Somewhere, West Virginia, USA.

After dropping off the sleepy scaly succubus in his bed, Jeb got dressed and went down stairs as he made to leave.

"Master Jeb!"

Jeb turned as he was getting into his truck. He saw the Chief running after him as he hurried to stop him from leaving.

"Master Jeb! If it is not much trouble could I accompany you into the town?"

Jeb almost said yes, before he realized that a almost 4ft bright red lizard walking on two legs and talking would be a bit too much for the townsfolk.

"Well, I-"

Jeb stopped talking when the Chief closed the passenger door. He sighed.

"Fine, but if anyone asks your here for a convention."

"What's a convention?" The Chief asked. Though his question went unanswered as Jeb's truck roared to life. Scaring the red off his scales as he clung to the seat for dear life.

"Ahem!" The Chief looked over at Jeb as he made a motion like crossing over his shoulder. After several failed attempts Jeb just leaned over and buckled him in. He was going to have enough problems without a cop pulling him over.

Grumbling as the Chief and him drove down the dirt road, passing his father and sister's house, that connected his home to the main paved road. There was little traffic as he made his way into town, and into the parking lot of the General Store. Jeb got out and the Chief, shakily, followed.

The door chimed as they entered. Skeeter was watching the counter as usual. Giving a questioning glance at the kobold as he skittishly followed.

"Don't ask."

Skeeter just sniffed and shrugged his shoulders. Jeb made his way around the store to get some things he needed. Roofing tar, some nails, he also needed some cleaner. Checking it all off on a mental checklist as he filled a basket, the Chief following. His skittishness giving way to curiosity as he began to touch and observe most stuff like it was brand new.

Jeb had to put some stuff back as the Chief kept putting random knick-naks into the basket. But other than being a mild annoyance, there wasn't much trouble as Jeb finished getting what he needed and headed to the counter. Putting some kind of obnoxious squeaky toy back along the way.

"This it?" Skeeter asked as he rung Jeb up. The Chief had wandered over to a ice cream chest and was looking through the glass.

"Yup tha-"

"Excuse me folks?" A voice said to them.

Jeb and Skeeter looked down at the voice and noticed a short person was looking up at them.

"What can I do for ya sport?" Skeeter asked as he continued to ring Jeb up.

"I was wonderin' ifin you good folk could point me towards where a Mister Clive is stayin'?" The short man asked.

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"Uh, yeah. He lives about four blocks west of here, reddish brown brick building, door 205." Jeb said as he gave directions to the half-man.

"Mighty thanks lads! Good Afternoon'!" The short man said as he made his way out the store and onto his Shetland Pony.

"Sure it was a good idea to tell him where Clive lives?" Skeeter asked as he rung Jeb up.

He chuckled as he handed Skeeter some cash.

"What? 'Fraid he's in debt to the Lollypop Guild? Think they'll shove sugarcane under his fingernails if he doesn't give what's owed? Break his ankles with candy canes? Or maybe we'll find him sleeping with the Swedish Fish?"

Skeeter just rolled his eyes and gave Jeb his receipt. He went to leave when he noticed the Chief wasn't with him. Though it wasn't hard to figure out when he heard tapping on the glass of the ice cream chest.

Jeb sighed as he set down the tar and opened the lid to the freezer, and pulled out a frosted coldbold.

"Can you please not get into trouble?!"

The frozen Chief just nodded, or Jeb thought he nodded with how much he was shaking. He sighed as he picked up the tar and, chilled lizard in tow, got back into the truck. Jeb threw a blanket on him and told him to rub himself to get warm while he cranked the heater up.

He started to drive back home when the Chief pulled on his sleeve when they stopped at a red light. He turned and the Chief pointed towards the Library.

Sighing Jeb turned around and drove into the Library parking lot.

Him and the Chief, still wrapped in a warm blanket made their way inside.

"So what are we lookin' for?"

"This is where humans store your knowledge correct?" The Chief asked as he gazed in wonder at the shelves and rows of books.

"Well, not so much now-a-days but yeah." Jeb said as he made his way through the Library. Unaware that the kobold had stopped dead and was now staring at the ageing librarian Matty.

His eyes went wide as his forked tongue flicked out towards the woman. He shuffled towards the librarian.

"Ar-are you truly one of the Masters?"

Matty sneered as she watched the little kobold practically trip over himself.

"Figures one of my kin wouldn't come themselves! Which one of my siblings sent you pathetic wretch!?"

The Chief recoiled from the venom in her words.

"We served the Dread Dragon, Mistress!"

Matty's face lit up. Her brother was thick as a mountain but as strong as one too! If he could come over then she wouldn't need to worry about that monster in the mountains!

"Kortaza?! Is he here already?"

The Chief just shuffled as he refused to look up at the librarian.

"No, Mistress. He is not."

She just huffed indignantly.

"Well then where is he whelp?!"

The Chief struggled to speak under the intense glare of the librarian.

"Dead, Mistress. The Master is dead."

Matty's fiery glare froze solid at those words. He was among the strongest of her kin, if he was dead then who knows how many of her family was still alive!

"Psst! Come on!" Jeb hissed at the Chief as he waved him over.

The Chief just looked between the librarian and Jeb. Matty glared over at Jeb when his focus was away. Then she got a smile and handed the Chief a piece of paper.

"Give this to that thing your with!"

The Chief looked at the paper, it had a rune on it that radiated with power!

"But wh-"

"Go you little worm!" She snapped and the Chief hurried away.

Jeb looked between Matty and the Chief.

"The hell was that about?"

The Chief just glanced over at Matty. A stern glare was all it took.

"Nothing. Uhm, here."

The Chief held out the paper for Jeb to take. Jeb took the paper and looked at it. Before dropping it with a yelp.

"Are you alright?!"

"Yeah, damn paper cut!" Jeb said as he sucked a spot on his hand.

The Chief looked down at the paper, and noticed the rune was gone from it! As he went to pick it up though it vanished in a flash of gold light. The same light as the portal that brought them here, and the same light as the ball that lead them to Jeb!

He looked towards Matty, a cruel grin on her face as she watched. With a jerk of her head she dismissed the Chief from her, short, service.

"Hey, where'd that paper go?" Jeb asked as he shook his hand.

"I'm, not sure. Um, lets just go." The Chief said as he made his way out of the dragon's lair.

"Weren't you prob'bly goin' to look for somthin' on dragons?" Jeb asked as he followed.

The Chief threw a quick glance towards Matty.

"I think I found out what I needed."

Shrugging his shoulders, and still shaking his hand from the "paper cut" Jeb and the shaken Chief returned home. As they pulled in however, the Trap Master ran up to them.

"We have a problem!"

Jeb and the Chief got out.

"What's wrong?"

"Goblins have broken through one of the tunnels!" The Trap Master said as he led them around back.

"Wait, goblins? Like short, ugly, green little bastards?" Jeb said as he followed them towards the burrows.

"Yes, you've met them before?" The Trap Master asked as they stopped near the entrance.

"No, only in my-" Jeb stopped, he was technically bunking with creatures that shouldn't exist so why wouldn't the pests of fantasy be here to?

"Just stories is all." Jeb said.

"Well, normally. We wouldn't have to worry about them. Once they learn of us they run, too afraid of our Master to stick around. But they're not leaving, and we don't have a dragon to burn them out." The Trap Master said, unaware of the conflicted look on the Chief's face.

"Well, its a good thing you have a 21st century human on your side then!" Jeb said.

"No offence, but how exactly can you, a lone human, help drive away goblins?" The Trap Master asked with a somewhat condescending tone.

Jeb's only response was a wicked smile that chilled them to the bone.