Sword & Thistle: A Cozy Fantasy Adventure (Tales of Aedrea) by S.L. Rowland

Author:S.L. Rowland [Rowland, S.L.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Aethervale Publishing
Published: 2023-09-29T16:00:00+00:00

18. PRECAUTIONS

Dobbin swayed back and forth several feet off the ground. Thunder rumbled in his ears as blood rushed to his head, pulsing in the gash on the back of his skull. He took deep, heavy breaths, fighting against the darkness creeping in at the edge of his vision. His cloak hung upside-down, its many pockets rattling as the items shifted within.

Snort had returned, and she squealed with worry underneath.

A trap had been the last thing he expected to find on the outskirts of the ruins. The daylight was nearly gone, and if he didn’t free himself soon, it would be a very long night.

Dobbin whistled and Shadowmane was by his side in an instant. The horse’s head nuzzled against the adventurer’s shoulder.

“Good boy.” Dobbin patted Shadow on the neck and then reached for the saddle.

He grabbed the horn of the saddle with one hand and managed to remove Brightblade with the other. Its slender blade would be much easier to wield upside-down than the heavy great sword.

Dobbin cut at the rope but it refused to give, so he took a deep breath and swung the sword hard against the rope. Tension immediately released from his leg, and he plummeted to the ground with a thud. Thanks to his grip on the saddle, his feet took the brunt of the impact.

The gash on the back of his head throbbed as blood rushed back to his extremities. The bleeding had stopped, but it was still a pretty nasty cut. There were a few health potions stuffed in his satchel, so he downed one and waited as the wound stitched itself shut. The potion was disgusting, somehow sweet and bitter at the same time, but it did the job. Dobbin never left for a quest without a few bottles. They’d saved his ass more times than he could count when there wasn’t a cleric around.

Once the pounding in his head faded, he returned to inspect the trap. The rope that had caught his foot was made of several small vines braided together. They had dried out and hardened over time, which explained why the sword had trouble cutting through. The tree root had been hollowed out underneath, with the rope attached to a counterweight that activated when enough pressure was applied. By the looks of it, it was kobold or goblin made. The bastards were ingenious at finding ways to capture their targets without having to fight head-on.

Dobbin looked over his shoulder, wondering if the trap was a remnant of the past or if the creatures might be lurking in the shadows even now.

Either way, Dobbin wanted to get moving. He picked up Snort and sat her across his lap as they continued into the valley. “You could have warned me, you know?”

Snort grunted and nestled against his stomach.

At the edge of the valley, Dobbin found a clearing to make camp. He wanted to travel further, but there was little time to get his protections in place for the night.

After unloading his satchel, Dobbin found Kipper’s essence ward.

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