With Huss resting as comfortably as the three goblins could make him, Dizzy led his friends north along the shoreline. The wetlands of the swamp fell steadily behind them. The ground was dry, making travel easy. The goblins followed a coastal road but stayed near the edge in case a patrol came along. None spoke, lost in their thoughts. Gwen trailed Kitty, his alert eyes watching for prey.

“Horses,” said YDB, breaking the silence.

“What? Where?” asked Dizzy as he ran off the road and slipped behind some brush.

YDB pointed back the way they had come. All three goblins and Gwen crouched down as a farmer’s wagon approached.

“You know, I’m kind of tired of walking,” said Kitty. Dizzy nodded in agreement. The dry lands were not as comfortable to walk on as the swamp marshes, even though they covered ground faster.

“After he passes us, let’s see if we can climb aboard,” said Dizzy.

A man and a boy were on the wagon’s bench. The boy held the reins while the farmer cradled a crossbow loosely across his lap. The horses trudged slowly and steadily up the road. As the wagon neared, one of the horses nickered in alarm.

“Crap, that horse smells us,” groaned Dizzy. The boy pulled the reins, bringing the wagon to a halt.

“Come on out of there,” said the farmer in a threatening voice. “We gots nothing but pumpkins, so if you think we’re a fat merchant, think again.”

With a shrug, Dizzy came out behind the brush with his hands raised.

“Can I get a ride?” he asked with a toothy goblin grin. “I promise not to do anything stupid.”

The boy looked at his father and grinned as well. “What do you think, Pops? They have goblins in Munit just up the road.”

“Those be tame goblins. This one, he has the look of the wild about him,” replied his father.

“Wait, there are goblins in the next town?” asked Dizzy.

“Yeah, they live under the Happy Dragon Inn. Come on, Pops, let’s give him a ride!”

“No. Begone, goblin. I’ll not let you ride behind me, to stab me in the back,” growled the farmer. The boy looked back and forth between Dizzy and his father, then shrugged.

“Sorry, little guy. Pops’ wagon, Pops’ rules.”

Dizzy nodded dejectedly, turned, and headed back into the brush. After the wagon pulled away, he spun around and ran after it as quietly as he could. Kitty and YDB held their hands out to him to pull him onboard. Gwen watched but didn’t offer any help.

“Thanks,” whispered Dizzy.

“No problem,” replied Kitty. “You kept him distracted just long enough!” she whispered in reply.

The goblins carefully moved a few pumpkins around to make themselves a nest. Dizzy and YDB took turns keeping an eye on the farmer’s hat to make sure he wasn’t about to climb into the back to check on his load. Kitty cracked open her spellbook and settled in to study. Dizzy avoided looking at the book, just in case she was wrong and the words on the pages sucked the words from his mind.

An hour later, the goblins pulled the pumpkins down over themselves as they heard a guard call out to the farmer and son.

“Ho, there! What do you have to sell?” asked the guard.

“Just the finest pumpkins in the land,” replied Pops, rapping on the closest pumpkin with his knuckles. The gourd gave out a solid thud with each thump.

“The tax is three coppers, plus one of those pumpkins,” said the guard.

“What? I only get three coppers apiece when I sell them!”

“Then give us two. Make sure they’re big ‘uns too.”

Dizzy could hear the farmer grumble as he plucked two from the stack and handed them to the guard. A moment later, the wagon was moving again. Peering up through a gap between the orange gourds, Dizzy saw a large stone arch pass overhead. Munit seemed to be better protected than the town the goblins had raided before Stormhoof and Issar later had it razed. The goblins listened to the chatter and bustle of the town outside the wagon. Soon enough, the farmer brought the load around in a large circle and stopped.

“Get the drop cloth laid down, and these pumpkins unloaded before I get back. We’re going to be here for a couple of days, so I best see if we can get a room. Unless you prefer sleeping under the wagon.”

“Yes, Pops,” replied the boy. Dizzy began to carefully move the pumpkin from above him when he heard the boy rap sharply on the side of the wagon.

