Flower of the Kobold

Adam patted his mount’s neck as they entered the city, the horse as on edge about the whole situation as he was. They’d been on the front lines of the war against the undead for years now, and being called back to the capital for a secret mission had not been something he’d expected. “Easy now.”

Neither he or his mount were comfortable with the amount of bodies around them, but the large bodies beside them of Stump and his mount were comforting. The half orc was large, nearly seven feet tall, and hefty as well, with heavy armor and a strong shield keeping him protected during battle. Being such a large, heavy being he needed a mount who could handle the weight just as well, and Stump had settled on a giant boar, the animal more than enough to encourage the people around to give them space. “It’s strange, isn’t it? Seeing everything so clean and peaceful.”

“It’s not strange, we’re just not used to it anymore. This is what we’re fighting for.” The voice came from the other side of Stump and his mount, though Adam knew exactly who it was. Elafme didn’t look like much, just a small elf who hardly seemed like a threat at all, but hand her a pair of daggers and she turned terrifyingly dangerous. She had a way of slipping into the shadows and stepping back out right behind her enemy to stab them in the back.

“That’s what you’re fighting for. I just want to find fun new ways to kill skeletons.” The last member of their team, Wichtel, the tiny mechanic riding behind the others on a tall tricycle, her pink hair in pigtails almost making her look like a child if one had never met a gnome before. She was the newest member of their team, and Adam wasn’t completely sure what he thought of her. Still, she was certainly an effective killer, and the odd creations she made tore the undead apart violently.

Adam shook his head as he glanced over the strange team he’d somehow ended up with over the years of fighting. What the king could possibly be summoning them to the city he had no clue. “Lets just get a room. I need to clean up before the meeting with the king.”

Trunk grinned, his tusks poking through his long, red beard. “What, you don’t want to go to him stinking of road and war?”

“No, I don’t. You all could use a bath too. We’ve been without far too long.”

Elefme huffed softly. “I would take that as an insult if you weren’t right. A bath sounds delightful.”

Stump grinned down at the elf. “I wonder if they have one big enough for both of us.” It wasn’t a surprise to their companions, who both knew that Stump and Elafme had been sharing their bedrolls practically since Elafme decided that she was going to join Adam’s party. He wasn’t even completely sure how that had happened, she’d just shown up one day and said that she was part of his team now, and everyone had accepted it, even the commander.

“If they have one big enough for you I’m sure we would both fit easily.”

“I don’t need to know the details, but I’m taking the bath first. I need to get ready.”

“Fine, fine. You can have it first.” Stump smirked. “And then Elefme and I shall defile it.”

Wichtel laughed as Adam groaned, spinning her tricycle around in front of Adam and riding backwards without a care of what was behind her in order to study him. “I’m looking forward to seeing what human fine clothing looks like.”

He shook his head, not bothering to tell her to face the other way. If she ran into something maybe it would be a learning experience. “I’m not going to wear fine clothing. I’m just going to wear my uniform.”

The gnome pouted. “But I wanna see you look all fancy.”

“That’s as fancy as I get.”

Stump laughed. “That’s a knight for you. You all are all so focused on the job. It’s amazing when any of you reproduces before your king makes you retire.”

Adam felt his face flush, though he pointedly ignored the jab, instead nodding toward the inn ahead. “That’s the one.”

“Oh, that place is nice. What did you do to earn such favor from the king?” Elefma leaned forward on her mount to study Adam. “Not that we don’t love you, but you’re, what, a second son of a minor noble at best, and the only people you command are, well, us.”

“We are pretty awesome.” Wichtel finally spun her vehicle back about, only just missing a passerby.

“Yes Wichtel, we are. But that’s because you know what we are capable of. To most people we look like a completely ragtag group that makes no sense, which means the there is even less reason for the king to house us in such a fine establishment.”

Adam couldn’t argue with Elefma’s assessment, though he had no idea how she had deduced it all. She always seemed to know more than she did, and with how she moved through the shadows and wielded blades, well, he was just glad they were fighting the undead with the elves instead of against them. “Well, there’s only one way to find out.”

