As the carriage rumbled over the ancient limestone bridges, Elyza’s gaze swept over the tranquil river flowing beneath, its surface shimmering in the soft light of dawn. “This is not the fastest way to the border,” she stated, turning to Alex sitting next to her.
They had left Rexham a day before, travelling with a farmer who was heading to his village, currently napping in the wagon. The sound of the wheels rolling over stone, their clack, melded beautifully with the roar, bloop, splash that flowing water made, creating music that Alex was busy enjoying, till his partner caught onto his antics.
He shifted in his seat, meeting her gaze with a sheepish grin. “About that,” he began, rescinding his legs, his posture straightening up, as he continued, “I have a personal request that I need to take care of, and since we were already heading this way, I may have guided us a bit askew.”
He stared at her stoic face, trying to decipher what she was thinking. Thankfully, her ears drooped as her eyes narrowed, and she asked, “Would we still be able to reach the border within two days?”
“Definitely.”
“We are already a day ahead according to my schedule, so there is no reason why we can not stop and complete your request,” Elyza acknowledged, her ears returning to their usual slant as her eyes scanned the treeline, much more vigilant than the day before. “What has been asked for you?” She prodded, and Alex could only sigh as he replied.
“One of my friends, eh, more of an acquaintance, has dropped off the map in the town that’s coming up,” he began, his expression one of concern. “She’s a reporter, works closely with the House, though we met unofficially through her food column in the Luminae Express, has a habit of disappearing for weeks at a time.”
Elyza thought for a moment before adding to her question, “Is this going to be troublesome?”
He shrugged, running a hand through his hair, answering after a bit, “There’s a highly acclaimed restaurant that was set up a short while back in the town, and I suspect that she’s gone and done the thing again, got herself caught up in the excitement again, probably gorging herself. But there’s been rumours as well surrounding the town, so I’m a bit cautious.”
“Rumours?” Elyza’s ears shot upwards, her interest piqued.
“People have a… tendency to drop off the face of the earth there, or that’s what others say, and even though I’m wary of rumours, I can’t disregard them entirely, considering I’ve been part of multiple of them and I know the truth they hide,” Alex summarised, leaning his head against the canvas sheets of the wagon, staring at the blue sky stretching endlessly above.
“What is the town called?”
“Rameys… I think, I might be mangling it a bit. It’s a logging town, though a lot of traffic has been flowing through it in the past year, so it may be a bit more aesthetically pleasing than the surrounding towns.”
“Do we…” Elyza began, her lips pursing, her ears perked upwards, full of hope, “get the opportunity to partake in some culinary delights of said restaurants.”
“Oh, I’m disappointed you even had to ask,” he joked, grinning as he closed his eyes, wanting to get some rest while he could, and his partner understood the feeling.
The paved road curved and bent beside the river as the caravan travelled along it, opposing the flow of the river, as they travelled on the edge of the trees. There were fewer interruptions in this leg of the journey than they encountered the day before; A fallen tree that Elyza lifted without even stopping the wagon; a goblin hunting party which Alex quickly scared off with a few thunderclaps; and a lost wolf pup that they both travelled with till its pack arrived.
As the horses kept trotting along the path, Elyza’s vigilance waned as the tranquillity of the surroundings seeped into her senses, even more so when Alex took the reins. The last time she had travelled through this part of Luminae, she had hid herself from the world, her mind still riddled with doubts about the strange assassin’s reason for helping her, and whether the death of the Earl would give her peace.
Luminae was full of forests, but each varied enormously than the others, and as they had crossed the bridge, gone were the sea of white birch that surrounded the vicinity of Rexham. The ground had become much more rugged, shrubs becoming much more prevalent along the path, being dwarfed by the spruce, pine, and cedar giants that loomed behind them. The air carried a medicinal scent, reminiscent of the potions Alex often made her drink, and the usual jostling of leaves she was used to was absent as the wind struggled to push against the colder air.
