Sent Kobold
Chapter 1: Kobolds’ journey
A meeting of kobolds, but not necessarily as one would think.
This is my first story, please pardon my inexperience. These stories revolve around a kobold making a journey across the land, his adventures of danger, victory, and loss.
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Cold. The first thing he felt was the cold, then the sharp, piercing pain from his right arm and his left ankle, then the rest of his body. Fleeing from the cold unconsciousness that dragged him down, the kobold Serhis awakening to a much colder world, still in a daze, on his side at the edge of a river at the dark of night.
Darkness was no problem for a kobold, but the act of moving in this darkness was crippling, his first attempts to raise himself from the river met with a splash as he fell back into the water, his left leg unable to support him, made all the more worse as he landed on his arm, a sharp yelp of agony from the kobold as he laid on the banks, waiting for the pain to go away.
Serhis knew three things right away, that his ankle was badly sprained, maybe broken or fractured, and his arm was definitely broken, being a healer and cleric of Bahamut and had seen and healed injuries such as these, and that he was in no way able to do anything about it.
He thought of yelling for help and breathed in to shout, but silenced himself, his head clearing just enough to remember how he got into this mess.
This afternoon, while on the road to the town of Aveamaria, a band of five had met him on the path. Accused him of being a servant of evil and declared he would die on the dirt before any more evil was unleashed before he could explain himself. Serhis had no time to talk, only to run from the five as they chased after him. Running into the woods, the moment one caught sight of him as he darted past the trees, an arrow was loosed or a spell cast, and Serhis exhausted all of his own spells healing himself and only managed one protective spell, and he kept running. The thick woods managed to slow down most of the band as Serhis and his small frame dashed from tree to bush.
But no amount of running could outdistance a paladin astride a sprinting horse.
Still running for his life, Serhis’ fleeing led him to a river with a waterfall not too far away. He had little choice, if he could get across the river, the heavily armored paladin and his horse couldn’t follow, staying on this side would get him killed, so he cast off his pack filled with most of his possessions in preparation to go into the river, not enough time to take off the chain shirt underneath his robes.
The choice was not to be his.
The paladin cleared the trees, lowering has lance and charged at Serhis, who had turned sideways and to see death approaching, the lance catching the kobold in the arm, a horrifying crack echoing in Serhis‘ ears, and pushed the kobold into the river. The next moment was of sheer panic, Serhis is already a bad swimmer, the broken arm only made it worse. All he could remember next was of sinking under the waves, then the sound of fast running water.
He couldn’t shout now, not if the party was still nearby. They’d think if the lance blow didn’t kill him, the waterfall would, and that probably saved him from pursuit. Slowly, Serhis used his good arm to pull himself clear the water and tried to make for the trees and get out of clear sight. The effort proved to be too exhausting, as halfway to his goal, he fainted, the blue night mixing with white pain, the last conscious thought a prayer to Bahamut for help.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Serhis woke to warmth.
Opening his eyes, blinking, he didn’t see the sky, but a brown wooden roof over his head, felt a pillow filled with straw under his head, and covering him in a fur blanket of a brown bear with a hot flame in a fire pit not too far away, a pot boiling over it. His arm and leg felt stiff, lifting the blanket showing he’d be bandaged and a splint made. Whoever made both was competent, judging from the splint, and versed in medicine and herbs, Serhis noted as he sniffed and recognized the smell of aloe on the injuries, as well as a mix of other smells. This person probably was bigger than a kobold considering the size of the bed, which was too big for Serhis, likely human sized.
The room is small, more like a shack, with only one wooden door and with no windows. A number of tools covered a wall on one side of the room, all looked to have been heavily used. A small table with only one chair stands in the center of the rough wood floor, and a small mirror hangs on the wall over the bed.
Serhis can only imagine how he looks now, his scaly body in this state. He’s slightly taller than the average kobold, roughly 2’ 7”, but underweight at 41 pounds, an effect of spending so long above ground journeying in unfamiliar lands and not very clear on what was good or bad to eat. He was still wearing the robes of a cleric of Bahamut, as well as the Star of Bahamut on his neck, but it’s badly torn and smells of the river and moss, and saw that the crossbow and pick, his weapons of last resort, the only things that were on him and not in the pack, were laying out on the table. He put his head back down on the pillow, closing the golden eyes that make him stand out among other kobolds, and spent his time in prayer, claws clutching the Star hanging on him, thanking Bahamut for the good luck that someone kind enough to shelter and aid him arrived and not sticking a pike through his heart.
Prayers finished, Serhis began thinking of why he was out here, a common thought after all these months, only to be interrupted as the door opened. What walked in nearly made Serhis start running, even with the sprained ankle.
It looked like a gnoll, and gnolls had the reputation for eating their slain foes, even if they weren‘t slain yet, and they had the bones to back up that reputation. But this one looked… odd. Serhis had fought gnolls before and knew how they looked, a bipedal feral dog. Almost like a hyena, if he remembered the description from those books back at the library in the mountains. This one has the look of one from domesticated stock, it’s hair well groomed, but a little shaggy, brown in color, and the shape of the ears and snout was also off.
Serhis curled up in the bed, his little kobold tail curling up between his legs in some fright, his hand wringing it out of habit when scared.
