Finna's historie and other stories

[Finna]

Finna had been in Coldridge Valley for some time now. She had learned how to wield an axe properly and had learned some new tricks.

One day she was just walking around, minding her own business, when she heard someone calling her name.

“Finna! OI! Come ‘ere ya lass! Ah be needin’ yer ‘elp!”

Finna looked around and saw Ironthumb, the shortbearded dwarf, stand at the side of the square. When she was near him, he spoke. And he spoke fast. He always spoke fast. “Oi lass, ah need ye tae bring this tae me friend o’er thar”, on which he pointed behind him to somewhere in the distance, “jus’ follow tha road, iffin ye see ‘im standin’ in front o’is tent, ye be thar.”

Finna nodded and went on her way. She followed the road, untill she heard a yell and saw several people coming out of Anvilmar. They ran towards Finna and she became afraid a bit. But they ran past her, shouting at her to follow them, and something about someone being in danger.

She started running with them, axe ready.
There, at the bottom of the hill, was the strangest sight she’d ever saw, untill then.

It was not that there were several troggs fighting, but it was more the person they were fighting with. Small, bald, big ears… nothing like she’d ever seen before…

She woke up from her wonderings by the low, loud voice of Boomtongue, who shouted “C’mon lads!”, and then he saw Finna, “erm, an’ lasses! Fight them! Kill them! Save tha little wan! Kill a lot o’them an’ Ah’ll reward ya well!”

Finna felt the rage coming up and dove into the crowd of troggs. She hit them here, and slashed there, and killed a lot of the little monsters.
With all of them fighting, they took them down fairly easily.

Then, suddenly, the fight was over, and Boomtongue picked up the little creature, now lying unconsious in his arms, and carried it with him, inside Anvilmar, where he carefully lay it on the warm floor next to the big fireplace in the middle.

Durken, who trained first aid to the students, came rushing in with bandages, herbs and potions. He knelt down next to the little creature.

“Oi thar, littel wan”, Durken said, “Op’n yer eyes, me friend. Com’on, ye kin dae it!” Slowly, he poured a bit of a major healing potion into the mouth of the creature.

“Master, what is it?” Finna asked. They all looked at her strangely. “Well, itbe a major healin’ potion, lass…”
“Nae, master, Ah mean tha’ little man, lyin’ on tha floor!”, Finna said.
The first aid trainer laughed. “Och lass, ye be sayin’ ye never saw a gnome before?”
Finna looked surprised. “Ah suppose nae then master”, she replied. “Tha’ be a gnome? Bar Ah’ve never seen anywan other then us dwarven kin. Ah’ve heard o’them o’course!” She looked at the gnome curiously. He was so small!

The gnome slowly started to open his eyes.
Then, startled, his eyes opened wide, and he screamed. “HELP!”

“Nae, nae, little friend, dun ya worry, we saved ya from tha troggs.” Durken said.

The gnome then smiled, reassured, and fell into a deep sleep. Durken told then all to go outside and leave the gnome alone for a bit, to rest.

Finna suddenly remembered that she still had an assignment, looked at the gnome once more and started walking out.

Outside, she was called by Boomtongue, who had seen her fight the troggs and gave her a compliment and some copper coins as reward.

Finna followed the road untill she came to a tent. A dwarf stood by a fire on the ground.

As she gave him the mail, the dwarf nodded. “Aye lass, thankee fer yer bringin’me tha mail, bar ah’m afraid dis wan isnae fer me. Tis fer me mate thar, in tha camp at the end o’ tha road!”

“Ah”, Finna said, “Thankee. Then Ah’ll go thar.”, and started to walk away.