“All right, you sleep a little longer.” He pat his arm. “Are you a familiar knight?” Gunnar asked.
“I don’t know. Do I look familiar to you?” Anthony asked, perplexed.
“Spirit knight, Gunnar,” Katrine said in a pained voice. She did not want to know what a conversation between these two might be like.
“I’m a Guardian, but the way I fight is called—what is it called? Spirit something.” Anthony started muttering.
“Anyway, dark elves, unlike their high elven cousins, they spend most of their time doing magic—either exer- cising it, or trying to increase their knowledge of spells
and are seeking out the path of magic. I guess they’re trying to become something like elementals. Creatures formed from elements and Mana that can use magic as they wish. Also, really bad houseguests! But that is an- other thing. Anyway, because of that, the dark elves are much stronger, but they’re impure mages. So they use tools to enhance their magic. Put a dark elf and a gnome engineer together, or a goblin grenadier, and run in the other damn direction. High elves like to rely on them- selves. The dark elves are unsociable; high elves are nar- cissists. They make runescript and they’re good at it, but it’s made to look pretty and functional. Takes them years whereas gnomes make it crude, but then it works the same and takes them just a few minutes or hours. They don’t like working with others, thus the hiding bit. Got their whole class system, honor things, and the rules! Rules on how to eat! Who needs five forks and three spoons?” Anthony shook his head and went back to chopping wood.
The others erected their tents and sorted out shifts to watch the other two.
Katrine woke up with Gunnar shaking her.
“Your watch. He’s awake,” Gunnar said, a strained look on his face.
She got up and grabbed her gear. Gunnar went into his tent while she found Anthony using his blade to cut a chair into the boulder. She noticed Gunnar tapping his sword, comforting it.
He loves his sword, so seeing someone use theirs to chop up wood and carve out a stone chair is probably like nails on a chalkboard for others.
She sat down on a rock and looked over at Aila. Some- one had put her into some bedding at some time and moved her closer to the fire.
She looked like hell from whatever the hell she had been through.
“Why are you doing that to your blade?” Katrine asked.
“A bit of wood or stone isn’t enough to blunt my blade,” Anthony said, not looking up as he worked. “There is some hot tea in the fire. I made it.”
“I’m good. Thanks.” Katrine had just met him tonight and not even seen his face yet. “Why do you wear your armor all the time?”
“Aren’t you wearing it all the time too?”
“Well, yeah, but I have a padded jacket and pants—you’ve got plate armor.”
“Used to it now.” Anthony shrugged as he lowered his sword, looking at the chair. “Nice.” He sat down, his steel ass grating against the chair as he sat back in it.
“That’s a nice boulder.” He tapped the newly shaped boulder.
“You can sleep. I’ll keep watch,” Katrine said.
“The last time I got woken up, I was buck naked in a place I didn’t know, with people who I didn’t know all around me with a stone tie.” Anthony’s voice turned darker as he muttered under his breath. “Guess it’s what I get for trying to get a few extra minutes. Some people are so inconsiderate to the dead, making so much noise.”
Katrine just ignored most of his statement, looking around the camp.
“So, since then, I haven’t slept. Sucks, really. I like sleep- ing—it’s great. But nada, not even a mid-afternoon nap!”
Katrine shrugged and got comfortable for her watch. She changed off with Sofie at the end of her shift and went to sleep.
The night passed uneventfully before Sofie woke them both up.
They started to break down their tents when Aila started to stir.
She woke up screaming and kicking, her arms and legs hitting the ground. She stopped suddenly, grabbing the ground beneath her and flipping over, tears in her eyes as if she meant to hug the dirt.
“Morning, Aila!” Anthony said.
Aila jumped to her feet, her eyes filled with anger as she leveled a finger at him. “You—why—what, Anthony!” she yelled, startling birds in the forest.
“Meet Gunnar, Sofie, and Katrine,” Anthony said.
She paused in her tirade and turned on the ball of her foot, looking at them before raising a hand in greeting. Her eyes thinned as she moved her hand to her head, the other moving in as she felt the volume she had built up.
She paled as she pulled out a mirror to look at her hair and appearance.
Anthony pulled out a pot of tea from the fire and poured it into an earthen cup. It looked as if he had made them both during the night.
The scent from the tea was earthy, but with a hint of fruits.
“Tea?” He gave her a cup.
Aila took the cup, taking a sip. She closed her eyes, com- posing herself, and sat down, taking small sips from the cup as she started trying to tame her hair back down.
“Where are we?” Aila asked after her second cup.
“Radal. Outside the city Laisa. It’s just up the road,” An- thony said.
“I’m sorry about this morning,” Aila said to the others. “I’m Aila.”
