by V. A. Lewis
I turned slowly, and saw Karna back up away from the walls. He took off in a short running start, and leapt into the air. He was three quarters of the way through when he began to lose his velocity, and he kicked off the wall to clear the rest of the way. The Goblin vaulted over the crenellations by himself, and landed right next to me without a sound. I stared at Karna as he walked past me with a smug grin.
Yep. Just like a ninja.
I sighed internally, and followed after him.
We dodged in and out of side streets, creeping through alleyways, and stayed away from the lamps illuminating the night. The roads were mostly empty; the only people we saw were drunk and heading home from a night out. There were some patrols of guards, but that was incredibly sparse too since most of them currently on duty were probably posted at the walls.
Karna led the way through all of this. I simply followed his cue since I didn’t want to mess anything up. Eventually, we reached a richer area of the city. The houses got bigger, as did land surrounding it. They were not massive mansions, but they were definitely more luxurious. They were spread further apart too, so we had to stick close to the buildings.
We rounded a corner, and came face to face with what looked like a three storey shop. A small hedge surrounded it, with a gate barring our path. There was a little road for wagons that led to its front door, with a sign hanging above it.
I squinted, but I still could barely make out the words. However, I was pretty sure it had the word ‘Alchemy’ in it, and Karna’s nod confirmed my suspicions. This is the place, I thought.
It was fancy: it definitely looked like the place a rich Alchemist would live in. We climbed over the front gates, and this time, I did not need any help!
Karna brought us around the building to a back door. There, the two other Goblins stood at a distance keeping watch, as he took out a set of lockpicks and began to fumble with the doorknob. Only ten seconds went by before I heard a click, and the door gently swung open.
The Goblin held out a hand, and waited to hear any sound. When nothing happened, Karna slowly peeked into the room.
"All clear," he called out in a hushed voice.
He stepped into the room followed by me and another Goblin. The last Goblin stayed put, staying on lookout.
We entered into what looked like a kitchen. Since it was an Alchemist shop, I was expecting to see test tubes and beakers strewn about, full of glowing liquids. But, it was just a regular kitchen.
Karna turned to the Goblin to my left. "Look for a storage room— a place where the potions are kept," he said. Then he pointed at me. "You, stay with me."
The Goblin split off to the right, while Karna and I continued to a door straight ahead. We entered a hallway with a few doors on both sides. "Wait out here," he ordered, before entering the first room.
Fine. I waited impatiently as the Goblin went from room to room. I stared beyond the hallway, and saw the storefront, but it was empty. From what I could see, the display shelves were cleared of potions, except for a few empty bottles on the counter. I narrowed my eyes.
That’s suspicious.
I looked back, and saw Karna was still busy checking every nook and cranny in a room full of books. He was even pulling out books as if it would trigger a trap door to open. While he’s busy, I’m just going to investigate.
I mean, I’ll still be out here, so there’s no problem, right?
I poked my head into the main room of the store. It was almost like a jewellery shop; there were glass displays on the side, and some in the middle of the room. But once again, no potions to be seen. Hiding fragile and expensive potions into a back room every single day sounds like a hassle. Unless the back room is right here.
It was simple logic. Stupid logic, even. But coming from a world with an incredibly short attention span because of automation, I knew how to be lazy. Anything to speed up the process was greatly appreciated, no matter how little it was.
I reached underneath the store counter, searching for what I thought was there. Plus, the best way to hide something, is to hide it in plain sight. My hand found what felt like a lever and I pulled it.
I heard the muffled sound of gears turning and pistons moving, then watched as the floor behind the counter opened up. I grinned.
I cupped my hands around my mouth and quietly called back into the hallway. "Pst, Karna, I found it."
The Goblin stepped out of a room, and stared at me blankly. "What?"
I pointed at the hole in the floor that led to a secret basement. "I found the secret room," I whispered excitedly.
His gaze flickered to what I was pointing at, then he frowned. "I see," he said, not bothering to mask his dissatisfaction. "Wait here, I’ll get Sena."
I sighed. Why do I even bother? Literally can’t even please him. But this was more for me, than it was for him. If this ‘bonding time’ didn’t change anything, then there was nothing else I could do. I only wanted to reach a level of understanding with him— which was proving to be more difficult than I thought it would be.
And no matter what happens between him and I, doing this will only help me finally get rid of this stupid mark.
I placed a hand on my face, on the brand by my eye. It was a possibility; if there was a high quality healing potion, then I would have to immediately use it. I couldn’t wait until I got rid of the slave mark.
Karna returned with the other Goblin, Sena, and we made our way down the steps; the two of them were checking every step for traps, while I followed behind them. I did try and look out for anything that seemed off to me, but I did not have night vision nor the expertise in breaking and entering, so I mainly entrusted it to them.
We reached the end of the stairway, and found ourselves in a dimly lit laboratory. Vials of different colored liquids were scattered throughout various tables in the large room, with more potions locked behind shelves around the sides. Now this is more what I expected when I imagined an Alchemist shop.
Karna handed me an empty bag. "Grab only healing potions. And make sure you take the ones that glow— those are more potent."
