The Shady Adventures of Fabian

Chapter 12

Fabian rubbed his hands in anticipation as he watched the ogre take the bait. He had shoved so many poisonous mushrooms into the mutton that they were spilling out from either end of it. He had written a little note on a scrap of parchment that read "Enjoy this 'Mutton Surprise' compliments of a friend" and stuck it onto the plate. Then he had carefully tiptoed out to the entrance of the ogre's cave and left it there. He ran back to his tree and watched from behind it.

It wasn't long before the ogre poked his head out from the cave. "Thalgrimm smell something tasty." He looked down at the plate of mutton and picked it up. "Somebody leave writy thing on it. Thalgrimm no can read. Oh well." The ogre crumbled up the note Fabian had written and threw it over his shoulder. "Thalgrimm hungry. Thalgrimm eat this meat. Thalgrimm happy." The ogre opened his jaws wide and gulped down the mutton in one bite. He let out a loud belch and patted his tummy in satisfaction. A minute later he dropped over dead as a doornail.

Fabian decided to search the cave in hopes that there might be more treasure inside it, but all he found was a bunch of posters of naked hairy lady ogres. They made such a repulsive sight that he almost lost his lunch.

At least he was free to leave the Enchanted Forest now, and he wouldn't be leaving empty handed. He had tried to pickpocket those stupid wood elves, but they hadn't had anything worth stealing. Just some salad makings that they apparently carried around in their pockets. He did still have some leprechaun gold and the ogre's talisman. So all of his efforts hadn't been for naught. That was something to be thankful for.

He headed back towards the edge of the forest and, other than accidentally stepping on some sort of pixie or forest fairy (he wasn't sure which), he made it without incident. This time there was no invisible barrier blocking his exit so he walked right out into the open, where it appeared the sun was just starting to set. A little ways off in the distance he spotted a sizable walled city that he assumed must be Braithvale.

There was a sentry on duty at the gate, but he didn't appear to be taking his job very seriously. Fabian watched as several people walked in and out, and he hadn't even looked up at any of them.

Fabian braced himself as he walked towards the gate. He felt a slight twinge of something. It wasn't exactly guilt. It was more of an expectation that he was going to be stopped and not allowed to enter. Technically he wasn't doing anything wrong at the moment. But then there was the fact that he fully intended to engage in all manner of criminal activities once he was in the city.

He let out the breath he hadn't been fully aware he was holding as he passed by the sentry unmolested and entered the town. A bustling city street lay in front of him. People of all shapes and sizes walked back and forth going about their business. He even spotted a couple of halflings operating a vegetable cart, and a kobold who manned a tiny herb stand right near the gate.

"Can I interest you in some herbs?" the kobold called out to him.

"Uh, I don't know," Fabian said with a shrug of his shoulders. "What kind of herbs have you got?"

"Oh all kinds of herbs," the kobold said with a smile that showed off its sharp teeth. "I've got herbs of healing, herbs with magical properties, even herbs that will make your dinner much tastier. But you look like the type of fellow who is looking for herbs that make you feel good."

"I like to feel good," Fabian said.

"I've got just the thing for you," the kobold said pulling out a small cloth pouch. "Put a pinch of this in your pipe and you'll be feeling good all night long."

"Just how good are we talking about here?" Fabian asked.

"Imagine the best you've ever felt and multiply that by a thousand," the kobold said. "You will feel even better than that. It also makes you more attractive to the ladies."