Episode II – A question of betrayal
Sometimes you think you know someone, and then you find out something about them that they had kept secret.
How does that affect the relationship then?
Meetal the loyal kobold servant of the Lord Low Troll, who was believed to have been killed in the civil war, has been sent by his master to Earth, now under occupation by the forces of Brameana, the Lady High Troll. He has landed in Washington DC looking for the man his master has sent him to find, only to have his arrival picked up by something called sky guard. Although he escaped the drow sent to investigate, he has run into two men and one of the sworn enemies of all kobolds, a gnome.
Not only has he been captured, but Meetal has been recognised by the gnome as the lackey of the Lord Low Troll during his reign of terror and accused of working for The Lady High Troll, the daughter of his master
+ + +
“Daughter?” Meetal spluttered
“Aye” The gnome sneered, “you worked for her late and unlamented father and now you are working for her”
Meetal shook his head and repeated the word “no”
“Oh so you are going to try and sell your services to her then?” the Gnome replied, “just like you did with her father”
“No Meetal” whined.
“Liar” The gnome answered back and pulled out a small tube that spits death and got it ready to work it’s deadly work
“Er Taval” one of the men interjected, “Remember what the Voice of Hope said”
“He’s a spoil sport” the gnome sneered and continued to point the weapon at Meetal
“Maybe” the man replied, “But he has given strict instructions we are not to kill except in extreme circumstances”
“But this is the stinking kobold that helped prop up one of the worst tyrants on our world” the gnome objected, “and knowing him he is probably working for that dead troll’s daughter”
“I’m not” protested Meetal, “And he never had a daughter” Meetal added, “My master had a son, not a daughter”
“Oh please” the gnome went on, “Please don’t feign ignorance on me, how can you not know that the Lady high Troll is the daughter of the late Lord Low Troll. That was why she nuked that city in England, because someone from there made her dear daddy look bad”
Meetal looked perplexed,
If she was his daughter, why had his master not mentioned this? Could that be that why he kept calling her by her name instead of her adopted title? No she can’t be his daughter, Master would have said
“It looks like he doesn’t know” the man chipped in.
The gnome looked at the man who had spoken with disdain and put his weapon away after making it safe. “Ok” the gnome said grudgingly, “We’ll take him prisoner see if we can get the truth from him back at our base”
“Can’t you just use that ESP mojo?” asked the other human.
“I’m not telepathic you fool, and besides kobolds are immune to that anyway. That was why the Lord Low Troll used them”
The two men grabbed a shocked and confused Meetal and carried him round another ruined building to a grey horseless carriage.
Meetal’s arm’s were then tied behind his back with some kind of material he had never seen before. It was definitely no rope he had ever seen. They were in flat strips with a sharp point at one end and some kind of buckle at the other and made a clicking sound when they tightened it, and it bit into his wrists.
“Bind his eyes” the gnome insisted, “We don’t want this kobold scum seeing where our resistance cell is located”
At this one of the men found a rag from inside the horseless carriage and blindfolded Meetal as he was bundled into the horseless carriage.
Meetal was beside himself with confusion as to what to do.
Gnomes hated kobolds and kobolds hated gnomes as a general rule, so even if Meetal told the truth, this gnome would refuse to believe it. But how can he tell the full truth, if this gnome knew his master was alive and where he was living,
assuming that Sky Guard thing had not tracked him down already, they would not listen, they would send a mob to kill his master just because his master when he was in power did what needed to be done.
But if Meetal tried to keep quiet, no doubt they would torture him, and Meetal hated pain. This was a terrible quandary. If these individuals were against the Lady High Troll like him, they might never believe he was on the same side as them.
Then there was the other matter, why were they insisting that the Lady High Troll was the daughter of his master? Was it not well known that his master only ever had one child, a son by a troll concubine courtesy of the Delethon clan? But then why did his master keep using her birth name and not her title?
As Meetal lay in the horseless carriage he heard the gnome recite an incantation. Meetal could just about follow the elvish language, it was an invisibility spell.
