by Hans Bezdek
“And good luck to your friend,” nodded Sloane. She hated dealing with the wounded. The mere sight of the bleeding man when he was brought in was enough to send Sloane back to the dark final days of Goldsworth. The mead helped bring her back to the present before the other two were any the wiser, thankfully.
The two men disappeared after the barkeeper.
“Looks like the rain has stopped,” said Zeke, pointing out one of the windows. “Should we get a move on?”
“Works for me,” nodded Sloane, picking up their tab. It was fairly priced, so no reason to hunt the dwarf down and making an issue of it.
“Could you spot me?” asked Delvin.
Sloane looked down at the gnome and sighed. “Oh, right… you don’t have any money.”
“Y-You could keep a running tab, and I’ll pay you back once we find the Lost Citadel?” he offered.
“I think I will,” she mumbled. She had never heard of someone bankrolling another that owed them a life debt before. She was probably the first in history.
Lucky her.
The three left the outpost shortly after, heading through the forest towards the northeast. The first few hours were quiet. Everyone was afraid to make a noise and attract any of Lord Kutarm’s men, or possibly something worse. Sloane believed the men they talked to were capable fighters, and if they had issues surviving, she didn’t want to think what would happen to them if she had to rely on these two.
She had absolutely zero faith in Delvin. Whoever heard of an illusionist scared of his own creations? On top of that, illusions were worthless outside of their initial surprise factor. Once an enemy realized that there was nothing to be concerned about, that was the end of it. Even if the gnome managed to not faint, he’d probably end up as a liability. Illusionists were hardly more than entertainers for children.
It actually wasn’t fair of her to lump Zeke in with the gnome, the more she thought about it. The Elf Thief proved to be great at distracting, and had surprised her with the shot he landed on the green demon. Sure, it wasn’t effective, but it was still impressive. He would be little help in fighting tougher opponents, though, at least until they recovered the Fourth Staff.
Speaking of which, there was the issue of Delvin not knowing what they were going after. She glanced over at the gnome, who noticed her stare and shrank at it. They would have to tell him about it sooner or later. He already knew about the Lost Citadel, but actively seeking an Arcane Staff seemed more dangerous than looking for a lost fortress filled with treasure.
“A-Are we on the right track?” asked Delvin, glancing up at Sloane nervously.
“Yes,” nodded Sloane. Realizing that her stare was freaking the gnome out, she broke it and looked around them. It was beginning to get dark, but she was confident they would reach the dwarven city she decided on by nightfall. It wasn’t far from Nurem, and it let them avoid any ambushes along the Sinter River.
“What do you think about the Plasma-things?” Zeke asked her.
“Phasathenes,” corrected Delvin.
“What he said. Do you think Kutarm is actually controlling them?”
“He might be,” sighed Sloane. “That would certainly be bad if he was. Hopefully, we’ll never find out for sure.”
“That’d be nice,” nodded Zeke. “He’s scary enough with possibly having one Arcane Staff, can you imagine if he had two? That’s assuming he’d even stop there.”
“Something tells me he wouldn’t,” agreed Sloane.
“Good thing we’ll keep him from getting this next one,” laughed Zeke.
Sloane watched as realization dawned on Delvin’s face. It went from neutral, to confused, to horrified.
“W-Wait a-a minute,” stammered the gnome. “W-What do you mean we will keep him from it?”
“Oh right… we haven’t mentioned that part to you yet,” said Zeke, itching his head and looking at Sloane for help.
She didn’t give him any.
“I-I thought we were looking for the Lost Citadel?” clarified the gnome.
“We are,” nodded Zeke. “Eventually. That’s bound to be a bit dangerous, though, don’t you think?”
The gnome nodded.
“I’m not much of a fighter, so I explained to Sloane that we would need to make a pit stop and collect an Arcane Staff to help me be more useful.”
“So you went from thinking that you needed a weapon to help, to thinking that you needed one of the world’s most powerful items in one step?” asked Delvin.
