Town Of Outlaw (A Fantasy DnD escapade)

[Snowwolf35]

Hello. I am Snowwolf, I'm not necessarily a NEW writer, I have a smorgasbord of NSFW on here or Hentai Foundry, but I wasn't always a seemingly solely a NSFW writer. I had aspirations of my own IPs. So I'm trying something new, but old for me.

This is a Series that, ideally after a few chapters, is going to be a Patreon-only series, but I wanted to get it out there and see if people can enjoy my work without fictional people bumping uglies...

This used to be a NSFW series I had on Hentai Foundry, but not many enjoyed my aspirations, but I liked writing the characters, so I thought it was a shame to let them wallow in a failed series.

 

[Snowwolf35]

The wind roared around the ragged cliffside, as they walked on through the rain and the storm, thunder booming overhead and lightning flashing to the ground. Up ahead a light could be seen flicking in a stoic lantern hanging next to a sign of a standard tavern and inn, The Drunken Fairy. The signpost had a painted tavern mug with a fairy sitting inside the rim, her arms and legs hanging out.

Two figures hesitated in the storm, one taller than the other but not by much. The shorter man, wearing heavy animal hide armor and a fur-trimmed hood that hide most of his face except for a bronze-colored neatly trimmed beard. He pointed ahead with a gloved finger, his black leather boots stomping ahead of the second man as he held what appeared to be some sort of mechanical crossbow under his robe out of the rain.

The other was completely out of place. Probably from farther away than anyone around ever had been. thick poofy pants, a sash around his waist held together by a buckle made out of a perfectly formed sapphire, and he wore a thick jerkin and an odd turban over his head. He was also armed with a curved blade at his waist, a scimitar, and a smaller curved dagger. But it was his eyes that gave him away, yellow cat's eyes, he was a tiefling… his skin had a slight blueish hint to it. But not in an unhealthy way, and he had slightly sharper eyeteeth but at least he had a charming smile. He followed after the shorter man as they reached the safety of the tavern… or at the very least now had the opportunity to get out of the storm.

The shorter man kicked open the inn door, entering quickly with the tiefling behind him, he threw off his hood revealing his shortly trimmed beard, hair, and bulging dwarfish nose. But he was tall for a dwarf, he was actually a half-dwarf… "…Take the mountain road?" he snapped sarcastically at the Tiefling who could only shrug.

"It seemed like a good idea at the time Borz." He replied apologetically, "I figured a good old fashioned mountain path, which has NO twists or turns." He gestured back outside, "Was a lot better than going through the forest." He said but 'Borz' wasn't having it.

"Should've taken the forest, I would've found the way." He grumbled as they both approached the counter of the inn, ignoring the sketchier-looking patrons, scraggly travelers, merchants, and a few vagabonds desperate to wait out the mountain storm. "I hate the mountains." He growled under his breath, scratching his distinctly bronze-colored beard.

"What kind of dwarf hates the mountains?" the tiefling replied with a teasing smile but Borz wasn't having it.

"The kind of HALF-dwarf raised in the forest. That's what kind…" Borz replied angrily. His chin was barely over the counter of the inn as the balding innkeeper glanced down at him almost disdainfully. "We need rooms." He grunted.

"…Only got one left. Other ones are occupied." He said scratching himself before Borz groaned.

"…Does it have beds?"

"It's got A bed." Replied the innkeeper, giving him an iron room key. "Ten gold." Borz grumbled quietly, as the tiefling produced the money from a pouch at his belt. The innkeeper's eyes glanced with interest at the massive jeweled sapphire belt buckle… but once the tiefling deposited the coins on the counter he greedily scooped them up. Borz grabbed the key. "Last room on the left." He pointed up the stairs. "If you want food and drink that's extra." He added. "No complimentary breakfast."

Borz stomped away as the tiefling nodded and turned around, following after Borz up the steps. "Think the others are alright?"

"Ulla's with them." Grumbled Borz dismissively, "…She's not as good as ME but she's capable." They walked to the very last room on the end of the upper floor, unlocking it and entering together with the Tiefling and sighing exasperatedly at the large double bed. "…Damn it." he grunted as Talon patted his shoulder. Borz shrugged it off… the room itself was bare bones with only a bed and a lone chamber pot… Empty thankfully, but Borz kicked it lightly over to the room door. Locking it with a cheap bolt lock and making sure the chamber pot was set against it…

"You can sleep on the floor." He noted irately but his companion just smiled whimsically.

"I don't mind sharing."

"I do." He grumbled, before placing his wrapped crossbow at the head of the bed as he hopped onto it, kicking off his boots tossing off his hooded cloak, and lying down on the bed. "Lousy pointed headed…" he grumbled as his companion stripped off most of his own wet clothes. Before lying down on the other half of the bed. Borz glared at his mostly naked body, leaving him in little more than small clothes. "The hells, Talon?…"

"Borz don't make a big deal of it and just get some rest." He said without looking at him, the rain pattering on the shutters of the windows. "I promise not to do anything untoward." He laughed, Borz glared at the lash scars on Talon's back before rolling over himself and grumbling, closing his eyes and trying to get some sleep in the bed.

…

The storm continued regardless of the pair's sleep. Hours passed, lightning flashing through the shutters as Talon dozed loudly, lying on his face, his protruding horns, curved out like a goat's from his forehead holding his face an inch above the mattress like a set of rocking chair legs. Borz slept on his back, his hands on his stomach as if lying in state. He didn't make a sound, his chest rising and falling slowly as he steadily breathed through his large dwarfish nose.

TINK.

The tapping of the door on the chamber pot awoke Borz instantly, and he abruptly put his foot into Talon's ass. Talon rolled off the bed, then his horned head popped up over the side and blinked sleepily. "Wha-? What? What is it?"

"Shut up!" hissed Borz, lifting his crossbow and aiming it at the door as voices began to rise.

"Is that the chamberpot? When was the last time we changed it?"

"Never." Replied another voice. "Move it."

"What? I'm not touching it. You do it."

"Shut the hells up!" hissed another voice, "Bart you have gloves you do it, but quietly! Those marks were loaded…" A gloved hand slipped from the cracked door, then shifted the pot slightly away from the swing of the door, then opened it further.

Then with a flash of lightning from the shutters and a flickering shadow in the open doorway, Borz pulled the trigger.

THOK-THOK-THOK

"GUCK!!" three rapidly fired crossbow bolts pierced into a longsword-armed man's chest, two bolts punched right through his leather armor, and one on his throat. He toppled backward into another man who grunted under literal dead weight.

"What the HELLS!?" the potential robber shrieked in surprise at the sudden dead body, and the third voice hissed out alarmed.

"Shit!" Borz silently rolled off the bed, dropping to one knee and quietly aiming his crossbow, yanking back on a crank with one hard pull, locking it into position as it automatically reloaded for another burst. Talon however now very awake drew his dagger and his scimitar, duel-wielding both in tandem as he also grabbed his sapphire gem belt and threw it around his waist as it clicked together on its own around him. "Get up! GET UP!!" shouted the voice suddenly and the entire inn was awake with activity… all congregating around their room. "Get some shields we got some lively ones!"

"Why can't we go anywhere without someone trying to kill us!?" Talon asked indignantly as an archer peaked around the door to fire only to take two bolts to the chest, the third slamming into the door with significant force.

THOK-THOK-THOK. CLICK!

