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When the dwarf was thirty feet into the alley, about ten from Kirby, the half-goblin thief stood up straight. He didn’t waste time or words. “Benxcob, you took a leprechaun’s gold coin. We’re here to retrieve it.” There was no slurring of words, and his croaking half-goblin voice held confident authority.
The dwarf pulled the war hammer from his belt. “I don’t have what you’re looking for, you squirted pile of pig shit.” He laughed deeply. “Even if I did, a smart leprechaun would’ve sent more than the likes of you.”
“Hand it over.” Kirby drew his cutlass and pulled a dart from his bandoleer. “It ain’t worth dying for, dude.”
Glenn unslung his round shield and pulled his club. He’d been in only one fight since advancing to a second-rank healer. His was the only class he knew of that got a d12 roll for hit points. With twenty-seven hit points, he could hang in a fight a lot longer than before. But, even at second-rank, his “to hit” chart still sucked, meaning he couldn’t hit opponents worth a crap.
Glenn didn’t lift his shield to the ready position and held his cudgel so that it drooped toward the ground. “I don’t want to hurt you,” he told the big human warrior.
Rex turned his head as if just noticing Glenn. “Don’t worry,” he said. “If it comes to fighting, you won’t.”
The words didn’t sound like bluster to Glenn. He gulped and gripped his cudgel a little tighter. Outmatched or not, he wouldn’t let the man get to his friend. The dwarf and his hammer would be plenty enough for Kirby to handle.
“Dying?” Again, Benxcob laughed. “You should’ve thought on that before offering me insult.”
“Relinquish the gold coin.”
Glenn recognized the voice. He would’ve heard Ron coming into the alley, but for his racing heartbeat filling his ears.
Ron strode past Glenn, seeming to ignore Rex. Derek entered the alley and stopped two strides from Rex, opposite Glenn.
Benxcob turned and maneuvered to place his back to a shed’s wooden planks. It only required a few steps since the alley was less than ten feet wide.
“I find it improbable that you remain unaware of the rainbow terminating in the stand of yew trees between Three Hills City and the Snake Claw River two days past.” Ron stopped and rested the butt of his spear on the ground. “That should serve to inform you that Bataí Fidil na Maidine has tracked you here, to Three Hills City.”
While Ron spoke, Rex reached into a hip pocket and produced a metallic case shaped like a pocket watch. As Ron finished, Rex flicked his thumb and the metal device snapped open. Light, equivalent to a forty-watt bulb, emanated from it.
Rex dropped the enchanted case to the ground at his feet. He sighed while reaching for his mace and dagger.
“Hey, look up here everyone!” It was Stephi, fluttering down from the moonlight. She stopped five feet above Kirby’s head.
Knowing what was coming, Glenn raised his shield.
Even from behind his shield, a flash of scintillating light shone through his closed eyelids.
“Damn all fairies,” Rex cursed, raising his dagger hand to block the spell’s effect a fraction of a second too late.
Much as he hated to do it—both his true self and his gnomish instincts—Glenn charged the human warrior. The plan drilled into him by Kirby and Derek: If the dwarf refuses, we strike first. Stephi will Dazzle Spell him, and anyone with him. When they’re blinded, attack.
Somehow Derek missed Rex with his +1 +2 vs. ogres magical longsword. Glenn however, got in a good strike at the warrior’s back, going for the leg where he didn’t have chain armor. It was a solid hit, at least five points of damage, maybe six. The blow didn’t faze his target.
Sneering, Derek grunted and faked a charge. He pivoted at the last second, bringing his sword down, this time connecting with the opposing warrior’s forearm. He drew blood, but such a hack should’ve cut to the bone. Glenn whiffed his second attack as the man shuffled out of the way.
Rex had apparently recovered from Stephi’s spell because his crushing mace swing was on target. Derek barely managed to interpose his shield. Rex’s dagger thrust, however, struck home, biting into Derek’s shoulder.
Glenn charged in again, realizing they were in a fight for their lives, a fight they were likely to lose. This guy took solid hits and kept coming. Rex was more than a first or second rank warrior.
The fight between Glenn and Derek, and Rex was quiet, except for shuffling of feet across the muddy ground, grunts, and weapons striking shields, flesh, or armor. On the other hand, the fight with Kirby, Ron, and Stephi against the dwarf had all that, plus Petie diving in, jeer calling, and fluttering away, while the dwarf shouted foul curses. Kirby taunted with phrases like: “Your mom’s so ugly she lost a beauty contest to a medusa.”
