The new forest that the four creatures had found themselves navigating through ended abruptly. The Del’vhario members exhaled deeply, they were still alive, after all. For them, the dangers of the woods and the woods themselves were already out of sight and out of mind. A light breeze carried fresh air, and the three incipient bandits, along with a dreg, breathed in its refreshing allure. They strolled through a valley as vast as their eyes could see. After another two hours of waddling amidst ankle-tall grass, they reached a rocky hill crowned with ruins.

“Look at that...” Mau said.

“A derelict human construction, really Mau?” Nila’s scorn fell on deaf ears.

Weathered stones and broken bricks were all that remained of the forgotten structure. The remains outlined the shape of a castle-like building from far away, but upon closer inspection, its lines reminded X more of a cathedral than anything else. On both sides, the ruins were framed by large broken windows, with most of its roof having collapsed. Mau explained that it had been the house of some eccentric human noble centuries ago.

There was no longer a path leading to its wooden, decrepit door, which they entered through its missing half. Once inside, a stone floor with dripping water, muddied pools, a mostly inexistent ceiling, rotting wood, crumbled walls, and stairs leading to a flimsy second floor welcomed them. 

The four creatures stood inside. With most of the second floor gone, they could see all the way to what remained of its dome, where several birds nested. Sunlight shone into every corner, penetrating through the missing brick on the walls, the mostly inexistent roof and the broken windows. As they walked into the center of the building, Nila’s voiced cracked the silence. 

“What godsawful being is that?!” the female gnome’s tone carried disgust.

In a corner, viscous, purple matter dripped down the walls. Beneath the goo, spheres pulsed to old rhythms. X was walking toward her when he noticed, just four steps away, a white larva as big as his head dragging itself and twisting its body across the floor.

“Some foul parasite, just as this one!” the elf exclaimed.

Nila turned to face Mau. “What the fuck is this place!?”

“I told you guys...” Mau’s indifferent attitude unsettled Nila.

“No, you didn’t!” she complained.

Mau stepped towards the center of the main room and called out, “Come out!” He then spoke in some strange, guttural language. “Klck klck, klk klck!

After a few seconds, the sounds of clicks and clacks responded to Mau’s call and gradually intensified. Strange beings poked their heads out from every hole in the ruins. Their numbers swelled until they surrounded the new arrivals with their incessant clicking and clattering. Slightly larger than the gnomes, these creatures had long arms and legs. They quickly filled the room, even crawling upon the walls. With malformed rodent-like faces, elongated skulls, eyeless sockets, ears pointing straight up, and two large protruding fangs, they gave an aura of disease and misery wherever they went. 

Slender and furless, these dregs contorted their bodies in unnatural motions. A peculiar stench permeated the air, undoubtedly the method by which these creatures marked their territory. Surprisingly, these primitive critters were draped in rudimentary rags. The newcomers quickly grasped that these creatures had already claimed these ruins as their own.

 And these creatures could pass for innocent beasts if not for their threatening claws that protruded from their hands and feet, as well as their excessively sharp teeth.

“Where did you bring us, Mau?” X asked.

“This here is a vawykin’s nest. Isn’t it, my vawykins? Klck klk!” Mau said with a smile.

All vawykins raised their hands and swayed them in rhythm with their hips, while clacking their mouths in unison. They stopped when one hefty, robust vawykin emerged and approached the Del’vhario members.

“You, who are? You, what doing here?” the imposing vawykin asked with his claws aimed at them. 

“I’m Mau, formerly known as Latakeramau. Don’t you remember me?” 

“You, gnome, kidnap queen sister!” the vawykin roared. His pronouncement rattled every creature in that room. 

“You what?!” Nila faced the male gnome.

“No, no, no! It’s all a misunderstanding! Ask their queen!” Mau shot back.

“Queen say, gnome back. Kill! Kill!” the beefy vawykin shouted. 

A cacophony of clacks and clicks rose, their sounds thundering through the ruins. The vwaykins inched closer.

“Wait!” X shouted. “You there, the big one. I’m X the Elf, the mightiest of the three elven... Lords of Silifran. This individual here is a hopeless gnome. But it’s our gnome, and if you damage him, you’d be damaging elven property. Not only is he expensive, but, my other... elven brothers, the so-called... Elven Tyrant Lords, will come looking for this gnome. What will I tell them? What will you?”

The vawykins stopped their tumult, bewildered by the elf’s words.

“Allow me be courteous and converse with your queen. We can avert any further turmoil, and your nest shall flourish,” X stated, holding his ground before the robust vawykin. 

The beefy vawykin bared his teeth, pondering what he should do.

“Vawykin kin! Brother race. Please,” Khratzika stepped forward amidst the sea of dregs. The taller vawykin fixed his gaze on her. His demeanor softened. “Hmmm. You, elf, come. No strange ideas,” he said.

