Date: 6 Julie 2025
Chronicle Day: Day 99
Abercrombie’s recollection, frae ransom and resistance tae the edge o’ the bandit camp.
Elara was right steamed. The bairns—Thalia and Thrain—were missin’, gone a week.
I gave her the news o’ Glynn’s death. Her face fell, the storm in her eyes turnin’ tae sorrow.
Before we left, Throsh handed her portraits he’d sketched o’ Glynn, tae honour his memory.
They were meant for Gwendolin, Glynn’s wife. A quiet tribute.
We made haste back tae Port Macquarie, startin’ our search where I’d left the pelts.
But the road was blocked.
A mysterious human, leanin’ against a large stane, demanded a toll.
Negotiations failed.
Elara had received a ransom note.
She described the bandits that escaped our earlier fight.
This fellow matched the tale.
We tried tae keep him alive—he kent where the children were.
But he called for reinforcements.
Then came Dart’s moment.
Starved and agitated, he’d crafted a new recipe:
Dart’s Everything Meatballs—a blend o’ ant, rat, eel, snake, penguin, butterfly, and beetle.
He ate one just before the fight.
The result?
- A projectile of saliva
- One bandit’s head exploded
- The next was frozen and shattered
Dart leapt forward, eager tae try human for the first time.
The bandits panicked. We struck. One survived.
He surrendered—on the condition Dart stayed away.
We named him Fluffy.
He led us toward the camp, drew a crude map, and Rudy scouted ahead.
We waited for nightfall, when the watch wanes.
“The road was blocked, but so was mercy. The ransom burns in our minds. The hunt begins. And Dart’s meatballs changed the tide.”
