“Guess this is my mess to clean up, huh?” Zeke asked.

  “We’ll do it together, Zeke.” Said Kip, nodding his head.

  Zeke smiled and stuck out his fist. Kip slapped his whole hand against one knuckle, “Let’s do this.”

  “HEYYY!” Screamed Zeke at Akun, who was still champing at Jasssper’s tail.

  Akun’s body finally fumbled it’s way over, picked up the skull and placed it on his neck. It was immediately disconnected by Zeke’s fist.

  “OOH!” Screamed the pit fiend, “What’d you do that for?!”

  “Fights over! Kip and I are friends again!”

  “We’re the sheep dogs!” Said Akun, “Bodhi!”

  “Bodhi’s good for war, but we need someone like Kip right here at home.” Zeke said. “Now clean yourself up. We gotta get this direwolf.

  Wolfgang grabbed the trunk of a tree and stood up on two legs. He growled at Storm as Storm attempted to evade him. Wolfgang stopped growling, he could hear the distinct sound of clopping hooves approaching.

  “Do you hear hooves?” He asked Storm. He looked back but as he did he was shoulder tackled into the tree trunk that he had leaned against.

  “OOOF!” said the dire wolf, “Zeke, we need to protect from the wolves.”

  ‘You are a wolf, dummy.” Said Zeke, “We’re not doing that anymore. We’re on their side.”

  “But Bodhi…”

  “Let me handle Bodhi!” Said Zeke, “We don’t work for Bodhi! We work for Kip. Where’s that gargoyle?”

  “Present” Said Mason.

  “I want all three of you to apologize to Kip for how you all behaved. You tried to kill him,.”

  “Sorry,” Said the wolf and the pit fiend.

  “Sorry I tried to kill you.” Said Mason.

  “That’s alright you three. The truth was, I think I needed it!” said Kip, “You all want a strong leader. I want you all to feel heard. Say, Mason, how about we get that eye patched up?”

  Mason smiled, his eye throbbing and purple, “That sounds really nice, Kip.”

  “Look,” Zeke said, “Kip isn’t strong strong. He’s thinky strong. That’s a different kind of strength. And while we wait for him to get stronger, I’ll be his muscles. I’ll be his strength. And you better believe I’ll be his mullet.”

  Kip smiled, “I want to hear what all of you want to see more of out of me! Don’t hold back!”

  “We want you to be taller.”

  “I… oh, okay. That’s not very actionable. I’ll try not to slouch, I suppose. Does anyone have anything more actionable?”

  “Be less annoying.”

  “I like that!” Kip said pointing at the gargoyle, “I’ll work on being less annoying. Anything else?”

  “Maybe… some vacation time would be nice?” Asked the pit fiend, “I’ve been meaning to go back home to see my ma. She’s getting older.”

  “I’ll talk to Lord Davilo!” Said Kip, “I love these suggestions!”

  “PLLLEEEEEASE.” An aching sonorous voice echoed through the clearing.

  “Kip!” Maeve called from above. Kip and Zeke turned backward and saw that an enchanted bear slump down, covered in blood.

  “Oh my lord!” Yelled Kip. Maeve was the first one over there. Azami was still using her magic to tend to Mason’s eye.

  “Turn her on her back!” Said Kip.

  Zeke grabbed the bear’s side, and the direwolf pressed his back against hers as he pushed along with Zeke. Slowly, they turned her.

  “The… two women. The two women came and abducted me. They did this.”

  She pointed toward her lower abdomen which had a gaping sword hole that had narrowly missed every vital organ. This might seem preposterous, but that’s because you haven’t heard that on the day in the academy when Keelie was supposed to be learning where to stab bears, she was actually out playing hooky and frolicking and eating ice cream with a boy named Henry. She was quite fond of Henry at the time but Locke eventually threatened to stop doing Keelie’s homework if she didn’t start going back to class.

  “Two women?” Kip asked.

  “Ulmun. They are investigating you, Lord Kip. I’m so sorry. They asked all about you. I told them what little I knew. I’m so sorry.”

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  “Not at all, Ursa.” Said Kip, “I understand. We need to find out what these two human women want. Can you tell us what they look like?”

  “We can do you one better,” Zeke said, then he looked at the dire wolf, “Can’t we?”

  The direwolf sighed, he bent his large nose over to the wound and sniffed it. Then, he said, “Air voyance.” The smell became a tangible aura that could be seen by all teammates. It created a distinct lavender trace and the crew followed it up into the tree. Kip, Zeke, and the direwolf looked up and saw that Keelie was in the elder tree peering down at them with binoculars

  “Yeep.” Said Keelie, “What are the chances that they see me?”

  She asked as the gargoyle took off and headed directly upward with Jasssper on his neck toward her.

  “I’m just going to assume they saw me,” She stood up, and walked along the limb of the elder tree. She looked down at the forest with binoculars.

  “Come on, Locke! Where are you?!”

  She bounced back and forth, looking for Keelie, where she saw a flashing light, from a pocket mirror. It glittered on and off, spelling out in a proprietary semaphore, “Follow escape protocol.”

  “Waaay too by the books,” Keelie said jokingly. Locke was too far. Keelie could not see a clear surface to summon a portal, “Well, that’s too far to call a door from.” She knocked on the trunk again. She opened the door to the ground below. She’d have to travel by foot. The gargoyle arrived and Jasssper launched himself at Keelie, Keelie grabbed at her waist and pulled up the whole scabbard. Jasssper’s teeth clenched around the scabbard and Keelie shook him off. Jasssper fell back and wrapped himself around the tree branch.