“You shouldn’t get up, you’re still badly hurt,” spoke the strange gnoll. It took a moment for Serhis to notice it spoke in Common. The words spoken were of someone who cared, not someone getting ready to eat you, both in tone and word.
“Who… you?” Serhis said. He silently cursed himself at his poor use of Common, he knew the words, but he always had problems the grammar and structure. Barely anyone spoke it back home, and for those that did, most didn’t bother to learn how to speak it well, it was beneath them. Serhis thinks and writes in Draconic, he barely went above ground himself, always staying close and protecting home.
Lehaskeral. Okarthel (home). It isn’t home now. Not anymore. No, he thought to himself, this isn’t the time, he needed to concentrate on the person that seemed to be helping him now.
He, sound’s like a he, paused at Serhis’ words, “Uh, well, lets see. I, Me, Baous, who you?” Great, he thinks I’m some sort of idiot, his mind screamed at him. Serhis could understand Common just fine, he just had trouble speaking it. “Serhis thank Baous. Serhis has trouble knowing how to speak Common. Sorry if cause problem.” “Oh, okay then Serhis. I brought some food, would you like to eat something?” Serhis nodded, then Baous entered carrying a dead chicken in his paws. Both remained silent as Baous cleaned the chicken for cooking, dicing it up and adding meat to what appeared to be porridge in the boiling pot. Scooping half into a bowl, he handed it to the injured Kobold, then sat at the table and drank from the pot.
Serhis drank the porridge, mostly tasteless except for the chicken, and sat the bowl down, “What are you?” he asked, curiosity getting finally getting the better of him. Baous looked over at the Serhis, replying, “I’m a kobold.” Wait. What? “Serhis know he kobold, Serhis ask what are you?” pointing at Baous. Baous looked puzzled, “You don’t look like a kobold, and I’m told I am, so what are you talking about?” Serhis tried to wrap his brain around this circular logic. Baous claims to be a kobold, but that couldn’t be true, and yet he looked like he believed every word of it. “How you kobold, not scaly or small, you look much more like gnoll, but strange gnoll, nice gnoll.” “I’m no gnoll, gnolls are scary, they don’t like me, they tell me I’m no gnoll at all, that I’m something different, a kobold. Even the townspeople say I’m a kobold,” muttered Baous. Well, he knows what gnolls are, thought Serhis, but for them to say he’s a kobold was strange, made even stranger that these townspeople he was talking about also said he was a kobold. Could they have been confused? Serhis certainly knew that the kobold name was his race, and if dragons referred to them as kobolds, that definitely proved it.
Baous spoke up, breaking Serhis’ line of thought, “Don’t worry about it, that bonk on the head you had might’ve just confused you. But what happened? How come you were laying at the river out cold and badly hurt, looks like you fell from the waterfall.” “Serhis chased, five people call Serhis a evil thing, said they kill poor Serhis before could say not evil, said I was kind kobold, healer kobold. They said I only say lies, Serhis was not healer, Serhis was not kobold. Serhis wondered why they say such nasty thing, Serhis very good healer and Serhis very kobold.” Ears perking up, Baous glanced at Serhis, “A healer? I didn’t find any herbs or medicines on you when I took you home.” “Serhis ran from them into forest, got to river, not swim good with pack, so needed to put it down. Man on horse found Serhis, hit bad in arm, pushed into river. He maybe take pack with Serhis stuff in it.” “Why didn’t you fly away?” Baous gestured behind me. My wings. A legacy of the dragon, my birthright. Among kobolds, such signs as these wings, the golden flecks on my scales and those gold eyes mark me as a Dragonwrought, a kobold with special purpose and destiny. After all these months and all my life, these features were simply me, as much as I sometimes “remember” I had a tail, so I generally “forgot” about them. But no other kobold would forget such a major sign. Serhis stewed in this irony, as he spoke his next words, “Serhis can’t.”
“Serhis have wings, but don’t know how to use them. Serhis try, Serhis try very hard, but still very hard to do more than flap on the ground.” Baous looked apologetic, like he’d touched a sore spot after looking at the kobold‘s face that had a hint of pain, “I’m sorry, I didn’t know.” “No need sorry, maybe, if Serhis stronger, can fly, Bahamut willing.”
“Who’s Bahamut?”
Causing a little rattle, Serhis held up the Star of Bahamut, “Bahamut. Deity. Serhis cleric to Bahamut, Platinum Dragon, Lord of North Wind. Bahamut give Serhis power to make hurt and pain go away.” Baous tilted his head, examining the symbol, “What do mean ‘make hurt go away’? Like giving some willow bark or something?”
I suppose a demonstration is in order, Serhis mused, as he placed his good claw with Star in hand on his chest, cleansing himself with Bahamut’s divine powers. The throbbing ache from his head and pained shoulder ceased to both hurt, cuts and bruises vanishing. Unfortunately, Serhis still felt the dull pain in his arm and attempts to move his foot still proved painful. He had healed most of the injuries, but these were simply too much for him to overcome.
Baous stared, amazed at the sight, “Wow, how did you do that? I saw Alaric do that a few times, but I thought it only he could do that.”