“Not yet. Pops might turn around... yeah, he did. OK, now he’s heading into the Inn,” whispered the boy. A moment later, a pumpkin was lifted and Dizzy saw the grinning face of the boy.

“By the way, my name is Todd.”

“Todd? Strange name,” said Dizzy. “I’m Dizzy, this is Kitty and YDB.”

“How did you know…” began Kitty.

“Oh, we’ve run into goblins before. You lot ain’t as bad as you’re made out to be. I got to know Screecher and Paddles on my last visit to town. They’s the goblins what live at Happy Dragon. Well, underneath at least.”

“Thanks, but I meant how did you know we were back here?” asked Kitty.

“I saw a goblin all by his self, so I figured Dizzy here must have had friends. I heard you climb in. Pops’ hearing ain’t what it used to be.”

“Well, uh, thank you then,” said Kitty. “Um…”

“The Happy Dragon is off that way,” said Todd, pointing in a different direction than his father had gone. “You’ll see a sign of a dragon on top of treasure. You got to go around to the back, where the coal chute is. Try to keep out of sight, not everyone here tolerates goblins. Screecher and Paddles, well, they’re sort of the town mascots. They also have a rat-catching business.”

“Okay, thanks!” said Kitty. The boy unfolded a large cloth onto the ground behind the wagon and began unloading the pumpkins and arranging them by size.

The goblins wasted no time finding an alley that lead in the general direction of the Happy Dragon. The main streets were filled with people of all sizes. Mostly humans, but tall and slender elves, short, stocky dwarves along with gnomes and halflings and possibly a few races Dizzy and his friends had never encountered before. Dizzy thought he spotted a tall blue man looking at an ornate chair, but the gaps between buildings kept them from seeing too much. It did have the advantage of keeping them hidden from anyone who might take issue with them within city walls.

Crossing streets was a bit tricky, but it was YDB who solved the problem by pointing up and saying, “Roofs.” The four easily climbed the rough walls and were soon flitting across the rooftops. Dizzy brought their movement to a halt when he spotted the Happy Dragon’s sign.

“Looks like the place,” he said to Kitty. Scanning the area, he looked for the safest and quickest way to the back. The gap from the building they were perched on was too far to leap across. They would have to go around.

A building to the left offered a safe perch, with a rope tied between that building and the Happy Dragon. Lanterns were slung every ten feet or so, to provide light after sunset. With a shrug, Dizzy grabbed the rope and began to swing hand over hand above the street. Below, the crowd missed that a goblin was moving overhead. Gwen easily ran across and waited for Dizzy.

Kitty went next and was nearly on the other side when YDB grabbed onto the rope. The oscillations set up by Dizzy and Kitty had loosed the anchor from the wall, and YDB’s extra weight pulled the rope free. With a wail, YDB fell to the ground and swung across the gap. The crowd finally noticed and began yelling, then laughing as the hapless goblin slammed into the wall of the Happy Dragon Inn before dropping and landing hard on the ground. Dizzy and Kitty jumped down, using the rope to control their speed. Gwen looked from the rooftop, then disappeared.

The crowd applauded, then moved on. Dizzy looked around, expecting someone to charge forward. He jumped with a start when someone tapped him on his shoulder.

“What are you doing here? This is our corner,” came a voice. Turning, Dizzy and Kitty saw two goblins standing there, with their arms crossed over their chests.

“Uh, your corner?” asked Kitty, confused. She glanced between the two, seeing one was male and the other female.

“Yeah, our corner. Humans leave us be, as long as we entertain them. Your one-act show of falling to your doom doesn’t have much staying power. What else you got?” said the male.

“I guess you two are Screecher and Paddles?” asked Dizzy.

“Yeah, what of it? And who gave you our names?”

“Todd,” said YDB, slowly dusting himself off. He rubbed the back of his head where he had hit it on his rough landing. “Ouch.”

“Todd? Is that scamp back in town?” asked the female goblin with a grin. “They’re friends of Todd, Screecher.” She turned and offered her hand to Kitty. “I’m Paddles, and this is my man Screecher. We’re entertainers.” She flipped three brightly colored balls into the air and began to juggle. The crowd mostly ignored her.