Stablehands came to take their mounts, though the pair who ended up with the giant boar and the tricycle both seemed uncertain of how to proceed. Stump chuckled as he lifted the tricycle with one hand, his other on his mount’s shoulder. “I’ll meet you all inside once I get Boar settled in.”

Wichtel clearly wasn’t worried about her vehicle, instead skipping up the steps to the tavern. As soon as they entered she slowly spun in a circle, her eyes wide. “Oh, it’s so beautiful!”

Adam silently agreed, though Elefma didn’t seem at all interested in the fine artwork or delicate carving in the pillars. Instead she moved ahead, leading the other two to a man seated at a fine desk. “Sir Adam Barsol and companions checking in under the King’s name.”

There was only the slightest flicker of surprise on the scribe’s face as he looked the three over, his attention shifting back to his book. “There should be four.”

“Yes, our companion felt it wise to help with the mounts, as his is a little trickier than most. He should be in momentarily.”

“Of course. There are two neighboring rooms. I assume you would like baths drawn.” He took two keys from the collection on the wall behind him, passing them to Elefma.

Adam answered this time. “Yes. Please. And a runner sent to let the palace know we’ve arrived.”

“Immediately.” This time the scribe pulled two separate ropes, each ringing with a different sound. Elefma didn’t bother waiting to see what came from them, instead turning for the stairs. “Come along you two. We can settle in while we wait for our baths to be drawn.”

They only made it up three steps before Stump came into the room, grinning at the sight of them. “We have our room then?”

Elefma nodded, smiling to her lover. “That we do. Come along. I’d like to get settled before the baths are run.”

They entered one of the rooms as a group, only to find it was more of a suite. The main room had a large bed, as well as a copper tub near the fire, then a smaller servant’s room and a toilet. Wichtel whistled low. “We could have all stayed in one of these comfortably.”

Stump grinned, scooping Elefma up off the ground. “You two settle in, we’re going to go break in our room.”

The elf laughed as she was carried off, Adam shaking his head at their antics. “How long until you think they kick us out?”

“They won’t until after your meeting with the king.” Wichtel seemed confident about the fact. “You can have the big bed. I’d get lost on that thing.”

“Are you sure Wichtel?”

She rolled her eyes at the question. “Of course I’m sure. You’re our commander anyway, you deserve it.”

The maid entered before he could say anything else, quickly giving a little nod before making her way over to the tub. Adam watched in shock as she twisted some knobs and water simply flowed in, though Wichtel instantly lit up with excitement. “Plumbing?! Oh! I have not seen plumbing since I left home.”

“Yes. It is why most gnomes chose to stay here when they can, it’s simply wonderful, isn’t it?”

Wichtel shoved her hand into the water, grinning at the feeling. “And hot as well! May I see the boiler?”

“As soon as I’ve washed your commander I can take you down to them.”

Adam nearly choked, managing to turn it into a cough. “Just finish filling the bath. I can bathe myself.”

Wichtel grinned, knowing exactly what Adam was hoping for. He could see the mischief in her eyes, but she was kind, waving him toward the tub. “It’s easy enough to shut off once it’s full. I’ll show you, then we can go.”

It didn’t take long for Adam to learn how to control the water of the bath, and Wichtel took the maid from the room so he could have some privacy. A low groan of pleasure escaped him as he slid into the warm water of the tub. It had been years since he’d truly gotten to enjoy a warm bath, ever since the beginning of the war. Sure, he’d scrubbed up in streams or wiped down with wash rags and soap at camp, but the effort it took to actually get a tub and heat water was too much to deal with on the front lines of a battlefield. A true bath was simply divine.

Adam spent far longer in the tub than he’d planned to, scrubbing every inch of his skin, and likely would have stayed even longer if it weren’t for the sounds coming from next door. Clearly Stump and Elefma had also been enjoying their bath, and it wasn’t something he wanted to overhear. Instead Adam dried and quickly changed into his dress uniform before making his way downstairs to escape the sounds of their pleasure. At least it was early enough in the day they may not bother anyone else.

The scribe perked up as soon as he saw Adam. “Sir Barsol, the runner returned from the palace. The king asked that you go to the castle as soon as possible. I was just about to send a maid to fetch you.”

