It didn't take long for Bill to get to a more comfortable position. One hand held onto David's ears while he sat, kicking his legs with every step. They remained like that for a while, moving along without a care in the world before a rustle to the side reminded David that he really didn't have the tools to be so casual.

From the woods to his right, a dog ran out and blocked his path. It held itself leaning forward and still. Its teeth were bared, and it was around that point where David realized this was the strangest dog he'd ever seen. It was pointy. The head was triangular, with the point being the nose. The teeth seemed equally as sharp. The hair covering seemed thin, but well groomed. The powerful muscles were clear and taught. Its tail was hairless and curled over its back as if it would strike with it.

The two parties stared each other down. David, unknown of what this is or what to do. Bill, knowing what this is and trying to hide his excitement. And the dog, still staring down the two strangers. The remained in silence, which David thought was weird. Shouldn't there be some growling or an attack from behind by the rest of the pack?

“Bill, check behind us to see if we're surrounded.” He asked out the side of his mouth. It was only then that David realized Bill was nearly jumping with joy at the site of the monster.

“Bill. Bill. Bill.” David continuously repeated the name, becoming more relaxed each time. It wasn't until he moved his head that Bill reacted by nearly falling. David's mouth being where his ear should be threw off Bill's primary means of support.

“Dai, we gotta keep it. Its soooo pretty.” Bill began before looking for a way down.

“You know what this is?” He stared at his shoulder guide, waiting for the actual guide part to begin. He remained waiting as Bill tried to climb down from his perch. He didn't get far before slipping.

David made sure to catch the little guy before rolling his eyes at Bill's insistence to be let down. Still, David placed his familiar on the ground to see what would happen. Bill scampered to the dog-like thing while the dog-like thing never left its threatening posture. David grew more and more tense as Bill got closer and closer, but he had to trust the strange creature that came from mid air when a god did something he didn't understand to him. Upon second thought, David realized that he didn't have a good reason to trust his new companion. It helped relieve the tension, slightly. I mean, if he died then it wasn't his fault. And perhaps the god would build another one.

More rationalizations to do nothing ran through David's head until Bill was close enough to be grabbed in one bite by the monster. David nearly took a step forward until he saw Bill do something. It was a weird dance mixed with guttural barking and head movements. Whatever Bill was doing, it caused the dog to relax. It lowered its head, causing David's tension and justifications to do nothing ramp up. But it just sniffed the little blood goblin before making a “yip” sound. It lied down, allowing Bill to climb up to sit between its ears. After he got good and comfortable, the dog turned to look farther down the road.

“Onwards!” Bill proclaimed as his new mount began to run.

It only took David a moment to swear and chase after the two. He might be ignorant, but Bill was supposed to be his guide. David really considered if Bill was trying to guide him or making it up as he went along. He felt the later and that Bill just got lucky with the rat-dog thing.

Despite his longer legs, David could not catch up to the duo. It took a moment before he realized that he wasn't getting tired. After being ill for so long, it was refreshing to be able to do such a simple activity without feeling the need to pass out. A smile broke out on his face as he tried to pick up the pace, seeing how fast he could go before he'd get too tired to continue. Such was his focus that he nearly tripped over the dog when it stopped, staring at something in the ditch.

David was ecstatic as he came to a halt. He wasn't even breathing hard. David looked to Bill to ask to go again before he noticed the worry on his familiar's face. Looking into the ditch, he saw what caused them to stop.

Two goblins and another dog were lying in the ditch. The dog had scratch marks down its length and one leg looked broken. But it remained alert, next to what David thought had to be an ancient goblin. Its normal sharp features looked weathered, its skin seemed to be made of nothing but wrinkles. A bloodied bandage was pressed into its chest. Even from a distance, David could tell its breaths were fast and shallow.

Next to it was a much younger goblin who seemed to be trying to do something with plants. It had what looked to be a portable chemistry set out, precariously placed with one end propped up by a pack. It was busy picking leaves to grind in what looked to be a mortar and pestle before looking up.

The goblin “eeped” before grabbing at a belt knife. Moving closer, David could tell that it was a pitiful thing, the knife not the goblin. The blade seemed to be shorter than his index finger, and with the goblin being so much shorter than him he doubted that they could even get within stabbing range. Still, he progressed slowly. It was only as he came up to Bill and his new mount that the goblin seemed to relax.

Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

“Princess?” It asked in a soft, feminine voice. “PRINCESS!” She declared as tears filled her eyes. She looked between her dog and David before asking “do you have any potions? I can replace them, but my grand da.”

The little hope in her eyes died as David shook his head. That was until Bill spoke up.

“Don't worry, Dai here will take care of it.”

“I will?” David responded with skepticism.

“He will?” Hope returning to her world.

“He will.” Bill confirmed. “Go down there and make a potion.”

“You do remember that I have no idea how to make potions.” David demanded of the little cretin before catching himself. “At least, quickly.”