The river, along with the cobblestone path they travelled upon, was what reminded her that they were travelling through mapped land. Boats floated down the stream, either trailing a raft made of the fallen trunks of the same trees that towered beside the caravan, or full of travellers singing songs as they sailed past the lone wagon. Almost as clear as the Fabru, the rocks formed a gradient of red and yellow at the bed, the blue hued fish darting between the viridescent stems and the white roots of the vegetation in the river, creating the illusion of a living, breathing rainbow.
Elyza was glad that she had ignored this view when she last traversed with her partner, because now she was able to fully appreciate her surroundings. The experience was heightened by the savoury taste of smoked jerky, a simple pleasure that complemented the rolling motion of the wagon along the winding path.
As they had crossed the bridge earlier, the sun had hung low in the sky, casting a warm glow over the faded mountains in the distance. But now, as they neared the end of their travel up the river road, veering off of the path, the sun had shifted behind them, its rays filtered through the clouds that attempted to obscure its brilliance.
Elyza had succumbed to a moment of fatigue, dozing off beside Alex, a fatal mistake. He held his hands near his partner’s head and commanded lightning to jump in between them, creating a thunderclap that, though significantly less deafening than his full power, was loud enough.
She sprang into action, her halberd materialising in her hand before she fully registered the situation, before she quickly noticed Alex failing to stifle his grin as he worked to keep the horses calm. She responded by punching his arm with as much force she knew would cause as much pain as possible without hurting him.
Alex rubbed his biceps, feeling like someone had thrown an iron sphere weighing a kilogram into it, unable to hide his grin as he adopted a faux tone of offence, accompanied by the worst posh accent he could muster, “How dare you, harming another when all he did was follow social convention and awaken you before we reached our destination.”
Rubbing the weariness from her eyes, Elyza stretched her arms above her head, inquiring, though her voice was slightly muffled by the yawn that escaped her. “How much is left to travel?”
“According to that,” Alex began, pointing to a redwood sign that stood arching above the cobblestone road with a ‘1 kilometre’ carved next to inscriptions in bright green of ‘The City of Rameys’ in a variety of languages spoken around the area. “…around five or so minutes, so if you could wake up our benefactor from his extended nap, that would be wonderful.” he ended while presenting his most amicable smile.
With a resigned sigh, she stood up as they passed under the sign, moving the canvas hood to the side as she ducked into the wagon. The interior greeted her with stacks of crates, some appearing ordinary while others were reinforced with steel sheets at the edges, etched with freezing runes. The metal surrounded walnut planks, which carried glyphs that were carved into the wood, meant to make them heat-resistant.
In between the columns of boxes was a dwarf cosily laying on a pair of crates, wrapped in a plaid blanket, his dirty blonde hair hanging like vines off of his hanging head. As soon as Elyza poked her head through the cloth barrier, the sound of the farmer's snores grated annoyingly against her ears, but surprisingly the wagon still held the aroma of lavender she had noticed in the morning.
She shook the crate beneath his head, but received no response. Undeterred, she then shook his shoulder, only to be met with an even louder snore as he turned in his sleep. Out of options and not wanting to slap him awake, Elyza rummaged through her pouch of daggers, searching for something that shouldn't be there.
Elyza's fingers closed around a small cylinder of paper, and without bothering to check its contents, she snapped it in half and tossed it into the dwarf's beard, swiftly escaping from what was about to happen.
“I believe he has single-handedly reinforced the stereotype of dwarf sleeping habits in my mind,” Elyza remarked dryly, her voice tinged with amusement, as a sudden sneeze echoed from behind them, rattling the wagon to its core.
“Used a capsule by the sounds of it?” Alex responded, grinning as he had to calm the horses once again.
“What do you put in these?”
“Familial secret, I'm afraid.” A twinkle played in his eyes, but as they stared ahead, Elyza could swear that she saw a hint of reminisce.
The canvas sheets rustled as the dwarf poked his head through, his braided beard shimmering in the sunlight as it cascaded down to the seat. Despite just being awakened by some of the foulest smells imaginable, his voice was incredibly jolly as he greeted them, “Sorry friends, I guess I was much more tired than I thought. Is it my turn to drive?”
“No need, friend, We’re about to reach the town in a minute,” Alex replied, matching the dwarf's cheeriness without a hint of mockery.
