FSE

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Tik Tik has never been inside the mouth of a larger creature before. The poor little kobold cannot even fit the whole way in. Her face is battered by the warm wet muscle, covering her in the saliva of the troll that decided to gobble her up. Her legs and tail stick out, almost comically, if not for the dire situation she finds herself in. She closes her eyes, knowing full well that what comes next is Gramble's sharp jaws chomping down onto her flesh and turning her into a bloody mess before she has a chance to really experience the outside world.

But, as she screams helplessly into the troll's throat, Tik Tik and her devourer lurch from a sudden impact. Gramble bellows a deep groan, and then slumps down. The troll's jaw slackens, and Tik Tik plops down on the dirt, a slimy, naked mess. She stares at the troll's stomach, only to realize there's a large hole where it once was. Standing behind the hole is something else entirely. Though, she does not get a good look before the troll falls forward.

Scrambling desperately, Tik Tik's claws dig into the dirt and slip in the newly bloody and muddy ground. As the shadow of the falling troll encompasses her, she's threatened into being crushed instead of being munched!

But, with alarming speed, cool, metallic arms wrap around her and pull her up against firm, warm flesh. When the troll finally collapses, Tik Tik looks up to see the face of her savior.

Never before had Tik Tik witnessed something so mysterious. The creature carrying her close to his chest is like no human she has read about. His features are toned, yet gentle. His eyes amber in color, his hair like the forest around him. Those ears stick out the most, being pointed, much like Gramble's, but in an all-the-more appealing nature.

He wears nothing over his chest, yet shining armor adorns his arms and his legs. Between the leggings, he wears a long cloth that covers his manhood. Those eyes look down to her, a smile spreading over his lips as he kneels down and lessens his grip. “There you are, little one," he speaks in his melodious voice. “That evildoer will no longer harm you."

She squeaks in surprise as her toes touch the ground. “You speak the dragon's tongue?" She says. Who…" she asks, her eyes focusing over his bare chest. “Who are you?"

He places a hand upon his heart and kneels down before her, bowing his head in reverence. “I am but a humble servant of love. You may call me Sir Tybalt: Paladin of Love. My knowledge of your tongue comes from the need for proper communication in matters of romance, and in speaking with the followers of the goddess of fertility."

“Ah, I see." Tik Tik walks past the knight and glances down to the dried river below, sighing in relief as she sees her book laying on the cracked earth below.

Tybalt's shadow falls upon her and the knight speaks up. “Ah, that is yours? Fear not, for I can carry you down there to retrieve it!" Almost immediately, he approaches the edge.

“No!" Tik Tik barks.

Tybalt stops immediately. “Is something the matter?"

She shakes her head. “You don't even know my name." She says. “Yet you saved my life and are offering to help me. Why?"

“Helping others is my duty." He says, his eyes betraying a slight sadness in his smile. “I had tried to aid Gramble in the past, but, alas, he would not give up his gluttonous ways. As for your name, that is for you to give, is it not?"

“I suppose," she says. “Let me get my things from his cave."

“Ah, very well. Allow me to accompany you!"

Gramble's cave has no real treasures. Tybalt steps in first, and it is in the darkness of the cave that Tik Tik can get a better view of his form. Even with her eyes dazzled by the sun, the creature's form could only be of one race she had read about. “Elf…?"

Tybalt's ears twitch at the statement. “I'm afraid not. I am the product of interracial love. One of my parents is an elf," he admits, “and one was a human."

“'Love' is not a word used very much in the tunnels," she admits. “It is a connection between two that gets in the way of one and their clan." She kneels down at Gramble's meager treasure pile and picks up her things. They reek of his funk, but among them, she also finds a stained piece of paper. She frowns as she looks upon it, flipping it back and forth. “What is this language?"

“Here, let me see that."

Tik Tik waits for him to take it from her, yet he does not. After an extended silence, she hands it to him.

He conjures light from his finger and glances over the piece, his lips curling down into a frown. “The script is unknown to me. Phonetic giant, if I am to believe. But it is certainly a letter from someone. He was corresponding someone for some fell purpose, no doubt."

“Doesn't really matter anymore," Tik Tik says, pinching her nostrils. “These reek!"

“There is a leaving stream down the way, if you wish to bathe there. Evening draws close, so relaxing outside should be less of a trouble for you, my friend."

She bundles up her things and nods. “Very well, Sir Tybalt. Let's get my book and get out of here.

Tybalt kneels down once more. “Very well. Hop on."

Tik Tik tilts her head. “You… will carry me?"

“You've been through enough. You need rest, but we must also travel. This is the best way.

Tentatively, she walks around him. With her bundled things under her arm, she hops up, wrapping her free arm around his neck, her legs on either side of him. So pressed against his warm body, Tik Tik can't help but feel comfort.