Then the horseless carriage started to move, to where Meetal could not tell. After a while he heard shouts from others and claims from the gnome that they had captured a notorious war criminal from the civil war and suspected collaborator with the new regime occupying the Realm of Mortals, except they called it Earth.
Earth what a dull name for a world?
Why name a world after what you find in the ground? That did not make sense to Meetal.
Then the doors of the horseless carriage were opened and Meetal was dragged from it and taken into some building.
He felt a knife cut the material binding his hands and then he was forced to the ground while they removed his tiny back pack with the items. Then they removed his cloak and all other clothing he was wearing. Not once did they allow him to remove the blindfold. Then they got some proper rope and tied it around both his wrists so he was hanging against a wall, just barely able to stand.
They left Meetal like that for what seemed like ages, and then Meetal heard footsteps approaching him; they were those of the gnome.
Meetal felt the sharp point of a blade against his chest.
“I should run you through right now kobold scum” the gnome growled.
Meetal held his tongue. With such hatred between the two races, it would be pointless arguing and if he opened his mouth, he might loose his tongue.
“You are working for the Lady High Troll” the gnome accused Meetal, “Why don’t you confess right here and now”.
Meetal shook his head, only to feel the gnome’s right hook on the left side of his face.
“Liar” shouted the gnome, “You are a collaborator, like all kobold scum” the gnome added.
“Please Sire I am not” Meetal whispered, in pain from the beating by the gnome.
“Don’t give me that” the gnome retorted, “You collaborated with that other monster” and thenthe gnome hit Meetal again with his other fist on the other side of Meetal’s head.
Meetal then felt the cold blade of the gnome’s knife against his throat.
“It doesn’t matter kobold scum, I’ll say you confessed to being a spy for the Lady High Troll anyway and so I slit your throat” the gnome growled, “It’s more than you deserve kobold scum” the gnome then added with venom, “Because it will be too quick”.
Meetal heard a door open and the gnome turn away, “What is it now?” the gnome asked in an irritated manner, “I’m interrogating this traitor”
“I can tell” said what Meetal thought sounded like an elvish voice.
“And what’s that supposed to mean?” The gnome asked
“From the bleeding of the kobold’s jaw I cane see he gave you answers you did not like”
“Just let me get on with my job” The gnome insisted, “I’ll get a confession out of him and what he is doing for that Lady High Troll and then I will give him his just desserts”
“Oh really” The voice sounding like an elf replied, “Some interrogation, from where I am standing it looks more like you are allowing tribal issues to get the better of you”
“And why not” The gnome retorted, “Kobolds are scum, period and they have no right to live and this kobold is the worst of them all. Do you not know how many were tortured and killed because this particular kobold collaborated with the second worst troll in history?”
“Second worst troll?” The elf voice queried
“Well now I count the Lady High Troll as worse than her father” The gnome replied, “At least he was not guilty of the mass slaughter of humans like she is. Look at this city and the others she attacked.”
“Ok Taval, maybe she is worse than that other tyrant, but what proof do we have that he is working for her?”
“He’s a kobold” the gnome retorted
“That is not really proof is it” the elf voice countered.
“He still deserves to die for what he did under her father’s reign” the gnome insisted. “Just let me slit his throat and be done with it, I want to watch that scum die for what he did”
“And that Taval”, the elf voice replied, “Is why I am taking over the interrogation”
“What!” Screamed the gnome, “No way, he’s my collar and I want him dead now”
“Step one foot towards him Taval and you will step no further towards him. And sheave your knife now”
“This is not fair” the gnome shouted, “The Lady High Troll’s father had my brother executed because he questioned the taxes he imposed”
“I will be interrogating the kobold” the elfish voice insisted impassively
“And we all know that” the gnome began to say before the elf voice interrupted.
“Silence, you have your orders from the Voice of Hope”
“And that’s another thing” the Gnome went on, “How do we know this Voice of Hope is not a collaborator, telling us to tone down our resistance”
“GO” the elf voice insisted.
