Jeb's Home.
"Are you sure you need this much protection?" The Trap Master asked the Chief as he and several other skirmishers made to accompany him out on another foraging run.
"Normally no. But I was stuck with this last time." The Chief said as he produced the small metal and glass dart and showed it to the Trap Master who looked at it curiously.
"Do you know where it came from?"
"No. But that, along with feral goblins in the area and the possibility of elves as well I would rather be safe than sorry." The Chief stated as he adjusted his poncho and bag.
"Should we not inform Jeb?" The Trap Master asked.
The Chief sighed.
"No. Master Jeb has enough to worry about with adjusting to his new powers, the Den Mother's imminent laying, and what we could expect from the eggs. No, I think my own magic, as costly as it is, and your keen eyes and... what was it the humans call those?"
"Guns."
"Why?"
"I don't know. They also call them rifles. It apparently has something to do with how the long tube is made."
"Humans are so strange. Any way, he has enough to worry about as is right now. But with you and a few of your skirmishers here we should be fine for now." The Chief stated.
The Trap Master couldn't argue, though he was worried about leaving Jeb and the Den Mother here alone. But with the two of them sleeping still, they should return before they awaken, he thought as the small group of gatherers and skirmishers began to head out.
As they entered the sparse forested surrounding Jeb's property they took the chance to acquire some much needed food in the forms of some berries that were safe to eat as well as the odd squirrel or hare that was doing some foraging before winter came.
As the Chief and his gatherers looked and foraged without worry. The Trap Master and his skirmishers kept a constant eye out for any sign of the trouble the Chief had mentioned. Especially the ferals. While they hadn't attacked the cabin, they were starting to be a nuisance for their hunting parties. Then there was talk of elves, though the Trap Master had never heard of any reports of encounters with any nearby. The strange dart was, well, strange. But until they could get a good idea of where or who it came from their top concern at the moment was the feral goblins in the area.
For some time it seemed like this trip would be fairly quiet, the Trap Master thought. Though he would not allow himself to relax regardless. Mushrooms, berries, various plant starts and clippings, mosses and even foraging for insects within rotted logs and under rocks were collected.
All the while the Trap Master kept an eye out. As time went on he didn't feel any more at ease. If anything, the longer it went without something happening the more anxious he got. So far there were no signs of any elves, not even of their sacred deer in the area. Nor of what, or who, was responsible for the strange dart. Not even any signs of the ferals either.
Which made him nervous. Usually they would have encountered small parties during hunting trips. Nothing they and their new rifles couldn't handle with ease. But they had still dealt with SOMETHING! But it was all quiet, and that seemed to worry him even more.
Then he heard it. A twig snapping off in the distance. His head swiveled in the direction it came from, and only just managed to jerk his head to the side enough to avoid a crudely crafted arrow!
"We're under attack!"
As the warning sounded the forest exploded into action as feral goblins began to rush them from the surrounding trees and bushes! The wild-eyed goblins were dressed in poorly tanned hides and crude weapons of clubs and spears. That wasn't what worried the Trap Master or the skirmishers though as they fired shot after shot into the rushing horde of greenskins.
It was the goblins that were riding bobcats! The wild cats were scarred and half-starved, their time under the whip of the feral greenskins have not been kind to them. The goblins kicked, prodded, and whipped the beasts into a charge as they rushed towards the kobolds while wielding crude bows and arrows that broke after a couple haphazard and poorly aimed shots before being discarded in favor of spears and clubs.
The goblins that were on foot were of little concern as they were easily picked off by the skirmishers, but the mounted greenskins proved a difficult challenge as they now had to aim at a fast moving target that bobbed and weaved. Despite their poor health and form, they were still quite quick mounts that leapt and bounded at their cruel masters prodding.
The Chief conjured a shield to keep the beasts at bay, they didn't seem to care for the magic and resisted even their riders commands. Giving the kobolds enough time to target the riders, freeing the poor wild cats from their bondage and either sending the beasts back into the wild or turning on their former masters and tearing them apart as they sought vengeance.