“Exactly,” smiled Zeke, completely missing Delvin’s tone. “Now you’re getting it!”
“But isn’t Lord Kutarm after them?”
“Yeah, which is why this plan is even better! Not only will I get stronger, but it’ll weaken someone trying to take over the world. Pretty smart, eh?”
“If you’re too weak to get to the Lost Citadel, what makes you think actively going against someone that wields an Arcane Staff is the better option?”
Zeke blinked a few times as they walked in silence.
“You know… when you put it that way, this doesn’t sound like a very good idea after all…” mumbled the elf.
“The reason is that no one knows we are going after the Arcane Staff,” explained Sloane. “Zeke’s people know the whereabouts of the Fourth Staff, so we might be able to get to it before Kutarm learns it. You’d have to be crazy to go after an Arcane Staff, so he probably assumes he’s the only one searching for it.”
“Well, as long as you two know you're crazy I suppose…” mumbled Delvin.
“As I told you earlier, you don’t need to come with us,” said Sloane. “You can leave now if you’d like. All I ask is you don’t tell anyone our plans.”
Delvin was quiet as he thought it over. Sloane was fine with whatever decision he decided on. If anything, she kind of hoped he left. They could wait until they reached the next city to part ways if it was easier for the gnome.
“No,” he said, shaking his head. “I’m sticking with you two, regardless of where we’re going. A life debt is a life debt.”
“That’s very admirable,” nodded Sloane, smiling in spite of herself. While she wasn’t confident in his usefulness yet, she had to respect his dedication to them for saving his life.
“You’re really all about that, huh?” asked Zeke. “Are life debts big in gnomish culture?”
“Incredibly, yes,” Delvin nodded. “If someone owes a life debt and doesn’t repay it, they are considered to be a halfling in the eyes of other gnomes.”
“I take it that’s an insult?” asked Zeke.
“One of the worst,” shuddered Delvin.
The three continued their hike for another hour, Sloane keeping an eye on the sun as it descended further and further. She hoped she was right in guiding them towards this dwarven town. It couldn’t have been too far off now. It’d be nice to get to sleep in an inn. She hadn’t had that luxury in quite some time.
“Do you know anything about the Arcane Staves?” Zeke asked Delvin.
“Some,” nodded the gnome. “What would you like to know?”
“How about why Lord Kutarm needs them?” he asked, picking at his fingernails. “From what I’ve heard, the man was already a capable spell caster.”
“That’s my understand as well,” agreed Delvin. “However, the power of an Arcane Staff is far greater than any wizard has had in many generations, possibly ever.”
“Who created them?” asked Sloane.
“No one knows for sure,” explained Delvin. “Some say it was the gods. Others say the earlier races, back when everyone could wield magic. It had been said that even a teenager was stronger than the mighty Kalgura during that age.”
Zeke let out a whistle.
“There used to be quite a few of the Arcane Staves,” continued the gnome. “The world had completely lost three of them before any of us were born. It sounds like Lord Kutarm has one of the remaining ones, which just leaves the one Zeke knows about and one more.”
“Any idea where the third one could be?” asked Sloane.
“No one knows. Or at least, no one admits to knowing,” shrugged Delvin.
“Wouldn’t that one also count as being lost, then?” asked Zeke.
“For whatever reason, it isn’t cataloged that way. Smarter people than me have decided on the labels.”
“Do you know the kind of power the Fourth Staff wields?” asked Sloane. “They can all do different things, correct?”
“They can, although I’m not sure if there are any records explicitly stating the power of each one. If there are, I haven’t come across them.”
“So it’ll be a surprise,” smirked Zeke. “I’m fine with that.”
“Although it’d probably be nice to know what you’re getting your hands on,” pointed out Sloane. “For all we know, this one can only quicken tadpoles turning into frogs.”
The other two laughed.
“Hopefully it will be more powerful than that,” smiled Delvin.