“Hi, I'm Kitty, and these are my friends Dizzy and YDB. YDB doesn't speak much, but I talk enough for all of us. Dizzy here is our leader,” said Kitty as she introduced herself and her friends.

Screecher didn’t look especially happy, but he shook the trio's hands. “So, you have a place to stay in town?” he asked.

“Todd suggested that we stay with you if that’s all right,” said Kitty. Gwen appeared and rubbed his head against Kitty’s legs.

Screecher scowled, but Paddles smiled warmly. “But of course! Come inside, and make yourselves comfortable. I’ll get some dinner cooking, and we’ll see about working your friend’s 'Fall of Doom' into our act.”

Paddles led the three to the back of the Happy Dragon, shoving a packing crate aside to reveal a goblin-sized door.

“The Happy Dragon used to have a bar just for halflings and gnomes, but the Wee Folks preferred to drink with the rest. So the owner rents this to us,” explained Paddles. She moved aside to reveal the room.

Inside, four tables sat scattered about with ten or so goblin-sized chairs sitting underneath. A bed was pushed up against one corner, and various other furniture was scattered about. While cluttered, the place was much cleaner than their huts in the swamps or even the Chief’s palace.

The bar remained, with bottles of liquor on the shelves and two wooden beer kegs behind the counter. A painting of a nude halfling woman hung above it. As the companions looked around for a place to sit, Screecher went behind the bar and drew five beers from the tap. Gwen hopped into one of the chairs and settled himself down for a nap.

“Sit, sit, make yourselves comfortable,” said the affable Paddles. “We’ve been in town for a long time. What’s going on out in the swamps? Are you scouts for a raid?”

“No raid, I don’t think we’re going to be doing any for quite some time,” answered Dizzy. He accepted a beer from Screecher and took a long pull. It was the best beer he had ever had. All five goblins settled in at one of the tables.

“What brings you to town then?” asked Screecher after taking a sip of his beer.

“We’re, uh… Well, we’re chasing a minotaur and his orcs. They captured our village,” began Dizzy.

“Really? The whole village? Tell us more,” said Paddles.

Both goblins sat and listened as Dizzy and Kitty explained about the first raid on Driftwood Landing, the second raid with the orcs, and Stormhoof commanding them to find the gem.

Finally Dizzy said, “Then when the orcs and Stormhoof sailed away, we almost gave up. But Stormhoof nearly killed two of his crew for questioning his orders. Huss, an orc Stormhoof had left for dead told us where we might find him. We’re still several days away, and he might not even go there, but we have to try.”

Screecher sat in thought for a bit. “Stormhoof said he was going to conquer the whole region? That would include this place, and I don’t think the King will let him run around unopposed. Dead townspeople don’t pay taxes, and the King loves his taxes.”

“Yes, but he has that gem now,” said Kitty.

A knocking came from the door. Paddles jumped up and ran to see who it was. Outside stood Todd, a pumpkin in his hand.

“Come in, Todd! Come right on in!” said Paddles. Todd crouched down and slipped into the small room.

“I brought you a pumpkin, Miz Paddles.” Todd looked around and grinned when he saw Dizzy and Kitty sitting with Screecher. “Ah, they found you. Good. I sort of tricked Pops, distracting him long enough for them to climb onto the wagon.”

Todd settled himself onto one of the largest chairs. “So, what’s going on? Swamp goblins like you lot don’t come this far north all that often.”

“Wait, are you saying other goblins come to the city?” asked Kitty.

“Yeah, sometimes,” answered Todd. “There is a bunch that comes down from the mountains to sell mushrooms and furs. Stuff like that. As long as they don’t cause trouble, and either Paddles or Screecher vouch for them, the Captain of the Guard lets them into the market. Course, he only lets in two or three and their trade goods. He didn’t get to be Captain of the Guard by being a durned fool.” The boy laughed, then took a beer from Screecher.

Kitty and Dizzy exchanged glances.

“How often do they come?” asked Dizzy. “Are they here now?”

