Trout's Landing.
"This everythin'?" Jeb asked as he looked over the five beginning crates for their deal with the dwarves.
"It is. Where are you dropping it off at?" The Trap Master asked.
"Well... I'm not sure actually. We didn't really discuss a pick-up point. Probably should figure that out when I drop these off." Jeb stated while gesturing to the crates of foodstuffs that the kobolds and him had thrown together last minute.
Fish, game, and produce. No candy though. Their loss, Jeb thought as he popped a pitch black candy ball the size of a marble into his mouth as he tallied out what all had been gathered.
"Hmm, earwax. That's a new flavor."
He spat out the small flavored ball into the nearby river and took a swig of shine to wash out the taste of diesel. At least it still worked as mouthwash, Jeb thought as he swished the clear liquor in his mouth. Then he swallowed. Then he spoke.
"Shouldn't be too long though. You'll be alright?"
"Yes Jeb, we'll be fine." The Trap Master stated with an eye-roll.
"Alright, just makin' sure." Jeb said and grabbed one of the crates of foodstuffs.
"Be back in a bit!" Jeb called out and vanished.
-----
West Virginian Wilderness.
Dougie slid to a halt and stood still as his perception of where Jeb was had drastically changed! He was this way, but now he was back that way! Which way should he go, Dougie thought as the poor eldritch hound whined and shuffled in confusion as to what he should do now. Should he go to where Jeb WAS or where Jeb IS?
Then he perked up when he felt Jeb return to where he was originally! So with an eerie howl that echoed through his part of the wilderness, Dougie dashed to where he could sense him! Only to stop not long after as Jeb once more seemed to go somewhere else!
Dougie shuffled and stamped in frustration, confusion, and worry. Was Jeb alright? Was something happening? Where should he go, Dougie thought as he struggled to determine which way for him to run towards!
Then his worm-like head perked up once more as the sense of where Jeb was returned to its original position!
Only to stop again when it changed back!
Dougie howled in frustration and confusion and started to scratch his chitinous hide against a nearby tree to comfort himself. Which way was he supposed to go to be with Master Jeb, he thought with a whine.
Then he felt his presence return.
Dougie waited. His hair-like feelers twitching in anticipation of it moving once again. But he could feel Master Jeb's presence remain this time! So Dougie gave a hopeful howl and dug his claws deep into the dirt and propelled himself towards Master Jeb!
-----
"Are you alright?" The Trap Master asked Jeb who leaned himself against the last two crates.
Jeb heaved and waved away the kobold's concern.
"Yeah. Just need a second. Had to dodge a loader that last time."
"A what?"
"Large truck used to haul rocks around. Damn near took my head off!" Jeb stated.
"So what now?"
"Now, I'm gonna take both of these cause I don't think I can do this four more times." Jeb replied.
The Trap Master rolled his eyes as he watched Jeb pant and stop himself from passing out.
"Alright! I'm off!"
Jeb put his hands on the sides of the two crates and mentally pictured the inside of the manager's office this time, as well as prepared to keep his lunch down. Without a single sound, Jeb had vanished along with the two crates.
The Trap Master rolled his eyes and turned to resume his duties. Then his head snapped towards a sound of crashing coming from the woods! Before he could call out a warning of an attack, some sort of monster rushed out of the brush with a crash!
It was bigger than a kobold was, the Trap Master thought as he unslung his rifle and pointed it towards the strange beast. Only to be thrown aside as said beast knocked him down and ran past him! The Trap Master grunted and turned to the beast, only to find it seeming to sniff the spot Jeb was moments ago, its hair-like feelers twitching as it did so.
Then a shot rang out and the creature whined and slid back a couple feet with a dent in a chitinous plate on its shoulder. The beast and the Trap Master turned their sights to the ones who fired the shot in the first place. It was the kobold snipers on the other side of the river, hiding out in the little space they've been able to excavate for themselves. The creature turned its multitude of beady black eyes on the offending kobolds, gave a earth shaking roar, and then charged.
