by Shawn Muller
“Yes sir. If you can help us find any answers why we are here we would be very grateful,” Max added.
“Very well, I am beginning to believe you gentlemen. I shall allow you to join Farpae’s men,” Prince Marcus declared.
The surrounding soldiers relaxed visibly as the tension had increased dramatically during the debate. Hell, we relaxed visibly after that. We hadn’t been sure if we were going to have to fight our way out of the inn. The soldiers slowly drifted off upstairs to sleep, and soon we followed them to rest after a long day surviving in the unknown forests.
“Pst!” I whispered to Max.
“I hear it to,” he whispered back.
The quiet, slow rhythmic footsteps receded down the passage but the unmistakeable meaty thud from next door could not be hidden. A muffled shout followed by a sickly wet gurgle came from across the passage.
We slowly climbed out of our beds and drew our swords and knives. I cracked open our door a fraction and was surprised to see a small green man standing with his back to me. He wore only a loincloth, but was armed with a short sword which was dripping thick red blood into a growing puddle at its feet. He clutched the severed head of one of the prince’s men that I had recognised as being on guard on the inside of the inn door. I turned and handed Max my sword and gestured to him that there was somebody at the door.
Quietly, I opened the door further and slowly crept forward to stand directly behind the little green man. Quick as a snake I clamped my hand on his mouth as I slit his throat, while Max caught the sword before it fell to the floor. The severed head made a soft thud as that hit the floor, but as I dragged the body into the room, nothing else could be heard. We crept out of the room and headed towards the stairs, hoping to make it up to the top floor where the prince was sleeping. We paused at the corner of the passage to take a quick look around it to see if there were any more of these little green men. As I snuck a peak around the corner, two more green men decided to walk around it to check on their companion.
The first one died with my knife stabbed into his throat before he could make a sound, and the other one died before he could shout and raise the alarm as Max’s sword slashed open his throat. Lady luck was with us as we heard no more sounds after that. We slowly made our way up the stairs, careful to try and avoid them creaking as we did not want to alert any green men that there may be survivors. We skipped the other floors and made straight for the top floor, where we saw about six of them disappear around the passage, heading towards the prince’s room.
We hurried up the stairs and snuck around the corner and struck two of them down, killing them with our knives without the four in the front knowing it. Quietly we lowered the bodies to the floor and were just about to sneak up on the next two when one of them glanced behind him and with wide, shocked eyes cried a warning to the others.
Max and I rushed at them, Max throwing his knife at the nearest one taking him full in the chest. I engaged the next one, blocking a wild swing from a heavy metal banded club with my sword while I slashed down with my knife. He shrieked as I pierced his cheek before running him through with my sword, straight into the next green man who got his sword tangled up in the small space. Max quickly finished of the last green man as Jeroch burst through his door, which was just in front of our little skirmish. Prince Marcus followed soon opening his door, armed with a rapier, shock on his face.
“What is the meaning of this?” he demanded.
Before we could answer, the sound of fighting rang out throughout the building, as the soldiers were waking up to find little green men in their rooms. We rushed down stairs to help, while Jeroch, now joined by Farpae and Smoothie stayed to protect the prince.
“They must have disarmed the wards!” Smoothie shouted. “There must be a shaman here!” His shouts echoed down the stairs as we raced to the lower the levels.
We engaged a group of green men from behind who were skirmishing with naked soldiers on the third floor, quickly over-powering them before we moved back to the second floor.
There we were met with slaughter. Bits of green flesh and blue goo were dripping off the walls and roof, and the other battle mage was standing at the end of the passage, surrounded by a glowing orange light. He advanced on us, eyes glowing with unknown power.
“Follow us down the stairs!” I shouted at him and the remaining soldiers.
We ran down the stairs and into the first floor where a hand full of soldiers was slaying the last of a band of green men.
“To me!” I shouted as we continued down the stairs to the ground floor where a large group of these green men waited for us.
We charged straight into them, Max and I swinging our swords left and right, cutting through clubs, swords and limbs alike while the battle mage threw balls of energy at those on the sides. We managed to push them outside, before the survivors broke and fled before us.
Gasping for air we stopped at the stairs as the remaining soldiers poured out of the inn and surround the building, looking for strugglers and any surviving guards.
Prince Marcus joined us soon, looking at the carnage around him, shaking his head at the sight of the headless bodies of his guards.
“How did this happen?” he asked with sadness in his voice.
“The wards were negated sire. There must have been a powerful shaman or two with the goblins to have done that,” Smoothie replied in shock. “I should have been more thorough my lord. I am sorry,” he bowed his head.
“No Smoothie. Nobody could have guessed that such a large band of goblins had been following us to attack us, nobody. I misjudged the news that Bob and Max brought about their attacks in the woods. I am to blame not you Smoothie,” Prince Marcus said.
