by Lars M.
I was forced to show him the effects of my new defensive spell, Veil of Sound, before we could continue.
Lyle laughed out loud when one of the flittering sonic waves caused him to stumble backward. ”I love it. Also, the flying things are really shiny – they suit your style.”
Brushing crumbs off my lap, I got up. "Thanks. I guess. Now, I have two additional suggestions that I wanted to talk over. First one: any of you have any Leadership skills? No? I do have a handful, but I haven't exactly chosen a set course for how to develop those skills." I outlined the general routes for the trio, explaining how there were offensive and defensive possibilities for melee, ranged and magic as well as some utility skills.
Lyle pondered out loud. "Defense. I'd definitely go with defense. Melee first, then ranged. Possibly some magic defense, too. Yeah, I know. What a surprise from the kid with the heavy armor. But I mean, the lack of armor for both Arack and you is an issue - so shouldn't any possible remedies be considered to help with that?"
Arack looked like she was about to dispute Lyle’s assessment, but instead, she let her arms drop to her sides. "I... can't really argue with that."
Darya just nodded once, and I smiled. "Well, that was easy. It's agreed. From here on out, every improvement goes to defense. Once I finally improve enough as a bard to learn my group buffs, we should see some real results around here. Now, my second suggestion is different. It's a personal one, and it revolves around you, Arack."
The young kobold looked surprised. "What, me? But you already know what I can do." She narrowed her eyes. "I said I wasn't going to steal anything..."
I shook my head with a smile. "Not about that. This is about potential. You're training to become proficient with those throwing daggers, right? On top of that, if you learn to craft some poison, you'd be downright deadly in a battle. Still, like an old friend named Logen once said: You have to be realistic about these things. Your lack of strength introduces some problems. Say you're in a battle with somebody who carries heavy armor or is impervious to poison. That would leave you in dire straits, right – like that unfair fight your warrior trainer forced you into?"
She looked like she'd eaten something foul. "Yeah. I guess. That would suck."
I nodded. "That's why I want you to start using these in combat right away – get used to using them as soon as possible."
She caught the item I tossed at her with remarkable agility and squinted. "A... ball. Made of clay? Not too heavy, either. I don't get it. Even a direct hit on the weakest kobold would only annoy him."
"Yup. That one's for getting you used to the weight and for using it in action. I've brought a full bag for you. This is the real deal." I – carefully – handed her a crafted version. "This one will cause a tiny amount of initial damage to whoever it hits, and additional damage over time. And it ignores armor. It's not all I can craft, either. Poison damage, decreasing movement speed, you name it. These, combined with a brace of poisoned throwing daggers. That's what I'm suggesting. So, what do you say?"
The gleam in her eyes told me everything I needed to know. "You'll give me these? For nothing?"
"What? Would you pay for them? In that case, how much would... ouch. Hey!" My outburst was the result of Darya pelting me with nuts. I raised my hands in defense, laughing. "Of course it'd be for nothing. You're one of us now. And the more materials we can find from animals today, the more I can create and improve my craft."
"Yesss. How many have you got?"
"I'm almost out, to be honest. I've got these couple of poison ones and two stun bombs with a tiny radius that you can have. Honestly, though, for now it’s more about you learning how to use them effectively in combat. Maybe use the practice ones along with your knives, and save these for effect?"
Her hands shot out and greedily accepted the bag along with the crafted bombs. "Ooooh, yes. Thracken watch me, this will be fun!"
We spent a while discussing the backup plans, working through a set of different scenarios. Things like what to do if we were ambushed or surprised, if we were outnumbered or outmatched, or faced a range of different setups. I blessed the grueling hours in Nerit that I had spent training with Darek, the peg-legged old grouch, processing a multitude of different scenarios. While I had complained about the difficulty at the time, now it was paying off. We managed to design a fair number of plans and assign each of our roles.
