Life of the Party - 2. Chapter 2

The mayor was standing on the front steps of the town hall, directing groups of people. He noticed the group of fighters and motioned them towards him.

“We don’t see many elves around here, especially now,” he said.

“These people killed at least forty kobolds, all on their own,” the old man told him.

“Impressive. Tell me more,” the mayor said, turning to the group.

They glanced at each other.

“Um, we were just here for the night, and we heard the bell. I was in a room at the inn, so I’m not sure about these guys, but Thomas and I fought off maybe five, six kobolds in the inn-”

“I think it was closer to ten,” Thomas shuddered, mindlessly scratching Garyn’s ear.

“Anyways, we caught one and had a man tie it up. It’s in the inn. Then we went after our friends, and found them cornered, so the two of us started picking kobolds off,” Frank tapped his crossbow for an explanation. “Then we went hunting, led them back to the alley so we wouldn’t be surrounded, and fought them off two at a time.”

“Where was Gavin?”

“The innkeeper?” Frank said uncomfortably. “He didn’t survive.”

The mayor sighed.

“Damn. That brought a lot of money to the town.”

“I think I know something about running inns,” Margaret said. “I’ll run it for you if you want. That way we both earn some gold.”

The mayor looked at the half-orc in mild amusement.

“You are a strange woman,” he said. “Your kind are usually mindless brutes.”

“That we can both agree on,” Margaret said. “I, however, am not mindless.”

“I can see that. But you’re also an orc-”

“Half-orc,” Margaret corrected.

“People will be less likely to enter your business.”

“I’ll be the brains. My friends can be the face.”

“In case you hadn’t noticed, elves aren’t much liked around these parts.”

“I was wondering about that,” Frank said. “The innkeeper- Gavin?- charged us way too much for our rooms, and a man was staring at us with rather a lot of anger when we entered the town.”

“You don’t know about the border skirmishes?” the mayor said, raising an eyebrow.

“We’ve been in the wilds for a long time,” Frank said.

“About a month ago, the elves sent a patrol across the border of our confederation,” the mayor said, having decided to trust Frank. “King Tharel sent some troops to push them out peacefully, but it turned into a fight. They eventually went back to their own land, but their king- your king- refuses to pay reparation for damages done.”

“Yeah, that would piss me off,” Frank nodded. “But, back to business. We could keep our ears covered.”

“That might work,” the mayor said. “Before we reach any conclusion though, I have a task for the five of you. I am creating a group to track down the kobolds that got away, and I would like you to join the group.”

“We’ll have to think about it, but we’ll let you know tomorrow,” Frank said.

“Well, now, that isn’t going to work. The group is leaving tonight.”

“Okay, well we’ll get back to you in a few minutes then.”

Frank led the group out of earshot.

“This sounds like a great idea. We can get some money here and it will let us start a community we can return to,” Marc said. “If the townspeople like us, they’ll be more likely to help us.

“I don’t think there is that much magic around here. It might be hard for us to find spells here,” Logan said.

Frank added, “I’m a little worried about a lack of magic, but we can overcome it. You have a crossbow, and Marc has a mace. I have a crossbow and a sword, and Thomas is focusing on his archery. I think we’re good.”

“So, are we all agreed on going?” Marc asked.

“What about Garyn? I don’t want him to get hurt,” Thomas said.

“He’ll be okay,” Margaret reassured him.

“Okay. I’m in then.”

“I’m up for it,” Margaret said.

“I’m running low on my spells,” Logan said.

“We can try to get some directions from the kobold at the inn,” Marc suggested. “Logan, you can sleep, and then study before we leave.”

“Fine,” Logan grumbled.

They rejoined the mayor, and Marc said, “We’ll do it, but only if you let us have the inn. We will give you five percent of the income.”

The mayor thought about it.

“You have yourself a deal,” he finally said.

“We have a kobold in the inn. He is our prisoner. I will be interrogating him, and my companions need to rest. I think we should leave in the morning,” Frank added.

“You have a point. Very well. I will send the group to the inn tomorrow mid-morning. Be ready then, or the deal is off.”

“Yes sir,” Marc nodded. “Come on guys.”

The group headed back in the direction of the inn and reached the building after a ten-minute walk.

The bodies had been moved from the door, though nothing else had been touched. The man who had been fighting the kobolds was sitting with his feet on a table, a bottle of wine in his hand.

“Huh. You’re back,” he said, taking a swig.

“Hey. We never caught your name,” Frank said.

“Jim Canar, a follower of Darith, at your service,” the man belched. “I suppose you want me to stop drinking.”

“Well, actually, you’re drinking our property now,” Frank said. “But we’ll let you go with one bottle. Where’d you put the kobold?”

“Oh, he’s upstairs, tied to the staircase. Well, guess I better get going. I’ll be seeing you later,” Jim said, before tossing a gold coin on the counter.

He stood up with the wine bottle and headed out the broken door.

“We need to fix that door before heading to bed,” Marc said.

“I can take care of that,” Thomas offered.

“I can help you-” Frank started.

“No, you’re a bard. You are our diplomacy guy. You get first whack at the kobold. Then Margaret can take a shot. Who can speak Draconic?” Marc asked.

“That’d be me again,” Frank sighed.

He groaned but headed for the stairs anyways.

