El and Kib wake up and the human teen takes the kobold to the farmhouse for breakfast. Arkin and Helen are accepting of the kobold, but Helen gives the kobold odd looks every now and then. Especially when the little purple scaled monster bends the prongs of a fork that it almost bites through.

The two adventures head out and take a walk around the town. The first loads of bread from this harvest season are being cut. Both El and Kib take a bit of bread. Top runs up to the two with a clipboard in hand.

“Alright, I bet all my money on you two, so let's go get ready for the first event,” Top says jotting something down on his board.

“Event?” Kib looks up at El worriedly.

“It’s nothing. First up was always mud wrestling, right?” El asks Top.

“Yeah, over in the pig pits. Let’s go.” Top dodges through the crowd as the two adventurers follow.

The three of them arrive at the pig pits on the east side of the village where a group of rowdy men are cheering on a wrestling match. Erin Dardes is in the area serving drinks from a cart with a keg on it. El watches her for a second.

“What are you smiling about?” Top grabs El’s collar and pulls him down. “I need the gold. Get in there and win two fights at least. You win three and drinks are on me.”

“I don’t drink.” El grumbles.

“Just get in there!” Top shouts as one of the wrestlers throws the other out of the mud pit.

“Fine, I got this.” El rolls his shoulders as he swings his legs over the fence.

He goes toe to toe against a larger man in height and stature. The man looks down at El with a wicked grin.

“The kid’s fighting me?” He laughs.

El lunges forward and is thrown down in the mud without a fight. A bell rings. El is pulled to his feet and the two fighters separate. El goes into tackle the man, the man grabs his arm, twists it behind El’s back, and shoves him aside. El is still on his feet though, he quickly spins and tries to sweep the bigger man’s legs.

El takes out the man’s legs and then drops his knee on the throat of the guy. A bell dings and The two fighters separate now one for one. El smiles, wipes mud off his chin, and brings his fists up. The bigger man lunges, grabs El’s arms, and throws him over his shoulder. El slams into the mud on his back as the wind leaves him.

The bell dings and Top groans as he hands silver over to the farmer who owns the pig pits. Kib walks over and helps El to his feet and then the kobold pushes him over the fence. Erin swings by and hands El a waterskin.

“Nice try. He’s been beating grown men all day. Kind of sad to see you give him a run for his money. Guess you are something special.” Erin smiles at El before going back to serve more customers.

El smiles to himself as he dumps water over him to wash off the mud.

The three leave the pits and head to the next competition. A few farmers and hunters practice shooting at a target with crossbows. El shows Kib how to work a crossbow and the two enter into the competition. You get one bolt, you need to hunker down behind the fence, find the furthest target you can in a gourd patch, and hit it as dead center as you can. The farmer gets one chance to throw a rock at you, if it hits, then you don’t earn anything.

El and Kib choose different spots to crouch down behind cover; twelve and sixteen stealth. El and Kib both choose targets; nine and twenty-two for perception. Then they both fire, getting a seventeen and a fifteen. El is dinged in the head by a stone.

“Ow, what the hell.” El stands up from behind cover.

“Got you!” The farmer howls before throwing another stone.

“Was that meant for me?” Kib pops his head up ten four feet from where the stone landed.

“Aw shit!” The farmer looks at the pumpkins, pouts, walks over to Top, and pays him fifteen silver coins.

“Well, Kib is now my favorite.” Top counts the coins as he plops them into his purse one by one.

“Fine, what’s next?” El rubs his temple.

“The hanging tree. Contestants grab onto a pole, are raised in the air, and have to hold on for a minute. Palms only, no arm locks, leg locks, or tails.” Top says as the three walk to the old tree next to the stockades.

Kib, El, and three others sign up for the competition and choose their own wooden poles to hang from. The poles raise up as the five all grasp the best they can. Everyone maintains grip as they are raised and the real challenge begins. Kib and one of the other men drop off after six seconds, another after 12 seconds, another after 24 seconds, but El hangs on for 72 seconds.