Meetal heard the door slam as the gnome left muttering to himself.
“Now you are here” the elfish voice then said, speaking to Meetal, “I see no need of this”
Suddenly the blindfold left Meetal.
As Meetal’s vision returned, he was able to see it was an elf standing before him.
“So it’s Meetal isn’t it”
Meetal nodded and then quietly pleaded, “Please Mr Elf I am not working for the Lady High Troll”
“And why should we believe you?” the elf asked, “If the gnome is right you did work for a blood thirsty tyrant”
“And so did the elves?” Meetal whispered before he could stop himself.
The elf walked right up to Meetal, “We worked with the trolls and the troll council”
“Who was lead by my master” Meetal replied
The elf walked away and then turned back to Meetal, “True, but the Elf High Council strongly objected to some of the Lord Low Trolls excesses”
“Just words” Meetal replied, “You never actually did anything, that was why master tolerated you”
“Perhaps” The elf conceded, “But we were not in your league if our gnome is right. You helped prop up a most dictatorial regime that reigned over The Mystical Realms”
“We were not as bad as that wretched Lady High Troll” Meetal countered.
The elf sighed, “Well at least the Lord Low Troll did give devotion to the one principal we shared, that his daughter has not”
“The Sacred Law” Meetal continued
“Indeed” The elf replied, “Meetal of Jarran, I can see you are just a pathetic little creature like many hangers on in the days of the Lord Low Troll, I see no need of those”
Suddenly the rope ends came off from Meetal’s hands and he collapsed on the floor, however before he could get up he was surrounded by a force bubble created by the elf.
“This is a little creation of my own” The elf remarked, “It prevents the air getting in. If you want to breathe, we will need to have satisfactory answers”
“You won’t believe me, so why did you not let the gnome finish me off” Meetal asked, “At least that would have been quicker”
“Too quick” The elf replied, “We need to know why you are here, how did you get the three magic items you had on you and who you are working for”
Meetal shook his head as he started to gasp for breath, “You gnomes and elves say you work for good and that we are evil and yet you do things like this. You are no better than what you accuse us of being”
“I’m not here to debate philosophy with you, just tell us what we need to know” The elf pressed, “And then you can breathe”
“Why? Afraid to admit that you might be as evil as you say we are?” Meetal asked
Meetal was tempted to reveal all, but with the gnome so hostile how could he put his master at risk
The shield dropped allowing air in. Meetal looked up at the elf. Meetal was short, the elf was tall. The elf was armed and Meetal was naked. No way could Meetal tackle an elf, or at least not this one.
“You make a good point, many a good individual can be manipulated by circumstance and situation to do things they would not believe they would do” the elf said, “but note this, kobold, your former master’s daughter has made many desperate”
“She is not his daughter” Meetal insisted, “My master had a son by a Delethon troll”
“Are you really so obtuse?” The elf asked
“Huh?” Meetal asked
“So you did not know your master had a daughter as well” the elf pressed.
“He had a son only” Meetal insisted, “He would have told me otherwise”
“Oh really, then why didn’t he?”
“Why didn’t he what?”
“Tell you he had a daughter” the elf continued to press.
“Because he has er I mean didn’t” Meetal replied
he was slipping up by using the present tense there, “Master only had a son”
“Assuming you are not lying, it looks like your master never got the chance to tell you then” the elf sneered, “And you were so loyal to him, how does that make you feel about your former master”
“Master knew of lots of things” Meetal responded, “Sometimes he told me it was best I did no know certain things”
“And you just accepted that?” the elf asked
“Master knew best” Meetal replied
“Even when he reigned as one of the most brutal tyrants in our history?” the elf countered
“Master had to be a strong ruler, if people thought him to be a tyrant that was because we had to, to keep law and order” Meetal insisted
“And you were so good at helping the Lord Low Troll, as you say, keep law and order?”