The kobold was bound to the stair rail, as Jim had said. He had a gag over his mouth, and his hands were tied to his feet. Frank carefully removed the gag, making sure to keep his hands away from the teeth of the creature.

“I have a few questions for you,” he said.

“I will never betray the nest!” the kobold snarled.

“We will get the information. I will be gentle with you. My companions will not,” Frank said. “It’s your choice. First, I want to know how many are in your nest.”

“As many as your mother could hatch before we gutted her,” the kobold spat in his face.

Frank’s hand rose to slap the kobold, but he stopped himself.

“Hey, Margaret! I could use some help here!”

The half-orc walked up the stairs, carrying a wicked-looking dagger. The kobold squealed at the sight.

“I’ll talk! I’ll talk!” he yelped.

“He’s good for now. Just stay there, and look scary,” Frank said, holding up a hand.

He switched back to Draconic, and said, “So, how many are there?”

“300.”

“Where is the entrance?”

“In the woods of Agdur.”

“The Woods of Agdur?”

Frank thought of the area. He recognized the name, but he had no idea where it was.

“I don’t know where that is,” Margaret said.

“Wait, you know Draconic?”

“Yeah, I guess so. I mean, I could understand you.”

“Call the others up here. Specifically Thomas. He’s a druid, so he should know the local woods.”

“Hey, guys! Know anything about the Woods of Agdur?” Margaret called.

“You mean the Forest of Argoth!” Logan yelled. “It’s also known as the Woods of Agdur!”

“Perfect,” Frank said.

He turned back to the kobold.

“I am bringing a sheet of paper. My friend will be keeping a knife at your throat to discourage any funny business, while you draw us a map of both the location of the nest and the layout of your nest, showing the place and details of each and every trap. And you will do this knowing that if any of my friends are killed because of your map, you will be killed slowly and in an extremely painful way,” he said.

The kobold nodded meekly, and Frank went to find two sheets of parchment and a quill. He found them in a large room downstairs, near the back, that obviously served as an office, and returned to the captive kobold.

“Hold this,” Margaret told him, slapping the dagger into his hand.

She knelt and began untying the knot. A minute later, she motioned to Frank, and he handed back the dagger.

“Now, start drawing,” he said, shoving the paper and the pen at the kobold. He slid an inkwell at him, and the kobold started drawing.

For forty minutes, the scratch of a quill filled the silent building. Finally, the kobold finished, and Frank took the paper, blowing it dry. Margaret tied the kobold back up, and they walked back down the stairs, Frank switching back to Common.

“Here’s a map of the dungeon,” he said, handing the parchment to Marc.

Thomas was finishing his work on the door, carefully casting the last mending spell that would make the door whole again.

“We should see if there’s a jail in this town, so we can put the kobold in there,” he said listlessly.

“Good idea,” Frank smiled at him, as the druid finished casting the last spell.

“Get a room you two,” Logan sighed.

“You’re just jealous,” Marc told him. “Quit screwing with them.”

“Come on! It’s obvious they’re gay!” Logan complained.

“And why would that be a bad thing? Come on Logan. Get with the 21st century,” Margaret snapped.

“21st century?” Marc questioned, looking at his wife.

Margaret shrugged.

“I have no idea where that came from.”

“Is there anything else that needs to be done tonight?” Thomas asked, his ears burning.

“No. We’ll have to clean this place up later though,” Marc said.

“Excuse me then. I’ll see you all in the morning,” Thomas said, heading for the stairs.

Garyn, ever loyal, followed his master.

“I’m heading to bed as well,” Frank said, following Thomas.

“Gay,” Logan said under his breath.

Frank ignored him. As he walked past the kobold, it stared at him with piercing eyes.

Stopping in front of it, Frank asked, ”Are you comfortable?”

“As comfortable as I would expect from a scaleless worm.”

Frank shrugged and stepped past the creature. He pushed the door to his room open, and Thomas whirled around in the room, diving for cover, but not before Frank had seen everything.

“I’m sorry,” Frank said, shielding his eyes.

“Close the door please,” Thomas said in a strained voice.

Frank did as he was requested, turning his back so Thomas could grab his robe.

“I didn’t realize you were going to share a room with me,” Thomas said as he threw his clothes back on.. “Especially if we own the inn. You have like twenty rooms to choose from.”

“I’ll leave. I just need to grab my bag-”

“No!” Thomas blurted. “It’s just… You being in here just adds fuel for Logan.”

“Screw Logan. He’s an ass.”

“But the others-”

“I seriously doubt they care. We have too many other issues on our hands.”

Thomas sank to the floor beside Garyn.

“Hey, what’s wrong?” Frank asked gently.

“We just killed a ton of people,” Thomas whispered, hanging his head.

“Those kobolds would have killed us. It’s terrible that they had to die, but they attacked an innocent town.”

“And so we are going to attack their homes, and kill them all, even the children who have done nothing wrong?”

Frank sighed, sitting next to Thomas.

“Those children will grow up to be evil,” he said. “Kobolds are evil by nature, and if we leave any alive, they will eventually grow up and attack the town, like their parents just did. I don’t want to kill children any more than you do.”

Hesitantly, Frank set his arm around Thomas. When Thomas didn’t pull away, Frank pulled him closer. Thomas rested his head on Frank’s shoulders and drifted off to sleep.

