Free Eye of the Wizard: A Fantasy Adventure by Daniel Arenson Page B

Its blood splashed onto her hand, black and sticky. Eww.
    Within a moment, all the moldmen were dead.
    Romy stood panting and couldn't help but grin. She had killed a moldman, all by herself! She puffed out her chest and raised her chin with pride.
    "Did you see that, Mommy?" she said, preening.
    But Neev wasn't looking at her. He was staring toward the spiderling, and Romy followed his gaze, then gasped. The spiderling had grabbed one of her fired arrows, nocked it, and was pointing the weapon at them.
    "B-b-back off!" the spiderling said. "I didn't wet the m-mowdmen eat me, and I won't wet y-you."
    Jamie rolled her eyes. "Oh, give it a break!" she exclaimed, blowing out her breath in frustration. "Are all spiderlings so dense? We told you already, we don't eat spiderlings ! I might stab you if you don't lower your arrow, but I certainly won't eat you."
    The spiderling stood panting, and Romy examined her curiously. She had never seen a spiderling before. She could see why some might consider these forest spirits a delicacy. With her lavender skin, glowing hair, and sapphire eyes, the girl looked good enough to eat. She even wore a necklace of apple seeds, no doubt for flavoring. Romy's stomach grumbled.
    The spiderling stared at Jamie, fingers trembling. "B-but... my c-cwan t-towd me you do."
    Romy scrunched her lips. "You talk funny," she said to the spiderling.
    "A-and y-you wook funny," the spiderling replied.
    "Agreed!" Scruff said. He slung his mace over his back, wiped his hands on his pants, and pushed back strands of hair from his forehead. "Where is your clan now?" he asked the spiderling.
    "Well, dey...." The spiderling lowered her eyes. "Dey b-banished me b-because I c-can't tawk so good."
    "And those are the people you believe?" Scruff said. "Trust us, we're your friends. We won't eat you."
    Romy sighed. Ohh... but I wanted spiderling stew tonight. Life wasn't fair.
    Shakily, the spiderling lowered her bow, taking deep breaths. Jamie sheathed her sword, and with a few handshakes and introductions, all were friends.
    Romy watched them all, tapping her foot. "I finally got it," she said.
    "Got what?" Jamie demanded, all tiny and cranky like a grombeetle.
    Romy shook moldman blood off her hand. "You all think you're failures," she said, "miserable hermits who must live outcast from society. But don't you see? None of you are failures. Scruff, you're deadly with that mace. So what if Knight School can't recognize skill with a mace? Jamie, you're an expert at the sword. It's not your fault girls can't become knights. Neev, you were only outcast for growing rabbit ears. So what? You summoned me , so you must be a great warlock. And Cobweb, who cares if your tongue is twisted, so long as your arrows are straight? We're all deadly in our own way; we just proved that, killing these moldmen. I'm from the underground. I know moldmen. Trust me, killing ten is nothing to sneeze at. Together we're strong. So let's get off this island, then buy a house and big fluffy beds and servants. You don't want to steal money? Fine. We'll earn it. We have something to sell: our deadliness. We'll become bullies. Bullies for hire."
    They all stared at her, speechless.
    Scruff was the first to break the silence. "Bullies for Bucks," he whispered, nodding. "That can be the name of our business."
    Jamie rolled her eyes. "You can't be serious."
    Scruff shrugged. "Well, it beats living on this island. And what other skills do we have? We know nothing about farming, trading, or crafts. We know how to fight. We have weapons and armor. Well, not much armor, but still. Why not?"
    "And be vigilantes?" Neev said, raising an eyebrow.
"I don't know what that word means," Scruff said, "but I do know how to swing my mace, and I'll swing it for money. God knows the world is full of trouble. What village doesn't suffer from some haunting werewolf or vampire? We'll fight for a living."
    Romy nodded and wagged her tail. "Hell yeah. I ain't staying on this