The Kobold Thief

by Constantine Noble

  “I’ve decided,” said Lorcan. “The specialization I choose is…”

  Chapter 4

  Kurt sat in his usual seat at the bar, nursing the last bit of his ninth beer of the day. His black hair speckled with some gray hung down slightly over his his face, partially concealing the eye patch over his left eye. The bartender hobbled over to his lone patron.

  “D’ya like anotha pint, Kurt?”

  “Why not,” grunted the Tracker. It wasn’t like he was going anywhere anytime soon.

  As the bartender walked away to fill an empty glass, the creak of the door rang through the tavern. Kurt let out a sigh. He recognized the disgusting smell of the creature before he heard its nervous laughter. He lifted his hood over his head in hopes that the scaled beast hadn’t recognized him yet.

  “Hee, hee, hey there Kurt,” wheezed out the Kobold.

  Dang it.

  “What do you want, Darrion.”

  “Hee, hee, now now,” said Darrion as he struggled to get up on the bar stool, “Is that any way to greet an old friend?”

  Darrion was a solid three foot nothing, the average size of most Kobold players in Hyperion’s Keep, and had an ugly smashed in, hound-like face.

  “I don’t think I would ever had called us friends…” Kurt took a sip from his glass. “What do you want?”

  “Why do you assume I want anything at all? I’m mostly just passing through for a drink on my way back up to Inganno, hee, hee.”

  The bartender came by and handed Kurt his beer.

  “Anyf’ing for ya?” asked the worker.

  “I’ll have what he’s having. Please send it to that table in the back though, I suspect I won’t be welcomed to sit here next to my… old associate… for much longer. Hee, hee.”

  “Fair enouf,” replied the bartender, who raised an eyebrow towards Kurt as he walked away.

  “Hee, hee, you must be wondering what I’m heading to Inganno for?”

  Kurt didn’t. Not that it mattered. Regardless of what he said, he knew the Kobold wouldn’t be able to keep his mouth shut.

  “Some strange guy found me and gave me a letter. These people are paying me just to be on retainer for them, hee, hee, can you believe it? All I gotta do is find some legendary items, steal em from some poor smucks, and they’ll pay me even more! Hee, hee, you know me, Kurt, you know me. I’m gonna take what I want from people anyway, so this was right up my alley!” Darrion went on a little further, but Kurt couldn’t understand him through all the snickering.

  “Hee, hee, anyways,” continued the Kobold as he calmed down, “I wanted to swing by and drop you an offer before I left town. We’ve worked wonders in the past, and I think teaming up on this could be mutually beneficial for us. If you’re interested, any items you are able to get to me I’ll pay you 20 percent! How great is that?”

  Kurt sighed. There it was. Darrion was a good thief, but wasn’t the best at finding things or handling himself in a fight. Those two fell to Kurt, back when they had worked together.

  “You know I’m done doing that kind of thing. Go bother someone else.”

  “Hee, hee, understandable, understandable. Well, I won’t bother you anymore. If you change your mind, just head to Inganno and track me down! My main contact for this group is out there, so I’m gonna start staying nearby.”

  With that, Darrion scurried off into the back and awaited his drink.

  Kurt started on his next beer. Just a couple of years ago, he might have considered the Kobold’s offer. After losing his daughter and wife, however, he had lost the will to go on any more jobs. Particularly the sketchy kind that seemed to always follow him around. He glanced at his gold count. It was starting to get pretty low. The drinks at the Lame Duck were cheap, but when you order dozens of them day after day, the cost begins to add up.

  He stared into his glass, contemplating what he should do. The shops around here were a bore to work in, and there weren’t any dungeons close by to run noobs through for some easy coin. Maybe this new venture of Darrion’s could help him out? They had worked well in the past… before Kurt found out how much he was getting ripped off by the thief. His family had always wanted him to pursue more noble work with his set of skills, but he found they typically didn’t pay as well.

  Before he could think through his options anymore, the door creaked open yet again. In walked a kid about his daughter’s age when she was murdered. He must be a new player. The kid looked around the room and his shoulders dropped. Guess he was hoping to find the place more happening than it was, thought the Tracker.

