A Tale of Two Kobolds, Chapter 3

 A Tale of Two Kobolds

                        Chapter 3

                                                By William W. Kelso

                Kix gave a shrill startled hiss as she bowled into, and knocked over, the equally surprised person who had been coming up the stairs.  A second later Griss joined them in a pile of waving tails, loud hisses, squeaks, and muffled curses as they slowly rolled down the stairs, the momentum of the two kobolds keeping them going for awhile.  Finally the struggling ball of intertwined forms reached a landing and stopped, and began to sort themselves out.

                "By the Gods, what the HELL!?!"  Gnax squeaked in rage as he tumbled down the stairs.  It had better not be one of those stupid new kitchen boys, human or not he'd give them a good tanning!  Running down the stairs, idiots!  In the dark too!  And Bloody Hell, he'd dropped the bottles of wine!  They had better not be broken!  And if they were HE wasn't going to take the blame, that was for sure!

                As Kix rolled down the stairs she quickly realized the person she'd run into was not a human, the furry body and strong scent told her that as she found her snout rubbing against thick fur more than once.  A ratkin, she realized.

                Griss arrived on the landing in a rather uncomfortable; and undignified, heap in which he found himself with his snout pressed against a strange rump with a long pink scaly tale protruding from trousers, and with a disgusted squeal he stood up and looked down at the owner of that tail.  Griss had seen ratkin around, but never this close up.  It was said the part human/part rat creatures were the product of sorcery originally, but they'd bred true and been around for so long no one was sure as to their exact origins.  Following his instincts he moved between Kix and the ratkin, ready to defend his mate if need be.

                Gnax sat up and rubbed his head, then slowly got to his feet, relieved that nothing appeared to be broken, other than his dignity.  He was getting on in years, and wasn't as nimble as he used to be.  He stood up and brushed his servant's livery off, and then started to say, "OK, who do I have to kill...."  And came to a stop when he saw his 'attackers'.  He regarded the two large lizards in surprised shock, and said, "Who...what, are YOU??"

                Griss tried to answer him, but the ratkin just backed up in alarm as one of the large lizards hissed and snarled at him, making strange grunting and clicking sounds.  Good Lord, he thought, they're just animals of some kind!  They were naked, and the larger one was snapping at him and he could see sharp fangs!  With a squeak he turned to run back down the stairs, but the other lizard cut him off!

                Kix watched as Griss tried to talk to the increasingly alarmed ratkin, but though she understood her mate she knew the ratkin didn't, and when he tried to run she cut him off, and in common said,

                "Wait, please, we mean no harm.  My mate can't speak common, I'm sorry if he scared you?"

                " You can TALK?"  Gnax said in surprise.  He backed against the wall as he looked at the two strange reptiles, and wondered if a call for help would be heard.

                "Yes, Kix said, please, we didn't mean any harm."

                Gnax drew himself up a little as he recovered his wits, and said, "Well, WHO are you, WHAT are you, and what do you want in the Duke's wine cellar?  I warn you, if you are thieves, you will be sorry!"

                Griss finally shut up, realizing his trying to talk was just making things worse; damn Melchet to Hell, and watched the ratkin.  The four foot nothing creature resembled a rat, but one with a more human stance.  Its pink feet were bare, and he knew they had no need for shoes due to their claws and tough pads.  Otherwise the rodent was dressed in the livery of a servant, with a hole cut out for his long pink segmented scaly tail.  He even wore a feathered cap which looked slightly ridiculous on his furry head with its large snout and fuzzy pink ears.  During the tumble his coat had been pulled open, and his chest was furry too.  While Griss had seen a few ratkin around the city, they were relatively rare. Most of their jobs were of the rather unpleasant kind humans were loathe to perform, but that did give them job security of a sort.  This was the first one in household servant's livery he'd seen though.

                "Thieves?  Kix hissed indignantly, we are not thieves; we're just trying to find a way OUT of here!  Ssssss!"

                "Oh, really?  Gnax said, and pray tell, how did you get IN here in the first place?"

                "The Duke had my mate locked in a cage, he thought he was an animal since he can only speak kobold, and no humans can understand it."

                "Oh, so that's what you are!  Gnax said, I've heard about you, but never seen any before.  What are you doing here anyway, isn't it a bit cold for reptiles?"

                "I...we, were slaves until our master set us free, Kix replied, but an evil man gave my mate to the Duke for his menagerie.  I rescued him, and we only want to leave this horribly cold place and go home."

                "Hmm," Gnax said as he looked at the two strange creatures.  It was kind of nice to be bigger than someone else for a change.  He too had been a gift to the Duke over twenty years ago, but the Duke had given him his freedom some time ago, and as he had nowhere else to go he'd stayed and worked his way up to chief wine steward.  But he remembered what slavery had been like, though as far as masters went the Duke was fairly benevolent.

                "Very well, he said, but tell me, why did you think you could escape via the cellars?   There are no secret exits of which I'm aware."

                "The sewers, Kix said, we planned on leaving through the sewers.  We're small enough to fit through most grates and tunnels."

                "AH", Gnax said, realizing he should have thought of that.  "Well then, I can help you in that little endeavor.  As it happens the Duke employs several of my kin to keep the drainage and sewer lines under the manor free, and one of them can show you the way."

                "Why are you helping us?"  Kix asked a little suspiciously, and Griss nodded.

                "Because I too was once slave, though I am now a loyal servant in the employ of the Duke.  And I see no harm in it, his lordship already has more than enough pets.  And being locked in a cage would be horrible for an intelligent animal."

                After first making sure the bottles of wine and port had not been broken; thankfully they had survived the tumble, Gnax led the two kobolds deeper into the bowels of the manor house.  He had keys for all the doors, and after moving through large rooms full of racks of wine and kegs of beer or spirits, he reached a heavy iron grate set in one corner in such a way as any water leaking into the cellar would be drained away.  But for now it was dry, the only seepage they usually had problems with was in the spring.  Gnax and Griss lifted the heavy iron grill, and the ratkin leaned over and gave a loud piercing squeak, which was answered a second later.