 

Margaret stood in the kitchen, mixing materials together. Everything seemed rather straightforward. There were eggs, and what appeared to be bacon., though it was cut into slabs, instead of strips.

In the middle of the kitchen was a small fire pit, and a spit. Margaret found a flask of oil, and she dripped some in a pan she had found in a cupboard, lighting a small fire before tossing the scrambled eggs into the pan. A few minutes later, she pulled the pan off the fire and began scraping the eggs out of the pan onto several small wooden plates.

Bringing three of the plates out, she noticed Frank and Thomas walking down the stairs together, their hands touching, but not quite being held.

“You guys ready for breakfast?” she asked, setting a plate in front of Marc.

Thomas mumbled incoherently, rubbing the sleep from his eyes.

“You don’t act like an elf. Try to be more haughty, arrogant,” Margaret joked.

“Screw you, Margaret,” Frank yawned.

“See? Frank’s got it already,” Margaret laughed.

She set the remaining two plates down, before heading back into the kitchen. Bringing out another two plates, she set one on the table, before carrying one upstairs.

“Where are you going?” Marc called.

“Mercy mission to the kobold race,” Margaret called back, before switching to Draconic. “I brought you some food so you won’t starve.”

“You brought me an unborn child,” the kobold said evenly.

“There was no blood in any of the eggs I cooked. They were all infertile,” Margaret replied, taking the ropes off the kobold’s hands.

She guarded the kobold as he began picking up pieces of egg and stuffing them in his long snout. When he had finished, she rebound his wrists and made her way back down to the common room.

“Thomas, are your spells ready for the day?” Marc questioned as Margaret reached the bottom of the stairs.

“Not yet. I just woke up,” Thomas said.

Finishing his eggs, he went back to his room As he was walking towards his room, Logan passed him, shoving him aside while hissing, “Fag”.

“I heard that Logan!” Frank called.

Logan scowled as he walked down the stairs. He headed to a table near the corner of the room, pulling out a hunk of dried meat from his bag.

“I made some eggs,” Margaret offered.

“I have food,” Logan said rudely.

Margaret shrugged and looked at Frank.

“How did you two embrace the elves so well? Poor Thomas isn’t this much of a dick.”

“He’s a sweet guy,” Frank said without thinking.

Marc and Margaret shared a knowing look, that did not go unnoticed.

“What?” Frank said defensively. “I mean it. He and I were talking, and he was feeling really disgusted by the fact that he killed a bunch of kobolds.”

“Kobolds are monsters,” Marc said.

“I tried telling him that, but he kept talking about how kobolds still have families, and loved ones.”

“Well shit,” Marc said after a pause. “This complicates things.”

“They’re beasts that need to be put down,” Logan called. “Who cares what the pretty boy says?”

“We all care. I don’t want to be destroying a family,” Margaret snapped.

“Darith’s Blessed Dragon, why did Thomas have to bring this up?” Marc sighed.

The group sat in silence for a few minutes.

“This is a good opportunity for us to get some gold,” Marc said.

“That’s shallow,” Frank replied.

“I know. But if we don’t kill the kobolds, they will attack the town again.” Marc sighed.

A man walked through the door.

“You guys ready?” he asked.

“What about the kobold we captured?” Marc asked.

“He’s going into the town dungeons.”

Thomas came down the stairs again, leading Garyn. The man blanched at the sight of the wolf, but he motioned for the group to follow him.

“We have discovered that the monsters have taken a child from us,” the man said, as they walked to a group of horse riders. “Jakni Erla is leading the attempt to find her.”

He pointed at a man wearing a sky blue breastplate. The guy looked like he was no older than fifteen years.

“We’ll find the child,” Marc reassured him.

“Shit, more horses,” Frank groaned.

Five mounts were led out from the group of thirty, and Thomas immediately walked towards them, followed by Garyn. Four horses tried to bolt, but one actually stepped towards Thomas, sniffing his hand.

“Wow. I’ve never seen a horse willingly walk near a wolf,” the boy who was leading the horse said.

“Does he have a name?” Thomas asked.

“Collin,” the boy said, handing the lead to the druid.

“Hey Collin,” Thomas said softly, gently rubbing the horse’s nose.

The horse was black as the night sky, five feet tall at the withers, and of a sturdy build. He carried a black saddle, which Thomas immediately set about removing.

“Hey, Frank! Get on your horse already!” Margaret said.

Thomas glanced at Frank while handing the saddle back to the boy. The bard was staring his horse down.

“What do you think? Can you take two?” Thomas ask.

The horse nickered, and Thomas led him to Frank.

“Okay, time to get up,” Thomas said, grabbing Frank.

He hoisted the bard onto Collin’s back and leapt up behind him.

“What the fuck!?” Frank yelped, clutching Collin around the neck.

“Loosen up Frank,” Thomas laughed, wrapping his arms around Frank’s torso so he could hold him up.

“Alright, we are going to have to track these beasts,” Jakni said, walking up to the head of the pack.

He was dressed rather fancily, and he wore a rapier on his side, and a light blue breastplate, though that was the extent of his armour.

“Tracking will be unnecessary,” Marc called. “We have a map of the entrance to the nest, and a map of the nest itself.”

He rode up and handed the man the maps.

