Chapters Grimpaw: The Adventure's End
Danith: a world of wonder and horror in equal measure. Too many races to count call this magical land their home. Among them are the Elves, the Dwarves, and the Humans. An alliance of these three races have successfully tamed most of Danith's deadly wilderness.
But the expansion of the three races have brought them into conflict with many others. Chief among them another three race alliance of the Orcs, the Trolls, and the Goblins.
The first alliance rules the continent of Krace, a land of plains, forests, and mountains aplenty. Where the three races came into their own before discovering one another and forging the Tri-Star Kingdom.
Krace is connected to another continent, Garnage, by a thin stretch of land known as the Road To Hell by the Tri-Star Kingdom, and as the Bridge of Bones by the denizens of Garnage: the Tribe.
Around the time the founders of the Tri-Star Kingdom approached each other in peaceful curiosity, the Orcs encountered and enslaved the Trolls and Goblins. Retaining a tribal way of life that the knightly Humans, innovative Dwarves, and wise Elves have long since turned away from.
The Tribe, so named as all under its banner are ruled by a single Orc known only as the Chieftain, has been seeking to conquer Krace, along with all yet unknown realms of Danith.
The war between the Tribe and the Tri-Star Kingdom has endured for two hundred years. The Road to Hell and the first three provinces within Garnage's borders have been placed under the control of the Tri-Star Kingdom, but the need for greater forces has made the three races far more militant. Children are raised and encouraged to seek glory in the field of battle, and many young members of each race pursue the life of an Adventurer.
But before these brave souls can march to war, they spend years cutting their teeth on the lesser monsters within the untamed wilds of the Road to Hell...and that is where our story begins...
Button Mash let out an exhausted sigh. "Are you sure it went this way?"
Gallus looked back at him with an annoyed scowl. "No, it is possible that the tracking skills I have honed since I was 5 years old have lead us astray. Would you like to take over?"
"Come on guys, really? This is only going to take longer if you argue with each other every five minutes." Whined Ocellus while using her staff to keep her robes from dragging across the forest floor.
The Squire and Scout looked to the young Mage in training before scowling and huffing at each other in a split second argument that they would settle later.
Gallus pressed on. The young Wood Elf moved far faster than his human comrades. Button Mash sighed again as soon as he was out of sight. "This is so stupid. I didn't expect them to send us off to the front lines on our first day, but why the hell are we looking for a lost goat instead of hunting monsters?"
Ocellus sighed as well, though more from annoyance than agreement. "Did you sleep through all of your schooling? We are Copper Class Adventurers, that means we handle the lowest possible quests until our instructors decide we're ready to handle more dangerous quests."
"But we've been training all our lives, and I even beat one of my father's men in a duel! How much more training could we possibly need?" Button Mash whined.
Ocellus didn't compliment this with an answer, arguing with the son of a Platinum Class Adventurer who had thrown back a total of 5 Orc assaults on the front lines was as futile as trying to educate a Troll in the arts of magic.
Button Mash ranted to himself for a few more minutes before Gallus returned. "We have a problem."
Button Mash's bad mood disappeared in an instant. "Ha! I knew you didn't know where it was."
Gallus glared at the squire. "I found it you idiot...or what's left of it."
"Are you KIDDING!!?" Button Mash shouted while Ocellus tried not to vomit. The goat had been reduced to a blood and drool covered skeleton with several bones broken and others missing pieces, suggesting that the responsible predators had eaten the bones as well.
"Great! That's just GREAT!! WE'RE NOT GETTING CREDIT FOR THIS NOW! AND ALL BECAUSE SOME STUPID WOLVES DECIDED TO TURN AN EVEN DUMBER GOAT INTO LAMB CHOPS! AAAAAHHHRRRRR!!!!" Button Mash shouted, kicking the skull as he did so.
"It's out of our hands, hunting wild predators is a task for Silver Class Adventurers. All we can do is report our failure and be done with it." Gallus stated.
"Tch...No, I'm more than capable of killing a couple wolves by myself. We're not reporting a failure, we're going to show our instructors that we're ready to be Silver Class." Button Mash said as he started marching off.
"Wh-BUTTON!? ARE YOU INSANE!!?" Ocellus shouted after him.
"Worse, he's an idiot. Come on, let's go." Gallus said as he headed off back to the farmer that had hired them.
"Wh-NO! WE CAN'T LET HIM GO OFF BY HIMSELF!!" Ocellus shouted.
"As stupid as he is, he's right in assuming that he can handle this. That's not why we're still Copper Class, our instructors are testing our abilities to complete tasks and follow orders. He'll return, he'll be scolded, and hopefully, he'll learn from this...but I doubt it."
Ocellus pouted. "Even if they're just wolves, a large enough pack can overwhelm him. He can't do this alone, so if we can't talk him out of it, we have to help him."
Gallus let out a weary sigh. "I was afraid you'd say that."
The Scout and Mage set off after the Squire, the latter noting that the former wasn't in any hurry.
Button Mash didn't slow down when he heard the footsteps of his comrades. The wolf tracks were so fresh that even Ocellus could've tracked them. They were close.
Button saw what looked like a campfire not far from him, and realized that the wolves were heading straight for it.
His allies had almost caught up with him when started running, drawing his sword as he did. They're attacking humans? How dare they!!
"...ait...STOP!!" Button Mash barely heard Gallus' warning, but it was too late. The Squire had thrown himself into the midst of the camp and realized his error the hard way. The goat's killers were not wolves, and the campers were not humans. He had just charged headlong into a pair of wolf/human hybrids: Gnolls.
Gnolls were different from werewolves. They were not humans who magically fused with a wolf, you are either born a Gnoll or you're not. They were also smaller, with dark blue fur the color of the cloudless night sky in the light of a full moon, and far less aggressive than werewolves...that doesn't mean they will tolerate an armed intruder charging into their midst.