Borz reloaded his crossbow. "Shut up and fight!" he ordered but Talon was a bit busy putting on his pants, before rushing to the door and shutting it with a slam. Hearing the sound of the entire inn waking up. "Barricade the door!" together they dragged the bed from the wall, slamming the end of it against the door the crowd outside roared angrily, trying to break it down.

Talon and Borz stepped away, Borz aiming his crossbow at the door. "...Out the window?" Talon asked, grabbing the rest of his gear as a thunderous boom echoed outside as if to remind them they were in a storm.

"…How many people were in this tavern when we came in?" Borz asked tentatively as an axe hacked into the door.

"A lot." Talon replied.

Borz sighed then glared at the gem belt around Talon's waist. "…Don't suppose you want to help!?" he shouted almost insanely at the gem and Talon stared at him curiously. One might believe that Borz was yelling at Talon's crotch, and the door splintered further, axes opening the hole in the door further.

"You know that's not how that works." He said as Borz glared up at him.

"I'm sorry, remind me. How does the belt lady work!?" he growled as Talon shrugged.

"However she wants to really, but first I have to do this…" he then rubbed the big sapphire on his belt, gently caressing it with the fingers of his dagger hand… the pure sapphire suddenly became very cloudy and started to emit a cloud of blue smoke. "…Oh, look at that. Hold your breath." He said as Borz sighed, covering his mouth with a pocket handkerchief around his mouth.

The Blue smoke wafted around the room leaving a snakelike trail around them. "What the hell is this?!" shouted the crowd outside, the smoke hissing through the open hole in the door made by the axes.

"It's a gas spell!"

"I thought you said they weren't wizards!" the crowd began shouting angrily as a graceful, blue hand appeared from the mist and SNAPPED her manicured fingers…

Outside the building, in the storming rain, a pair of figures POOFED into the air about two feet from a puddle of mud. "Wha!?" Borz and Talon shrieked together before landing in a messy heap and a splat. Borz glared up at the dark sky, rain pouring down his face as he pried himself out of the mud, and glared at Talon… who was no longer wearing pants.

"Oh… Come ON Ruby!" he grumbled sadly, still wearing the belt he pulled his face out of the mud and glared down at the pristine sapphire. "I was wearing pants." His pants then poofed in the air above him then flopped onto his head like a comical hat as he sighed again, "Thank you."

"Uuurugh!" Borz growled like an animal, crawling out of the mud, grabbing Talon, and helping him to his feet. "Come on. We got to get moving."

"Right Right." Talon replied, hopping along and trying to shove a muddy naked leg into his pants and following along. "…If we find a waterfall or a lake? I'm jumping in." he replied, walking uncomfortably, "Not funny Ruby…" he repeated, following after Borz in the storm as the tavern filled with blue smoke behind them and burst from the windows like a pot boiling over.

…

"Ha-Ha! Ha-ha-ha-ha!!" Laughed the beautiful half-drow, her full breasts wobbling in her elegant, shoulderless dark velvet dress. Her seductively beautiful features were only heightened by her exotic ebony skin and silvery white hair, long and shiny like a noble's curtain, framing her narrow blue eyes. Her pointed ears twitched as she continued to giggle.

"It's not funny Surly." Noted an equally beautiful blonde aasimar woman. Her wavey blonde hair and her golden eyes glittered in the low lantern light and the feathers of her metallic wings tinkled softly as she glared disapprovingly at the half-drow.

"It is HILARIOUS Isalura… especially the pants thing." She teased wagging her fingers at Talon, eyeing a very clothed Talon and Borz as they finished explaining to them what had happened. "Honestly."

"You two ran away from a fight? Cowards." The hulking half-orc woman, dressed in animal hides sharpened one of her twin axes snorting disdainfully.

"Hey! We were surrounded by a hundred bandits and murderers!" Borz snapped notedly at the half-orc, staring her down until she stood up and towered over him at almost twice his height. "Where the heck were you?!"

"In the forest." Surly declared frankly, "Why did you take the mountain path?"

"I thought it was safer." Talon replied with an adorably sheepish shrug.

"You're an idiot." Declared Surly glaring at him but Talon gave her a wink and a smile.

"Well, you weren't around to be my brain Surly." He said casually. Surly frowned at him, but her cheeks were a little pinker than usual.

"Ahem! Well." She said, moving on. "Now that we're here… we need to make sure the roads are clear so we might as well get some people to smoke them out."

The front door to the building opened. "About that." said the crisp, dulcet tones of the dragonkin man, dressed in full plate armor and with silvery scales. "…We're the only ones here." By his side was a snowy white mountain lion with a scared face, and upon seeing her Borz melted.

"Luney!… Come here." He said happily as she purred, approaching him as he began petting her. "I was worried about you where did you go!?" he then frowned, "You left me alone with Talon!" he said angrily but then smiled again. "Ooh I can't stay mad at you!" he added while she purred affectionately at his touch.

"We… are the only ones here Tazzok?" asked Talon curiously, "The whole town?"

"The whole town." Tazzok replied plainly. "Luna and I just had a look around. There's nobody here. The town is abandoned…"

Surly scowled, "…I'm starting to think that king we saved didn't have such a high opinion of us after all." she noted sarcastically.

"I thought he was nice." Isalura replied as Surly glared at her.

"Of course, he was nice to you, you're an aasimar. But the rest of us? We were given ownership of a town with no people!"

"…Technically I'm a mayor." Noted Talon as Borz groaned.

"And I can't begin to tell you how annoying THAT is." He sourly stated. "Fine. So we get to run an empty town. Let's start with killing the highway inn outlaws. Alright?"

"Borz is right." Talon replied, "No point in trying to get people to come to a town when we got bandits on the road. We can handle bandits… easier than a lich, right?"

"Much." Tazzok replied, rotating his shield arm, still remembering the lightning bolts he blocked.

"Right. So… anyone got a good plan?" he looked around before settling on Surly, she frowned at them all. Before sighing audibly.

"Alright… fine, I'll think of a plan." She then immediately walked around the table, "Borz lead the way."

"What? Why do I have to-"

"I don't know where the inn IS Borz." She replied firmly, "So lead the way." She gestured to the door. Borz growled quietly, clicking his tongue as he stood up and marched out with Luna the mountain lion beside him. Surly hesitated, before turning to the rest of the group. "Well? Come on!" she replied, "Let's go deal with the bandits… you don't expect me to do it myself do you?"
"What about a plan?" Talon smiled following after Surly.

"I'll think it up on the way. I'm sure it'll be very clever and effective." She said almost sarcastically."

….

The bandits in the bandit inn were less than amused at their lack of 'clientele' and even less amused at letting the half-breeds get away last night. They were the only guests they'd seen in a week, pickings were starting to get slim, and it might be time to move on… but just before they were about to close up completely…

Talon burst in through the front door. "I surrender!" he shouted, raising his hands as the bandits confusedly stared at him.

"It's that horn head that killed Bart!" shouted one of them only for Talon to reply indignantly.

"Technically Borz killed Bart… whoever Bart was." Talon replied with a shrug as the bandits drew their weapons, approaching him ominously.

"You got a lot of nerve coming back here." Said the innkeeper, holding a longsword.

"Sure. Whatever!" Talon replied nervously, "Whatever you guys have planned for me has to be better than whatever is out there!" he pointed to the door as the bandits paused.

"What's out there?" replied one of them as Talon gasped.

