Fartmoodle: Chapter 6

How to Capture a Fartmoodle

Chapter 6: “But it’s half off!”

First Edit

by: Nellie Tobey

The Goblin market was nothing like the descriptions Steve found in the archives. The smell was not so glorious, and everything was clean and well kept.

Documents had been dated well over two centuries ago.  Steve imagined it was under new management by now. The Gremlins with him had turned back into their amphibious like forms, accept two nervous younglings at the back of the small troop. Even though the elder Gremlins had reassured the young ones over and over that there was no danger, they refused to change out of the sparrow, and into traditional form.

*** One Document was an explorer’s text given long ago by a group of Nymphs seeking the where-abouts of the portal to unknown lands far to the East. It was titled: “Never trade songs with a Goblin.” It was thought that shortly after they had found the portal a new text was written titled: “The winds of the Fartmoodle clan are not to be traveled upon lightly”***

Goblin’s were also, much less scary than had been written in the text.

They were slightly orange, thin but sturdy, and not too different from a Fairy, or a Sprite. Larger perhaps, and without wings to shuttle them about, but all in all, the biggest difference were the very thick long pointed ears, that were adorned with hoops of gold, and dangling loops of glass beads.

The oldest Welshi, whom they called ‘OldRed’ pointed things out to Steve as they moved down the wide twisting alley It was filled with the wares of tiny folk from all over the world.
OldRed had a grim smile saying, “That is some of the most comfortable cloth you will find. The Whisps say they get it from a mountain gnome clan that spends all their time spinning it’s threads into the most fine weave imaginable.” Steve looked at the vendor. The vaporous form of the whisp looked much like a bipedal fox, it’s tiny paws holding the dark olive fabric up on display.

Steve wrote notes as they made their way through. “What currency is most traded here?” Steve had read that in the market it was common for coins of useful metal to be traded for items. The Queen had seen to it that a large sum of silver nuggets was split between himself and Tooty in case a need would arise.

One of the sparrows hopped up next to Steve. “We don’t trade with metal as much anymore. The Goblins came up with a system they call Credit… and if you don’t pay up when the collection comes do, they will throw you in the mines to work off your debt.”

The other sparrow stayed behind looking around excitedly for nothing in particular. Tiny almost inaudible tweets escaped every time it hopped. Steve pulled out a few of the nuggets. The Gremlin decorated with blue spots snatched it out of Steve’s hand, “Don’t go waving that around!” Blue handed it to OldRed who tucked it safely in the skirt pocket.

Steve felt the little sparrow retreat to the back again. “ But I want to buy something to bring back to the clan.”

“We’ll do that, they wouldn't give a Pixie a scrap for twice that in gold.” OldRed shook it’s pocket now containing the nuggets. “You’ve got enough here for something really nice. What is it you want, and I’ll send one of my tribe to fetch it.”

Steve was wondering if he was being taken advantage of for a moment, but realized a strange paranoia had crept into the group, and suddenly everyone was much closer than was usually acceptable. Steve noticed a book vendor up ahead. “We do sorely need more educational materials about the world in our libraries. Do you think your people could pick out a few of the newest books they can?”

BrewMinister stepped up and in a quick snatch pocketed the silver nuggets from OldRed in an almost imperceptible move.  “I’m the best at languages among us, I’ll find what I can, but newer books are not easy to get a hold of.” BrewMinister nodded at old red and pried himself out of the now packed together group of Gremlins.
Steve couldn't help but feel his wings being uncomfortably cramped against his body as they kept moving, leaving BrewMinister behind to buy books.
With the ebony bushy head of hair two inches higher then the gremlins, Steve stuck out of the middle like a sprouting mushroom in a patch of blue-green rocks.

The pack kept moving along until a massive street opened up through the center of the market. A city now sprang up where a giant wall had previously blocked it from view. The archives had said the Goblins were very handy for building and engineering large structures, but this was advanced akin to the human city back home. The thought of how they had managed to make the houses from such small brickwork and harvested oak branches had Steve ogling at it’s expansive architecture.