The largest Gnoll was upon him before Button realized what was happening. The Squire managed to get his sword up. The Gnoll, using its humanoid arms, swatted the blade aside and tried to bite into his throat.
Button put his offhand arm between his neck and the angry maw, crying out in pain as the Gnoll bit down and broke his arm.
An Elvish arrow sank into the beast's eye as a second Gnoll tried to help the first bring Button Mash down. The death of its fellow caused the beast to hesitate as it saw Gallus and Ocellus charging behind the Squire.
It never got a chance to react, it had gotten close enough before pausing that Button Mash was able to thrust with his sword. Even a one armed thrust was able to sink between the ribs and barely stab into the Gnoll's lung.
It yelped and grabbed at the blade in its chest. Pushing away in an attempt to flee only to fall onto the ground and crawl on its belly.
Button looked to his wounded arm before turning back to the Gnoll in anger. "You worthless mutt. You almost tore my arm off!"
Button Mash hacked at the beast's legs, causing it to cry in pain. "WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU!? STOP THAT!!" Gallus shouted as he and Ocellus finally caught up to him.
"DO YOU SEE WHAT THOSE MUTTS DID TO ME!?" Button shouted, thrusting his injured arm towards the Scout.
"WELL THAT'S WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU PICK A FIGHT! YOU GET HURT DUMBASS!!" Gallus retorted.
"STOP IT! BOTH OF YOU!" Ocellus shouted to get their attention. "We should've left this to the Silver Class Button Mash, and you shouldn't have gone off on your own. You could've been killed if we hadn't caught up when we did. And you should've gotten to him sooner Gallus. I know you can move faster than that. You just thought he would learn from his experience if you didn't help him, but all he learned was how to be a bully."
The last word made Button step back, angering Gallus was one thing, but Ocellus almost never got angry. Both boys looked at each other, but unlike last time, they did not scowl and turn their noses up, they just looked away and stared at their feet in shame.
Ocellus turned from the boys to the dying Gnoll, still trying to crawl into the foliage beyond the camp. For a moment, she considered trying to heal the beast. But Gnolls were infamous for their vengeance, and if the larger Gnoll was this one's mate, it would never stop hunting them.
The beast must've noticed that Ocellus was looking at it, because it flipped itself onto its back to face her. The creature's eyes reflected its fear for a moment. But then, in an eerily human gesture, it closed its eyes and exhaled, opening them again to reveal acceptance that was swiftly replaced with defiant rage as it raised its lupine hackles in a snarl.
Hastam Glaices The Mage's eyes glowed a bright blue as the moisture in the air around her coalesced into a conical shape in her outstretched palm before freezing solid and launching itself through the Gnoll's heart before melting. Killing the creature instantly.
Ocellus almost collapsed from the effort. She had focused primarily on healing and shielding, and casting magic that went against one's personality was often taxing for even the strongest Sorcerers, let alone a Mage.
Gallus offered a hand to the exhausted girl while Button chopped off a hand from each Gnoll as proof of their deed. With this, the young adventurers finally returned to the farmer that had employed them...none of them noticed the paw prints fleeing into the forest, none of them had heard the stifled whimpering.
Grimpaw: The Adventure's End
"Alright, is everyone ready?" Asked Sandbar one final time before his party entered the cave.
"Aye, we're ready Elf. Let's just get it over with already." Grunted Limestone. The female Dwarf was clearly dissatisfied with the task at hand, and Sunburst knew why.
The three Silver Class Adventurers had been assigned to clear out a nest of Kobolds: two and a half foot tall lizardmen that were known for hoarding treasure for their nests.
Limestone may have been a Dwarven girl, but it appears even a race as courageous and bullheaded as the Dwarves was plagued by the traditional feminine phobias. Limestone openly despised lizards of all shapes and sizes.
"Would you like me to cast a Courage Enchantment on you?" Sunburst asked her.
Limestone scowled with a heavy blush. "I'm not afraid of the slimy bastards, I just blastin' hate'em. They're disgustin'!"
Sandbar rolled his eyes at the Dwarf's antics. "Kobolds are more likely to run than they are to fight, there's nothing to worry about."
Limestone turned to shout at the Elf this time. "I'm not WORRIED EITHER YOU POMPOUS REED! I JUST HATE HAVIN' TA CLEAN THEIR FOUL-SMELLIN' BLOOD OFF MY BLADES!!!"
A series of faint shrieks and scurrying sounds indicated that the cave's inhabitants had heard the Dwarf's distaste and were already running.
"Well, it's not a problem anymore. So would you please untwist your beard?" Sandbar quipped.
"I'll twist it round yer neck knife-ears." Limestone replied, brandishing her two foot braided beard like a noose.
Sunburst rolled his eyes. He would've thought that this rivalry between Elves and Dwarves would've died out once they had learned how their respective strengths can actually cover each other's weaknesses, as was the guiding motivation behind the forging of Tri Star Kingdom in the first place, but these two seemed to be trapped in the past. Then again, there are still humans that judge one another by their skin.
The argument was broken when a Kobold ran out of the cave entrance with a larger one behind it. The smaller one skidded to a halt too late to turn back, it had almost slammed into Limestone, who was drawing her weapons to retaliate as she let out Dwarven expletives at the sudden charge.
The Kobold turned to run, but Limestone cut it down with a one-handed double-headed ax. Such axes normally served as shields for Dwarven warriors, as they were built to catch or deflect strikes from much taller foes, but it served just as well offensively.
The larger Kobold screeched in outrage, it charged with a crude spear made from a stick and a sharpened rock.
Limestone readied her gladius, as the blade was far better at defending against opponents of equal height than the Dwarven ax.
The Kobold charged blindly, Limestone would've cut it down with a single strike, but Sandbar struck first.
The Elven Nagamaki was a long-handled two handed weapon that could be swung as a sword or thrusted as a spear. A single uppercut cleaved the Kobold and its weapon in two.