                "I've called my cousin Toby, Gnax explained, he'll be here soon.  He can show you the best way out, it's a labyrinth down there."

                As they waited Kix and Griss put on some of the clothing they were carrying as it was cooler in the cellars then the main house.  About the time they finished another ratkin stuck his head up out of the hole, blinked, and said,

                "'ello Gnax, who're these fellas?"

                "These, Gnax replied, are kobolds.  I'd like you to show them a way out of here if you don't mind."

                "Sure, no problem, Toby replied.  Kobold's eh?  Cute little lizards, ain't they?  Well, come on you lot, ain't got all day you know.  Got to get a move on."

                Kix thanked Gnax profusely, and he shook Griss's hand when it was offered.  As they climbed down into the opening Gnax lowered the heavy grate back into place, then turned and left the same way he'd came.  He knew he'd get in trouble if he was found out, but he didn't care to see anything stuck in a cage, not even a lizard.

                "Right, Toby said, you two stick with me, see?  It's a maze down here, and if you get lost you might never find your way out.  Now, where do you want to go, exactly?  I'll get you as close as I can."

                Griss told Kix, "Ask him is he knows Northend cul-de-sac, we need to get back to the shop."

                "But mass....Griss, it's been burned down."  Kix hissed.

                "I know, Griss said grimly, but hopefully a few things survived, things that we'll be needing."

                Toby did know the way, and the eventually they reached an exit less than a block from the shop.  Griss was amazed at the extent of the sewer and drainage tunnels system under the city, some of the tunnels they passed through would have been near impossible for a human; even a very small one, but the ratkin and kobolds passed easily, often going on all fours.  There was a whole different world down here, he realized.  There were some advantages to being small, though Griss had to admit that a view of Toby's hairy rump as they squeezed through narrow tunnels was not exactly endearing, the ratkin being nude except for a harness and belt supporting some tools of his trade.  But in many of the tunnels a large man could have walked easily, and sometimes they passed through huge chambers were numerous tunnels intersected.  There was some water flowing, but the pathways along the edges of the walls were dry, though the smell left a lot to be desired even though they kept mainly to water run-off tunnels.  Toby promised to wait until they came back, but if they hadn't returned in two hours he'd have to return to his duties.  They assured him they wouldn't be that long.

                Griss sat on a pile of fallen blocks in the blackened rubble that had been his shop and home most of his life, and Kix hugged him and tried to console him as he gave soft wails of despair.

                "They didn't have to burn it; he said forlornly, why did they do that?  All those wonderful books...gone.  My home...gone."

                From the looks most of the salvageable books had already been salvaged, which was nice way of saying stolen.  But since it was assumed the owner had died in the blaze no one had thought anyone would mind.   He had no doubt most were used to start fires or roll tabac smokes.  Or put to other less sanitary uses.

                Kix nuzzled him gently, and said, "I'm sorry, it was a nice home.  I was happy there, and I'll miss it too."

                Griss nuzzled her back, and said, "The main thing is, you got out safely, that's all that matters.  I don't know what I'd have done if you hadn't.  Guess I'd have spent the rest of my life in a cage, alone."

                Kix just hissed softly and rested her snout on his neck, his sadness making her sad as well.  She'd never had much, but to lose everything you'd had and worked for must be a horrible feeling.  But she did have him now, and that was something far better than any treasure or building.

                "Well, Griss finally said, it's done, and nothing I can do about it.  No sense in crying about it.  But hopefully...come here Kix, and give me a hand."

                Kix watched as Griss cleared away an area where the stove had used to be; the iron stove was gone, probably salvaged for scrap.  It took him a little while to move fallen partially burned beams and rubble aside, then when the heavy stone flagstones were revealed he took a dagger and stuck it between two of the stones, and pried one upward.  As soon as there was enough room Kix slid her claws under the edge, and they both flipped the heavy stone over and out of the way.  Then Griss reached into the revealed hole and lifted out a small, but heavy, chest.

                "I didn't keep all my coin and valuables in the vault", he said as he opened the chest.  Inside were several small heavy leather bags, a couple of cases, and a flat oilskin wrapped bundle.  The bundle contained deeds and other legal paperwork, and two small, but very rare, books.  Two bags had assorted gold and silver coins, one smaller one had several decent gems, and the cases had some fine jewelry that had been his mothers.  He took everything, and then put the chest back in the hole and they covered it again.

                "We'll need the money and other valuable to pay for our passage South, he said.  Even being kobolds we can buy passage with a caravan as soon as the snows melt in the spring.  In the meantime, we need to find a place to spend the rest of the winter. And I may know of the perfect place.  An old friend of mine might be willing to put us up, IF he believes I'm really Griswold, and not Griss the kobold.  The coin should help though."

                When they got back to the sewer entrance Toby was waiting as promised, and Griss told Kix to ask him to take them to Portage Street, which the ratkin did.  As the ratkin turned to leave Griss pressed several silver coins into his paw, and the ratkin's large black eyes sparkled in delight, and he said,

                "Thanks guv, most generous of you.  If you need to get a hold of any of us ratkin just bang on that iron grate over there, and we'll hear it and come a-scurryin.  May the Gods bless you, and guide your way!"

                "And you."  Kix replied.  "Nice fellow", she said, and Griss readily agreed.  Before his transformation he'd never considered ratkin; or kobolds for that matter, as much more then well trained animals.  It was amazing what a view from the other side could do to one's perceptions, or more appropriately, misperceptions.

                They stayed in the sewer until the light began to fade, then the two well bundled little figures exited through a grate and moved down the road towards the address Griss had in mind.  Hopefully anyone who saw them would assume they were children, but few people were out and about after dark.  Finally they stopped in the entrance alcove to a rather plain and slightly run-down looking two story house, and Griss said,

                "Kix, you'll have to do the talking.  The man who lives here is named Robert, and he's a drover.  I've done business with him a few times, and he's honest.  How he'll react to finding two kobolds on his front step I have NO idea, but I'm sure he's seen others in his travels.  Tell him we bring a message from Griswold the Bookseller, and he should let us in at least. Then we have to convince him that I'M Griswold."

