Ch 9. Setting out

Morning arrived, and the sun shone through the window, beating down on a drooling kobold. Kaz awoke slowly to find his back was sore from sleeping at the desk. He stretched out the kinks in his shoulders and looked around. Perish was nowhere in sight. The bed was correctly made, and nothing seemed out of place, so he assumed she was outside somewhere. Taking a moment to adjust to normal vision, Kaz took a step outside. He could hear humming from the back and decide to follow it. Perish was tending to her garden, which looked very well kept aside from a few spots that looked trampled through, most likely from the bandits who chased her.

"Morning Perish, beautiful garden." Kaz yawned, and he watched her.

"Thanks, it needs more work after yesterday, but that is part of life, I guess." She kept humming to herself as she tended to the garden. "Did you figure out what we were going to do yet to get your tribe started?"

"There are no monster towns nearby except past the border. We will eventually have to cross it, and I figure crossing it sooner rather than later would be a better idea. I don't think having a small army would be easy to move around in this territory."

Perish stopped what she was doing and looked at Kaz. Worry filled her face. "I don't think that's a good idea, Kaz."

"I am not saying we leave for the border right this instant, but we will eventually have to cross it if we want to be safer and start the tribe properly." He noted the worry and was a little nervous by her reaction. Was the border that scary? Assuming it was defended, usually, there should be weak spots along its sides that are unguarded that could be passed. Kaz figured he would probably need to scout the wall out to see what the real problem was. Guessing would get him nowhere.

"Do you know of any monster friendly places in the area that we might be able to supply at?" Kaz was doubtful she would know, but there was always a chance considering she lived here alone, she must have someone helping her.

"I know of one person who could help us, but I don't see her often." Perish looked at her garden and stopped humming.

"Could we go see her soon?" Kaz was a little surprised at the answer and was also excited that he might finally have a lead on the next step.

"We could see her today. I have to drop off some herbs anyways, but…" Perish trailed off

"What's wrong?"

She sighed and fidgeted a little. "Those bandits knew where I was and were after me specifically. I'm worried that maybe they followed me when I left the other day."

"Do you think maybe she sent them after you?" Kaz spoke the words, and as suddenly as he did, felt a little ashamed at accusing her friend of betrayal.

"Of course not, she would never do something like that. She is my friend and always has been." Perish looked at Kaz with a stern expression. "If we're going to go see her, you need to be quiet and follow my lead. She is friendly towards me, but I am not sure how she would react, seeing a kobold, especially one of your size."

Kaz was sure his size was a problem for some people. Being twice the size of a normal kobold usually meant power, but he did not feel powerful at all. If he could earn some more character points and increase his stats, then maybe, but right now, he felt too vulnerable.

Waiting around, Kaz decided to look at the spellbook he acquired from the wizard. Like he thought it was impossible to understand what was inside it. Not only was it in a language he could not understand, but for some reason, his mind could not focus properly on the letters that were in the book. They kept shifting ever so slightly as if he needed glasses to see clearer. Closing the book, he decided to look at it again later.

Perish finished what she was doing and walked into the hut wiping off the last bits of dirt from her hands and carrying a small basket full of herbs. "Alright, we can head out now. I have what I need."

Kaz nodded, and they began walking through the forest. They took a route that kept them away from any trails. Small animals akin to what Kaz used to see from his world scattered the forest. Bunnies and foxes and squirrels all kinds of tiny creatures. They even avoided a bear on their way to see her friend.

Hours passed, and they made their way to the outskirts of a small village. Perish stopped suddenly, and Kaz almost ran right into her.

"We need to be careful not to alert the guards." Looking around, she carefully took steps towards a small house. Kaz followed. He could feel he was somewhat stealthy thanks to his skill. He also wondered if using the skill increased it or if he would need to spend points on it.

They arrived at the back of the house, and Perish knocked twice and stopped and knocked twice more. Three knocks came back after a moment, and the back door opened. Perish grabbed Kaz and quickly entered the building. Inside was a little living space with only one room that shared the kitchen and bedroom and living room. A girl about 18 stood before them with a worried look in her eyes. She grabbed Perish and hugged her.

"I'm so glad you're alive! I saw those people follow you into the woods, and I was worried you were going to get hurt." The girl looked over at Kaz and took a step back. She curtsied slightly and smiled at him. "Who is your friend? Is he your boyfriend?" She asked coyly.

"No, Sarah, this is Kaz. He saved me from those men." Perish dismissed her joke and handed her the herbs. "I thought you might like some more Teasle wort for your food, so I picked some this morning. Sarah took the basket and placed it on the table before turning back around to look at Kaz.

"He looks strong." She noticed the scar on his chest and walked towards him. Rubbing the scar, she looks a little concerned. "That looks like a killing blow. How did you manage to survive that?"

Kaz was blushing now and nervous. "I don't know. Perhaps it was divine luck." He said, assuming that there were probably gods in this world.

"My name is Sarah. It's nice to meet you."

"The feelings mutual, my name is Kaz." He babbled and took a step back to avoid being touched anymore. Sarah noticed his shyness and giggled before she looked at Perish.

"What else did you need?"

Perish's mood became more serious, and she looked Sarah in the eye. Sarah could tell it was not just a friendly visit anymore.

"I need help getting across the border."