Kryll sighed, and half-heartedly whacked the leg with the wrench. It spasmed a bit. How was he going to make a whole strider? He didn't even remember how he had made the leg, and had only succeeded in breaking an arm last time he had tried to force it to work. It had only recently healed, so he was in no mood to try that experiment again. He didn't even know what some of the tubes did. He THOUGHT the green one was to take steam in, and the red one was to take it out, but...what on earth was the polka-dotted purple one for?

He glared out from the crate he was holed up in, discarded in an alley beside a tavern, as a massive storm wracked Thelsamar. It wasn't that late in the evening but the billowing clouds and driving rain made it dark as midnight, and hollowing winds made the torches guttered in their wall mounts, making shadows dance across the street as if performing in some macarbe play. Or baking. That one looked like bread, and he thought there was a cake-shadow near the end of the street.

He sighed a little and settled deeper into the nest of packs and machinery he had made in the crate.

Vedin sighed while half-heartedly attempting to choke down the rancid meat in front of him. I should have gotten the stew, he thought, but I thought I saw an eye in there! After giving up on his meal he leaned his head down and deposited the half-chewed meat back onto the plate in a leaking sphere. He looked up and noted that the two patrons on the other end of the table were staring at him in disgust. Annoyed, he yelled out in his mind, Oh come now you two have been scratching your hindquarters since I walked in the door! He got up and went to the corner of the room for some quiet. He laid his head on the table without actually sleeping because he knew what the result of that would be given his present company. Oh . . . what was it? Another four days he will have to sit in this rotten place? No, wait, it was four days until his target came and then another two days before he'll be carted off by his family's people. Damn.

Through the thin wooden walling of the tavern he heard a metallic clanging outside. He tried to ignore it but for a moment thought of what it could be. Oh it could be anything . . . an invasion, some gang attacking a poor fellow, or a gang attacking another gang! Perhaps it was even someone striking steel to set fire to the tavern! After a few minutes he could bear it no longer and stepped out of the tavern with his cloak held over him and walked into the alley. The alleyway was dimly lit and he was hard pressed to see. He spotted oddly shaped objects littered on the ground. He moved the heavy crate to the side with great effort and sat down to examine the objects of his curiosity.

Ah! This was it! Greatness was to come all unbidden! Now he would astound the world! Now he would show them! Show them all! And maybe he would even figure out who this "Them" was!

He felt the world move around him, and waited for the sizzling snapping that came as an idea grabbed his forebrain, brutally savaged it and took the helm for itself.

Nothing happened. He blinked a bit. Nothing continued to happen. He glanced around. No scribblings on the walls. It still seemed to be night. Judging by the weather, it was the same night. What kind of flash of inspiration is this anyway!?

He stuck his head out of the crate. Feeling very put out. Oh. The world really had moved. Odd that his crate hadn't moved with it, but as the great goblin philosopher Ragnar Kystap wrote in his best-selling book Peaceful Thoughts to Bring a Little Peace(very reasonably priced at only 32 coppers) "Shit happens."

Glancing about he spotted a human nearby. Well that was unusual. He had thought they were diurnal. Oh well. It would be un-goblinly of him to let this go by.

"Hello." he said. "Name's Kryll. Modern-day Marvels for a price that reflects the risk involved! I've got gadgets and gizmos galore. What's your pleasure? Exploding cats? I've got a very good deal on all models of exploding cat right now. Guarantee'd to surprise your friends and neighbors or give a nasty shock to your enemies!"

A somewhat lopsided smile spread over his face as he looked at the rube customer.

After a few moments of looking over the items he was thoroughly stumped. There were a number of things here that looked like they were made to do nothing at all. A circular tube that feeds itself? There were also a number of objects that appeared to be massively deformed animals on the other side of the crate. They looked like . . . kittens? He grabbed what looked like a giant metal animal leg that was bent backwards. He tried to stand it up but from the angle it was at it fell backwards. He attempted to repair this and bend it into a correct direction. It appeared to be a relatively cheap material but he did not want to destroy it so he searched down the body of it. He found what appeared to be a joint hidden by other parts. After removing a few parts of the 'leg' he was able to use the joint to bend it.

It was about the moment when he had just about bent it in the opposite direction when the green imp came out of the box. They stared at each other for a moment. Then the little creature began speaking in a high pitch that stung Vedin's ears. All he could register was "HELLO". Once the creature stopped Vedin took the time to respond, "You're the shortest orc I've ever seen!"

...Orc?
Now wait, what was this all about part of him thought for the whole half a moment before his mercantile instincts kicked back in.

