Many of the townsfolk assembled in a formation at the center of the town to face-off against the kobolds, with spears, hammers, and pitchforks. At the head of the column was Masters arch-nemesis, the deceiver of men, the twister of knives, the ancient of sin—Ronald.
Timmins feared that the guardsman would attack the kobolds and foil Master’s plans. That would not do. So, Timmins rattled his arm bells as furious as the stiff thing would, though careful not to crush the flower that he had worked so hard to pick for Lana.
Soon bells rang throughout the town hall, which was the other thralls signaling to each other that danger had arrived in town.
It seemed everything might fall into the depths of Infernos itself as the kobold horde stopped a few yards away from the militia.
Timmins had popped open the office window and could hear all that the two armies said.
Ronald stepped forward, his half-helm weathered upon his wicked head. “Leave! This is no place for you. We are a thousand strong, you will die if you stay.” This was, of course, a lie. Though, he did have a couple hundred behind him—about everyone in town who wasn’t a guild member, child, elderly, or those who were holding out for Jevrick to raise their dead.
The fat kobold scowled, righting himself up in his throne—before slouching back down the pile of gold that spilled over the sides of his platform. His fingers glistened with vibrant gemmed rings. “We,” the kobold adjusted his crown and straightened himself, “come-come to trade. Your leader said-said we could trade-trade. Where is he?”
Ronald jammed the butt of his spear into a gap of sand in the road. “No mayor here, ‘scept I, Ronald. Your dealings with the dark mage are revoked.”
The king kobold leaned forward. “Is that so-so? Are you s—What is that jingle?” He turned his head toward Timmins, who was indeed jingling away like his other thrall kin. “Why is it doing that?”
The other kobolds and townsfolk crooked their heads up as well.
Ronald shrugged. “I. . . Some trick of the wizard, no doubt. It’s high time we burn the place down.”
Several torch wielding townsfolk cheered and approached the town hall.
Two thralls pushed open the door and stood to face them, gnashing their teeth and swapping their claws.
The torch bearers halted, and now the militia readied itself to face both Jevrick’s thralls and the kobolds.
But spilled blood was not what Master wanted. Master wanted everyone’s blood to stay inside, where it was much more effective at keeping people standing and alive. Why was Master not picking up his mirror? Was something wrong? Had something happened? Was Master mad at Timmins, and was now ignoring him? What was happening?
Then another group of men and women came marching down an intersecting road. These humans were far better armed than the townsfolk and kobolds, with scalemail armor, bows, steel swords, and shields. At the head of this new group was Vrak Kellings, the guild master who had met with Master a couple of nights ago. Once his group of thirty or so well armed warriors had met Ronald’s militia and the kobolds at the center of town, the guild master roared.
“Enough!” he said. “This is a trade deal, and it is the Terragard Mercantile and Commerce trade guild who will handle all trades.”
Ronald sneered. “What? You don’t have that authority.”
“I do,” Vrak said. He sheathed his long sword and pulled a rolled paper from a scroll carrier that was on his other hip. He unfurled the document and brandished it. “As signed by Mayor-elect Jevrick La Kel, Terragard Mercantile and Commerce will be the sole responsible party for all import and export. The kobolds are here to import, and now your militia can export yourselves home. You hear?”
Ronald spat. “Baah, a Mayor-elect is one who has won an election. But he is no longer the only one running for mayor!” He stood proudly, and his militia hollered and stopped their feet.
King kobold hissed. “What is happening? Why are you denying us-us?”
The watcher readied his spear. “For the good of the town!”
Then the kobold horde brandished their own crude weapons and hunched in a variety of aggressive stances.
Four more of Master’s thralls spilled into the street to guard the door.
Vrak stowed the charter and drew his sword again. “You fool!”
And soon the whole center of town roared with shouting, with the statue of Clyde stoically watching at the center, caught right in the middle of a soon to be bloody battle.
Timmins dropped the flower and continued to jingle his arm.
***
===
Jevrick’s Main Quest: Restore Maplebrook
- Win Election.
- Earn Maplebrook’s trust.
- Bring back the town’s dead.
- Rebuild houses.
- Restore population.
Side Quests:
This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.
- Defeat the Nightfire Beasts and Regroup with the party.
- Find out who burned down the chapel.
- Deal with Nightfire weeds.
- Deal with the wolves.
- Fulfill obligation to Atan.
