Bait knows where to find the best exotic ingredients. He need mushrooms. Mushrooms love old, dark, and wet spots. Stone bridge over river best place! Bait wandered back to the bridge alone and on foot. Knowing that no one else would help him get to the underside of the bridge to harvest bridge mushrooms. When he arrived, he pulled a rope of a long length around his waist and tied the other end to the bridge itself. He tugged against the rope a few times, making sure that it was tight enough on both sides. A small crowd was assembling to watch. Bait smiled wide; of course, dey come to see him. He best goblin. Dey lucky he bless their town with his presence. Dey would talk of dis day for as long as dey lived.
He stretched out a bit, jumping up and down, preparing himself as best he could to take da big leap. He slapped himself on the face a few times before letting out a furious battle cry of a single word. "CHEESE!" His voice echoed loudly in the vast open sky as his feet quickly pittered against the stone. When he reached the edge, he took a mighty leap. He felt weightless momentarily as his momentum carried his small frame forward. A sharp pain in his gut hit as he reached the edge of his rope and swung back towards the bridge. He scrambled to spin around to face the bridge, only just making the rotation in time. His grubby fingers quickly searched for purchase on the stonework. He felt the weight of gravity begin to pull him towards the river below before his desperately searching green hands found their way into a crack in the stone.
With his dissent halted, he climbed carefully to see the bridge's underside. He cried out in triumph as he saw what he was hoping for. A rotted beam of wood, left behind for untold decades, bloomed with blessed mushrooms of alien and fantastic appearances. Chalk white and spindly, with parasol-like flesh, they looked exotic, just the sort of thing Master Ben would love for him to bring back. He struggled to make his way over to the mushrooms. His fingers hurt, and his arms felt heavy. Climbing rocks is not fun; too much work. Not even cool explosion afterwards. Under-da-bridge cheese better be fantastic. Once over to the rotting beam, he took as many as he could fit into his bag and untied the rope from himself, plunging into the swiftly flowing river below. The small goblin couldn't free himself from the river's current easily. It swept him far downstream before he could push himself to the shore. Trek back to town takes a few hours, but before the sun fell too low in the sky, Bait managed to find his way back to Alvec's clan's house.
Alvec's clan small, just him and his mother and father. By goblin standards dis make Alvec tribe very weak. Maybe not tell Alvec dat. He powerful wizard. Make large booms and big things out of ice. Alvec also always help Bait. Bait get picked up by crab, greased. Bait get wrestled by giant toothy tongue, greased. Are Cannonballs flying at Bait? Fortress of Ice. Bait find Sarbie sitting with Alvec's mother at the table. The others weren't anywhere to be seen. Bait scampered up to Sarbie and tugged gently at her robes before presenting her with a brightly colored beetle, its shell a deep crimson. "Dis pretty," he informed her as he glanced around and looked for the others. "Where did Illaria go?" He asked.
"Thanks, Bait," Sarbie said slowly as she gently pushed the beetle to the table's edge. She didn't want to offend the goblin by outright throwing away the "gift," but she didn't need it crawling on her. The thought sent a shiver down her spine. "Illaria is making herself comfortable in one of the wagons, I think."
Bait shuffled off to his wagon, claiming his bed and settling in for the night. Leaving Sarbie alone with Alvec's mother. Alvec and his father were catching up while Alvec was put to work fixing things around the house. The second time, he'd been made to focus on mending things for friends and family. Sarbie couldn't help but smile as she looked down at her cup of tea. Now that the rest of the party had filtered out of the house, it felt like home. She'd thought Alvec, as gifted as he seemed to be in the arcane arts, must have come from some prestigious house. She could easily imagine him having private tutors and instruction from a proper battle master, like a proper lord or wealthy merchant. To see that his home was so quaint and ordinary certainly shattered that perception. While he may have been a Reynore, it was clear that he hadn't benefited from their namesake.
This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.
In many ways, this felt a bit like home to her. They'd been so busy that she hadn't had time to process how much she missed home. Stopping her friends from being killed by devils and pirates, abominations, and machines had left her exhausted each day. She could only hope that her family wasn't too worried. Alvec had asked her not to write to them, and his explanation made a lot of sense intellectually. Emotionally, it still hurt to know she couldn't tell them what she'd been up to till she saw them in person, and even then, it might be best to leave out the details. It might keep them safe from the Gold, if nothing else. Her hands shook a little bit as she let out a sigh. Hoc as well was probably worried sick. He no doubt blamed himself. If he'd only been more of what the Cheese Acolytes needed, perhaps he could be here instead of her. She shook the thought from her mind and took a big gulp of the warm tea in her hands, trying to reset her mind and peace with the action.
"Are you liking the tea?" Melina asked.
"It's excellent, thank you," Sarbie replied.
"So now that we're alone, you said my son felt responsible for you? Do you mind telling me how?"
"It's his fault that I'm even on this adventure." She said, cradling the cup of tea in both hands and staring a hole into the bottom of the porcelain cup. "Mind you, I'm glad I've been helpful, and I don't think I could go back knowing what I know now. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't upset by how this all played out. I was supposed to be safe in the church, doing some light healing, sorting books in the library, and small chores, really. Now? Now I'm fighting devils and patching up goblins. I'd never even been camping before this."
"I'm sorry you've gone through so much. No one would hold it against you if you walked away." She replied to Sarbie, putting a hand on her shoulder.
"Somehow, that thought feels worse. I don't... I don't want to disappoint them. They've all placed so much faith in me. How can I possibly let them down? Every time I fumble, someone catches me. When those devils attacked me on the Audacity, Alvec intercepted blades and used every spell he could to keep me safe. From the sounds of it, he should have been focusing on that Eirinyes. Instead, he was lock-step with me, dancing around their spear tips and blasting them with blinding light. He could have been solving problems but instead chose to protect me. How could I give up if he's willing to keep fighting? I don't understand what he even sees in me." Melina let out a soft laugh.
"I do." She said with a familiar certainty which left Sarbie disarmed and more confused than she had started this conversation. Sarbie let out a long sigh. "Don't worry. I won't spoil it for you. You can hear it from him someday. Have you thought about making him anything for Ivy Day?"
"Not really, I don't have access to a kitchen on the road, and it would probably be misconstrued. I mean, I wouldn't want him to get any wrong ideas."
"Ivy Day is for platonic friends as well. Something small and thoughtful would be fine. I would gamble that he's cooking something up for you." Sarbie pursed her lips.
"Would you gamble on it being a friendly or romantic gesture?" She asked.
"Which would would you prefer?" Melina asked with a grin.
"Forget, I asked." Sarbie insisted.
The pair talked for a while longer before Sarbie slinked off to bed. She'd make something small for everyone. It was the best solution. She couldn't let him give her something without returning the favor.