"A horrific monster! Huge and green! With huge tusks and sinuous muscles! Breathing lightning and throwing fire!" he replied dramatically, rushing past the bandits. "Run for your lives!" he said as the bandits failed their bluff check. Except for the innkeeper.

"What the hells are you talking about? There's no monster out there!"

Talon stood behind them, then shrugged. "I tried to warn you." He said before the door was ripped off its hinges. Ulla roared blood and fury wielding her twin axes as her barbarian rage was in full swing. Cleaving right through two terrified bandits as the window suddenly burst. Tazzok, holding his shield before him like a battering ram, shattered through the wooden shutters before taking a deep breath the breathing lighting upon more of the bandits as they tried to run rather than fend off Ulla… only to be stabbed in the back by Talon who produced his scimitar and dirk, slicing through two more bandits as the rest tried to go up the stairs and form a defensive line only at the top and take the high ground.

Talon then whistled sharply, like a songbird as he, Tazzok, and Ulla faced up at the bandits as more joined the fray from the upper floors… then they heard a similar whistle, and Borz skidded into the bandit inn, crossbow up, and shouted. "PULL!!"

The walls and the room behind the bandits exploded in fire, sending many of them into the air from the top of the stairs as Borz's repeating, burstfire crossbow accurately sprayed the air and pierced into many of their flying burning bodies before he discharge his bolt cartridge and reloaded another from his bandolier as Ulla and Talon rushed up the stairs after those who had remained. Tazzok and Borz, who drew a handaxe from his belt approached the fallen wounded and removed them.

Surly and Isalura entered together. Isalura held her shield and mace at the ready just in case as she glanced up at the burning hole in the inn. "…So much for repurposing this place." Surly said as Talon blinked down at her, applying a coup de grace to the last bandit as he gazed down at her indignantly.

"It was your idea." He said, sliding down the banister and approaching the half-drow sorcerous who shrugged.

"My idea was to ambush them OUTSIDE-" she said confidently, "it was your idea to come up with this backup plan."

"Look the job is done. Let's find anything of value." Borz declared practically curb-stomped the innkeeper's skull into a pulp with his sturdy boot.

"BORZ." Isalura noted as he scowled at her. "Don't desecrate the dead any further."

"They're BANDITS." Declared Borz irately. "Who knows how many people they murdered. Plus we're robbing them!"

"Let it go Borz." Talon noted, "Isa, Surly, check the kitchen for supplies, "Tazzok, Ulla, check…" he glanced up to what was left of the second floor. "…What's left up there for any loot. Borz, You're with me we'll check down here for any hidden doors, stores… all that fun stuff.

The group then split up, searching the inn for around an hour… before Talon triumphantly hooted.

"Ah HA! FOUND A DOOR!" he shouted, checking the back of a cabinet behind the counter. Quickly checking it for traps as Ulla let out an equally triumphant shout.

"We found a treasure chest! It's locked Talon!" she declared with pride, standing on the second floor and holding a chest over her head, followed by a loud creak. "…Oh." And fell through the weakened floor. Talon banged his head on the cabinet, yanking himself out of it to check on her.

"Ulla! You okay?!"

"…I am fine." she snarled, smashing angrily through a nearby door unphased, now hauling the treasure chest under her powerful arm and rubbing her shoulder. "…I landed on a bed." She then yanked out a sharp plank of wood that pierced her thigh, walking off the injury. She threw the chest on a corpse dismissively as Borz finished looting small change from their pockets.

"There is nothing else up here but clothes." Declared Tazzok, leaping down to the second floor, his lizard feet crashing onto the wood.

"Same with the kitchen." Said Surly, "…There is some meat that I don't trust." She noted. As Isalura quickly approached Ulla to heal her leg wound. "Never trust bandit meat."

Talon, however, returned to the hidden cabinet, and picked the lock… but failed. So he tried again and failed critically. "Curse it!" yelled Talon angrily "Those were my last lockpicks…" Ulla however marched around, grabbed him by the back of his belt and yanked it out, bent down on one knee and rested her fist against it then quickly pulled her fist back.

BOOM!

Punching a hole in the tiny door and ripping it off its hinges. Numerous coin purses spilled out. Talon laughed, grabbing two bagfuls and grinning at the others. "…How nice of these guys to help us fund our new town!" he declared as Borz sat on the treasure chest, scraping mud... and brains, off his boots with his hand ax.

"Great. Can we go now?" he asked grumpily, "Because if we can't eat what these guys have one of us has to go hunting on the way back for our meal… and Ulla's going to carry this thing." He got up, and retrieved his discarded crossbow bolt cartridge, "And I have to refill my ammo box. Feed Luna. Get the burning smell of this place out of my nose…" he grumble irately, marching out of the inn, Ulla hauling bag after bag of gold, jewels, and silver from the hidden cabinet.

"…This is actually a lot of gold to haul back…" noted Ulla, looking at the bags and adding. "…Right?" to Talon who nodded. Ulla was illiterate, and arithmetic was rather difficult for her… but it's how they met after all and Talon and Isalura were tutoring her when they had time.

Tazzok then sighed, scratching his scaley chin. "…I'm sure I can come up with something…" glancing at the circular wooden tables nearby. "…Ulla would you kindly let me borrow one of your axes?" WHOOSH! THOK!

One of her axes buried itself in the wall near him. He glanced at it, before he ripped it from the splintered wood. "Thank you." He said casually, as Talon glared sternly at Ulla.

"We TALKED about that Ulla. We don't throw weapons at friends." Ulla scowled childishly.

"…I wasn't aiming for him!"
"That's not the point." He said in response as Surly sighed and their resident repair and handyman Tazzok quickly built a small wagon using the tables, some weapons from the bandits, and Ulla's axe.

"Done." He said, presenting a small crudely made but sturdy, single-axel wagon that he began loading with the treasure chest.

Talon who began helping Ulla load the gold asked. "How are we getting it out the front-" Surly then held out her hand, and blasted a fireball at the wall, widening the- "…door." Talon finished as Surly gave him a blank look. "Right… let's get back to our new town. We got a lot of work to do, and now that these outlaws are gone. We might actually start getting travelers…"

"That reminds me." Asked Isa sweetly, "…What are we going to call our new home?"

"…Well…" Talon said, clearing bodies aside with Tazzok while Ulla pulled the cart of their loot. "…Actually. I kinda like the sound of-"

End of Town Of Outlaw (Reboot) Story One

Authors Note: So, this is a Reboot of my Hentai Foundry Story, it's also my first Exclusive, and Safe For Work Story on Patreon, at least for now. I might change my mind in the future or post this one chapter on other sites. I've been working on this off and on for a while and I finally managed to finish it.

This is going to have few connecting linear stories, it's supposed to be like a DnD game, where they go on different quests, sometimes they'll be connected and sometimes they wont. Letting me drop in and write a chapter whenever and wherever I can. So I hope you all take some enjoyment out of this, it's something I've been wanting to do for a while.

Now for the Character Sheets as it were.

Talon Law: Tiefling Thief, Duel Wielding a Scimitar and Dirk
Boris 'Borz' Bronzebeard: Half-Dwarf Ranger, Autocrossbow(Burstfire only) handaxe
Surlarmene 'Surly' Sleekwater: half-drow Sorceress, dagger, magic, cantrips
Isalura Lightfellow: Aasimar Cleric, Mace and Shield
Tazzok Silverscale: Silver Dragon Kin: Fighter, Shield and Sword, Two-handed sword
Ulla Ragnasdaughter: Half-Orc Barbarian, duel wielding axes

Sorry, took me a minute to repost this, copying from Patreon doesn't work well.