The dwarf's expression shifted from relief to horror. “Oh, damn the worms! I’m so sorry, I didn’t think I’d slept for that long.”
“Don't worry about it,” Alex reassured him, the edges of his mouth tugging upwards as he continued, “I kind of feel sorry for you.” He let his words fester in the air for fun, before confessing, “we got to pet wolves while you were snoring.”
The dwarf's hearty laughter filled the air, echoing through the wagon. “A shame indeed, I’ll sort out the wares back there before we come to a stop,” he remarked before retreating back into the wagon.
As the carriage drew nearer to the town of Rameys, they were greeted by a grand spectacle: two towering gates stretching skyward, their gilded frames gleaming in the sunlight, vying for attention amidst the surrounding wilderness. The gates stood wide open, a field of wisteria embedded into the metal, showcasing the steel beneath, inviting travellers with an air of grandeur.
Flanking the entrance were walls, half the size of the gates but still quite imposing. Constructed from grey granite bricks polished to a sheen akin to freshly brushed silver. The structure almost acted as welcoming arms, encouraging travellers to enter and enjoy the city, to see what treasures could be found within. But the lack of any sort of blemishes, at least as far as what could be observed as they approached them, proclaimed the structure’s relative infancy.
The quiet rustling of the leaves, the melodic chirping of the birds, the hurried rummaging of the critters, even the whistling of the wind all became hushed with each second that passed, the bustle of the town slowly starting to overtake them. But Alex could smell the crowd before he could see or hear it, well, he was technically smelling the aromas of the food stalls that had been set up.
Emerging into the heart of the town, the wagon was engulfed by swarms of people milling about the main road, weaving their way between the classical buildings that lined the thoroughfare. While the exterior of many establishments bore a rustic charm, constructed from wooden planks or entire logs, mainly spruce and pine, one building stood out amidst the quaint architecture. It stood out in the centre of the duo’s view, and smack-dab in the middle of the town, where the main street split into two.
Nestled in the centre of the bustling street, where the main thoroughfare split into two diverging paths—one bordering the river and the other leading deeper into the wilderness— stood proud in between the crevice was a building, which seemed to be plucked straight out of the ancient district of the Pharus. Marble columns flanked its glass door, standing tall and proud, supporting an overhang crafted from a combination of stark white marble and rich, dark oak fittings, lending the building a sense of regal grandeur.
“That must be the restaurant.” Elyza noted, adjusting her mask—a new addition to her equipment, gifted to her by Red.
The onyx cloth fit snugly over the bridge of her nose, falling onto her cheeks, hugging her face as it crawled back towards her shoulder. It had been formally crafted to mimic the illusion spells Alex could cast over his own features, muddling his face’s contours, shifting it slightly with each movement. As soon as she breathed into the mask, the magic that the daemon had woven into it awakened, glowing a deep dark purple, the glow evolving into umbra, sapping Elyza’s mana ever so slightly, like a drop in a lake.
“Reminds me of home.” Alex mused, flicking up his hood, surprising his companion with a nugget of his past, before he continued with a grin, “Though, I would like to meet whoever decided this would be a good area for that type of architecture. It sticks out like a stinkhorn in a row of daisies.”
Elyza let loose a chuckle, caught off guard, remarking under her breath, her tone laced with amusement, “Does it now?”
Alex didn’t offer a response, simply flashing her a smile as he shouted back into the wagon, “Where would you like me to stop?”
The dwarf's voice echoed from within the wagon, accompanied by the sounds of shifting boxes. “There’s an alchemist down the river street, an old friend, has a potion shop set up, only one in the city, you can stop by there…” Suddenly, the dwarf's head popped out from behind the canvas divider, holding the paper cylinder in his hand. “Could I ask how you came across this?”
“Made it, and I’m not in the position to disclose its recipe.” he replied swiftly, flicking the reins to induce a reaction from the horses, scaring away a path for the wagon.
They soon arrived at the lone alchemist's shop, distinguished by a sign carved to resemble a flask hanging in front, proudly advertising the potions it sold. As the wagon slowed to a stop, the horses neighed impatiently, their hooves pawing at the newly cemented road. Stepping off the driver's seat in unison, Alex and Elyza made their way back toward the wagon, whose ramp had already been dropped.