“I did what ever it took to help my master” Meetal said with pride, for the moment forgetting his current situation
“And despite your loyalty, he never trusted you to tell you he had a daughter” the elf pressed
Meetal for a moment was confused,
Why did they keep insisting that the fiend known as the Lady High Troll was his master’s daughter?
“Why did he not tell you?” the elf pressed
“Because it’s not true” Meetal blurted out, and then with emotion insisted, “My master had a son, by a Delethon consort”
The elf shook his head, “I’m afraid your master did have a daughter. It seems many cycles ago he had a wife from the Ghetto clan in secret”
“Lies” Meetal insisted, “Master never married. He did not even marry the mother of his son”
The elf ignored the outburst and continued, “The Lord Low Troll sired a daughter with his secret wife, but when he became leader of his clan his wife and daughter were sent into exile because it would not be expedient to reveal their existence”
“Lies” Meetal shouted, “Who is telling these lies?”
“This is merely what the Lady” the elf began
“She Lies” Meetal screamed, then in a quieter but angry voice went on, “Master was a great ruler and this Ghetto troll seeks to sully my masters name by making up these lies to link herself with such a great ruler as my master”
“Well for one thing she has presented a ring with the crest of the Lord Low Troll’s family” The elf remarked, “And how can you say your master was a great ruler when he was a blood thirsty tyrant”
Meetal narrowed his eyes at the elf, “My master had a difficult job. As I said, my master needed to be firm to keep law and order”
“What you call firm many others called tyrannical” the elf countered, “Your master oppressed many and extorted punitive taxes on the many while you both lived in opulence”
“We had to” Meetal insisted, “The so called opulence was to give Master the air of authority he needed to maintain his rule, and taxes were also needed to pay for the troll armies”
“To oppress the multitudes” the elf interrupted.
“To maintain law and order” Meetal insisted “You do not know what it was like elf. There were so many races in the central city alone, many of them rivals of others, all willing to kill each other with out a moment’s thought. We saw that in the civil war when the orcs went slaughtering those of the fairer races. Some villages were attacked by trolls or orcs, sometimes by those from other villages of the same race.”
“So that was your excuse kobold” the elf sneered, “Your regime maintained rule by fear and oppression just to keep the peace”
“And we did” Meetal whined, “look what happened when they got rid of master, chaos and more bloodshed. Even the humans needed what you call tyrants”
“What do you mean?” the elf asked
“The humans who ruled from this very city” Meetal explained “They went in and removed what they said was a tyrant from another state, and look at all the bloodshed and chaos that came from that act of removing a tyrant. It would have been far better if they had supported him and helped him to maintain law and order”
“I thought” the elf said coldly, “You did not interfere in the affairs of mortals, that is, the Sacred Law, is it not?”
“Studying humans is not interfering” Meetal spat back, “Master said that many a time. We found out their ways but did nothing to influence them, unlike certain spirits of vice and virtue. We did not violate the Sacred Law like this abomination known as the Lady High Troll has done”
“So if you detest this Lady High Troll so much as you claim, maybe you can tell us why you are here?” The elf pressed.
Meetal was silent for a moment then asked, “
How do I know you are not working for her?”
“You don’t” the elf replied, “How do I know you are not working for her? You indicate you are against her and will not believe that she is the daughter of your late master, but kobolds can be good liars. You yourself indulged in subterfuge and spying to do your master’s bidding, how can anyone trust you”
“I am a loyal kobold” Meetal insisted, “I did what I did to help my Master maintain law and order”
“So you say kobold” the elf pressed, “but your ability to obfuscate and dissemble according to Taval could easily be used if you are in the service of that Ghetto Troll”
“I would never work for the Ghetto Trolls” Meetal murmured, “Not after what my master told me what they did. It is a pity that every last one was not exterminated from our world. We would not have seen the Sacred Law violated if the other troll clans had been more thorough”
“So” said the elf, “You advocate what the humans call genocide”
“They committed a heinous crime” Meetal replied
“And that justified the wholesale slaughter of an entire troll clan” the elf asked
Meetal just glowered at the elf, how come he did not know what the Ghetto had done all those years ago and what they had done now.