                Kix nodded, and gave the door as hard a bang as she could since there was no knocker.  Evidently it was hard enough, because soon they heard heavy steps approaching the door, the sound of bolts being thrown, and when it opened the light momentarily blinded them, and she heard a gruff voice say,

                "Right, who the Hell is out this time of night?  Eh?  Where the blazes are you?"  There was a pause, and then the voice said, "Huh?  Oh, there you are, mighty short, aren't you?  Whaddaya want?"

                "Please, Sir, Kix said, we bring a message from Griswold the Bookseller, he would like to arrange for your services."

                "Griswold, you say?  The man said, why didn't he come himself?  And I thought he was dead, his place burned down!"

                "He's, er, indisposed."  Kix hissed.

                "Say, you're not children!" the man said, and squatting he took a closer look under their oversized hoods, and exclaimed, "By the Gods, kobolds!!  What are you scaly little varmints doing in Konigsholm?!  You'll freeze your little tails off!"

                "I'm...we're Griswold's, um, slaves, Kix said, he sent us here with a message and to arrange your services."

                "Huh, so he isn't dead?  Well, of all the..., but don't stand there, come in, the man finally said after pondering the situation for a moment, don't want two frozen lizards stuck to my front steps, might trip over 'em."

                "Thank you sir", Kix said sincerely.  Even in her thick clothes she was shivering, and knew Griss probably felt the same way.

                They entered the door and found themselves in a foyer, or cloakroom, and taking off their heavier outer coats hung them on pegs.  Then they followed their host through a thick felt curtain and into the main house.  It was a pretty standard arrangement, the double doors helped to keep the house warmer.  Kix was pleasantly surprised to find the large front room quiet toasty, a large fire blazing in the fireplace, and she heard Griss give a hiss of pleasure.

                "Right, the man said, what's the message?  C'mon, don't have all night, I was about to sit down to me dinner."

                "Um, Kix said, this may sound kind of...strange, but my companion IS Griswold, he was cursed by a sorcerer."

                The man squinted, rubbed an ear, and said, "OK, who put you up to this, and it's NOT funny!"

                "No, seriously, Kix insisted, and he can't talk; at least in common, as the curse made him mute too.  All he can speak is kobold; since no humans can speak it the spell didn't block that ability.  He, we, need your help."

                "Look, the man said, how do I know this isn't some kind of setup, I mean, it's certainly a bit farfetched.  I mean, who would want to turn Griswold into a big lizard, for the God's sake, and why?"

                Robert watched as his two strange little visitors chattered and hissed back and forth for awhile.  He'd seen; and even dealt with kobolds before, on his travels, but these were the first ones he'd seen in Konigsholm.  And the story they told him, it was pretty fantastic, but why make something like that up anyway?  He could tell the one that was supposed to be Griswold was a male from his crest, and the other was female.   He had nothing against kobolds, though they tended to be a bit light-fingered if you didn't keep an eye on them, being attracted to shiny things especially.  He did quite well trading them mirrors, good knives, and gaudy trinkets for hides.

                "Um, sir, Kix said, Griswold told me to ask you if you still like candied freyberries best, or chocolate covered figs.  And he also wanted to know if you enjoyed that book he gave you, the ones with the...um, drawings?"

                Robert raised his eyebrows in surprise, very few people knew of his love for sweets, or that freyberries and chocolate figs were his favorite.  But the question about the book was the clincher, only Griswold would know about that!  Like many commoners Roberts reading skills were rather limited, but the book had mainly pictures, rather risqué pictures of the naughty kind, and he certainly hadn't let anyone else know about the book.  Being a bachelor, it was nice to have something like that around, for, uh, stimulation.

                "Gods blind me, Robert said, is that really you, Griswold?  No offense, but it's not much of an improvement!  Who did this to you?!?"

                Griss nodded, and gave a hiss of relief.  He wasn't sure if Robert would have believed them or not, he wasn't long on imagination.  But he didn't realize he'd underestimated the man's worldly experience, being a drover by trade he'd traveled extensively, and was well aware of the things magic users could do.

                "It was that man known as Melchet, Kix said, he cast a horrible spell on my  mat...master, then gave him to the Duke as a pet.  He is also the one who burned down my master's shop.  He seemed to put great value on some books my master had, but Griswold says he destroyed the books looking for something.  He meant for Griswold to spend the rest of his days in a cage like an animal.  Hsssss."

                "Hmph, you don't say?  Robert replied, Melchet, huh?  Never did like that self important twit, he puts on more airs then the Duke.  And he associates with some very odd people.  But now my question is, why come to me?  I certainly can't help you against the likes of Melchet, and I sure don't want to end up as a kobold, no offense intended."

                Griss was loath to tell anyone else about the 'Grand Compendium', the fewer who knew where a copy might be, the better.  Even someone like Robert who would have no real idea of the power the book contained.  So he and Kix had decided on a plausible cover story that was at least partially true.

                Kix said, "When the snows melt we wish to purchase passage to the Southern Lands, as you said, it is much too cold for our kind here.  We are...miserable.  We also hope to find some way to turn my master back to his true form, he says the only mage in the city who knows; or admits to knowing, how to use that kind of magic is Melchet."

                "Well, that I can do, Robert said, but that's weeks away, what do you propose to do until then?  And why do you not take your complaint of this heinous crime to the Duke, he is fair enough, for a noble."

                Griss and Kix chattered for a minute, and then Kix said, "We fear we would be unable to convince the Duke since my master cannot talk, and Melchet has the Duke's ear.  We're worried we would both end up in the Duke's menagerie.  Also, we cannot stay in a public Inn or Hostel, word would be sure to reach Melchet, and/or the Duke.  We were hoping you might be able to find a place for us?  We can pay."

                "Oh, Robert said, I know Griswold is good for the money, he's never stiffed me on a deal or short changed me.  As to where you could stay?  Hmmm."

                As they had been getting warmer Griss and Kix had been shedding their multiple layers of clothes, and as Kix made to remove the last of hers Griss got her attention and shook his head, and after a second she nodded in understanding.  The human might be offended, even if they were reptiles, since he could tell the difference between their sexes.  So she kept on the oversize shorts she'd modified to fit, as did Griss.  She thought they looked silly.