“Need any help?” Alex offered as the dwarf jumped down from the wagon.
“No, no, you’ve both been too much of a help already,” the dwarf waved off their offer, gratitude evident in his tone. “In fact, I know my payment was supposed to be the journey, but here,” He added, handing him a pair of intricately carved glass bottles, the size of a pinky, with shimmering pink liquid floating within it.
“What are these?” Elyza inquired, curiosity piqued as she swiped one of the potions from her friend’s hands, holding it up against the sunlight.
“My wife and me call them ‘Make up Potions’ though they’re more akin to truth potions in a way. They help develop a special connection between those who drink the pair, allowing you and your spouse to communicate more openly,” He revealed as he pulled out another flask, and downed its contents.
In an instant, his arms bulged up to twice their size, turning a light shade of maroon. Panic filled his eyes as he blurted out, “Not that I noticed anything wrong with your relationship, I’m sure your wife and you are extremely communicative.”
Alex chuckled, clarifying, “We’re not in a romantic relationship; we’re partners-in-crime. We just implied the contrary in Rexham so that nobody would question the nature of our travel.”
“Oh… would you like me to give you some strengthening potions then?” The dwarf offered, effortlessly lifting a stack of crates.
“No need, this interests me,” Elyza mumbled out, storing the potion in one of her various pouches, adding as she gestured toward her partner, “Besides, this one turns weird whenever he uses any spell regarding the physical body, so it is for the best.”
“What’s in these crates anyway?” her partner asked, tracing the groves of the carved-in glyphs of the strange wooden boxes.
“Oh, they’re something my wife and I invented, some just contain some potions to sell for coin,” The dwarf answered, plopping another tower of crates next to him, “I was hoping to get the new restaurant, Marrow, I think, to invest in them.”
“And what do they do?” Alex replied with another question, peering into the empty crate, seeing nothing outside the ordinary within it.
“It extends the life and freshness of meats and fresh vegetables, which would lead to increasing usability and preventing additional food wastage, meaning more profits. The device does this by using freezing and heat magic to trap cold air inside, and due to this fact, you could also easily modify it to trap humidity, or remove it entirely. And, may I just add, it barely uses any mana once you attach a crystal to it, only having to be refilled every month or so.” He prattled out a rehearsed script, stopping on the ramp for a moment as he finished, looking at his new friends, about to apologise.
“Interesting,” Alex mumbled out loud, grinning as he read the glyphs, “A lot of scope for these things, if you want to fish for some investment in the future, come see me in the Capital, I’m already willing to buy them but try and… loosen up before you pitch it.” He advised, eliciting a chuckle from the dwarf.
Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.
“Will keep that in mind, boyo. Well then, guess it’s time for goodbyes now.”
“I prefer a quick and semi-dramatic exit,” He remarked, yanking Elyza towards him as shadows erupted around them, whisking them through the realm of darkness and depositing them back at the gilded gates of the city.
“Really?” Elyza quipped, her eyebrows arching as he dropped her arm.
“Drop your brow and raise those pointers, Ears,” Alex teased, setting off on foot. “We’ll be stopping by the guild house and check whether Mon was here on official business or not.”
His partner quickly caught up to him, falling into step beside him as they navigated through the bustling streets. The air was alive with chatter, the sounds bouncing off the buildings as throngs of people moved about, seemingly floating on cloud nine.
The tantalising aroma of the frying fish and melting cheese could barely overpower the salty smell of the sweat lingering in the air. As the duo pushed their way through the crowd, most of which seemed to be tourists, moving like a group of sardines, they aimed for the building with the least amount of people surrounding it.
The guild stood as the only other establishment in the city not primarily constructed from wood. Its redwood walls were buttressed by sturdy brick arches, rising proudly two storeys tall with frosted windows. Each guild across the country boasted its own unique architectural style, designed to blend seamlessly into its surroundings and inspire trust among the public. However, despite these variations, all guilds were required to adhere to one crucial standard.