Brushing crumbs off my lap, I smiled at the group. "Well, that went swimmingly. How about we do a couple of practice moves, see how we act together? Then we can test some of these on our mission a couple of days from now?" The chorus of assent caused Atlas to rouse and lift his head with a grouchy demeanor, to the mirth of everybody else. I gestured to Darya. "About the mission, Darya? Did you manage to get a list of targets from Benneth?"
She nodded, eagerly. "Yeah. We've got a few possible marks. South-southwest. We've got a family of Gareads who're moving in and getting cozy. They're herbivorous-"
Lyle interrupted, "Oh, damn. That's bad news, isn't it?"
Darya gave him a long look. "Really?" When he just looked at her, she relented, "We have got to find you a teacher, Lyle. It means they're plant eaters." At the crestfallen look on his face, her scowl faded. "Oh, relax, Lyle. You just stick with me, and we'll take care of your education." She cleared her throat. "Gareads are large and deer-like, but muscled like oxen and with a thick skin. They aren't aggressive, so to speak– but they are very territorial, and if they've established themselves, we'll need to remove them. Should be pretty easy." She pointed into the woods "Maybe an hour straight south, we have a different type of challenge. A family of Spitgyres have been spotted traveling along the river. Loathsome beasts, from what he tells me." She grimaced. "The final mark could be... interesting, if what Benneth says holds true. It's a couple of hours west from the Spitgyres. Let's save that one for when we've handled the first two groups, though. Heh. You'll like this part, Arcangelo. Benneth says the village is willing to pay a bounty, depending on how well we do."
You have been offered a quest:
Pest Exterminators
Benneth, on behalf of Grant's Crossing, has pinpointed three local threats. Given that the removal of these threats is of benefit to the village, you will be rewarded based on your success.
Reward:
150 experience points per threat removed.
Unknown bonus for handling all threats.
Accept/Decline?
"Niiiice!" I fished out my violin and started playing a happy little ditty, watching as Atlas lifted his head drowsily. "Attaboy. Roll out." We slowly got up, picked up the remnants of our meal, and started warming up for practice.
Lyle mused, "‘Roll out.’ What does that even mean?"
"Nothing. Nothing." Still, I watched the hint of a smile hidden behind Darya's fake cough and couldn't help but smile myself. She got me.
Chapter 2 – Hammering
I stared at the cards, trying to concentrate. We'd returned to the tavern from our practice session, and I was looking at the first real downtime I'd had for a while. Ahahah - I've got you now, I thought. Three kings stared at me from my hand, and I did my very best not to smirk at my gambling comrade, the ratling, Millerd. My losing streak was about to take a 180. I’d already gained one point to Gambling, and this moment felt like it could result in an additional payoff.
Of course, that's when Jeb interrupted us. "Mister, they're back at it."
"What? Again? Seriously, what is it this time?" My annoyance, already hard to hide, rose to the surface before I pushed it back down into the depths.
Jeb's composure was unruffled, as was his regular dour teenage attitude. "Ye're the one who told me to get ya when the lizards messed up again."
I tore myself from staring at Jeb's new look - a shiny bald pate. Apparently, his father, Gillem, had left his razor out, and now the stick-thin gnome kid looked like a particularly bored escapee from a children's ward. "Kobolds. Also, I know, and I appreciate your help. Still - that's
the third time today. Any idea what they're up to this time?"
Shrug. "Nicked some stuff, I think. Could hear Mirael hollerin' from here."
"Gods. This one's going to be a pain." Mirael was an ancient halfling, with a knack for finding the best berries and plants in the outskirts of the forest. She also had a mean streak a mile wide, reserved for whoever dared cross her. "Here - somebody should enjoy it while it's nice and cold. I'm going to be a while." I pushed my half-finished lemonade towards him and left for the tavern door.
Sometimes I disliked being right. The past handful of days following the arrival of the kobolds to Grant's Crossing hadn't been relaxing. Quite the opposite, really. It'd been a constant job of smoothing out problems, handling tiny obstacles, and attempting to find a middle ground between two very different peoples. Even so, today was proving to be the worst day yet. Somebody should've seen it coming, really. The Fallen from Nerit came from a society where might made right, and not getting caught was the number one rule. Grant's Crossing, on the other hand, was the archetypal sleepy village with several books’ worth of rules, only none of them were written down. Sparks were bound to fly - and fly they did. Two fist fights, one knife duel, and a handful of very shocked guests at the bath house was the count so far. Not to mention a slew of minor misunderstandings and disagreements. Adding theft to the list was just the spark we needed to ignite the pyre.