Serhis sat in the bed, rested, but a bit confused by the response. “Bahamut give Serhis strength and healing, send power to follower that need it. Who Alaric?” “Oh yeah, you probably don’t know. I guess he’s another cleric like you, just puts his hands on someone hurt and the wound goes away, says that the power of St. Cuthbert has blessed them. Always likes to give the town people gifts and stuff when he comes back from an adventure, but I always get nervous when he comes to town, he always gives that dirty look, like I did something he didn’t like.” St. Cuthbert, a god of justice and retribution. Bahamut sees him as an ally. “Why, did you make some crime that he did not like?” “No, not that I know of. I asked him about it once, did I do something to upset his god. Just said I didn’t commit any crime, but he didn’t say anything else,” Baous said, a sad look on his face, “I didn’t ask him again after that, and I didn’t ask his friends why either. Some are more angry than him,” brown eyes looking at the ground.
Neither spoke for a few moments, before Serhis asked, “Why you save me?” Baous turned, the sad look gone, “I heard a yelping noise from the river, thought I’d caught dinner and that something had been caught in one of my hunting traps. Found you on the ground, all banged up, and I’d never seen anything like you before. Since you wore clothes and tools, you weren’t a wild animal, so I brought you home. I just patched you up best I could ‘til you woke up. I couldn’t leave someone dying there. Besides, you didn’t look good to eat,” he said with a wide grin, flashing teeth in mischief.
Serhis smiled for the first time in months, responding the joke, “Nah, not taste too good anyway, too stringy.” Baous kept on grinning, leaning back in his chair, stretching his long legs, “So why are you out here? What’s a cleric of Bahamut do anyway?”
Serhis’ smile was gone when he heard the first question, memories being pushed to the surface. Not painful memories, but no doubt unpleasant. “Serhis is… journeying. Trying go to Aveamaria, not sure where go after there. Act in name of Bahamut, heal sick and hurt, protect people from harm. By way, is Alaric here, somewhere near? Maybe help heal arm and leg.” “Sorry, Alaric isn’t in town and won’t be back for some time, maybe for a week or two. But, maybe you can help me,” Baous said as he sat back up in his chair, “One of my friends in town is a woodcut, he helped me build my home. Well, he kinda had an accident this morning. One of the trees he was cutting nearly crushed him, but some of the limbs whacked him really hard, the saw nearly cutting his leg off really didn’t help. I used some herbs and bandaged him, but it won’t be as fast if you healed him. Since Alaric is gone for some time, I thought, maybe you could…”
Getting back up, Serhis nodded, “Yes, Serhis happy to help, but… how Serhis get to you friend? Foot still hurt.” Baous thought for a second, before saying, “Just need to get something,” as he rushed from out the door and came back in pushing a wheelbarrow. Serhis looked at the wheelbarrow, then at the happily grinning Baous, “You can’t serious.” Without saying a word, he placed the fur blanket from the bed onto the wheelbarrow, then gently placed the kobold into it, draping Serhis with the edges so he was cocooned in it.
The end result was Serhis looking like an obscenely small dragon being carted around in a baby carriage, Baous laughing til it hurt for a full minute, sticking his finger in front of Serhis, “You must… hah, hah… have looked so cute as a baby, bahahah!” Serhis took a snapping bite at the finger that was quickly pulled back, “Bite you!” Baous laughed merrily as he put the fire out and locked the door as he left, grinning all the way as he wheeled the humbled cleric of Bahamut into town.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*
The sleepy town of Dunben is not very noisy in the afternoon, a mixed population of several races numbering roughly a hundred. What little noise there was quickly silenced when the scene of Baous carting a strange little lizard thing wrapped in fur into town and into the home of Baous’ friend passed by. The ensuing firestorm of gossip and rumor lasted for the whole night and a week.
“Innoc, Innoc, I have a friend that might be able to help you,” Baous shouted as he arrived to the door of a well built house, knocking at the door. It opened a minute later, a somewhat portly dwarf standing inside, head bandaged and favoring his leg, “Baous, what are you doing here boy? I thought I said I’d be fine after you helped with your treatment. And who’s this?” “Well, this is Serhis, he says he’s a kobold, but I’m not to sure if he’s right. He’s also a cleric, just like Alaric, and since Alaric won’t be back for a long time, maybe he can help you.”
Innoc looked at Serhis, taking note of the robes and the Star, “A kobold cleric of Bahamut, huh? Well, if Baous says you can help, come on in, just brush the dirt of the wheels first, the missus don’t much like having mud on the floor,” he said as he limped back inside, followed shortly after by Serhis in the wheelbarrow and Baous when the muck was scrapped off.
“So, what’s with the wheelbarrow, a cleric of Bahamut too important to walk on his own?” Innoc asked, sitting down on a chair in his living room next to the fireplace. “Serhis broke his ankle and arm yesterday, fleeing some people after his life,” Baous answered for Serhis, setting down the wheelbarrow in front of the dwarf. “Hmm, bad enough he can’t heal those? Well, lets see if he can do anything for ol‘ Innoc Winterstone,” Innoc grunted as he raised the injured limb. Serhis removed the bandage from the cut, from the saw as he recalled. It was a muscle injury, almost cut to the bone, another half inch would have cut a major artery, the head injury less of a health risk. Serhis placed his claw on the cut, letting the power of Bahamut flow through him, and upon removal the limb was whole once more. Innoc gave a sigh, “Ah, thank you, kind sir. The boys will be mighty surprised when they see me back at work tomorrow,” then looked behind both Serhis and Baous, “Ah, Rosa, we have guests, Baous is here with a friend, his name is Serhis,” he spoke to his wife.