 

[Snowwolf35]

Surlarmene 'Surly' Sleekwater used to be your standard swamp witch. Kept to herself, lived in swampland, and occasionally sell potions to nearby villages, and travelers… all the while studying magic and tomes, or researching the ruins nearby… mostly for her own entertainment. She lived in a damn swamp she had to find something to do with her time.

The cabin she grew up in used to be home to another swamp witch. An old cackling human woman with a taste for the macabre and probably flesh… When Surly was older she was fairly certain the old witch kidnapped her, or found her in the swamp… But the old witch died of old age before she could tell Surly much about her past but plenty about her craft.

But she had been mostly anti-social throughout her life… saving the occasional village from foolish decisions and the odd Swamp Croc… nasty lizards those Swamp Croc… and for a while she had a good reputation with them and was something of a healer witch to them. Then of course the Old lord of the land died and his son took over. Everything changed then… the greasy fat blob thought that the size of his purse would somehow hide the size of his gut with her. Half-drow or not Surly was a beauty beyond compare… plus her breasts we so BIG…

Still, the unwelcome courting began, and she spent a great deal of her time sending him away. He just assumed that a beautiful 'swamp witch' like her would be more than happy to be his concubine, she however had standards. Then the entitlement took over… he started demanding taxes, which she paid. He started demanding services… which she denied. Then the locals started to have mysterious deaths and disappearances… and all of a sudden it was the beautiful witch in the swamp luring villagers to their doom.

…How quickly their opinion of her changed… if not for Talon, Borz, and Isalura passing by she might have died in her cabin when the angry mob burned it down. All that did was attract the Swamp Crocs… which DID make the villagers disappear… most of them. Swamp Crocs were notoriously messy eaters. She had been the brains of the Adventurer party ever since… though Tazzok liked to give her a run for her coin every now and again. He used to be a general, his strategic mind was honed like a sword when it came to battle, and Army logistics, but not when it came to finances… or running a town.

…So needless to say she was less than happy at their prospects in the newly dubbed town of Outlaw.

"We have farmland. With no FARMERS." She had placed her finger on the 'farmland' located on the rather crude map of the general area around the town that Borz had drawn up. It was functional but its proportions were all off, like a child drew it. "We have pastures. But no livestock." She pointed to the pasture, before sliding a finger across the map to the mountain and finished. "And a mine with NO. GOLD!" she said irately.

"It used to be a mining town." Tazzok noted, "But it's been stripped bare of gold and silver so I've been told. Talon and I were going to examine it later to make sure there was nothing… breeding." He added quickly as Surly sighed, rubbing her head.

"…We could've gone to any ghost town and had the same results!" Surly scowled.

"…Probably not any ghost town. We probably would have had to clean some bodies…" Borz noted sourly, absently scratching a purring Luna's head as she rested it on his lap. "Glad for that honestly. And the fields are good there's just nothing to sow, or eat them…"

"…Can you catch some animals?"

"…You think there are just wild cows in the nearby forest?"

"No. But there might be goats, wild pigs. I'd settle for a boar at this point!"

"You want me to catch a wild boar?" Borz replied as she glared at him.

"We have to start somewhere?"

"…A wild BOAR?" he repeated as Luna raised her head.

"Take Ulla with you she can wrestle it." she noted sarcastically.

"I'd actually pay to see that." Talon said, walking into the meeting room. "…Why is Ulla wrestling a wild boar?" he asked quizzically.

Surly sighed into her hand, but Borz answered for her. "She wants me to try and catch wild livestock. Like a wild boar… goats."

"I actually saw a goat." Talon replied jerking his thumb over his shoulder back out the door. "A mountain goat." He added as Borz glared at him.

"Don't you encourage-"

"Borz! Go catch it." Ordered Surly, Borz growled.

"With what?!" he replied indignantly.

"With your WITS." She sneered back as he raised his hands defeatedly. "And ROPE. There is plenty of rope."

"…FINE! I guess I'm chasing a GOAT today. Come on Luney." He scratched his big cat as she purred again and followed him. "Great idea Talon! Thanks." the sarcasm was strong.

"Take Ulla with you for competency." Surly added bitingly as the half-dwarf stomped away.

"…In a bad mood Surly?" Talon asked as she glared at him. "Right. Right. Don't know why I asked… ready to go Taz?"

"Increasingly." The silver dragonkin replied crisply. He can tolerate a great deal of Surly living up to her nickname, Talon can tolerate a great deal more of it and Isalura was practically a living saint. But when the sorcerous was getting in one of THESE moods it was best to try and be productive…

"Surly? Want to come with?" Talon asked politely as Tazzock mouthed 'NO', to him but he brushed it off. Luckily Surly was too… surly.

"No. Someone needs to try and get this place up and running… or at the very least get this building up to standards so we don't freeze to death.

"…Okay, if you're sure." Talon replied, "If you need any help Isa's still here."

"We're going to need all the help we can get." Surly replied, her intuitive mind already making a plan as Talon and Tazzock walked out of the long house and headed toward the old mine north-east of the town… passing Borz and Ulla heading south-west towards the forest in the forest was a lake, fed by the snowy top of the mountain… there was a river that eventually led to the sea after a couple of days. But it wasn't big enough for any sort of transport. Tazzok and the girls came from that direction, whereas Borz and Talon came from the north through the mountain… to the west and southwest were the pastures, farmland, even an old windmill…

But the Mine to the northeast had seen better days, once upon a time a lucky and crazy old dwarf found gold and within a few years the mine was flourishing, and the town rose up around it. But they dug deep, and long… but the flow of gold quickly diminished, and the town fell apart.

Tazzok and Talon stood outside the entrance, the wooden supports were surprisingly still good and sturdy. Tazzok examined a nearby abandoned mining office, only finding a surprisingly intact pickaxe, casually resting it on his armored shoulder as Talon handed him one of the many torches he had prepared. Tazzok puffed some lightning, lighting it up and letting Talon bum a light tapping the torches together.

"…Me or you first?" he asked as Talon grinned.

"You have the shield." He said as Tazzok handed him the pick and led the way with a smile.

"I do have the shield." Leading into the mine, he glanced around. "…What exactly do we expect to find?"

"Well not gold." Talon replied, "We just need to keep an eye out for anything weird. Goblins maybe, or really big bugs." He noted, "…Or maybe nothing at all and Surly yells at us later." Tazzok chuckled.

"Let's try and avoid that…" he sniffed the air, "…I don't smell anything. No rot or excrement so far." He said, entering a large hollow section of the mine, probably where they originally found a great deal of gold. Tazzok sighed sadly, looking over the rocky surface. "…It goes up pretty high doesn't it?" he asked curiously as Talon stood beside him, also gazing at the rocking roof. At least 40 feet up into the mountain. He then swung the torch slowly around, before declaring. "Let's move on."

"Wait! Wait!" Talon said suddenly, "…bring that light over here."

"What?" Tazzok asked curiously, approaching Talon as he brushed the wall with his hand.

"…Does this look green to you?"

"Green?" Tazzok replied curiously. "…I suppose in the torchlight it does look a little green."

TINK! Talon swung the pickax at the wall until he managed to pick out a sizable chunk. He then picked it up, it was about as big as a kickball. It was much heavier though as he ran his hand over it. "…No way." He said, examining it before rushing back toward the entrance of the mine.