-----
Ulrin Mercantile Hub.
"Woah! That's! It!" Jeb panted as he sat into a nearby chair.
The dwarf across from him, who appeared to be a younger Ulrin with not quite as magnificent a beard, just stared confused at Jeb.
"Uhm, can I help you?"
"Huh? Oh, sorry. I'm just droppin' off supplies." Jeb panted.
"Right. But why here?" The dwarf asked.
"Well, I'm not sure really. Didn't really hash out a pick-up point for this stuff." Jeb replied as the dwarf got out of his chair and moved to where five crates now piled nearby.
He lifted the loose lid, more to keep the weather out than actual storage, the dwarf thought as he peered into the crates to find an assortment of foodstuffs. Fish, game, some strange looking produce.
"And what's this fer?"
"Huh? Oh, we have a trade goin'. Me and Ulrin." Jeb replied.
"Mah Da? What is tha trade?" The dwarf asked as he shifted through the wares.
"Food for tools." Jeb stated simply.
The dwarf barked out a laugh.
"Mah Da would never trade dwarven tools fer so such few food!"
"Well, this is half. The other half and your end of the deal isn't until the END of the week." Jeb said.
The dwarf cocked a brow at Jeb as if he wasn't sure he was telling the truth. He then went over towards the door and pulled it open.
"ADRIA!!!"
A small gnomish woman appeared as if from thin air, Jeb remarked as he saw the woman. Her eyes were bugged from the large glasses she wore atop her bulbous knob nose. On her back was so much gear that she wouldn't look out of place on the side of a road hitchhiking!
"Did mah Da have business with..." The dwarf turned towards Jeb.
"Jebadiah Jefferson." Jeb stated.
"Alwin, Son o' Ulrin." The dwarf declared with a bow before returning his gaze to the small gnomish woman.
You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.
She muttered something as she shoved a ink-stained hand into her large assortment of packs. Causing it to jingle and jangle as she pulled out papers and papers covered in Runic Script. Jeb sighed and leaned his head back as he and Alwin both waited for Adria to dig out the paperwork.
-----
Dougie bounded across the lodge, his claws digging up the grass, dirt, and fallen leaves as he rushed towards those that attacked him in his search for Master Jeb! Maybe they had something to do with him not being here anymore, he thought as a rattled growl rumbled from his throat at the thought!
More shots began to ring out as Dougie ran. The thick chitinous plates on his back causing more than a few to ricochet and doing little more than knock Dougie slightly off his feet. But he kept going.
The kobolds turned their barrels towards the edge of the river, expecting the strange beast to stop at the water. Only to suck in fearful breaths when the creature barreled through a group of salamanders, jumped from the sandy bank of the river, and leapt across it!
It didn't even try to cross the pier, it just jumped from the shore, the Trap Master thought as he reloaded his rifle as quick as he could pausing only long enough to watch the beast dig its thick claws into the stone and began to quickly climb after the kobolds in their rocky alcove!
The kobolds, fearful but eager to flee, grabbed their rifles and jumped onto the zip-line. Using their metal rifle barrels to slide away from the beast as it swiped a claw in their direction when it neared their nest! They started to breath a sigh of relief, when they heard a snap and felt the zip-line jerk, and the kobolds felt weightlessness as they discarded their rifles in favor of the line!
The Trap Master watched as the creature shot some sort of whip from its mouth and cut the zip-line. He also watched with wide-eyes as the kobolds grabbed onto the zip-line like their lives depended on it, which it very well did. They warbled cries of alarm as their path led them to collide with the trunk of the sycamore tree!
"Are you alright?!" The Trap Master called as he lined his sights up to where the creature was.
He fired off a shot that hit nothing but stone as the creature pushed itself from its holding on the cliff face and sailed through the air towards him! He fired shot after shot as the creature got closer! He was forced to rolled away as the creature meteored into the spot where he was! Sending dirt and debris up into the air and blocking the kobolds' vision.
The Trap Master coughed and tried to blink away the dirt and atomized leave litter in order to see his enemy! Then he felt something on his shoulder and peered a watery eye towards where the crow roosted.
