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The hin ranger heard that Silver Valley was to be retaken from the goblins. The Silver Dragoons were asking for help, and even allowing big people to join them. These were no ordinary goblins, he was told. There were hundreds of them in the Valley , some powerful with magic and fiendish blood. He joined with the Silver Dragoons to fight. He could always fight goblins, even though it meant other people would see him, which he didn't much care for.
The Battle for Silver Valley went on a long time. The big people helped. In fact, they did most of the difficult work. He remained with them throughout, using his bow and firing most of his arrows. He was pretty effective. It surprised him how accurate he was becoming from long distance.
The goblins had a bear. He told the big people that he was good with animals and would try to tame it. During the battle, he managed to get close enough to it. It was a ferocious bear and it turned on him. He felt bad that he had to shoot it. Others did too until it died. Now he was really mad at those goblins.
Clearing out the goblins in buildings was the hardest part. They fought to the death, and many of them were in hiding. During a battle in the lower level of some big building, he got stuck in a doorway. An elf lady, one that he liked, picked the lock on a door and goblins came running out. He and one other were the only ones in the hallway. The rest had all moved into another room. He tried to run into that room also, but the door closed and locked, trapping him between it and several very powerful goblin fighters.
He didn't make it. Something hit him on the head very hard. He woke hours later with a bad headache. Someone was standing over him, healing him. He thanked them, and picked up his meager belongings. Then he ran after his healer to find the rest of the battle.
He got caught again inside a doorway to the Silver Valley Bathhouse. Hoards of goblins were just inside attacking whoever came in. Most of the party were outside still. He saw one lady go down. Then the goblins were on him. He ran out the entrance, but was felled once again. Luckily, an elf in a golden robe ran and force fed him a potion. It revived him enough that he was able to shout for the others to go inside and help the lady. They won the battle.
Now that the goblins were gone, he expected Silver Valley to return to normal, but it had not. None of the shopkeepers have come back, and nearly all the animals are missing. There is no place to buy food or ammunition. He used almost all his arrows in the big battle. Reluctantly, he set out for the walled city to try to purchase more arrows there. But most of their merchants were gone too. The shops were locked. Only the Adventure's Mart north of the Inn was open, but it had no arrows for sale.
There were still goblins around Misty Pond. He shot a few of them, just like the old days. But he couldn't afford to remain there long. He had to hoard his few remaining arrows. So he set off through the woods by the druid's glen. It was full of hawk and deer and badgers again. No more hobgoblins. He kept to the woods all the way to the big hole in the ground. He shot a couple more goblins there, but then slipped away to the north. The Gypsy lady near the big Temple to the east bought the coal, daggers, and little colored stones he took from the goblin bodies, but she had no arrows either.
Reluctantly, he returned to his hidden campsite near the Legion Tower. Tomorrow, he would have to brave entering the big stone-walled city. He had to have more arrows, and more food. Maybe someday Circe would come back to Silver Valley and he could move there again. He would just wait.