"'Course I am." he grinned with a wink. "And I bet I have the sweetest deal you've ever seen too. So come on now, what takes your fancy? I'e got fandanglers and whozits! I've got gadgets and gizmos. I've got whubblers and wharblers and fangdanglers and whatacmacall'ems. Come on lad, what's your pleasure? And if I don't have it, then I'll make one for you!"

Well, he could plainly see that this was no small orc. It's teeth were all wrong! Were he an orc he would obviously have antlers and be purple. At least that's what was that was what the big, brutish green man had told him when he was in that cage. He also had said that a true orc had put him in that cage and would eat him if he wasn't let out. What a fool he had felt for thinking at first that the gruff creature in the cage was an orc. How foolish he felt once more for assuming that this imp was a This was clearly a goblin. Yet he was perplexed by how this goblin fellow had confirmed that he was an orc. After all orcs were dangerous and this would surely know that saying such a thing might invoke hostility.

He couldn't help but thinking that this little devil talked an awful lot. He seemed to be trying to offer him something. However he knew nothing of the items he spoke of. Whubblers and wharblers and fangdanglers? Perhaps if he thought of them backwards . . . Srelbbuwhs. No, that wouldn't work at all.

"Come on lad, what's you pleasure? And if I don't have it, then I'll make one for you!"

Vedin mentally slapped himself. The various items of different materials? The strange terms? He was obviously insane! Or an inventor. Maybe a little of both. Well, he decided to find out what this weasel could offer him.

"Can I see your 'wares'?" Vedin inquired.

With a grin the goblin gabbily gathered a gang of garrulous gadgets, gizmos and guzunders. Placing them down upon a blanket, he busily grabbed a few small explosives, knives, sharpeners, a bulky noise-recorder that could almost play back what it heard, a block of cheese, a few vials filled with an assortment of poisons, lubricants, acids and essence of foot. Assorted toys, and gizmos, that thing that turned, almost regardless of the weight placed upon it. Two cats, one just stuffed, the other walking, also exploding if the button on it's forehead was pushed... Items spilled onto the blanket, all a jumble until finally Kryll stopped, at last satisfied there must be something there the elf would want.

Sitting on an empty pack he grinned hugely at the elf.
"Look, ask, and buy." he grinned.

As the little green monster quickly placed numerous objects on the blanket Vedin was quite interested. Knives . . . he had enough of those . . . sharpeners too. Explosives are always good. There wereizmos and gadgets galore. A block of cheese . . . what? This goblin would be rich if he didn't waste all of his funds on this junk, he thought. Though, he definitely knew that much of this wasn't junk. He could tell by how unlike most of what he had seen in this town these wares were not made up of worn stone or cheap wood. In fact it appeared that the goblin was completely devoted to these . . . things, for lack of a better word. Nothing else he thought could describe these contraptions, things. They were nothing in particular; some things appearing to do nothing and others he knew would do much. Maybe that which looked like it would do nothing would do the most.

However it was when he spotted a few vials that he knew to be poisons when his mind was released from its captivation. These items must be highly illegal! That explains why he would put this much money into it. What is he, a smuggler? However what he was even more fearing of is how the little devil seemed to know what he was. Poisons, knives ( and not for preparing food! ), explosives, and all other sorts of things? There was only one thing these were fit for, an assassin. Or perhaps someone who has been trapped in a failing marriage for the past three dozen years. He definitely believed the former was more likely.

Oh, does this situation really need to end in death? He wasn't particularly in the mood for it. Perhaps it was avoidable. It wasn't that he didn't like to do so, he was rather neutral on the subject at the moment. It would simply be such a bother. Perhaps he could . . . yes! That's it . . . this goblin would either go away happy or be arrested. Either way, Vedin was in the clear.
So he offered payment to the goblin, "I have little in the way of currency at the moment, but might I be able to offer you and alternative? I believe I have one. I think it would be worthwhile for one such as yourself.

Kryll's large ears quivered, quickly expressing happiness, trepidation, excitement and a bit of worry before he hastily stilled them. Rookie mistake. Never show your emotions, other than eagerness to sell. Were elves familiar with goblin body language? He hoped not.

"Hmm? No money? Barter? Let's see whats you've got! But no blank trades mind you! Need to know what you wants before we close a deal y'know." He all but chirped, and grinned hugely, showing slightly pointed teeth. Blunt by goblin standards, but the elves generally found them a wee bit unsettling.

In a flash the whole blanket was wrapped into a neat bundle and placed back onto his collection of packs.

"Lead on, lead on!" he chirruped.