The female dwarf looked at the leg, then at the guests, “Well I hope you aren’t too troubled by my husband’s problems. If he’d find a job at the quarry and not prancing around the woods, maybe he’d avoid this type of thing. I’m going out to get food, will our guests be staying for dinner.” Baous replied, “No ma’am, we just ate,” Rosa nodded, then left the house. Innoc put his leg down, talking as he took the bandages off his head, “Old woman never lets up about that, she knows there aren’t any openings at the quarry, even for a skilled dwarf like me. So, let me get up and I’ll fetch some coins for your trouble.” “Oh, no need to pay. Serhis happy help friend of friend that save me,” Serhis said before the man could get up. “Kind hearted kobold you are, definitely a fellow of Bahamut,” praised Innoc as he sat back down. “Serhis need to ask, very curious, who say Baous is kobold? Do not look, not smell like one too,” asked Serhis.
“Hah, I told him he was a kobold, no mistake about it,” Innoc answered, “and so are you, and a Dragonwrought to boot.” Both Serhis and Baous looked very confused at this response, both asking, “But how (can) that be?”
“Settle down, settle down, both of you. Look, I had some wild adventures of my own some time back, seen the world and learned some interesting and horrible things, such as knowing who Bahamut is. One of the things I learned is that, sometimes, against what you know is true, both things are right or wrong. You, Serhis, are a kobold of draconic origin, doubly so as you are Dragonwrought. Baous, my boy, you are a kobold of a canine type. However, your breed has been dying out for decades, I’m sad to say for your sake. Serhis and other kobolds such as him, I don’t think not, but your kind are very, very, rarely seen in these parts, making for some confusion. Folks of these places have heard of Baous’ kind in books for some time, so they just assume that those are the kobolds others are talking about, but as Serhis’ people keep expanding, people are getting wise to this. See, both of your people took the name kobold as your own, but since they’ve never met, no one’s disputed who is the ‘true’ kobold. So, that’s it, both are right.”
Serhis contemplated this news, amazed at learning how both were right, then turned to speak to Baous, only to have his words catch in his throat. Baous was upset, ears flattened and nose sniffling, “Not many other kobolds left? That, that means, I won’t have a lot of chance knowing who my family was. I thought I would see, (sniff) see my parents, someday.” Innoc got up out of his chair, going and hugging the sobbing kobold, “No, no, I’m family, you know that, I know that Baous, I care for you,” he comforted him as the larger kobold wept. Innoc guided him over to the chair, seating him, hand on the rising and falling shoulder.
Serhis was silent, having no words to say, as Baous cried. The tears came to a stopped. Baous looked miserable, only looking down at the ground, tail a dead lump. Innoc went over to Serhis and began taking Serhis to another room, “Let’s give him some time for himself.”
Wheels squeaking a little, the kobold was taken across a hall, into a study. It was full of books, some with titles on them that Serhis couldn’t read, of varying age and colors, the ornate stone floor full of red and grey. A suit of armor, dwarf fitted, gleaming gold in the fire light stood at the far left corner, a dwarven hammer with a long haft hung over the fireplace with a symbol of St. Cuthbert. Two chairs faced another in front of the fireplace. Serhis was put in the middle of the room, Innoc seating himself in a chair, massaging his temple with his hand.
Hand over his eyes, he spoke, “Eleven years, I’ve never had the heart to tell him that. He’d always ask me why he’s never seen another person like him, where his parents are, I’d always tell him that the other kobolds had gone far away, his parents gone to a hard to reach place, that I’d be helping to give him a better life. All true, in a way. Heh, I’d slip up that bad on the field during my days, I’d have been tossed to the ground.” Serhis mustered the will to speak, “What you mean, you family?” Taking his hand from his head, he closed his eyes, “We adopted him, Rosa and I, when I found him wandering the woods. Some objected, but I’ve yet to see someone really stand up against a dwarf without some really good cause. We raised him, our son and daughter also accepting their new brother. They’re not here, they’ve moved to other places, living their own lives. He accepts me as a father, calls me dad and a friend. Helped build him a home of his own a year ago, to live in the forest and gather those medicines he always knows how to find. He makes a good living, finding herbs to sell, that nose of his really good at telling what is really needed.”
Opening those eyes, Innoc leaned forward, “Well, now, I have something to ask of you. A bit much, I know, you helped with my leg and now I’m asking for more, but now, I’m not sure anyone else can help as much.”
Serhis looked at those eyes, twinkling in the light of the fire, “I can help, Baous help me from death, Serhis help him any way kobold can.” “Good. Because it’s probably what’s needed. Baous has some friends in town, but, they tend to keep their distance, a kobold’s reputation is hardly sterling, as I’m sure you know yourself. I just want you to try being his friend, maybe it won’t work out, maybe it will, but you seem like someone that can relate to him. You might only be kobold in name to him, but maybe that’s enough.”