"Talon!" shouted Tazzok. Sighing as he ran after the tiefling, almost crashing into him outside the mine and stumbling slightly. "What's wrong?" he asked indignantly as Talon raised the stone to the sun… it had an odd shine to it. But it was indeed green… it was a solid hunk of green stone that he didn't quite recognize, not that he was a geology expert.

"Do you know what this is?!" Talon said excitedly as Tazzok chuckled, and replied rather sardonically for him.

"A hunk of green rock?" he said with a smirk.

"THIS… my dear fellow." Talon replied completely ignoring the snark. "Is JADE." He said, holding it for the dragonkin to look at closer as he took it from Talon's hands and examined it curiously… it was pretty at the very least.

"…What is Jade?" he asked curiously as Talon tapped the rock.

"Jade is like GOLD to the eastern kingdoms… past the desert Sultanates." Talon said excitedly.

Tazzok had never been to the eastern kingdoms. While a small portion of his life was spent as an adventurer, a significant portion of it was spent as a General to the formerly prosperous kingdom of Lydia far to the north until the coup that brought him and his ward into the company of the party. In both cases, he didn't travel far. Talon on the other hand had been a sailor… and a small part of that he'd been a pirate.

Though he didn't like to talk about it, Talon spent some time in the desert kingdoms and in the eastern kingdoms before coming back west towards his own home city of Dark Vell… though he had been sidetracked by multiple situations and his current friends…

"…So it's worth something?" Tazzok replied.

"It's worth a great deal to the eastern kingdoms. And if we polish it up and sculpt it we might get a nice and tidy profit."

"Oh ho… so…" he looked at the rock with renewed interest. "…Our mine is out of gold… but it has plenty of Jade?"

"That's my theory." Talon said, "There was a WALL of it…" he said excitedly, "I'll bet you right now the guys they had working this mine were only looking for gold, and completely ignored the 'pretty green rocks'."

Tazzok chuckled, "Well… then we better go tell Surly." Talon winked, taking the rock back before he and Tazzok returned to town.

THUMP! Talon dropped the rock on the table, Isalura and Surly looked at him curiously as he then pointed to it. "THIS… is jade." He said as Surly raised a white eyebrow.

"…It's a rock." She replied bluntly as Isalura noted rather politely.

"It's pretty though."

"Are you naming rocks now? Shall we sell it as a pet?" Surly noted sarcastically with a snarky smile.

"We can… I heard it was a pretty profitable trend for a little while. BUT…" Talon got back on track and began rubbing the rock as if polishing it. "THIS… specific rock, is called Jade. Jade… is worth its weight in GOLD to the Eastern kingdoms. Might be able to sell it to nobles as well as a decorative commodity with the right craftsman."

Surly looked significantly more interested, curiously examining the rock. "…Worth its weight in gold you say?"

"At least." He replied excitedly, "They loved this stuff over there. Always looking for more, and big solid pieces like these? At least twice as much. They like it big so they can make bigger carvings, use more of it to make decorations, pots, even weapons."

"And you found this in the mine?" she asked curiously as Talon smiled.

"We found a WALL of it." he replied as she stared at him, her mind already making calculations.

"…A wall?" she repeated.

"I think there is more jade in that mine than there was gold… and that's not counting the rocks the old miners threw away as trash." He said with a smile.

"…That's great. How are we going to get it to the eastern kingdoms?" she asked bluntly as Talon blinked, naturally, he had no answer.

"…Um…"

"So we have a stone highly valuable in OTHER nations… that we have no ability to transfer to?"

"I…Um…" Surly raised her hands and grabbed Talon's face… squeezing it firmly. "Ow. OW!" he mumbled sheepishly as she let go of him. She hadn't squeezed him that hard at all... in fact assuming she had hurt him she let go quickly.

"…At least we have something." She then absently ran her hand over the rock again, curiously but cutely pouting her lips in thought. "If nothing else we can use it to bargain with the Kingdom of Tevel to let us keep this empty piece of property they gave us."

"And that's a start," Talon said as Surly sighed as he put an arm around her shoulder, she didn't look at him turning slightly pink.

"…It's basically saying we found wood to burn when we already have coal." She mumbled.

"Now all we need is for Borz and Ulla to catch that goat and we would've had a very successful day!" cheered Talon unhelpfully as Surly sighed.

"…Sure. A goat would be a highlight."

"That's the spirit!" he said happily as she glared at him.

"…I hate you." She said under her breath but Talon just smiled and replied.

"No, you don't." patting her back before moving to examine the hunk of Jade again, Surly sighed as she joined him and added admittedly.

"No, I don't."

…

"This is foolish." Ulla growled as she and Borz lay in the foliage, gazing at the spot where Borz set a bundle of snares. "I could just find this goat and remove its head with one throw."

"How many times do I have to say it? We're not trying to kill it. We're trying to CATCH it!" he hissed angrily in response. Ulla snorted irately in response but said nothing, gazing at the traps. "…At least catching a goat is safer than trying to catch some wild boars.

"…Boars?" she replied as he looked at her.

"Yeah. Surly wanted me to catch boars alive."

"That's a far more entertaining task than this. Why are we not doing that?" she growled as he slammed his forehead into the dirt, groaning into the foliage.

"Because I don't see the point." He moaned but Ulla promptly stood up.

"I will go and catch them."

"You're just going to go, find some wild boar, and… bring them back?"

"Yes." Ulla replied bluntly, "You can stay here and watch your traps never boil." She said as he stared at her, fairly certain she messed that saying up. But then again when they first met Ulla she couldn't even count.

"I-But…" Borz watched the big half-orc seemingly vanish into the woods before sighing, and returning his attention back to the traps. "Uuugh…" he grumbled but grunted as he felt his snowy mountain lion Luna plop beside him, purring contentedly as he wrapped his arm around her and rubbed her fur. "…Yeah you're much better company."

His pretty kitty kept him aptly distracted, his hands rubbing her fur happily as she cooed. "Yeah you're a good girl!" he cuddled with her, she was pretty much just a big house cat… that could maul with the best of them. "You're such a fluffy girl! Yes, you are! Yes, you-"

"BAAAAAAH…"

Borz suddenly alert, stopped petting his big kitten and went flat again gazing at the BIG goat casually strutting through the forest towards his bait… a large collection of wild fruits and veggies. He stared at the goat, it was bigger than HE was… with towering horns and great shaggy fur.

"…Is that a giant goat?" he said, not entirely sure he could believe his eyes. "…that is a GIANT GOAT." He declared as the giant got bent its huge head down and began chewing the food. "Ulla? Ulla!" he hissed, "Oh… that is WAY bigger than I expected." He produced some more rope, rolling it in his hands, "When he told me he saw a goat he could've mentioned it was HUGE." He grumbled, "…Luney go get Ulla." He said as the mountain lion stared at him.

…As if she understood how SILLY it was of him to tell her to go get Ulla. But the Mountain Lion got up and trotted away. The Giant goat, about as tall big as Tazzok if you included the horns, seemed unconcerned with the presence of a mountain lion. Probably because it could easily fend her off… Suddenly, however, the giant goat finished the pile of food and tried walking away, before bleating as a snare caught its leg, trapping it to a nearby tree as it howled indignantly.