For their part Stephi and Ron went at the dwarf in determined silence. Maybe they were worried about the City Guard hearing the commotion almost as much as Glenn was.
Benxcob kept his back close to the wall, not allowing anyone to get behind him. Ron slashed and jabbed with his spear while Kirby threw darts and made fast cuts with his cutlass.
Stephi dove in but got clocked with a hammer blow before her small rapier could find Benxcob’s blood. The solid hit sent her tumbling to the ground. Since she wasn’t screaming in pain, the hammer’s steel hadn’t touched her skin.
Rex was pretty nimble on his feet as he exchanged blows with Derek. Despite breast plate, helmet and shield, Derek suffered crushing blows from Rex’s mace. Glenn drove in again, and scored a glancing blow with his cudgel. Rather than back away, he chased after Rex as the hawk-nosed warrior dodged Derek’s sword thrust.
Out of the corner of his eye Glenn spotted a pink flash. Stephi had loosed a Mystic Missile Spell. Petie continued sounding off but Kirby was silent.
Glenn couldn’t worry about that. He drove his shield between Rex’s legs, trying to trip him up, to no avail.
Clank. Rex’s mace caught Derek with a glancing blow across the helmet. The toughest fighter in Glenn’s party staggered back and collapsed against one of the shop’s walls.
Another pink flash announced Stephi releasing her second, and last, Mystic Missile Spell. Kirby was down, but Ron was still up. However, it was now Benxcob who advanced. The dwarf chuckled with confidence.
Glenn had to hope his two friends could finish the job. He’d do what he could to keep Rex off them...for as long as he could.
Rex turned on Glenn and kicked out, sending the gnome sprawling backwards. Glenn kept his balance but, instead of following up on his attack, the warrior stepped back and gestured with his mace toward the other fight. “I’m done with this fight, little guy. Go help your friends.”
Glenn risked turning his head. Ron was against the wall, his right arm hanging limp, and trying to fight with his sword left-handed. The gnome glanced back up at the hawk-nosed warrior, afraid he’d finish off Derek if given the chance. But his friends were losing. How much would his cudgel change that?
Then Stephi’s spell went off. Glenn wasn’t prepared. He could only see spots, a kaleidoscope of flashing colors and nothing else.
For a second he cringed behind his shield. Then he thought of something better. Remembering where Derek lay in relation to where he stood, Glenn blindly shuffled that direction. When his boots found the big warrior’s prone body, he knelt and hastily muttered the words for a Minor Heal Draw Spell, taking all of Derek’s wounds upon himself.
Benxcob growled, “Where are you at, you dark bastard.” The dwarf had fallen victim to Stephi’s spell. “Try that again, you fairy bitch.”
Within seconds, Glenn’s head ached. A fractured forearm, broken ribs and a stab wound to his shoulder appeared. He would’ve gasped at the sudden influx of pain but, with broken ribs, it might’ve proven too much for him to remain conscious. And he needed to.
Glenn’s sight was returning when Derek stirred. The big warrior sat up.
“Rex is done fighting us,” Glenn said to Derek. “Go help Lysine and Marigold.”
Ron had taken advantage of the second Dazzle Spell’s effect and healed himself using his Minor Cure Spells. He’d stood ready, spear in hand to go another round with the dwarf. Stephi hovered near the ground, between Kirby and the dwarf. She held her small rapier at a guard position.
Even before Glenn released the spell energy to begin healing himself, Derek was on his feet, sword and shield in hand. He spent a half second assessing Rex’s intentions before charging to aid Ron and Stephi.
Benxcob recognized the true threat and turned to face Derek. “Rex, you—”
The dwarf didn’t have time to finish his statement as he and the freshly healed warrior clashed. As always, Derek went all out and exchanged blows, giving as good as he got. Ron joined him, as did Stephi and Petie, mainly harassing and distracting the dwarf.
Within moments the dwarf suffered a whack from Ron’s spear shaft to the back of his head. Finally, hit points depleted, Benxcob collapsed beard first into the damp dirt. Except for huffing from Ron and Derek as they caught their breath, the alley fell silent.
Glenn got to his feet. He watched Rex warily.
The warrior had sheathed his dagger. He nodded to Glenn and slipped his mace’s shaft through the loop on his belt.
“So, you’re a healer,” Rex said. He picked up his light case and snapped it closed.
