Corinne Barnett Collection: The Radiant Reunion
By Corinne Barnett.
Elana and Dimitry sat along the bank of Minmir lake, celebrating their recent engagement with an afternoon picnic to enjoy one anothers company. A snap of a nearby twig caused both to look towards the bushes nearby, searching for a rabbit or bird hiding within.
Their attention turned for just a moment was all it took. Elana shrieked, Dimitry turned to face her and saw several kobolds carrying her off. She struggled against them, however they worked in unison, each holding a limb and hurrying away. Dimitry tried to chase after, not even noticing the kobolds surrounding him as well. The kobolds fought with snare, pole and rope, trying to down Dimitry without injuring him. No matter how hard Dimitry fought, kicking at them and grabbing at them, he was too outnumbered and soon found himself on the ground with kobolds binding his arms and legs.
From atop a nearby hill a commanding voice boomed, demanding the kobolds release him. Their grip on Dimitry had loosened just enough for him to lift his head, seeing a man clad in polished steel armour and red tunic, sword drawn and armour shining from divine warding surrounding him. The kobolds hissed and spread out, one drawing a war horn and blowing a few distinct notes into it, likely an alert for the rest of the group. The kobolds were prepared only for taking captives by surprise, not defeating an armoured knight.
Before the kobolds could distance themselves terribly far, the knight raised a hand and a burst of holy light smashed down, leaving them disoriented. One by one the knight ran his sword through them, and stepped over to untie Dimitry from his bonds.
"I am Tristan of the Gauntlet, I received warning of kobolds in the area and came to patrol. Are you alright? The kobolds only had slave-taking tools on them, this would have been another story otherwise." Tristan said, introducing himself.
"Please rescue my love, my dearest Elana, the kobolds, they snatched her! They ran off with her! Please, dont let them take her from me!" Dimitry blurted out, gesturing in the direction the kobolds went.
"I see. There is an inn nearby, it will be safe there. Go rest, I will track them down and see her safe." Tristan replied, squaring his jaw and looking down the path pointed to him. Before leaving, Tristan ruffled through the belongings of one of the fallen kobolds, removing a set of keys and one of their warhorns. When handling kobolds, it was always best to be prepared. They were notoriously cunning adversaries who would take whatever advantage they could against an opponent.
With this in mind, Tristan drew a Lens of Detection and peered through it down the path, looking for any signs of traps set. It didnt take long for the enchanted lens to draw attention to trip wires. Tristan threw a branch onto the wire, a net swooping up from the ground, dangling from a large overhead branch. Tristan cut down the net and bundled it up to take with him, not wanting to leave a net in the hands of slavers. He then looked further on through the lens, seeing similar traces of traps down a side trail. As cunning as the kobolds were, it was also their weakness. They directed him exactly where to go.
The trail of traps led Tristan to the mouth of a cave. He assessed his surroundings and hatched a plan. Tristan climbed atop the mouth of the cave and readied the net to throw, then blew the warhorn to the same tune he heard earlier. From within the cave kobolds chittered among themselves, rushing outside, gathering by the cave entry and speaking in low voices as they assessed their surroundings. Tristan threw the net down onto the group, then called upon another blast of holy light to disorient them while he jumped down from his perch. A few remaining kobolds within the cave hissed and charged at Tristan, but without their strength in numbers they were no match for his blade. The remaining kobolds struggled against the net, cutting themselves free and charging to attack. But without the element of surprise and time to prepare, they too fell before Tristan's blade.
The kobold slavers defeated, Tristan entered the cave. He peered through his lens to ensure the way forward was clear, and came upon their camp where Elara was bound in chains and kept within a cage. Her face blushed from tears quickly became overjoyed seeing her rescuer. Tristan went through the kobold keyring and one by one handled the locks, freeing Elana and escorting her to the inn to unite with her fiance once more. The couple thanked Tristan, offering gold and service, anything to repay him.
Tristan smiled and replied, "Pay it back to those in need, donate your time to charity, to the city. I am a knight, and this is my duty."