“Great job!” Kib cheers for El as he hops off the pole.

The executioner hands Top twelve silver for El winning. Top seems pleased as Kib and El move onto the next game. The next stall is at the smithy. He has bound several chains together interwoven in a confusing fashion.

“Just unweave it.” The smith smiles.

“Its metal.” El waves to it.

“Yeah, you said the bet would be fair this year.” Top grits his teeth.

“Munchkin. You shouldn’t be concerned with making money off your friends.” The smith sits down and folds his arms underneath his chin.

“Munchkin!” Top yells.

“You watch out.” El jabs a finger at the smith while holding Top back.

“Did it.” Kib puts down a straight chain.

“What? How?” The smith says dumbfounded.

“You used an alloy that’s malleable when heated up by body temperature,” Kib replies.

“But it should have taken much longer to heat it up!” The smith looks down at the chain.

“Dragon.” Kib enunciates the word jabbing his thumb back at his own chest.

The smith hands 20 silver to Top looking downtrodden. The three walk away and El lets out a small chuckle.

“You must be the real hero of our group.” El looks to Kib.

“Doing my best.” Kib smiles.

“The next competition is just trying to discern which statement of Drig’s is a lie. He’s gonna do whatever it takes to trip you up. So just keep calm and stay focused.” Top preps the two as they enter the bar.

A few people are inside drinking, El and Kib take a seat at the bar. Drigs turns to them and sets two mugs of a dark liquid in front of them.

“Alright, boys. No one has been able to discern the truth of this one yet.” Drigs grins. “I peed in this mug.” He nods to one drink. “I also peed in this mug.” He nods to the other. “I also didn’t pee in either one. I just told you a lie or two. Which statement or statements are true?”

“Fuck this.” El gets out of his seat and walks away.

“Wait, the money!” Top calls out.

Kib takes a swig of both mugs, taking time to swish around the drink of each one, before coming to a conclusion.

“You pissed in the left one. The other two statements are lies.” Kib says.

Drigs worriedly puts a bag of 15 silver on the counter. Top takes it and helps Kib off his bar stool.

The three reconvene outside.

“I’m questioning if a hero would drink piss.” El crosses his arm.

“Come on, there’s one more bet,” Top says walking away.

“I’m not drinking pee!” El calls out as he follows.

“Sometimes it's about survival, El. You need to learn to drink pee, El.” Kib follows with his short scaly legs.

“We are doing this last challenge, and then I am going back to my barn!” El yells.

“Well, the last bet is the dance. The elders were betting on which young-ins would find partners for the dance.” Top turns back towards El. “I bet on you and Erin.”

“What!” El’s cheeks turn red.

El, Kib, and Top arrive at the town hall where the pews have been pushed to the sides to create space. El waits for his turn to join in on the dancing. The band consists of a lute, a small drum, and a flute. They play a rustic tune as El joins in on the dancing with a 15 on a performance check.

Top slides over to where Erin is standing by a table drinking.

“Hey, El needs a dancing partner, and I am not tall enough.” Kib smiles up at her with a toothy grin.

“I’d just get in the way. I’m not a dancer.” Erin looks down at Kib.

“Oh! I assumed you would be. The halflings said all dancers are beautiful.” Kib looks towards El acting disappointed. “He sure is, isn’t he?”

Make Request

Indifferent = DC 13

Give Simple Aid +0

Diplomacy

17(D20)-1(skill)=16

Passed by 3

“Yeah, he is.” Erin walks out to El and takes his hand and the two dance together.

Arkin hands 20 silver over to Top. Kib smiles as he saunters over to the two. Top gives Kib a stealthy high five. The three friends all end the day with smiles on their faces. Top with a load of silver, Kib heads back to Arkin’s where he eats pie until he falls asleep, and El after an exhausting dance leaves hand in hand with Erin. She walks with El back to the barn on the farmstead.

“So what, you really think of Arkin and Helen as your parents?” Erin asks El.

