Chapter 2: Eadam, The Man with the Long Face.

Gheel liked to think of himself as unique, one of a kind, but truthfully he was not like the singular beings of Elcon that have no kin. He did not have the strange quirks that a singular existence has. He was not The Gheel. Gheel was his name, not what he was. He had however never encountered another one of his kind though, and neither did he know what his kind were called.

He was a round orange furry denizen. Below his mouth was a brown leathery sac that inflated and deflated as a frog’s throat can. His limbs were stout things, as thickly furred as the rest of his body. Each had four red claws, one being on the thumb.

On the top of his ball-like body he wore a large green cloth sling as a hat. Below this, was a single golden eye, which was quite like that of a serpent’s. His nose was a curious thing, shaped like a long pointed beak and as leathery as his throat sac.

He had been tossing what appeared to be a ball up and down before Ulex and Kepo came. Except that it was making happy growling noises. It was in mid air after Ulex’s cry of joy. Gheel simply opened his mouth and swallowed the thing whole.

“Well, let’s collect Mr. Snaps then shall we Mr. McHeft?”

Ulex eagerly nodded, then he paused and looked around, a little confused.

“Where’s Eadam?”

“i bet he is moping as usual” Kepo said.

“You are correct Miss Fingerless, I believe he is staring sadly at his reflection in frozen well. Contemplating his poor life choices is should think”

“Bah, he need contemplate no longer! Adventure awaits! No, finally leaving this place awaits!” Ulex declared.

“hurrah” Kepo quietly cheered.

“Wonderful” Gheel declared.

“Here, keep the treasure safe Gheel” Ulex said, handing the bag of gems over to him.

Gheel just simply tossed the bag inside his mouth. His kind’s sac was after all a spacial sac that could hold many things more than what its space should have been. It also had the benefit of not being flooded with saliva.

With the villagefolk looking on perturbed and a little insulted, the party moved out towards the village’s well.

Peering down into a well that had a hole cut into the ice that had covered it was a forlorn reddish horse standing on its hindlegs. There was also a bat with a fishing rod trying to fish from the well, but the horse’s depressive aura was driving the fish away.

The horse had a luxurious black mane of hair, that even looked like it was sparkling, but on closer inspection, this was a horrific dandruff problem. He wore worn purple scaly belts and brown plaid strips of cloth. Atop his head was a brown bowler hat that looked like it had been chewed by an animal at some point. At his waist, attached to one of the belts was a shabby looking bronze battle frying pan. It was a one handed one, and thus its size was a bit lacking.

“Where did it all go wrong?” he breathlessly sighed.

“When you decided that being a person moping around innocent folk trying to fish was a good idea” The bat snapped at him.

Eadam ignored the bat.

“I was once the leader of my own little gang…” he mused.

“Yeah, well buddy, I’m an exiled duke of the Great Attic, Waufronk Heer! You don’t see me moping do you, no you see me trying to fish while some lunk of a horse cries his tears into the well. Well poisoning is a serious crime you know?”

“The world is cruel to a handsome horse like me *sad neigh*” Eadam mourned.

“Eadam! We’re finally leaving!” Ulex shouted.

“Ah, to leave behind the worries of this world!” Eadam cried.

“Not that kind of leaving!” Kepo complained.

“Yes, it is far too early for that Mr. Horse” Gheel objected.

Eadam looked up to see Ulex, Kepo and Gheel. Neither Kepo or Gheel had much time for the morose horse, it was Ulex who picked him up after he fell on hard times.

“MY BRO” Eadam cried, sobbing and trying to hug Ulex.

With a flex of Ulex’s muscles, Eadam bounced off, clocking his head off of the well.

“Get yourself together lad, We’re going to that horrible Merchant, no that thief, no that avatar of greed now!” Ulex declared, striking a strongman’s pose.

“i haven’t slept easy being separated from tough snaps” Kepo whispered.

“Yes, quite so Miss Fingerless, I feel much more secure when Snaps is present”

Gheel grabbed Eadam by the scruff of the neck and they prepared to leave. However, before they had gotten far a voice called out.

“I say, do wait! Did you good people just say you are leaving this forsaken village?”

The party turned to look at the speaker. It was Waufronk, who was wearing a yellow leather hooded-coat.

“We are?” Ulex said

“Fairly sure?” Gheel continued

“depends on who’s asking” Kepo hedged.

“It’s what Bro says” Eadam said.

“Please take me join up with you!” Waufronk said.

“Maybe?” Ulex began.

“I don’t know?” Gheel mused.

“what’s in it for us?” Kepo asked.

“Bro will decide” Eadam said firmly.

“I can fish!” Waufronk offered.

They stared at Waufronk who after getting nervous put his fishing pole on his back and flapped up into the air and began flying.

“I can fly, none of you can fly, I can scout for you and so on!”

“Right, you’re in, you’ve the smallest cut of any loot, since you are new. I’m Ulex McHeft, welcome to my merry band!”

“don’t worry, i’m sure you’ll contribute more than eadam in no time, i’m kepo by the by” Kepo said.

“I say, was the merchant you were talking about…”

Gheel grimaced.

“Yes, it is Elswipe the Fat!”

“Oh dear, well, I’ll collect my things at meet you at his caravan” Waufronk said, flying off.

The others having dealt with the ex-duke and collected Eadam, finally went to confront the keflin merchant, Elswipe the Fat.