                "Hmmm, Robert said, I was thinking maybe Mary could put you up, but she has quite a few, um, gentlemen visitors, and one might spy you.  I guess if you don't mind staying here you could sleep in front of the fireplace, I have my own room upstairs.  But       I don't think I have anything for you to eat, what DO you eat, anyway?"

                Griss chattered at Kix for a second, and she said, "We eat mainly raw meat and some kinds of bugs, but cooked food makes us sick, and we don't care much for vegetables, though we do eat some kinds of fruit, but I haven't seen any of those here.  As for food, we can pay for that as well, plus we might be able to make ourselves, well, useful."

                Bugs?  Griss thought, bugs and rats, yuck!  He had to get his human form back, the sooner the better!

                "What do you mean by 'useful'?"  Robert asked.

                "Do you have a rat problem?"  Kix hissed hopefully.

                "So, Melchet said, our scaly little friend got away, did he?"

                "Yes Magistar, his clerk said, the Duke is quite upset, he even posted a reward.  They searched the manor high and low, but on sign of him."

                "Well, I doubt he would be stupid enough to stay there, Melchet said.  Most likely he's cowering in a basement somewhere, or frozen in snowdrift.  Anyway, it's of no real importance, there is nothing he can do, not being able to communicate.  Still, add another fifty gold to the reward on my behalf, I'm sure the Duke will appreciate the gesture."

                "Yes, Magistar", the clerk said, and left to so as he had been told.

                Melchet sat down and put his hands together like he was praying, and rested his chin on the steeple they formed.  He wasn't terribly worried, Griswold had been an intelligent enough fellow, but he doubted the new kobold could do much of anything on his own.  Without help he most likely wouldn't survive the winter anyway.  Still, best to take a few precautions.

                As soon as they'd been left alone in the basement Kix had shed her shorts, and Griss watched from the top of the stairs as she stalked the large room.  He couldn't help but admire her sleek nimble form as she crept on her belly from crate to cask, her movement slow and stealthy, the tip of her tail barely twitching.  He knew there were rats about, he could smell them, but he wasn't sure about how he felt about her reason for hunting them.  Raw rat had never been high on his menu of delicacies.

                Kix finally found a good spot, and settled down to wait.  It was very cool in the basement, but not below freezing, so she was able to move about fairly easily.  The rats had fled for cover when the door opened and light flooded the basement, but now with the door shut it was dark again, though she could see just fine.  She could hear them, scratching about behind the walls and stacks of crates, and knew from the scent that this was a well traveled area.  And sure enough!  She struck with a lighting quick pounce, and lifted her snout with a nice fat rat wriggling in it.  With a happy hiss she ran up the stairs on all fours, and offered it to her mate.

                Griss wasn't sure what to do when Kix offered him the still squirming rat, his sense of smell told him it was edible, but he still had his natural human aversion to eating anything he thought of as vermin.  So he shook his head, and hissed, "No, that's OK, you go ahead."

                Kix shrugged, and throwing her head back she positioned the rat in her mouth until it was facing head down, and then began to swallow.  She couldn't chew, so just opened her mouth wide and swallowed the rat whole, and it disappeared down her throat with a final muffled squeak.  She worked her mouth and throat a few more times, then lowered her head with a satisfied hiss.  The rat had been delicious, far better then chunks of cold raw meat.

                Griss watched in fascination as Kix ate the rat.  Once she'd tossed it around in her mouth with a few quick snaps she began to swallow it, her mouth opening wide, throat muscles visibly rippling.  Though unable to unhinge her jaws they were quite wide, and she had no difficulty and swallowing the rather large rodent, her throat swelling and bulging as the rat slid down to her stomach.  Then she shut her jaws and looked at him with a smug look.

                "Um, how was it?"  Griss asked, and his stomach growled.

                "It was good, Kix hissed, a living, or freshly killed, meal is so much better then cold scraps.  I'll give you the next one, and then I'll teach you how to hunt later."

                As Griss watched Kix hunting again his stomach rumbled again, he hadn't had anything to eat since his last 'feeding' at the Duke's menagerie, and in the cold weather they burned up calories incredibly fast as their bodies tried to keep them warmer.  In spite of the nature of Kix's prey he had to admit she'd certainly seemed to enjoy eating it, and he WAS a kobold, at least for now.  Maybe; just this once, a little one.  But after that, no more rats!

                Kix struck again, with equally satisfactory results.  These rats were big and fat; and complacent, not used to being hunted.  Plus they'd never been hunted by a kobold before.  They were much better at it then cats.  In fact, cat was on their menu, though most of the wild cats were too cautious and mean to be worth messing with, especially the big ones.  Those ate kobolds.  She ran back up the stairs and proudly she dropped the still twitching rat at her mate's feet.

                Griss eyed the rat a little uncertainly, and gave it a curious sniff.  It certainly smelled good enough.  He looked at Kix, who looked back expectantly, and taking the rat in his mouth he used his tongue to position it, having to snap his jaws a couple of times, and throwing his head back began to swallow.  Once he started it went smoothly, and the odd feeling of such a large; and warm, object sliding down his throat felt perfectly natural.  He gulped a final time, and then lowered his head with a hiss of surprised pleasure.  The rat had tasted just fine, and his belly felt nice and full.  There was something about swallowing something warmer then your own body temperature that was almost...sensuous.  He gave Kix a nice long lick to thank her, and she hissed in pleasure.  Then it suddenly occurred to him, what if the rat had fleas?  Yuck!  Well, too late now!

                Their arrangement with Robert worked out just fine, they got a nice warm fire to huddle next to during the long cold nights, and Robert got silver coin AND rodent control.  Kix took on extra duty as a cook, and Robert was just as satisfied with her cooking as Griss had been, though he, like her, now mostly dined on fresh rat.  Plus he turned out to be a natural hunter, and was soon just as adapt at stalking the rodents as she was.  He got a strange thrill out of snapping up a rodent, and then swallowing the still living meal.  But the long nights by the fire were the best, and they made love often, their soft hisses and squeals of pleasure not waking Robert who slept like a log, and if Robert realized they were a mated pair he never let on.