“I’m afraid my team is a little disposed at the moment.”

“He only requested you Sir Barsol.”

Adam hesitated, trying to figure out just what the king could want, but quickly realized the fastest way to find out was to simply go to the meeting. “Very well. Thank you for the information.”

“Shall I have your mount readied Sir?”

“No, the castle is not far, and I could use a walk.” The horse deserved a break anyhow. The front lines they had left were about a week’s ride away, though they had pushed harder to cut an extra day from the trip. Adam had no doubt that if they were being called from active battle there was a very important reason, and had insisted the get to the capital as soon as possible. The fact that the king was summoning him as soon as he knew Adam had arrived in the city was clear proof of that.

It took Adam less than half an hour to reach the castle gates, and once the guards knew his name he was instantly ushered into a waiting room. He settled into one of the cushioned chairs, only to stand moments later when a familiar man entered. King Clausant had knighted him ten years before, and at the time Adam had been too in awe to register the man’s age, the beginnings of frailty. Perhaps they hadn’t been there before, but he could see them now, see how age was slowly killing him. He did his best not to let the worry of that thought cross his face, bowing low instead. “Your Majesty.”

“At ease. We do not have the time for formalities.” The king did not sit however, instead moving to the window and gazing out. “There may be a way to turn the balance of this war. You speak Kobold, do you not?”

The question surprised Adam, as did the thought that anything to do with kobolds would change the outcome of the war. Kobolds were the only living species who fought alongside the undead in the war against the world. The majority they came across in battle were little beasts, creating traps and moving through tunnels to attack from behind. They were a nuisance, certainly, but not the largest threat of the war. Still, there were rumors of larger kobolds, as large as a human, though Adam’s team had not come across any of those yet.

“Roughly Sire. It’s a surprisingly difficult language since it is an offshoot of Draconian.” It was said that kobolds were descended from dragons after all, though Adam doubted it himself. Sure, both were lizard like, had a few visual similarities, but he couldn’t imagine that the little, filthy creatures could be related to the great creatures who lived far beyond the mountains. He’d seen one once, as a squire, though the beast had been miles away. The memory had never left him, nor had the awe of the flying legend. There was simply no way the two species could be related.

“Good.” The king turned to the guard waiting outside of the door. “Fetch the prisoner.”

“You want me to question a kobold Sire? Surely there are others who can speak the language much better than I can.”

King Clausant smiled at that. “It removes the need for the interpreter. I feel you need to hear what this one has to say to understand the task I have for you and your team.” His smile faded slightly as he studied the knight. “It’s been determined that your team is the one most likely to be able to succeed in this, but even then, the odds are not in your favor.”

Adam thought that over for a time, uncertain as to what to expect. “What exactly do you want my team to accomplish?”

“An impossible mission, but one that will save all living things.” The guard returning drew both of their attention, along with the largest kobold Adam had seen, it’s hand cuffed together. The creature was a brilliant green color instead of the muddy brown color he was used to seeing among the smaller kobolds, and suddenly Adam could see it, the connection between dragons and kobolds. The king motioned to the creature. “This is Leaf, a noble kobold. Leaf has given us some very interesting information about the undead army.” He switched to the language of the kobolds, speaking it far more fluently than Adam could. “Leaf, this is my knight, Adam Barsol. I want you to tell him what you have told us.”

The green kobold eyed Adam warily before speaking. “What exactly should I tell?”

“Tell him about why your people fight for the undead.”

“Because the Great Undead Dragon, The Heartless Death of the Skies commands our king, and our king understands it is foolish to go against a being such as that.”

“An undead dragon? There’s an undead dragon?”

The king cut off Adam’s shock at discovering who commanded the undead army. “And explain what will happen if your people do go against the undead dragon?”

“The great undead dragon holds our king’s only child captive. If we do not follow orders the Flower of the Kobolds, our Blazing Star, will be killed.” The kobold grinned, sharp teeth flashing in the light. “As will we all. Fighting alongside our Master is the only way to survive.”

Adam took a few moments to process all that he had learned already in this brief meeting before he turned to the king. “I do not understand. What is it you want of me and my people Sire? We certainly aren’t ready to take on an undead dragon.”