“I must meet with the elves to drive them out of these woods once and for all,” he declared.
“Well, it seems the two of you were instrumental in saving my life, and most of my men it seems,” Prince Marcus said turning to us.
“Thank you sir. I am a light sleeper, and luck was on our side,” I said straightening.
“Light sleeper or not. Jeroch, these men would not have risked themselves in such a manner if they were not to be trusted, am I right?” He asked Jeroch, looking him in the eye.
“Yes Sire. I must apologise to you both. It seems I was wrong about you. Please forgive me,” Jeroch bowed towards us apologising to us.
“I too, must apologise for my seeming mistrust. Much has happened in the past to warrant such mistrust in strangers who are clearing only seeking their way home,” Prince Marcus said.
“Forget it. I would have been the same in your place,” I said with Max echoing my sentiments while we shook his hand, accepting their apology.
“It seems more than just luck was on your side, your weapons seem to be of better quality steel and of a design not seen here. And your technique is truly unique,” Farpae observed.
“Well, it seems these swords were made in our world, and based on designs from there,” I said looking at my broadsword and Max’s bastard sword.
Meinjies appeared in his nightgown, with his rather stocky wife and children behind him, and his staff behind them.
“Are they gone?” He asked in a quivering voice.
“Yes they are. You, your family and staff are safe,” Prince Marcus replied.
“Oh thanks the gods!” He exclaimed. “My daughter was up doing some sewing and she heard them come through the kitchen door. She couldn’t run and alert the guards in the hallway because the goblins were there as well. She ran back into our quarters and woke me up, and then we barricaded ourselves within, praying that you were safe,” he said.
The poor man was pale from the fright of the attack He stood there with his whole body shaking.
“Yes indeed, thank the gods that our new friends are light sleepers. They were the ones who saved us when they woke up to the goblins, before more harm could befall us,” Prince Marcus agreed.
“Are you two all right? You seem full of blood. I assume
that it is not your own?” Jeroch asked us.
I looked at myself and then Max who returned the look. Here we were standing in our boxers, covered in mostly blue blood spatter and gore, otherwise relatively unharmed.
“I think we just need to wash up,” I replied.
“There are baths behind the smithy where you can clean up,” Meinjies offered.
We thanked him and went around the back to bath as Prince Marcus’s and Meinjies’s men cleaned up the mess.
When we had finished, we went back to our rooms to get dressed before returning back downstairs to the dining room and sat at a table where Prince Marcus sat with Jeroch and Farpae.
“In the end we lost the twelve guards and another five men in their rooms. It could have been much worse had our new friends not been so alert,” Farpae concluded.
“Seventeen men dead, this is not good at all. And how many goblins were there? Any answers from the surviving goblins as to why they attacked us and who may have sent them? I cannot believe that they would have attacked us had it not been for an outside influence,” Prince Marcus shook his head.
“Well Sire, we found thirty-odd dead or dying and an estimated thirty more fled into the forests. But all the wounded took their own lives with a fast-acting poison, probably the same type that was on the darts that killed the guards. So in the end we could not question anybody,” Jeroch concluded.
“Damn it all to hell!” Prince Marcus banged his fists on the table. “It was most likely my sister, but without proof she would deny everything,” he fumed.
Max and I just looked at each other, not sure what viper’s nest we had walked into. Family feuds were generally the worst in which to get involved, especially between people in power.
“I will explain everything to you at a later stage, once my mood has settled somewhat,” Prince Marcus said, catching our look.
I nodded in agreement and with that we all rose up and left the table to pack our belongings so we could continue with our journey. What, indeed had we landed ourselves in? And what was expected of us? And more importantly why?
The bodies of the slain guards were strapped over their horses, while we readied ourselves to go. It would be a grim, quiet trip to where ever the prince lived.
By dawn we were heading south down the road, towards a town called Sakyno, which was a harbour town on a large fresh water lake, Lake Eire, from which Prince Marcus took the name for his realm. It took most of the day to travel through the dense forest to Sakyno. Max and I were lent a horse each in order to keep up with the prince and his men. Little was said during the trip, Max and I stuck close to each other as the column moved past caravans and their guards.
It was well past midday when we crested a small hill and looked down onto Sakyno. It was a relatively large town, with a bustling harbour front. The lands in front of the city were dotted by well-cultivated farmlands, partitioned by neat little walls of stone and well irrigated by ditches. Here and there farm workers could be seen tending to the fields. They all stopped and waved at their prince who returned the wave as he passed. Far to the left of the city walls, were flocks of sheep and herds of cattle grazing while herding dogs ran in between their legs keeping them together.
