Chapter 5: Testing and Market Conditions Part 1

  Gramma Choch was worried.

  Lester and Mina had reported that the healer Prisca wasn’t sure of the wounds Jerry had caused but had recommended another human scout the area for more certainty. They had observed the human scout from a safe distance as he had explored the surface around where the dibbun had been playing.

  After he had picked something out of the entrance of the tunnel leading to the fence, they followed him into the village. Trying to keep to the canopy of the forest, then the rooftops of the houses to remain out of sight.

  There weren’t any trees or other houses close enough to the big house for them to get onto, then into it.

  So they had been forced to circle the large building to the forest’s edge and observe from a distance. They had hidden amongst the foliage at the end of one of the broader limbs as the ranger had gone into the house for several minutes. He had then come out and hurried off to the north.

  Humans that rode confidently in that particular set of clothing were delivering a message or scouting on behalf of other humans, and the Goom were aware of the outpost of the adventurer’s guild outpost to the north. Choch needed to be informed and quickly.

  At the settlement, Choch had a few choice words after Lester and Mina informed her of what they had observed,

  “Fuck! We aren’t one of them, so we’re a threat...The same as the last time. They can’t just let us live in peace and now we have to move again!”

  Panting, she tried to compose herself. She emptied the weapons and armor from her deep pocket onto the closest table. Near the maps Kosmo and Mearah had prepared for them before continuing to speak,

  “Suit up. We need to prepare for the adventurers to be here by tonight, they probably won’t come out till tomorrow morning, but we need to be ready to delay them. The settlement needs time to get the rest of the supplies ready.”

  Lester and Mina, with grim expressions, started putting on the armor. Lester fitting his set of armor over his robes.

  Mina’s stark white fur stood out against the darker leather straps, though it did make her less menacing and more like a teddy bear with questionable taste. It was a complicated series of straps with metal plates strategically placed over vital areas. The armor was not designed to give all-over protection but more a place to hang weapons and pouches with a nod to keeping them from getting skewered in an important place. The weapons were simple.

  A few small knives and a slender rod with thin strips of sharp metal running down the sides. The rod was not a weapon designed to defeat the humans but to harass and slow them down with injuries to a limb. The Goom knew they weren’t trying to kill the humans but to buy enough time for the others to flee.

  Grand-dam finished settling her armor into place and said with a firm voice,

  “Let’s start setting the traps between our burrow and the farm, pits, and trip lines first. Those will be the quickest to set up. After we cover as many approaches as we can, we’ll try to throw in some snares and nuisance traps. Lester, do you still have that family of skunks I told you to get rid of?”

  Lester, who was sheathing the last of his weapons on his harness, slowed his movements uncertainly as he looked abashedly at his Mother-in-law,

  “Now, Choch, why would I keep the stinkertons after you told me you’d paint me pink if I did?”

  Choch snorted,

  “Right, well, if you could find them, we can use some of the spare chests as bait and stink traps. A few other surprises would help slow them down as well.

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  Mina, you know where the wasp nests are nearby. How many can we move near the approaches as the adventures come in?”

  Mina, who was sticking her head out the door to talk with one of the other Goom to pass the word to start on final preparations to evacuate, brought her head back into the room and thought quickly. Scratching the back of her head, she responded,

  “If we spend some Mana keeping them docile as we handle them I would say about ten, mama. I’ll mark everything on our maps after you decide where you want the traps.”

  Choch nodded and started pulling gold out from her deep pocket and separating the coins into three piles on the table next to the maps,

  “We have about fifty each to replenish our Mana, try to let it refill on its own as much as possible.”

  Lester’s muzzle twisted into a distasteful lip curl,

  “And the gems?”

  Mina placed a paw on Lester’s shoulder in protest as Choch hesitated,

  “If we need to use them they will be available but I’ll not lose the two of you to overfill like Gomm’s parents. Last resort only.”

  Lester and Mina shared a look before Choch continued.

  The longer we can delay them the better off our Goom will be. We need to get ahead of the adventures if the settlement is to escape. If we need to actually fight them to buy more time, use the ambush sites.”

  Stay out of sight as much as possible, don’t fight directly if you can avoid it. We have the maps to coordinate. Avoid wasting effort creating traps that aren’t needed.

  Be careful, and don’t miss the regrouping deadline. You need to be done by nightfall. ”

  After Choch marked the maps with her best guesses of where the adventurers would come through, she returned them to Mina to mark the wasp nests. After Mina finished, she and Lester scooped their respective piles of gold and a map into their deep pockets.

  They all headed out the door to leave the warren. Once a general plan was established, they knew their roles.

  The last time the Goom had to flee their home, the pair had gotten very good at setting up delaying traps and obstacles. Unfortunately, in the escape, Lester had been burned so severely by that fire mage during the flight that his fur hadn’t grown back. He hadn’t wanted to let the prize he had fought so hard for go. Figuring damage to himself in its destruction was better than letting the humans have it.

  Choch knew that they were risking some of the Goom. Specifically herself, along with Lester and Mina, but it couldn’t be helped.

  It was far better for the three of them to take on the Gryphon’s share of the risk. It was that or the others in the settlement could be at risk of being killed or captured by the adventurers.

  When the settlement had been forced to move last time, some were unwilling to move as quickly as needed to escape the wrath of the fire mountain and stave off the humans.

  Several of them had been captured. The Goom of the settlement were still getting personal possessions and supplies together before leaving the old burrow too slowly. She still resented her Gramma for not being more forceful with the Goom that were moving so slowly. Her grand-dam had been captured, and Gomm’s parents were killed.

  Maybe it wasn’t fair of her to think badly of her Grandmother. Especially considering what adventurers tended to do with captured Goom, Choch lost friends and family that day. Her son, daughter-in-law, and almost half of the old settlement’s residents.

  That won’t happen this time, we have a plan in place, and the others are already moving.

  The three of them consulted the maps. Each indicated an area they would cover to set traps along with potential ambush sites to slow the adventurers. Choch spoke up before the three separated,

  “Use the far-speak charm to keep in touch every hour. I know it’s mana-intensive, but we need to be able to coordinate if the ambush sites are needed.

  Good luck, dear ones. Remember, by noon tomorrow; we should have everyone either gone from here or on their way.”

  Meet at the fork in the river to the south by twilight tomorrow, regardless of the outcome.”

  Mina gave Lester a quick lick on the cheek and a hug, which he returned gently before he and Mina nodded to Choch.

  They headed off into the brush in different directions. Choch headed in yet a third as she prepared for the aftermath of the human’s injury.

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