Page 72You crawl painstakingly to the east, swimming through one river and crossing another over a human-made bridge. Finally, you spot the first peasant shacks on the west edge of the hamlet. You pull your way across the dirt road. The human child and peasant who pass you seem to ignore you, but you do not confront them about it. You are greeted from your left by a human standing in a doorway with an iron crossbow and quiver on her back.
"Good dwarf! Please let me help you."
"I'm quite alright," you say as you pathetically crawl over to lie in front of her.
"How may I be of serv-" she pauses as she catches a better view of your face. "By the gods you can't be... the Elder Echoes of Paddling! Tales of your battle with Metalfrightful and your attack on Storber have been the talk of the town for the past week. It seems that your heroic efforts have been at a great sacrifice to yourself," she says, glancing at your missing legs, "and I admire you all the more for it."
You blush and look quite embarrassed for a second, before clearing your throat and stating in a gruff voice "well that's all well and good, but I have more pressing issues to attend to then be admired by human common folk. If you would really like to help me, please point me in the direction of a woodcarver so that I might acquire a set of crutches, and thus continue to serve you humans in a severely dangerous manner."
"Oh I see..." she says and seems a bit disappointed, before an excited look instantly appears on her face and she says extremely quickly "oh I know where you can get crutches! Our capital, Glovedprices is far to the north, and I'd bet they have anything you could ever ask for for sale there. But, you'll probably need a guide to make it there- not that I'm implying you can't find it yourself, what with your amazing- I mean, er, you'd probably like some company on the long journey. I'm a skilled crossbowman, and a decent ranger - my name's Gorhax Rashedcosat by the way- If nothing else, I could even carry you."
"That won't be necessary!" you interrupt, "The carrying that is. As for coming with me, I don't see how it could hurt, as long as you don't get in my way or mooch off my food supplies. We'll be off in the morning; I'd like to rest my head inside an actual building for once."
"GREAT! I'm so excited! I've always wanted to see the city. I hear they have vast dungeons and catacombs below to adventure in, and the food..." At this time she looks down and realizes that you've already crawled past her into the shack.
Inside are four peasants and a child. They all look shocked and stare at you as you crawl your way along the dirt floor unto a bedroll and sit up by leaning on your axe. They look even more shocked when Gorhax scolds them for staring and tells them that you are
the Libash Dikemachine, the Elder Echoes of Padlling. You grunt in confirmation, but have little desire to be praised by these filthy slaveholders, and fall asleep in the bedroll. When you awake, dawn is just breaking and the house is packed with peasants eating a disgusting breakfast of various prickleberry products. At the door stands a malnourished-looking goblin, along with two peasants crammed next to him eating. You then see Gorhax in the background, but have no idea as to what she's doing.
If you...
Free the slave and take him with you, then begin traveling to Gloveprices, turn to page 77.
Decide you've had enough slave liberation for a while and go to Gloveprices without the goblin, turn to page 78.Take the goblin with you and make a detour to clear Storber out of any remaining life, turn to page 80.
Leave the goblin, but make a detour with Gorhax to finish business with Storber, turn to page 81.
Seek out and rescue all of the town's goblins, turn to page 82
Assemble a party of other military-inclined humans from the hamlet, turn to page 83.