Excerpt: When Worlds Collide

“Whatever,” Fenrig replied rolling his eyes again. “At any rate, I suppose taking care of the kobold issue might help us gain a little rep with Centre Pointe. That is, if Torvald here can refrain from saying ‘I attack it’ at every encounter, without waiting to see what ‘it’ is.” With that last, he threw an irritated glare at the barbarian, who had been quietly following the discussion while he ate.

“I didn’t know he was an important leader of the merchant’s guild!” Torvald said, shrugging. “When I see something ‘creeping in the shadows’ I’m going to swing at it before it has a chance to swing at me. He shouldn’t have been sneaking up on us acting all suspicious.”

“He was being sneaky because the cultists are controlling the region,” Dalahan pointed out for the third time, calmly refilling his pipe. “Including the town of Centre Pointe. If word got out that we were sent by the King, and the merchant’s guild was openly aiding us, that would have been the end of the merchant’s guild in Centre Pointe. That’s why he was being sneaky.”

“I know that, but its what Torvald would have done!” the barbarian protested. “Hey, someone’s coming.”

A trio of figures was approaching the camp. Two, a fairy and a skeleton, were short, no taller than a Halfling. The other was a human woman dressed in jeans and a jacket against the cool October air. The woman held back a few paces as the fairy and skeleton approached.

Fenrig lazily lifted his rapier, and pointed it over his shoulder, bringing it to stop about a foot from the skeleton’s chest, and pointed in its general direction. “Halt! What’s the password?” Fenrig demanded, nonchalantly.

The fairy let out a slight squeal of surprise at seeing an actual sword, but the skeleton, who was slightly taller, just giggled. “Trick or treat!” the two said roughly in unison.

“Well, wouldn’t you know it? That just happens to right!” Fenrig chuckled, holding a bowl of candy out. “Go ahead and pick two each, you’re choice.”

The skeleton and the fairy collected their candy, grinning, and began to move back towards the road, but the woman looked at them disapprovingly, and asked, “What do you say?” Turning back towards the party’s camp, the skeleton and the fairy each murmured a sheepish “Thank you,” before heading on their way.

“Nice, Sean,” Mark commented as the costumed children continued down the block. “You’re gonna scare the kids if you keep greeting them like that.”

Sean, who was Fenrig, raised an eyebrow at his friend. “Yeah, Mark. If anything’s gonna scare kids away, its you over there, with your wig and makeup, with those ridiculous fake boobs under your supposed clerical vestments.”