"Thanks," I said as I took the bag. Healing potions— of course— were red, so I began sorting through all the vials full of red liquid.
I picked up a vial of something that looked reddish in color, but I put it back down. That’s lightish red! It was not pink though. I might have kept it if it was pink.
I also stayed away from the beakers and test tubes full of liquid; those were probably incomplete mixtures and dangerous to use. All in all, I found four vials of reddish liquid— none glowing— that I hoped were healing potions and stuffed it in my bag.
It was then I saw the safe.
"Hey, uh—" I called out to Karna, but he was too busy inspecting a faintly glowing vial to hear me. I turned to the other Goblin. "...Sena?"
"Hm?" The Goblin looked at me disinterestedly.
I recognized him as the other Goblin who tried to leave me behind with Karna. I asked as nicely as I could, "Do you know how to open this?"
Sena eyed the wooden chest covered in metal bands. "Mhm," he mumbled out, as he reached for something on his back.
"Wait, what are you doing?" I stared at the Goblin blankly, as he nocked an arrow.
"That’s a safe," he stated the obvious.
"Uh, yes? But I don’t think you should do that."
"Can’t lockpick it. Just going to break it. Far easier." He ignored my protests and continued with what he was doing.
"But—"
He loosed a piercing shot into the chest. I heard a loud crack as the arrow broke through the thin layer of metal and wood effortlessly, and ducked for cover as splinters flew at me.
"See? It’s open," Sena announced.
I brushed my face with my hands, and stared into the safe. It was indeed open— if a huge hole in the middle of it meant it was open. I saw something move in the corner of my eye, as the Goblin pried the top of the chest off.
"Look, there’s even a—"<
br />
"Watch out!" I grabbed Sena and threw him to the ground as a large sword slashed inches past him.
A seven foot tall humanoid figure loomed before us, wielding a greatsword on one hand, and a tower shield on the other. It was not a person attacking us, but a construct. It raised its sword to strike at us again, when an arrow barely pierced through its chest.
"Get back!" Karna yelled from behind us, as he loosed more shots at it.
The arrows were barely staggering the construct! Karna drew another bolt, and this time a magic circle formed at the arrowhead—
When a spear stabbed past the Goblin’s head. Karna barely ducked under the attack, and turned to face the second construct in the room. But I didn’t pay attention to this.
I raised a hand and backed up quickly alongside Sena, who was fumbling for his bow and arrow. He fired a single piercing shot, before the first construct managed to take a swing at him. He just barely managed to roll under the greatsword, when my magic circle finished forming.
I pointed at the construct, and an orb of energy flashed through the air at it. The magical missile impacted its back, and exploded.
The construct recoiled for the briefest of a moment, then slowly stood up straight and directed its attention to me: nothing more than a small chunk of its back blown away.
It was at this moment, I noticed the features of the construct— both constructs, actually. They were both mostly gray, except for a red glow in their stomach. But they were only gray in the dark room. Maybe, if there was more light, they would be another color. A brighter gray. Something like… silver.
Ah, they are made of metal.
I had the epiphany, then the iron golem charged at me.
***
Karna had heard of golems before. He was told that the Dwarves were especially good at making them, and even using them as a substitute to soldiers as a way to minimize casualties in war. However, Karna had never actually fought one, let alone ones made of metal. They were expensive. They were powerful. And suffice to say, he did not know what to do.
The Goblin loosed more piercing shots at the spear golem. The arrows jutted out of its chest, as it swung at him, but he was too fast.
Karna slid in between the golem’s legs, and the spear struck against the wall. The golem had its weapon wedged as the Karna fired his first explosive shot at its back. Metal parts blasted off its side, but it was unfazed. It continued struggling to pry its spear out, as Karna shot another arrow at its head.
Half of the golems head was blown apart now, and Karna grinned triumphantly at his victory. He was about to turn around to help Sena, when the golem jerked. In one swift motion, the golem pulled out its weapon and swung at the Goblin with the butt of its spear.
Karna leapt backwards, and was immediately faced by a barrage of stabs. The golem was thrusting wildly at him! He dodged the flurry of attacks as he backed up.
The Goblin reached for his belt and ducked under a sideways slash. The golem pulled back for a stab, and Karna deflected it to the side with his dagger. In that instant, he closed the distance to the golem and slashed its sides.
A small cut formed where Karna struck, but nothing else happened. Why won’t you die?! The golem kicked him. He flew back and rolled before he came to a stop.
Karna was picking himself up, when the golem stood over him. It raised its spear to finish him off—
And a magic missile struck the golem in the stomach. The golem reeled back, giving Karna the chance to quickly move away and pick up his bow.
His ears perked up as an annoying high pitched voice called out, "Aim for its stomach! That’s where its core— the mana crystal— is!"
Melas gestured at her own stomach, before running from the other iron golem. Sena sent arrows at its abdomen from the side, attracting the sword golem’s ire.
Karna blinked. "I— got it," he said, as he pulled an arrow back.
The spear golem charged at him, and he loosed an explosive bolt at its stomach. But it saw the attack coming. It turned to the side, taking the blast on its shoulders instead.