There was no doubt where the commotion was - screeching could be heard from across the square. Making my way through the circle of grumbling listeners who were attending her tirade, I approached Mirael. "Hello, Mrs. Darkvine. Could I trouble you to repeat what happened?"
She turned towards me, eyes ablaze. "What happened? I'll tell you exactly what they did, the filthy beasts! I've been slaving in the woods for a full day, and gathered enough mushrooms to last me at least a week - maybe two. As if that weren't enough, I found a double handful of Beggar's Roots. Do you know how rare those are? Then, the moment I come back, I spend five minutes resting against a tree just outside the gate - and suddenly, my basket is gone." She glared defiantly at me. "So? What are you going to do about it? They're your pets!"
What a handful. If this had been my first time talking to her, I'd probably be stuttering and begging for her understanding about now. Fortunately, this wasn't our first run-in. "I'll look right into it. So, this tiny moment of rest - would you happen to have closed your eyes while you rested?"
"Of course I did. A woman my age needs to recuperate from work."
"Aha. Good to know. So, how long did you say you were asleep?"
"It couldn't have been more than... wait. I never said I fell asleep." She rapidly caught onto her mistake and blundered onward, even as a snicker escaped one of the onlookers. "Well, even if I did, what does it matter? Five minutes, at most, it's been and when I woke up, the basket was gone."
"I see. If I were to ask any of the people who tend to enter and exit the village all the time - Grace, the carpenter, for instance, or Benneth- do you believe they might confirm that? Or could it possibly have been a little longer?"
A blush crept up her neck. "Well, I suppose it could have been fifteen minutes. Half an hour, at most."
"Thank you. That narrows it down some. Now, as to evidence - why do you believe some of the kobolds took your basket?"
Her expression tightened and she stared defiantly at me. "Who else could it've been? We all know they're a bunch of no-good wastes of space."
"No evidence, then? Did you see anybody running away, perhaps?"
"No - but when I entered the gate, the place was practically teeming with them, the uncouth lizards."
I sighed. "That wouldn't happen to be because their housing is being erected right next to the gate, would it?" I waved my hands. "Now, I'm not saying it wasn't any of the kobolds. I promise to look into it right away and do my best to recover your basket." She gathered a breath to spring to the attack again, but I interrupted. "However. You have no evidence, no clue who it was, and you've spent enough time dozing that it'll be next to impossible to narrow down who's been leaving and entering the gate in that time. Also, it's not like petty theft was unheard of before the kobolds arrived. Even so, you've insisted - loudly - that they're the ones to blame. I give you my word, Mrs. Darkvine, that if you continue to accuse them without just cause, I will approach the Council regarding somebody disturbing the peace of the village. At that point, the kobolds will not be the ones defending themselves, but you, Mrs. Darkvine."
Having said my piece, I strode away, leaving the stout halfling sputtering behind me.
Jeb fell in beside me, sniggering. The tavern owner’s son had yet to show to the world what kind of personality he was going to end up with - for now, teenager was all he had. That part, he played pretty well, though. "That was fun. Noth'n like seeing ol' Daftvine put in 'er place once in a while. " He glanced at me. "So. Y'think the lizards did it too, right?"
A glance told me nobody was close enough to listen in. I threw my hands into the air in disgust. "Of course. It's practically guaranteed. I'll bet you I can find out who did it within half an hour, too. Why do they have to be so damn obvious about it?" A moment's silence passed by while I gathered my thoughts. "You're tagging along. Does that mean you've got nothing better to do and might as well waste a little time here?"
His shrug was answer enough.
"Fair enough - odds are, it's going to be entertaining for you. Now, if you want to see what happens, you might as well be of some use. I need you to run a quick errand."
