Chapter 35: What the Gnome Knew
Chastity watched with wonder as the laceration on the victim’s side began to close of its own accord. Her Focus Points plummeted toward zero as the healing energy flowed through her. Soon the wound was gone, leaving unblemished skin beneath a smear of drying blood.
A bit of color returned to the stranger’s cheeks and at last he gasped awake, eyes searching until they came to rest upon Chastity’s beatific face.
“Thank you…” he said weakly. He gently probed his side, searching for evidence of the injury that was now healed. “Don’t know what you did … but thank you.”
In awe of what she just accomplished, Chastity stood and gave the stranger some space. She also wanted to get a better look at him to make sure the remarkable healing stuck.
Seeing him now, she judged he was about the same height as Charlie Cucumber, but much scrawnier. Whether that was by nature or circumstance was unclear. His head was completely bald, his exposed ears slightly pointed, and his skin (subtly coarse) was almost stonelike in appearance except for the unique blueish hue. Beneath the tattered collar, Chastity saw what looked like a brand upon his thin neck.
“Are you still hurt? Can you stand?” she asked.
The figure shook his head, then nodded, distracted by his ongoing search for the missing wound.
“I’m Chastity Morningstar,” she offered. “What is your name?”
“Kobelt.”
Ah, I thought so.
“You’re not a goblin…” she ventured. “Are you related to the halflings?”
“Kobelt is a gnome.”
A gnome! Gnomes weren’t included in the taxonomy of races Yr went over, Chastity thought.
“Some say gnomes are deep halflings. Or under-halflings. Kobelt says no! Kobelt says halflings are over-gnomes,” he explained matter-of-factly.
“Right… well, I’ve never met a gnome before. Those goblins… they were chasing you.”
Kobelt nodded his head.
“Kobelt was a prisoner. Forced to mine for months in a stinking cave. Not a beautiful cavern like Kobelt’s home. Mining gold for the goblins and an ork taskmaster.”
This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.
An ork! Another of the supposedly ‘evil’ races…
“That’s horrible. Did they give you that mark on your neck?”
His blue-gray fingers instinctively shot up and touched the scarred spot.
“First they snatch Kobelt from home, then they drag across the land to the stinking cave. Then they burn Kobelt’s neck! This mark says Kobelt is property of the ork! But Kobelt belongs to no one.”
Certainly not, Chastity silently agreed.
“How did you escape?”
She glanced around the perimeter, making sure none of the goblins were doubling back on their position or setting up an ambush.
“There was a disturbance. Guards distracted. Kobelt used secret tools to cut through chain attached to leg iron.” Kobelt lifted up his foot, and there was indeed an iron shackle hanging around his rubbed-raw ankle, above a worn out leather shoe. “But Kobelt was not sneaky enough. The goblins chased after Kobelt. Other prisoners are still there.”
“More prisoners? Others like you, kept like slaves to mine for gold?”
Another head nod.
“Prisoners were kept separate. Not allowed to speak, or else get punishment. But Kobelt saw some dwarves. Good miners. Others not so good.”
Dwarves! And what others?
Another round of righteous indignation rose within the Paladin. There was no way she could stand by and ignore other innocents held in bondage to those vile fiends. Slaves, forced to dig for gold for cruel taskmasters. And Kobelt said he had been enslaved for months!
“Can you show me where this cave is?” she asked, a glint of determination in her eyes.
“No! No-no-no! Kobelt cannot go back there. Please. Kobelt wants freedom!”
Chastity frowned.
“Well, how far away is it? Can you point me in the right direction? I’ll go myself.”
The gnome suddenly grabbed the edge of her cloak, pleading.
“Don’t! Several hours from here, on the other side of the hills. Hidden entrance. Kobelt can draw you a map. But please, Kobelt is scared. And hungry. And thirsty. And tired. And–”
She raised a hand to stop him. She could relate to how he felt, and knew it wouldn’t be wise to try and push him. Kobelt had just returned from the brink of death, and was likely traumatized. Besides, she confirmed that her Focus Points were now empty. It would take some time to regain them, and until she did, she might not be equipped to face whatever additional threats awaited her. There had been three goblins pursuing this one escapee. Chastity could only imagine how many more might be back at this cave. And an ork.
And soon they would be alerted to the interference of this human.
Chastity sighed.
“I’ve been staying in a village nearby. It is a safe place. Well, it has been thus far. Full of… over-gnomes. Everyone there is friendly. Let’s get you cleaned up and fed. Then we can worry about that map.”
Kobelt smiled and nodded appreciatively. Chastity looked at the sky, trying to judge how much daylight remained.
“But before we go, I am going to give this goblin a proper burial.”
“Why? The goblin deserved it!” protested Kobelt.
“Because it’s the right thing to do. Even if those goblins wouldn’t have shown either of us the same courtesy, we can make a choice to lead by example. We need not match barbarity with barbarity.”
Kobelt crossed his arms and leaned back against the hollow log.
“You dig. Kobelt has dug enough for goblins. No more digging!”
Chastity nodded, understanding. She had no shovel, but searched around until she found a wedge-shaped stone that she could gouge into the frozen earth. It was hard, dirty work, but eventually she excavated a hole sizable enough to serve as a goblin grave.
She regarded the skirmisher’s jagged blade, lying in the snow. She could certainly use a sword for the probable fight ahead. But no, this was an ignoble blade, stained with sin. The Paladin kicked it into the ditch alongside the body and filled in the dirt while the gnome watched.