                Kix lay next to her mate; Griss gently rubbing his snout against hers and her neck causing her to hiss in pleasure.  They had just enjoyed a nice long coupling, and she was as happy as she could be.  Suddenly she felt her happiness fade a little, replaced by concern, as he said,

                "Kix, I'm going to pay Melchet a little visit.  I need to find out if he has any idea where the 'Grand Compendium' might be, and I also want to have a look at his books on magic.  Maybe there's a counter spell in there."

                Kix sat up with a hiss of worry, "But won't that be dangerous?  Since he's a magic user he'll have his shop and residence warded.  Even a small intruder like us would activate his wards and alarms."

                "Well, yes, Griss said, normally so, but he may have forgotten one thing."

                "What's that?"  Kix asked.

                "Most anti-vermin wards are triggered by body heat, but we're cold blooded.  I may be able to get in, and out, without anyone ever even knowing."

                Kix hissed thoughtfully, yes, that might work.  "I didn't think of that, she said, you might be right.  But I'm going with you."

                "What, no!  Griss hissed, it's too dangerous!"

                "With two of us we can search twice as much in the same time, or one of us can keep watch."  Kix said.

                "But....!"   Griss started to say, and then stopped as Kix pressed her snout against his, her tongue sliding between his hard lips.

                "Hush, she said, be quiet my love.  I want you."

                Griss didn't reply, just hissed in pleasure as they 'kissed', enjoying the taste of his mates tongue in his mouth; his in hers, and the spicy musky scent of her growing arousal.  He started gently nipping and rubbing her snout and neck, stroking her throat and chest with his claws, and she closed her eyes and gave soft hisses of delight.  When he was ready she rolled onto all fours, and lifted her tail for him, and he threw his head back and gasped in pleasure as his aching hardness slid into her eager sex as he mounted her.  He had been amazed, and delighted, at just how often they could couple, and the post-coital tiredness and periods between their next matings were considerably less and shorter then humans.  He gently bit and nipped at her back and head as he fucked her, running his claws over her lovely hide, and she gave soft squeals and hisses of pleasure that drove him to pleasure her to the best of his abilities, her sounds adding to his own pleasure.  Oh Gods, he thought as he thrust into her, this is so very very wonderful!

                Kix buried her head in the pile of bedding as her mate serviced her, to help keep her cries as muffled as possible.  The hardness stroking in and out of her sex as her vaginal muscles clenched and caressed it was giving her incredible pleasure, and her mates weight on her back and his fangs nibbling and biting at the back of her neck and back was so incredibly erotic.  She wished it would never stop, but all too soon he began to speed up, and soon they both climaxed, her sex quivering as it was filled with his cool seed.

                Griss shuddered as he reached his release, his cock throbbing and pulsing as it blasted his cum into his mate, and as he orgasmed he bit her a little harder on the back of her head, and he grunted in ecstasy as he came.  He waited for awhile; licking the back of her neck, before he finally dismounted.  Then he lay on his side, and she curled up next to him, his arms wrapped around her body, her leg thrown over his, and held her as they both drifted off into contented slumber.

                "You sure about this?  Robert asked, if he catches you ain't nothin I can do."

                "That's the trick, he'd have to catch us first, Kix replied, and we're fast and hard to hold onto.  Plus we bite and scratch.  But Griswold thinks we can get in, and out, without him ever even knowing we were there."  I hope, she thought.

                Griss had thought it out carefully, and decided they'd go during the day.  At least so long as Melchet wasn't there.  He knew the man had two clerks, and anytime he left one almost always went with him, and the other would stay on the first floor to mind the shop.  What they wanted was upstairs, in Melchet's private chambers.  As long as they were careful and quiet things should go smoothly.  And the best way to get in was solved too.

                Griss banged on the iron grate several times with a loose bar that was lying nearby, and then he and Kix waited.  It was slightly warmer in the sewer, which wasn't saying much, but they were well dressed.  After some time had passed they scented something approaching from down one of the sewer tunnels, and soon a voice asked,

                "'ere now, whose that?"

                "Hello Toby", Kix hissed."

                "Oh, it's the kobolds! The ratkin said, how have you two been getting along?"

                The ratkin entered the intersection, and stood up in the larger area.  Except for a vest and his tool harness s he was naked, he didn't need any boots as his padded and clawed feet were even better, much like the kobolds.  Having long toes ending in sharp claws was hard on footwear anyway, though Kix and Griss did have their lower legs and ankles warmly wrapped due to the cold, but left their claws free.  His thick fur also made heavier clothing unnecessary, one advantage a ratkin had over humans, and reptiles.

                "Toby, Kix said, do you know a place called the 'Grand Emporium'?"

                "Oh, yeah, it was old man Trenton's place, but some new guy owns it now."

                "Melchet", Kix said.

                "Yeah, that's the bloke, Toby said.  Bit of a poser, ain't he?"

                "Can you get us into his basement?"  Kix asked.

                "Sure, not a problem, Toby said, but it's warded.  Old man Trent used to let us do odd jobs for him, but that Melchet git put a ward on the drainage grate.  Says he doesn't want 'vermin' in his place for any reason, the jerk."

                "Well, Kix said, all we need if for you to get us there.  We'll do the rest."

                "Sure, no problem, Toby replied, but it's a fair ways.  How long do you need?"

                "Well, we may have to hang around for a day or two; Melchet can't be there when we break in."

                "Hmm, a bit dicey that, but I can show you a good place to wait, and it's fairly warm.  When you get back out you can call me again.  How's that sound?"

                "Great, Kix said, lead the way."

                "Right, come on then."  Toby said, and dropped to all fours and took off down a fairly narrow tunnel, closely followed by the two kobolds.

                Griss was thankful he could go on all fours as easily as upright, otherwise there was no way he could have kept up.  The strain on ahumans back and knees would have been agonizing after awhile, but they had no trouble.