“No matter” the elf said dismissively, “It is obvious you are working for someone. I could easily assume a cloak of invisibility was something you had kept from your time serving the Lord Low Troll, it would have been useful to you in your duties. The talisman is a trinket that you found, but a dimension jump orb, someone in authority had to have given you that. Someone like the new Clan Chief of the Manjura. So who are you working for?”
“Not her” Meetal said without thinking, he just wanted them to believe he was not working for that Lady High Troll.
“So
you are working for someone then” the elf put to Meetal
Meetal winced; he had been tricked into revealing more than he wanted to. The elf would surely be pressing him to find out whom, but if they found out they would go after his master.
“You can tell us” pressed the elf, “We are just as much against this Lady High Troll as you claim to be, and what she has done to both worlds”
“So you say” Meetal retorted
“Touché as they say on this world” replied the elf, “But we do need an answer”
“But if I am not working for that Ghetto abomination or her minions, what does it matter to you” Meetal countered.
“We have specific rules from The Voice of Hope to make sure we do not make matters worse for the humans”
“Who?” Meetal asked
“We ask the questions” the elf answered, “Anyway” he went on, “we need to make sure that you are not willingly working for your master’s daughter, which it seems you are not, after that we need to see if you are working for someone else who may have you working for your master’s daughter without you realising it”
“She is not my master’s daughter” Meetal snapped back, “My master does not have a daughter. Master has a son”
“Had a son” the elf corrected, “His son was allegedly murdered by the humans in a prison cell, which was why the Lady High Troll destroyed the city he was killed in”
Meetal was stunned by this news and for the moment forgot where he was as he shook his head in despair, “Master does not know. Poor Master has lost his son” Meetal whispered not realising what he was letting on.
Instantly the elf homed in on this slip, “You can’t be” the elf said in a shocked tone, “He was assassinated at the beginning of the civil war”
Meetal put his hand to his mouth and cursed.
“Why would you a kobold be so upset for your master about the death of his son, if your master were dead” the elf said in an accusing tone, “You used the present tense and you spoke true”
The elf then produced a clear crystal that was glowing with a blue light, Meetal recognised it, and it was a crystal of veracity.
“So the Tyrant is still alive” the elf sneered, “You are working for them after all” at this the elf then drew his short sword.
Meetal held his hands together in a begging gesture, “Please I am not working for that Ghetto Troll”
The crystal remained “True blue”
The elf put the tip of his sword against the kobold’s throat, “There are many who would like to see you and your master pay for what you did during his reign”
“But you needed us” Meetal whined, “We kept the peace for many cycles”
“Through fear, arbitrary arrest and executions” the elf countered
“But there was law and order” Meetal sniffed, “Master loved law and order. Master kept us from chaos. We needed Master”
“So kobold” The elf asked, “What does you master want with the Lady High Troll”
“To stop her” Meetal replied, closing his eyes and waiting for the elf’s sword to pierce his throat.
“Well you believe what you are saying” The elf told Meetal, “So far I have not detected any falsehood in you. How does he plan to defeat her?”
“I don’t know” Meetal replied
“Then why are you here on this world”
Meetal hesitated; the elf or the gnome would most likely kill him and then go looking for his master.
Looking for his master, yikes they will most likely torture Meetal to find out where is master is now. Meetal has failed his master
Meetal closed his eyes and pushed his body forward to try and ensure the sword did it’s work and pierced his worthless neck, so Meetal would be silenced for ever to protect his master. The elf was too quick and withdrew the sword.
“Very noble for a Kobold” The elf remarked, “You think we would waste time hunting your master down”
Meetal held his tongue
“We have no interest in the tyrant at this time” the elf went on, “So why are you here on this world”
Before Meetal could answer, the elf produced the talisman his master had given to him, “This is a talisman of location” the elf said, “So you are obviously here to find someone. It is enchanted to find two people, one a parent and the other a child”
Meetal just hung his head in shame at revealing that his master was still alive
“So what does the Lord Low Troll want with this person?” The elf asked
“He wants to do a deal with him” Meetal whimpered
“To defeat the Lady High Troll?”
