AJ stared the dark lord and mob boss down.

  Zeke let out a deep sigh as Kip scratched his head.

  “He’s a kid.” Zeke said, “This kid must be 10 at most.”

  “Try 10 and a half, dorkwad.” The kid said as he approached them. The final burrowling, the runt, burrowed to safety inside one of the entrances. AJ took notice, “Now you two better move out of my way. I’ve got some holes to kick in.”

  Zeke stepped out of the way, “Kip, this is a waste of time.”

  “AJ.” Kip said, “Look here, this hole doesn't belong to you. It belongs to the good people of this burrow. Now I know it may seem fun, kicking dirt into holes but I assure you for the good denizens, it is not. Will you find some other hole to kick? Maybe an anthill?”

  “Nah,” AJ said, “I’m going to need to kick that hole in. Get out of the way or get the boot.”

  “Well…” Kip said, “I would hate to get the boot but I’m sorry, AJ. Nothing is going to stop me from getting in between you and this oof!” AJ kicked Kip in his shin. Kip gripped his shin and fell to his knees. Zeke rolled his eyes.

  Zeke let out a soft sigh, “Come on kid, get out of here.”

  “You want me to kick your shin too, big doofus?”

  “Go for it.”

  The little kid walked up to Zeke. AJ was no doofus. He knew that he would have to really reel his foot back for a kick for someone of this size to hurt him. AJ placed his foot as far up as he could. His foot was so far away from Zeke that he had to outstretch his arms and lean against Zeke’s knee.

  “You ready?” He asked.

  “Yep.”

  “Hiyahh!” AJ yelled as he slammed his foot against Zeke’s shin.

  “That it?” Zeke towered over most humans but to one as small as this, he must have seemed like an indestructible monster.

  “But… why didn’t it? Why?” He kicked Zeke again. Then kicked him a third time, not stopping even for a second. Each time attempting to elicit a reaction from the giant minotaur. Still, Zeke never gave in, “No fair!” AJ said, “You must be cheating!”

  “I ain’t cheating,” Zeke said.

  “No fair! You must be! My kicks are strong and powerful!”

  “Not as strong and powerful as MEEEEE!” And with that, Zeke dipped his head lower and roared at the boy. The noise echoed through the fierce forest. Birds several miles away fluttered away from their perch out of fear.

  “Now, get out of here. We have real work to do.”

  AJ tried to hold in his emotions but even someone with as powerful a kick as him was still subject to his nine year old emotions. He bellowed into tears and ran away crying, “NO FAIR!” He said one last time as he ran away from the burrowlings.

  “You can all come out now!” Kip said, “We’ve defeated the monster!”

  The burrowlings each poked their tiny heads out of the big hole in the center. They slowly crawled out, “You did this?” They all looked at Zeke.

  Zeke let out a sigh, “Me and Kip both did! The Dark Lord and his mob boss!” Zeke patted Kip along on the back so hard that Kip fell over.

  “Oof! That we did! And if you’d like to enter into a pact with me, the Dark Lord, you’d be seeing some heavy perks! Including an introduction to our very own system, and royal protection, as well as some other benefits I would happily go over. Does dental sound good to everyone?”

  “Won’t do me no good,” Said a chipmunk who smiled a toothy smile. But other than him, all the burrowlings jumped for joy and scurried to hold up Kip as they shouted, “Hooray to the Dark Lord! Hooray to the Dark Lord!” Hooray to the Dark Lord!”

  Kip smiled at Zeke, who’s mouth conformed into a smile but who’s eyes read something else. A slight wobble in resolve that Kip couldn’t quite place. They walked along back to the adventurer’s guild. Kip could not stop looking at the shiny new number he saw on the scroll that held his system.

  27/20 Followers

  20 hours 35 minutes and 54 seconds remaining.

  “We did it!” Kip said as he happily drank his milk “We did it! We got enough converts! Once that timer ticks over, we’ll be done and I’ll get some prize no doubt! Oh, isn’t this wondrous, Zeke?”

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  “It’s great buddy. Drink your milk.” Zeke said as he drank his barrel of red mead.

  “Zeke! Won’t you join me in a toast?”

  “I don’t feel like toasting, buddy. You have your little fun.”

  Kip sidled up to his long time buddy. He looked up at Zeke, “What’s wrong, Zeke? You always want to toast.”

  Zeke let out a breath, “Kip, What’s this job mean to you? Really.”

  “Lord, Zeke,” Kip said, “It means so many things to me. Probably the most exciting thing is being able to help the denizens who need it the most.”

  “That’s amazing!” Zeke said, “I want that for you. But Kip… if you want to help the little guy, you can’t stay a little guy.”

  “Right,” Kip said.

  “Kip, As the Dark Lord, you can’t be having other people fight your battles for you.”

  “I haven’t had them fight all my battles.”

  “You’ve been putting in the work, don’t get me wrong. But Xrgl was the one that turned the tides against the Ducervi. Davorin… try as he might to play the big bad guy… he didn’t want to kill you. He gave you some free swipes.”

  “I fought Blademan mostly by myself!”

  “Except for the one part where Jasper almost died defending you, right?”

  “Right,” Then, limply, Kip said, “I handled Sprocket.”

  Zeke snapped his fingers and pointed, “You handled Sprocket! By yourself! And you learned a lot! But, Kip. Your job is to protect these people. You need to be strong to do that. What I’m saying is… You chose a gimme today. You fought against a toddler. Hell.. you didn’t even do most of the fighting.”