                After awhile they excited the tunnel, and entered a much larger one.  There was a slow flowing sluggish; rather aromatic, stream of water flowing down the center, but the edges had raised walkways.  Griss examined the vaulted ceiling and channel, all made from large hewn blocks of native granite.  So far most of the tunnels had been brick or concrete.

                "What's this place?", Kix asked.

                "It's the main drainage tunnel, Toby replied, been here forever, no one really knows who built it, some say it was mountain trolls thousands of years ago.  It will save us a lot of time."

                Soon they came to a large intersection of several other large tunnels; and numerous small ones, that emptied onto a large pool.  There was an old stone walkway over the pool, and they stayed well away from the edges.  Griss had no doubts it would NOT be a good thing to fall into that pool.  As they entered another tunnel he was surprised to see actual torches at fairly regular intervals, and hissed a question at Kix.

                "Why are there torches?"  She asked Toby.

                "It's the start of the warrens, were the ratkin live, Toby replied.  We can see OK in the dark, but it's nice to have the light and warmth, and it helps keep away certain...things."

                Soon they began encountering other ratkin, and Toby had to explain to his curious kin who the two strange reptiles were.  And as they passed small rooms off to the sides of the tunnel Griss and Kix caught glimpses of untidy piles of bedding, and once a female rat who was nursing several young.

                "You live down here?"  Kix asked.

                "Oh yeah, Toby replied, no place else for us, but it ain't too bad.  During the spring thaws we have to clear out for awhile though, move into some abandoned buildings, as the water level can flood even these tunnels, gives them a nice washing though, it does."

                Kix hissed and chirped at Griss in kobold, "That's horrible, intelligent races shouldn't have to live in sewers, even if they are part rat!"

                Griss was a little appalled too, frankly he'd never given a second thought to were the ratkin lived, or kobold's, for that matter.  Despite the tunnels being dry right now the ever pervasive smell of sewage filled the air, and while you might be able to get used to it that still didn't make it right.  And the ratkin had been friendly and helpful, first helping them to escape from the Duke's manor, and now helping them find their way through the labyrinth of tunnels under the city.  He actually felt kind of guilty about eating their little cousins.

                Eventually they came to the spot Toby had told them about, and he showed them the entrance to Melchet's basement.  The drains grate would be too small for a full grown human, but for a ratkin or kobold it was plenty big enough.  Then he showed them the way into a basement across the road from the Emporium, and it was fairly warm, and better yet there was a small window where they could keep an eye on the comings and goings across the street.  Toby showed them to summon a ratkin, and left them on their own.

                They settled down to wait, piling up a few crates to make it easier to reach the level of the window, and got as comfortable as possible.  It was already late in the day, so when night came they went on a rat hunt, and their bellies full curled up in a pile of clothes and went to sleep.

                The next day they took turns watching while the other got some more rest and tried to stay warm, and then got the break they'd been waiting for.  Around noon Kix gave Griss a shake, and said,

                "I think he's leaving!"

                Griss watched as the tall solemn looking man left the shop accompanied by another much less well dressed younger man.

                "That's him, he hissed, and the other is his senior clerk, but I think he's more then just a clerk.  Come on, we don't know how long he'll be gone!"

                Gently and carefully Griss lifted the grate, and slid it to one side.  No shocks, no alarms, no glowing barrier, so far, so good.  He and Kix had shed all their clothes, and; shivering, had let their body temperatures fall as low as they dared.  It would make them a little sluggish, but once inside they'd warm up again.  As he had hoped, their cold bodies had not triggered the vermin wards.  And once inside they wouldn't have to worry about those on the doors or windows.

                Quickly they made their way through the basement, creeping on their bellies to lower their profiles and make it harder for anything to see them, but from the smell there were no hounds or other living sentries.  Opening the basement door Kix stuck her head out and took a quick sniff and look around, but the coast was clear.  They scampered down the hall and up the stairs to the second story, and once there they shut the door quietly and took a look around.

                The upper story had several rooms, but the only one Griss had seen was Melchet's study and library.  So he figured what he was looking for was probably there.  So they decided he would search the study, and Kix would poke around the rest of the rooms and let him know if she found anything of interest.

                Griss quickly found a well hidden vault, securely locked, and there was no way he could gain access.  If what he was looking for was in there he was out of luck.  It was quite a large vault, and most likely contained lots of more valuable books.  He was impressed with the library; it contained many rare and very valuable books, including quite a few on magic and related subjects.  He was surprised at how extensive the magical tomes were, and realized Melchet was a much more accomplished sorcerer or wizard then he'd originally thought.  If the man was able to use half of these spellbooks competently, then he was no poser or wannabe.  Plus the spell of transformation he's used had been a high level one.  Griss finally managed to tear his attention away from the books, and went over to search the large imposing desk next.  It was covered with letters and other documents, and hopping up on top he began to leaf through them.

                Kix took a quick look in a storage closet, a small bedroom with two beds, and then came to a much larger and better appointed bedroom.  It had its own stove which was lit making the room nice and warm, a huge four poster bed with curtains, and assorted other furniture.  Seeing a large chest of drawers she began to carefully rifle through the drawers.  Not finding anything other then clothes she eyed what looked like a small box of some kind on top, probably a jewelry chest of something.  It was out of reach, so she had to leap up and grab it, and it was heavier then she expected, and she lost her grip and it fell to the floor with a dull thud.  The thick carpet deadened the sound, but she froze and listened carefully.  After a few minutes she breathed a hiss of relief, and picking up the box she carried it over to the huge bed, and hopped up on top and made herself comfortable, and begin to examine the box.

                Now, this was interesting, Griswold thought as he read a letter to a caravan master inquiring as to the cost for passage for two to the Southern lands in the spring.  It looked like Melchet had some idea as to the possible location of Cuthbert's house, and was planning a little trip of his own.  And the letter of reply from the caravan master confirmed it.  It looked like they'd have some competition.  The rest of what he'd found so far where just the routine correspondences and records concerning the running of a business, but there was one interesting letter from someone named Alric that referred to Melchet as 'Grand Master', and said he had acquired all the components for the spell that were needed, but didn't list those components, so Griss didn't know what to make of it.  It was definitely odd though.  And why had this Alric person referred to Melchet as a 'Grand Master'?  There was only one Grand Master in the Guild, and Melchet certainly wasn't him.