They greeted one another. Katrine and Sofie’s intuition was calmed down and Gunnar couldn’t take his eyes off the elf. Now that she had her hair back down, he was useless. At least he wasn’t drooling.
They broke camp, not having breakfast. All of them looked forward to having some real food in the city in- stead of eating the rations they’d saved up.
“It was good meeting you. Hope you have a good trip and you come back safe,” Anthony said.
The two groups separated as Gunnar, Sofie, and Katrine headed off toward the adventurer’s guild.
“They’re odd, but they’re good people,” Sofie said with a smile.
“The knight and the elf in the forest—I doubt people would believe it,” Katrine said.
“Did you see the tree when we left the camp? Was it just me—” Gunnar started.
“Or did it look like he ran into it and broke it?” Sofie finished.
“So I wasn’t the only one,” Gunnar said.
“Doesn’t everyone seem a little odd?” Katrine said.
“Yeah,” Sofie said as the residents were looking at one an- other with hooded eyes, as if they might attack each oth- er at any moment.
***
Aila looked around the town. It was a homely kind of town, with large stone streets where trade was being car-
ried out by those who had goods from the Deepwood and those coming from across Radal.
“Let’s find a guide first.” Anthony led them toward a bar. “Are you looking for a guide or a drink?”
“Can I drink?” Anthony sounded curious.
“It would be better if we checked later,” Aila said.
Anthony opened the door to the bar. Inside, people were having hushed conversations.
“Heard that the city guard is checking all of the goblins now. Having such dangerous creatures in the town will only lead to chaos,” one said to their table mate.
“They know nothing but fighting and pranking. If it weren’t for the hobgoblins, then they would still be just beasts,” the other agreed.
Anthony walked right up to the bar and waved to the barman, who was washing earthen mugs.
“What brings you into the Gnome’s Stumble?” the gnome asked with a smile. Gnomes were shorter crea- tures; a giant among their race would be five foot tall. This one was just over four feet, though the bar was slanted so he could deal with other gnomes easily and then the floor behind the bar got higher so he could deal with his human and taller patrons.
“Looking to go into the forest—want to go to one of the elven outposts,” Anthony said.
“Don’t look like trad
ers,” the gnome said.
“She’s going to one of her cousin’s ceremonies.” Anthony pointed at Aila.
The gnome moved the glasses on his face. “Dark elf,” he said with a nod. “Haven’t seen many of you around here. Well, just so happens my son Tommie is heading out into the Deepwood with his trading company in a few days. I can ask him if he’s got a spot?”
“That would be perfect,” Anthony agreed.
“I’ll have a runner to take him a message. In the mean- time, can I get you some food or drink?”
“Ale and breakfast please. Just one set—I’m not hungry,” Anthony said.
“Coming up. The name’s Todd! Pick any table.” Anthony and Aila sat down at a table.
“You got coin, right?” Anthony asked.
“Yes.” Aila sighed. “Do you plan anything out?” “Sometimes.” Anthony shrugged.
They sat there, listening to the patrons talking in low tones and shooting glances around the bar.
Todd arrived soon with a drink and piping hot food. “Here you go.”
“Thank you.” Aila’s face spread into a smile at the hot and fresh food.
“Just fifteen coppers,” Todd said.
She rooted around in her coin purse as Anthony spoke up.
“Did something happen? The people seem a little spooked.”
“A few days back there was a few explosions, destroyed our wells and our Brilliant Tower of Dark Clouds sys- tem. No one was hurt, but everyone thinks that the gob- lins have gone too far. People have started to get sick and people have to pay a lot more for water or travel far to get it from a nearby stream.” Todd shook his head.
“What is the Brilliant Tower of Dark Clouds?” Anthony asked.
“It cleans our water.”
“So, a water treatment place?” “Yeah.”
“So, why not call it that instead of dark clouds whatever tower?”
“Well, doesn’t really fit with the naming scheme of Laisa.”
“Did they find the culprits?” Aila interrupted.
“No. All of the goblins say it wasn’t them. The hob- goblins came out publicly and said that they weren’t in- volved in the act. It only served to anger the people more. The city has a large population of humans and goblins, though there are still a good number of us gnomes left, and then there are half-breeds as well.”
Goblins aren’t the kind to lie, especially about explosions. They might be annoying at times, but they are proud of their explosions and lying is a taboo for them. Most people think that because of their inability to form complex sen- tences that they’re dull-witted and stupid creatures.
“Might I know where the head goblin alchemist lives?” Anthony asked.
“Rare for a human to know about goblins,” Todd said. “Learn a few things travelling.” Anthony shrugged.
Todd gave him directions. “Tommie should be round in a few minutes. He can take you there.”
“That works. Come on, Aila. Hurry up,” Anthony said.
