“What in the burning forest is going on!”
Jackie’s exclamation was a question, but it was spoken with such forcefulness that it felt like a curse. Tommy and Aaron were breathing hard, though Tommy was upright while Aaron stood with his hands on his knees. They surveyed their new location, and Tommy asked the question they both were thinking. “Where are we?”
“Oh, this place?” Jackie said. “This is an old, closed-up nightclub. Apparently, Jose, that gnome with the cursed hat, and his brothers were in a band. They would play here at night. What is that on your shoulder, Tommy?”
“Uh,” Tommy looked to his shoulder for a reminder of who he was carrying. “Oh, this is Tires. He’s a goblin who was helping us out.”
“What happened to him?”
The large elf lifted the unconscious green-skin bag of flesh from his shoulder. Tires’ head rolled to the side as his tongue lolled out. Tommy frowned as he looked at the goblin from arm’s length. “Yolo did a number on him. We’re going to need a healer.”
“We don’t have time for a healer,” Aaron interjected as he paced the room.
“Yeah.” Tommy put Tires back over his shoulder. “I know.”
“What do you mean we don’t have time for a healer?” Jackie asked. “What’s going on?”
“Yolo killed my boss, Jackie.” Tommy scanned the nightclub for places where he could put Tires. “He’s claiming the gang now and is coming after me.”
“He’s coming here?” Jackie’s eyes widened with concern.
“He’s got the reliquary and Castor.” Tommy walked to one of the rundown bars and looked at the cabinet sizes as he spoke. “The reliquary has a blood sample of every lieutenant, sergeant, and other leaders in the gang. Castor is a scry and a porter. So, Yolo has everything he needs to come after me and kill me.”
“Plus,” Aaron chimed in as he kicked some trash out of the way. “That ugly troll has taken a boost. Don’t know how long the boost will last, but he won’t want to wait and find out. He’ll want to kill while he’s still amped on the juice.”
“Why does he want to kill you?” Jackie asked, looking at Tommy.
“Because I’m a threat. Also, he knows I will kill him for killing the boss and the boss’s family.”
“Tommy!”
“I’m serious, Jackie.” The large elf opened a cabinet under the bar and studied its dimensions. “This is not something that you just let the wind carry away. You know this.”
“Still…” Jackie looked away from Tommy. “I don’t have to like it.”
“I don’t like it either.” Tommy knelt down and carefully fit Tires inside the large cabinet. Closing the door, he stood and examined the closed cabinet. “I hope he’ll be okay in there.”
“Where are Swift and the gnome?” Aaron asked.
“Right!” Jackie snapped out of her distant mood and focused on the dwarf. “Like I said, this is a place Jose used to perform with his brothers. He said the best place for him to be was here with them. I thought this was about as secure as anywhere else I’ve been, so we came here.”
Aaron paused and studied Jackie. “Hold on. So, you’re telling me you figured out what that gnome was saying, and you brought him here to be with his brothers. So the gnome’s brothers are here, too?”
“The gnome has a name, Aaron.” Jackie chastised. “And yes, Jose is behind the stage with his brothers right now.”
“And where’s Swift?”
“With Jose and his brothers.”
“Are you sure?”
Jackie raised a questioning eyebrow. “Uh, yeah. Why wouldn’t I be?”
Because that gnome is slicker than oil, Jackie.” Aaron quickly stomped up the stairs by the stage. “He escaped the Alpha Numeros gang. He nearly escaped that coven. Now that he’s got his brothers…”
“But that doesn’t make any sense,” Jackie retorted. “He’s not a prisoner. He doesn’t need to escape!”
Aaron did not respond but continued to march to the back of the stage.
Barging backstage without a preamble, Aaron found Swift lying unconscious amidst a gaggle of chairs. The gnome and his brothers were nowhere to be seen. “Fukalite!”
Aaron – Investigation skill 6 vs. Easy DT – SUCCESS
The dwarf was surprised at the easy difficulty target and quickly saw the gnomes made no effort to cover their tracks. Footprints highlighted their path down a hall, along with various other things the gnomes had disturbed in their escape. Aaron surmised the lack of cover and the mess they left behind must have been due to the hastiness of their escape. The dwarven investigator quickly strode past the unconscious Swift and followed the trail of the gnome and his two brothers.
