TempusMUD

Date: The Year 320.

“What brings you here, strangers?” asked the old man. We could not help but feel happy that he was speaking to us. He had a very convincing, amicable nature.

“I am Albert Grange, and this is Quixen Tred. We are travelers.”

“Hear that, my young, eager guards. They are travelers. Put your weapons down.”

“You’re too trusting, elder!” yelled a guard.

The elders cane “accidently” went into the foot of the guard. “There’s more than meets the book, my young guard. And, never judge an eye by its cover!” rasped the old man as he broke into a deep, joyous laughter. I couldn’t tell if he was laughing, or coughing something up, honestly.

After explaining our journeys around Modrian, except mentioning the time traveling, of course, the halflings believed we were just two adventurers, looking for… well… adventure.

“You must be careful around the valley. The kobolds have raised an offensive against us,” said one of the guards.

“The kobolds are a vile, beast-like race that lives below the buffs, in a strange cove near the ocean,” stated another guard.

“We do not know why they attack us at this time, but a survivor of a kobold raid said their eyes glowed a strange red, as if bewitched!” exclaimed a much younger guard.

Al’Kaham, I thought to myself.

“Well, we will be careful. We must be off to Modrian,” I stated.

The halfling elder insisted that we be his honored guests for some time of seasonal affair that the halflings held. Grange convinced me that I was still pretty weak from the attack at ECU, and that we both should take up the halfling hospitality. I think he was just hungry.

That evening, a great festival was held in the small village. The halfling king walked proudly toward the center of a long, decorated table. He nodded and in a village-wide tandem, small hands lunged at the feast laid before us. We ate and conversed, learning about the great halfling history, from its roots as a small hamlet, into today’s glorious halfling village.

As I started my third pork pie, we heard a skin-tingling scream from the village center.

“KOBOLD ATTACK! HELLPP!!”

A battle horn bellowed across the night sky as guards armed themselves with swords and staves and headed for the village’s eastern entrance. Grange and I took up arms ourselves, meaning to repay the hospitality while finding the means to burn a few calories on the way.

The guards we had met earlier were worth their salt in battle. Swords parried spears. Enemy daggers were swatted away by quick, tiny hands. I armed myself with a club I had found upon the ground, since I had left my rifle back in ECU. Grange and I fought off a gang of kobolds led by a giant weasel that attacked a group of young halflings.

After what seemed to be an hour of battle, an unfamiliar horn roared through the town, and the kobolds retreated out the eastern entrance and to the southeast towards the sea.

“We are victorious!” cried the guards. Many swords raised into the air, followed by chants and cheers.

Surprising to Grange and I, the festival resumed. Eating, drinking and merriment followed by contests of strength and competing statistics of battle filled the village with proud joy once more.

Stuffed with food, fight and fun, Grange and I immediately passed out within a vacant hut of the village. We woke early the next morning to a familiar voice.

Len stood outside of our hut, speaking with a couple of guards and the halfling elder. He apologized for Modrian’s lack of awareness in the aid of the halflings during the last few weeks. He was surprised to see us, however.

I introduced Grange to Len, and explained how we ended up in the halfling village. Len laughed at our tale of battle alongside the half-sized people of Calidan.

Escorted by the cleric guard, we bid the halfling elder farewell and left toward the northwest, towards the Holy City of Modrian. Grange remained silent and in awe as we passed by the enormous Silver Tower of Guiharia. I could tell he had many questions, but lacked the energy to ask them.

I gave him a quick punch to the arm to remind him that it wasn’t a dream…