===
Spells:
Cantrips:
- Create Fire (Arcane)
- Decaying Tendrils (Blood)
- Siphon Soul (Blood)
- Spectral Hand (Blood + Arcane)
- True Sight (Blood + Arcane)
Prepared:
- Aether Harvest (Arcane)
- Animate Object (Arcane)
- Force Darts (Arcane)
- Levitate Object (Arcane)
- Message (Arcane)
- Mirror Image (Arcane)
- Portal (Arcane)
===
Enemies:
1 x Nightfire Wolves
6 x Nightfire Deer
===
Part of me now severely regretted having given Timmins those cursed bells. I could hardly think, let alone maintain a grip on this floating scythe, while those bells jangled from the mirror in my bag.
Below me the mutated wolf and deer circled like rabid animals—well, I suppose they were rabid animals in many respects.
I began to slide down the scythe again. I wouldn’t be able to hold for much longer.
Ting-a-ling, ting-a-ling, ting-a-ling.
“Blast it all to Infernos!”
I dispelled Levitate Object and dropped down with the scythe.
The beasts widened their grotesque mouths like baby birds ready to feed upon a worm from mother.
Well, feed they did—but the worm was my scythe swiping through the air.
The weapon cut clean through the jaw of one deer as I landed. It squealed something terrible as it reeled back and collapsed.
The other creatures bounded away as I landed. I twirled the scythe behind me and readied my other palm outward. The bulbs in satchel disintegrated and manifested in splitting darts that blasted through the skulls of another three deer, dropping them to the weeds.
Zyon, the weeds! The plants I had cleared earlier had now grown back over in layers of barbed vines that came up to my knees. My fall from the air had been enough to plunge me deep into them and I could not tug my legs free as the barbed plants hooked on to my trousers.
The last wolf lunged at me from behind. I tried to duck but was not quick enough as it’s jaws snapped against my back.
Whap!
My protective charm jolted it back into the weeds, emitting a terrible smell of burning fur.
I then fired a last volley of darts at the deer, felling the last of the beasts. I scanned my surroundings. It seemed that I’d succeeded in dispatching the immediate threats.
Ting-a-ling, ting-a-ling.
I wished dearly that I could raise beasts as thralls, but I still lacked the soul gem I needed as a focus. I could potentially perform a ritual on them, but time was of the essence. I needed to get back to Oon, Bee, and Fern. I started to create a portal—
Ting-a-ling, ting-a-ling, ting—
I yanked out my mirror. “Timmins, good chap, what is the matter?” I said into the mirror.
My thrall’s gaunt face filled the glass. He let out a, “Gruuhh,” and flipped the view around so that I saw the town center.
“Oh,” I muttered.
It seemed that all of the kobolds, and the merchant guildmates, and my thralls, and the townsfolk were in a standoff. Well, I need not fear for my kobold allies or the merchants, they were certainly well equipped enough to slaughter the townsfolk.
“Oh!” Slaughter was not an option, by any means, even if Ronald could do with a little slaughtering to teach him better manners. But, regardless of how I felt about the watcher, I had a duty to protect those townsfolk. Even if they didn’t respect me or want me, I was not hoping to be the mayor of only the few, but the whole of Maplebrook. Opposition or support, they were all my prospective subjects, and I would not allow them to die so needlessly.
“Oh. . .” But what of my adventuring party? I thought. I had not anticipated us being separated like this. I could not abandon them to these harsh wilds. I knew where I had sent them, back to where the other half of our party had been so that they would have safety in numbers. Curse it all, I didn’t have time to deal with these weeds. I had started the process, but the problem would not be resolved in time before something terrible might happen in Maplebrook. I would have to come back. I only hoped that it wouldn’t be too late by the time I returned.
I summoned a portal that brought me back to where I had sent the rest of the party.
“You’re alive!” Fern cheered.
In a manner of speaking, but I had no time to deliberate. I summoned another portal that would take us back toward the edge of town. “We must abandon our quest for now, the town needs our help.”
“But the weeds,” Oon said.
I sighed. “I am sorry, friend. They will have to wait.”
He bowed his head, and turned through the portal, followed by the rest of the crew.
Fern was second to last to leave, the Soul Mirror still in his hands.
Green Thumb laughed. “Good luck coming back later!”
I shook my head in disappointment, and walked through the portal, which led to the outskirts of Maplebrook. Ahead of me, the party was already jogging up a hill toward the town. I turned back and saw a terrible sight within the woods; the heads of vines snaking through the distant brush, ready to devour the left overs of the town.
===
Jevrick’s Main Quest: Restore Maplebrook
- Stop the town from killing each other.
- Deal with Nightfire weeds before it consumes the town.
- Win Election.
- Earn Maplebrook’s trust.
- Bring back the town’s dead.
- Rebuild houses.
- Restore population.
Side Quests:
- Find out who burned down the chapel.
- Fulfill obligation to Atan.
- Deal with the wolves.
- Defeat the Nightfire Beasts and Regroup with the party.
===