******************* ---- ***********************

Tooty had dropped her calm vestige when they first walked through the sprawling city. It was fantastic, and the smells coming from the south side made her mouth water. “Oi’ what is down there!?” Tooty pointed in the direction of the smell. The large silver weasel paused for a moment making quick flowing hand movements at the striped ferret on the left.

  The ferret nodded and changed into a more furry version of the traditional goblin shape. “It’s the food district. Me and two other’s can take you down to explore while KettleStruck checks our exit is cleared.” Tooty had been told the Goblin market could be a dangerous place by her father, but nothing so far seemed to jump out as any particular threat. Having the Gremlins as guides did give her a sense of being protected, and she welcomed the companionship.

  Tooty nodded and stepped away from the silver weasal KettleStruck, and towards what must be something resembling Roasted Chicken. She always wanted to try that dish, but no one was willing to help her catch, or kill a chicken.

  As KettleStruck struggled to get into the form of a field mouse, the others were busy leaving a small trail of orange glass beads around the entryway to the city.  KettleStruck was getting attached to the new member of the troop, and was not going to allow some silly gambling debt put any of the troop in danger. It was time to be humble, as humble as could be anyways and still be able to run through small spaces if necessary.

  The smell came closer as they proceeded and Tooty entered the shop at the end of their route.  Another wall stood concealing some unseen part of the market on it's opposite side all along the edge of the road.
  Tooty pulled some of the silver nuggets from the smaller pocket of her uncles coat.  She had lost a small handful in the bottom pockets when she forgot how deep they really ran.  "How much of these can I trade for enough of that, "  She pointed to the large slab of what looked like meat, and smelled like the human homes during the holiday feasts, " for me and my companions?"

  The gremlin had a look of horror on it's face.  The pale yellowish goblin with ten golden hoops in each ear stared at the gremlin, then back to Tooty.  "We use credit here."
  The gremlin tugged at Tooty's sleeve, now like a giant grasshopper with a nervous tick. "We can eat at the village, honest, we should go."
  Tooty felt the nervousness, but could not place it's intentions. "Nonsense, Every tiny folk needs to eat, and everybody trades."   Tooty turned back to the goblin behind the counter. "Please, it's good silver, how much do you need for a portion for each of us."
  The goblin plucked a nugget from Tooty's out-streched hand  and stuck it in it's mouth for a moment, then plucked it back out with a grin.  "You've got 8 nuggets there, I say 7 should suffice."
  Tooty handed six more nuggets to the goblin, and it started whistling a happy tune as it cut large chunks off the meat and placed it on five plates for the very nervous gremlins, and one Fartmoodle.
  They all gathered at a table in the corner.  Tooty noticed none of them digging into the food as she was.  "This tastes fantastic!  Do gremlins not have the kind of hunger us pixies do?"  The four gremlins made hand motions and not saying a word started devouring the meal.
  Tooty still could not place what was going on, but something was making the gremlins very jumpy.  There had to be danger she couldn't see.  "Do you think the goblin would give me a recipe for this?"
  The gremlins fingers moved furiously, and a couple gremlins did large silent claps.  " We have to go.  We can not stay here Tooty."
   Another gremlin, now looking like a very tiny, but ferocious badger growled. "Don't talk to them, we have to get to KettleStruck and the rest of our tribe as soon as we can."
  Tooty nodded, and taking one last morsel off her plate, followed the badger and three ferrets out of the small establishment and back south.

  When they met up with Steve, his group looked ready to jolt too.  They stepped to the side together as the gremlins got into a very silent but heated war of hands.  "I think we might be in trouble."  Steve handed her a torn parchment, and had her sharpened needle hanging at his side.
  Tooty smoothed out the piece of paper to reveal a picture of the two smaller Gremlins framed on one side, and KettleStruck's grey longhaired rabbit form on the other side.  Complete with the one large purple spot on the top of it's head.
It didn't take long to see the southern translation in the long list of languages displayed.  "Wanted for credit overdues: Please report these individuals immediately"
  Tooty felt OldRed's hand on her arm.  "We really need to go, and quickly."