The city’s walls themselves were only about ten metres high, and looked like they were there more to keep out the wildlife and not an invading army. The main city gates stood wide open, and were in fact just there for show, the hinges having rusted solid a long time ago. City guards directed the traffic in and out of the city with surprising efficiency, and smartly saluted the prince and us as we approached. The crowds at the gate made way for us, all of them smiling and waving at the prince, who in turn smiled and waved back, occasionally stopping and exchanging a few words with some of them. Prince Marcus was obviously much loved, who in turn loved his citizens just as much.
The main thoroughfare was a broad stone street, with multi-storeyed buildings and tenements lining it. The city streets themselves were relatively clean, with few beggars that could be seen. The town’s mayor, a thin, well-groomed man with long, oiled-back blond hair, stood waiting with the commander of the city guard, ready to receive the prince. Pleasantries were exchanged and we were introduced to the two men.
The commander looked shocked at the sight of the dead men, and quickly ordered some of his guards to take the horses’ reins and to see to the burial of the soldiers. The prince related the story of the nights attack and soon it spread like wildfire through the gathering crowd, who showed genuine shock and anger at the attack as well. An angry buzzed surged echoed around the square where the prince sat on his horse and spoke to the mayor. The prince raised his arms and gestured to the swelling crowd for silence.
“My fellow countrymen and women!” Prince Marcus shouted over the dying murmur of the gathered crowd.
“Yes, we were attacked last night by goblins, and no, we do not know who would have sent these would be assassins against us. But rest assured, we will find these cowards and bring them to justice,” The crowd cheered at the declaration.
“I will be contacting our good friends, the elves to hunt down the survivors and to bring them before me at my castle so that we may question them as to this.” Once again the crowd shouted its approval.
“I beseech you not to take justice into your own hands, as we do not look kindly to that, but to instead let my loyal guards and soldiers take care of it.” The crowd murmur in approval, many nodding their heads.
“Furthermore, I beg of you to please, think of the families of the brave, fallen soldiers who died while defending our freedom. I will be setting up an additional pension to those families, in gratitude for their sacrifice in saving my life.” With that final statement from Prince Marcus, the crowd roared with joy at the kindness and compassion shown by their leader.
The mayor and commander mounted their horses and joined Prince Marcus as we walked the horses deeper into the town towards the harbour. The smell of a large body of water and fish grew stronger as we neared the harbour. The marketplaces grew more frequent as did the press of people, all of whom happily made way for the prince.
The frequency of taverns and inns gradually increased as we near the waterfront, yet the streets remained clean of the filth I would have associated with such a town. So to, the amount of beggars and destitute were also negligible. I asked Farpae about this observation, to which he replied that the cities under Prince Marcus were instructed to provide work for the ‘so-called beggars’ and this in turn led the various mayors employing them as cleaners and such. In return, Prince Marcus provided them with one free meal a day and some money. This resulted in the towns and cities being clean, fairly vermin free and with a lot less beggars and thieves to worry about. It also helped with the maintenance of the realms road system and city infrastructures.
Prince Marcus called Farpae forward and whispered instructions into his ear before slipping him some coins. Farpae pulled his horse up and set off down a side road, heading deeper into the town’s centre.
Soon we arrived at the wharves, where various ships of different sizes and designs were moored. A squad of guardsmen armed with fourteen-foot long halberds cordoned off a section of the wharf. They were protecting a large three-mast ship and this was where the prince was headed. Two more ships of this design, three masts, a high prow and stern, mounted with large, lethal-looking ballistae and catapults were moored farther down with a squadron of five others waiting behind the artificial breakwater line.
It was at this point that the mayor, commander and half of the remaining soldiers saluted Prince Marcus in farewell before returning towards the centre of town and their barracks. An admiral waited patiently for Prince Marcus to dismount his horse and head up the gangplank.
“Permission to come aboard sir?” Prince Marcus asked him.
“Permission granted Sire,” he replied, saluting and stepping aside for Prince Marcus to board, followed by Jeroch, Smoothie, us and the rest of the soldiers. The horses and equipment
were led off to be loaded on the other ships. Jeroch and Smoothie were greeting the admiral before turning and introducing us.
“Admiral Schemel, I would like for you to meet our two new friends, Bob and Max. They assisted us with the goblin attack last night and singlehandedly defeated them, thereby saving our lives, as well as Prince Marcus’s life,” Jeroch said by way of introducing us.
“Pleasure to meet you sirs. Thank you kindly for the protection of our great prince. We would have been devastated if he were lost to us,” the admiral shook each of our hands in turn.
“Pleasure to meet you too, admiral. It was honestly just luck that we managed to save ourselves and everybody else. And I am glad for that. The prince seems to be very much loved by his subjects,” I observed.
“Indeed he is. It is such a sorrow that he never became king instead of his brother. All of Curixeus would be better off with him ruling us. But alas, he is too noble to take up arms against his tyrant brother and sister,” Admiral Schemel said.