"Block."
The Trap Master had barely a second to register what the daffy bird meant by that when he held his rifle up, blocking something that had the power to send him onto his back! Before he could get up he peeked an eye open and moved his head to the right as something shot into the dirt where his head was a second ago! Then to the left! He growled and pushed his rifle up and out and heard a yelp of surprise for his trouble.
He rolled away and made to bring his rifle up again when he finally cleared his vision just in time to see a long, thin, black, and barbed tongue dart towards him! The Trap Master made to block once again, only to find the tongue wrapping itself around his rifle and pulled it from his claws!
The Trap Master fell forwards and watched as his rifle was snapped into the creature's circular maw! Metal rent and wood snapped as the beast chomped down on the weapon. It crunched away at it for a minute before turning its multitude of beady black eyes towards the Trap Master.
Then it started stalking towards him.
-----
"Here we are!" Adria said as she produced a piece of parchment.
"Finally." Jeb muttered as he stretched.
Alwin took the paper from the gnomish woman and read over it. Mumbling something as he did so only to stop. He squinted and cast his eyes towards Jeb and then back at the paper.
"Foodstuffs fer tools?"
"Yup."
The dwarf grunted in a surprised tone.
"Very well. However, we should probably determine a proper pick-up location so as to avoid... this."
"Alright. Anywhere specific?"
Alwin hummed in thought for a long moment before turning towards Jeb.
"What about tha spot where your friend dropped you off at? Further up tha rails?"
"Sure. Sounds good to me." Jeb replied as he got up and made ready to leave.
"Hold on. We gotta get tha clerical work sorted." Alwin replied and gestured to Adria as she scribbled and scratched down everything.
"What else is there to figure out? I drop off the food and pick up tools." Jeb asked.
"How heavy are the ingredients, how much is exactly being delivered, what is their condition, what is the nature of the produce and game offered-" The Gnomish Busybody started listing off.
Jeb groaned into his hands. He hated paperwork.
-----
Dougie stalked towards where the lizard now laid. He would make them pay for hurting him and Master Jeb, he thought as he dug his claws into the ground with every step he took towards his prey with a rumbling growl in his throat. He could tell the other lizards were getting ready to confront him and so he had to be quick.
He brought his tongue out. Thick drool dripped from the sharp barbs and the jagged teeth in his mouth as he made to skewer the lizard that shot at him!
Only to suck it back in and perk up. He perked up as he smelled something. Something that smelled like Master, Dougie thought excitedly! He turned his head towards a hole in the ground near the base of the sycamore tree.
What is Master doing down there, Dougie thought curiously as he bounded over to the hole and stuck his worm-like head down into it.
Down below, Ruby was huddled near her eggs with her staff at the ready to protect them! She didn't know what was attacking, but if it had gotten this close to the heart of the tribe, then either Jeb was away or-
She shook her head. Jeb wasn't dead. He was probably just away somewhere. She hoped. She yelped when she heard something digging further down the tunnel to their home! She glanced between the tunnel, where she knew some of the tribe dwelled and did their work, and towards her eggs. Either she remained here and protected her eggs at the expense of the rest of the tribe, or she left her eggs near defenseless.
She gripped her staff tighter as she fought what to do in this situation!
Meanwhile, Dougie was digging away at the tunnel that led deeper into the ground. His head jerking as he sniffed and dug. Why was Master down here, and how did he get down here, Dougie thought as he kept digging away. The lizards almost completely forgotten as the eldritch dog dug away in search for what he thought was his master.
His claws making short work of the soft damp earth as he dug and dug, turning the narrow tunnel into more of a large hole as he finally poked his head into a large chamber and saw more lizards down below. He sniffed and shifted his head as he searched for where Jeb was down in the burrows.
He turned his head and saw one of the lizards standing between him and a branching tunnel holding a staff towards Dougie threateningly. Dougie cocked his head as he sniffed, he could smell Master Jeb towards where the lizard was standing, or past it, he wasn't too sure.
