Saturday Excerpt, "Quest"

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Excerpt

Three human men had surrounded a rather meek-looking gnome.  One would cuff the small victim and shove him to one of the others for additional bludgeoning.  Each human would lay a heavy blow on him before continuing the rotation.  From time to time the gnome would strike back at his oppressors, but their retaliation was always far more severe than the blows they received.  The gnome was bloodied when the cousins first saw him and his circumstances were in a rapid downward spiral.

Rander moved close to Linvin and whispered,  “They are preoccupied and have taken no notice of our presence.  I think we can slip past without being detected.”

Linvin looked at his cousin with disgust.  

“Tell me, cousin; what do you see?” Linvin asked.

Rander looked at the spectacle, stuck out his chin and answered, “I see a diversion perfect for our egress from this area.”

Linvin shook his head in disappointment.  “I see someone outnumbered and outmatched,in need of help.  We should provide that help.”

“Don’t do this, Linvin,” Rander begged.  “This is none of our business and trouble we don’t need.  We should ride around and leave the outcome of this fight to fate.”

“Fate?” Linvin asked.  “Did fate not bring us here at this moment to make a difference?”

Rander was quick to respond.  “No.  Fate gave us an opportunity to continue our journey undetected.”

Linvin stared at what had changed from a fight to a beating and sighed.  “For all your maturation during our adventures,” Linvin told Rander, “in the end, we still see things differently.  That is truly a pity.  And it is pity that forces me to intervene in this travesty.”

“Come now, Linvin.  We do not know the whole story before us.  Perhaps the gnome deserves this pounding.  Besides, the little fella looks like he’s holding up pretty well.”

The absurdity of the remark hardly rated a response.  Linvin thought for a brief moment and spoke softly to Rander.  “Good cousin, in all your life, have you never found yourself in the role of that gnome?  Surrounded by enemies and helpless?”  Rander was silent and looked ashamed.  Linvin continued, “In those situations, did you not hope or even pray that someone, anyone,would come to your aid?”

Linvin had struck a chord with his cousin.  Bander was anxious to enter the melee and waited only for approval.  Rander looked at the fight through different eyes and told Linvin, “You are our Leader.  We will follow your orders.”