  Kurt did a double take. Was he wearing a brown robe? This kid… was a Mage? Kurt shook his head. Clearly, this kid was a moron.

  The player walked up to the bartender who had just dropped off a mug at Darrion’s table.

  “E-Excuse me, sir. D-Do you happen to know if any Trackers frequent this bar that would be interested in some work?”

  Kurt’s ears perked up. The kid may be a moron, but a moron with some extra gold was not someone to ignore. Kurt halfheartedly waved his hand.

  “Hey kid, I might be able to help.”

  A dumb looking smile spread across the player’s face as he came over and took a spot next to Kurt at the bar.

  “H-h-hello,” the kid gulped, “my name is Lorcan. I-I’m looking for a Tracker to help me find my frien-”

  “How much?”

  Lorcan looked confused.

  “I-I’m sorry?”

  “How much are you willing to pay?”

  “O-oh, right! I-I’ve got 500 gold.”

  Kurt thought for a second. That would probably work for some small task that could be accomplished in a day.

  “Okay.”

  “O-Okay you’ll do it?!”

  Kurt couldn’t help himself and let a chuckle escape.

  “No. ‘Okay - you have my attention.’ Keep going with the job description.”

  “Okay, s-sorry! So, my friend was kidnapped by a hooded man out in the Forest of Hildebrand.”

  “Nonsense. That’s a PvE zone. If he is gone, it’s because he willingly left with this man.”

  Lorcan looked down and took deep breaths while flexing his hand multiple times. Odd.

  “He couldn’t have gone willingly, because he was killed.”

  That still didn’t make any sense in a PvE area, but Kurt chalked it up to the kid being traumatized by his friend dying to a mob. Strange that someone would take the body with him.

  Kurt nodded. The kid couldn’t deal with the loss, and thought his friend could somehow be brought back to life. Kurt knew what that felt like, and sometimes still hoped there was a way to bring the dead back. He decided to just humor the kid, who just wanted the body of his friend back.

  “Did you see his face? Do you know who this man is?”

  Lorcan shook his head. “No…”

  “That isn’t really much to work on,” Kurt sighed.

  Lorcan reached into his pocket. “I-I did find this note, though. Maybe it’ll be helpful?”

  Kurt took the note and read through it. Hmm, he thought, this sounds like what Darrion was talking about earlier. He had an idea, but needed to confirm something first.

  “This note says that they were looking for specific items. Do you happen to have one of them?”

  “Yes,” said Lorcan as he pulled out a small orb with red mist circling inside. “This is the Orb of Agner, and what they were after.”

  Interesting, thought Kurt as Lorcan put the orb away. While the 500 gold probably wouldn’t be worth the hassle of this job, if he could get his hands on that item, he could sell it to Darrion’s contact for 100 percent of the money. Even better would be if he could find a way to steal it from the Mage, then he wouldn’t have to go through the trouble of finding his friend’s body and fighting anyone along the way.

  Kurt took a drink. k'12

  “Let me think about it for a while. I’ll find you when I’ve decided.”

  “I-I totally understand. I w
ould be forever indebted to you if you choose to help us.”

  With that, Lorcan got up and walked out of the Lame Duck.

  Kurt threw the gold for his drinks on the bar counter, and exited as well. He started tailing Lorcan around town, trying to figure out his patterns. If he saw the opportunity, he would jump in and try to take the orb when the Mage wasn’t paying attention.

  A smile slipped across Kurt’s face. This kid was his ticket for some easy money.

  Chapter 5

  The Temple of Myra stood before Lorcan, exuding light even though night had fallen. The building appeared to be made of gold, and was shaped like an upside down “V”, with a very tall peak pointed to the heavens. Etched into the gold were icons of Paladins and Clerics who had beaten later parts of The Game – or paid the Temple a large sum of money to be forever remembered. NPC guards stood at the front entrance and various points around the building, each holding a giant polearm. As Lorcan approached to enter, the two guards flanking the front lowered and crossed their weapons, blocking his way in.