Serhis took a moment to think on those words, nodding, “Serhis say yes, though Serhis think that might already do that even if you not ask.” A sigh, relief maybe, came from the dwarf, “Thank you. Baous should be getting home now, he’ll need the sleep. I’m going to get one of my cots, that way, you’ll have somewhere to rest.” Innoc grunted as he got out of the chair and left the study, leaving Serhis there to think, golden eyes reflecting the fire’s glowing embers.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Baous was not very talkative for days after that. He wasn’t moody, but he wouldn’t be the one to start a conversation, most of the time only started by Serhis, but he‘d never make a joke and didn‘t smile. A week passed, and Baous started cheering up, encouraged by Serhis’ words, how all kobolds always ended out fine in the end, came out stronger, came out smarter, how this kobold would help him, no matter what. He proved Baous right, asking for some materials and after Baous left for the day to find more herbs to sell, Serhis would be working at the table using the tools available. Though delayed and hampered by the arm, he made a restricting snare trap, designed to bind a creature to the floor, and unlike the standard trap that injured the animal using metal teeth, these used metal bars and rope to capture the limb, with the added bonus if bait was placed on it, it would lock the head instead, allowing a hunter to decide pick and choose if the animal was what they were looking for.
Giving it to Baous, he accepted the surprise gift. The next day, they dined on wild boar, sending to some to Baous’ parents. The saddened kobold brightened up after that, he began talking again, both sharing interests about traps and medicine.
For two weeks, Serhis and Baous would both occasionally go to town, Serhis healing the injured where he could, using herbs and tonics on those that he could only soothe, sometimes with recipes unknown to those not kobolds, even selling some traps to local hunters for a profit. The townsfolk had asked Innoc about this new arrival and he explained, giving a mixed reaction from the community, but eventually a positive one as Serhis continued to heal. In those two weeks, they had earned the nicknames of the “tall kobold”, the “short kobold”, the “fuzzy kobold” and the “scaly kobold”, since it became rather hard to tell which was which in a conversation.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Serhis stood at the edge of the river he nearly died at, looking at the late afternoon stars, offering prayer and asking guidance to Bahamut. After these weeks, Serhis felt stronger, more at peace, this morning he felt an unusual sense of clarity. He still had no idea where to go, Aveamaria no longer a necessary destination, wondering if he should stay in this town and continue healing and preaching. But he wouldn’t just leave Baous like that, he was a friend. Aside from Innoc, Baous was the only friend he had now.
Did I make the right choice?
Baous’ voice came out behind the tree line, “Serhis, SERHIIIIIIIS! Where are you!?” “OVER HERE!” he yelled. Baous came running over, a bit winded. “Alaric’s back in last night, I just heard, but his group’s only staying ‘til tonight. The rest have already gone ahead, but they left behind Alaric and a horse so he could catch up, so if you go now, he can help with your arm and ankle. He should be near dad’s place.”
“Sure, I go. You coming with Serhis?” His Common had improved after spending three weeks here, but he was still prone to slip ups. “Sorry, the Mons need some herbs for that rash they’re all getting and Miss Agatha starting to get those pains again, so I need to find them soon. I’ll see you coming home, okay?”
“Okay. Serhis see you later, without the sling and limp,” Serhis said as he started walking to Dunben, watching Baous go back into the forest.
Dunben was very quiet at night, except for the tavern near the center of town. Serhis walked on the streets to the Winterstone house, looking for Alaric. He soon spotted a human male with a horse, sitting down on a bench with head down in prayer. Serhis relaxed, he could walk normally now and finally get his arm out of that stuffy sling after he asked for help. “Hello, I Serhis, thank you for…” he froze mid-sentence, his scales tightening and he felt sick. He recognized that horse, the man, and the pack he carried.
The man began to raise his head, “I’m not sure what he was thinking, taking in another kobold, but I’m only doing this as another favor for…”
Both met each other’s gaze, the shock slowly being replaced by something else, fear in Serhis’, fury in Alaric’s.
Serhis thought about running, but he his ankle still pained him, running was out of the question. He couldn’t yell for help, Alaric is a local hero, no one would help him. And with his arm still mending, fighting was a hopeless cause. Serhis was stuck, no way to avoid or win the approaching storm.
Alaric began talking once more, the condescending tone replaced with one of controlled fury, “You! I recognize you, those robes and those eyes! So you didn’t die like Jonathan said. I’ll have to talk to him later. Doesn’t matter, by the will of St. Cuthbert, I will right this injustice now,” he uttered as he took the heavy mace from his belt.
Serhis regained his voice, “No wait! You not understand! Serhis cleric to Bahamut, good god, Serhis has been helping healing town while you were gone! Please!” Alaric began advancing on the small kobold, righteous fury with each step, “More lies. I’ve never heard of this Bahamut and for all the time I’ve been gone to the north, the only kobolds I met looked just like you. Threw my friends in a loop for a while, until we thought it out. And all those kobolds I met, they were monsters, always luring us into traps, causing chaos wherever they took root, they nearly killed us. I’ll have to look at those people you “healed” and see how much you’ve poisoned them while you cured them of their wounds. Probably might have killed them in a month and you would have gotten away free because you “helped them”. When I heard this about this new kobold making traps when I got home, I didn’t suspect they would have been made by the likes of you. Or maybe I did, your nature couldn’t be contained as you recovered, so you started making traps just to bide your time.”
