Fallen Stars
Mystery Twenty-Five
Stephano, The Dark City!
They walk into the city.
Draco: This place doesn’t have a sign before the entrance.
Vega: Yeah, it’s the only one so far.
Wrath with an eerie feeling.
Wrath: This place… it’s so dark. Draco, light it up.
As Draco starts to move his hand.
Vega: No.
Vega stops Draco, with a serious look.
Vega: What if it alerts the enemies in here that we’re coming?
Wrath: Even if they do come, we’ll just beat them.
Vega: Right, like how we did Hamal and his group?
Wrath: ...
Draco: He’s right. We just go in and look around before we draw attention to ourselves. First, we need to find a place to stay.
Walking on the back streets they see a few broken-down brown houses.
Draco: Let's go in there for now.
Vega and Wrath: Alright.
They walk into a house, the door is hanging off the hinge.
Wrath: This is the front room?
Dust flies all around. Draco waves his hand in front of his face, fanning away the dust.
Draco: Check to make sure no one is here.
Vega goes through the back rooms, sword in hand.
Vega: It’s clear back here.
Wrath: No one on this side.
Draco is in the front room.
Draco: Good. We’ll make this our base.
Wrath raises an eyebrow.
Wrath: This dusty place?
Draco: Yep. I looked outside. No one is around here, plus we don’t have to pay to stay here. So you don’t have to kill any cashiers.
Wrath (mad): Are you still stuck on that?!
Draco laughing it off sits down on the dusty couch. Vega walks in, putting his sword back in its sheath.
Vega: It’s a good location. It has three bedrooms too.
Draco: Let’s call rooms, whichever you guys don’t want, I’ll take.
Wrath: Let me go look.
After two minutes of looking.
Wrath: I got back left.
Vega: I have right then.
Draco: Then I have the middle one. Our animals will stay here to protect our stuff.
Draco and Wrath put their bags in their respective rooms. Enma makes ominous sounds and Zeus jumps around. Apocalypse flying in a circle. Draco has happiness on his face.
Draco: Time to explore!
Vega: (Enma, stay safe.)
Enma: (You too.)
Draco forces the door to cover up the entrance. Draco has his sword on his back, Vega carries his sword under his cloak, with his calm demeanor, and Wrath walks beside them.
Vega: Stay low. Don’t cause a problem.
Draco: Right.
Vega: I’m talking to you, Wrath.
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Wrath quickly reacts.
Wrath: Why me?! The fuck...
They walk the main street and see a water fountain in the center. Not a soul is around.
Draco: This place is empty too?
They see something green run by.
Wrath: The hell was that?
They hear noise ruffling behind them.
Vega: Stay alert.
Vega puts his hand on his sword.
A small green creature slowly walks out...
???: My name is Wellington. I am this side of Stephano, Dust Village’s Elder.
Draco: You’re... a Goblin?
Draco is semi-surprised.
Wellington: Yes, I am.
Wellington stands three feet tall with a long beard and dirty clothes, with a short stick to walk with.
**Wellington**
City: Stephano
Dust Village’s Elder
Race: Goblin
Wrath: Are you that surprised? We just saw a demon a few days ago.
Draco: Not surprised… We’ve seen more than this.
Vega: (....)
Wrath: Let’s hear the old head out.
Wellington: Well, I wanted to ask. Could you assist us in taking out the Army here?
Vega touches his sword, a harsh atmosphere comes around him.
Vega: The Army is here?!
Wellington: Yes, a whole company.
Draco: A company? They said a company was protecting Leda, but we didn’t see anyone.
Wrath: Maybe they were here the whole time, and she was bluffing.
Vega: Hmm. It’s good to stay safe on this. Where are they?
Wellington: In the center point of Stephano, the town is called Ash.
Vega: A company, huh? Are there other goblins to help out?
Wellington: Yes. Come out!
Thirty green shadows dash in, kneeling in front of Draco, Vega, and Wrath.
Vega looks around.
Vega: This much, huh? Does anyone have a cosmic path?
Wellington: Cosmic Path? We don’t know what that is. We goblins do have a special trait. We’re Fast Climbers! All of us, including old me. Every race here has a special trait.
Vega holds his hand to his mouth, and his eyes give off a decisive look like he’s planning something.
Vega: Hmm.
Draco: Got a plan already, Vega?
Vega: I need to ask a few more things. Is this whole city race made of Goblins?
