CHAPTER 5

[STILL IN THE ELDERS HUT, SPEAKING WITH HIM]

VYN - WOULD YOU BE WILLING TO CLOTHE AND LOOK AFTER MY CHILDREN FOR ME? I DON’T FEEL COMFORTABLE RISKING THE HUMANOIDS DOING SUCH A THING TO THEM.

ELDER: YES, OF COURSE WE WILL MAKE IT A PRIORITY TO LOOK AFTER THEM AND TREAT THEM WITH THE HIGHEST LEVEL OF RESPECT.

VYN: WELL, THEN THANK YOU. CAN YOUR LEADER HERE TAKE ME TO WHERE THE SLAVERS ARE?

LEADER - MY NAME IS OAKLEY, AND I WOULD BE HAPPY TO SHOW YOU THE WAY, MY LORD.

VYN: THANK YOU, OAKLEY, FOR LEADING THE WAY.

WITH A SUBTLE WAVE, THE TWO WALKED OUT OF THE HUT.

ELDER: OH, MOTHER, THANK YOU FOR BLESSING US ONCE MORE.

[VYN AND OAKLEY STOPPED TO ALLOW VYN TO SAY BYE TO HIS KIDS.]

[VYN GAVE THE THREE A HUG, NOW CLOTHED IN OLD RAGS LIKE THE REST OF THE KOBOLDS.]

VYN - YOUR PAPA HAS TO GO AND SAVE SOME PEOPLE, AND HE NEEDS YOU TO STAY HERE, OKAY? I WILL BE BACK AS FAST AS I CAN, BUT WHILE I AM GONE, DO YOU DO YOUR BEST TO BEHAVE, ALRIGHT?

THE THREE IN UNISON: OK PAPA

THEY GAVE HIM A QUICK HUG BEFORE SPRINTING TO GO PLAY WITH SOME KOBOLD CHILDREN AND A BALL.

[VYN AND OAKLEY BEGAN THEIR MARCH TO THE SLAVER'S ENCAMPMENT.]

OAKLEY - ARE YOU SURE YOU DON’T WANT TO REST, MY LORD?

VYN - HONESTLY, FYREKIN DOES NOT SEEM TO NEED SLEEP. ALL WE NEED TO SURVIVE IS FUEL FOR OUR FLAMES. IF YOU NEED TO REST, WE CAN STOP, AND I WILL KEEP WATCH.

OAKLEY: THANK YOU, MY LORD, I’LL ONLY BE A LITTLE WHILE.

VYN - DON’T WORRY, IT’LL BE EASIER TO CONDUCT THIS MISSION DURING DAYLIGHT ANYWAY, SO I WILL WAKE YOU AT SUNRISE.

OAKLEY: FAIR, MY LORD.

[THE KOBOLD LAY DOWN UNDER A TREE AS VYN SAT THERE PATIENTLY WATCHING OVER THE SURROUNDINGS WITH A PIECE OF WOOD IN HIS MOUTH LIKE A CIGAR.]

[IT WAS NOW SUNRISE.]

VYN: HEY OAKLEY, TIME TO GET UP.

OAKLY SHOT TO HIS FEET AS IF HE WERE UNDER ATTACK.

VYN, EVERYTHING IS OKAY; THERE ISN’T ANY DANGER.

OAKLEY, NOTICING IT WAS STILL JUST HIM AND VYN UNDER THE TREE FROM THE NIGHT BEFORE, CALMED DOWN IMMEDIATELY.

OAKLEY - SORRY ABOUT THAT. IT'S BEEN KIND OF HARD TO SLEEP THESE LAST FEW WEEKS.

VYN - DON’T SWEAT IT; AS OF RIGHT NOW, YOU ARE MY PARTY MEMBER. I WON’T LET ANYTHING HAPPEN TO YOU, BUT WHILE WE ARE ON THE TOPIC, PLEASE KNEEL.

OAKLEY KNEELED WITHOUT QUESTION AS VYN PLACED HIS HAND ON HIS HEAD AND CHANTED THE WORD PROTECT TO ENSURE HIS FLAMES WOULDN’T BE OF HARM TO THE KOBOLD.

OAKLEY: WHAT WAS THAT, MY LORD?

VYN, A BLESSING THAT PROTECTS YOU FROM MY FLAMES

OAKLEY - THANK YOU, MY LORD. YOU ARE VERY CONSIDERATE.

VYN, LIKE I SAID, I WON'T LET ANYTHING HAPPEN TO YOU. IN THIS COMING FIGHT, YOUR ENTIRE JOB WILL BE TO LEAD THE SLAVES HOME AS I SORT OUT THIS SCUM.

OAKLEY: YES SIR.

THEY BEGAN THEIR MARCH ONCE AGAIN.