For every one step Serhis could took back, Alaric took two steps forward, closing the distance. “I’d would smite you on the ground you stand, but since I prepared this day to heal a harsh injury, and I’ve already healed a number of other people, I did not prepare any such spells. Well played, tricky fiend. Luring me out here, alone and away from friends, with spells only meant to heal your injury. What did you intend to do, I wonder, bury that pick in my back when I was done?”
Serhis found he could do something here. He couldn’t fight, he couldn’t run, he couldn’t convince this man otherwise. But he could hide.
Concentrating, he enveloped both himself and Alaric in a smoky fog, using the obscuring mist to limp toward a side alley, hearing that angry voice in the cloud, “Don’t think this will save you! St. Cuthbert, grant me sight to see this hidden evil!” Serhis kept going down the alley, ankle causing pain with each quickened step, a squeak of pain as he kept fleeing. “Where are you?! Hiding your nature once again?! I can hear you now, you can’t escape.”
He’s, he’s delusional, Serhis thought, no matter what I’ll say or do, he won’t believe me. Need to slow him down. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small snare dropping it on the ground as he limped out of the alley and into the open streets.
Alaric was fast on his tail, running down the alley at full speed. Ran too fast to see the trap in the narrow path. He stumbled it caught his leg, catching himself before he fell to the ground, “More traps, damn you!” He kept chasing Serhis, the trap was not secured to the floor, but it did slow him down and it would take too long to remove. Serhis moved down the street, not knowing where to run, all the while Alaric cursing his name.
By Bahamut, this man loved the sound of his own voice and his self-righteous fervor was a pain to listen to. And he was catching up.
Serhis lost more distance. If Alaric managed to catch him in the back with that mace, he’d be on the cobblestone street and dead soon after. Serhis stopped, stood his ground, and turned to fight. Alaric advanced, metal trap clanging as it was dragged on the stone street, heavy mace raised high to strike. Serhis tensed, ready to dodge as best he could when it came down.
That sense of clarity came back, that moment of understanding.
As the mace fell, Serhis raised his claw. When the mace nearly touched him, it blew apart in both of their hands, a loud ringing noise filling the air. Alaric recoiled back, looking at the smoldering ruin of his weapon in his hand, “How dare you desecrate my lord’s weapon, I’ll just have to use my fists,” he raged as he dropped the pieces and pulled back to strike.
“Alaric, please stop!” came the familiar voice of Baous. Both combatants turned, seeing Baous down the street, aloe leaves and flowers in his hand. Alaric looked once at Serhis, then to Baous, “So you are in league with him! When I’m finished with this persistent hell spawn, I’ll finish you off next,” he said as he raised the symbol of St. Cuthbert toward Serhis, “I place a Mark of Judgment on you, so that I gain my lord’s favor!”
Serhis did not resist. He did not have to. The Mark worked by placing the symbol of the deity on the target, one of opposite nature to the person casting would have that symbol glowing on their head, and any person that strike the marked man would be strengthened by the deity for attacking an enemy. Serhis was not evil or of lawless nature, the spell washing over him and Judgment had been passed.
“What trickery is this? Why aren’t my spells working on you?!” Alaric asked in fury. A loud, clear voice boomed across the street, “ALARIC, ENOUGH!” All three turned to see Innoc, frowning and approaching the scene. People in their homes on this street had come to their windows, some going out the door to investigate what had caused the loud noise.
“Sir Innoc, please forgive me. I couldn’t remove this blight on our town without assistance,” Alaric said as he bowed to the dwarf. “Fool boy! Have I taught you nothing aside from sticking that mace up your pompous, self-righteous ‘hind. What possessed you to attack him?!” Alaric was speechless for a moment at this rebuke, “Sir, with all respect, all the kobolds I’ve met in my journeys are vicious and deceptive. Had you seen the horrors these things inflict, perhaps you’d understand.”
“I have seen them, I’ve fought them, and I understand very well, Alaric, and I know what you say is true. But it is also true that there are those of noble quality, they’ve risen to become kind and helpful, to anyone that needs it. Serhis is one of them, he has helped this town while you were gone, and he has done nothing to warrant this assault. The reason your spells are not working as they should is because they only strike against those with hatred and malice,” Innoc growled.
Alaric could only respond, “But, if what you say is true, then wouldn’t St. Cuthbert have stopped me in some way, stripped me of the spells I needed.” Innoc stood in front of the cleric. Though he was shorter than the human, the dwarf looked as if he was staring down on him, “St. Cuthbert grants you that power so you have an opportunity to understand how to judge what qualities are in a person, so that you can understand fully how he works. The reason that you haven’t been stripped of that power is that you yourself have done much justice, and that this injustice you have committed is reversible, something not so easily done had you killed him.” The cleric of St. Cuthbert tightened his fists, breathing out a sigh, “Yes, Sir Innoc. Perhaps I was somewhat hasty in my judgment.”
Serhis calmed down, a wave of exhaustion washing over him as the adrenalin faded, then the pain from his ankle spiked, all the running from earlier taking it’s toll now. He leaned onto a house wall, sliding down as he breathed ragged breathes.
Baous ran to help the exhausted Serhis, picking him up. Innoc put his hand on Alaric‘s arm, “Remedy this injustice, my boy. Restore his arm and leg.” Alaric looked at Innoc, slowly giving a nod and reluctantly placed his hand on Serhis. Bones mended, the pain faded, leaving a tired, but healthy kobold.