  “You are ill equipped to enter the holy Temple of Myra,” said the guard on his left.

  “I am meeting a friend inside,” Lorcan responded, confused.

  “Be that as it may, you must leave your weapons here before entering. The Great One has no tolerance for the tools of… barbarians,” the guard spat out the last word scoffingly.

  “But I don’t have any weapons.”

  The guard pointed at Lorcan’s left pocket.

  “That pocket emits the aura of a dangerous weapon that has taken lives. Whatever is in it must be left with us before you can go inside.”

  Lorcan hesitated. The hooded figure appeared in the first place because of the Orb of Agner, and apparently at least some NPCs could recognize its presence. Would he be better off just leaving it with a guard, or should he be safer and not let it out of his sight?

  The guards stood like statues, no expressions on their faces. If he wanted to get past them, he was going to have to give them the orb. Lorcan didn’t know who else to turn to besides the dwarf, and thought over his options. He concluded that there actually weren’t any options, and handed over the orb.

  “You’re gonna wanna be careful with that. It’s dangerous and seems to attract not the best peo-“

  “I think we’ll be fine,” interrupted the guard as he and his comrade lifted their weapons and stepped to the side. “You may now pass.”

  Lorcan looked the guard over to remember him and continued on his way. The inside of the Temple was well furnished, with long benches covered in cushions scattered about, sitting upon a well shined golden floor. The center of the building had a large, spiral staircase that seemed to break off into additional levels above. This could prove time consuming if he would have to check every nook and cranny to find Gilnar. He looked around for someone that looked like they worked at the Temple and might be able to help him find visitors.

  He found a front desk as he made his way towards the staircase and the main room opened up more, revealing several small rooms lining the wings. He approached a smiling woman who was standing behind the counter.

  “Welcome to the Temple of Myra. May Her light shine upon you always.”

  “Um… thanks. You too.”

  “My name is Ursula, what brings you to us today?”

  “I am looking for a friend who I believe has been staying here for the past few weeks. I was wondering if you would be able to let me know where he is staying?”

  “I’m sorry, dear,” Ursula said with a shake of her head. “We are not allowed to give out the names or whereabouts of our patrons or those on pilgrimage to our site.”

  I was afraid of that, thought Lorcan. Was he going to need to spend the next several hours exploring this place? Maybe he could try to get some sympathy?

  “Ma’am, it is really important I find my buddy quickly. Another one of our mutual friends was just kidnapped by someone, and I need this dwarf’s help! Would you maybe make an exception this one tim-”

  Ursula eyes widened. “Wait. Did you say dwarf?”

  “Uh… yes? My friend, Gilnar, is a dwarf Paladin an-”

  “If I tell you where this dwarf is,” Ursula eagerly interrupted him, “you’ll take him with you? Like, right now?”

  “Y-yeah! We’ll be gone pretty quickly.”

  “That would be wonderful! The dwarf is the fourth door down to the right. No need to check him out of his room, I’ll go ahead and do that for him right now. Thank you so much!”

  With that, she turned to her books and started crossing out Gilnar’s name. Lorcan was puzzled why she seemed so excited to give him the dwarf’s information after saying she wasn’t allowed to, but figured that he got what he was looking for and headed for the fourth room. When he arrived, he knocked on the door.

  The door swung open, and there stood Gilnar Stonecrusher in all of shining glory.

  “Hello there lad, how can I be of assistance?”

  “Hi Gilnar, you probably don’t remember me but-”

  “Of course I do, boy! You were in the Lame Duck when I first arrived in Drax.”

  Lorcan was taken aback.

  “Y-you remember me?”

  “Of course! The great Gilnar never forgets a face or place.” This prompted him to look off in the distance with a hand on his chin. “Have you come to receive a blessing of Myra? Also, I believe I never got your name.”

  “I’m Lorcan, and unfortunately I don’t have time for a blessing right now. My friend that was with me at the Lame Duck, Jacob, has been kidnapped. I came to ask for your help.”