Borz stood up, looping the rope as he cautiously approached the struggling giant goat… he's always had a gift with animals while doing his ranger duties… before he brutally killed a collection of poachers that butchered a mother lion and her cubs for fun. Luna was the only survivor. Said poachers also included the mayor's self-important son, so Borz had to leave quickly… if it wasn't for a wandering Talon he probably would've been strung up on a child's sized gallows out of spite… but that wasn't as important right now… avoiding being gored, that was what was important right now.

"Alright… that's a good-" he hesitated as he approached the increasingly irate goat. "Doe." He said, managing to notice some important bits about it… or lack of bits to be specific. Not to mention the sharp curve of her horns meant it was a female. Which was great: because male goats, at least regular-sized ones, are far less aggressive… See? Borz does know animals. "I'm just going to give you a nice home. You'll like living with me… you'll like working for Surly LESS, but semantics…" he began whirling the rope over his head, before tossing a lasso over the goat's head and neck, sliding right over her horns.

"HA! Suck it Surly-OH HELLS!" the Goat gave a mighty heave of its head, bleating stubbornly as it hurled Borz off his feet and threw him to the ground. "…OW…" he groaned, glaring at the tree canopy. "Ow… ow…" he sat up glaring at the thrashing goat as it seemingly laughed at his misfortune. "Oh-ho-kay." He got off the ground, "Listen here you giant… goat." He said, grabbing the rope. "I was going easy on you before. Just because you're half again my height doesn't mean I can't drag you to a butcher! Come on. Don't make this…DIFFICULT!"

She made it difficult. Planting her hooves and resisting Borz's firm tugs on the leash. The half-dwarf's stubbornly kicking at the ground trying to drag the Goat along… or at least try some semblance of control over it… and the goat clearly asserted its dominance over the smaller man by giving him a butt from her head, knocking him away again. "URGH!" he flopped onto the ground. "That's getting old real quick!" he got up again… his hand on his handaxe "I'm going to hack off your horns and give them to Lydia as drinking mugs!"

"Borz! You are loud! You will scare the prey away!" shouted Ulla, stomping her way back through the woods with two massive hogs squealing on both of her shoulders. Both of them had their legs bound by vine rope. Upon seeing the massive goat, however, she hesitated and stared at it, before turning to Borz. "…That is a big goat." She said, surprised at the size of it. "That would feed us for weeks, are you sure we shouldn't behead it?"

"NO. I caught it. We're keeping it!" Borz noted grumpily as Luna returned, purring as if proud of her job of retrieving Ulla… even though she didn't do anything. Ulla snorted Irately before tossing the uncooperative boars aside and approaching the big goat… before grabbing the massive beast by the horns and releasing a horrifying roar right into its face.

…The massive goat, after a solid minute of Ullas screaming in its face… seemed thoroughly cowed. She let go of the horn. "There…" she said as Borz stared indignantly at her. "We can take it now." Borz scowled, before raising his handaxe and slicing the snare rope. Ulla then tossed the boars onto the goat's back, and claimed the rope. Guiding it along as Borz watched.

"…What?!" he finally said indignantly. "Why am I even here!?" he stomped after her, "You… HOW?"

"I hunted for a living, Borz." She said firmly as he blinked, "…How did you think I captured my prey?"

"Throwing your axes at them!" he replied indignantly.

"I have also done that." she led their new pack goat along, before sniffing the air. "Do you smell that?"

"Wet goat?" Borz grumbled, "…The smell of my dignity rotting away?"

"…No." she said as ominous growls began to surround them. "…Wolf Piss."

"…Oh." Borz sighed as a pack of mangy wolves surrounded them, snarling angrily. At least a dozen. "…Well damn it." He promptly unholstered his crossbow, arming it while Ulla tied the goat's leash around her large but curvy waist and removed her freshly sharpened axes.

"RAAAAGH!!" she roared her defiance and braced herself as the animals attacked.

….

The sun had set and Isalura was cooking dinner, humming quietly in the kitchen of the longhouse, Surly had taken the hunk of Jade and locked herself up in her room, apparently doing some research. And Talon and Tazzok went back to the mine to get her more jade. Something she requested herself… Isalura smelled the stew boiling, and added in a little more seasoning. She always did like cooking, one of her few fond memories back in her Aunt and Uncle's old congregation was cooking for charity... She took a taste, and deduced it needed a touch more salt, before turning around and yelping in surprise…

Borz, covered in blood, sniffed absently… looking very done with today. "Isa. Can I get a touch up?"

"By Selune happened to you?!" she asked aghast before approaching him and quickly casting a healing spell to soothe his potential pain, only for Ulla to enter covered in wolf pelts.
"We got pelts! They are mostly intact!" she said, swinging the bloody pelts around as Borz sighed.

"…Also we have a really big goat." He said, wiping blood off onto the floor where there were butcher bloodstains on the floor where Isa carved up dinner. "…I'm going to take a bath."
"Yes. The goat is huge! I shall calm him Garrote!"

"It's a girl," Borz noted tiredly.

"…I shall call her Garrote!" Ulla declared proudly, and undeterred.

"We're not-I'm too tired for this. I'm going to take a bath." He walked away as Isa blinked at Ulla.

"So how big are we talking?" she asked curiously as they walked outside. And stared at the recently named 'Garrote'. Looking at the big goat as it casually drank from a horse tough… it was okay, they didn't have any horses. But the goat certainly could be like one considering how much it was hauling… including two resigned wild hogs. "…That is a big goat." She declared with a smile.

End

 

[Snowwolf35]

"You know you don't HAVE to sink the post in one swing." Declared Borz irately as he held the new fence post with Ulla wielding an old wooden sledgehammer to pound it in. "In fact, I'd prefer if you took well-cared-for practice swings." He then growled at the onlookers. "Who decided I had to hold the post?!"

"You lost at the straws." Replied Talon, a good distance away with Tazzok, Surly, and Isalura beside him.

"Don't worry Borz! I'm ready to heal you!" Isalura declared sweetly as Borz growled and braced himself, ready to move in case Ulla missed. To be fair, she wasn't the type TO miss. But if you're going to have a big half-orc swing with all her might at a wooden stake... you'd still be cautious. Ulla grinned at him, before the wind-up, then the swing... slamming the stake deep into the ground before dropping the hammer down head first beside her and leaning on it like a cane.

Borz curled up on the ground, covering his head with his arms before peeking out between them. Glancing up at her. "Get up Borz." She said bluntly, "I told you I wouldn't miss." Borz shot up from the ground and dusted himself off. Composing himself quickly.

"...I knew that-WHOA!" he suddenly hit the ground face down as Garrote, their new really big mountain goat butted him from behind. "...I hate that goat." He mumbled in the dirt as Ulla rubbed the big mountain goat's head. It nuzzled her hand as Luna sniffed Borz's head curiously. Tazzok helped him back up to his feet.

"Looks like she approves of her new home," Surly noted as Garrote bleated at her, trotting off towards the makeshift shed/stable they're using for her shelter. "That's one at least." She noted as Borz scoffed at her.

"They're wild boars, they're not domesticated or even remotely fit to be farm animals." He declared as Surly gestured to Garrote.

"Then explain the big mountain goat."

"I don't know. I'm a forest ranger, not a mountain ranger. That's like asking an urban ranger to guide you through the desert."

"You're a dwarf."

"Doesn't mean I know everything about bloody mountains!" he replied frankly, "I've lived in a forest almost all my life. I'm more human than I am a dwarf..." he eyed the goat for a second, then after a second he did have to note. "...You know, she was a little easy to tame once Ulla asserted dominance..."