The trail of footprints went down a hall, and Aaron could clearly see they went through several rooms on either side of the hall. He glanced in a couple of the rooms and deduced they were looking for something, though Aaron was unsure what that something was. Then, he heard muffled voices at the end of the hall. The hall ended with a barred emergency exit and one last room on the left side of the hall. If they were going to escape, removing the bar on that door might be their best option.
More noise and the door at the end of the hall began to open. Aaron rushed to the emergency exit, blocking the gnomes’ chance of escape. The first gnome to emerge from the room had a large, spiked mohawk with tattoos covering either side of his otherwise shaved head. He wore a dark leather jacket, spiked leather bracelets, and sported a pair of dark shades. He was carrying an electric guitar and talking with his brothers before he stopped to see Aaron standing in front of the emergency exit.
Puffed chest and crossed arms, Aaron gave the smaller gnome an imposing look. The gnome stood looking confused at Aaron, then waved and spoke to his brothers still in the room. The other brothers came out of the room. One also looked like someone from a punk rock band, though a little more subdued than the first brother. The third gnome was the one Aaron knew all too well by this point—the gnome with the cursed sombrero. As Aaron stood as a blockade to the gnomes’ escape, he tried to remember the cursed gnome’s name.
“Excuse me, Señor,” The more subdued gnome spoke with a thick accent. “Are you the dwarf who helped save my brother?”
The question caused Aaron to lower his guard and take a half step back. It was unexpected. Aaron did not reply immediately as he needed a moment to process the inquiry. “Did you say, ‘save your brother?’”
“Sí,” The subdued gnome smiled wide and pulled his cursed brother close, splashing tequila from the sombrero. “We have been looking for him for ages. Even started to think he might have been dead. But you… the rápido orc said you are an investigator. He said you found our brother!”
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“That’s, uh… That’s not exactly how it all happened.”
“It doesn’t matter how it happened, Señor. It only matters that it did happen. You found our brother. You saved him!”
Both Mohawk and Cursed brothers chimed in, though Aaron did not know what they were saying. His dominant stance faltered, and he stared at the trio of talking gnomes, unsure what to do. “Um, excuse me? Excuse me. I, uh, I can’t let you leave this place.”
“Leave?” The brother with the thick accent responded. “Where would we go? This is the only safe place we know. La mágica elf told us when you and your amigo returned, you would take us somewhere safe. We have been waiting for you.”
Aaron’s face fell into a frown. “Well, this is a lode of coprolite. Did the elf tell you anything else?”
“Qué?”
“Did she…” Aaron shook his head and rubbed his face. It was torture not having a drink in hand. “Nevermind. We need to find a safe place for you three. Come on.”
Walking back down the hall with the three gnomes in tow, Aaron’s mind raced through the multiple scenarios that were about to befall everyone in this club. Yolo was coming. Why he wasn’t here, Aaron could only guess. The dwarf had a couple theories. First, he guessed Yolo wanted to make this a spectacle to show he was the boss. If that was the case, gathering all the gang members for the show would take a moment. Second, Castor was not the best at what he did. It likely took time for the mage to work his magic. Between Castor’s ineptitude and Yolo’s desire to show off, Aaron was confident they had a few special minutes to prepare. He hoped that would be enough.
Exiting the hall, the dwarf saw Swift was still unconscious on the floor. Aaron thought of asking the gnomes if they knocked out the orc, which was his initial impression before meeting the gnomes, but decided against it. “How long has he been like this?”
The gnomes shrugged, and the lead brother spoke for the three. “He’s had one too many shots of tequila, enano. He needs to learn how to handle his liquor.”
It was ironic that Swift was the drunk, Aaron thought. He remembered Tommy had mentioned that Swift needed to drink tequila to find him. How many shots had the orc swallowed down for the day? Such cruel irony. “He’s had a rough day. Let’s catch up with the others.”
Aaron let the sleeping orc lie and walked around to the front of the stage. From the center of the stage, Aaron saw Tommy and Jackie moving about the nightclub, setting up chairs at odd angles, flipping tables onto their sides, and placing various piles of trash in different locations. They seemed to be strategizing as they discussed where the odd collections of things needed to go. The dwarf waved for Tommy’s attention. “What’s the plan?”