Then he felt something grip his back legs, and PULL! He was sucked from the ground and found himself spinning in the air for a moment before being flung away! His body broke through glass and wood as he found himself finally landing.
Dougie groaned and whine where he laid. He shook his head and rolled himself off his side and bed of splinters and glass. He shook himself and turned towards what had grabbed and thrown him. His beady eyes went as wide as they were able when he saw what, or more importantly 'who'!
Master?!
-----
"Guess it's my turn to ask you if you're alright?" Jeb asked the Trap Master as he helped the scarred kobolds up from the ground.
"Not as well as I would've liked. We relied on traps in the past for a reason. These guns, as useful as they are, would work better if we had traps to slow, hinder, or even outright stop enemies."
"So why haven't you?" Jeb replied as he kept his eyes on the admin building where he flung the creature.
The Trap Master sighed.
"Part of it was the cold. Setting up snares is one thing but to construct traps for larger enemies? Alot harder to do or replace when it's cold. The other part is we've been complacent with our new weapons more than even I thought we would be."
"Well, when this is over. We'll go over how to get the best outta it all." Jeb replied and started marching towards the hole of destruction.
The creature got up and turned towards him. Kinda ugly, Jeb thought as he saw the beast. Though it kinda reminded him of a pug or pekinese. So ugly they're cute? He wasn't sure but something about this thing scratched an old memory of his that he couldn't quite place.
Jeb got lost in thought long enough that the beast managed to bound out of the destruction and lunge for him! He cursed and flung his arms up in defense. The beast collided with him and sent the both of them towards the ground with a huff. Jeb peered past his arms up at the worm-like dog thing. The memory of his getting itchier and itchier as he did so.
"What the hell?" Jeb muttered as he watched the beast begin to heave and heave.
"NONONONONONONO-"
Hurgh!
A half digested squirrel was vomited up and onto Jeb's shirt.
"Damnit Dougie! That's one of my last shirts!"
Then Jeb paused as he realized what he just said. He moved aside his arms and peered at the creature that had yet to actually attack him. Aside from running into him and regurgitating onto him that is. The ugly-cute thing panted and shook what looked like a tail as it watched him from so many beady black eyes that seemed to blend into its dark chitinous hide.
"Dougie?" Jeb muttered as memories past began to come back to him.
Dougie roared so loud it made his ears ring a little before snapping up the halt-eaten squirrel and hopping off Jeb and running in a circle before jumping back onto his chest and started running his long, thin, black barbed tongue over his face! Jeb groaned as he tried to get free from the eldritch dog that lathered him in thick wormhound saliva.
"Jeb? Do you know this... thing?" The Trap Master asked as he and the other skirmishers and a pack of salamanders drew near.
Before Jeb could answer, Dougie ceased his licking and turned towards the kobolds and began to growl. The wormhound shrunk though when Jeb chided him.
"Dougie no! Friends!"
Dougie looked between Jeb and the kobolds before growling and shuffling back towards Jeb, his gaze never leaving the kobolds' before sitting roughly onto Jeb's chest. Jeb groaned.
"So. I should probably explain shouldn't I?"
"That would be best Master Jeb." The Chief replied as more and more of the tribe came out as the excitement seemed to come to an end.
"So this bufugly thing, is my dog. Dougie." Jeb said and gestured to the wormhound as it panted, sending thick strands of drool stringing down towards the ground.
The kobolds just stared at the strange eldritch dog. Jeb, sensing more was needed, continued.
"This was, or is, my first dog I ever had. He was, is, a gift from my Ma when I was lil. But my Pa didn't much care for him and sent him away, at the time I didn't know why but seein' him now I can see why he might think the way he did."
"So?" Ruby asked as she poked her head up from the large hole.
"So. He's my dog. Not sure where he came from or where he's been but it's him alright."
"How do you know that 'that' is him?"
"Dougie. Sit." Jeb commanded, causing Dougie to lay his full weight down on Jeb, causing him to grunt from the weight.
