Here are a couple of Omakes that I did for another quest but it fits just as well here.
Deal of the century
My mother raised no fool, back when I was first starting out in this business she told me "Son to make it big in this world your gonna need 3 things. You gotta be smart, cunning and above all else you have to be willing to make the tough decisions for the good of the company." Well I took those words to heart and from my tiny cart selling various trinkets at twice the cost it was for me to make them I built up my enterprise into a full fledged mobile store on a zeppelin I got cheap off of a rather drunk pirate. Anywhere and anywhen I was the guy you went to for all your trading needs.
You want a couple dozen shredders by the end of the week? I'd have them in 5 days fresh off the production line and ready to go. Want them delivered to your door at the top of a mountain in the middle of a storm? I'd do it but that will cost you extra pal.
So yeah, for me life was on the up and business was blooming. I had deals with half a dozen blacksmiths and mining companies alone with a horde of favors owed for...some of my more discreet business deals. In no time I would've saved up enough gold to purchase a few more zeppelins and begin truly expanding my company.
At least that was how it'd looked until the stinking scourge came to town and started killing some of my best customers and suppliers. Now i'd be able to stomach that if they had been willing to still buy from me like the horde but after almost getting shot down when I tried to make them an offer for some weapons at a reasonable price it became pretty obvious that they didn't know how this is supposed to be done. Which had the rather nasty side effect of turning a potentially profitable war into an economic recession for us enterprising business men.
That's when I started looking into things in more detail and things began to dawn upon me. If the scourge actually won this they'd kill my entire customer base and after that......
I knew I had to do something, even if it didn't stop them I could at least do something that delayed them for a while. Something that hurt them enough that maybe, just maybe it will buy someone enough time to do something to solve this problem. So I did what I had to do.....what no sane goblin would ever do under normal circumstances .....I slashed my prices.
"Are you sure about this boss?" my first mate Spark asked me one night in my cabin. I had just announced my intentions to the rest of the crew and while there was much grumbling Spark was the first one to actually work up the courage to ask "It's just the boys think that this ain't good for the company, we'd be throwing away almost all of what we've built."
They were good kids, some of the most loyal goblins a captain could have. But like most they were short sighted, they couldn't see the bigger picture "We have no choice, if the scourge actually manages to beat all the humans do you honestly thing they'll stop with just that? No they'd go after the next group maybe to dwarves or the gnome or maybe" I paused a moment to pour myself a cup of brandy from a bottle i'd been saving, it was supposed to be had when I bought my next store but I didn't want to see it go to waste with what I had planned "Maybe they'll go after us. Move South slaughtering everything in their way until there is nothing but undead on this entire continent...and then"
I let the answer hang in the air but it looked like Spark understood what I was implying. It was only a matter of time before the Scourge's eyes fell upon targets outside of the continent. They'd strike at the island states that many goblins called their home under their respective trade princes, I didn't delude myself to think that the Trade Princes could do much of anything about it if that happened, they were too focused on short term profits and their petty squabbles.
They wouldn't stand a chance.
The dawning horror of realization crept into Spark's features as his "B-but boss what can w-we do about it? We're just traders, even if we manage to outfit this thing with the best guns imaginable it's still just a trade zeppelin."
"Spark the answer to that is simple" I said downing my cup "We do what we do best, anytime and anywhere the Bright Wing traders are there for all your commercial needs." As I spoke I remembered my mothers words and understood what she truly meant at that time, the hard choice for the company more specifically the people within it not just how much money you made "So empty our accounts and call in every favor we got. There are people out there who are in need of our services now more than ever and we're having a special deal on weapon, armor and explosives. For a limited time only we'll even deliver free of charge."
"It'll be the deal of the century boss." Spark said with new determination in his eyes.
A friend's promise
Time passes and the world changes, it was something that I learnt long ago living in the woods with my mother and father as we survived off what we could hunt or forage from the forest. But Lately it seemed like things have been changing for the worse. There have been fewer and fewer animals around and those that we did manage to catch were sickly and thin. Even the plants themselves seemed sick with their once bright green leaves fading to a sickly brown.
Mom and Dad were arguing again, they've been doing that a lot lately. Mom thinks that it's not safe here anymore and wants us to go stay with her brother who lives in some village not too far from Stratholme...I think she called it Hearthglen. Dad doesn't like the idea though he thinks it would be more dangerous, something about the place being a big target for a monster or something.