“You'll figure it out.” Bill said with a wave of his hands. “And see if they have a healer's kit. That should be all you need.”

David rolled his eyes at Bill's blasé attitude, but still made his way towards the girl. Taking care not to disturb anything, he squatted down next to her to see what she had.

“I only have mint and yarrow,” she began before looking at her pack. “And I used most of the bandages in the healer's kit.”

Being up close, David noticed a few weird things. First, the bandage was put on wrong. Without the pressure, it was doing little to stop the blood from seeping through. Second, the yarrow was glowing to his eyes and he really wanted to touch it. Third, he knew how to fix the dog's leg so that nothing bad would come of it. And do it in such a way that he wouldn't get sick from touching it. That last bit worried David since he had no idea what these animals were. Still, new world new skills. He'd just have to trust his guide.

“Give me the yarrow, a bottle of water, and...” He trailed off before seeing a plant with yellow tufts nearby. Pulling the tufts off, he began to chew on them. The goblin presented the other two ingredients and David had to stop himself from grumbling at the shoddy workmanship of the glass bottle. Grabbing the yarrow, he felt himself do something to it. Whatever it was, it left him tired, as if the drain from the run finally caught up to him. He added the yarrow to his mouth and took a couple more chews. The entire mixture left a pleasant tingly feeling before he spat the concoction into the water and gave it a good shake.

He presented it to the girl who stared at him as if he just spat some weird plants into a bottle.

“What?” David asked as if he didn't just do something weird. “Its a basic elixir of life.”

He did pause at that. He knew what an elixir of life was. He knew its properties and how to best administer it. He also realized that it was not enough to heal both and that it would do little for the wounds.

Before the girl could grab the bottle from the weird man, he reached over and grabbed the healer's kit. With practiced ease that he in no way practiced, he mashed more of those two plants into a paste before placing them over the wound and binding it with strips from his shirt. He got the old goblin to drink about half of the mixture before fashioning a splint for the dog's leg and giving it the other half of the drink.

By the time, David felt tired, but a good tired. He felt as if he finished a hard workout, leaving his muscles twitchy. He knew that the two patients were no longer in any danger and could be moved. Looking at the wide eyes of the little girl next to him, he also knew that what he did was as strange to her as it was to him.

“Bill, what did I just do?”

“No time for that Boss,” Bill replied. Looking up, David saw the two staring down the road at something. “We have company.”

“He's back?” The girl whimpered as she attempted to back up her supplied. “I didn't think he'd come back.”

“Not he little one,” Bill answered. “Them.”

The dog and Bill raised to their full height, ready to battle. David rose to join them, grabbing the empty bottle and some wrapped powder. He was barely aware of what he was doing as he dropped the powder into the bottle.

He felt exhausted by the time he joined the two intrepid fighters. Less physical and more mental, as if he just finished an impossible math quiz after his work out. While he could focus, he couldn't really think at the moment. So the implications of three men, the leader with a bandaged hand took a moment to register.

“What do we have here?” The bandaged man began with a sneer.

“Looks like someone else who forgot to pay the toll.” One in to back answered. He was remarkably skinny man as his friend was remarkably fat. It look as if you combined the two you'd get one normal person of out it.

“Cost is five silver if you want to walk our road.” The fat man said, folding his arms over his belly.

“Its the king's road.” A voice from behind David replied. Looking back, he saw the goblin girl holding her knife out in a death grip. David absent mindlessly slit his finger before allowing blood to drip into the bottle. He noted he needed one more thing, but not sure what it was. Or what he was making.

“Ah the little rebel. Make that five gold, each.” The leader answered with a malicious smile. “That means you pay us twenty gold and give us the girl and rat and we don't show you our displeasure.”

David wondered what the exchange rate was here. He doubted gold was all that common as he presented the bottle to Bill. Bill looked at it, looked at David, before rolling his eyes and plucked a hair from Princess's back. Placing it in the mixture, Bill capped the bottle and handed it back to David. David gently shook it as he looked towards what now he assumed were bandits.

“What can five gold purchase anyway?” He asked as he felt the power build in the container.

“Your skin to begin with.” Said the skinny one.

“Well I don't have any gold, but I do have this.” David said, presenting the bottle that now seemed to have something fizzing inside. “So I guess you have have that.” He finished before tossing it towards the skinny man.

Six pairs of confused and a pair of expectant eyes watch the bottle gently arc towards the group, the leader easily catching, looking at the increasingly violent chemical reaction.

“Bill, what did I just max?” David calmly asked his guide as the vial exploded all over the three.

“A diseased bomb.” Bill answered over the men's screams. Glass shards filled the leader's hand as his two companions began to scratch themselves all over. “Specifically, a goblin-pox bomb. Good choice.”

David nodded as if he understood before asking, “How did I just make a bomb? And what the heck is goblin-pox.” He could feel the incredulous look from behind him before his attention was consumed by the three brutes charging him.