“Perfect. This will help us a lot. Okay, guys, this thing is just a day’s journey away. We should make it there tomorrow morning,” Jakni announced. “Let’s get going.”

 

They stopped five hours later, to take a quick break. The group dismounted by a river, Thomas helping Frank off Collin’s back.

“I hate horses,” Frank shuddered, hurrying away from the animal.

Thomas rubbed Collin, then made his way to Frank.

“You know I’d never let you fall, right?” he said.

“I trust you. It’s the horse I don’t trust,” Frank said.

“Hey, I have never heard you play that thing,” Thomas said, pointing at Frank’s violin. “Aren’t bards supposed to be musical?”

“I hardly think now is the time,” Frank said.

“You might be able to get some coins out of these guys,” Thomas suggested.

Frank sighed.

“I’m not going to play for them, but I’ll let you hear me play,” he said, pulling his violin out.

Frank began playing a random song, and Thomas sat against a rock, listening. When the song was over, he said, “That was really good.”

“I want to try something,” Frank said, putting his violin back in its case.

Switching to the Elven tongue, he began singing. Thomas almost laughed. He was singing a nursery rhyme.

“Okay, um, that one could use some improvement,” he said.

“Asshole,” Frank smirked.

“Wow, hearing that in Elvish almost sounded like a compliment.”

“Get back to the horses you two. We’re heading out again,” Jakni said, stepping into view. “And cut out the Elvish.”

Thomas shrugged and whistled for Garyn. The wolf came trotting up, a dead rabbit in his jaws.

“Good boy,” Thomas said, patting him on the head. “But you won’t get to eat it.”

He made his way back to Collin.

“Are you ready Frank?” he asked.

“No.”

“How about now?”

“No.”

Thomas grinned as he grabbed Frank, and tossed him onto Collin’s back again.

“Fuck you, Thomas!” Frank laughed, trying to catch his balance.

Thomas leapt nimbly onto Collin’s back and grabbed Frank before the bard could fall off.

“I’m going to make you comfortable with horses,” he said, as the group started their journey again.

“Comfortable with a horse’s dick,” Logan said, trotting past them.

“Fuck off,” Frank snapped at him.

They reached the forest an hour later, as the sun fell lower in the sky. Thomas recognized several pine trees interspersed with some oak and birch. He looked at the trees in wonder, having never seen trees as tall as these. For another two hours, they followed a creek, stopping in a small clearing for the night. Thomas, Marc, and Logan all set up tents, and Frank joined Thomas in his while Margaret crawled into Marc’s tent. Several of the humans snickered at the strange pairings, but no one tried to stop them.

The tent was not very big, but it had room for both Frank and Thomas. Their bedrolls were touching, as they laid them out. The two got into their separate sleeping bags, and Frank took Thomas’ hand.

“Thank you for helping me with the horse,” he whispered.

“Frank, I would do anything for you,” Thomas said quietly. “And it’s not because I’m gay. It’s because, as spotty as our memories are, I can’t help feeling you are the best friend I have ever had.”

“Can we be more than friends?” Frank asked.

Thomas inhaled sharply.

“Really? You’d want to be with me?” he breathed.

“I keep telling yourself not to sell yourself short,” Frank said.

“Frank-”

“Thomas, the next word from your mouth had better be either yes or no.”

“Yes,” Thomas murmured.

He moved closer to Frank, and their lips met. Frank kicked his way out of his bedroll and wrapped his arms around Thomas, as their kiss deepened.

“What are we going to tell the others?” Thomas asked, pulling his mouth away.

“Nothing. If they don’t know yet, they’ll figure it out,” Frank whispered, kissing Thomas’ neck.

Thomas wriggled out of his bedroll, and let Frank pull him against the bard’s body.

“I have wanted to do this for so long,” he breathed. “But I want to do it away from prying ears.”

He kissed Frank again, then pulled away a few inches.

“We should get some sleep,” Frank sighed in agreement.

Thomas rolled over, and Frank wrapped his arms around him. They were soon both snoring lightly, tired from a day of riding.

 

Frank woke up, disoriented. Thomas was nowhere to be seen, and Frank began panicking.

He hurried out of the tent, looking around frantically.

“Thomas?!” he called.

“Quiet!” Margaret hissed from where she crouched, cooking breakfast. “He’s meditating!”

“Where’s Marc?” Frank asked.

“Praying,” Margaret replied. “Did you two finally do it last night?”

“What? No!” Frank snapped.

Margaret chuckled as Frank blushed fiercely.

“You’re cute. I can see why Thomas likes you,” she said. “Bacon?”

Frank accepted the small plate and blew on the bacon strips to cool them down.

“You five have rather strange habits,” Jakni said, walking past them.

Frank shrugged at the man’s words and began eating the bacon.

“How do you know how to cook over a fire?” he asked.

“Probably the same way you can speak Draconic and Thomas knows which way to go,” Margaret replied.

Marc walked up to his wife.

“I have a summoning spell today,” he said, accepting the plate Margaret handed to him.

“Shouldn’t you focus on healing us?” Frank asked.

“Yeah, but if we’re going up against 300 kobolds, some extra bodies can’t hurt,” Marc replied. “The rest are healing spells.”

Garyn came bounding into the middle of the group, and Thomas came chasing after the wolf.