Above the entrance of the building was an insignia filled by metal which adorned a circular piece of peltogyne — within the purple wood displayed a scutum placed over a longsword. The shield bore the royal emblem of Luminae etched into its smooth metal surface, crafted in the likeness of overlapping ocean waves triumphantly overpowering a towering mountain, a symbol of the old resistance that overthrew their overlords.
Stepping into the guild, the room seemed desolate compared to the bustling streets outside. Only a couple of dozen people occupied the space, most of them adventurers clad in armour and bearing weapons that looked as if they were on the verge of rusting away. Some looked like they wanted to be there, and none looked at the two new additions to their small club.
Alex swept his gaze across the room, scanning for anything that interested him, only to lock eyes with a guild hand who was staring at them with an almost exaggerated cheerfulness, something only new hires could manage. Elyza strode ahead, leading the way to the girl’s desk, as her partner hurried to catch up beside her.
“Hello…” she began, offering the kindest smile she could manage.
“We’re looking for someone who hails from the capital,” Alex interjected, sliding on his heels as he leaned over the desk. “She goes by Mon, has dyed blue hair, the biggest glasses you’ve ever seen, around my height, and… oh, she’s a lamia.”
“Forgot to mention that, did you?” his partner remarked with a chuckle playing at her lips, which Alex just waved aside as he focused on the guild hand before him.
The guild hand’s ears drooped down, folding onto themselves as they fell flat against her straight grey hair, their fluffiness contrasting with the shimmering strands. Her wide smile seemed to shrink, the edges of her mouth faltering briefly before she quickly replaced it with a forced curve. Despite her efforts to maintain her cheeriness, her facial muscles betrayed her struggle, her nose twitching, her eyebrows rising, and her jaw tensing up in unison.
“Uh, yes, I do recall seeing someone of that description passing through the guild some days ago,” The Great Lepori answered, her words structured in a way that the two were deeply aware of — replying while giving the least amount of information possible.
“She didn’t try to eat you, did she? I told her that she couldn’t do that any more,” Alex joked, causing a crack to appear in the girl’s armour, eliciting a scoff.
She quickly regained her composure, replying, “It did not appear that she did.” Pausing for a moment, her mouth remained open as her eyes betrayed her struggle with what to say next. “I did tell her of the varieties of activities one could participate in Rameys, which includes swimming with our marine neighbours in the Zonama, exhilarating river rafting, foraging in the woods, carpeting lessons…” She stopped for a moment, “a-and of course enjoying the unique mix of cuisines available in the cities.”
Alex couldn’t shake the feeling that her words sounded too practised, too inviting, reminiscent of what guides often recited to uninformed tourists. Nevertheless, his suspicion didn’t appear on the surface, calmly noting, “So she wasn’t here on business?”
“I-I beg your pardon?” The guild hand stammered, clearly caught off guard by the question.
“Ah, I apologise,” Alex quickly interjected, reaching for a hidden pendant hanging from his neck. He presented the platinum-stamped oval to the receptionist, placing it gently on the desk. “I’m from the Pharus as well, sent here by the Guild to… check up on her as in… make sure she isn’t in another coma.”
Elyza was curious to see what was written on the pendant, a feeling that became even stronger as the girl picked up the pendant and her eyes went as wide as plates. The guild hand shot a nervous glance behind her, her shoulders tense with apprehension. It was clear she was silently pleading for someone to intervene.
But regardless, she turned around, her fake smile a useless veneer for the fear her eyes conveyed. However, Alex could see the fear wasn’t for herself, she was afraid for others. “I’m sure she’ll pop out somewhere,” he added, holding his hand out so she could return the pendant.
The girl’s cheeriness morphed to relief, returning his proof of position within the guild, and he continued, “And it’ll give us an excuse to fuck around a bit while we find her,” He remarked, grinning mischievously as he tied the pendant around his neck once again, concealing it beneath his shirt. He turned towards his partner, “You’re hungry, aren’t you Ears?”
Elyza knew that he knew that there was still something the girl knew that could still help them, but she still followed his lead, “I would be open for a late lunch, and I am curious about the new restaurant.”