“They’re not at the market today, but they might be tomorrow,” said Todd. “Market Day is tomorrow. That’s why me and Pops are here to sell our pumpkins. But we’re getting off track. What are swamp goblins like you doing here in Munit? You don’t look like traders to me.” The boy reached over and scratched Gwen’s ears.

“We’re, um,” began Dizzy, not quite sure what or how much to tell Todd. “We’re chasing a minotaur. He took our tribe, and might be heading north.”

“Oh, wow! A real minotaur? That’s so cool!”

“Not really,” said Kitty. “It’s not like in the story books. He is big, hairy, and very violent. He broke a man’s knees down the coast in a little fishing village just to leave a message.” She thought of Huss and added, “Breaking legs seems to be a thing with him.”

Todd’s eyes grew round at that.

“I thought they just lived in mazes and could be killed by a hero,” said Todd. “Weren’t there any heroes?”

“There was a dwarf warrior, but the orcs killed him before Stormhoof got there. After that, it was just normal townfolk and the guards. None could stand against the bull,” answered Kitty.

Todd looked at the goblins, then asked, “Were you there?”

“Yeah, we were,” said Dizzy. “We, um, we raided the town with some orcs. We thought it was just for the loot, you know? No one gets hurt too badly, we get some good treasure. But the orcs weren’t there for treasure, they were there to destroy. Captain Stormhoof was their leader.”

Todd went from excited to deeply concerned in a few heartbeats. “Why destroy? Wouldn’t it be better to conquer the towns? Then he’d get tribute from the towns like the king gets taxes.”

“Stormhoof intends to conquer this whole area, and make it his kingdom. The first town was just a warning. We talked with some adventurers, who said they would warn the king,” answered Dizzy.

The goblins and the boy sat quietly for a bit. Finally, Todd brightened up. “Well, the King is a smart man, and he has good soldiers. I don’t think this Stormhoof guy will get too far.”

“We hope so too. But for us, he still has our people,” said Kitty.

“Are you going to rescue them?” asked Todd.

“Rescue!” exclaimed YDB. Gwen had moved to stretch out on his lap, enjoying the near silent goblin’s scratching.

“We have to. We’re our tribe’s rescue squad. When the tribe raids something, we watch for anyone getting hurt or trapped, and get them out before it’s too late,” said Dizzy.

While the other goblins chatted with Todd, Paddles had been working in the small kitchen and brought out a platter of grilled fish.

“That’s enough about minotaurs and conquest. Let’s conquer these fish, and then you need to get on back to your Pops, Todd. I’ll bring these three to the market tomorrow, maybe the mushroom pickers will know something more,” said Paddles. Screecher grabbed at the top fish, but Paddles slapped his hand. “Guests first. That’s the city way, you know.”

Dizzy, Kitty, and YDB each took a fish. Only Kitty realized that she needed to use a plate, and nudged Dizzy to put the fish down and not eat it while holding it in his hand. YDB broke off a bit of the flaky white meat and fed it to Gwen. Screecher poured more of the goblin beer. Everyone ate and drank heartily. Paddles limited Todd to a single beer, offering him clean spring water to wash down his dinner. She knew the boy couldn’t hold his liquor.

“Best be getting back to your Pops,” she told him and escorted the boy to the door. “We’ll be by bright and early. I even have some coin, I’ll buy a pumpkin or two from your Pops.”

Todd waved and left, heading to find the inn his father had rented for them. Paddles and Screecher cleaned up the table after she had kicked him. Kitty and YDB jumped up to help, but Paddles shooed them off. “You’re guests. We’ll take care of it, you just rest.”

Screecher lit several candles scattered across the tables, bringing a dim, but friendly glow to the room. The goblins settled down again, chattering about life in the swamp and the city. As the evening stretched on, first YDB, then Kitty yawned. Gwen was already asleep on the chair Todd had vacated.

Paddles brought out bedrolls, and the three travelers stretched out on the bar’s floor and were soon sound asleep. With a smile, Paddles took Screecher’s hand and led him off to their bed. The candles guttered and finally winked out one at a time.