  Keelie opened the doorway but Mason slammed his down at Keelie. Keelie pulled up her sword and blocked the mace.

  “Complete stone. Only magic works on you. She grabbed her hilt and pulled out a wonner. It was the wonner for ‘Inflict Pain’ spell. She pointed at him and beamed him. The spell caused a well of agony deep inside the point that touched on the gargoyle. He grabbed his side, falling to his knee and sliding off the limb. He was no longer under the effects of the beam. The actual pain was erased but the memory of the pain throbbed.

  Keelie slipped through the door, exiting to the ground below.

  Kip saw the woman escape the portal door, “That’s the door she put me through!” Said Kip, “She’s right down there!”

  Keelie grabbed her sword, anxious to fight but then remembered the message Locke had sent, “Stupid protocol.”

  As she turned to close the door, Jasssper was already slipping through the doorway she hadn’t yet closed. She cursed to herself, slammed the door shut with her left foot and kicked Jasssper with her right foot.

  “I got her!” Said Akun as he swung his chain around and launched it at her. It wrapped around Keelie’s waist and the pit fiend pulled. The hook yanked her backward and she fell to the floor.

  Kip ran up to her laying on the floor, “Who are you? We dont want to hurt you!”

  Keelie punched Kip in the nose, “Ooh!”

  Kip grabbed his bleeding nose as Keelie loosed the chain hook around her. She hoisted herself up by swinging her arms back and springing up. Her speed was too fast to keep track of, bouncing along the trees with expert quickness.

  “After her!” Yelled Zeke.

  Keelie just needed a bloody break to open up a door, but the direwolf, the minotaur, and Kip on Swiff were all after her.

  “I’m going to kill whoever wrote the ‘Escape’ section of the handbook,” She mumbled to herself and headed in Locke’s direction.

  “Who’s got range attacks? Hold on!” Kip yelled, “I think I got my level up!”

  Kip opened up his system and saw the bright green letters that said,

  Level 5

  Ancestry Feat Obtained.

  “My Ancestry Feat!” Said Kip.

  Finally, more than a pitiful burst of fire. No matter what type of dragon a kobold’s ancestry hailed, the first ancestry feat was a breath weapon. What would it be? Poison? Like his brother Lip? Ice? Like Chip and Pip? Fire? The kobold color did not always bely what ancestry they would have. But it was often the strongest indication. With Kip’s reddish hues, he figured it would either be a ruby dragon or a red dragon. But the slight orange intonations made him think that a brass or copper dragon was not out of the question. Then again… there was a sort of earthiness to his tone, making him think that perhaps even a green dragon was on the table? He wondered what beam he would be able to shoot out as he looked at the first ancestry feat he’d gotten.

  Stretchy arms.

  “Stretchy arms?!?” Kip yelled out.

  Keelie burst forward from branch to branch, then leapt up a mid-sized waterfall onto the bluffs above. Finally some distance. Keelie could not try to find Locke. She would just have to choose their assigned recon point. The cabin wall. She knocked on one of the rocks. Kip was running out of time.

  “Okay, then. Stretchy arms it is!” Kip activated them. His skin stretched out but they flopped down. Swiff’s speed caused them to whoosh backwards behind them, flap about and even hit Zeke in the face.

  “Dude!” Said Zeke, “What are you doing!? Use those things!”

  Kip was holding onto the broom as best as he could with merely his stubby legs, “I’m trying! I have no clue how this is supposed to work!”

  Zeke grabbed Kip’s hand and tossed it like a shot put. As Keelie opened the door, Kip’s arm grabbed onto Keelie’s shoulder and dug into her with his sharp claws.

  “Uh, oh,” Said Keelie with a smile, “Protocol engaged.” She grabbed her scabbard and ripped open her blade, slicing Kip’s hand off.

  “AHHH!” Screamed Kip, his arm retracting.

  Keelie looked through the door and saw Locke. Her smile got big and wide, “Locke!”

  “Keelie!”

  Swiff made it up the waterfall. The direwolf bounded upwards as well, and in one concentrated jump, Zeke leapt above the waterfall too. Keelie slipped inside the slip in space but something tugged her. She looked down and saw that Kip’s other hand had grabbed her clothes and pulled them. As she attempted to cut that arm too, Zeke reached in and pulled her back through the door, gripping her tightly.

  “I’m almost there….”

  “Keelie!” Locke shouted as Keelie’s outstretched hand got farther away from her, she was pulled back through the door. Keelie’s hands gripped at the edges of the wall as Zeke pulled her in.

  “Locke! You can’t come back for me, okay? Don’t try and save me.”

  “NO!” Locke screamed as she ran toward her.

  “Protocol, remember?” Keelie said with a solemn smile as she fell backward through the door, closing it behind her. Locke reached out but her hand touched nothing but the wood of the cabin wall. Then pulled back, breathing deeply.

  Locke grabbed her sword.

  Her palm felt the wood, hoping to find some remnant of the portal door Keelie left behind. There was nothing. She pulled her hand back, attempted to calm herself and punched the wood so hard the entire wall splintered.

  “Screw protocol.”

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