Shot after shot rang out as the brief battle reached its climax as the greenskins soon broke ranks and fled, some still riding upon their poor mounts back to whatever camp they had. Most just ran in whatever direction the kobolds weren't. The skirmishers weren't ones to waste an opportunity to kill more greenskins however and took a bit of sport in targeting the fleeing ferals as they screamed and ran.
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Despite their victory, they weren't without injury. The Chief was winded and a few spots on his scales looked a little raw. Nowhere near what he had looked like for some time after the war with the goblins in the tunnel. A few skirmishers got some scratches from arrows that managed to nic their hide. The foragers were a little rattled and shaken but from the looks of it they had few, if any, injuries.
All in all, a successful battle, the Trap Master thought. Few injuries and no casualties on their part. Of course it was at that moment that the humans dressed in black descended on them.
Nets made of metal cord pinned many of them before they had a moment to even react. Those that weren't netted were quickly knocked unconscious with the butt of their rifles. The Trap Master tried to fight back but was hindered by the strong metal cord of the net he was in. The Chief made to cast a shield spell but was quickly pinned and muzzled with rope.
"Proceeding with collection." One of the humans said out loud.
The kobolds began to panic and fight harder when they could, worried that they were about to be hauled off as slaves or to be executed by the humans! But instead their fates were... stranger. The humans produced empty syringes and took blood samples from the Chief and others, as well as taking painful samples of scales and filing off and collecting bits of horn, claw, and even tooth!
After they had collected enough of the samples, they loaded their collection into a metal cooler and a few of them made their way through the forest and out of sight of the kobolds. The other humans freed the netted kobolds, but made sure to keep their rifles trained on the scaled creatures before they too disappeared into the forest.
The Trap Master rushed to the tired and weakened Chief.
"Are you alright?"
"I am fine. Though I feel a little violated, at least now we have a good idea of where that strange dart came from." The Chief said with a weak chuckle.
The rest of the kobolds weren't much better. Most were skittish and jittery as their eyes darted everywhere, waiting for the next wave of possible attackers to fall upon them. The Trap Master couldn't blame them. Goblins were bad enough, now they had to deal with humans actively coming after them while out during hunts or gathering missions!
The Trap Master retrieved his rifle from the underbrush and checked on the rest of the party that were being roused from their state of unconsciousness before aiding the Chief to his feet and leaned him on his shoulder as the group made haste to return back to the safety of their home. Jeb will not like this one bit, the Trap Master thought.
While their trip back was far less eventful, the entire party was still on edge, either waiting for goblins to spring out as they sensed the kobolds in a weakened state, or for the strange humans to return and collect more than mere samples. The closer they got to home the better they felt, though that did little to calm frayed nerves. As they neared the boundary of their home, the Chief tensed up.
"Something's wrong."
"What? What do you sense?"
"Master Jeb's power is active." The Chief stated as he tried to concentrate to feel for the strange eldritch power Jeb employed.
While he didn't have the sight to see the ethereal ghostly flame that surrounded the area around the cabin, or even the wicker beasts that patrolled the edge. He could feel a sense of alarm and threat about them. Something had happened and they were ready for danger.
"Come, we must hurry!"
The kobolds hurried past the invisible wall, and were met with an immediate sense of calm and safety that was most welcome given their recent bout of ambushes and alarm. The kobolds scattered, some returned to the burrow to deposit their haul of goods, some went down into the basement for warmth and rest.
The Trap Master and the Chief went to the cabin, they needed to inform Jeb and the Den Mother of what had happened and to inquire of what had transpired while they were away. They went through the basement. The smells and sounds of trade only partially interrupted by a sort of hurried frenzy that was going on. Even they could tell something had happened.
The Trap Master and the Chief climbed the stairs up to the cabin and entered to the raised voices of Jeb and Ruby.
"Why did you answer the door on your own?!"
"I thought if they got past the guards and were knocking then they might be a friend! Besides, no one else was here and it is my duty as a leader of this tribe to see to their safety!" Ruby yelled back at Jeb who looked tired, worried, and angry.
"Most of them aren't PREGNANT Ruby! What if it was someone that wanted to harm you and they just snuck past the guards?!" Jeb chided.