"I don't recall askin' for yer assistance Elf." Limestone spat while proceeding into the cave. Giving the dead Kobolds a wide berth and grumbling to herself the whole time.
The two men shared a quick glance that ended with Sandbar rolling his eyes before both men followed after the grumbling Dwarf.
As soon as they entered the cave, Frederick held his staff out above his head. Illuminare A bright flash of light illuminated from the sapphire orb at the staff's head and sustained itself so long as Sunburst focused on the spell.
The frantic scurrying of fleeing Kobolds could be heard from every direction as the sound bounced all over the cave. But Sunburst noticed something unusual about the noise. "Hey Sandbar, shouldn't these echoes be growing fainter?"
"It's possible that this burrow is new. If that is the case, then they may not have had time to dig out their escape tunnels." The Elf answered.
"Which means it won't take long fore the more desperate ones try getting through us." Limestone spat as she readied her weapons.
Sure enough, a small group of five Kobolds came running from the other end of the tunnel with their crude weapons bared.
Sunburst struck first by amplifying his illumination spell in order to blind them, then Limestone and Sandbar rushed them before they could recover.
Sandbar kept his blade low and favored thrusts in order to operate effectively in the cramped quarters. Limestone had no such restraint and simply hacked and slashed and cursed like only an angry Dwarf could when Kobold blood spattered over her hair and beard.
A few meters later, the party of three found the central chamber. As they had assumed, there was no way out. Kobolds clawed and dug at the walls in frantic desperation, those who had noticed the party only did so faster. In the center of the chamber was the nest, a mound of gold nuggets and jewels of all colors holding aloft a clutch of Kobold eggs.
"If the freaks are smart, they'll just stay out of our way." Limestone snarked as she proceeded to the nest, unfurling a burlap sack as she did.
Limestone nudged and rolled the eggs out of the way with her boots before scooping up large handfuls of treasure into her sack.
The other two joined her, but as they approached, Sunburst stepped on one of the eggs.
Startled by the sound, he looked down and reacted in disgust at the plainly visible embryo that he had flattened in the chest area, resulting in a gory mess.
A piercing shriek announced a vengeful attack. Every single Kobold, eight in total, lunged towards the Adventurers.
"AW SHITE!!" Shouted Limestone as she swatted away the first attacker, only for another to latch onto her sword arm and bite her.
The Dwarf only cursed louder, as Kobold jaws weren't strong enough to cause real damage. However, gaps in their teeth collected small strings of flesh from their food, giving them an infectious bite.
Limestone shook the creature from her arm and knocked it to the ground before stomping its head in. Sandbar had beheaded one other and Sunburst was holding his own against another...the rest had all fled.
"Damn things, the adults were sacrifisin' themselves so their children could make a run fer it. Must've thought we planned ta exterminate'em after ya stepped on their egg ya clumsy oaf." Limestone jibed.
Sandbar scowled at her before kicking the Kobold that was attacking Sunburst. The three Adventurers surrounded their last opponent. It hissed and snapped, but ultimately turned and fled.
"Go on! Get outta here ya bastard!" Limestone shouted after it.
"It chewed on my staff." Sunburst whined.
"Ah, it doesn't matter. Yer magic stick is still werkin fine." Limestone said dismissively as she and the others resumed their true mission.
"Say, how many more of these damn things will we need ta raid fore the banks have enough ta guarentee payments fer all the Gold Classers at the front?" Limestone asked.
"Two more." Sandbar stated.
"Ah, seriously? An' there are no other Silver Classers ta do it for us?" The Dwarf groaned.
"Of course there are...that's why we only need to do two mo-" Sandbar stopped talking and dropped the sack he was filling with precious gems. Drawing his Nagamaki as he whirled around to face the narrow entrance behind them.
The other two Adventurers knew the Elf well enough to know that he had heard something approaching them. They turned to face the threat, believing it to be more Kobolds coming from the cave...they were wrong.
The battle ready Adventurers seized when they realized who was not entering the cave, but had just emerged in the central cavern, trapping them as they had trapped the Kobolds, Grimpaw: the Adventure's End.
Grimpaw was a vicious Gnoll with a terrifying reputation as a beast that actively hunts and kills Adventurers. Two things identify the beast in front of them as the very same Gnoll. First, his namesake. One of the blue-furred Gnolls arms had black fur all the up to his elbow. Second, Grimpaw was the very first Gnoll to ever be recorded using weapons beyond its fangs and claws. The beast was armed with a simple sword, believed to be taken from his first kill.
Terror gripped the Silver Class Adventurers. Grimpaw hadn't surfaced in a month, and he was last seen on the other end of the Road to Hell. To have gotten so far without being spotted showed this creature's experience in evading detection. It was no wonder Sandbar had only just noticed him.
The Adventure's End looked from the Adventurers to the Kobolds lying dead at their feet, then he raised his heckles in a snarl and tightened his grip on his sword.
Limestone gulped, but nonetheless kept her biting tongue. "What? Were they friends of yers?"
The beast answered with a snarl as he charged. Limestone and Sandbar ran to meet him while Sunburst amplified his light spell in an attempt to blind the beast...what happened next was a swift series of events that Sunburst barely had time to process...before his end.
In the instant he realized what Sunburst was doing, Grimpaw shut his eyes and relied on his ears and nose to pinpoint his foes.
He met Sandbar a split second before Limestone, and that was enough for the beast to parry the Elf's Nagamaki and slash across his eye.
Grimpaw moved past Sandbar while he was reeling and screaming from the loss of an eye and swung his blade almost straight down at Limestone. The Dwarf countered by thrusting her ax forward, catching the blade at the base of the hilt and halting its momentum.