                Finally Kix got the box open; having figured out the clever hidden latch; and her eyes brightened as she saw the jewelry inside.  Like all kobolds she liked bright shiny things, and the gold, gems, and baubles were mesmerizing.  With a soft hiss she began to dig through the pretty, shiny, objects.

                The clerk gave a yawn; it had been a slow boring day so far, only one customer as of noon.  As the wall clock softly chimed he realized it was time to go tend and stoke up the fire in his employers bedroom, and woe to the clerk who forgot to do that.  His boss was not a forgiving man.  With another yawn he got up, and went down the hall and up the stairs to the second floor.

                Kix was so intent on examining and playing with her shiny new toys that she didn't hear the man come up the stairs or down the hall.  She'd left the door to the bedroom open so she could hopefully hear anyone approaching, but he was wearing heavy indoor felt boots, and her preoccupation with the lovely jewelry caused her to let her guard down.

                The Clerk paused as he saw the open door to the main bedchamber, and then froze in shock at the sight of the strange creature sitting on the bed, its back to him as it obviously examined something, long tail hanging over the edge of the bed.  What the Hell, he thought?  What WAS that thing, and how had it gotten in here!?!  He had brought the poker from the main fireplace on the first floor, and raising it he began to sneak down the hall towards the figure on the bed.  Whatever it was, it wasn't supposed to be here.

                Griss paused as he heard a slight creak, and looking up saw the bottom of the door darken momentarily as something crossed in front of it.  Kix?  He wondered, and hopping off the desk he ran over to the door and sniffed under the bottom.  No, a human!  Very slowly he eased the door open, and stuck his head out, and saw the man he'd smelled.  He was just entering another room, and as he moved Griss suddenly saw Kix sitting on top of a bed, her back to the door, and as the man raised one of his arms slowly Griss saw the heavy metal poker he was holding.

                Just a little closer, the clerk thought, raising the poker.  He didn't know what this thing was, but he'd bash its brains out just to be sure.  It looked like an animal of some kind, a reptile.  Then he froze as he heard an ear-splitting shriek, and just as he started to turn a small body slammed into him, he felt fangs sink into his neck, there was a sudden intense burning agony, and then everything went black.

                Without even thinking Griss screeched to warn his mate, and attacked the man with a ferociousness that shocked him.  He charged down the hallway, arms held wide with claws splayed, giving a loud roaring hiss, and as the man turned he sprang at him, the powerful leap propelling him onto the mans chest, and instinctively his fangs sought, and found, the man's throat; the only part of him not protected by his thick clothing.  As he latched onto the man's neck; he felt something spring into place from the roof of his upper jaw, and he bit down hard.  Then he worried the man's neck, hissing loudly, digging his fangs deep into the soft flesh.  The man staggered for a few steps, made a horrible gurgling noise, and as he fell over Griss leaped free, landing on all fours facing the man, hissing louldly, tail whipping, ready to renew his attack, but it wasn't necessary.

                Kix reacted instantly as she heard her mate's loud shrill attack roar, and spinning watched in shock as he attacked the much larger human in a flurry of slashing claws and flashing fangs; part of her thrilled by the sight of his fury as he defended her.  But she also felt her heart skip a beat as he opened his jaws wide, and then bit down on the man's exposed neck.  Oh, dear Gods no, she thought, he doesn't know how to control himself!

                Fairly quickly Griss's battle rage begin to fade now that his opponent was obviously incapacitated, and it didn't hurt that Kix was now rubbing her snout against his, hissing admiringly.  Oh my, he thought, did I do that??  He walked over to the still form, and bending over examined him, then reeled back in shock.  He was dead!  He could tell from the man's scent, and his lack of a heartbeat.  Good Gods, he thought, I didn't bite or claw him THAT badly!  Had he died of fright at the sudden attack?  Appalled, he looked at Kix, and said,

                "Kix, I...I, oh Gods, I think I've killed him!  But I didn't mean...didn't want...oh Gods!"

                Kix rubbed her snout against her mates, her own feeling mixed.  She was sorry the human was dead; killing any sentient being was horrible, but he HAD been threatening her, and part of her was so...proud of her fine strong mate.  She took his snout between her hands, and said,

                "It's not your fault; you didn't mean to kill him.  I should have thought about the possibility of something like this happening sooner, and helped teach you to control your instincts.  It's just as much my fault."

                "But...but, HOW??"  Griss hissed in confusion.

                "Look at his neck where you bit him."  Kix said.

                Griss rolled the man over, and started in horror at the sight of his bulging eyes, his face swollen horribly with his tongue sticking out of his mouth.  His neck was swollen as well, and inside the outline of his fangs bite marks he could see two larger puncture wounds.  "W-What...?"  He started to ask.

                "Poison, Kix hissed, you used your poison fangs on him."

                "I...poison?"  Griss mumbled, and realized she was right.  Now that he had calmed down some more he thought about it, and he remembered the feel of his fangs snapping into place as he bit, then folding back up into his jaw afterwards.  He ran his tongue over the inside of his upper jaw, and could feel the two slits the fangs had retraced into.  He'd been aware of the slits, but had had no idea what they concealed, until now.

                "You...you mean, kobolds are poisonous??"  He hissed in surprised shock.

                "Yes, Kix said, well, just the males, the females aren't."

                "But...but, I didn't know!  I didn't mean to kill him!"  Griss hissed in anguish.

                "We don't advertize that fact, Kix said, it gives our males an advantage if an enemy doesn't know about that ability, but we only use it as a last resort as there is no antidote.  We're immune, but nothing else is.  And we use the poison on our arrows and other weapons.  It's ...deadly."

                "But...but he, he just fell over, just like that!"  Griss hissed, staring at the still body.

                "It acts fast, Kix said, and there's no antidote.  And you bit him in the neck, the most vulnerable spot.  He was dead before he hit the floor, and the poor man didn't suffer much.  If you'd bitten his arm or leg it would have been much worse, it could have taken him several minutes to die."

