Welcome Back! Everyone depicted in this alternate universe, thousands of years in the futuristic past, are of age and has agreed to the their story being presented today. If your story is added, you will also have to agree.
Team1: Heran, Evaine, Niviena, Ewlene, Yesime, Anders, Isabella
Team2: Sabina, Annalise, Desa, Abigale, Amber, Treya, Ivana, Joan
Team3: Katelyn, Beau, Alexandra, Triss, Abby, Jenna, Amelia
Team4: Jacob, Dustin, Jamison, Anton, Petra, Erika, Regina
Merchant Ship: Saedin, Agitha, Cassandra
Merchant Ship2: Severan, Penelope, kids, Emma
Other: Nikolas, Sandy, Tia, Ninhersag, Grayson, Cinthia
Special: Soviet, Boulder.
As we arrive in the Gnome Kingdom, though from above it is difficult to find but a few structures here and there, they build everything into hills or make their homes like little mounds with grass on top so it's all but invisible except for the smoke of fires.
As it's the same time of day, we follow the same routine, saying goodbye to Tia quickly to get into town before it gets dark as you never know who closes up at dark, not allowing anyone in. No walls and the roads are a few inches deep in the ground, Boulder says the rule is if the ground is being trampled down, take a different route that isn't.
Plenty of them walking about, so many wild animals walking about or being held, It isn't all Gnomes, looking about we see a few humans and dwarves mixed in. I'd never met a dwarf either, they look, so thick considering their size, a few of the women seen did not have beards.
Grayson laughs, 'I forgot I told you that.'
"We are here to see Togim Darkdust,' Yesime tells the guards at the gate, Boulder by her side with me and Sandy in the back. The differences in how Gnomes look were surprising until I realized humans are the same. I thought Boulder was odd as he had not beard or hair, he says it's part of the 'Open Hand' guild way, no matter the race.
I think they look like a mix of dwarf in their beards and hair, but with Elven ears and features on Goblins sized bodies, I'd say gnomes are cuter than goblins, they seem so squeezable, the first baby gnome we saw Yesime talked the lady into holding her, I apologize but the mother says it is no problem, happens all the time.
.The guards kept looking at me as I was the odd one out here, I'd say I was as white as snow, but they don't know what snow is and the sun down here has been pinking me up and then peeling has given me a slight base tan on my face and arms. Not going to lie, walking around like a giant, is fantastic for the ego, everyone belly button tall to me, and Yesime.
"He's on the other side, follow this road until it gets to the end of the city and you can't miss it." The guard says with a smile, waving us through looking for the next group, I've never met a nice guard before.
It was the screaming that let us know that Tia heard the same and was heading that way above our heads. People were ducking into homes that probably weren't theirs, the dwarves are not born runners, Boulder let us know Tia was going to wait on Togim's land until we get there.
The city guard were running ahead of us, and the crowds were dispersing as people might be inquisitive, but Tia is terrifying if you didn't know her, we continued until we got to a checkpoint where the guards were blocking the gap to Togim's. The guard was motioning for Boulder to turn my group around.
"We are with the wyvern, apparently Mr. Togim bought one of her stolen items and she would like it returned," Boulder says causing us to be surrounded by the rest of the guard, short swords or half spears unsheathed and pointy.
"What is it that you want," The one in charge asked.
"For Mr. Togim to decide what he values more, everything he can see from horizon to horizon, or that wyvern's property," Boulder says and then gives me a look that he was just passing on the message, and maybe I should step in.
"Okay, this happened at that human Baron's city which is basically gone now, we were hoping your council and Mr. Togim were going to be more understanding."
"Understanding of what, what do you mean gone?" The guard asks.
"The last Baron said she abandoned her items for 30 years, but he didn't realize that she is immortal, and has been around before the elves were even an idea, thirty or fifty or a hundred years mean nothing to her."
"What is it she wants?" The guard is waving someone over.
"A silver rod,' Boulder pulls out a piece of paper showing a picture and description.
"This," it doesn't look like much, "what does it do?" The guard asks Boulder.
"We hope it calms her down when she gets it back, the next pieces are in the human lands, and she'd like to be on her way. We'd like to enter and talk to her." Boulder says and the guard visibly jerks back.
"You really want to go in there?" He looks at us and stops long enough on me that I knew it was coming, "Who are you?" he asks.
"Mage from Myread, the wyvern has the backing of the mage council," I say and it's basically true as all three mages in her group, back her, and Fiona didn't say anything different.