"You mean headbutted her?" Surly replied, watching as Isalura and Ulla patted Garrote as she approached, nuzzling the winged Aasimar's face.

"If it works it works..." Borz mumbled. "...She might actually be a domesticated animal." He said, "She's not wild enough, it might have had an owner, rider maybe and they just didn't make it." he shrugged, "...Or maybe there's just someone lost out in the mountains-what's that look?" he noted as Surly got on her 'thinking face' rubbing her elegant chin as she turned to him. "...Noooooo."

"How hard can it be to follow a giant goat?" she replied as he pointed angrily at her.

"Says the one not doing the tracking! Do you have any idea how long it'll take me?!"

"Do you have anything better to do?" she asked plainly as he blinked at her, and didn't say anything. Going quiet.

"... Pointy-eared, front-loaded, Daughter of a-" he grumbled under his breath, "What would I even be looking for?!" he asked.

"There could be someone, or perhaps things we can use." She said thoughtfully. "The Goat-"

"Garotte." Declared Ulla, but Surly ignored her.

"The beast of burden could have come from somewhere or someone. In which case it's worthy of investigating briefly."

"...I hate that. I HATE that idea. Why's it always me?" he grumbled, but Surly gestured to Ulla.

"In point of fact, Borz, Ulla brought back the boars and the goat... you technically didn't do anything." Borz opened his mouth, but no words came out. Then he shut it, growling like an angry boar. "Now get going."

He growled again, "...FINE." he then matched past her, grabbed Talon by his shirt, dragging him along. "But I'm taking your boy toy with me!" he declared.

"What? Wait... what are we doing?" Talon mumbled in confusion, and Surly actually looked... Surly. Seemingly very annoyed that Borz was dragging Talon along for his 'mission'.

Isalura snuck up behind Surly, grinning sweetly. "...You were shooting for alone time with Talon, weren't you?"

"...Hush." Surly grumbled, "...Help Ulla with the feed trough." she then moved away, somehow stomping loudly on the soft grass.

"Why can't Tazzok do it?" she replied curiously, but Tazzok raised his hands.

"I'm cooking dinner." He declared, already walking after Surly.

"Come Isa... time to work those muscles."

"Coming!" Isalura replied cheerfully, she wasn't necessarily complaining about the chores, she was just curious as to why. Tazzok was much stronger than her.

...

"I hate your girlfriend." Snapped Borz irately, stomping loudly through the forest with Talon, casually walking behind him with his hands on the back of his head.

"She's not my girlfriend." Talon replied bluntly, "She's made it very clear that she didn't like my advances... painfully clear.'

"...Uh Huh..." mumbled Borz irately, very aware of Talon's first impression on Surly, but that was three years ago, and things change. Surly spent just as much time with Talon nowadays as Borz did... and Borz certainly had no romantic interest in him. "Still hate her... How is it you're the one who was awarded a town, but she is the one acting like the mayor!"

"Because we don't have anyone in town and she's literally smarter than all of us." He paused, "Except maybe Taz." Borz just grumpily trampled on in response.

"I still can't believe you're the damn mayor." He grumbled as Talon shrugged.

"I mean... am I really? If there is nobody in town to be mayor of, am I really the mayor?"

"Shut up Talon- BLECK!" Borz ankle got caught on something, to be more specific a blue mist wrapped around his ankle from Talon's sapphire belt and yanked, forcing the grumpy half-dwarf to face plant into the foliage.

"...I hate your belt lady too." Growled Borz as Talon hauled him up from the ground.

"In my defense, Ruby doesn't really like me either." He said, as his belt unclasped and his pants dropped. "...See?" he declared unhappily, yanking them back up. "Seriously Ruby?" he grumbled. Borz glared at him, and sighed irately.

"...I hate you so much right now." He slapped Talon's back roughly before wordlessly walking on. Talon's sapphire belt buckle flickered as if winking mischievously. "We found Garrote around here." he noted, kneeling down, and checking the ground. "...Nothing but Squirrels, raccoons, and wildcats..." he said quickly, looking around for a moment. "One giant goat came from that way..."

"Well Surly wants us to follow the tracks so let's go." Talon replied as Borz glared at him.

"I know she wants us to follow the tracks Talon, reminding me to do so is not going to encourage me to do it ANY faster!" he grumbled, before moving on with Talon jogging behind him. "Stand up to your girlfriend."

"Why don't you?" Talon replied as Borz scoffed.

"Because I'm not sure she can see me past her TITS." Borz grumbled.

"...You must have quite the view then." Talon joked as Borz grumbled, and didn't retort. Borz and Talon walked on, mostly in silence, but Borz' grumbling soon became less and less vocal... going quiet suddenly and dropping down to one knee again... he grabbed a clump of dried leaves, crumpling them in his grip, and drizzling them like Tazzok drizzles salt over stew.

"...What?"

"...There were people nearby." He noted, "...Lack of animal tracks, they avoided this area, didn't want to disturb the occupants..." He looked around, sniffing the air. "...Smell that?"

"...Smoke?" Talon said after a moment.

"Someone made a cooking fire." Borz replied, holding a finger in the air for a moment. "...That way." Pointing west, and getting up from the ground, getting his crossbow at the ready. Talon armed himself as well, dagger and scimitar suddenly in hands, spinning from their sheathes as easily as breathing as he followed after Borz, stealthily keeping to the shades of the trees as they stalked on...

The smell of smoke got stronger and stronger until finally, they found... a wagon, turned over and almost completely destroyed had been turned into a makeshift shelter. As for the campfire, huddled around a makeshift pot, an old helmet, were a pair of raggedy dressed children watched their pot start to boil...

...They had metal collars around their necks, they couldn't have been older than 8 or 9. The large one, a boy, was a half-orc, though one of his tusks was broken. The girl, a half-elf, had a large purple bruise on her eyes...

"...They're just kids," Borz mumbled, as Talon sheathed his weapons, and walked ahead of him. "Hey-"

"They're just kids," Talon repeated Borz's words while walking on and putting a charming smile on his horned face. "Good Morning!"

Upon seeing Talon approach arms wide and grinning broadly, not to mention his strange western dress made the children scream and seek shelter in the wagon. "Away! Away with you!" came another voice, with a body soon rushing out. "There's nothing here to steal! Away with you!" he waved a coopering mallet, which wasn't much but it was a weapon. But he had a stump for a right leg... a hunk of wood he used for a peg leg, but he wore no collar.

He was a dwarf with a bushy white beard and a piece of cloth over his right eye. Judging from the long faded scar it covered he lost it many years ago. Talon however continued to smile charmingly, his hands up as if surrendering. "I'm not a thief-" he caught himself. "I'm not here to rob you." He corrected. "I'm Talon Law and this is my friend Boris-" he stopped, then frowned at the lack of Borz. "...BORZ!" he promptly stood in FRONT of Borz's line of fire. "My friend Borz, is currently in the trees, keeping an eye on you. Don't mind him, he's protective."

The Dwarf still held the mallet aggressively, ready to fight back. "There's nothing to steal!" he said again but Talon nodded.

"Right! Right, I'm not here to rob you. I'm kind of the mayor around here." He said, his smile undeterred by the statement. "And it looks like you're squatting." The Dwarf seems taken aback. "...There's a perfectly good town just an hour from here..." he said, pointing behind him. "... How about you come back with me and Borz, and tell us how you got here..." Then eyeing the old roots and nuts boiling into the helmet added quickly. "...I promise you we'll have a much better meal than that."