Aila had a mouthful of food and glared at him, as she now had to shovel down her first fresh breakfast in days.
Chapter: Each Story Has Two Sides
Tommie walked up to his dad’s tavern. Opening the old familiar doors, he walked inside. He waved and greeted a few people he knew as he made his way up to the bar, where his father was talking to some patrons.
“Tommie! Those two want to go into elven territory. Knight’s called Anthony; the other’s Aila.” He lowered his voice, making Tommie lean in.
“She’s an elf, one of them dark types,” Todd said.
“I should get you to run our caravans instead of Old Mister Watts!” Tommie said.
“Well, I know you’ve already been in town for a week, which means you’ll likely be heading out soon.” Todd’s voice dropped.
“Don’t be like that, Dad. It’s not like I’m leaving forever,” Tommie said.
“I know, but you’re all I’ve got, you know,” Todd said.
“Need to get you a dog, or a girlfriend. You and Mom broke up fifteen years ago.”
“I don’t know about that—not many interested in an old barman!” Todd said gruffly as he started polishing his bar.
Tommie shook his head, knowing how the old gnome was just trying to cover over his excitement. He’d had 77
more than one girlfriend since Tommie’s mother had broken up with him.
He was still a young gnome. It’s not a gnome’s fault that we’re great lovers, which made their time together as pas- sionate as the times they were breaking apart!
“I’ll go and talk to your customers.” Tommie tapped on the bar.
He turned and went over to the duo. As he walked over, he looked at the people in the tavern. He could feel the fear in them, that fear that was turning into frustration and anger, wanting to lash out at the person who was responsible. He was a friend to a number of goblins. The normal goblins were little more than curious chil- dren while the hobgoblins looked after them and helped them achieve maturity.
They looked simple on the outside but they had a com- plex family herd system. Although they were master crafters, they could create powerful explosives and no one wanted to deal with a battle-ready troop of goblin grenadiers.
They didn’t lie and although they were eccentric, they were good people. Gnomes shared that eccentric trait with them as well, the two groups either getting along famously or falling out with one another infamously.
He could see the anger brewing in his town and he didn’t know what to do.
“Hello, the name’s Tommie,” he said as he walked up to the table.
“You heading to one of the elven cities?” Anthony, the knight, asked.
“In three days.” Tommie nodded. “Got two spots?” Anthony said.
“Sure. Be fifty coppers apiece or one silver,” Tommie said.
“Do you know any of the goblins around here?” “I know a few. Why?” Tommie asked.
“You know where the head goblin alchemist lives?” An- thony asked.
“Why?” Tommie didn’t want to endanger the head gob- lin alchemist. They were the leader of the goblin com- munity, after all.
“I don’t think that the goblins were the ones to blow up the Brilliant Tower of Dark Clouds. I just want to talk to them and check,” Anthony said.
“Why would you want to do that?” Tommie’s aloof at- titude had disappeared as he peered into Anthony’s hel- met, unable to see anything inside.
“He can’t help putting his head into other people’s prob- lems,” Aila, the elf, said from the other side, glaring at Anthony.
“What can I say? If I think that there is something wrong, I have to help out. It’s what a Guardian—a war- rior—does,” Anthony said.
Tommie looked at Anthony a bit longer before he sighed. “All right. Yeah, I can take you over to her.”
“Goblin alchemists are the best—one of the quirkiest group of people.” Anthony clapped his hands with a loud clang and stood up.
Aila made a muffled noise as she started pushing more food into her mouth.
“I’ll just go and check this out with Tommie. Meet you here or where the caravan leaves from. Where are we go- ing from, Tommie?”
“Over at the southern gate. Can’t miss it. Third morning from now,” Tommie said.
Aila made eye contact with Anthony, as if trying to relay a message to him.
“We’ll be back before then. Don’t worry about us,” An- thony said, trying to calm her down before he turned to Tommie. “Lead on. We have a head alchemist to see!”
Tommie could see that wasn’t what Aila meant by the way she glared at Anthony, but quickly cleared his throat and led him away, not knowing whether Anthony had missed the message or was trying to cover his own ass.
Tommie led the way out of the tavern, waving to his dad and heading for the slums to the west.
***
Tommie knocked on a door in a set code before a little window opened. Gnomes, like goblins, were b
oth from the shorter races.
“What do you want?” the goblin asked in Gob. The gob- lin tongue sounded like a series of grunts, squeaks, and whistles thrown together, with liberal hand gestures.
Tommie’s Gob was much weaker and he took his time to respond.
There were noises from farther inside the building as the goblin at the door turned around in a huff and chittered and squeaked back.
Death Knight Box Set Books 1-5: A humorous power fantasy series Page 6