Unfortunately, Grimpaw had faced Dwarves before and was familiar with this technique. He had deliberately swung with his sword slightly angled so that the blade would spin onto its side, he then gripped the sword properly and swung horizontally. Throwing Limestone's ax-arm across her body and spun away from her, sprinting towards his first target: the Mage.
Mages were deadly foes to non magical creatures...especially those that fought alone, but Grimpaw knew it would take the Mage time to cast another spell. He wouldn't get that time.
Sunburst didn't even try to cast another spell. After he finished processing what had just happened, all he could do was try to put his staff between himself and the Adventure's End.
Grimpaw's sword cleaved the staff in two, and a follow up strike severed the Mage's head.
Grimpaw spun with the strike to face the other two. They made an effort to intercept the Gnoll before he could slay their Mage. In light of their failure, the Elf came to a halt and tried to survey his options...the Dwarf did not.
"YOU MONSTEEEEEERRRRR!!!!!" Limestone shouted as she charged the beast and lashed out with her sword and then her ax.
The idea was Grimpaw would parry the sword and be struck by the ax. What happened was the Gnoll parried the sword and kicked Limestone in the head at the same time, knocking her to the ground and snarling at her.
Then, to the surprise of the Adventurers, the Gnoll spoke Common. "You rob from innocents, slaughter those that resist, and claim me the monster?"
Before either Adventurer could respond, Grimpaw slashed Limestone's throat with his sword, severing her beard in the process.
The Adventure's End left the Dwarf to drown in her own blood and stalked Sandbar. The Elf kept his Nagamaki held in a defensive position as the Gnoll began to walk around to his right.
Sandbar realized that Grimpaw was trying to cut off his escape and sprinted towards the cave's exit. Grimpaw charged him and the warriors met in a clash of steel. Kieran used the full length of his Nagamaki's handle to put as much momentum into the swing as possible, and as soon as the weapons struck each other, the Elf ran.
For any other duelist, exposing your back to the enemy was a death sentence. But Elves were among the fastest creatures on two legs and could outpace true wolves.
That didn't stop Grimpaw from trying. Sandbar heard the Gnoll give pursuit as he backtracked the Kobold mine.
Tearing out of the cave and descending from the mountain it adorned, Sandbar made for the woods. If he managed to escape Grimpaw, he would be sure to inform the Adventurers' Guild so they could send Gold Class Adventurers to hunt him down.
As soon as Sandbar broke into the treeline, he realized too late that he had ran upon the surviving Kobolds. The last adult that they had allowed to run stood between Sandbar and the young ones, his spear raised.
The foliage beside him was too thick, going around would slow him down. So the Elf leapt into the air over the Kobold, landing on one of the smaller ones with such force that he felt its fragile bones break beneath his feet.
The Kobold shrieked in pain, and its kin mirrored the cry for bearing witness to the sight, but one cry rang out louder than the others.
Sandbar had attempted to resume his flight, only to cry out himself as a stone spear pierced his lower back.
The adult Kobold had thrown it at the Elf, but it hadn't pierced deeply enough to slow him down. But the Kobold wasn't finished.
The little ones had scattered and left nothing between their guardian and his foe, and while the Elf was stunned from the sting of his spear, the Kobold charged and leapt at him and wrapped his arms around the Elf's legs while biting into his hand.
Sandbar cried out in pain and sought to dislodge the Kobold, but his Nagamaki wasn't meant for such close quarters, or for reaching behind the user.
Finally, the pommel of the Elf's weapon connected and knocked the Kobold off him. Sandbar turned and raised his blade to fend off the Kobold...but Grimpaw had caught up to him.
Sandbar blocked a beheading strike, but the Gnoll was a much stronger swordsman, and the force of his swing pushed back the Nagamaki's blade and allowed the tip of Grimpaw's sword to slash the Elf across the face.
Sandbar backpedaled and tried to run again, but the Kobold had recovered and grabbed his spear, still barely lodged in the Elf's back, and drove it deeper.
This was the end of the Elven warrior Sandbar. He fell to his knees as Grimpaw drew back his sword and removed the Elf's head.
Miles from the Kobold nest, a lupine howl could be heard upon the wind. And all who heard knew that Grimpaw, The Adventure's End, had added to his tally once more.
Author's Note
I have a few more chapters already that I'll be changing up and adding later, but this'll do for now.
As I said in my last update for Dark Humor, be as merciless in your criticism as possible. I want to every typo and plot hole before I try to make an official novel out of this.
Grimpaw: The Adventure's End
The eldest Kobold stared across the makeshift camp where the Gnoll that avenged his clan was burying the youngling that the Elf had crushed in his flight.
That same Elf now fed the surviving younglings, 8 in all. They were unconcerned with the Gnoll, and saw no danger from him. But the Eldest knew that the greatest threats were the ones you never feared.
The Gnoll concluded the burial and joined the Kobolds. The eldest stared at him. He couldn't understand why the body wasn't fed to the survivors. "...why bury?" Chirped the Eldest to himself.
The Gnoll looked into the reptilian creatures eyes. "Gnoll way." A wave of shocked chirps erupted from the younglings scattered around them. None had expected the Gnoll to speak.
"H-how you speak!?" The Eldest voiced the question.
"Enchantment. I speak my tongue, you hear yours. You speak your tongue, I hear mine." The Gnoll enlightened the Kobolds.
The younglings were about to burst with questions, but they were raised properly, and allowed the Eldest to speak for them. "...Why Gnoll help us? Other Gnolls kill Kobolds."
"I am not other Gnolls. I only kill-" There was no word for it in the Kobold's chirping hissing tongue, and so it was heard in the Gnoll's own tongue as a guttural disgusted snarl, as if the very word was a vile poison. A hated word. A cursed word. A word that the Gnoll's enchantment translated to the Kobolds with fearful chirps and aggressive hissing whilst showing their mind's eyes images of the human, Elf, and Dwarf that had attacked them. Thus the Kobolds learned a new hated word: Adventurers.