[IT TOOK ABOUT TWO HOURS TO REACH THE ENCAMPMENT.]

THEY BOTH CROUCHED DOWN, MAKING SURE TO CHECK FOR ANY ROAMING GUARDS AROUND THE SLAVES.

[AS IT WOULD SEEM, THE HUMANOIDS HAD FULL CONFIDENCE IN THEIR ENSLAVEMENT METHOD.]

[VYN TRANSFORMED INTO HIS TINY FORM IN ORDER TO SHRINK HIS SILHOUETTE.]

[THE PAIR BOTH SNUCK THEIR WAY TO THE SLAVE'S ROPE, AND OAKLEY TUGGED AT IT, SIGNALING THE SLAVES TO COME TO THE SURFACE.]

[AS THE FIRST SLAVE APPEARED, VYN USED HIS FIERY ARM TO COMPLETELY MELT THE ROPE AT A SINGLE POINT.]

OAKLEY: COME ON, LET'S GO HOME, GUYS.

THE SLAVES SHOOK THEIR HEADS, LOOKING DOWN AT THEIR COLLARS, WHICH HAD WEIRD MARKS ON THEM. THEN VYN NOTICED IT LOOKED LIKE MAGIC RUNES. HE IMMEDIATELY TURNED AROUND AND STARTED WALKING TOWARDS THE HUMANOID'S INNER ENCAMPMENT.

OAKLEY: WHERE ARE YOU GOING, MY LORD?

VYN - CAN’T YOU TELL THOSE COLLARS ARE MAGIC? THEY MAKE IT SO THE USER CAN’T GO AGAINST THEIR ORDERS. I BET YOU THAT THE ONLY WAY TO DISABLE THEM IS TO KILL THE OWNERS. YOU STAY HERE AND LEAD THEM BACK AS SOON AS THE COLLARS BREAK.

OAKLEY: BE CAREFUL, MY LORD, THESE HUMANOIDS ARE EXTRA CRUEL.

[VYN WAVED HIS TINY LITTLE NUB AS IF TO SAY, SEE YA.]

[VYN ARRIVED AT THE CENTER OF THE ENCAMPMENT AND BEGAN TO SHOUT.]

VYN: HEY SCUMBAGS, COME OUT AND PLAY!

[IMMEDIATELY, A LARGE, BURLY HUMAN MALE CAME BURSTING OUT OF WHAT LOOKED LIKE THE LEADER'S CABIN.]

SOLDIER, WHO ARE YOU TO TALK TO US IN SUCH A WAY? YOU WORTHLESS FOOT STOOL

VYN - A LOT OF TALK FROM SOMEONE WHO JUST GOT CALLED OUT. MAYBE YOU SLAVER SCUM DON’T KNOW ANY MORE THAN HOW TO PICK ON CREATURES WHO CAN’T FIGHT BACK. I AM NO SUCH CREATURE, AND NOW THAT I KNOW YOU’RE HOME, I HAVE A GAME FOR YOU.

VYN-CREMATE

[VYN USED HIS HANDS IN DIFFERENT DIRECTIONS, ENGULFING THE BUILDINGS IN HIS GREEN, GLORIOUS FLAMES.]

[ONCE HE FINISHED WITH HIS LITTLE DISPLAY, MULTIPLE HUMANOIDS CAME RUSHING OUT, CAUGHT ON FIRE, SCREAMING IN AGONY.]

[A WIDE SMILE FORMED ON FYREKIN’S FACE, SHOWING HE NOT ONLY DIDN’T CARE BUT WAS ENJOYING THIS.]

[THE BIG, BURLY MAN CHARGED AT THE CREATURE BUT TURNED TO ASHES RIGHT AS HE WAS ABOUT TO LAND HIS HIT.]

THE WHOLE DISPLAY TOOK A MATTER OF ABOUT A MINUTE AND A HALF, AND AFTER THAT, ALL THAT REMAINED WAS ASH. VYN THEN TURNED TO WHERE THE SLAVES WERE IN TIME TO SEE THEM ALL RUNNING AWAY WITH OAKLEY IN THE LEAD.

[VYN BEGAN TO SLOWLY WALK HIS WAY HOME.]

HE MADE IT MAYBE AN HOUR BEFORE HE STUMBLED INTO ANOTHER GROUP OF HUMANOIDS. IT WOULD APPEAR THE ENCAMPMENT WAS PRIMARILY ABANDONED AS THEIR HUNTING PARTY WENT OUT TO FIND MORE SLAVES.

[VYN] DECIDED TO WAIT TO ATTACK DUE TO HIS FEAR OF HURTING THE SLAVES THEY HAD IN TOW. THAT’S WHEN HE SAW THEM.

VYN (INFURIATED): HOW DARE THEY!?