“Well, Arkin feels like the grandfather I never knew.” El rubs the back of his head feeling a little embarrassed. “I know the man can be abrasive towards other people, sometimes he even is towards me, but he always means good.”

“Right,” Erin says with a questioning tone as they walk.

“So he doesn’t approve of drinking and you run a tavern. Don’t misunderstand me, I see where the conflict comes from. But this man made me feel wanted for the last six years when I’ve had no one. He taught me to cook, to harvest rye, to operate a mill, and to tend to cattle. I can shoot a crossbow, I can skin a deer, I can ride a horse, and I can shave without nicking myself. Helen’s been there, but not like Arkin. I never had anybody but him.” El says as he fights the feeling of choking up. Erin ambushes him, hugging him, squeezing him like she cares about him.

“You don’t have to be alone again.” Erin moves to speak closer to his ear. “You could have me.”

El puts his hands on her shoulders and takes a step back staring her in the eyes. The full moon shines down on them and Erin doesn’t know what to make of El’s smile.

“I have somewhere I want to go with you,” El says.

“Can it wait?” Erin nods to the barn.

“Not for a second.” El grabs her hand and the two run through the fields leaving town.

“This road, the nearest town is days travel this way, and all that is out here is that new mine of Kib’s,” Erin says as El keeps their pace up.

“You don’t get it yet, but you will,” El calls back, he looks over his shoulder with a wide grin.

Erin stares at the youthful joy in his face and hears the wonder in his voice. El slows down a little, holding her closer, as they crest a hill far off to the side of the trail. As they reach the peak of the hill Erin looks down in wonder.

Springing out from the long grass on thick stems are dozens upon dozens of white flowers that catch the moonlight just right giving them an iridescent quality. The wind picks up slightly, blowing the leaves of a large willow tree that looms over the area. The two stare in wonder as fireflies buzz around them.

The two walk down among the flowers, El brushes his hands over the soft petals of one, and Erin reaches out to hold her hand below a firefly.

The field hand walks up the hill towards the willow tree. Its bark is unscarred save for a single hole near El’s midsection that some bird or bug must have made. He presses his hand against the bark feeling a slight warmth, noticing a slight golden aura around his hand.

“Hmm, sometimes people write their names into trees,” Erin says as she approaches.

“Yeah, usually couples do that,” El mutters.

“So?” Erin nudges El.

El looks at Erin quickly then back at the tree. He can feel his heart start to beat faster as he checks his pockets for a knife. There’s a glint of metal in front of him. El reaches out and takes a small nail from the hole in the tree. He looks at the nail recognizing it as one he has set out just a few weeks back.

“Do you just keep nails on you?” Erin cocks an eyebrow.

“Not usually.” El smiles.

El carves his name into the tree and then carves in Erin’s.

“You know how to spell my name!” Erin smiles.

“Yeah, it’s not hard.” El shrugs.

“But, ugh, I thought your name was El?” Erin runs her fingers across what El wrote.

“El is what Arkin started calling me when I was left here. My family named me after the home of our people.” El takes a step back from the tree and looks up at its branches.

“Eltherian,” Erin says softly. “That’s such a beautiful name.”

“It’s the equivalent of if you had been named Caucasian.” El shrugs.

“Well, thank god I wasn’t, but I mean nobody knows about whatever this place is.” Erin turns to El, still smiling. “It isn’t a weird name.”

“Yeah, well, I guess my sisters and my mom are the last ones who would recognize the name,” El says.

“Whatever name you choose to have, whatever road you walk, I’ll be by your side.” Erin steps towards El and reaches out for his hands.

El closes the distance and kisses Erin. Her eyes open wide in shock before her arms wrap around him, and she relaxes. El pulls away from her.

“Am I moving too fast?” El asks.

“No, not at all.” Erin kisses El and the two share a moment under the moonlight. El pulls away and Erin does a little fist pump out of his view.

“Finally,” Erin mutters.