“Down!” he said, pointing to the ground.

Garyn stared at him, panting with his tongue out.

“I think he’s laughing at you,” Frank observed.

“I’m trying to do something here,” Thomas sighed.

He walked over to Garyn, and put pressure on Garyn’s rear, trying to push the wolf’s butt to the ground.

“Sit,” he said firmly.

The wolf took a step backwards and Thomas fell over.

Frank burst into laughter, and Logan poked his head out of his tent.

“Shut up!” the wizard yelled at them, before pulling his head back in.

Frank helped Thomas back to his feet, still chuckling.

“It’s not funny!” Thomas growled.

“The look on your face as you fell, oh my gods!” Margaret guffawed.

“Pack up, it’s almost time to go,” a young man called.

“Man, everyone here is so young,” Frank said.

“They all look like full-blooded adults to me,” Margaret shrugged, packing her cooking utensils into her bag.

“You’re a half-orc. You reached adulthood at 14,” Logan said, stepping out of his tent. “Which also means you’ll probably be the first to die of old age.”

“Okay, end of conversation,” Marc said, paling.

Frank and Thomas began taking down their tent as Garyn trotted around them. It took them around twenty minutes, but eventually, the tent was neatly stowed under Frank’s backpack.

“You have your spells, right?” Marc asked of Logan.

“Of course I do,” he scoffed.

“Anyone know how to make arrows and bolts? We’ll need some more soon,” Frank said, looking at his collection of twelve crossbow bolts that rattled loosely in their case.

“I’m pretty sure I could make you a bow, and maybe some arrows, but I am not so sure about the bolts,” Thomas said.

“Ooh! Could you make a composite longbow for me?” Margaret asked.

Thomas shrugged.

“I can try,” he said.

“Oh. Right. Sometime, we’ll have to talk about professions,” Margaret said. “We know that I’m an innkeeper, but we don’t know what you can do.”

They walked over to the horses, and Thomas led Collin over to Frank.

“Before you get on his back, I want you to pet him,” he said.

“W-what? Isn’t riding him bad enough?”

“I’m going to get you over your fear,” Thomas reminded him.

“Can we talk about this?” Frank asked shakily.

“We don’t have the time. Look, you’ve ridden on his back. Why are you afraid to touch him?”

Frank let out a huge sigh, and Thomas guided his hand to Collin’s side. The horse snorted loudly, and Frank yanked his hand away.

“Be nice Collin,” Thomas scolded the horse, before turning back to Frank. “Are you ready to get on?”

Frank shook his head.

“Come on. We need to get going you two,” Marc called to them.

“Fine,” Frank groaned, and he tried to pull himself onto Colin’s back.

It took a few tries, but eventually, he was seated with his arms tightly wrapped around Collin’s neck.

“Good job,” Thomas said, as he jumped up behind Frank.

Placing his arms around Frank, there were no words to describe how he felt. He was finally out of the closet, and he had a gorgeous boyfriend. And he had a wolf and a horse. What more could a man want?

Then the reason for the journey came rushing to the front of his mind, and he shuddered. Collin stopped, feeling Thomas’ shudder.

“Are you okay?” Frank asked, turning his head slightly.

“Yeah, I… I’m just thinking about what we are doing.”

“You mean the two of us-”

“No. We will be invading someone’s home later today,” Thomas said, gently nudging Collin with his feet.

“I don’t know if you heard, but the kobolds took a girl. We’re trying to get her back to her parents. I don’t want to kill either, but these creatures are evil Thomas.”

Marc trotted back towards them from the group.

“Are you two okay?” he asked.

“Just talking,” Thomas said glumly.

“Is it the kobolds?” Marc asked.

“Yeah,” Frank sighed.

“Thomas, I’m a follower of the god of Life. My whole being recoils from the thought of what we are about to do. But they took a girl. We need to take her back to her mother. The kobolds are not just going to give her back. We will need to fight, and we will need you to help us fight.”

“I will, but I don’t like it at all. They are part of the natural order, and every kobold we kill disturbs the natural world in some small way,” Thomas said.

“Wow. You’re very clerical today,” Frank observed, holding on for dear life as Thomas brought Collin to a trot, trying to catch up with the group.

The world darkened slightly, as the sun retreated behind a cloud, and Thomas heard someone cry out in pain.

The group stopped immediately, Jakni dismounting. As Thomas rejoined the group, he saw a man lying on the ground, blood flowing from a bruise above his eye.

“Sniper,” Jakni determined.

Marc dismounted beside the man, pulling out a bandage. He skillfully bound the injury, whispering words of comfort to the man.

“Master Cleric, will he be okay?” Jakni asked.

“His head will be sore for a few days, but other than that, he is good,” Marc replied. “Someone should watch him while riding though, to make sure he doesn’t fall.”

“I see no one sir!” a man called.

“If it’s a sniper, he’ll be hanging low for a while,” Frank said. “We should go before he can take another shot at us. We’re easier targets standing still.

“Get Gerard on a horse and let’s go!” Jakni called.

Minutes later they were moving again, the injured man riding a horse beside Marc.

“You stay near me, Frank. I don’t want to lose you down there,” Thomas said, as they neared the entrance to the kobold lair.

“You’re not going to lose me, Thomas,” Frank told him.

