Back to Page Ten
-----As soon as Kazel sees the monster stepping into the caltrops, she calls to Seth. "Seth, more grease?" At the same time, in a somewhat desperate move, she starts to pick up rocks on the ground and throws them at the huge humanoid while it's still out of reach.
-----Seeing the creature's angry expression, Gimplefwick mutters to himself, "I'm pretty sure it's not friendly..." He then winds up another shot with his sling and continues to let fly at the hulking monster.
-----When the monster takes a swing at the orc, Gimplefwick yells indignantly, 'I can't believe yer trying to beat up our pet orc. Yer a right bastard. I'll fry yer gizzard fer that!"
-----Suddenly the tide seems to turn for the thieves! First Kazel throws a rock at the great beastly thing smacking it smartly just above the brow. As it recovers from the recoil, Seth lets go with another bullet from his sling. The bullet, as if touched by Marlexa herself, arcs in a perfect path toward the humanoid striking it in a crucial place below the belt. The monster’s eyes bulge and it hollers out in great pain. A look of terror suddenly enters its eyes.
-----At that moment, a shot given off by the Dread Pirate hits the agonized being in its left eye. Its cries of pain cause the trio to hold their ears. Kazel lobs another stone, which misses the creature, but in a way it seems not to matter. The monster’s condition at this point is apparently critical!
-----The monster turns and begins to hobble away. Unfortunately, for the huge humanoid, it stupidly runs back through Seth’s greased area. It falls on the slick grass and lies prone on its belly.
-----Gimplefwick, upon seeing the creature trying to retreat and then falling, puts away his sling and starts moving towards the inert lump of monster. As he grimly stomps forward he rolls up his sleeves and balls his hands into two diminutive fists. He carefully skirts the caltrops and moves to the edge of the grease, closest to the creature. With another heroic leap, he attempts to land on the creature, but his leap falls short. He slides on the grass, but manages to grab a hold of the struggling monster. He then scampers up the monster’s backside with a crazed glint in his eyes, and proceeds to relentlessly pummel the back of the giant monster's head with his bare fists. With three solid punches to the back of the head, the halfling pirate stands proudly atop the unconscious and beaten humanoid.
-----Kazel walks to the campfire and removes a burning stick as a torch, then waits at the edge of the grease area. "You don't think we can sell this thing dead or alive, do you?"
-----Seth walks up to the creature to get a better look at it. Applauding Gimplefwick, he looks at Kazel and adds, "Let alone transporting this beastie?" He slightly shakes his head in thought. He then smiles, saying, "What say you, Friend Dread Pirate, scourge of the land dwelling humanoids?"
-----Still standing proudly atop the recumbent creature, Gimplefwick ponders Kazel's question, "Arrr, I don't really know what we could do with it. Maybe some sort of trap back at the Guild house. It'd be tough to move this thing though, even with the wagon empty. If'n ye want to keep it, then toss me a rope and I'll tie it up. We can drag it out of the grease then and figure out what to do with it from there."
-----Kazel shakes her head. "Na, I was just thinking if we could tie it and let it walk itself behind the wagon, but I'm all out of rope. And I've no idea what it's good for except maybe stuff its head and sell it as a trophy. I heard from a street bum barbarians like that sort of things..." She waits for the grease to go away, then walks next to the monster and starts searching its body, especially the "toothpick" it had in its pocket. "Maybe this is worth something."
-----Gimplefwick shrugs and replies, "I think we can probably do without a traveling menagerie of monsters. Besides if they got loose they'd cause us no end of problems. While this one is unconscious, I'll just put it out of its misery." When the grease is gone, Gimplefwick commences kicking the giant humanoid in the side of the head until it is deceased.
-----As the Dread Pirate seeks to end the big one’s life, Seth looks a bit queasy. He then retires to the wagon and soon the music of his harp is heard. By the time Gimplefwick is quite certain that the humanoid has expired, Kazel has drawn forth the short sword the thing had.
-----Jim stands to one side of the wagon staring at the entire proceedings with his mouth agape. The orc captive struggles to its feet as it angrily looks at the half-elven girl.
-----After searching the body, Kazel continues to scout the area to pick up the weapons littered throughout the campsite while making sure the orc isn't going anywhere but back under the wagon.
-----Kazel examines the sword in the firelight but soon a look of disappointment comes over her face. "What a waste. If only it's not all bent up. Maybe my friend in town can make something of it..."
-----After collecting her knife and caltrops, including the one stuck into the monster's foot, she grabs a hold of the angry orc and drags it back under the wagon. "Oh cheer up, would you rather we'd lost to that thing?" she chides the orc as she hitches it to the wagon with a slack in the rope, not caring whether it can understand her or not. She then dumps the bent sword into the pile of junk the trio has been collecting since the start of the trip.
-----"Well, I might as well start my turn of the watch," Kazel says yawning a bit. She rummages in the wagon, takes out an apple and settles down for the rest of the night.
-----Gimplefwick eyes the bent shortsword, "Was that all the creature had? It's been raining, the ground is muddy, I'm sure a creature that large left some pretty big tracks. Maybe we could follow them to its lair. Those orcs had nice amount of loot, imagine what a critter that big would have."
-----Gimplefwick rolls over in the wagon, dreams of avarice running through his head.
-----"I agree," Kazel stands up. "There has to be more where that sword came from. Shall we go now, then?"
-----Gimplefwick sighs and stands up, "Aye let's track down the creature's lair. Jim can follow in the wagon, I suppose." Gimplefwick begins looking around the area where the giant humanoid had fallen for any incriminating footprints.
-----"Uhh, right," Seth begins after he starts to snuggle into a warm blanket, "Do we really want to search now or should we wait till first morning light? If there’s more of those big things out there, I’d hate to meet another one, let alone in the dark."
-----Jim’s eyes look huge as the thieves talk.
-----"Actually no, I don't really want to search," Kazel looks sideways at Seth. "Tell the truth, I'd rather just be back in town, and the only reason I suggested searching now is we may not have enough time to make it back in town by sundown, if we wait until morning." Kazel stretches and leans back, taking a bite off her apple. "So, we either do it now, or let's just take it easy and save our strength for when the owners of those lead coins come for us..."
-----Gimplefwick looks out into the night, "Aye, ye have a point, Seth. I'd just as soon wait until morning's light to try to track that thing. Besides which, we might be needing yer greasy magic again. As fer not even trackin it, it'd be a shame to go to all the effort of dispatchin' that critter and then not even loot its treasure trove. So we are a little delayed in getting back to town. I'm sure those assassins will wait fer us."
Go Back to Tales of the Guild