Meetal nodded.
“How?”
“I don’t know?”
“Who is this person?”
“A human my master knows”
“Graeme Andrews?” The elf ventured
Meetal bristled at this name, “Not him, that Human made my master look bad” he growled.
“Really” The elf responded, “I thought it was that griffin judged that threw out the charges against him, if I recall, to charge a Human with the offence of conspiracy to interfere in the affairs of humans is a nonsense in law”
“My master does not seek that human” Meetal growled
“He’s dead anyway” The elf remarked in a matter of fact way, “He along with his family were killed by the atomic bomb blast the Lady High Troll sent to that city of Dublin”
“No more than they deserved” Meetal growled
The elf ignored this remark and pressed further, “So who is the human your master seeks. Is it the parent or the child?”
Meetal closed his eyes again, it was useless holding anything back from this interrogator, “I do not know his true name”
“Is he the parent or the child?” the elf pressed
“Not the child” Meetal whispered as he slowly shook his head
“Did your master give you a name you are to use?”
“Mr Vee” Meetal choked out before he broke down in tears of shame, “I was meant to find a Mr Vee and I failed. Meetal is so sorry”
All the elf said of this was one word, “Him?”
Then Meetal recomposed himself briefly, “Now you know, please kill me, I beg you”
“I can not do that” the elf replied
“Then get the gnome to kill me, he will enjoy that”
“I am sure he will, but I will not allow that” The elf insisted
“But why, I am but a worthless kobold that has betrayed his master and deserves to die”
“Because you have a task to do Kobold” The elf told him as he handed him a small green vial
“Drink this” instructed the elf, “It will heal you of the injuries the gnome inflicted on you”
Obediently Meetal quaffed the potion and immediately its healing power took effect and it was like Meetal had never been touched.
“I don’t understand” Meetal protested, “You hate my master you want to punish us for what we had to do”
“We and your master for now seem to have a common enemy” The elf told Meetal, “We can not afford distractions until after the Lady High Troll is defeated and both realms are free. Elves have worked with the trolls before, and by helping you complete your mission for him, he will owe us a life debt, so, should his price be to return power again, we will be in a stronger position to curb his excesses”
Meetal looked up at the elf in silence, he still felt worthless and ashamed for cracking, and could he trust this elf not to hunt his master down and slay him.
Suddenly they heard a commotion through the door and yelling. One of the humans came through the door.
“Jadric” the human said in an agitated voice, “An orc patrol have found us somehow”
“How?” The elf said sternly
“We don’t know” the human replied
“I never brought them, I never brought them” Meetal whimpered, expecting them to blame the kobold.
“Get the Kobold’s clothes and belongings” The elf ordered
“Sir?” the human asked
“Do it” ordered the elf, “He’s on our side this time so I need to make sure he completes his mission”
Meetal could just about hear the sound that the “Metal tubes that spit death” make in the distance. Humans used them, but were orcs now using them as well?
The man returned after a moment with Meetal’s things.
“Get Dressed” ordered the elf, “You have a long journey ahead of you”
“Huh?” Meetal gulped
“Mr Vee was last heard of in the ruins of the place the Humans called New York City” The elf told Meetal, “and using the distance measure of the humans it is about two hundred and four miles from here”
Meetal frowned,
”What distance is a mile?” Meetal thought
As if to answer his unspoken question, the elf added, “That is about sixty eight to seventy leagues”
As Meetal got dressed, the sound from grew louder and Meetal could hear shouts of orcs.
This was bad
The elf grabbed Meetal’s hand and muttered an enchantment. Within seconds the two were in the street watching as an army of orcs and bugbears were destroying a building, presumably the one Meetal had been taken to.
Suddenly the elf pulled Meetal behind another ruined building, so they would not be seen.