Honestly I couldn't really understand it so I decided to sneak out and visit a friend of mine who lived in the woods. I met him last spring he had been hurt by a particularly vicious bear and his leg was covered in cuts. He looked kinda scary and even though dad had always told me to stay away from people like him my curiosity had gotten the better of me and I tried to talk to him instead which lead to me helping him get some herbs to treat his wounds. After that one thing sort of lead to another and I found myself visiting him often in the cave that he had made his home not too far from my house.
With I smile on my lips I ran into the mouth of mouth of the cave and caught sight of my secret friend sitting at a camp fire cooking up what was most likely a bear or boar stew, he had taken a liking to that lately.
Looking up from his food he flashed me a toothy grin "Ahh little Mari, you just in time stew is ready" he said in that deep friendly voice of his.
"Thok Stonetooth I've told you before my name is Marigold not Mari and refuse to take any of your food, it's yours and you should eat it." I said imitating how mom always talked when she scolded me. Although the effect was somewhat lost by the fact that I was a ten year old Human girl while Thok was a fully grown Ogre.
There was a moment of tense silence where we stood across from each other with only the sound of the fire, which was soon broken my laughter. My high pitched giggles joined my Thok's deep laughs, it was obvious that we both saw the comedy of the scene.
"Haha sorry little Mari human names hard sometimes." He said between laughs pouring himself some soup as I took a seat next to him.
"Don't worry Thok your getting better, at least your not mistaking me for a boy anymore." we shared another laugh at that memory, I had lectured Thok pretty badly about that...."Say Thok....your my friend right?"
Thok stopped his eating to look at me "Thok Mari's friend as Mari Thok's friend." was all he said and was all the answer I needed.
"So if I were to go and live somewhere else would ....you be sad?"
"Thok be sad" he said pausing a moment before continuing "But if Mari safe and happy Thok is happy." a single tear ran down my cheek hidden by the firelight as he spoke those words, Thok was a good friend ...if we moved I would miss him.
"Thank you Thok, I feel the same." I said giving my Ogre friend a hug "I'd better be going though, Mom and Dad might notice if i'm gone for too long. Stay safe Thok."
"Stay safe, little Mari."
As I left I glanced back at him and could see the warmth in his eyes and with a happy smile I waved goodbye to him and began the walk back home my heart just a little bit lighter at my friends words filled it with joy.
A joy that was shattered by what I saw when I arrived. The front door had been torn from it's hinges and just inside I could see the broken bodies laying in a pool of their own blood, as much as I wanted to deny it I knew that they were the bodies of my parents and over them stood a monster. It was a beast of rotten flesh and bone, something that should not even be moving......and it had seen me.
Terror gripped me and I did the only thing I could think of, I ran as screams of fear forced their way out from between my lips. Through the woods as fast as my legs could carry me I ran caring not where as long as it was away from the monster that had slain my parents.
But in the back of my head I knew it was futile, the creature was right behind me and no matter how fast or long I ran it would always be right there ready to sink it's claws into my flesh. All it took for it to catch up was my foot slipping on a loose stone to send me crashing to the ground my eyes closed as I waited for the end to come.
.....but it never did, slowly I opened my eyes and him standing between me and the monster. In his hands held a massive club raised high to strike the monster. "DON'T!!" *Smash* "TOUCH!!" *Smash* "THOK'S!!"*Smash* "FRIEND!! *Smash* again and again he brought his weapon down upon the monster reducing it to naught but a stain on the forest floor.
I was stunned having moments ago been so close to death that I didn't notice him turn away from the destroyed monster and take me in a firm but surprisingly gentle hug that melted away my terror leaving only the sadness behind and the tears began to flow down my cheeks.
"Thok....mom..dad...they're" I tried to speak but it just hurt so much that I could only cry until I felt his kind hand on my head
"It be okay Mari, Thok is here. Thok keep Mari safe from bad things, help Mari find family." he said with that same warmth in his voice that he always had.
"Promise?"
"Thok Promise."
I do not know how long I cried that night and I only returned to the house once more to gather supplies and...bury my parents. The place had no more happy memories for me, not anymore at least. I would leave it behind and travel to Hearthglen with Thok.
My only fear is that I might have to leave Thok behind when we get there.