"Tsk," Karna clicked his tongue, and began to circle the golem firing a volley of arrows. He was switching between regular shots and magical shots since the golem could not block all of it.
It could only block some, and was tripped up by the harmless arrows that bounced off its armor alternating between the powerful enchanted ones that blasted it apart. The golem raised its spear out and spun.
Karna saw this, and he ducked underneath the swing. He ran up to the golem as he drew an arrow, loading it for an explosive shot. The golem raised its spear, ready to thrust it at the Goblin—
And missed.
Karna jumped up in the air as it stabbed the ground. He aimed his bow at the golem’s core, and loosed. This time, it could not react.
The explosion blew apart the mana crystal powering the iron golem. Without an energy source, it simply slumped over, and slowly collapsed on the ground.
Karna landed next to the fallen construct, and breathed a sigh of relief. What about the other one? He spun around, only to see Melas and Sena standing over the fallen golem— its mana crystal also destroyed.
They were both panting heavily. But they won. And yet, when Karna looked at the golem— at Sena’s broken bow— he could only think of one thing. He walked up to the two of them.
Melas smiled at him. "We did it—"
"What were you thinking?!"
She paused. "...me?"
"You nearly killed us you idiot! Why did you do that?!"
The Human girl frowned. "Are you being serious?"
"Yes!" Karna shouted in frustration. "Why would you just destroy—"
"Ok, first of all, I just saved your life," Melas spoke over the Goblin’s rant. Then she pointed to the side. "Second, I didn’t even do this, he did."
"What?"
"Yes. He did. And before you accuse me of lying, why don’t you ask him?" She folded her arms. "Go on."
Karna narrowed his eyes. "...Sena. Did you do this?"
"I— uh…" The other Goblin shuffled his feet. "Yes."
"And I told him not to. But he didn’t listen. So how is this my fault?" The girl glared at the both of them.
Karna felt his anger turning into embarrassment. He felt… foolish. And her stare did not help with that feeling. She was tapping a finger on her elbow, as if she was expecting something. Like an apology.
But Karna didn’t want to apologize. His pride would not let him. He felt his face grow hotter by the second, before he heard Sena mumble something.
"...potion."
"Hm?" Melas raised an eyebrow. "Did you say something?"
"Healing potion. I saw a glowing one"— he pointed at the chest— "in there. And it was very bright."
Melas blinked. "Why didn’t you say so earlier?!" she exclaimed.
The girl threw herself at the destroyed safe. She rummaged through its remains, before finally pulling out a bottle with a shining red liquid.
"It’s here! This is actually it! My savior! My freedom!"
Melas held the healing potion up and waved it in the air. She hugged it and sighed wistfully. "Things are finally starting to get better—"
"Hey, guys!"
A voice interrupted the girl’s cheers. Everyone turned to stare at the third Goblin. At the fourth member of their party.
At their lookout.
"We need to get out of here. City guards are going to be swarming in any minute."
Chapter 32: Sneaky Escape
The sounds of footsteps echoed through the empty street; a patrol of guards marched past, carrying torches and weapons as they went.
"Sacred piss, why is everyone so up in arms over a robbery? It’s not even morning, and they’ve gathered just about every damned guard available for this!"
"Didn’t you hear? It’s not just some petty thief stealing from any random shop. They stole potions from Alair!"
"The Alchemist? Are you sure?"
"Y
ep. Heard it from the captain myself. Apparently what they took was worth hundreds of gold. And the damage they caused when breaking in was worth even more."
"They’re really going to make whoever did this pay, huh?"
"If we catch them."
"We better hope we do. Alair’s one of the best alchemists in the Free Lands. If we don't find and bring him these thieves' heads, I wouldn’t be surprised if he ups and leaves for another city."
"Then let’s find them. The captain will chew our asses out if we don’t."
The voices slowly went away, and only then did I breathe a sigh of relief. "They’re gone, right?" I whispered to Karna.
The Goblin nodded in confirmation. "Stay behind me," he said.
He ran out of the alleyway, and I followed him across the street into another side passage. Sena and the other Goblin stalked behind me, presumably covering our backs; we snuck our way down the back street, turning around corners as we made our way towards the city walls.
It was almost sunrise. The orange glow of daybreak has not yet peeked over the horizon, so we still had the shadow of the night to give us cover. I felt my heart wanting to burst out of my chest, fearing that day would come and we would be caught.
I clutched at the potion on my belt. Still there, I thought. It was reassuring to know I had it. We left the other potions behind, as it would have made it more difficult to escape. But this potion? It was the healing potion that would get rid of the stupid mark on my face.
I wanted to use it right this instant, but we were not safe. Not until we got out of the city. So I had to wait. Just a bit more, I told myself, trying to remain calm.
We rounded a corner, and finally we finally reached the city walls. A dozen guards with swords and spears were gathered around the closed gates while archers lined the walls, all of them keeping an eye out for anyone they could find.
"What do we do now?" I asked softly, my hands balled to a fist to stop it from shaking. "There’s no way we’re sneaking past that."
Karna paused, his eyes scanning the area and his night vision seeing things I could not. Then he sighed. "You’re right. There’s too many of them keeping watch, and they’re all on alert. We have no other choice."
