Odd, Bold Fellows

Gale of Harvest

Pog leapt from tree to tree as his human brothers marched below, following a deer trail with a suspicious number of footprints freshly laid within the mud. The party felt the tracks would lead to the bandit's lair. "Fellas, I'll need to sleep soon."

The men paused and looked up toward the skirl of their friend. Dirk replied, "It is only noon, sir. What ails you, Pog?"

The goblin remained overhead as he answered, "No, I mean for the winter. I can feel the harvest winds, and the last eggs will be laid within the next moon. I can't help it, if I don't borrow and sleep, I'll die!"

Dirk and K'chak looked to each other in regret. They enjoyed their goblin brother, and would miss his company in the winter months, though they could hardly argue with hibernation.

They continued their trek as K'chak offered, "This will be the adventure to rest upon, my friend! This wizard will pay just as the witch Abigail did!"

Pog had never heard of the villainess, and was excited to hear how the mighty heroes had felled her without aid. Truly, they were brave fellows!

The tracks soon left the trail and crossed an unused road. Though broken, they continued uphill through the woods to the sealed entrance of an old mine. The blackened double doors seemed old, but they felt like stone to the touch. Dirk grimly nodded to K'chak. This must be the place they sought.

Pog leapt upon the stone outcrop, turned downward to face the entrance. K'chak readied his spear. Dirk grasped a handle with his right hand, and pulled the rightmost door open.

A massive bear loomed inside. Broad was its head, wider than the span of one door. Angry was its yellow eye, baleful as a demon's. Fanged was its maw...

With the butt of his spear, K'chak closed the heavy door. "I would like to discuss an alternative plan."

The doors flew open, the right smashing Dirk into the stone. As the cross-eyed Imperial slumped to the ground, K'chak lowered his spear. Yet the bear was crafty, and stayed its charge to swipe at the weapon, knocking it aside before crashing into the tall warrior.

K'chak fell, shoving his lengthwise haft into the bear's bite. Heavy claws tore his side, ripping a scream from the mighty barbarian. Pog fell upon ursine shoulders, his steel spurs kicking into unyielding hide.

The bear angrily rose to its hind legs, uncertain how to dislodge the goblin, though Pog had yet to inflict any damage. K'chak, still prone, lifted his spear weakly as the bear lowered to all fours. The mighty spear punctured the great beast's belly, and it ran, dragging the long weapon away from the fallen warrior.

Pog leapt away from the fleeing bear to Dirk, using a long hind leg to dig into the haversack on the man's back. He drew two healing potions from his mother's lab, and bounced to K'chak, hoping to spare his bleeding friend.

Dirk weakly protested, "My ribs need knitting...," then he lay still, succumbing to concussion.

Pog forced the first potion down K'chak's throat, but the barbarian was able to take the second without assistance. "I will see to Dirk, do not..." Pog did not remain, but bounced into the mine to seek their quarry. On this day, Linus would pay!

Pog bounced along the darkened mineshaft, though he needed no light to navigate. He found himself before another black door, and tested it, finding it swung open easily, without a whisper of sound. Hastily, the goblin leapt for the ceiling of the next room.

Linus spun upon his door as he noticed a draught, yet he only saw his door was ajar. The wizard took a large stave with a green rock at the tip, and peered out into the mineshaft. He scowled as he noted the open doors behind. He shut his door to think about his situation.

On the center of a large table was a small crate full of wands with various things bound to the tips. Pog had an idea, but his knowledge was incomplete. He opened his skirl, filling the small chamber with sound.

Linus spun, seeking the source of the goblin song, yet he paused as words spoke through the sound. "You don't make summoning wands? What kind of hack wizard are you?"

Linus snarled as he lifted a wand, the end bound in spiderweb. He waved it threateningly. "Of course I do, you fool! Now prepare for..."

Pog licked the wand from the wizard's hand, bringing a grunt of shock from Linus. He looked up and lifted his staff, blasting green energy on the rock above his head. Though he missed the goblin, the wizard was playing his destructive magic over the ceiling, felling half-melted stone.

Pog had to act fast, but he did not want to call his mother. He did not know how best to reach his Uncle Percy, and Aunt Meg was in a mood! That left one individual, and Pog concentrated on his wand, reaching for his salvation.

Linus gasped, his attack failing, as a purple light flared behind the wizard. He turned in fear, and found himself looking at a great mountain cat, rising from a curled position on the floor. The cougar rose, and rose, its head almost to the center of Linus's chest.

"Um... good kitty?" Linus offered, as the cat lifted to place a massive paw upon the wizard's shoulder. The mountain lion gingerly took Linus's head in her maw, and fell to all fours with a sickening, wet crunch. A flash of yellow light flared as Linus died, and the cat was no more.

A diminutive blonde knelt over the wizard, his shattered skull leaking over the stone floor, oozing to her knees. The woman spat blood and gore impatiently, wiping at her bloodied mouth and chin. The naked blonde stood, and unerringly looked up at the black goblin, her blue eyes crackling with yellow electricity.

"Thank you, Your Highness. Its like you knew just what I needed!" The blonde girl stooped to gather the green-tipped stave, and stood as she looked about the chamber. "Well, I have an errand. Perhaps we'll meet again."

Pog dared to ask, "Who are you?"

The blonde sighed sadly, yellow sparkles cascading around her as they fell from her tawny hair. "I am your Auntie Abigail."