Just before noon, Zell sold me two bottles of Lennadoc Ale—the ale that Gorlis loved so much—for ten gold pieces. At Orla’s shop, two silver pieces bought me a straw hat and the threadbare clothes of a peasant farmer. After changing my clothes, I hid my armor and weapons in the forest near the outskirts of the city. Then I set off along the Londorin Road, a bottle of ale in each hand.
In the early afternoon, I beheld two figures in the distance, blocking my way forward. Both stood a head taller than me, and as I approached, I noticed their orange-and-brown hair. They resembled hyenas from the neck up, with black eyes, narrow jaws, and long, pointed teeth. From the neck down, they were muscular humanoids covered with hair. Their wooden spears had sharp steel blades. So this is what gnolls look like.
The gnolls approached me slowly. One pointed his spear at me and said in a low, guttural voice, “You! What are you carrying?”
“Nothing you’d like!” I did my best to sound stupid and afraid. “These bottles are for humans!”
The second gnoll’s voice was raspier and higher pitched.
“We’ll be the judge of that,” he said. “Set those bottles down! Then stand back and keep your hands where we can see them.”
Trembling, I set the bottled down. “You won’t like what’s in these bottles. I’d stay away!”
As I’d hoped, the first gnoll picked up a bottle, unstoppered it, and sniffed. A wide grin spread across his face.
“Ale! The smoothskin carries ale!”
The first gnoll lifted the bottle and took a long drink; the second gnoll followed suit and nearly wept with joy.
“Not just any ale! Lennadoc Ale!” The gnoll looked to the trees and called out. “Eleakak! Hubkak! Come down! The smoothskin has ale!”
Trees on either side of the road shook as two gnolls climbed down from their perches. Both carried powerful-looking arbalests.
“Did you say ale?” one of the archers asked.
“Yes! Lennadoc Ale!”
The first archer ran to his laughing brethren, but the second was more cautious. He addressed me with narrowed eyes.
“Tell me, smoothskin, why do you carry this ale without guards? Without weapons?”
“Oh, I didn’t know you fellas were here! I thought the road to Encelas was safe. You know, there’s an army coming.”
He walked around me in a circle, studying me intently. “What else do you have?”
I raised my hands higher. “Nothing else, sir! Just the ale.”
The gnoll snorted, then patted down my arms, legs, chest, and back. Another snort, and then he turned aside and joined the other gnolls in merriment.
My hands still raised, I watched the four gnolls stagger and laugh. Finally, the first gnoll seized his throat and started choking. His face turned pale and his eyes took on a yellowish cast, just as the dire wolf’s eyes had the night before. I’d added a spoonful of harpy blood to both bottles, and the poison was taking effect. The first gnoll fell, and the other three dropped shortly afterward. Four +650 XP! messages appeared. So far, so good.
Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
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I continued along the Londorin Road, now carrying mostly-empty bottles of ale. I couldn’t see anyone, so I called out: “Hello Mr. Gnolls! Hello? Hello?”
I continued shouting for some time, and then two gnolls emerged from a wooded glen that I assumed was the gnoll's camp. The first was short and wore splint mail, while the other was taller and stronger, wielding an iron warhammer that looked heavier than I was.
The short one appeared to be the more intelligent of the two. He glared at me with disgust. “What are you crying about, smoothskin?”
“It’s the gnolls on the road back there, sir! They drank my ale and then fell asleep... without paying!”
“They… did… what?”
I held up my bottles. “I was carrying ale to Encelas when the gnolls stopped me. They drank almost everything I had, and said that if I brought them more, your chief would pay me. But then they fell asleep!”
The tall gnoll laughed so hard that he had to grasp his knees to stay upright. The short gnoll looked ready to explode. He spoke in a low, furious whisper.
“Take me to them, smoothskin. I will handle this.”
“Yes, sir!”
The two gnolls followed me to the part of the road where I’d slain the guards. I pointed to the four bodies lying in the shade, which I’d positioned so that they appeared to be sleeping. The two gnolls charged forward, and I followed close behind.
“Vorkak! Dulkak!” The short gnoll shouted. “What is the meaning of this?”
As we walked, I took off my straw hat, where I’d hidden Ebonclaw. I drew the dagger, whose blade I’d covered with harpy blood, and I crept up behind the larger gnoll.
“Wait!” The short gnoll screamed. “These gnolls aren’t sleeping! They’re—”
The small gnoll stepped into my snare, which seized his foot and yanked him upward. I moved to stab the larger gnoll, but then I saw a white circle with crosshairs in the center of his back. It looked like a bizarre tattoo… and it hadn’t been there before.
Before the larger gnoll could respond, I aimed the blade at the crosshairs and thrust Ebonclaw into his back. A message in gold capital letters flashed: BACKSTAB!
That's how backstabbing works. Hit the crosshairs and the target receives several times the damage. I LOVE being a rogue.
The tall gnoll dropped his warhammer and fell onto his side, groaning. Between the backstab damage and the harpy blood, his health had fallen to nearly zero.
“You won’t get away with this!” the ensnared gnoll cried. “We’ll get you!”
I lifted the head of the larger gnoll and slit his throat. +800 XP!
“You know, I don’t think you will.”
I approached the ensnared gnoll with Ebonclaw outstretched. Despite hanging upside-down from the tree, his face twisted with fury.
“You killed our soldiers, you monster!”
“Your soldiers stole my ale, even after I warned them. They had it coming.”
“We didn’t ask for this! We acted under orders!”
I stopped. It hadn’t occurred to me that there might be more to the gnolls’ banditry than greed.
“Whose orders?” I asked.
“I don’t know, but whoever it was scared even the mighty Nalkak! He said we must stop hunting in the forest and live as ignoble bandits.”
“I’m sorry to hear that. I’ll discuss this with Nalkak when I see him.”
Moments later, I received a +850 XP! message. Then I dragged the last of the bodies under the cover of a nearby tree and covered the corpses with foliage.
Checking the Local Map, I smiled to see a new marker labeled Gnoll Camp near the edge of the road. I ran back to Raven’s Rest, donned my snakeskin armor, and retrieved the rest of my gear. I had to attack the gnolls before they realized that their guards were missing.