"See?"
"But that is not sitting."
"Nope. It ain't. Dougie, for some reason, got the two mixed up. So Sit is Lay Down and Lay Down is Sit. Never knew why. He'd also bring me dead animals that he caught when he would go out. Mainly squirrels."
At the mention of the furred rodent, Dougie's head shot up and his beady eyes glanced around. Jeb smiled.
"Where's the squirrel Dougie?!"
Dougie got up off Jeb and shuffled in place. He turned towards Jeb as he moved from laying to a sitting position and pointed off towards the woods.
"Go find the squirrel!"
Dougie jumped and ran towards the direction Jeb had pointed in. Leaving Jeb and the 'bolds to watch as the wormhound darted back into the woods in search of its furred prey. Jeb turned towards the others as he tried to wipe slobber off his face.
"Is everyone alright?"
The Trap Master snorted.
"More or less. No-one was killed. Fortunately."
Jeb turned his head towards the path of destruction Dougie had caused from his arrival. Deep gouges in the dirt from where he ran. Holes in the stone across the river! A small crater nearby. He didn't recall Dougie being this... destructive. Then again, alot of big dogs end up being clumsy balls of love.
Jeb then looked at some of the kobolds limping.
"What happened?"
"We tried to run from that... thing. It snapped the zip-line while we were fleeing and we collided with the tree." One of the skirmishers answered.
"Right, there should be somethin' to help you lot out somewhere 'round here." Jeb replied and tried to recall if any of their medical supplies were even still good.
The stuff from his medicine cabinet should still be good. But he wasn't sure if any of it would even be safe for them to take. Other than that, the best he could do is go in search of something local. He really wished he could just conjure stuff like that. That and shirts, he thought as he looked down at yet another soiled shirt with a sigh.
"Alright. Traps. Medicine. Tools. Anythin' else?"
"How did your time with the dwarves fare?" The Chief asked.
"Alright. Dealt with someone else along with his secretary. But we discussed the finer points of our trade deal. Like where and when exactly to drop and pick-up stuff." Jeb replied as Dougie came bounding back into the lodge.
The kobolds all tensed at the sight of the eldritch dog, who promptly ignored them and ran towards Jeb. He planted his front claws onto Jeb's chest before vomiting up a far more intact squirrel than previously given. Jeb had a half grimace half smile as he patted Dougie on the plated shoulder.
"Good boy."
The wormhound ate up the squirrel when one of its little paws twitched before Dougie decided Jeb's chest was a good place to lay down on. He flopped forwards, putting his panting worm-maw directly in Jeb's face. Sending hot, humid, and gross breath right into his face.
"We'll go over everythin' later."
The kobolds muttered and dispersed when it appeared that the beast had been 'pacified'. The Trap Master rolled his eyes and went to get a replacement rifle while the Chief produced his little notebook and made some sketches of Dougie before departing as well. Leaving Ruby to shuffle nearby.
"Are you alright Jeb?"
Jeb looked over at Ruby.
"Yeah. Fine. Just got a hundred pound dog with dead squirrel breath layin' on me is all."
Ruby shuffled closer.
"Is he friendly?"
"Oh yeah. He's a big ol' ball of friend. Right bud?" Jeb said and patted Dougie before wiping the viscous oil onto the nearby grass.
Ruby shuffled closer. Then a little closer. It wasn't until she was right next to Jeb that Dougie's panting ceased and his beady black eyes turned towards her and he gave a low growl. Jeb smacked his shoulder.
"Dougie stop that! She's kin!"
"He's just bein' protective." Jeb replied and took one of Ruby's claws and guided it towards Dougie.
"Wait, what?!" Ruby said in alarm as she now found her claw touching the oily chitinous hide.
Dougie stared at her and remained still for a tense moment. Then promptly went back to panting into Jeb's face.
"See? Friends!"
Ruby wasn't sure she would ever call the wormhound a 'friend' but at least it was friendly. Mostly, she thought as she looked around at the destruction this one creature had caused in its brief time here at the lodge.