Wellington: Each village has a different race. There are five in total. The West has Hobgoblins, in the Village: Charcoal. North has Trolls, in the Village: Powder. Northeast has Trows, in the Village: Scoot. The Southeast has Knockers, in the Village: Slag. Then, finally, us in the South, in Dust.
Wrath gives off a weird expression, thinking to himself.
Wrath: (Why is every name related to dirt…)
Draco: (Trolls, huh.)
Vega: Any Army in those villages?
Wellington: No, we came to an agreement. If we sell off some of our people, they won’t interfere with our Villages.
All three of them quickly react.
Vega: ….
Draco smiles about it.
Draco: Ay, it had to be done.
Wrath: Yeah, we’ll help take them out.
Vega: You're just going to speak for all of us?
Wrath: Another win-win situation. We take out the army helping them, and taking them out helps your goal, Vega.
Vega: Hmm. It does.
Draco put his arm over Vega’s shoulders.
Draco: We were going to do this anyway. I don’t know why you’re acting like this.
Vega slightly pushes his arm off of him, irritated a bit.
Vega: We still have to think about this. It'll be easier if we can get the other villages to team up with us.
A goblin stands up, showing anger in his eyes.
Salisbury: Father! We cannot join the Hobgoblins!
Wellington tries to calm down his son.
Wellington: Listen, it might be time to put petty differences aside.
Salisbury: No! Father!
Wrath raises an eyebrow.
Wrath: Is there a problem here?
Wellington: No, we’re fine. Someone calm my son down. You three, let us go to my house.
Walking to Wellington’s house. Wrath whispers to Draco.
Wrath: Can we trust them?
Draco: What are three-foot goblins gonna do to us? Haha.
Vega: I’m ready, just on case.
Draco: *sighs* In case*?
Vega: Hmmm. Nah.
They get to Wellington’s House.
Wellington: Make yourselves at home.
Two goblins bring in a table, with a map. Wellington spreads the map out. They all sit around the table.
Wellington: This is the layout of Stephano.
(Rough Layout)
https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/711916857765920812/767213103002812426/Stephano.png
Vega: Hmm. And all of the Army is in Ash.
Wellington: Right. They also have an advantage.
Vega: What kind?
Wellington: Ash rises above all of the villages, so they have an overview of the city. Their main base is on Dirt Hill.
Wrath: OK!
Wrath stands up. Wellington is confused.
Wellington: Hm?
With anger in his tone, and a very serious face.
Wrath: Is everything in this bitch named after dirt!
Wellington: What…?
Draco tugs Wrath back into his seat.
Draco: Ignore him.
Vega thought to himself.
Vega: If we can get all of the races, we can do this. Which village is the easiest to talk to?
Wellington: I would say, Trows or the Knockers. We have an ongoing problem with the Hobgoblins, they are very hostile.
Draco: Oh, that’s why your son said don’t team up with them.
Wellington: Yes, bu-
Draco interrupts Wellington.
Draco: Don’t worry about it. We’re going to recruit them. They should care about the greater good.
Draco stands up.
Draco: Wrath, you got the Hobgoblins. Vega, you got the Knockers. I’ll try to get the Trolls and Trows.
Wrath: Why do I have the most aggressive people?
Draco: Wanna switch?
Wrath: Nope.
Draco: Haha. I knew you wanted to go there.
Wrath and Vega stand up, about to walk out.
Wellington: (There’s something about them. They can get us together.)
Walking outside.
Vega: So.. you think we can trust them?
Wrath: Why would they give us the layout of the city, and all the people in its locations if they didn’t trust us?
Draco looked around at the broken-down houses and cracked sidewalks. With a merry expression.
Draco: Wanna “claim” this place?
Wrath and Vega: No.
Both of them sound the same, same expressionless face. Draco laughed.
Draco: Yea, it’s too worn down, but we could build it back up.
Vega: After we take out the Army. What are we doing?
Draco (smiles): Let’s take all the gold they have. Hahaha.
Wrath (grins): Robbing this place blind. Yahaha. Well, I’m heading West.
Vega: Going east.
The three of them stand side by side.
[Wrath] [Draco] [Vega]
Draco: No one gets caught. You know the “rules”. And let’s get an Army to fight the Army!
Wrath: Right!
Vega: Mhm. Let me know the race's special traits.
Wrath: Alright.
Draco: Let’s see if we can recruit them within a week, we still have a tournament to win. After getting them on our side, meet at the base.
They nod in agreement, Vega heads East, Draco, and Wrath head West.
[To Find Help,
Against The Army!]
Mystery 25 Fin