[Sticks]

Enter the dryad

The Story so far….

So here I am.
Acting as a Cyber Devil's Advocate at law to a broad on a game show called Big Brother 3 which is about as popular as a surprise snow blizzard at a nudist colony.

Why

One the paying client is one mean troglodyte from the Mystical realms, raising dosh to take over some law and order franchise from the even meaner Lord Low Troll, One crosses neither of these dudes and lives. Usually. I had a run in with the Lord Low Troll, which takes me to two, he has my former client, The Spirit of True Love locked away for getting some couple called Helen and Paul together on a game show called Big Brother 2.

It had been a nice day walking through Central Park. The past week had seen my client out of the line of fire as two others faced the bullet, one a good looking dame and the other a guy who was one of the lads. I had even indulged in supporting the dame, as the guy took the fall.

I became aware of two large figures behind me.

"Mr Traxor ?" I asked
"Keep walking" came the gruff voice of his henchman Marco.
As I kept walking through the park I looked up at the birds in the blue sky wondering if this would be how it would end. Marco seemed very cross. Not a quality you want in a seven foot troglodyte.
"I see ya campaigned for another dame called Kate" Traxor said with his usual air of menace
"Jade was not up for eviction I did not think there would be a problem" I said nervously
"Your supposed to be working for Jade" Marco Grunted
"Ya did right kid" Traxor said butting in on Marco
"But boss" Marco insisted.
I stopped at the lake and took out the bread I was due to feed the ducks. I so wanted to turn and face the paymaster I was reluctantly working for.

Traxor went on "Dat PJ guy, he took advantage of my Jade and dumped her. I feel like sending the boys round to see if he can swim with half a ton of lead, if you get my drift"

I froze, I had seen Marco shoot dead a troll from the elite body guard of the Lord Low Troll, but to murder a human from our world. "Would that be wise ?" I asked

"Relax, I have other fish to fry as you humans put it. I understand that it looks like my Jade will be up again dis week. I want her through to the final four, Kapish"
"I will do what I can but success depends who she is up against " I replied
"I really would be disappointed" Traxor Growled, "if my Jade got the boot on Friday. I have quite a package depending on her reaching the final 4"
"But she can't win this Big Brother, she is too unpopular".
I felt his fowl smelling breath as he leaned over and whispered in my ear "Do you really think failure is an option. I will make my mooler, I will take over from that stinkin piece of garbage that calls himself the Lord Low Troll. I don't take to kindly to failures. Kapish"
All I could mumble was "I will do what I can"
"See that you do" he growled.

I could feel behind me the charge in the atmosphere as a dimension door opened and the troglodytes vanished back to their mystical realms. I looked for a bench by the lake, as I felt sick at the thought that I had been hired by what could be an even more murderous entity than that creep the Lord Low Troll.

I had been siting there for about half an hour when a sharp point was pressed against my neck.
"So you are up to your old tricks again." Said the entity in a shrill feminine voice.
"What do you mean " I asked in all innocence
"No games Mr Stickings We know you are on Traxor's pay roll"

The entity sat down next to me, still with what felt like the point of a crossbow bolt at my neck"
I glanced round at the figure, it looked like a fairly tall dame, but I recognised what she was instantly. She was a dryad, a tree spirit often mistaken for elves.

"You’re a long way from your tree. I did not realise dryads worked for the Lord Low Troll"
"We do not" She hissed as she lightly stabbed me with the cross bow bolt "Work for the Lord Low Troll"
"You sound like that to me dryad"
"I work for the court of minor deities in the special investigation bureau, investigating the activities of one Traxor leader of the Troglodytes "
"If you want to get him for interfering with mortals fine, but you know you can't touch me for that" I told the dryad
"We can for conspiracy to commit High Treason"
Huh! ?" I interjected "He only wants to get the law and order franchise " I ventured
"And we all thought that Jade of yours was stupid"
"He is just engaging in some betting scam to raise campaign funds" I insisted
"So" added the dryad "How do you think Traxor will ship his winnings, Go to a Bureau de change and exchange it for mystical realms gold pieces ?

I kept silent as I watched the sun begin to set over the lake

"Last week we found an elite member of the Lord Low Troll's body guard, dead with a bullet hole in him. Now in our realm when we want to rub someone out we use swords or sorcery, not guns. In fact we do not have guns in the mystical realms, they're part of your world"

I remained silent

"We suspect Traxor is obtaining guns for use on our plane, and we will get him. If you help him you could be responsible for assisting in starting a civil war, and I we will not allow that"

The Dryad looked at the setting sun "We will stop him, even if we have to bring our guys in to your world to stop him, are you sure you want to work for him. It would not be too healthy" with that she vanished into a nearby tree.

I could only sit there and look at the sun go down and reflect on this dilemma

Traxor wanted a result and could rub me out if his Jade did not win a public vote
If I helped him, I could be helping a gun runner into committing a bloodbath in another dimension, or they could bring their war to our world, and the other side would come after me.

Things were looking bad
Really bad

Why could these entities not leave us alone.