                "I...I, God's forgive me, Griss hissed in anguish, I didn't KNOW!"

                "Look, Kix said nervously, we'd better leave.  What's happened has happened, but we can't be found here.  We need to go; Melchet could be back any minute. "

                Griss; despite still being shocked by what had happened, realized she was right, and nodded.  As they left Kix gathered up the box of jewelry, since there was no hiding the fact there had been a break in she figured they might as well take it which would make it seem more like a normal robbery then anything else.  And as they reached the first floor she cleaned out the cash box as well, Griss was still too dazed to think about anything like that.   Then they slipped back into the sewers, and she slid the grate back into place leaving no trace.

                Melchet examined the dead clerk's body with apparent detachment, though inside he was fuming.  While he'd certainly felt no love for the man, he HAD been a competent enough clerk, and had been in Melchet's employee ever since he had come to this backwater of a city.  But he was confused; obviously the shop had been invaded and robbed by a most dangerous entity, but what had it been?  He took a closer look at the bite mark on the man's neck; the only visible wound, and knew it was not the cause of the death, but the two larger/deeper fang marks obviously were.  He knew the effects of poison when he saw them, an extremely potent and deadly poison.  Had the thief bitten the clerk, or had he had an animal of some kind along?  A large snake, perhaps?  The bite mark pattern was consistent with that of a reptile, and many snakes were quite poisonous.

                The first thing he'd done upon finding the dead man was to check his vault and library, and to his relief the vault had not been breached, and his personal papers seemed to be intact though he did think they'd been rifled a bit.  It would appear that only his jewelry box had been taken, and his assistant confirmed the cashbox had been emptied as well.  So, a common thief after riches.  A more knowledgeable one would have taken some of his more valuable books and other tomes.  But what kind of thief carried around a deadly serpent?  No, there was more to his then met the eye.  Well, one thing for sure, he could not let this go without a response.  So he dispatched his assistant to the office of the City Watch to offer a reward of 1,500 Gold to anyone who provided any information leading to the apprehension of the thief, dead or alive.  He would make some other inquires along less 'official' channels himself.

                Griss sat huddled in a corner while they waited for Toby or another ratkin to show up, and thought about what he had done.  He was appalled; he'd never harmed another person in his life!  And now he'd killed, in a horrible way, like an animal would.  It struck home to him just how inhuman he was now in a way he hadn't felt before.  He was a beast, a poisonous reptile, his very bite deadly.  And what if he did it again, what if he killed anytime he was threatened??  But he also realized just how much he loved Kix; when he had seen the man threatening her with the club his only concern had been for her, without her he didn't know what he would have done, he'd been terrified by the very thought something might happen to her.  She'd kept him sane; he had no doubt if not for her he'd be nothing more than an animal in a cage by now.  He gave a sad hiss; he'd never be the same again, even if he was returned to human form.

                Kix finished banging on the pipe Toby had shown them, and then returned to Griss's side to wait for a response.  She heard a distant banging on the pipe a short time later, and knew the message had been received, and acknowledged, but it would take the ratkin some time to reach them.  She slipped into the nest they'd made from some old rugs and blankets they'd round in the cellar, and slipped her arms around him.  He gave a soft hiss and rubbed his snout against hers, and she rested her own snout on his shoulder.

                "I'm sorry about the man."  Kix said.

                Griss rubbed his snout over the top of hers, and replied, "He was going to hurt you, and I couldn't let that happen.  You're all I have now, the only thing that matters.  I'm sorry too, but I'd do it again.  I'll never let anything bad happen to you."  And Kix held him close while he grieved.

                Griss had fallen asleep in Kix's arms by the time Toby arrived, and she had to give him a gentle shake to wake him up.  She was relieved to see the rest had evidently done him some good, his eyes bright again.  They couldn't really cry, their tear glands only worked for lubricating their eyelids and membranes, but when a kobold was sad or in distress its eyes became dull and listless.  She gave a brief description of what had happened, and the ratkin gave a whistle of concern.

                "Oi, that's bad, that is, Toby said.  Kill a human, and the whole pack gets mad at you.  Oh, don't get me wrong, I'd have done the same if some bloke was to threaten one of my mates, I would.  But you need to keep a low profile, go to ground for a bit.  Most likely they'll think it was another human though, I doubt big lizards will be on the suspect list, but still, best to be safe."

                "Yes, I agree, Kix said, we'd pretty much decided to do that."

                "You got a place to hole up?  Toby asked, I know a few decent hiding places."

                "Thank you, but we have a place."  Kix replied, then cocked her head and listened as Griss hissed and clacked at her.  "Um, we'd like to stop at one other place first, Griss wants to do something."

                Toby squeaked, and said, "Well, that's a bid odd, but it's on the way.  Come on, let's get a move on then."

                Griss scampered across the street to the front doors of the large imposing building on the other side.  He'd checked carefully, but hadn't seen, or smelled, anyone.  This time of night only the most hardy and foolish would be out and about anyway, but it was always best to be as cautious as possible.  He crouched in the darker shadows of the archway and checked again, but there was no sign he'd been seen.  Now the tricky part, the temple was never closed, the doors did not even have locks, but there might be a late night worshiper or two in the sanctuary, or even a priest or priestess tidying up.  But he had to do this, so he opened the door just enough, and slipped inside.  If he was seen he hoped his thick clothing would conceal his form, that he would be mistaken for a child.  He moved from pillar to pillar, stopping only to put a silver coin in the offerings box, and take a small candle from the box next to it.

Then he worked his way to an alcove where rows of votive candles were burning in rows on shallow niches carved in the stone.  Lighting the candle he added it to those already burning, and prayed to the patron of lost travelers; who also led the newly dead into the afterlife, hoping his prayer for the soul of the man he'd killed would be heard.  Whether or not the plea of a reptile would even be noticed he had no idea, but he had to try.  He wasn't particularly religious, but it felt like the right thing to do, and it made him feel a little better.  As he left; as silently as he'd come, he dropped another coin in the box.

                                                                                The End