X followed the swole dreg, trailed by an entourage of six vawykins, their claws ready to butcher at the slightest provocation. They descended a flight of stairs into the cellar, where dampness mingled with a pungent odor. Along the way, the same throbbing, purple goo and its spheres of foulness that he had seen before coated the walls. They maneuvered through rows of aged wine barrels, dozens of them stacked on either side. A handful of broken barrels spilled forth life. Within them, white larvae clustered and squirmed against each other, created a disconcerting display upon an organic canvas.

At the end of the cellar, a cave emerged, hollowed into the wall. Inside, he met their queen, seated on a throne made of stones and bricks. Slightly taller than the small vawykins, she possessed more refined features, an even more elongated skull, no fangs, and shorter claws. 

“Vawykin queen,” X greeted the royalty.

“She be not queen of all vawykins,” her corpulent lieutenant interjected. “Only this nest queen.” 

“Ah, then, queen of this vawykin’s nest. Del’vhario salutes you,” X amended his greetings.

She clacked her teeth together, emitting a high-pitched sound before forming words. “What, elf?”

*

Upstairs, Nila and Mau sat on the cold and wet ground, surrounded by an ocean of vawykins. 

“Why the hell did you have to bring us here?” Nila asked.

“Where else would you have us go? Elves are onto us, the same as humans, and the dryad’s all fucked up,” Mau replied.

“I hope Ekk’s gets you out of whatever shit you’ve stuck your cock into this time.”

“You’re overreacting. But yes, he’s taking his damn time!”

“At least Khratzika is enjoying herself,” Nila said, looking at the female dreg.

Curious vawykins had gathered around the female chit’tan, as she fielded their questions.

“She didn’t strike me as the easy-going type of chit’tan,” Mau observed.

“Yeah, it’s strange... they usually aren’t.”

Close to an hour later, X returned accompanied by the vawykin queen’s royal guard. 

“Talk, gnome!” The brawny vawykin prodded X. 

“Calm down, big guy, I’m on it,” the redheaded elf retorted. 

Nila and Mau’s faces lit up with anticipation. “What happened?”

X observed Khratzika mingling with the vawykins. “Hmm... She’s quite the sociable type,” he remarked, then turned his attention to Mau. “So, the queen told me that you promised to marry her and that you’d both give birth to some kind of gnome-vawykin race. But instead, you eloped with her sister.”

“I fucking knew it! Your damn cock is taking you far!” Nila scolded the male gnome.

“Did you really elope with her sister?” X inquired.

“It’s a bit complicated...” Mau struggled to find a reasonable explanation. “Look, in the end it didn’t work out, and the queen’s sister eventually returned.”

“Didn’t work out with her or with the kids?” X probed, genuinely curious about Mau’s escapades.

“Nothing of the sort,” Mau replied.

“And it’d better. The gnome race needs to remain pure!” Nila raised her voice and puffed her chest.

“Maybe you’re right, none of these looks like you,” X chimed in after scanning the vawykin’s faces gathered around them.

“It’s harder than you imagine, and I was merely trying to share with them our superior seed,” Mau explained, sharing his grand vision for this particular nest.

“I don’t imagine anything and I plan to keep it that way,” X said.

“You never learn, you son of a bitch! Ugh!” Nila’s furious gaze landed on the male gnome.

“Anyway... did she buy the story? Am I safe?” Mau asked.

“Yeah...” X grinned. “We reached an understanding. I told her you’d behave, or I’d kill you myself, with my dark and mysterious magik.”

“Damn! You really convinced her that easily?”

“No. She knows no Lord comes in drags through the forest dragging along two funky gnomes and an injured dreg,” X replied.

“Oh... and then?”

“They demand an apology. And some compensation.”

“Fuck! What do I do now?”

“I don’t know, maybe do whatever they ask,” Nila’s tone suggested he complied.

“What if we make a run for it?” Mau proposed.

“Nah, now that we are here, I want us to enjoy the scenery. It’s not such a bad place after all. You were right, Mau,” X replied.

“Ah, fuck! I should’ve never brought us here! Gnome ancestors, save me!” Mau exclaimed.

“Go and see the queen,” X pointed towards the stairs going down. “Now.”

“Dammit!” Mau stood up and went down to the cellar.

Members of Del’vhario only wanted to rest, but their circumstances hinged on two very offended royal females. 

Several yells and some crying later, the defeated male gnome returned. The brawny vawykin clacked at his kin, prompting them to scatter and resume their tasks. Most of the vawykins retreated underground while others tended to the purple growth.

“We can stay,” Mau muttered, defeat etched on his face.

“And?” X inquired.

“As long as we behave, especially me.”

“Your dumb ass deserves this. What’s your punishment?” Nila questioned.

“Do some godsforsaken manual labor.” 

Nila burst into laughter.

“We should...” Mau gestured for them to gather close. “It seems to me they are ripe for a change in leadership—you know, the time-tested royal shuffle. These fuckers only kneel to strength, so let’s show them some, and it will be ours.”