"Kobold thanks you, but why? Adventurers kill us, not you." The Eldest inquired.
"Adventurers kill all not of their great clan. Their clan takes more than it needs. Ruins all it touches, and when we take what we need from them because there is nothing left. They kill us, and curse us for stealing from them." The Gnoll lamented with a pained whimper in his voice.
At last, the Eldest understood. He was eldest because the only other Kobolds were younglings, but without the younglings...he would be clanless.
"...How long...since clan die?" The Eldest asked.
"...Ten winters." The Gnoll replied.
Ten Years Ago
"I KNEW YOU DIDN'T KNOW WHAT YOU WERE DOING!!" Button Mash shouted at Gallus who could only lower his head in shame. The goat that he had thought he was tracking had returned home of its own accord.
Ocellus was trying to reconcile the farmer, who felt responsible for Button's injury, but Button Mash was blaming someone else entirely. "Noooo, I've been honing my trackin' skills since I was 5 years old. Of course this is the right trail. DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA HOW LUCKY WE ARE THAT THERE WERE ONLY TWO GNOLLS!? THEY'VE BEEN SEEN IN PACKS OF FIFTY!!!"
Gallus despised Button Mash, but annoying as he was, he was right. Gallus had been so sure he was on the right trail, and his mistake could've caused a far greater disaster than Button Mash charging into a Gnoll camp unprepared. "...I'm sorry."
Button was about to start shouting again, but then a wooden staff smacked him in the back of the head. "Ow! What in the Serpent's name was that for!?"
"For being a jerk." Bella replied. "It isn't Gallus' fault you did something stupid and got hurt for it. Even if that was the right goat, we should've left the predators responsible to Silver Class Adventurers."
Button Mash contemplated numerous retorts before settling for a dismissive scoff. "Tch, whatever. We still killed the damn things, and have the paws to prove it."
Indeed they did, Ocellus tried to avoid looking at the gruesome trophies held in a dripping burlap sack at the squire's side.
The three Copper Class Adventurers returned to the local Adventure's Guild tavern. As expected, they were berated for challenging the Gnolls, and the local Guildmaster demanded 20 times during the scolding that they ensure him that they had killed every Gnoll present. For their vengeance was infamous on the Road to Hell.
In the end, they were not paid for the Gnoll paws after all, and they would not be permitted to leave the village until the Guildmaster decided that they had learned from this.
Ocellus and Gallus had expected as much, but Button Mash was furious and spent the rest of the day promising to inform his father of this.
Hours passed and the sky darkened. The three grounded Adventurers had settled down for the night...all but one.
The Tavern's crude training ground rang out with the sound of steel striking wood. "Who in the flames does that worthless old fart think he is? I killed those stupid mutts didn't I? Isn't that worth some praise? A simple compliment!? AGH!!"
The training dummy had been stripped of its straw stuffing and was now little more than shredded burlap bound to a wooden cross. And yet, Button Mash continued to lash out with his sword, carelessly blunting it in his anger.
"HA! RA! CRAAAGH!!" An overpowered overhead strike slammed into the wood with such force that the sword became lodged in the dummy.
"Wuh-AAH DAMMIT!!!" Button Mash shouted and cursed as he attempted to dislodge the blade...only to stop when he heard someone approaching him from behind.
The squire whirled around with his hands up on instinct, but he let them fall to his side in dread as he realized what malevolent force had come to visit vengeance upon him.
The sound of flesh striking flesh rang out as Button Mash was slapped across the face. "If you insist on depriving yourself of sleep, do so QUIETLY!!" Ocellus shouted.
"Ow! What was that for!? The shout would've sufficed." Button whined.
"Yeah right. The way you listen, a Banshee couldn't scream loud enough." The mage countered.
"Alright fine. Just let me get my sword." Button Mash conceded while reaching for his blade.
"Fine, but if you try sharpening it before I wake up tomorrow, I will kill you." Ocellus promised.
Button Mash proceeded to try and reclaim his sword. He had lodged it in a cut he had made earlier, causing the now blunted blade to lodge itself in tight.
"Grr, come ooooonn...you stupi-DAAAH!!" The effort was fruitless, but Button Mash wasn't giving up. He pulled tighter, and tighter...until his grip slipped off the handle and sent him to the ground.
Ocellus rolled her eyes and stepped toward the squire. "Here, give me your ha-" The Mage never spoke another word. A large blue blur slammed into her. When Button turned his eyes to where she had landed, it was too late.
Ocellus choked on her own blood as a young Gnoll loomed over her with a chunk of her throat between its teeth...and its eyes staring right into Button Mash.
The squire stared in shock and horror as the Gnoll crawled to him on all fours. He spared a glance to his sword, but dismissed the notion immediately. Then he saw a pitchfork behind the training dummy, likely used for shoveling hay into the burlap sacks.
The Gnoll pounced just as Button moved out of the way. "GNOOOOOLL!!!!" He shouted as he ran to the pitchfork.
The Gnoll leapt at him again, landing with his front paws on the squire's back this time and knocking him to the ground.
Button reacted quickly, shoving his shoulders as close to his neck as he could. But this didn't stop the Gnoll from digging its claws into the boy's back.
Button Mash cried out in pain while reaching a hand out to the pitchfork. He grabbed its shaft and thrusted it over his shoulder.
Fortune favored him, and he jabbed the blunt point of the pitchfork's shaft into the Gnoll's eye.
The beast yelped in pain and removed his claws from Button's back, but only to grab the pitchfork and pull it out of the boy's hand.
Button Mash turned onto his back to face the Gnoll, expecting his death. But rather than impale him, the Gnoll simply broke the pitchfork over his knee and threw the pieces behind him, snarling in hatred as it did so.
Then, to Button's shock, the beast spat on him, before preparing to lunge at him again. But the sound of a scream alerted the Gnoll to a tavern wench who had seen Ocellus' body, and she wasn't alone. Button's cries had been heard.