"Fuck me, it wasn't even my shift today, are you kidding me, okay, uh," he looks at Boulder, "You a priest?"
"Monk," Boulder replies.
"Close enough, I figure I should let you in, you help fix this and get all of our butts out of the fire?" she asks.
Boulder takes a moment, "She agrees, if he is an idiot, it will only be his butt in the fire."
"She agrees? He looks to his left and she is big enough to see the wyvern is looking right at him. "Oh, shit, go on then, go," he whispers. "Thank you, monk."
"Name is Boulder Dash, just in case she eats me, let the Open Hand guild know I tried." He then turns and walks in, I want to laugh, but that would ruin the moment.
"Could you send word to the Merchant Lord to explain what we talked about?" I ask as we pass by. "Save everyone some time."
He looks annoyed but nods, looks at the two guards with him, "The both of you, I want double time," He pauses. "Shit, I'll go as you two will mess this all up, take my post, nobody else in." The guard then passes us a bit off to our left as he jogs across a very nice lawn, with fountains and amazing shrubs in various shapes, all kinds of animals clustered near the house away from Tia.
He is the guard that I am comfortable with, grump to both the people and those below him in rank, even if it's with a cute, squeaky accented voice.
It was a good little while waiting for the guard to gain access and explain the situation, the number of guards had to be a hundred, so I walked back over to the original spot.
"Anything good to eat around here?" I asked the two guards there both looking up at me like I'm insane. I keep talking as they should know what's good around here. "The meat on a stick guy had amazing food, anything like that?"
"Don't stand here, you'll get us in trouble." The one on the left whispers to me, glancing over he is shooing me away with his hand.
"If you'd had pointed out a place that has good food, I'd already be gone, I'll sneak you back some?" I say and one smiles, another whispers for the guard to just tell me already.
"See, they get it, it's not like there's anything else to do, she asks for her stuff back, he gives it back, and.."
"Master! He's coming out." I hear Sandy as she runs over, "you're going to miss it," she takes my hand and leads me away.
"I was trying to get us some food," I say to Sandy as she drags me away.
"What, yeah, I'm starving," she looks up at me and then turns around, "We'll be back, don't go anywhere," Sandy says back to the guards, that's my girl.
Togim is walking briskly for a Merchant Lord, he has what looks like his entire working staff running behind him, "just give me a moment to explain, the Kingdom of Uzd is taking our people. I've been using the rod and negotiating as an Elf to get them to stop, I have a final meeting, I, we need this." He pauses and takes a deep breath. "Hundreds of my people were taken illegally, hundreds or more soon to be taken if we can't stop them.
Tia looks over at me, "What would you do?"
Oh, I wasn't ready for this, uh, "We can circle back around?" I offer, she looks back at the Merchant.
"When exactly do you need it?" Tia asks him, he's a darker shade than Boulder, pretty tall for a gnome, but he doesn't come up to the bend in her knee.
"Three days." His is jerking every time she pokes her head forward towards him, and I think she's doing it on purpose as she's never done it before now.
"Oh, we've traveled three realms in a few days, I'll allow you to use it," she looks over at Boulder, "as he is my second, I'd like for both of us to attend also."
"You, want, your second." Togrim is so rattled by her intimidation, that he can't catch up on her offering help, to be fair, it was out of nowhere.
"Boulder Dash," she motions to him, "has asked that we attend this next meeting and put an end to his people being taken, you will give me what is mine." She looks over at me, "would you like to come?" I nod back along with everyone around me.
"Three mages from Myread will also come with me, is that sufficient?" Tia asks turning back to Togim, he just nods looking from us to her.
The Uzd, they are the Goblin slavers?" Tia asks and almost everyone glances at Sandy.
"Inside their realm they get more for Gnomes due to literacy." Togim replies, "nobody that matters in the alliance has stepped up to help us stop them, I've reached out to the humans, dwarves, and Elves, and the elves stated they don't see any difference between us and the Goblins, the Dwarves told us it has to go council, and the humans, I think they want in on the goblin trade." Togim looks at me like it's my fault.
Tia transforms into a very tall Elf, gold hair with white streaks, in a royal looking dress. She is now the tallest one around as I come up to her chin. She walks over and takes the rod out of his hands. "No one has answered your call, until now," she turns towards us, "where to, Laguardar?"
"Follow me, we need two guards, you two will do, I say to the same two at the head of the street leading to the Merchant Lord's estates, a low hump they call a wall that had all kinds of vines along it. The animals that wander around, aren't fooled by Tia's new form, every one is either watching her or running away.