His task done, Alaric pried the trap off his foot and started walking back where he came, retracing his steps back to the bench and horse, “I need to get back to my friends, they’ll be wondering why I am late. If we ever see you again, kobold, you had best have lived up what you say you are.” Serhis only managed say at the leaving cleric, “Wait, pack…” Alaric stopped, then slid the pack from his shoulders, didn’t bother to turn back to look as he kept walking back to the horse.
Innoc picked the pack off the ground, “Let’s get him to my home, boy, he’ll need some rest.” Baous nodded, helping Serhis back to the house, several dozen eyes following them as the neighbors saw the end of this incident. By the morning, this story would last for a very long time.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*
“Set him down on that chair,” Innoc said as he sat in the second chair of the study. Serhis leaned into the chair, taking the sling off after all these weeks. Baous sat on the floor facing the fire. Innoc sat back, “My apologies, Serhis, for Alaric’s actions. I’d thought maybe I’d taught the boy a bit better than that.” Serhis sat up in the chair, “No need apologize, you did no wrong.”
“Thank you, but maybe I need to explain things a little more. Where to start?” Innoc said as he rubbed his temples. “’bout twenty years ago, I came to this town with Rosa, decided it’s time to hang up the armor, I’d made quite enough adventuring that I could retire comfortably. Hah, I still have enough now that the only reason that I work as a forester now, it’s only to drive back the boredom. When I came here, I had a reputation as a professional man-at-arms, tales of some of my exploits had been told here. Alaric, small lad then, was an admirer, impressed at my deeds and services in the name of St. Cuthbert. Once asked me about my faith, I told him that though I was no cleric, I still would act in St. Cuthbert’s ideals. Started to train as a cleric himself, every so often he came to me for advice and some battle practice. Didn’t know about how much of a vicious streak he had after picking a fight with someone. Taught him how to swing the mace myself, sorry Serhis.”
“So that why you said sorry, ah, still no need, it turned out alright,” Serhis muttered from his seat, raising his fixed arm. “Why did he want to hurt me?” Baous asked from the ground, looking at Innoc. Innoc removed the hand, staring at the ceiling, “Since you wanted to help Serhis, someone he thought was an enemy, the allies of that enemy must also be eliminated. Had a small hand in teaching him that, but the problem was he never really learned how to tell where the real enemy was. Serhis, what do you plan to do, now that you can walk on you own?” he said as he lowered his head from facing the ceiling to the kobold sitting opposite of him.
“Serhis… don’t know. Part of me want continue to journey, keep on healing in places of pain and hurt, but Serhis also don’t want to leave friends,” he said, uncertainty etched on his face. A moment of silence passed, each person with their own thoughts, until Baous suddenly spoke, “I want to journey with you, Serhis.”
Serhis and Innoc sat stunned at this declaration, Serhis asks “Why?” and Innoc “You sure about that lad?” Baous replies to both, “I want to see the world, just like you dad, and I want to help others like you Serhis. I need to see places other than home, I need to be able to really know I can do a lot better than people say I can. I need to see if I can find out about parents,” those last words a wisp. “I know you’re my dad, and Rosa’s my mom, but I want to see if anyone else knows about my parents, I just need to know who they are.”
Chuckling, Innoc said, “Now and gone and done it, haven’t you. Can’t stop you now, you made up your mind. Well, might as well talk about how you’re going to do it,” both continuing to discuss about tools, travel equipment, what to do about Baous’ house, until Innoc asked Serhis, “Say, lad, could you come here tomorrow morn…” The little kobold had already fallen asleep in the chair, curled up and using his wings as a blanket. “Boy, go ahead and take him home. He’ll need some sleep, just send him over tomorrow.”
*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Serhis was outside of the Winterstone home the next day, Baous busy at home preparing everything before he left. Rosa opened the door, letting him inside and found Innoc in the study once again. The fire was a smoldering ember from last night, the heat still able to be felt if someone was close enough, Innoc in the same chair from last night. “Sit down lad, I’ve something to say.” Serhis took a seat, wondering what he would say.
“I couldn’t say anything last night, not with my boy there. He probably accepts his real parents are dead, likely guessed it most likely after all this time. He’d be right. I just couldn’t say how, I’m too weak to do that,” Innoc said with a sigh.
