Izzy Chapter 16: Did You Know You Can Just Summon Trouble? (Patreon)

In the morning they ate foraged berries and mushrooms and river clams, then gathered their things, along with anything else nearby that might be useful. Then Izzy and Caj said goodbye to the fairies, received some friendly abuse back, and they went their separate ways. The fairies crossed the river, flying fast after making sure that there were no birds of prey above, while the goblins, Caj, and their invisible companion went upstream and turned into the forest.

Caj flew ahead of the small scrum of goblins, searching for gnolls to shadow or tracks or something else that might lead them to the gnoll camp. The goblins, meanwhile, snuck along best they could, only bickering in very low voices and keeping their yelps down as they inevitably pinched, poked, and prodded each other.

Caj claimed to remember where the gnolls they’d seen had been, and which direction they’d been going, and that seemed like the best way available to start looking for the gnoll camp.

Don’t worry too much about the fairy taking off. I could lead you there, too.

“Huh?” Izzy had been deep in thought, trying to decide if she should make a vineling or not. To be honest with herself, she’d probably have to admit to giving it far more thought than it was worth. With a scrum of five goblins to command, a vineling wouldn’t do much more than drain her mana.

I could lead you back to where we found the gnolls.

“That’s not very impressive,” Izzy said off-hand, still thinking about making vinelings. They were so fun to order around! “I could probably find it, too. But I have no idea which way the gnolls were going.”

Oh. Right.

Oh. Oh, no! That was definitely sadness along with Mash's voice in her head. “I didn't mean it like that!” she said quickly. “You’re very impressive! You know a lot of stuff, and when you told me to not get Levels in Witch that was really useful, right?”

Sure.

Oh, great. Now Izzy was stuck with a mopey ghost. She was going to have to find some way of cheering her up, or this was going to be miserable.

And she felt a little bad about making Mash sad, too.

“Listen,” she whispered, slowing down to put some distance between herself and the scrum. She got some questioning looks from Twitch and Squirrel, but just waved them ahead. “You’re great. You really are. Even when I didn't know you were there, it was your mana that let me get away from the spider, right? That web took all of my mana but it couldn't take yours, something like that?

Yeah, I guess.

“And then, knowing if others are stronger or weaker than me, and what kind of Class they have, that's super useful! I don't think I would have had the guts to rescue the fairies from those gnolls at the bridge if you hadn't told me we could take them.”

Really?

“Yeah! And even if me or Caj can find where we saw the other gnolls, having another set of, uh… I guess you don't have eyes, but having someone else keeping track is always useful.”

I can remember anywhere I’ve ever been.

Mash came across more confident, more there somehow, when she said that, and if it was true, that was quite something!

“See, that's really impressive! Anywhere? Really?”

Like I have a map in my head! I know where I am, and where everywhere I’ve been is and how to get there. I’m pretty sure I can't ever get lost!

“That’s amazing!” Mash had gotten steadily more excited as she spoke, and Izzy couldn't help but get dragged along, her voice rising. “That’s so great! Imagine if we have to run away, or explore somewhere! We don't have to worry about not finding our way back! You’re the best, M—”

Don't use my name! You’re the one who’s Mash to them, remember?

“Oh, right.” Izzy grinned sheepishly. “See? You give great advice!”

“You sure you're not a bit crazy?” Crack asked from up ahead, and Izzy realized that the other goblins were all looking at her over their shoulders.

“You sure you don't want a taste of my staff?” Izzy shook the item in question at him. “I’m telling my familiar—”

Hey! Who are you calling a familiar?

“— how great she is. And keep your voices down, there's gnolls around!”

As if to drive the point home, the gnoll hunting party that Caj had entirely failed to spot very helpfully chose that moment to attack.

One moment they were bickering, the next Crack flew sideways on the point of a spear and Twitch was bound up by one of those things Mash called a “bola,” two rocks connected by rope. A second bola missed Izzy by a hair, seeming to change direction at the last second. At the same time cackling laughter erupted, among Gnollish shouts of “Get them!” and “More gobbos for the pens!” and “Finish off the big one and let’s eat ‘em!”

Izzy had a moment of shock as two of her scrum went down, one of them possibly for good. Then she screamed, “Fight! Goblins, fight!” and her three remaining minions threw themselves at the attacking gnolls.

There were three of them, one bigger than the other two. The big one was hanging back, drawing an axe from her belt, while the other two, wielding heavy clubs, threw themselves at the goblins. It looked like the gnolls wanted to take them alive if possible.

The big one! Get the big one! She’s Level 8!

Izzy wasn’t sure what the best thing to do was, but anything was better than nothing, and she’d just been saying that Mash’s advice was solid. Before the big female could join the fight, Izzy cast a Bramble Growth at her feet, and the gnoll yipped and snarled curses as the thorny vines bound her legs. Izzy then turned to Crack, who lay writhing feebly with a big spear in his side. She was about to cast Healing Roots when Mash interrupted her.

Don’t! It’ll take all of your mana! Better to use whatever is left once we’ve won. Help the others with the two Level 5 gnolls!