A Dwarven Duelist that had been staying at the Guild Tavern charged at the young Gnoll, who decided his opportunity was gone and fled on all fours.
The Dwarf turned his attention to Button Mash. "Are ye alright boy?"
"...they...they're known for their vengeance...they're known for their vengeance." Button Mash said to himself as he realized where that Gnoll had come from, and that it wouldn't stop until he was dead.
Present Day
The Eldest watched the Gnoll rise from his where he sat and turn from the Kobolds. "Where will Gnoll go?"
"Where Adventurers bring ruin." Came the lupine creature's reply.
"....Wait! Please wait." The Eldest cried out, earning the Gnoll's attention.
"Kobold is Eldest now, but Eldest is too young to be Eldest. Eldest cannot keep the younglings alive." The Kobold hissed.
Grimpaw surveyed the creature. He was indeed young, only a year has passed since he was last known as a youngling. He was taller than them by a large margin, but he lacked the muscles of an adult. He would've been a scout in normal conditions. Not a leader.
"...I cannot be your Eldest. But I will bring you to safety." Grimpaw said to the Kobold.
The younglings gave out relieved chirps that they would be safe, but the Eldest had one final concern. "Where we go?"
"I do not know where to find another Kobold den. But three years ago, I killed Adventurers seeking the head of a Gorgon. I was wounded and thought I would die, but the Gorgon repaid me for saving her life, and swore I would always have safe haven in her garden. It is three days from here." Grimpaw told the Eldest.
The Kobold was horrified. All thinking creatures feared the eyes of a Gorgon, and the scaled women were known for their disinterest in the lives of those they petrified for their collection...possibly from their elven roots.
"...H...wuh..." The Eldest failed to voice his concerns, but one of the Younglings was less shocked. "What is Gorgon?"
Grimpaw lifted his upper lip in a lupine smile. "Gorgons are usually terrifying creatures. But Rarity is an honest one. She is truly grateful for my intervention in what would've been her demise."
The younglings seemed to accept this...as did the Eldest. "Three days. Long journey over land."
"Longer still if you are tired. We rise with the sun. It would be best to sleep now." Grimpaw stated before finding an empty space to lie down.
The Kobolds were thrown by this, they slept in the day. But the Eldest ensured that the younglings obeyed the wisdom of the Gnoll. And thus, the first day ended.
Author's Note
Grimpaw's Enchantment makes him as articulate as the individual he is speaking with. I tried to give the Kobolds a broken speech pattern like Gollum or the Skaven, I hope it turned out okay.
While not every chapter will be broken into past and present, I am trying to tell this story in a manner similar to CW's Arrow with Grimpaw taking Button Mash's sword and turning his vengeance to all Adventurers as he battles the final boss (Button Mash's father).
That's all I got to say about this one, I'll see you all next time.
Grimpaw: The Adventure's End
Grimpaw and the Kobolds broke camp when the sun rose upon them. They had been making good time to Rarity's garden, and had no trouble foraging for food.
Of course, most of this was for Grimpaw's presence. He had saved no less than three of the Kobold younglings from eating poisonous berries, and showed them and the others how to tell the difference as his father had taught him.
But berries could only get the group so far. And thus they had stopped at a small lake, intent on claiming fish.
Grimpaw waded into the water without his sword. The Eldest, as the only Kobold capable of hunting, stepped cautiously into the shallows ten feet from him, his crude spear held in front of him for protection as well as hunting.
Scales gleamed in the sunlight beneath the surface of the water. Whether it was prey to hunt or a predator to fear, the Eldest thrusted his spear at it as fast as he could.
The thrust went wide and the fish swam away...into the waiting claws of Grimpaw.
The Gnoll had seen the fish before the Eldest and planned accordingly, slowly sinking his arm beneath the water so he could snatch the fish up if it escaped the Eldest. Grimpaw had hoped that the young tribe leader would fair better, but it seems the boy has a lot left to learn.
The Eldest and the other Kobolds watched with awe as Grimpaw carried the foot and a half long fish in one hand with his claws embedded in its skull before tossing it lightly onto the shore.
"...Want use spear?" The Eldest asked while holding out his spear. Grimpaw turned and stared at the weapon for a moment. "...No. I hunt as nature intended." Without turning his eyes back to the lake, he closed his clawed fingers in and around another fish and threw it atop the first.
The Eldest looked in confusion at the Gnoll, if they needed food, why make it harder to claim it when he already used a sword to face the Adventurers?
Grimpaw claimed another fish, and the Eldest felt one brush against his leg and swung his spear at it frantically. The fish avoided this attack easily and swam away, motivating the Eldest to focus on the task at hand.
After an hour and a half, the Eldest had managed to spear a single fish while Grimpaw had one for every youngling and four for himself.
The Gnoll patted the Eldest's back. "You will learn in time."
The Kobold nodded. He may have been unsure about his place as Eldest, but he was certain he would learn how to forage for food at least.
Gnolls and Kobolds alike did not need to cook meat before eating it, so no fire was needed. The younglings began enjoying their meal while Grimpaw looked at the sun. "Midday. Must hurry."
The Gnoll began scarfing down his fish at a rate that would see him finish before even the most ravenous of the younglings. The Eldest watched him silently, questions burning in his mind.
Grimpaw paused in the midst of his third fish. "Speak."
"...Why not use spear?" The Kobold asked.
"Not need it." The Gnoll answered.
"But spear make hunting easier." The Eldest stated.
"Nature gave Gnolls claws and fangs to hunt. I need no more than this." Grimpaw finished his third fish and picked his last one.
"...Then why use sword?" Grimpaw froze, his teeth barely touching the fish's scales, before putting it down and looking into the Eldest's eyes.