“Eleven years ago, a large band of kobolds arrived in the forest near town, Baous’ tribe. ‘bout the same time, so did a war band of kobolds, a different tribe. The people here were in a panic, a few people had been killed by this war band, traders most of them, something needed to be done. Alaric and his band, they proposed to venture out and eliminate them, save the town, and went out on the same day. Found the war band and followed them, tracked them all the way to a meeting between the two tribes. They ambushed the whole lot, fireball the biggest and most massed threat, hit and run using the horse and rider, shoot the tailing enemies from the horse. Tactics I had taught them to use. When the battle was over, the all of them were dead, Alaric and his team victorious, so they rounded up the pillaged treasure and everything the kobold’s were carrying. They gave the treasure back to the town, sold the rest, Alaric came and gave me some letters the kobold war band leader was carrying, saying he couldn’t make heads or tails of it. Took me all day to translate it with a book in this library. The war band had been asked to a meeting with the other tribe. They had wanted to ask of them that they leave the area alone, the kobolds here wanted to set up a village to live here peacefully, that the war band was causing too much trouble. By St. Cuthbert, we had killed kobolds not looking for a fight, we‘d didn‘t know that they were separate tribes. When I told everyone about this, they showed some regret, but since some of our own were killed without cause, the war band had to be punished, but since they freely mingled with the rest, there was no way to tell the difference, all the kobolds had taken arms when the attack was underway. Of course they would, they were being attacked, they wanted to defend themselves, no one was bothering to talk, neither side knew how to talk to each other. In the end, it was deemed ‘necessary’ that they’d died, that any future incidents like this would be treated with care to avoid a similar result. The next day, when I was working in the woods now that they were safe again, I had heard a strange, dog-like cry. That’s when I found Baous, the lad crying out, barely two years old and no idea what had happened. From what I could gather, his parents had set him loose to run away, they would stay behind, two large kobolds easily more noticeable than a kobold babe running into the woods. I took him back home. Some of the townsfolk didn’t take too kindly to this idea of me raising him, but after what had happened, how could they object, his parents were dead. And I felt a need to somehow correct this injustice, in my own way.”
Innoc finished his tale, eyes closed, “Alaric, Jonathan, all the rest, they killed them, had no way to know otherwise. Said that maybe he was from the war band’s tribe, that’s he’d grow up violent and unstable. I know better, no one takes their child into a battlefield, no way unless it was true desperation, it had to be from the other tribe. They accepted that, but they still have their suspicions. Since you are going to be traveling with my boy, I needed you to know everything.”
Serhis was in shock, he couldn’t speak, finally uttering, “But, what Serhis suppose to tell Baous? Tell about Alaric, the rest? His parents?” His Common on shaky ground again, his mind still reeling. “I couldn’t tell him. Maybe he would forgive me, he probably would, but telling him this would break my heart. Maybe, someday, you will tell him. If you do, tell him everything, don’t leave a single thing out,” Innoc replied. He then got out of his chair, then reached above the mantle of the fireplace, taking down the war hammer. “Give this to Baous, a gift from the old man and his old adventuring days,” he said, giving it to the small kobold, though he had some trouble carrying it. “You’ve seen more of the world, know what happens out there, know that you have to protect yourself sometimes. Help my son in his times of need, a tenet of Bahamut, if I remember. He’s only thirteen, so I leave it to your older experience.”
Serhis looked at the war hammer, with it’s three foot haft and the metal hammer the size of a small human head, only to turn his attention to the last sentence, “But, Serhis ten year old, not older than Baous.” Innoc whipped his head around, “You’re joking, right?” But the scaly kobold only shook his head, “Nope, ten, but kobold age much differently. Grow up real fast at first, then really slowly later. Ten, roughly, say seventeen, eighteen human. Or sixteen. Not sure on math, but after that, live very old. Serhis know a kobold elder live hundred and forty, little bit grouchy, and heard of even older kobolds. Maybe Baous age different too.”
Innoc smiled, “A hundred and forty or more, huh. I hope Baous can live to be that old. Well lad, good luck to you, and see that he’s alright,” he finished, opening the study door for Baous to leave. Rosa was at the front door, opening it for him, “Protect my son and make sure he stays fine, please,” she said after Serhis had passed through, closing the door.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Serhis thought as he went to the meeting spot with Baous. Was Bahamut determining his destiny? St. Cuthbert? Any of the gods? His destiny as a Dragonwrought? Or would they all interfere with one another and he picked one for himself? As long as they all made sure his friends were okay, it was just fine.
Baous was outside of town on the road, with both his own pack and Serhis old pack in hand. “Whoa, did the old man give you that?” he exclaimed, seeing the old war hammer. “Nope, it for you, way too heavy for me,” Serhis said, giving it over to the other kobold. Baous looked at the weapon, feeling the hammer. “You know how use it?” Serhis asked, to which Baous replied, “Yeah, dad helped me with a practice one, it was a lot lighter.”
Serhis took his own pack checking to see if everything was still inside. It was missing the healing potions, but everything else was there. “Ready to go?” Serhis asked. “Yeah, just going to miss home,” Baous sighed, as they started down the path. Coming by was one of the townsfolk, a female Halfling in a brown outfit, “Hiya tall kobold, short kobold, see ya some other time.”
After she had passed, Baous was snickering, snout in a wide grin, “So, short kobold, where to?” “Well tall kobold, to Aveamaria, may take a few days,” came the reply of a equally wide grinning Serhis.
“Well if you weren’t so low to the ground, maybe we get there faster.” “Serhis keep up just fine, you know it. Maybe if you head not so high, actually easier to find breakfast, not so easy for other thing to see you.” “Hah, you’re just jealous, pipsqueak.” “Fuzzy, fur ball Kobold.” “Scaly, flaky scale Kobold.” “Shave you, maybe look like kobold after all.” “Maybe you should. That way, I just put my fur on you and you’ll look like a kobold.”
The two stood still for one second, imagining a hairless Baous prancing about and a repeat incident of the wheelbarrow. At the same time.
Baous kept on barking laughter, Serhis a wild grin on his snout. This was going to be an adventure, one with a great friend.