“What will be ours?” X swerved his head in a circular motion, his eyes landing from stone to stone.

Nila and Khratzika exchanged glances, then turned their attention to the dilapidated ruins that barely stood in one piece.

“It was just an idea...,” Mau replied.

“Listen, Mau. If you want to lord over some beings that can barely lord themselves, go ahead and try it—successfully this time. But I’m no paper-pusher, oh no.” 

“I like where this conversation is going,” Mau interjected.

“So, what’s the plan? And this time, it’d better be fucking solid and not involve us becoming rulers of shit,” Nila stared at Mau.

“Hey! We’ve got a place to crash for a while, better than the damn forest,” Mau shot back.

“True, but first, we need to eat something and rest—and-- ah!” X winced as he touched his shoulder.

“Pain?” Khratzika asked. 

“Let me take a look.” Nila approached him and loosened the bandages around his shoulder. “This doesn’t look good. You need a potion and a Healing Scroll.” 

“Huh...?” X stared at her, unconvinced those items would help him. 

“And we also need supplies, but Silifran’s several days from here. Not that I’d recommend going there, they’re likely searching for us by now,” Nila remarked.

“As they fucking should be! Del’vhario’s reputation can only rise!” Mau interjected, his face brimming with excitement.

“And with it, the achievements of the gnome race!” Nila felt his emotions as if they were her own.

“But that reminds me. How did those Legazz shitheads know you?” Mau abruptly asked X.

“Yeah, that was odd. They knew your name and everything,” Nila added.

“I’ll tell you all about it, but not now. I really want to rest.” X lowered himself, leaning against a stone wall. 

Nila placed her left hand on his forehead. “You’re starting to heat up. Mau, stay here and deal with your shit. I’ll take Khratzika and go gather supplies.”

“You sure?” X asked.

“Yes. I’m not that tired. And I need... some time away from here. I hate those...” She glanced at the purple growth. “Ugh. Whatever. I’ll take the Acid Storm scroll and sell it in Guerlin.” 

“The feralis town?” Mau asked, taken aback.

“Well, shit! I ain’t setting foot in any human or elf city for a good while. And we’re short on coins, unless you want to go back to the fucking farmhouse. Everything’s there,” Nila exclaimed.

“No, but... oh well,” Mau conceded.

“What?” X asked.

“They’re fucking feralis! The Gods’ most unloved race! Right after dregs. And most importantly, they’re dirt-poor. How much can they pay for the scroll?” Mau replied.

“Anything’s better than nothing,” Nila replied. “And we need the supplies.”

“Do scrolls... lose their magik if they’re torn apart?” X’s mind began spinning ideas.

“No, the magik remains within each fragment. The scroll does lose the trigger mechanism, obviously, but you can take all pieces to be rejoined, or have each piece refurbished into lesser spells. The price for each process can vary wildly, though,” Mau explained.

“Good to know.” X stood up and requested the Acid Storm scroll from Khratzika, who kept it tucked under her hunched exoskeleton alongside the gemstone. Carefully, the elf handled the leather folder, partially pulling out the scroll. Using one hand, he pressed the scroll between the layers of leather, and with his free hand, he used his sleeve to grip one corner of the scroll.

“Hey!”

“Wait--”

The gnomes complained, but X had already torn it in half. 

“Ah!” A portion of X’s sleeve dissolved, and as heat surged into his fingers, he released it. He cautiously picked up the torn half of the scroll with the leather and put it inside the folder. The elf then handed it to Nila. “Now, you show them both pieces, and whoever offers the best price, sell it, or trade it, or whatever you need to do.”

“Heh. Sounds like a plan, and we’d better get moving,” Nila agreed.

“And if necessary, keep tearing it into little pieces. Do whatever it takes to secure the essentials,” X added.

“You’re fucking crazy. Gnome-crazy,” Nila spoke.

“And we love it,” Mau chimed in.

The members of Del’vhario eyed each other and grinned. 

“We won’t be gone for too long,” Nila assured.

“Get a good price. This is all we have for now. Oh, and as soon as you get there, take care of Khratzika’s wound,” X spoke, addressing the female gnome.

Nila and Khratzika prepared for the journey and soon after were on their way. X and Mau took advantage of the opportunity to rest, catching a few hours of much-needed sleep. They were roused from their slumber by a pair of small vawykins kicking at Mau’s feet.

“What?!” the male gnome grumbled.

“Work! You!” one of the vawykins retorted.

“Oh... You creeps weren’t joking.”

More kicks pelted his feet.

“Fine! I’m coming, you deformed critters.”

The vwaykins fixed their angry gaze at Mau as he stood up.

“What? You’re fucking horrible, and it’s not my fault. I even tried to better your race.” The male gnome turned to face X. “These shitbags should be thanking me instead. Ungrateful bastards.” He then directed his attention to the vawykins that had been kicking his feet. “Yes, you!” 

The vawykins clacked their teeth, shoving him away.