"I do what I want, mister. 's a free village."
Teenagers. "Alright, I'll throw a few coppers your way. Now, get hopping or I'll have to throw them at you, you lazy bum. This is what I need you to do..."
To his credit, he didn't complain after that and sprang to it with a grin on his face. It was probably the closest to reality tv he'd ever experience.
As for me, I strolled towards the other side of the square, near the gate. The area used to be the ugly side of town, where the Blood Brothers' building stood, surrounded by the homes of the lazy, dull, and poor. Even back when the dwarf duo lived there, fat and rich from plundering the caravans along with my nemesis, Othell, the place had been a dump. Now, however, it had deteriorated even further. The Council had opted to follow my recommendation and had allowed the Fallen to become part of Grant's Crossing. They could not, however, get themselves to allocate room for the kobolds outside the poor man's area. The result was a muddy, sprawling, chaotic mess. Hastily erected lean-tos fought for supremacy with improvised tents. Piles of refuse were already starting to accumulate, and the smell was…insistent.
While the old biddy was a pain in the neck, and speciesist to boot, she was also right on the money on a couple of topics. It was true - the kobolds seemed to be everywhere. Chatting, lazing about, fighting, and acting like... well, like a bunch of no-good wastes of space. Also, they really had been nothing but trouble so far. Still, for some reason they'd decided to adopt me as their protector, and I wasn't going to let them down. Even if they forced me to actually work for a living. Nods and shouts in the kobold language greeted me as I strolled through the crowds. I waved back and shared words with a couple of them until I spotted the reptilian I was looking for.
To call Lidack ugly would be a disservice to ugly kobolds everywhere. Being Anathema leads to a hard life. Add to that old age, an unhealthy consumption of the nauseating alcoholic beverage called Ache, and a tendency to never back down from an argument, and you'd get Lidack. Broken teeth, dull scales, and a battered body did not make for a good first impression - and neither did his stench. His eyes were alight, however, and he had a smile on his face - and he'd been of great help to me back in Nerit, when I’d needed help the most. "Hey, Lidack. How's the best and only local purveyor of Ache doing these days?"
He looked up from his dinner and gave me a huge grin. "Ah. My favorite scaleless freak. Come. Look at this. It's amazing, is what it is."
I took a good look
at the three different pots he had simmering over a fire. "That... looks horrifying. Don't they feed you guys?"
He laughed like I had made a wonderful joke. "It's amazing. I'm just starting the process, but the produce they have here is above and beyond what I'm used to. The mash doesn't act up like it did all the time in Nerit. It'll be a good while till I know anything for sure, but I'm betting this'll be the best damn batch of Ache I've ever created."
Ah. Brewing. "I'll make sure to come by and taste... as soon as I've seen a couple others try it and not go blind. Wait. Does that mean you've dragged those pots with you all the way from Nerit?"
He grimaced. "The pots are the least of it. I barely noticed them. The still, however... that was a pain. Even so, it's going to be worth it once I can start selling my goods."
"Good on you, Lidack. I'm sure you'll fit in quite nicely. In fact, I'm certain that there's a market for you here." Maybe Kiff wouldn't have to resort to petty theft the next time he wanted to grab ahold of cheap alcohol. "Speaking of markets, did you notice the noise back there?"
"Pretty hard not to notice, right? Somebody nicked something, it sounded like?"
I laughed, "Come on, man. Don't give me that wide-eyed innocence. Like you don't know exactly what happened and who did it. Spill already."
He huffed. "Why would you... aw, who am I kidding. What're you offering?"
"There's the Lidack I'm familiar with. I'm out of cash and goods, so that's not on the table. Tell you what, though. If you can tell me what's gotten into everybody, I can try to fix it before anybody gets killed or kicked out of the village."
He nodded. "That'll do me. It's not like it's too hard to figure out, either. We're bored to tears, Arcangelo. We're safe, have a place to live, plenty of food, and nobody's after us. What in the Pits are we supposed to do all day? Not everybody's like me, with proper business instincts and an honest trade."
