A shiver of fear ran down Calista’s spine. An Imperial officer looking to speak with adventurers could really only mean one thing: a quest. And given the nature of the environment outside the fort, the quest was likely to be very, very dangerous. She had just started wondering how she might avoid talking to the captain when she spotted a man in blue robes walking past a far window. Two soldiers were escorting him along the walkway outside and it took a moment before Calista’s brain acknowledged just who she had seen. It was Lefty.
“Wait here,” she said to Kevin and the game master nodded solemnly. He seemed intent on staring at the dagger in his hand like it was helping him contemplate everything that had happened in his life up to that moment and Calista saw no reason to interrupt him. So she left him there and reached the side door just as the soldiers rounded the corner with Lefty between them.
“But what if I don’t want to go?” The wizard quipped.
A familiar voice answered him, “Well who’s saying you wanting to has anything to do with it you skinny little fart of a man?”
Calista froze when she heard it. Is that … no, it can’t be.
Another familiar voice then cut in, “Hey! Since when is calling someone skinny an insult?”
To which the first voice replied, “Since I decided it was, you dolt. Now shut up, I’m berating our prisoner.”
There’s no way. I can’t believe it. Instantly, Calista peeked outside the doorway as the two soldiers pushed the wizard around the corner. Sure enough, it was her friend Lefty with Smith and Smithey right behind him. Except, the two guardsmen were no longer trolls, but humans. They each still had the same build – the hulking Smith and the tall, whip thin Smtihey – as well as the same faces and the same voices, but they had somehow changed form. By the light of Yanar, how did they escape the dungeon?
Careful not to let the two guardsmen see her, she ducked into the doorway. Listening, she heard Smith say, “Now listen you little miscreant, I have no issue with you deciding to be a coward so long as it doesn’t get in the way of me escorting you to see the captain. Kapeesh?” To which Lefty only snorted. A moment later, the trio passed her and as she stepped back out to watch them walk away, she felt something small and soft brush her past her feet. Glancing down, she spotted a duck as it waddled along after the others as though it knew exactly what it was doing.
As she watched the strange procession disappear around the bend, she considered following until she realized she had probably at least let Grumner and possibly Kevin know first. However, when she returned to where she had last talked to Kevin, the chair was empty. She searched the crowd, hoping to spot his dirt stained brown robes but the game master was no where to be seen.
When she found the Grumner, he was seated near the fire not far from where an old man was telling a story to a group of young children. The dwarf did not appear to be listening as he nibbled at a small wedge of cheese and nursed a mug of something warm.
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Looking down, she said, “Hey.”
He looked up, “Hey.”
“Yeah, a pair of the guards I might or might not know just walked by with another guy I might or might not know and they were saying all adventurers needed to report to some captain. So I just came back to let you know that’s what I aim to go do right now.”
He drained his mug and stood, “Can I come?”
“Sure.”
When they left the lodge, they were greeted by a misting rain that made the boards of the walkway slick beneath their feet. However, their clothes were only damp as they rounded the corner and found the gazebo where Smith and Smithey were still picking at Lefty.
Leaned against the gazebo’s door was Smithey who had an amused and sardonic look on his face while next to him, Smith had his hands on his hips as he barked at the mage. “Now look, would you quit your bitching for a minute and just have a seat and listen to what the captain has to say?”
“Oh, and I’m sure that whatever the something is that he needs to talk to me about has nothing to do with the army of goblins rampaging through the valley, now does it?” Lefty asked. “Since when is that my problem, huh?”
“It’s your problem because you’re adventurer. That’s why,” Smith stated in a matter-of-fact tone.
“Yes, you said that. Which is specifically what I objected to when I said I intended to go my own way,” the wizard quipped.
“I don’t recall you said that,” Smithey cut in. “All I remember was we asked you to come with us so you could meet the captain and instead of taking our hospitality, you made like you were about to jump over the wall.”
Right,” Lefty nodded, “because I figured my chances of survival were much better on the other side of it. I’ll have you know, that wherever it is you’re taking me and whatever it is your captain wants with me, it’s my firm belief that it likely goes against every moral and ethic within my code of conduct, all of which has been written and designed specifically for one single purpose, which is to keep myself alive as long as possible and … Oh, well hi Calista, fancy meeting you here.”
Lefty’s eyes had finally caught sight of Calista and Grumner standing in the rain. As the wizard said this, Smith and Smithey both turned to look the two new comers over.
Smithey smiled, “Well, will you look at that Smith. It’s the little delver that tied us up and left us in that hallway.”
“Quite rude, that,” Smith agreed.
“Quite,” Smithey continued. “I guess I shouldn’t be surprised this one showed up again shortly after we located her little boyfriend here.”
“He’s not …” Calista started.
“Bagh,” Smith interrupted, “we all know the two of you been getting along, so don’t go and start denying it.”
Calista glared, “In his dreams.”
“Actually, I prefer women with lower morals, less clothing, and better looks,” said Lefty.
“Yeah, exac … hey wait,” Calista turned her glare to Lefty. “Grumner, remind me he said that next time he needs rescuing.”
The dwarf grunted a laugh.
“Look, I’ve had about enough here. If you two need to get a room, go somewhere else because we’re no vacancy right now.” Smith then pointed to the mage. “As for you, you’re not going to get out of talking to the captain no matter how poorly and how immature you act. So really, you’re going to have to give it up now because my partner and I have a lodge full of confused refugees right now and you’re just going to have to buck up and get on with whatever Captain Padral has decided is too dangerous for the lot of us. Okay?”
“HA!” Lefty pointed at the guards. “So it is dangerous. I knew it!”
“Well of course it’s dangerous,” Smithey drolled. “Like doofus here said, if it wasn’t, he’d probably just be sending a few of us to do it. So buzz off, alright?”
“Hey, since when did I say you could get away with calling me a doofus?” Smtih asked.
“Since when did I say you could get away with calling me skinny?” Smithey calmly shot back.
“But you are skinny!” Smith shouted.
“And you’re a doofus.”
Smith puffed his chest, “True genius is rarely understood in its own time.”
Smithey’s sarcasm was thick, “The same could be said about stupidity.”
“Like you would know the difference,” Smith shot back.
“That’s what she said,” Smithey said.
With a huff, Smith then straightened his uniform as he addressed the others. “As I was saying, the two of us have important work to do now and so, per the captain’s orders, the rest of you lot need to keep to your positions here until he has time to address you. Now, if you’ll excuse us, we have more hapless victims … I mean adventurers to collect.”