Meetal slowly peeked around the corner, and was just able to spot the drow who had teleported in after Meetal had arrived on this world. He seemed to be ordering the orcs to do something.
Meetal watched in morbid fascination as the orcs pulled back. The humans in that building along with the gnome had no escape route from what Meetal could tell.
Suddenly from the drow’s hands erupted a giant fireball.
It totally incinerated the structure where they had been.
That was the end of that resistance cell, and it must have been Meetal’s fault, after all the drow must have homed in on his dimension jump orb. Meetal felt it through the bag he was carrying.
“I am so sorry about your people” Meetal told the elf, barely audible above the shouts and cheers from the orcs and from the sound of the fire
“Meetal we need to go” The elf commanded, “We need to hunt down a means to get to New York”
“You’re not going anywhere” a familiar voice came, it was the gnome
He was standing behind them, holding a small tube that spits death in his hand.
“What is the meaning of this Taval” the elf asked
“Walk away Jadric” The gnome retorted, “It’s time that this kobold scum got what was coming to him”
“I can not do that Taval” the elf replied, “This kobold is on a mission to try and help free both our realms”
“How did you find us” Meetal asked, “We thought you were inside”
“Shut your trap scum” The gnome shouted back
“Not so loud or you will attract the orcs” The elf ordered
The gnome shook his head and laughed, “Who do you think summoned them?”
“Why?” the elf asked, “Why betray your comrades?”
“You already did that by refusing to execute that kobold scumbag here” the gnome retorted, “I knew that if you were trapped you would use one of your fabled dimension door spells to get out, so I made a deal with that drow and he gave me this.”
The gnome then held up a small amulet, “This trinket apparently lets me follow the routes of dimension door spells
“And to use a human expression, what were your thirty pieces of silver” The elf asked
“Mining rights for me and my clan” the gnome replied, “She may be a blood thirsty tyrant this Lady High troll, but this time us gnomes are going to make sure we get on her good side, well at least I am. I was going to wait, but you denied me the satisfaction of doling out justice to this worthless wretch of a kobold”
“So you betray us because I refused to allow you to beat the kobold further” the elf asked, making sure he was between the gnome and Meetal.
“You elves have always been throwing your weight around, especially under the rule of the trolls” the gnome went on, “We backed the wrong side when we threw in our lot with your kind, in my opinion we should have been backing the drow all along. They wanted an insider in a resistance cell to try and find this so called Voice of Hope, but a kobold with an unaccounted dimension jump orb is too bigger catch for them to pass up”
Meetal shook his head in despair, not only had he betrayed his master, but his very presence had brought the down fall of what few had been involved in fighting against the oppression of the Lady High troll and her drow consort, Vabalavich.
“Now Jadric” the gnome went on, “You have one chance to escape, so leave that snivelling wretch for me to deal with”
“Never” the elf replied
“Have it your way” The gnome responded and a loud noise rang out from the metal tube that spits death.
Meetal saw in horror as the elf sank to his knees and started to smoulder. Meetal took advantage of the distraction to fasten his cloak of invisibility and then started to scurry away.
“Running like the coward you are” Shouted the gnome and started firing the tube that spits death, ever closer to where Meetal was, but Meetal was only just fast enough to beat the gnome’s aiming arm.
Now Meetal had to get away from this treacherous gnome, but he was unsure if gnomes could see invisible creatures like the drow. Meetal would have to use all his skill to try and get away. Luckily for Meetal, kobolds were slightly faster than gnomes when it came to running, mainly because he was not encumbered as much as the gnome was. Also Meetal was adept at sneaking from his former days.
After about half an hour running and sneaking, it seemed that Meetal had eluded the gnome, and possibly the drow, but he needed to keep moving, soon they might bring in magic locators to track him down. They might even use that Sky Guard thing that detected his arrival on this world to track him down
Even if he could keep several steps ahead of his pursuers he had other problems, for one he had to find this “New York City” to continue his search for Mr Vee and some how get there and at about seventy leagues or there abouts it would take almost forever on foot.
To be continued