A New Friend

((Note: This is out of order; it happened before the beginning of the 'One Very Confused Goblin' arc))

Run.

That was usually the best option, and the first one she excercised. Kezrin wasn't particularly clever, or strong, or much of a fighter. Nor was she gifted in the arcane like her sister Myzzi. When trouble came, she ran as far away as possible, and when that wasn't possible, she relied on her friends to keep her safe.

The option that Ellua offered her, to take an unknown portal to somewhere, seemed a bit risky, but it meant she'd be far away from the demon outside of the tavern's door. It would be impossible for him to know where she went, and all she would have to do it call back home on her hearthstone, then wait for the all clear.


She could hear the demon's voice; she winced, trying to shut it out, but the voice continued to echo in her head. Unbidden memories continued to surface, one after another, the rush of mental sounds drowning out any other conversation in the room about the relative merits of the plan. The urge to just run away continued to rise.

Kezrin stepped through the portal.

The wind blasted her off her feet, whipping the green hood back off her head and sending strands of white hair flying. She struggled for balance and slipped on sandy rock. Solid ground sloped away and she tumbled downward, mercifully only bumping off a few rocks before sliding into a softer heap of sand.

She held up her arm to shield herself from the abrasive wind, tugging her hood back into place. A hard object bit into her hip and the goblin retrieved her hearthstone. She rubbed a finger across its cracked resurface with a sigh. Another ruined stone to add to the Kanzelry winning streak. "Well, this is grand."

Miraculously, voices began to emanate. She recognized Ellua's voice, asking something or other about where she was. "Sand," she called back. "Someplace with lots of sand."

They spoke again, but between the garble of the broken stone and the roar of the wind, even Kezrin's goblin ears shouldn't make it out. She turned her back to the wind, holding the stone close.

"Stay put," Ellua was telling her.

"Easier said than done!"

"--eaking up."

Carefully and slowly, Kez spoke into the stone, "I said I can't stay where I am."

There was a pause. " -stay safe and dry!"

She looked around miserably. "Well, I've got the 'dry' part covered."

She forced herself to her feet and started trekking along the side of the small cliff she’d so precipitously tumbled down, until she found an outcropping that provided some protection from the storm. She tucked herself close to the wall, hugging her legs close, resting her chin on her knees. She closed her eyes against the bits of sand in the air, but even the roar of the winds weren’t diminishing the sound of the imp chattering in her ears.

She was trapped. Tied down. There was the thunk of a cane as the warlock circled around her, the chattering of his imp-

Stay calm, stay calm, there’s no one here. The goblin forced herself to take long, steady breaths to quell the familiar sense of constriction and panic welling in her chest. She was not a prisoner, there was nothing more than a sandstorm to be worried about, and her friends would soon find her. She summoned up pleasanter memories to concentrate on, remembering quiet evenings at the beach at Hardwrench, the soothing sound of the surf while fishing…

The panic slowly ebbed away. Even the sandstorm faded away, until it was little more than a strong breeze. The barren landscape was a blessed place of quiet and solitude.

Except for whatever was causing that mound of sand to move.

She jumped to her feet, pressing her back to the wall. The mound was moving slowly, directly toward her. “Ellua!” she called into her stone. “There’s something out here!”

There was a garbled reply. “ -earvin and I are coming-”

The mound paused several feet away from her. There was the curious feeling that it was watching her, sizing her up. Determining whether she was a threat.

Kezrin did what came naturally. She ran.

She tripped and fumbled over the dunes. Sand and running didn’t mesh together well. There was another outcropping of rock nearby and she headed toward it. Maybe whatever was under the sand wouldn’t follow her onto the rocks.

She climb over the first rock and came face-to-claw with a scorpid.

Kezrin screamed and tumbled backward. The scorpid was nearly as big as she was. It chittered at her, eerily reminiscent of her nightmare’s imp voice. The panic threatened to return.

“No!” She was not going to panic again. There was a scorpid in front of her, an unknown threat behind her; no place to run. Kezrin searched for something, anything to defend herself against the scorpid. She had her belt knife if it got close, but she’d rather not be within range of the claws. There were rocks, plenty of rocks! She clasped her hand around one, wishing she were strong enough to throw something bigger, or that one of her friends were nearby.

The other rocks rumbled. The sand beside her shifted, drew itself together into a large mound. It grew in size, a miniature tornado, scooping up more sand and rocks into its grasp, until an elemental twice as tall as Kezrin towered above her.

She clutched the rock tighter in her hand. “Uh… hello?” she said inanely.

The living sand moved toward the scorpid, launching a large rock at it. The insect chittered once more, then scurried away to safety.

“Th-thanks…?”

The sand-thing regarded Kezrin once more, somehow non-threatening despite its size and appearance. It accepted her thanks (how she knew that was beyond her) and with a gust of wind, collapsed upon itself. When the debris cleared, there was only a small mound of sand again, hovering above the rocks.

“You were the thing followin’ me? Why?”

The wind swirled around her again; in her mind she heard the roaring of the sandstorm, followed by the calming waves of the ocean. The sandling looked at her expectantly.

“I ain’t sure I understand whatever it is you’re tryin’ ta tell me,” she sighed. “But thanks, anyway, I guess. I’d better be looking for some shelter again. Ain’t ‘xactly a beach resort out here.”

The sandling bobbed and darted past her, back the way she’d come. It stopped and bobbed again when she didn’t follow.

“Oh… okay.” She supposed it didn’t hurt to follow wherever it was trying to lead her. The cliff seemed like the only likely source of shade, anyway.

They reached another outcropping of rock with an alcove large enough for Kezrin to sit in the cooling shade. “So, uh, thanks again,” she told the elemental. “Ya can go now, if ya like.”

Once again it replied with the sounds of a storm, then the ocean.

“What, ya wanna see the ocean or somethin’? No? Don’t suppose ya know how ta speak Goblin, do ya?” She sighed in frustration. “Fine. Stick around, I guess.”

Her friends would find her soon and she’d go back home and they’d find a way to protect her again from Bragdus and warlocks and all the awful things-

She giggled at the sudden image of an imp buried beneath a clump of sand, and Bragdus bouncing in the winds like an ugly volleyball.

Wait, laughing? At the one memory that haunted her day and night?

The image must have come from the sandling. She chuckled at it, “Yeah, I’d love a chance to do that to ‘em,” she agreed cheerfully.

The sandling seemed content to stand watch as she waited. It wasn't long at all, in fact, before she heard a familiar voice booming across the emptiness.

“Kezzy!”

“Mearvin?” she called out. “Over here! Can ya hear me?”

“Kezzy!” The orc shouted again, and she spotted her rescuer and ride home approaching. She was looking forward to the end of this day.