  Gilnar took a step back.

  “You’ve come… to me for help? On this quest?”

  A hopeful look filled the Paladin’s eyes.

  Lorcan blinked. He was expecting to have to pay the dwarf for his time, but it appeared that playing up to his pride would work instead.

  “Yes, if you wouldn’t mind. You’re the only one I could think of to turn to. You seem like a strong and honorable dwarf.”

  Gilnar looked stunned.

  “You’re askin for me help…”

  “Absolutely! You are the great Gilnar Stonecrusher after all!”

  This broke the dwarf out of his trance.

  “Right you are boy! It is me duty as a Paladin to protect and guide those in need.” He crossed his arms as a cocky smirk spread across his face. “You came to the right dwarf. I’ll do it! We’ll tackle this quest and rescue your friend! I swear it by Myra! It was near time for me to move on anyway, the people here seemed to be getting a bit annoyed by me.”

  The dwarf extended his hand to Lorcan, who nodded and took it.

  “Oi, this is gonna be fun,” smiled Gilnar as they shook hands.

  Chapter 6

  Lorcan and Gilnar walked out of the Temple of Myra towards the two guards that had initially stopped Lorcan when he tried to enter earlier.

  “Hey, I’ve finished my business at the Temple. Could I have my orb back now?”

  The guard glanced down at him. “Beg your pardon?”

  Lorcan paused and looked the elf over. He was positive this was the guard he had given the Orb of Agner to.

  “I just talked to you not even an hour ago, and you made me give you any dangerous items I had… You pointed at my pocket? I gave you a red orb to hold onto?”

  The guard thought for a moment, which caused Lorcan to start worrying. This was the guard he talked to, wasn’t it?

  “Oi,” interrupted Gilnar, “these elven guards take shifts to guard the Temple. You must’ve talked with another guard. Excuse me, good sir. How long have you been standing watch now?”

  “Just under half an hour,” shrugged the guard. “If the previous guards had something of yours, just take a left and go to the side of the Temple. You’ll find a Weapon Check there, and whoever is working it can get your stuff for you.”

  “A thousand thanks upon you! You have done us, and therefore all of Hyperion’s Keep, a great servic
e,” said Gilnar while bowing. The guards exchanged a confused look with one another.

  Lorcan pulled on the dwarf’s arm and started off in the direction of the Weapon Check.

  When they arrived, they found another elven guard working the counter. It finally dawned on Lorcan that all of the Temple guards were created using the same character model. He needed to do a better job of being more observant.

  “I left an Orb of Agner with a guard and need to pick it up now,” said Lorcan, cutting to the chase.

  “Very well. I’ll just need your name and 30 gold.”

  “30 gold?! I wasn’t told I would be charged to pick my gear back up!”

  The guard flashed an unpleasant smile.

  “The 30 gold donation helps keep the Temple of Myra running. It pays for repairs, new renovations, and the salaries of those who protect it.”

  Lorcan wasn’t very keen on getting hustled out of his money, but he figured the orb would come in handy at least one more time while he went after Jacob. He glanced over at Gilnar.

  “What do you think about this?”

  “Well… I can understand your hesitation, lad. However, your money will be going to the great cause of the Great One! So in the end I think this is a fair opportunity for you to also receive Myra’s good fortune!”

  Lorcan sighed. Gilnar was starting to be a bit more of a handful than he initially thought. An image of Ursula’s pure excitement while getting rid of the dwarf briefly flashed across Lorcan’s mind.

  “Fine,” grumbled Lorcan as he dug out 30 gold and handed it over to the smirking guard.

  “The Great One thanks you for your generous donation to the cause. May Myra smile down upon thee,” the guard bowed.

  “Yeah, thanks for that,” said Lorcan, trying to not lash out in anger. “Please go grab the Orb of Agner for us so we can be on our way.”

  “Oh, and I’ll be needin me mace,” Gilnar remembered, digging in his pocket for gold. “Here you are, fella. 50 gold for your beautiful Temple of Myra!”