weight land on her back, spinning frantically.

She smashed her side into the wall and felt the small bones break, before the body slid off her side. She bared her teeth at the incoming goblins and rushed towards them, anger consuming her body. She reached down and grabbed a nasty devil with her hand, while trampling its companion while she ran over it. She felt the little creature bite into her hand, it's sharp teeth digging in deep into her wrist. She roared and with her other hand, slammed its neck into the wall. As it lost its breath, it's grip weakened and she pulled her arm out of its mouth. She threw the creature towards the other wall and it fell to the ground motionless. 

She looked behind her for Silanus. He seemed to be holding his own against the little creatures. She saw one jump at his head, but it was from the side, where his helmet blocked his line of sight. "Duck Silanus!" She yelled. She leaped upward, extending her hind legs out as far as she could and felt them collide with the small body just over the man's head. It dropped out of the air lifeless. Panting, she turned and looked for more. "I think that's all of them," she said, her voice hoarse.

The centaur annihilated those goblins with ease! She crushed them or kicked them; none of the goblins survived… Silanus looked around, holding his spear with both hands, the place was silent now… However, it was obvious that there were more of those creatures here, since they usually live in large groups. Silanus had an arrogant, confident smirk… Yeah, his head hurted a little, that goblin's club was hard, but the adrenaline of battle… Ahhh… What a glorious, pure feeling. If there are more goblins here, Silanus would obliterate this plague… He said: "Ohohoh, perhaps Silanus could train a little, experience make the best. Killing goblins is a great way of training!"

Silanus put his spear on his back again, his right arm was covered with goblin blood… Disgusting… He looked at Paradox and said: "You… You have a great fighting style…. Crushing your rivals, old but gold… Silanus would be honored to fight against these goblins at your side…" The soldier stopped talking and unsheated his sword, then he softly held it and showed it to Paradox, after that he said: "But you need a weapon, a strong, sharp weapon… Take Silanus' gladius sword, use it wisely, come on… Come with Silanus, lets seek the glory we deserve! The glory that can only be obtained by victory!!!"

[Have a nice goblin artwork I found at google]

Paradox looked at the man as he offered his sword with the promise of finding more goblins. She shook her head at him, tucking her wounded hand against her chest. "That is madness Silanus," she said quietly. "I don't kill for sport or for glory. I kill to defend myself, and that is all. You may continue your campaign down the caverns, but I will return to the barn." She stepped around him and limped back the way they had come. 

Blood oozed out of her cut leg, dripping onto the floor and making her hoof sticky. Her shirt was becoming blood stained from her mangled hand. She couldn't work her magic with only one hand, so her best bet was to get it bandaged as quickly as she could. The cavern seemed longer than the first time they'd walked down it. It echoed down here now, without their voices making any noise. Her footfalls weren't steady anymore, and scuffled a bit due to her injury.

She walked slowly down the tunnels and back to the stairs that led out of the cave. Carefully, she inched her way up the steps and was soon back in the barn. She walked painfully over to her pile of straw in the corner, lying down gently and extending her damaged leg away from her body. She looked at it, most of her lower leg was red from the deep cut. She rolled over on her side and sighed. She'd tend to herself if she could later. Now she just wanted to sleep, the adrenaline wearing off and the throbbing pain taking its place.

Silanus saw how she refused his offer and thought: "What a damn shame…" he sheated his sword and simply said: "Very well… Silanus will play with the locals, you, well you rest or do whatever you wish." The man, with a fast but soft movement, hit his chest with his fist, as a signal of respect… After that, he just walked away.

Silanus remained inside the large cave for three hours, and the results were amazing, even for him… One would expect a small challenge, after all, goblin warriors can be killed with ease… However, those were… Different, simply special. This goblin tribe was organized, developed bronze weapons, and had even laws of their own! For this creature, this is simply impressive! In his adventure, Silanus fought against 16 goblins in a wide area… It was hard, but Silanus killed them all…

After murdering the warriors, Silanus wandered even deeper in the cave; he found a group of 27 goblins in what seemed to be the biggest area of the cave. A goblin, bigger than all other goblins, with a sharp short axe made of bronze and a thick armor made of bones and leather, walked towards Silanus… He… Spoke to him… Amazing! This goblin sat in the floor with a piece of coal and started to draw something… Of course, Silanus was curious in this tribe, and did not attack… For now…

The goblin finished drawing on the floor, he drew 5 things: A man fighting against three goblins, then the goblins were dead, then the man had an axe in his hand, after that the man was surrounded by goblins, and finally the goblins gave the man a rock and bowed to him…

It was pretty clear for Silanus the meaning of those drawings… If Silanus challenged the goblin chief and other 2 goblins and won, he would be the new leader… Impressive, now Silanus had the chance to be a chief of a goblin tribe… The man won and won, it was hard, but the three goblins were dead…

Half an hour passed after that and Silanus finally walked to the barn… He had dirt in his face, a small wound in his arm and an… An arrow in his leg! A flint arrow was shot there in a battle… He just smiled at Paradox and said: "Che did

Paradox heard Silanus stumble up the stairs from the caves. She looked up, the straw sticking to the blood on her damaged hand. He smiled at her before collapsing on the ground. Slowly, she inched her way up right and looked down at him. Pride makes men foolish. She thought to herself as she eyed his injuries. They puff themselves up and think they can do anything and everything. It's almost as toxic as liquor is to a bird. She sighed to herself before turning over to her bag of supplies. 

She couldn't work spells with only one hand, so she looked for the herbs and bandages that she kept for times like this. She pulled them out with her good hand and sprinkled the dried plants on the bite on her wrist. She was glad the bleeding had stopped. The herbs stung briefly and she hissed under her breath. Once the stinging was subsided she took the roll of cloth and wrapped it gently, using large thorns to hold it in place. She flexed her fingers, and was pleased with her handiwork, even though it still ached. 

She reached down with her hands and grabbed the top of her foreleg. She bent it back around towards her and looked at it. It was deep, and she hesitated about sewing it. She twitched her hoof and saw that her tendons and deep muscle were still intact. Instead of sewing the torn flesh together, she mixed up a paste of the herbs and applied it to the wound. It stung and she bit her lip to keep from crying out. Tears welled in the corners of her eyes but she wouldn't let them come out and slide down her face.

The throbbing eased and she took up her bandage roll again. Gingerly, she covered the gaping cut in her lower leg and held together with another pair of large thorns. She checked herself over for any other injuries she might have missed before starting to put her supplies back in her bag. She stopped halfway and looked at the unconscious man lying on the floor. She stumbled unsteadily to her feet and limped painfully over to him. "Silanus." She said. "Silanus. You have to wake up."