The dwarf slowly lowered the hammer. "...Bark, Tick..." he said bluntly, "...Come out." He said as the two children peeked out from beneath the wrecked wagon.

"Bark and Tick?" Talon asked surprised, "...Really?"

"...They don't know any other name..." the dwarf replied sadly as the children huddled behind the dwarf. "...I am Barundin." He said. "...We're runaway slaves... you might say." He added as Talon frowned, and nodded.

"...Alright then." He paused, "Did you use to have a really big goat?" Barundin looked taken aback.

"...We did. But once the wagon crashed in the storm it ran off. We certainly couldn't chase after it." The kids were obviously too young and Barundin wasn't exactly in one whole piece.

"You've been here for a few days then," Talon replied, remembering his storm adventure with Boris in the mountains. "...Come on. You can explain everything to my... uh, Advisor." He said.

"Girlfriend." Declared Borz just suddenly appearing behind the wagon, "Don't eat these." He said, holding a mushroom out to the children, a green mushroom with colorful red spots. "They'll give you a poor time on the privy." He tossed it away. "The old dwarf is right though there's nothing in the wagon."

"Seriously Borz? Come on." Talon replied indignantly, "Don't go spying on people's things when we're talking!" he declared but Barundin stared at Borz, his bronze-colored hair and trimmed beard. "Don't mind him he's also suspicious. Just come with us alright?" he said exasperatedly, then after a moment he sighed and added apologetically. "...Not that I'd do anything but you couldn't really resist..." he said as Barundin silently agreed. "Come on." Talon smiled, "...Or not, but you might have a better time if you followed us."

...

Bark: the boy, and Tick, the girl, wolfed down Tazzok's cooking like they've never tasted anything better... which was probably true regardless of the fact that they were slaves. But Tazzok was more than happy to feed them, he's good with kids, and he has one of his own in the care of the adventurers guild while they settle Outlaw. Not to mention both kids were now in significantly better shape after Isalura healed them... quickly teaching them table manners as well.

In the meantime, Barundin told his story to Surly, Talon, and Borz...

"I am... was... a soldier of the Iron Mountains... perhaps several weeks travel northwest of here." He said thoughtfully. "It was a routine patrol in the hills, we got word from a monk that there was a pack of Orc raiders wandering our trails, and we went to hunt them down..." he shook his grizzled head. "...We were ambushed, and I lost my leg..." he patted his stumpy leg. "...My Shield brothers drove off the pack but they had to leave me behind to run them down... but that wasn't the only pack in the mountain. A bunch of cowardly bandits arrived soon after and took me captive. They dragged me off my mountain and sold me to slavers. I ended up in a coal mine not too far from here..." he said sadly.

"The man who runs the mine thought I was too old and useless to be a threat, so I played up my injuries... took my whippings. Eventually, they didn't see me as an old Dwarf soldier, they saw me as an old cripple. That was their mistake." He said with a rather proud tone. "One of the guards got a little too drunk on watch, let me take his keys right off his belt, let myself out of my cage. Scattered whoever I could and wanted to leave to the winds... Bark and Tick didn't have anyone so I took them with me, saddled a wagon and a Mountain goat, and took off as fast as I could... trying to get back to the Iron Mountains. But during the storm-

"The wagon crashed and Garrote took off." Talon finished for him.

"Garrote?" Barundin replied curiously.

"That's the goat. Our half-orc, Ulla, named her."

"...Aye then." Barundin mumbled moving on, "She was a common breed of Gardan Goat from the Iron Mountains. It's a good sturdy beast for riding or hauling. I thought I could handle her over a horse."

"Barundin." Surly spoke suddenly as he turned his attention to her. "This Coal mine... are there many slaves there?"

"...Aye," Barundin replied.

"Men and women?"

"Aye..." he said again, "Wee children too Like Bark and Tick. They're orphaned from other slaves, don't even know their own mothers. I was trying to take them back to the Iron Mountains... still intend to." he said concernedly.

"...Maybe you won't have to." Replied Surly. "...Tell me Barundin what waits for you back at the Iron Mountains? Do you have a family? A home? A job outside of being a soldier?" Barundin blinked, pondering her words . "...I suggest you pick a nice house here... and join Outlaw." Barundin blinked as Borz and Talon turned their attention to her. "...We're going to need old soldiers like you. Experienced guardsmen, or whatever you like to call yourself. Someone to help train our city guards. Because I'll tell you right now Barundin, we don't have time to escort you and two children to the Iron Mountains regardless!-" she held a hand out to Talon who was about to speak, silencing him and finishing her verbal thoughts. "How much we would like to. It might be safer for you and for them," gesturing to Bark and Tick wolfing down another portion. "to just stay here."

Barundin drummed his fingers on the table and slowly nodded. "...Aye... you're not wrong, in my state I wouldn't be able to get them very far alone... But I aim to go home." he said firmly, "...But I will stay long enough for a secure passage." Surly smiled and nodded.

"That's more than we can ask for..." she then gestured to the front door of the longhouse. "There are plenty of houses to pick from, but I suggest you stay in the longhouse for now. We'll have to fix them up... also..." she noted as Borz and Talon glanced at each other. "...Where exactly is this coal mine full of slaves?" she asked adding sternly, "...Borz get your map."

...

THUNK! Surly dramatically stabbed the recently and crudely added picture of a mine on Borz's handmade map.

"Oh, what the sweet HELLS!" he gestured to Talon's knife, she had used for it. "Why did you stab my map?!" he asked indignantly.

"Shut up Borz." She tapped the map with an elegant finger. "Barundin says there were about 80 enslaved men, women, and children and about half as many guards. Not including two guards he took care of, and the slaves he released." The others stood around the table, waiting patiently for her point. "We're going to free them all."

"...Us against 40 guards?" Tazzok replied.

"At least.. Can you not do it?" she asked confidently, giving the silver dragonkin a glance over, his strategic mind already whirling. His competency with battle tactics honed from years as a General in the small but powerful Kingdom of Lydia.

"No. I can make a plan to do it. I might need the lay of the area first though."

"Borz and Ulla will take care of that." Surly noted. "Tazzok will come up with a whole plan once the recon has been done."

"...But why did you have to stab my map?!" Borz grumbled as Surly still ignored him.

"Okay. I'm all for emancipating slaves." noted Talon, "But apart from it usually being the right thing to do, why are we doing it?"

"Because at most, that's 80 fresh members for Outlaw." Surly said calmly, "...We need labor, and freed slaves are a good start."

"...Not that I'm saying that's a bad idea. But in the Kingdom of Lydia, a common sentence for criminals was hard mine labor." Tazzok said, "...What's to say we're not releasing thieves and murderers?"

"Apart from our walking lie detector?" she replied, gesturing to Isa who waved at Tazzok to implicate her presence. It was true... Literally, nobody could lie to Isa, it was one of her many blessed gifts. "Mostly it's the whole 'women and children slaves' thing..." she replied, "It'll be fine." she added. "Borz, Ulla... get on recon." She ordered as Borz grabbed Talon's knife, yanking it from the map. Then rolling up his Map huffily, he glared at Surly.

"No more map privileges for you."

End

 

[Neh-Toth-Amon]

No. Just no.
The language isn't so bad, bad is certainly uninspired, gamespeak abounds, characters are trying so hard to be orrrriginal , yet failing miserably. Didn't get far enough to see actual story start, but suspect it's no better...