"Adventurers use more than nature gave them to take more than they need. I tried to face them as nature intended...but I couldn't." He turned away and looked at the sword laying beside him.
"This sword is evil. It was made to let Adventurers defy nature and take everything from others...like your gold." Grimpaw returned his gaze to the Eldest, his eyes heavy with disappointment...at himself.
The Eldest understood. Grimpaw considered his use of weapons a sin. He was not to be deadlier than his teeth and claws, but he could not stop the Adventurers with his natural weapons alone.
"...No. NO!" The Eldest shouted, drawing the attention of the younglings away from their food. "YOU ARE NOT LIKE THEM! IF GNOLLS AND KOBOLDS WERE NOT MEANT TO USE WEAPONS, GNOLLS AND KOBOLDS WOULD NOT HAVE HANDS!!! WEAPONS ARE NOT EVIL! ADVENTURERS ARE EVIL!!!"
Grimpaw snorted, unconvinced. "Tell other Gnolls. I am traitor to nature." With that, Grimpaw picked up his last fish and started walking. "Break is over. We move now"
Elsewhere
A day and a half had passed since the raid on the Kobold den. Any who knew of the bloodshed that had taken place there would've been forgiven for thinking greater time would pass before the silence of the cave ceased, but it was broken with the dawn.
A trio of Adventurers, far older than those slain here, with the sun catching their golden badges, entered the cave. At their head was an Elven Ranger, his eyes enchanted to reduce the decay of time upon a chosen target's trail.
Just behind him came two robed humans. One, robed in white with an ivory staff that bore the image of the Serpent, while the other was robed in black and carried an ornamental spear.
They came to the end of the cave and found the broken bodies of Sunburst and Limestone. "So that confims it. Grimpaw has taken another group."
The white robed human grit his teeth. "Damn monster, he preys on children while evading seasoned Adventurers. He shows himself for the coward that he is."
The Ranger turned an emotionless eye to his ally. "He also shows his intelligence by picking his fights. Pharynx, you're up. We can't lose him this time."
Pharynx, the black robed human, strode forth. "I will see if their souls wish to return."
Pharynx moved first to Limestone. After a moment of examining the Dwarf's body, Pharynx began to speak in the Eldritch tongue.
The Ranger and white robed human both winced as the cave pulsated as Pharynx communed with otherworldly beings of unspeakable horror. Beings who filled Limestone's lifeless body with their energy and reanimated her.
The Dwarf shaped creature breathed in the air of the cave, taking in every smell and deciphering the sent of it's host's killer before crying out with an unholy shriek and sprinting out of the cave.
Pharynx gathered up the Dwarf's weapons. When their task was concluded, they would bury Limestone's body with her party, weapons in hand. But until then, they would leave magical beacons at the other two bodies and press on. Grimpaw would not be allowed to kill again.
Grimpaw: The Adventure's End
Four hours into the third day, they found it. For the Kobolds, it was a new cave, a new shelter, but one that smelled of fear and death. Yet, Grimpaw knew better. The fear and death was the stench of Adventurers who had sought Rarity's head and paid the price.
"Stay close behind me. If Rarity sees you before she sees me, she'll treat you as intruders." Grimpaw said to the Eldest, who kept the Younglings from wondering off.
The group of ten entered the cave. It did not take them long to see the first statue. A creature that struck fear into the hearts of all that saw it: an Orc.
The 8 foot beast was frozen in a permanent state of Berserker Rage. Swinging a war club made into a sword by the row of boar tusks that ran down the length of the weapon. The monster's own tusks were not dissimilar as it bared its teeth at an opponent that had long since slain him.
Grimpaw snorted in disgust at the sight of the Orc. To him, they were Adventurers of a different clan, nothing more. "Rarity leaves this one at the entrance to warn those hunting her. To say 'I have killed Orcs, so I can kill you unless you are greater.'"
"The Serpent has carried the world around the sun 100 times since the last Orc crossed the bridge. This Gorgon, she is ancient." The Eldest muttered in fear and respect of the creature responsible for this.
"Rarity was an Elf before she was a Gorgon. Elven lives can be far longer...and their magic far stronger." Grimpaw stated.
"But you saved her once. She has a weakness?" The Eldest asked.
"She says I saved her. In truth, I joined the battle beside her. I don't think she needed my help, but was grateful for it anyway." Grimpaw explained.
The group pressed on. Eventually coming to the true lair of the Gorgon. A great garden littered with numerous statues, some of which were all but swallowed by vines and roses.
Movement caught the group's eye, but what emerged was not a Gorgon...it was something far more frightening.
"GOBLIN!!" shrieked the Eldest as he took up a defensive position between the Younglings and the bat-faced she-beast who scowled angrily at him.
The Goblin's yellow eyes drifted almost lazily from the Eldest to Grimpaw. "I thought I told you to stop bringing strays to Mistress Rarity."
The Gnoll snorted at the comment. "You were the last 'stray' I brought here two years ago."
"I know...it's rude." The Goblin retorted.
The Eldest couldn't believe what he was seeing. Goblins were the devoted servants of the Orcs. Kobold Younglings are told to beware them more so than their masters, as the Orcs cannot fight effectively within a Kobold's cave. And yet, this Goblin appeared to be...friends with Grimpaw...and it spoke Kobold like Grimpaw as well. "You...you know this creature?"
Grimpaw looked down to the Eldest. "Goblins are slaves to Orcs. Humans offered this one and others freedom, but it was a lie. It is not my place to say what humans did."
The Eldest could hear the Goblin snarling now. She did not seem happy that Grimpaw had said what he had and implied more.
Now that he saw the Goblin as more than another Goblin, he realized she looked...different, more swollen in places. Goblins were small and slender creatures, but this one had abnormally large breasts, like those of a human, hidden beneath her leather armor and black fur, it was the same with her buttocks. The Eldest couldn't comprehend why humans would do such a thing or what it meant.