  Kip laughed nervously, “I guess you did. Kid had one heck of a leg.”

  “Let’s promise ourselves that tomorrow, we go out and find a serious mission. Because frankly, you can’t keep running around looking for kids to scare.”

  “No… I suppose you’re right. Well, alright then. Maybe it’s the milk talking, but I think we should do a greater quest!”

  “A tiger quest?”

  “Let’s try a dog one. But a really tough dog quest, like a rottweiler of a quest. How about it?”

  Zeke smiled, “Okay. But you’re going to fight this one head on, right? You can’t be our strong leader if you keep running away.”

  “I promise, I’ll fight this one hea-”

  Kip woke up. His mouth was dry from sleeping with it open. His head hurt from all the milk he drank, “I must have whited out.” Kip said to himself. He was outside of Skofflaw’s. He looked around and found Zeke lying on his back, his belly drifting up and down. His snoring, atrocious and arrhythmic.

  “Zeke,” Kip said as he licked his lips. He held his hand out so that the sun didn’t hurt his eyes, “I have a headache but my bones feel great,” Kip said as he pushed on Zeke, “Zeke, Wake up buddy. We gotta get back to the castle.”

  Kip opened up his system and looked at the quest again. His eyes lit up. Something was wrong. Under the quest completion it read:

  19/20 Followers

  “What? This can’t be right… Zeke…” Kip looked at it again.

  18/20

  17/20

  “Heeeelllp!” Kip heard a tiny cry from behind him, “Heeeelp!” Another tiny cry followed and then soon a bobble of cries came from the way of the burrowling’s home.

  “Mr. Dark Lord!” Said one of them.

  “Mr. Dark Lord's, your highness!”

  “Sire, the dark lord!” And on and on one by one they all attempted their own variation on Kip’s title. Kip reached out his hand and said “Please, please. I get it! What is it!”

  While catching a breath, the tiny little burrowling with the blouse and satchel on said, “Mr. The Dark Lord, your most highest highness… AJ is back, and he’s brought his father.”

  “Oh, that shouldn’t be too much of a problem,” Kip checked on the dozing Zeke. No. No need to get bailed out again. I’ve got this. It would be up to Kip to stand up for himself in this fight. Even if it meant going to blows with a really annoying kid, “Show me where they are.”

  “Huzzah, Dark Lord! Right this way!”

  Kip allowed the burrowlings to grab his hands and walk him back over to a new set of holes. AJ, waiting with his father. Kip squinted as he stared at the man. He had a big well manicured mustache. His head had such thin blonde hair that it might as well have been bald. Why had Kip seen this human before?

  “Is this the one that bullied you?” The man asked Kip.

  “Yes.” AJ said, “That little turd and his huge friend. The big turd. Where’s your turd friend, little turd?”

  “Out with it, turd!” Said the father, “Tell my boy where you’re hiding your friend.”

  “I don’t have to say,’ Kip said, “And you know what? I won't’ say. This should stay between you and me. Sir, your son was acting awful these last few days. Just the worst. He was kicking in dirt into the burrowling’s house. Making a mess and potentially endangering them! What if they had been under that hole when he kicked it in?”

  “He’s a big fat liar!” Screamed AJ, pointing his little finger at them, “He’s only saying that because he’s a big jerk face. Don’t listen to’em daddy!”

  “I don’t think I will. Now, see here. If those houses were better built, maybe they wouldn’t have caved in. Either way, that does not mean my precious boy deserves a scaring. Understood?”

  “Sorry, but not understood.” Should he say it? Kip wondered. Zeke had told him not to, but this seemed like as good a time as any, “It is my business because these are my subjects and I’m the Dark Lord.”

  AJ and his father, presumably AJ senior, both exchanged glances and laughed, “You’re the dark lord? No. I don’t think so, chap. But that was a good one. I’ll have to tell that one down at the hunting club. Maybe I’ll tell the story and embellish it a little, you’re too pathetic on your own, I need to give you something that will make the audience like you. Maybe I’ll give you muscles.”

  “Excuse me, sir,” Kip said annoyed, “I have muscles. They’re just quite puny. And I may not look it, but I’ve defeated a troupe of Ducervi with some help.”

  “Probably a lot of help!” Said AJ. And AJ senior burst out laughing at this.

  “You’re right, son. Probably a lot of help!”

  “Okay. I think I’ve had about enough of all this. Your son has been very mean to the burrowlings and I think it’s best if you both leave! I can probably take down a normal human anyway! And his snot nosed little boy. So come on! Let’s do this!”

  Kip shined his claws at them, but the senior AJ had stopped laughing, “Ordinary man? Doubt it. Me? Not even close. Anton Junior, find cover.”

  “Yes, dad.” AJ said as he ran slightly far away, AJ looked back and stuck his tongue out at Kip, “You’re in a lot of trouble with my dad, mister!”

  “Anton… junior?”

  “That’s right!!” AJ laughed again and pointed right, and made a thumbs down mark with his hand, “And my dad’s name is Anton!”

  “A…AJ… Anton Junior… Don’t tell me…”

  “Pleased to meet you, Dark Lord. I’m Anton. Anton the Antagonizer.”

  We have a new member of Kip's Kourt! Sandythestone is a Stone Serpent! Known for their ability to eat stones to aide their digestion, Sandy in particular is known for their rock al orange recipe. Which expertly blends the citrusy taste of orange with the... dirt-like taste of rocks. Welcome Sandy!

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