[Previous]
[Next]
Chapter 6 fork: Humane Hero
Vector steps ahead of the other two and says, “Let me handle this. Heal!” The goblin leader’s leg wound closes up, though he is still hurt. Vector casts Heal again, and the leader is back in ship-shape. The adventurers all get 48 XP from the battle, now that combat is finally over, as well as a bonus of 2 XP for sparing the goblin’s life.
“You... what?” The goblin takes a moment to process what’s going on, and Vector offers his hand. “You healed me,” he asks, rising to his feet with the adventurer’s assistance.
“Look,” Vector says awkwardly, “You may not believe this, but we didn’t know you had... well, family and friends. Foolish as that sounds.”
The goblin is skeptical, but succeeds a Savvy check and knows Vector is telling the truth. “What did you think,” he asks, “That we just sprang whole out of the ground?!”
“I don’t know,” Phyr all but whines, “I really didn’t think too much about it!”
“Well,” the goblin says, dumbfounded. “Now you know.” He dusts himself off.
“Say,” Vector says, reaching for his pack, “Do you need any food for the trip? I have a couple apples... do you, uh, like fruit?”
“Yes, fruit is delicious,” the goblin says, eyeing him suspiciously. “But we have travel rations and fresh fruit in our larder, more than all of us together can carry. That is, if you would permit me to supply myself for the trip. I was just gonna forage on the way, but you all seem suddenly less murderous. Are you - what’s going on?”
“We’re... not from around here.” Vector says.
“I’ll say,” the goblin says. “In that case, I can’t say I’m pleased to meet you, but-” he pauses, looks at them sidelong, then extends his hand. “I’m Ted, leader of the Stonefort troop. Well, former leader, at any rate; now sole survivor.” The adventurers shake hands awkwardly in turn and introduce themselves by name only. “Wait a second - if you guys didn’t come here to kill us and retake the fort, then why are you here?”
“We’re here to rescue someone,” Pannych says.
“Who, the necromancer? That guy’s an asshole... wait, unless he’s your friend,” Ted says.
“No,” Pannych says. “A mystic named Alice, she was locked up here by-”
“Grayl,” Ted says. “Ugh, that guy. Self-important pile of noob dung, him. Had a cloak just... like... yours... wait, did you get that cloak off of Grayl?”
“Something like that,” Vector hedges.
“Wait,” Phyr says, “What’s this about a necromancer?”
“Oh,” Ted says, “Yeah, when you get to the bottom of the fort’s dungeon, there’s a hole in the wall that takes you deep into some catacombs. No idea how old they are. Anyway, a couple floors down, there’s a necromancer - we had something of a cease-fire with him, we probably could’ve overwhelmed him and his skeletons, but it’s hard to tell. No good fighting down there in large groups, anyway... but you three can probably take him!” Ted brightens significantly on considering the prospect.
Phyr scoffs and says, “I bet he’s got a sick wife, and he’s just been driven to necromancy to try to find the cure for her cancer, or something sappy like that.”
“No,” Ted says flatly, “He’s a power-hungry shithead who got kicked out of Noob Town’s magic guild for consorting with dark spirits. Not sure quite how powerful he is, but he was scared of Grayl, for what that’s worth. If you wanna know more, then just ask the magic guild about Stewart the necromancer - everyone in town probably knows who he is. Hey, it’s getting real dark,” he says, suddenly looking around. “You think we could continue this conversation over dinner or something?”
They head into the barracks, light some torches, and throw together a meal from the massive food supply. Phyr uses his healing ray to top everyone up, then recharges and stows all his gear while they talk and eat. “This is a lot of food,” Pannych says at one point.
“Yeah, about enough to feed fifty goblins for a couple weeks,” Ted says bitterly.
“I... uh, sorry,” she says sheepishly.
“It’s - well, it’s not fine, but it’s both good and bad. I mean, I’m sad to see all my troopers die, of course. But they died fighting mighty warriors - you gave them heroes’ deaths, and our bards will sing songs of them for generations.”
The adventurers look at him mutely, so he decides to elaborate. “Look, we’re goblins - we have a pretty high mortality rate. We know most of us are going to die violently, and maybe one in a couple hundred will live to see old age. And most of us don’t get glorious deaths, either - we usually die while out foraging, to a couple of adventurers with plain steel weapons. You, on the other hand, let these guys go out with a bang!”
The adventurers seem satisfied, but now Ted is confused. He asks, “Say, if you guys don’t know any of this... then where do you come from? You’re not destined heroes, you’re not locals, you don’t seem part of the Great War - and after just a few words, you not only let me go, you healed my wounds and let me sleep here for the night! What’s your deal?”
“Kind of a long story,” Pannych says. “But you’re right, we’re not part of any of that. Well, not yet, at any rate.”
“So-” Ted trails off, then his eyes go wide. “Are you from... you know…” He goes quiet and points upward.
“Maybe we should reintroduce ourselves,” Pannych says. “I am Pannych, lesser goddess of fear and anxiety,” she says politely.
“And I am Phyr, lord of destruction and chaos, whose wrath makes the very heavens tremble in reverence to my otherworldly might,” he says morosely while picking idly at his food. “It’s no fun if you can’t kill anyone, though.”
Ted turns to Vector and looks expectantly. “Me? I’m just some guy,” he says. “I fell in with the wrong crowd at first, but then I met up with these two. We’re friends, we go back.”
“I’d heard tales of demigods walking the Earth and befriending mortals,” Ted says in awe, “But I thought those were just legends from times gone by! Wow, I never thought my troop would get wiped out by demigods! The bards really are gonna sing about this for generations!” His near-glee fades as another implication sinks in. “I am so sorry we attacked you - had we but known!”
“It’s fine,” Pannych says. “It’s just pain, it only hurts. We lived, that’s what counts. Besides, we’re the ones who’re new here, you were just doing your thing. Probably should’ve scoped the place out more before we came down.”
“And whose fault is that,” Phyr asks. Pannych rolls her eyes.
As they wrap up the meal, Ted advises them that there’s nothing of value for them in the armory - “Just our gear, yours is way better” - or the stables and towers; he also advises them to be wary of traps once they enter the fort. Phyr asks if he can be more specific, but Ted explains that the goblins almost never went in there, so he doesn’t really know. He wishes them luck and beds down in the barracks.
[Next]
No comments:
Post a Comment