“Wait -” The receptionist interjected, and Elyza could see the conflict within her. “I mean… I would recommend going to the restaurant after you’ve explored the rest of the city.”
“If you recommend it, then we have to. Thank you for your help,” Alex remarked, bowing slightly as he left, his partner following behind.
As the doors of the building slammed shut, she stated, “Something felt strange about her behaviour, she’s hiding something big.”
He let out a snicker, remarking, “We of all people are not the best to bring up that observation.”
Elyza sighed, unable to bring herself to do anything but agree, asking as she started walking towards the innards of the town, “Are we heading straight to the restaurant?”
Her partner paused for a moment, both in his place and his words, before answering, “We should probably scope out the city, see if there are some conveniently hidden entrance leading below, buy some trinkets for Red, and then go check out the eatery.”
“I do hope we get to at least try the food today.”
“No need to worry, if we don’t, I’ll make whatever you feel like having,” Alex promised, flashing a grin as he overtook her.
As the two navigated the streets of the town, purposefully avoiding its bustling centre, they ducked into every back alley, entered every shop, stopped at every stall, and investigated anything peculiar they came across as they made their way to the shores of the river Zonama. Yet, their efforts were in vain. They tore through every loose brick, every hidden door, and even peeked into the sewers, but aside from a few hidden caches and secret clubhouses made by local children, nothing seemed out of the ordinary. Nothing ignited the duo’s imagination or set off their instincts.
But they still had half of Rameys left to scrutinise under their watchful eyes, and something strange was bound to occur after an hour or two of their relative peace. And it was waiting just around the corner.
“I need to ask you something,” Elyza remarked, pulling Alex close to her as she whispered into his ear, “Someone is following us, dark coat, hood like yours, a foot taller than me, seven o’clock towards the opposite side of the road.”
“Noticed them when we got the fried fish; may just be some tourists travelling the same route,” he replied, his voice unrestrained, knowing the roar of the crowd would sufficiently muddle their words.
“I noticed someone similar when we first entered the guild, so they may have been trailing us a good while before either of us noticed them,” she further added, adjusting her mask in preparation.
“If they’re that good at hiding their presence,” Alex mused, twirling a skewer stick between his fingers as he decided what to do next, “They must’ve made an enormous mistake, or desperation is starting to creep in.” The thought etched a grin onto his face, his mind conjuring up a plan that had seldom failed him.
Without warning his partner, he pushed her into a gully splitting the buildings beside them, and she responded immediately, summoning a gust of wind to kick up a cloud of dust as they vanished into the darkness of the alleyway. The entrance of the narrow winding street was quickly eclipsed by a tall, daunting figure, peering down the confining wooden slit running into an abyss, the sun rays refusing to even grace it with its presence.
Waving aside the dust, they began their pilgrimage to find their target, unmatched determination present with each step they took. A light glyph erupted in the air in front of their torso, giving them at least a semblance of what awaited ahead. There was nary a hint of hesitation in the figures’ movement, only a peculiar jerking motion as they navigated the alley, their hands tracing the logs that flanked them for guidance.
The light of the street behind them started to wane the further they delved into the narrowing alley, only the sound of rats scurrying between their feet keeping them company. Suddenly, from the abyss that waited ahead, emerged an elf, her face obscured by tendrils of chaotic shadows, her emerald green eyes reflecting the little light there was into spotlights that pierced through darkness to glare into their soul.
The figure heard something drop behind them, and they had to twist crookedly within the constrained space to gauge the threat to their rear. But the figure froze as soon as they saw a man leaning against the wall, his cloak similar to theirs, their eyes immediately drawn to his radiant white smile.
Alex pushed himself away from the wall, his grin unwavering as he addressed the figure before them, “Excuse me, but if I may just ask, what has brought you on this fine day to participate in the most rude sort of behaviour and stalk us?”
No response came from the figure, frozen in time as if caught in a trance. Undeterred, Alex continued, pulling out his dagger while his partner readied a pair of knives.