Glenn wasn’t the only one in the shadowy moonlit alley watching to see what the hawk-nosed warrior would do next. Ron, Stephi and Derek hadn’t put their weapons away.
Rex tipped his head toward the party members standing over the downed dwarf, signaling for Glenn to accompany him.
“He lost his special coin in a poker game tonight,” Rex said, walking up to Benxcob’s prone body. “A rigged one.” He stared down.
“Jax,” Ron said. “Heal Gurk.”
Glenn had already been moving that direction. He’d seen his friend’s chest rise and fall, but that didn’t mean he might not slip into death at any moment.
Ron turned to Rex. “Not to insult your honesty, but we intend to search Benxcob’s person for the gold coin we seek.”
Rex shrugged, then held out his hand. “Your spear.”
Glenn knelt next to Kirby while warily watching the group surrounding the downed dwarf.
With an eyebrow arched in curiosity, Ron leaned his spear’s shaft toward the warrior.
Glenn gulped, thinking that was pretty stupid. Stephi’s wide eyes and quick-fluttering wings said she agreed. Derek, on the other hand, watched with interest.
Rex took the spear, deftly spun the weapon so that its tip pointed down, toward the dwarf. Without hesitation, or apparent concern, he drove the spear’s tip into Benxcob’s back.
Stephi’s hands went to her mouth as she gasped. She fluttered higher into the night air.
“That was harsh,” Derek commented, “for someone you travelled with.”
Rex crouched down and retrieved the dwarf’s hammer. “We planned to leave the city tomorrow. After his big haul at the Bugle.” He twisted the shaft before yanking the spearhead from the body. He casually wiped the blood off onto the dwarf’s pant leg. “With a leprechaun on the hunt.” He took a half second to glare up at Stephi. “I thought on how that might’ve turned out for me.”
“And you get the hammer because?” Derek asked.
Glenn hurriedly mumbled the words to his spell and rested a hand on Kirby’s unconscious forehead. He hadn’t exceeded his total hit points he was able to cure—one for one transferred to his body, and two to one for curing injuries he directly received. But, from the look of Kirby’s wounds, he wouldn’t be able to fully heal himself. Not after bringing Derek up to full strength. Glenn knew it was better to have Kirby up and ready than to have himself at full hit points.
“Because none of you can stop me,” he said, looking around, daring any one of them to argue the point. “And he owes me good coin. Plenty of it.”
Derek bristled but knew the score.
Glenn thought about the tactic his party used against the Crow Lord. But, with Stephi being so small and all of them showing some injuries and, at the moment, none of them were on the same page...
“We could Crow Lord him,” Derek said, his voice low and threatening.
Well, Glenn thought. Derek’s thinking along the same lines. That made Glenn reconsider the plan’s merit.
Ron shook his head. “The hammer is not our objective.”
Rex quirked an eyebrow. “You had a run in with that cocky bastard, Mekkart? Fancies himself the Crow Lord?”
“What of it?” Derek asked, sheathing his long sword.
“We defeated him in one confrontation,” Ron said. “And cooperated with him on another.”
“Huh,” Rex said, then gestured to the body of the dead dwarf. “He’s got no gems or coins left to speak of. But he’s got an enchanted tooth in the back that allowed him to eat anything that wasn’t rocks, metal or...crystal.” Rex shrugged. “Or that’s what he said. Can’t say I saw him eat dirt or tree bark or anything.”
“I’m on it,” Kirby said, getting to his feet, mostly recovered from his wounds. He pulled a pair of small pliers from a boxed tool kit. Glenn remembered them as his thieves’ tools.
“I’ll search him for anything else.” Kirby made eye contact with Glenn. “Wanna help?”
Glenn nodded and helped Kirby roll the dead dwarf over. Flipping over a corpse and checking it for valuables was something Glenn would’ve never done in his real life. But the gnome adventurer had little problem with it. He figured the goblin part of Kirby had even fewer qualms.
“Best hurry,” Rex said, turning to depart. “Saw the guards chasing a lady thief that crippled a carriage’s horse and tried to rob the riders. Soon enough some snitchy citizen’ll point them this way.”
“If Benxcob no longer has possession of Bataí Fidil na Maidine’s gold coin,” Ron said as the warrior walked past, “might you share who currently has possession?”
“Some smooth-talking guy. Wears a hat with funny glass eye-pieces.”
Ron asked, “Might he have been named Higslaff, owner of a pawnshop?”