A stone blurred past Thomas’ face, and he yelped.

“Another sniper!” Frank yelled.

“No! They’re skirmishers!”

Then Thomas saw them. A horde of kobolds came rushing out of the trees, running in the general direction of the group. A few of them ran into each other, and Thomas heard Frank stifle a snicker.

“Light sensitivity. They’re dazzled in the sun,” Frank said.

“They’re also trying to kill us!” Thomas yelled, leaping off Collin’s back.

He whistled to Garyn, and the wolf trotted up to him, as he strung his bow. Frank tried to get off Collin, but he tripped, falling to the ground.

“I’m okay!” he called, getting to his feet.

A stone slammed into the ground where his head had been, and Frank gulped. He pulled out his crossbow and turned to fire at a kobold. The bolt flew into a tree, and Frank grimaced.

“Damn it!”

A few feet behind him, Thomas nocked an arrow back, and let loose. The kobold he was aiming at jumped aside, and he hit a tree instead.

He saw Margaret charge past him, and ram her sword into the kobold’s chest. Another kobold leapt at a screaming human, and its spear drove through the man’s gut. Tearing his eyes from the grisly sight, Thoms shot another arrow at a kobold that was sprinting towards him. It hit the kobold in the gut, and the creature tumbled head over heels, coming to a stop five feet from him. He saw a kobold go after Logan, and Logan fired a bolt. It hit the kobold in the arm, but the kobold kept going.

A pair of kobolds charged at Thomas, and he dropped his bow, unsheathing his scimitar instead. He knocked aside both spears and backed up. Garyn leapt at a kobold, teeth digging into its ankle. The other kobold ran past Garyn, and attacked Thomas.

Thomas swung at the spear, but missed, and the kobold lunged forward and shoved the point of its spear into Thomas’ gut. It twisted the spear, and Thomas screamed in agony, as white-hot pain flooded his gut. He swung his sword desperately, and the kobold ducked under the swipe, as it yanked the spear from Thomas’ body. Thomas fell, holding his hands over the wound, and the kobold stabbed the spear into his side, drawing out another scream from its victim.

A snarling mass of fur flew at the kobold, slamming it into the ground in a rush of snarls. Thomas coughed up some blood as he tried to stand.

“Thomas!” Frank screamed, trying to fend off a kobold.

Thomas’ blood boiled at the sight. Stumbling forward, he grabbed his bow and nocked an arrow shakily. Bringing the weapon around, he fired a shot at the kobold attacking Frank.

The arrow flew true, and struck the kobold in the throat, dropping it.

Frank kicked the kobold away from him and ran towards Marc, who was being swarmed by the creatures. Thomas nocked another arrow, firing in Marc’s direction. The arrow hit the ground in front of Marc, and the kobolds yipped at Thomas.

With a snarl, Garyn ended the life of a kobold, and looked at his master, whining slightly.

“I’m okay Garyn,” Thomas coughed before another kobold slammed into him from the side.

The last thing Thomas felt was the stab of a spear in his chest.

 

Frank slashed through another kobold. There were not that many left, only eight. Margaret was mowing through them with her sword, spinning it expertly and slicing off limbs. It had been a hard fight, but Frank was certain it would end in their favour.

Then he heard Garyn howl.

Frank spun around and saw Thomas fall, a spear lodged in his chest.

“THOMAS!!!” he shrieked, sprinting toward the druid.

He sliced through the kobold’s neck, and dropped beside Thomas, wrenching the spear from Thomas’ chest.

“Don’t die! Don’t you die!” he cried, cradling Thomas’ head in his arms.

He ripped a chunk of fabric from Thomas’ robe and held it over the wound in Thomas’ chest, but the blood kept flowing.

Three humans ran into the area, and attacked the remaining kobolds, quickly cutting them down.

“Who else is left?!” one of them shouted.

“I don’t know. We were separated when they attacked,” Margaret said.

“Marc!” Frank yelled.

“Oh shit! Thomas!” Marc gasped, running towards them.

He knelt beside the druid, and chanted, “I call down Darith’s healing light upon this group.”

Thomas coughed, and blood sprayed both Marc and Frank.

“Fuck…” he groaned. “I feel like I got hit by a truck…”

“Oh my gods I was so scared!” Frank sobbed, holding Thomas in his arms.

“What happened?”

“You almost died,” Marc said, his face pale.

“Shame,” Logan said, walking past them.

“I heal you in the name of Darith,” Marc said, placing a hand upon Thomas.

A faint light shone around the druid, and the blood flowed a little less, but there was no major improvement.

Marc frowned and repeated the words.

Again, the blood flowed a little less, but it was still flowing.

“I feel a little better,” Thomas said, before hacking up a glob of blood.

“Try asking Belvira to heal you,” Marc said.

“I heal myself in the name of Belvira,” Thomas tried.

His wounds scabbed over, stopping the blood, and he shivered at the sensation.

“It’s not much, but at least you aren’t bleeding.”

“How many survived?” Jakni asked, approaching the group of eight.

“Just us,” Margaret said.

“Fuck. I was hoping we’d all make it to the nest. Oh well. Let’s get going.”

“What?!” Frank yelped.

“Let’s get moving. We’re almost there,” Jakni repeated.