“Yeah,” laughed Zeke. “Tadpoles turning into frogs… who’s ever heard of such a thing?”
Delvin and Sloane exchanged a look.
“You do realize-” began Delvin.
Sloane placed a hand on the gnome’s shoulder to stop him. It wasn’t worth it.
“Oh, I see lights up ahead!” exclaimed Zeke, picking up his pace.
Sloane looked up to see small fires burning along the top of a gated city. They had made it!
“I knew we were on the right path,” she smiled. “Gruvek isn’t far now!”
Zeke came to an abrupt stop.
“Um… what did you just say?” he asked, turning slowly towards her.
Delvin had also slowed and was watching her with eyes wide.
“The town up ahead,” she said, gesturing. “That’s Gruvek… the place we’re heading to for the night?”
Zeke covered his face with his hands and groaned loudly.
“Is something wrong?” asked Sloane. She had never heard of the city outside of it being a major one in this part of Linsuk, but didn’t think anything of it.
“W-What’s the matter with you?!” screamed Delvin. “Are you trying to get us killed!?”
Chapter 10
Zeke tapped his foot while Delvin walked back and forth in the inn’s lobby. The sun had risen an hour earlier, yet there was still no sign of Sloane.
“We agreed on meeting down here immediately after we woke up, right?” Zeke asked Delvin.
“Yes,” nodded the gnome, continuing to pace. “We also told her how bad of an idea this was, but she didn’t seem to care much about that, now did she?”
“She thinks she’s tougher than us just because she’s skilled with a bow,” mumbled Zeke. They’d see who the tough one was once he got ahold of an Arcane Staff. Even after he had it, he was confident he’d still prefer to skip a place like Gruvek whenever possible.
“I can’t believe she thought this was wise!” continued Delvin, working himself up. Zeke hadn’t seen the gnome so upset.
Zeke nodded, looking past the gnome to the unfriendly orc sitting behind a counter. This was the only place in the eastern lands that would have an orc as an innkeeper. Not that there was anything wrong with that! It was just… different.
The orc made eye contact with him and slowly raised an arm. Zeke took that to be the orc waving at him, so he brought his hand up and waved back. He guessed wrong. Instead, the orc brought his fingers to the side of his nose and shot a snot rocket into a small trash can on top of the counter.
Zeke quit waving.
As embarrassing as that was, this was on the lower end of the scale for things to go horribly wrong while in Gruvek. The town was technically dwarven, but they weren’t even a majority anymore. At some point over the past centuries, not-so-legal guilds decided that it made an ideal city to set up operations in. This brought in hundreds, if not thousands, of thieves, assassins, and worse. Zeke wasn’t exactly sure what was worse than those, but he also didn’t plan on finding out.
The three of them made into town safely enough the night before, but he attributed that more to luck than anything else. The guards at the gate let them pass without so much as a second look. Zeke had no idea why the town bothered with guards, as he was sure nearly everyone could handle themselves if it was required of them. While night in most towns would mean fewer people in the streets, the opposite was true in Gruvek. Night was when the real business went down, and everyone wanted to be a part of it.
Everyone but Zeke and his friends.
They hurried into the first inn they could find, which happened to be this one. The rotted, bloodstained wood was not exactly inviting, but it would work. Zeke and Delvin decided to share a room together, insisting that it wasn’t wise for the three of them to separate from one another while they were in town. Sloane laughed when Zeke recommended she stay with them, saying she’d rather take her chances with an assassin hiding under her bed.
He didn’t understand why she was so against it. Even if one of them were to have made a pass on the human, she easily could’ve murdered both of them at once. Plus, they would’ve saved a good chunk of coin, since the cost per room was a complete ripoff. Zeke suspected many visitors used the same plan of finding the first available in when they came to town, and the owners of the inn took advantage. For whatever reason, Sloane paid for a second room.
“W-What about what she said before she went to her room last night?” asked Delvin, fluctuating from angry back to his usual paranoid.