“Surely you could have approached us normally,” he began, flipping his prized dagger between his hands, his tone calm and curious. “Unless you’re holding some violent and idiotic tendencies at bay. But then the question changes, and I’m quite curious about it. Here is how it goes, if you knew who I truly am, then why think you stand a chance?”
From within the confines of the coats emerged a voice completely incongruous with their towering figure—a voice so high-pitched it would have sent dogs scampering with their tails tucked between their legs. “It is he! Told you he appear soon after friend, many smarts I have,” the figure rambled, as the torso of the coat shot forward before the head realised it.
Few things have ever confounded Alex till he was forced to stop and think about it, and this had rocketed to the top of his short list. The surprisingly familiar high-pitched voice infiltrated the depths of his memory, and there could’ve been no other explanation than what immediately popped up in his head. However, he had a dwindling window to confirm his suspicions, as Elyza shot forward towards the falling half of the coat.
“LOR—” was all the bottom half managed to cry out before Alex’s hands slammed onto her head, using it as a springboard to vault toward the upper half. If only for a heartbeat, he felt himself floating in the air, operating on pure instinct, realising his partner may not be able to stop herself before embedding a knife in his chest. Instantly, he twisted his body, his left hand grasping the upper half’s hood. His legs shot to the right wall, slamming his back into its opposite, and he stuck himself between the two, using his free hand as ballast as he yanked on the cloth, swinging the mass beneath them.
Yet, the momentum caused him to lurch forward, narrowly avoiding Elyza’s knife by a hair’s breadth. Fortunately, she reacted swiftly enough to halt its descent before it could embed itself into his diaphragm. She didn’t seem alarmed, or at all confused, as she glared at him hanging between the two walls through her calm green eyes.
“I gather you know these two?” She asked calmly, withdrawing her knives into her palms for the time being, assuming a composed stance as she gestured towards the two cloth-covered figures.
“It is likely that I do, though if wrong, at least I impressed everyone.” he spoke, grinning before his grip almost faltered, sliding down an inch, which reminded him of his position.
The mass of cloth hanging from his fingers slowly rotated, its voice much deeper than its lower half, yet even shakier, “Before talking, put me down O’great one?”
Elyza sighed as she helped the mass of cloth down, holding it under its, what seemed to be, shoulders. As she did, the hood fell, and it took her a second to understand what exactly she was helping.
“Why am I holding a goblin in my arms? And why do they seem to be capable of mostly eloquent speech?” She asked, staring at a creature half her size with skin tinted a greenish yellow, its ears twice the size of its skull, tied back behind his head, holding back its onyx coloured hair from drooping over his strangely smooth face. It lacked any gigantic warts, bruises, or disfigurements she was used to seeing based on the ones she had encountered before. Except for a small cut on his chin. Behind the cloak, she could see that it was wearing ‘normal’ clothes, instead of the lion cloths that goblins were usually associated with.
She stared into the goblin’s deep blue eyes, to gaze into the nature of fear that was starting to spread within him, an attempt to replicate what her partner could do, gaping into their conscience, at the very least to understand their base traits. Releasing the goblin, she turned to address her friend as he dropped to his feet, but before he could begin his explanation, he was tackled by the other one.
“LORD NEMO!” the goblin screamed, burying her face into Alex’s cloak as she tried to wrap her arms around him. The second goblin had a more yellowish-green tint to her skin, her platinum hair braided into a tail, her gigantic ears flapping freely, her face similar to the goblin Elyza held, except with olive freckles.
“Lord?” Elyza remarked, before Alex gestured to drop it, grinning as he shook the goblin off.
“BLARG! My favourite disciple,” he responded with a smile, though his expression shifted to one of concern. “What are you doing here?”
“Pilgrimage, drag you back,” Blarg smiled as she replied.
Suddenly, without warning, he switched to Elvish, “Ich erlaube Ihnen, normal zu sprechen, wenn Du möchten.” Elyza’s mind reflexively translated the words for her, ‘I allow you to speak normally, if you choose.’
Immediately, the broken tongue of the tiny goblin transformed into the most perfect Elvish Elyza had ever heard, surpassing even Alex’s proficiency. Blarg’s eyes narrowed as she asked, “What did you mean by ‘my favourite disciple’? Do you have other disciples?”