“Are you out of your fucking mind?!” Frank roared, standing up. “There are only nine of us, and there are at least a hundred kobolds in that nest!!!”

“Marie is down there. Are you suggesting I leave her to be tortured by kobolds?” Jakni demanded.

“Our friend almost died! Twenty-seven other people did die! And you think we can rescue your niece from a nest of kobolds with only nine people, most of whom are injured?!” Frank yelled.

Jakni sighed. He closed his eyes and began taking deep breaths.

“Fine,” he finally said. “I can’t blame any of you for going back. This is a suicide mission and was from the start, but I must try to save her. Alone if I have to.”

“Most of the horses ran off. How are you going to get back, even if you can find your niece?” Thomas asked, getting to his feet. “Which is not a foregone conclusion. I mean, you look like you got the hell beat out of you.”

“Um, news flash Thomas, you look the same way. Your very golden hair is covered in blood, you have numerous wounds, and you almost granted my wish of you being gone,” Logan said.

“I may be battered, but I am not broken,” Jakni said. “I will be continuing to the nest.”

“I’m going with you,” Marc sighed.

“The hell you are!” Margaret exploded.

“I have to at least try to keep him alive,” Marc said.

“You’re almost out of healing! You used two spells on Thomas, and you’re injured yourself!”

“Frank and Thomas can top me off before they go,” Marc said.

“Marc, I don’t have any healing spells,” Frank said.

“Look, what we really need to do is have one or two people sneak in there, and find the child, before sneaking back out,” Thomas said.

“I can be stealthy,” Margaret said.

“No!” Marc protested.

“Let’s face it, Marc. I’m the best for this mission. I can see in the dark, I am extremely durable, and I have stealth. I’m also intimidating, and I know how to get what I need,” Margaret said.

“You can’t go on your own though. I’ll go with you,” Thomas added.

“What the hell Thomas?! You just got your ass kicked, and you’re going for more?!” Frank shouted.

“I have another healing spell, I know my way around here, and I can summon creatures, in case we need a distraction. I can also give Margaret some ranged firepower if she needs it.”

“Gods damn it, I can not lose you!” Frank snapped.

“You won’t lose me, Frank. If Marc heals me completely, then I can stand up to quite a bit, and I can probably keep Margaret alive too. Plus, she has not been injured, even when surrounded by kobolds. She can stand up to a lot.”

“I did get hit by a guy in the last fight,” Margaret admitted, holding up an arm with a small cut on it.

“I will not let you go alone,” Frank said sharply.

“Frank, you’re not good with a bow, and you are not very quiet. You’d just be endangering us,” Margaret said.

Frank thought about it for a second.

“Screw you, Margaret, I’m still going!” he snapped.

“No Frank. It would be too dangerous. With two people, we can get through this easily. But add a third, and you might as well send in an army for all the stealth you’ll have.”

“I’ll be safe,” Thomas promised.

He whistled, and Garyn appeared at his side.

“We can walk there from here,” he said. “Can someone find Collin for me?”

“I will do it,” Jakni said. “Please, bring her back alive.”

“We will try,” Margaret said, hoisting her bag over her shoulder. “If we are not back in a day, don’t bother coming for the bodies.”

She kissed Marc and embraced him.

“I love you,” she said.

“Don’t you dare die in there,” Marc told her.

“Okay, heal us up,” Margaret said.

“I’ll do Thomas first, and hopefully I’ll get him topped off before I run out,” Marc said, before casting his healing spell.

It took a couple of tries, but eventually, both were fully healed.

“Are you taking Garyn with you?” Frank asked.

“No. You’ll have to watch him for me,” Thomas replied, kneeling beside the wolf.

He looked at the animal in the eye.

“I need you to stay here, okay Garyn? Stay here and protect Frank.”

Standing up, he and Margaret began walking away from the group. Garyn whimpered, but he let his master leave him behind.

 

Fifteen minutes later, they were standing in front of a hole into the ground. It was a rather large hole, a good five feet in diameter, and there was a small ladder that led into the depths.

“Okay, who’s first?” Margaret asked

“I’ll go,” Thomas sighed, sliding onto the ladder.

He began stepping down silently and touched the ground after about a minute of climbing. He waited until Margaret was beside him, before setting off down a path, an arrow set on his bow.

Five minutes later, they reached a fork in the path. Thomas pulled out the map, and studied it for a second, squinting to see in the darkness.

“There’s a wire that will set off a wall of spikes down the right. The right is the way to the prisoner quarter, but if we go that way, we might get skewered,” he breathed.

“We’ll risk it,” Margaret said, starting down the right-hand passage.

After a minute’s walk, Thomas saw the wire.

“There!” he hissed, pointing at it.

Margaret nodded silently, and carefully stepped over it. Thomas followed her steps, then stabbed an arrow into the wall beside the trap.

“Now we can see it more easily,” he said.

“Good thinking,” Margaret whispered.

They continued on their way, passing tapestries that depicted dragons ruling over the lands. Thomas was about to stuff one in his bag to look at later when he heard the sound of quiet footsteps.

“Hide!” he hissed, ducking into a niche behind a tapestry.