“What do you mean?” asked Zeke.
“Do you think she lost a fight to an assassin hiding under her bed?”
Zeke almost laughed, but then stopped. If such a thing were to happen, it would’ve happened here. She really should’ve been down here by now. Should he go and check on her? What if the assassin was still in there?
Before he could have a full-on panic attack, Sloane came down the rotting steps.
“You beat the assassin!” said Zeke, sighing with relief.
“Huh?” she asked. “What assassin?”
“The… never mind,” he said, shaking his head. “What took so long?”
“It’s not every night that you get to sleep in a comfortable bed,” she shrugged. “I decided to get as much rest as I could before we end up in Nurem. You two weren’t worried about me, were you?”
“This is not a safe town,” insisted Zeke.
“I get Delvin saying that, but I don’t know why you’re so worried,” said Sloane. “I figured you’d feel right at home in a place like this.”
“Why would Zeke feel comfortable in a town with thieves and murderers?” asked Delvin.
Sloane raised an eyebrow at Zeke. “You didn’t tell him yet?”
“Tell him what?” he asked, genuinely confused.
“You know… your secret?”
Zeke stared blankly back.
“The thing no one knows about?” she added. “The whole… thief, thing?”
“Ooh…” nodded Zeke. He had almost forgotten about that. “Yeah, I’m The Elf Thief, by the way.”
Delvin gasped and took a step back.
“I can sign an autograph some other time,” mumbled Zeke.
“You must thrive in these towns,” said Sloane.
“Nah, I prefer to work alone,” he said slowly. “Coming into town with others just draws attention. When I’m by myself, I don’t mind places like these too often.
“So cool!” whispered Delvin, shaking with excitement.
“Are we ready to go, or does everyone want to keep talking about secret identities with others watching us?” asked Zeke.
“No one is watching us,” laughed Sloane. “What are you talking about?”
Zeke gestured towards the innkeeper at the counter. Sloane glanced over at the orc, who wiggled his eyebrows up and down at her as she did.
“Okay, we’re done here,” she sighed, heading for the door. “Let’s get going.”
Zeke and Delvin follow
ed her outside and onto the main street. The roads were less busy now, but the demographics didn’t seem any friendlier. Everyone seemed to have their hoods up or were otherwise hiding their faces. Hands were dug into pockets, while some were blatantly holding daggers by their sides. Even the few street merchants looked more like warriors than like salespeople.
Sloane continued down the street as if she didn’t notice any of these things.
“W-What are you doing?” asked Zeke, tentatively following her while continuing to watch everyone that got near him.
“Leaving town,” she shrugged. “Isn’t that the plan? Leave town and head to Nurem?”
“Well, yes, but I figured we’d go back out the way we came in,” he mumbled
“Why?”
“It gets us out pretty quickly, and then we can just walk around the outside of the walls to get to the other side,” said Delvin.
“Exactly,” nodded Zeke.
“That’ll take so much longer!” exclaimed Sloane. “This road cuts right through town. Quit being such babies and just stay close.”
Zeke and Delvin exchanged worried looks but continued to follow her. If they left her and she died, they’d have felt horrible. Zeke figured it was better to just die with her and get it over with.
They continued through town, each of them keeping an eye out. After twenty minutes or so, Zeke started to notice that everyone was staring at them as they passed. He continued to glance behind him, but no one in particular seemed to be following.
“Why is everyone staring at us?” whispered Delvin.
“It’s Zeke,” replied Sloane.
“Hey, not everything is my fault,” said Zeke defensively.
“It’s not your fault, it’s just that you’re the only elf in town.”
Zeke looked around again. He hadn’t really thought about it, but she was right. They had passed by humans, orcs, goblins, gnomes… pretty much every race he could imagine except for elves.
“I guess I hadn’t noticed,” he mumbled.
“It looks like those guys have!” squealed Delvin, pointing ahead of them.
A group of five humans approached them, fanning out and forming a circle around them.