“I wouldn’t ask that of your team. Too many others have already failed that task. Leaf here used to be a guard for Flower. They’ve given us the layout of the undead dragon’s lair. What I want your team to do is take the maps we have created from this information and bring Flower to me. If we can convince the kobolds to fight alongside the rest of the living races then we can finally destroy the undead army and keep our world safe from their destruction.”

“You want us to go into the lair of an undead dragon and kidnap their prisoner?” Adam shook his head. “It would take an army at best Sire, and even then, I don’t know that it could be done.”

“Brute force will not get us where we need to be Adam. Your team may have a chance though. Since you’ve come together you’ve succeeded at every challenge you have faced, you’ve survived things far more skilled groups could not. What I need is a small, competent group to slip in unnoticed, and your team is the one that keeps getting mentioned when I speak with my commanders about this need.”

“But Sire, we are only four people. If the undead dragon discovers us-”

“If the undead dragon found an army at their door they wouldn’t survive either, but at least your team has a chance at slipping in unnoticed.”

Adam fell silent, studying the kobold for a while before he spoke, knowing his accent in the kobold language was terrible. “Do you think it can be done? This rescue attempt?”

“I think you will all die before you even reach the undead dragon’s lair.” The king motioned for the guard to take Leaf away. “We are going to try to help as much as possible. We will be providing spells to assist in your travels and getting in and out of the lair without notice. It’s one of the reasons we needed a small group.”

“You don’t think it’s likely we will succeed though, even with that.” The king was asking his team to sacrifice themselves on the off chance that they might succeed. He was tempted to turn the request down, but he needed to give his king a chance to explain.

King Clausant was silent for some time, his gaze out the window once more before he sighed. “You may not know this Adam, you’ve been positioned near the human lands, and we have not yet faced the brunt of these battles, but we are not winning the war. The dwarves have locked themselves in their strongholds and refuse to come out, the elves forests are filled with death, and the giants are all but extinct. The goblins tried to offer their services, thinking they could work alongside the kobolds as they often have over the ages, only to be destroyed. With every death the undead army gets stronger. I’ve had reports of the giant zombies and how horrifying battling one is.” He finally turned to Adam, studying him critically. “If you do this I am not sure it will save us, even if you succeed, but I do know that if we don’t do this, if we don’t take every chance we can, it’s simply a matter of time before all living races are overrun.”

Adam was silent for some time, thinking it over. Finally he sighed and gave a sharp nod of his head. “We’ll do it. We’ll do whatever we can to put an end to this war, even if it means our lives.”

Relief was clear on the king’s face, and he smiled, resting his hand on Adam’s shoulder. “Very good Adam. I knew I could rely on you. I will have the spells and supplies prepared and brought to you first thing in the morning. If any of your party aren’t willing to come let me know immediately and I will do my best to find a suitable replacement. Do whatever you need to prepare your team.”

It was a relief to know that the king wasn’t going to force them to go if they didn’t want, but Adam knew his team, knew that they weren’t about to back out when this quest could change the war and save the world. Adam bowed deeply. “We shall be ready by morning Sire.”

He was given a stack of information, what was known about the terrain of the undead territories, some maps of the kobold tunnels underneath, the list of spells they were being provided with, and even a partial map of the undead dragon’s lair, including the best routes to the princess’ rooms. The walk home seemed even shorter than the walk to the palace had, and Adam collected his companions into one of the rooms. “I’ve learned why the king has called us here. He has a job for us.”

Wichtel rolled her eyes. “He could have just sent a messenger.”

“I suspect he wanted to be sure I knew just how serious this mission is. We’ve been asked to sneak into the undead dragon’s lair and kidnap the kobold princess.”

There was silence for some time as the team processed the news. Elefma was the first to speak, her voice calm. “The kobold princess?”

Stump shook his head. “No, no. That’s not the thing I want to hear about first. What’s this about a undead dragon?”

Wichtel nodded, her eyes wide. “Yeah, I want to know more about that too.”

Adam sighed. “I know. I was shocked too.”

Elefma shook her head. “But why does the undead dragon have a kobold princess? And why does your king want us to kidnap her?”