Margaret hid behind another hanging, keeping a hand on her weapon. She could see Thomas’ feet from her hiding spot, and she held her breath, waiting for him to be spotted, but the kobold just walked past them, muttering, “A whole platoon wiped out…”

They waited a minute before coming out of hiding and continuing their journey. Walking for another hour, they eventually came to a wooden door. None of the other walkways had included doors, and looking at the map one last time, Thomas knew they had reached the prison area.

He nodded to Margaret, and she unsheathed her sword, as Thomas placed a hand on the door handle. When he knew Margaret was ready, he flung the door open.

Margaret rushed into the room and gutted the kobold jailer. Looking around wildly, she saw two people chained to opposite walls.

Thomas hurried into the room and knelt beside the dead kobold. He pulled a set of keys off the creature and set about unlocking the chains, as Margaret began ransacking the room of anything that looked valuable.

“Who are you?” the young girl asked.

She looked like she was no older than ten, and the boy on the other wall was maybe seven years older. They were wearing ripped clothes, and bruises covered their bodies. Marie’s hair was a dirty blond colour, and she had distinctly blue eyes. The boy’s hair was long and tangled, and his ear tips poked out of his hair, marking him as an elf.

“I’m a friend of Jakni,” Thomas said. “I’m here to get you out of here.”

Margaret tied a small chest to her bag, and said, ”Ready.”

“You’re here to save us?” the boy said, looking up at Thomas’ face.

“Yes, but we need to be very quiet and very fast. Marie, can you walk fast?”

Marie shook her head.

“We have to be fast. Margaret, can you carry her?” Thomas asked.

“No problem,” Margaret waved.

She hoisted Marie into her arms before they hurried back toward daylight. Thankfully, they saw no kobolds on the way back to the entrance.

Three hours after they had left the group, they were nearing the others. Thomas had gotten the young elf to open up a little. He discovered that the boy’s name was Cata, and he had been travelling through the woods with his parents, when the kobolds had swarmed them, killing his parents, and capturing him to be used in various painful experiments. He was about to ask if Cata had any idea how long he was imprisoned when Garyn came racing towards Thomas. Marie shrieked and buried her head in Margaret’s shoulder, but the boy stood his ground.

Before he knew it, Thomas was on the ground, and Garyn was licking his face.

“Garyn! Stop it!” he laughed.

The wolf leapt aside and danced around him.

“Marie!” Jakni cried, rushing to the girl.

He lifted her up and squeezed her against his chest.

“Are you okay? Did they hurt you?”

“Thomas!”

Frank ran towards Thomas and slammed into him.

“I’m okay,” Thomas reassured him, holding the bard. “We have a straggler though.”

He nodded at the elf, and Cata bowed toward Frank.

“We’ll watch over him, right?”

“Of course we will. Cata, this is Frank.”

“It is a pleasure to meet you,” Cata said in Elvish.

Frank switched languages as he bowed back at Cata.

“And you as well,” he said, also in Elvish.

The rest of the group approached at a slower pace, bringing eight horses with them. Thomas was overjoyed to see that Collin was among them.

“We have five hours of riding to fit in today. Let’s get moving,” Jakni said, helping his niece onto a horse.

Cata grimaced at the saddle on the horse he was given, but he accepted the animal and tolerated the saddle during the ride. Thomas kept an eye on him, noticing that he handled the horse without touching the reins.

Their five-hour trek ended as the sun began sinking behind the trees of the forest. Jakni commented on their lack of food, and Thomas took up his bow to hunt. An hour later, three good sized rabbits were cooking over a fire.

Frank stood beside Thomas as the druid cut a piece of rabbit for Cata.

“Why did you throw yourself into danger like that?” he asked.

Thomas handed the plate back to Cata and looked at Frank.

“I did it so you wouldn’t have to,” he said.

“Did you think about what would happen if you died down there?”

“I tried not to,” Thomas said.

“Thank you for going down there,” Cata said, taking his plate towards the edge of the clearing.

“Look, I’m alive, okay? I didn’t die, so let’s just leave it alone.”

“Don’t ever do it again,” Frank said.

“I’m not planning to rush into a kobold nest ever again,” Thomas assured him.

Jakni walked up to the trio.

“Thomas?” he said hesitantly, glancing between the three.

“That’s me,” Thomas said, placing his food back on his plate.

“Thank you for rescuing my niece,” the man said. “She’s all that is left of my family.”

“I’m glad I was able to help,” Thomas said. “Do you know anything about Cata?”

“The elf boy? I think his parents came through Ayre about seven years ago. I remember it because it was rather unusual. They were the last elves to come to Ayre until you and your friends showed up.”

“Shit! He was down there for seven years!” Thomas breathed.

“What will happen to him when we get back?” Frank asked.

“He’d have to get an apprenticeship to one of the masters in town, or leave.”

“We’ll give him a free room at the inn,” Thomas decided.

“You are a great person,” Jakni said, before returning to his niece.

After dinner was eaten, Cata came up to Thomas.

“I was wondering if I could sleep in your tent. I don’t have one of my own,” he said.

“I don’t have a problem with it,” Thomas shrugged.

“If you don’t, I don’t either,” Frank shrugged.

“Oh! Are you two together?” Cata said. “I can find a different place.”

“Don’t worry about it,” Frank said.

“Okay,” Cata replied.

The three headed into the tent, and Cata curled up beside Garyn. Soon, all four were sleeping peacefully.