Right. Good plan. Squirrel had caught a kick to the gut and was currently picking herself up off the ground, while Howl and Buttercup gamely tried to get a stab or two in with their spears. It… wasn’t going well. The gnolls, with their long arms, had the same reach as the goblins with their spears. It was all the gals could do to keep from getting their skulls cracked open. They needed help.

Running towards the melee, Izzy pushed as much mana as she could into a gust of wind targeting the closer gnoll. Doing it through the staff didn't give her any bonuses the way it would with Wind Magic, but it was easier to aim that way. The gust hit the gnoll square in the back. It was barely enough to make him lose his balance and stumble as he swung at Howl, but it was enough. The goblin gal scored a stab at his shoulder, and he yipped a curse and scrambled back in response. Right towards Izzy.

Get him, Izzy! Get the fuzzy bastard!

With Mash cackling enthusiastically in her head, Izzy drew Spiderfang and stabbed the gnoll in the back. His body arched backwards with a howl, and he tried to backhand her with his club, but she nimbly danced back. The knife was still stuck in him as he turned on her, the handle pulsing as though it was injecting him with venom.

Together, Izzy and Howl made short work of the wounded gnoll. Howl stabbed him as he looked at Izzy, and when he turned to retaliate Izzy tripped him up with her staff. Once he was down Howl got him good in the neck, and that was that.

The other gnoll had initially tried to help his pack mate, but Buttercup was relentless with his spear, Squirrel was back up, and then Caj came zooming out of the trees with a furious cry of “—YER FECKIN EYES OUT!” and slammed into the side of the gnoll’s head. Nowhere close to the eyes, but he latched on to one ear with his teeth before being slapped away, taking a chunk of skin and fur with him.

“Idiots! Impotent, useless idiots!” The big female growled and yipped in fury, hacking and tearing at the brambles binding her, but before she could get loose the four standing goblins descended on the now surrounded male in a flurry of stabbing spears, staff strikes, and mad, cackling laughter.

Then she was loose, and alone. Before her were four goblins, and behind were the thorny vines she’d just escaped. She looked between them, weighing her chances.

Hit the bitch again!

Izzy cast another Bramble Growth at the gnoll's feet. She stared in disbelief as new vines climbed her legs, and barely had time for a, “Scabrous bastards!” before the stabbing started.

“Should we have captured her instead?” Izzy asked everyone in range once she'd stepped back. None of the goblins answered. They were still stabbing.

Maybe. How would we control her, though?

“Hmm. Good point.”

Yep. Now heal Crack! He’s a tough little rock chewer, but that's got to hurt.

Izzy's eyes tried to escape her head when she remembered that, oh, right, there was a guy with a spear in his guts on the ground. She whirled and ran over to him. He was groaning softly, still alive but in a bad way.

“Do I pull the spear out?”

I guess? Healing Roots chewed through that arrow in our guts, but that one went all the way through. Only wood in us, no metal. With the head inside— Oh, there you go!

Izzy had grabbed the spear after “I guess.” Two good, firm pulls, and it was out, along with a truly terrifying amount of blood. Scrabbling to grab her staff, Izzy quickly cast Healing Roots on the guy, only relaxing when she saw the blood stop flowing as the roots enveloped him.

On a whim she brought up her Summary, and watched her mana gourd slowly empty until the last dregs were gone, and she fell into comfortable darkness.

  *

[Feat accomplished. Survived an ambush: Gnoll Hunters. Experience awarded.]

The squiggles hung in front of Izzy’s face as she came to. Not that she paid them much attention; she was comfortable, and some absolute bastard was poking her.

“Boss! Hey, boss! We gotta go! More fuzzies coming!”

Twitch’s rapidfire words got Izzy to open her eyes, at least. The gal was poking her with the butt of a spear, and she looked properly worried.

“Come on, boss! Crack’s up, and we got all their stuff ready to go. Buncha gnolls coming! Gotta move!”

She’s right, Izz. Caj found some gnolls heading this way, and managed to kinda dance it out for the scrum. Time to put a move on!

“Aw, crap. All right, all right!” Izzy sat up. Her Spiderfang lay next to her, clean, and she sheathed it. Everyone was standing around, Crack included, and were carrying considerably more stuff than before. Three naked gnolls on the floor, a pile of discarded stuff beside them, left no doubt about where it all came from.

“Right. Yeah.” She looked up at Caj. “You know the way? Lead on!”

“Right you are!” The fairy was in a fine mood, judging by how he zipped around and his complete lack of abuse. Or maybe that was him being nervous? It was hard to tell. Anyway, he took off. It was all the goblins could do to keep up while keeping their noise down, the Huntresses leading to pick their path between tall bushes and through brooks and gullies, and Izzy bringing up the rear.

They were only a few hundred heartbeats out when the noise of outraged gnolls exploded behind them. That much was obvious to anyone with ears. To Izzy, there were some very clear words mixed in with the angry yips and mournful howls:

“A trail! There's a trail! Get the shits that did this! Run them down!”