All eyes turned to Grinless and company. The king, outraged at all the power that just slipped thru his hands, shrieked to his guards, "Get them! They ruined my future empire. Kill them!"

Guards moved in, weapons flashing.

Grinless glanced around, "Me no can fight alla dems. Ideas?"

But Krigga's constant liquid diet of the particularly runny chicken blood finally took its toll. His guts bubbled and boiled, Krigga moaning in pain and holding his tummy.

Grinless put ears to Krigga's abdomen, "You pregga, Krigga?"

But Fernfrick stepped forward, "Oh, I warned thee, friend Krigga. This will pain you, but it may aid us. Accept my apologies-" The elf took up the smaller goblin, wielding his bottom toward the oncoming guards.

Krigga groaned, "Oh nooooes!" as his bottom erupted with horrendous projectile diarrhea. Streams of hot brown waste shot out, knocking down some guards with the force of the blast. Others slipped in the puddles, falling on others. The king and chancellor tried calling for more guards but began retching loudly from the awful smell of rotten eggs buried in pig manure lined with rotting cabbage.

Goobdwib said, "Now's our chance, run!" and he charged a hole in the crowd, the others following.

More guards followed down the halls, but Fernfrick had the rearguard, still wielding poor Krigga's sick bottom, launching spurts of liquid stinky brown, guards sliding and vomiting on their trail.

Fernfrick made sure to occasionally pat Krigga's back, soothing, "There there, just let it all out. Good goblin. My that's odorous..."

Krigga was crying with pain, "Augh, the running and bouncing no helpee!"

And so, it was that Grinless and company saved the land from tyranny, and made good their escape (though it was easy to follow them, none dared for the stink), and they fled into other lands.

Grinless and company trekked all over the lands, largely away from the human capital, still expecting that king something-or-other's revenge. Krigga's bowels had calmed down a bit, and under Fernfrick's gentle care he was getting his full green color back. This entailed hearty veggie stews and fruit and nuts (and the occasional blood snuck in there).

While Goobdwib admitted he looked healthier, he admonished the elf's too tender ways, "Ye'll ruin him. He'll be a flower-prancing, sissy, pacifier in no time. Then he'll be useless to us. Er, more useless..."

Fernfrick gave the dwarf a cool eye—Krigga taking advantage by squeezing some vole's blood into his bowl—the elf said, "Pacifist, thou means? But what would you suggest, dwarf? Breaking bones? Wholesale slaughter? Are not these what led to his drinking problem?"

The dwarf opened his mouth, shut it, shook his head, and finally spoke, "Not really, I mean no! Nothing so drastic. Just good, vigorous exercise, get the blood—er, heart pumping. He can start by swinging a sword around, get used to it, then lessons later. Or, more practically, he can help by chopping wood. Exercise and practical, eh?"

Ferfrick reluctantly agreed.

Meanwhile Grinless had been enjoying relative peace and quiet a ways away. His thoughts kept turning towards home. He missed the place if not the people. Though he did miss the mischief of the little 'uns, the Trickster Festival, the familiar bog with its welcoming stench and rotting flora. Maybe he wouldn't mind settling down, not in the village, but somewhere nearby. He could make an appearance at the Festival, show those young ones a thing or two about playing tricks. He even wondered what his family was up to. Not that he wanted to spend time with them; he was just curious. He might want to bug them for snacks and things, but that's all.

Right on cue, the discordant duo, Fernfrick and Goobdwib were racing and pushing each other to be first to greet Grinless and give him breakfast.

Grinless sighed the sigh of the severely tried, and braced for stupidity and vexation.

Goobdwib hip-checked the elf, sending him flying, and bowed before Grinless, "Aye and good morn to ye, Master Grin."

Grinless muttered, "What good about it now?"

Goobdwib pretended not to hear as he presented breakfast, which Grinless began reluctantly eating without looking at him.

"So, I, uh-" he began but the elf leaped and slid kneeling just before Goobdwib gracefully, cutting him off.

"Master Grinny, what quest thou has in mind for this lovely day?"

Grinless' brows furrowed more, he turned away from both of them. Though this was quite ordinary he was quickly losing his appetite. He mumbled around his food, "Don't want no quests, no adventures. Just lebbe alone."

Goobdwib hurtled himself on top of the elf, crushing him flat, and made it into a position of abasement, "What was that master? What heroic deed shall we do?"

Grinless leaped up and threw down his food. "No! No more. No heroics, no quests, no save day. Me done. No more of this. Me go home!"