"But it wasn't! It was some poor girl that was lost is all." Ruby said sadly as she looked down at the bundle of dark cloth and two sheathed daggers, though her own voice quivered a little at the memory of seeing one of the ones responsible for her tribes almost extinction face-to-face.
"That isn't- Where the hell have you two been?!" Jeb made to continue to argue with Ruby more but stopped when he noticed the Trap Master and the Chief.
"We were out on a mission to forage and hunt, and we ran into some trouble." The Trap Master said.
"You left Ruby here all alone!" Jeb snapped.
"We thought you were here and so she would be fine!" The Trap Master snapped back.
Jeb made to retort back but swallowed whatever it was he was about to say and instead looked frustrated, panicked, angry, and even hurt and embarrassed. He stomped into the kitchen as he looked around in a panicked sort of state. He stopped and stared at the coffee machine and at the missing pot. He snarled and grabbed the machine before roaring and dashing it against the wall in a frustrated fury.
Jeb leaned against the counter with his head in his hands. Ruby set aside the bundle of dark cloth and daggers she held and waddled over to Jeb.
"Jeb? What happened?"
Jeb held back a sniffle.
"Everythin'. Everythin' is goin' wrong."
The Trap Master and Chief walked over and joined Ruby near Jeb.
"What happened?"
Jeb chuckled darkly.
"What hasn't happened today? My girlfriend and the mother of my children could've potentially gotten killed. I got dragged out to a fuckin' madhouse and more than likely made an enemy of my own Ma. You two got ambushed and injured. And now here I am screamin' and yellin' at all three of you. What a fuckin' mess this has all turned into."
Jeb leaned his back against the counter before sliding down and coming to eye level with the three kobold leaders.
"I'm sorry. I should've listened to Ruby and not trusted my Ma. And I shouldn't be yellin' at you two either. Not your fault you got jumped by... whoever it was."
"It was feral goblins, and some humans dressed in black." The Chief stated.
Jeb snorted.
"Great. More problems and more enemies to deal with."
"We were able to beat back the goblins, but the humans managed to capture us." The Trap Master continued.
"How many were lost?!" Ruby asked fearfully.
"That's just it. None. They netted us in this strange metal net, and then they collected our blood, some bits of scales, and a little bit of horn, claw, and tooth. Then they let us go."
"Probably the Feds." Jeb said.
"Who? Are those the people in town?" The Chief asked.
"No. Well, maybe? They work for the government, well, they ARE the government. They might be in town, but the point is now we have yet another issue to deal with. If they're collectin' samples it might not be long before they start tryin' to get live specimens."
The kobolds looked worried at one another, with Ruby cradling her belly ever more protectively.
"So what do we do now?"
"Now? Now YOU will go downstairs and get some rest! I've worried about you enough for one day." Jeb said as he pulled Ruby into a tight hug as he kissed her scaled head repeatedly.
She smiled and chuckled a little.
"Fine. I'm sorry for worrying you."
"And I'm sorry for yellin'. I just... have some things to work out is all. But I'll sort everythin' out soon. Then we won't have to deal with any worryin' or yellin'." Jeb said cryptically.
"And we're here for whatever you do." Ruby said as she kissed Jeb and waddled away with the help of a couple of other kobolds.
The Chief and Trap Master stayed behind and watched the Den Mother as she was escorted away.
"So what is the plan?"
"I'm still workin' on that. I have an idea, but I just need to work out a few things first. In the meantime. There are five... maybe six people that are allowed even near this place from now on. The rest you brain without a second thought!" Jeb commanded.
The kobolds weren't going to argue. After recent events they weren't going to allow just anyone close to their home. Jeb gave them some descriptions of the people allowed up here. Some they knew, like his father Sam, his sister Sammy, Clive and Skeeter. They didn't know who Greg was though or why he didn't want them to shoot Morty, well, shoot and HIT Morty. He said it was fine if they shot AT him though.
They tried to get Jeb to explain what it was he had planned. But he would just say it was a work-in-progress. But once he got it figured out then they would all be safe and might not have to worry about things like a wrathful eldritch god or nosy newcomers potentially coming to exterminate them all.
They all just hoped that they wouldn't have to deal with anyone, or anything, else between now and then.