“You got me, I just say that to make the other Deities jealous,” he laughed it off, flicking a glance to his partner to keep quiet on the topic. “But, we’ve been through this, I visit the town once a year, so it better be underwater or floating in the air if you’re here,” he scolded, his tone resembling that of an elder reprimanding a younger sibling.
“Uh- I -”
“You missed me, didn’t you?”
“No, Lord Nemo, I just -” She was about to lie, her ears drooping downwards, when Alex’s stare compelled her to speak the truth, “I wanted to explore the world.”
Alex sighed, taking a moment to think before setting his verdict, Blarg waiting in anticipation. “I understand,” he spoke.
“You do?” She questioned, a mix of confusion and elation flowing across her face.
“Of course, I hate staying in place as much as you, but I appointed you, when you all forced me to against my will, as the chief of the village, so I expect you to be responsible, and not stalking me halfway around the world, with…” he explained, turning to the upper half and realising he didn’t know who he was, “Excuse me, I don’t recall you.”
The goblin froze for a second, shocked to hear Nemo speaking to him so casually, “It’s Yuki, my Lord.”
“Nice name,” Alex remarked, turning back to his disciple, “So you’re going to tell me what all you saw that was strange in this town, if you saw where my Lamia friend went, and then I’ll arrange for you to head home, and when I visit the village again, I’ll appoint someone else as the chief, alright?”
“Two questions, would I still be your disciple, and is she another disciple?” Blarg rambled out, pointing to Elyza, her finger trembling with either excitement or anger.
“I am not,” she answered the latter.
“And you’ll be my only disciple till I forget these memories.” her partner replied, grinning.
A wide smile spread across the goblin’s face, as she began, “We met someone called Monza in Pharus while we were looking for you my Lord, saw right through our disguise. She told us that the surest way to come across you would be to work with her, thought that she would need to be saved if things went wrong here.”
“Why?”
“She thought that people were getting abducted in the town, and Marrow was a front for the disappearances, apparently people were entering the building but not leaving. But no one from the town has reported anything officially, so she got roped in. After a week of noticing nothing unusual, she decided to finally enter the restaurant, telling us to stay put and send a notice back to the House, or the guild, or whatever you call it. That all happened a week ago, we’ve been waiting in hope that you would appear.”
Alex sighed, “Just like her, expecting me to be her guardian deity. C’mon here, Yuki, let’s get you two ready.” He took out a note, writing something on it before handing it to Blarg, just as the other goblin reached him.
“Give this to the green one,” he instructed, handing the note to Blarg, before placing his hands on their heads. Then, he nodded to Yuki, “And don’t let this one barf over the shop.”
Shadows erupted from beneath the goblins’ feet and from the crevices of Alex’s hands, wrapping around the green folk before they fell into the umbra, sucked into the dominion of darkness. Elyza approached her partner, whose eyes were still closed as he concentrated on making sure the dimension didn’t rip his guests apart. His eyes shot open, signalling the safe passage of the two, and as he tried to speak, he staggered into the elf’s arms.
“Two things,” he started, breathing heavily into her chest plate, “Their village considers me a god due to a variety of unforeseen events, and I’ll admit, that I was somewhat accountable for, and they won’t believe me when I say that I’m not, so I rolled with it.”
He pushed himself off of her, continuing, “I would not like to talk about it currently, and to buy your silence on the matter, I am ready to tell you my full name.” His eyes were starting to get bloodshot due to the strain of the spell, so Elyza asked the other question in her mind.
“So, you are not nobility?”
“Not really, and my full name is Alexander Whitlock.”
The surname struck a chord in her mind, but she couldn’t place where she had heard it before, so she instead muttered under breath, “But you do not have white hair?”
“I hadn’t noticed,” Alex grinned as he replied, his fatigue starting to become more bearable. “Could I interest you in some gorgeous food, under the threat we may get interrupted before we can fully enjoy it?” He asked, offering his hand.
“I hope we get dessert before we do,” Elyza replied, taking his hand and supporting him as they both walked out onto the street.