He was torn from his observations by a newcomer. It was her. The Gorgon appeared from a passage to the party's left in a bright white dress offset by a golden trim and a similarly colored veil obscuring her fatal face. "Do behave yourself Rainbow Dash, you know that any friend of Grimpaw is welcome for as long as they need."
The Goblin, Rainbow Dash, bowed her head in reverence. "My apologies Mistress...but you shouldn't concern yourself with creatures Grimpaw leaves behind so he doesn't have to take responsibility for saving their lives."
The Gorgon put a clawed finger on her veiled chin in thought. "Perhaps, but Grimpaw is not a savior, he is an avenger. Do you still wish he would return you home?"
Rainbow Dash let out a snarling laugh. "Hrrraahahahahahahaa, Home? I have a never known a home. My home is a Master's cage. I serve as all Goblins serve, you simply have no need for my service Mistress."
Rarity didn't press the issue further and instead looked to Grimpaw. "So, what brings you, or rather, them here?"
Grimpaw snarled. "Adventurers, they slaughtered all but a single scout and these younglings. He is not ready to lead them. And I do not know where to find another Kobold den."
Rarity smirked. "And if I told you that there was one a week's travel from here?"
Grimpaw shook his head. "Too far, you know that I am hunted."
Rarity snorted in amusement. "As am I Gnoll. We all are, that is life on the Road to Hell."
Grimpaw paused to consider his words when he noticed the Eldest cautiously approached the Gorgon. "...You...Grimpaw...and the Goblin all have the same enchantment? You...speak to us in our tongue?"
Zade was amused by the Eldest's astonishment. "But of course we share the enchantment little one. I'm the one who cast it. Would you like to be enchanted too?"
The Eldest trilled in thought. "...yes."
The Gorgon extended a green scaled hand with inch long slashing claws. Light coursed between the claws before shooting out in the form of a bright ball that splattered against the Eldest like an overripe fruit before the light sunk into his body.
Rarity clapped her hands together. "Now then, I'm sure the little ones are exhausted by now. Let's see if we can't find a place for them to rest."
Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes. "Alright mutt, you're excused."
Grimpaw snorted and turned to leave. The Eldest stared at him slack jawed. "You're leaving us...already?"
Grimpaw spared a moment to look back at him. "I walk the warpath. Only death awaits at the end of my journey."
The Eldest wanted to say more...but there was nothing more to say. "...Thank you, and good hunting."
Grimpaw bowed his head and resumed his exit...until he stopped, ears up and a hand on his sword.
The blade sprang from its sheath as something burst forth from the cave's entrance and slammed bodily into Grimpaw.
The younglings screeched in fright and the Eldest was quick to corral them behind Rarity and Rainbow Dash, both of whom moved to help Grimpaw with...whatever was attacking him.
More attackers came from the cave, and at last the Eldest knew what was happening. Adventurers!
An Elf and two humans watched as Grimpaw wrestled with the creature they had set upon him. The Elf notched an arrow to his bow, but an inhuman shriek drew his attention...right to Rarity's uncovered face.
The Elf turned to stone in an instant, his expression frozen in shock. The two humans, both sorcerers from the look of them, reacted in unison. One casting a blinding flash of light towards Rarity, and the other placing his hand upon the Elf and, to the Eldest's unfiltered shock, bringing him back to life.
Grimpaw had at last thrown off his attacker. He had thrown it towards Rainbow Dash, and the Goblin wasted no time drawing twin daggers and stabbing the creature numerous times.
The blades had no effect on it and it threw off the offending Goblin before attacking Grimpaw once more. As it did, the Eldest finally realized what, and who this enemy was...it was the Dwarf girl that had assaulted his nest...the one that Grimpaw had killed.
"...Flee deeper. Stay hidden." The Eldest hissed to the younglings as he readied his spear and charged.
Arcane lightning flew between Rarity and the humans as the Eldest ran past them, the Goblin shouted something he didn't hear as he drew closer, and the world appeared to cease to exist but for the Gnoll and Dwarf and the pounding of the Eldest's heart as he pulled back his spear.
The world returned as pain toppled the Kobold head over heel. Looking to the source of the pain, the Eldest found an Elven arrow in his leg.
The Eldest turned his eyes to the mouth of the cave. The Adventurers had poured into the garden proper. The two sorcerers continued their duel with the Gorgon, but the Elf was training another arrow on the Eldest and shaking his head.
The Eldest couldn't believe it, the Adventurer...was showing mercy?
The Elf turned his arrow to Grimpaw. The Eldest shouted a warning, but it was unnecessary. Grimpaw saw the Elf and pulled the Dwarf over his body as the arrow flew.
The arrow pierced the Dwarf's skull and protruded out her eye, but the vengeful undead didn't stop. Rainbow Dash threw one of her knives at the Elf and struck him in the stomach as Rarity managed to throw back the humans with a blast wave.
Beaten and bleeding, the Adventurers fled. Grimpaw howled in hatred as he threw off the Dwarf and tried to pursue them. Immobilis Rarity said in a calm but stern voice as she immobilized the Gnoll and the Dwarf both.
"Release me! I'll have his blood on my teeth!" Grimpaw shouted as he strained against the sorcery holding him in place.
"Calm yourself Grimpaw, they are likely to have traps ready for you." The Gorgon warned.
"I don't care! He must PAAAY!!!" The Gnoll shouted in fury.
"What's the big deal? It's just another wannabe glory hound." Rainbow Dash stated.
Grimpaw, more from exhaustion than rationality, finally calmed himself as he took greedy breaths of air. "...No...that Elf...he is the one who killed my father."
Author's Note
And that is the last of my prewritten chapters. I'm two fifths finished with the next, so that'll be my next update. And yes, my Goblins are not greenskined creatures, but rather hobbit sized bat people. Thought I'd be a little original.
That's all I got for now, I'll see you all next time.