“Not a kobold princess. Apparently the only child of the kobold’s king. The undead dragon is using her to control the kobolds and make them fight on the side of the undead.”

Wichtel’s brow wrinkled. “Why? The undead killed the goblins when they tried to join the undead army. Why would they want the kobolds to fight alongside them?”

Adam shrugged. “Maybe because kobolds and dragons are related and the army is commanded by an undead dragon? I don’t really know.”

“Your king thinks if we kidnap the princess we will get the kobolds. Smart.” Elefma tilted her head as she thought about it. “The kobolds have tunnels all over the undead lands. If we had access to them we could turn the course of the war.”

It wasn’t something Adam had considered, but that was why he usually let Elefma plan out their operations. He truly knew next to nothing about the elf’s history, about why she had decided to join his team, he had just known she was living and wanted to help fight the undead. Adam was sure that without her his team wouldn’t have survived as well as they did. “I need you all to know that we are more likely to fail than we are to succeed. The king is providing as much magic as he can to help us, but this may be a suicide mission. I will not be upset if any of you decide to leave.”

He expected silence, expected them to have to think about it, but Elefma responded seconds before Wichtel. “It’s a good plan.”

“I want to see an undead dragon lair! Do you think it collects treasure like living dragons?” That one wasn’t actually surprising to Adam. Wichtel didn’t have much in the way of self preservation, but she was filled to the brim with curiosity that lead to the craziest inventions Adam had ever seen.

Stump sighed, giving a little shake of his head. “If Elefma is going I am not staying behind. She needs me to keep her safe.”

Elefma smiled sweetly at her lover. “Don’t make me stab you dear.”

The half orc coughed softly before amending his statement. “I mean, I need her to keep me in line.”

“Much better.” Elefma patted his cheek before she smiled cheerfully at Adam. “So, now that we’re all in what’s the plan?”

Adam motioned to the desk, where the stack of papers waited. “That’s all the information King Clausant provided. We all know you and Wichtel are better at planning than I am, so I didn’t mess with it.”

Elefma grinned over at her lover. “See? That’s how it’s done. Come on Wichtel, lets get to work.”

Stump sighed before resting his hand on Adam’s shoulder. “Well, we may as well go find the women some food.”

“That would be wonderful. Thank you.” Elefma shot them a smile as she and Wichtel split up the pages.

As soon as they left the room Stump sighed, scratching under his bushy red beard. “Tell me the truth Adam. We’re gunna die, aren’t we?”

“Yeah, probably, but from the sounds of it if we don’t try it’s just a matter of time until we’re dead anyway. The king says the giants are gone, most of them are undead now. The dwarves aren’t helping anymore, and the undead slaughtered the goblins and added their corpses to the hoard. Every time they kill one of the living our numbers decrease and theirs increase.”

“And the king thinks that this will change the outcome of the war?”

Adam hesitated before sighing. “He thinks this is our only chance.”

Stump thought it over for a while before finally giving a nod. “Then we do it. No matter what it takes, even if it means the rest of us die, you get her to the king.”

“And if I’m dead?”

“Then it’s the end of the world.”

Adam snorted at that. “You guys wouldn’t continue on without me?”

Stump laughed. “Adam, if you’re dead it means we’re dead.”

“Oh come on. You’re stronger than me, Elefma has never been hit the entire time we’ve known her, and Wichtel has all her weird gizmos. I’m the least effective of the whole team.”

“You’re the guardian Adam. You’re the shield. You are going to be the one guarding the princess, because no one can do it better than you. If you die it’s because they went through the rest of us first.”

“Oh.” He hadn’t thought of that, but it was a good point. Usually in their fights Adam and Stump worked side by side as Elefma and Wichtel either slipped around behind or used their weird gadgets to kill the undead around them. With the princess someone was going to have to focus on keeping her safe, which meant their fighting style was going to have to change. “We should practice that setup on the way to the undead dragon’s lair.”

Stump chuckled at that. “Sounds like a plan.” He paused, turning to Adam. “I mean it though Adam. No matter what else happens, you keep that princess alive and get her where she needs to go.”