“It’s a plan like the ocean, with constant waves of change,” Tommy chuckled. “But it’s better than nothing.” The large elf pointed as he explained the stacks of chairs and piles of trash were located in their respective locations to capitalize Jackie’s portal magic.
“Mama Tinā enchanted these gloves, but there’s a limit to their use,” Jackie held up her white-gloved hands. “They need time to recharge after I cast a portal, but they’ll keep my hands from breaking beyond use.”
Jackie’s gloves seemed to glow as she carefully flexed her fingers. Aaron was surprised to see the street elf moving her fingers, considering the last time he saw her, she couldn’t even use her hands. “That’s impressive. You’re able to use your hands already?”
“No, I can’t really use my hands,” Jackie smiled sadly. “I can use them well enough for opening portals. But they hurt bad, all the time. I can hardly hold a knife or anything without dropping it. Tommy is really the only one of us moving anything. I am just telling him where to move it.”
From the insane car chase to nearly getting her and Tommy killed when going up against Yolo’s portal mage, Aaron felt a stab in his heart. It was a pain he refused to feel, and he reflexively looked at the nearest bar in the nightclub for any sign of something that could mute the stabbing pain within.
Jackie placed a gloved hand on the dwarf’s shoulder. “It’s okay.”
Aaron continued to stare at the bar, which was devoid of comfort. “No… it’s not okay.”
“We’re going to need reinforcements,” Tommy said after placing a large table in another part of the club. “I doubt the whole gang is sticking around for Yolo, but I’m sure there will be more than we can handle alone.”
“Right,” Jackie chimed in. “That was the other part of our plan.”
“Other part?” The dwarf ripped his gaze away from the empty bar shelves and looked at the two elves.
“Yeah, waves of constant change, remember?” Tommy smiled. “Jackie managed to contact one of her Boomer Boys, you know, Corey’s gang.”
“How did you do that?” Aaron asked Jackie.
The street elf smiled with a casual wave of her hand. “I know most of our hideouts, so I can easily use a little portal magic to peek inside and see if anyone is around.”
“She found one of her Boys,” Tommy continued. “He said Corey may have survived that five-star encounter we dodged out of.”
“How in the depths did that coprolite-for-brains elf survive a five-star wanted level?” This was not the news Aaron expected to hear.
“Don’t know, but we put the word out that Jackie and us need help. The Boy said he’d find Corey and bring reinforcements.”
“Wow,” Aaron glanced around the empty nightclub. “When are they going to get here?”
“Don’t know that either.”
The dwarf frowned. “Any other ‘waves of change’ I should know about?”
“Some of the family might be coming to help, too.”
“What the fuck, Tommy!” Aaron exclaimed. “No! Absolutely not! They are not getting into this mess.”
“You know how they are, buddy. They don’t take no for an answer.”
“Why did you tell them, huh? Why did you go and tell them where we are?”
“Because, brother,” Tommy looked firmly at Aaron. “If I don’t survive this, my body must be returned to the ocean. You know this.”
Aaron opened and closed his mouth, trying to speak a retort, but none came out. He knew the island elves drew power from their ancestors, and their ancestors drew power from the ocean. Upon death, island elves were given to the ocean to be one with their ancestors and, in turn, provide magic and life for those who continued to live. If Tommy died, he wanted to ensure that he would continue to protect his people, even in death. The dwarf folded his arms and turned away. “Blasted depths, Tommy.”
A small voice coughed and cleared his throat, prompting the elves and dwarf to give attention to the three gnomes nearby. The one who had been the mouthpiece for the trio spoke. “It sounds like things are about to get rather arriesgado. Could we be escorted to safety before it gets dangerous?”
Tommy, Jackie, and Aaron exchanged glances as they considered the gnomes’ request. A noise, like an arc gouge slowly tearing apart the seam of welded metal, came from the club's center and interrupted their silent consideration. They all turned to see what caused the noise.
The origin of the noise was a temporal rift being hewn open in the middle of the air. Aaron stared, perplexed. “What is that?”
“It’s a portal,” Jackie answered. Her voice was tense as she raised her hands in preparation to cast her first portal. “Though, I’ve never seen that kind of portal before.”
“It’s Yolo,” Tommy said firmly. “The time for preparation is over. Aaron, buddy, get the gnomes to safety. I’ll prepare my ward.”
The dwarf nodded and quickly scanned the room for gnome-sized hiding places. Aaron nodded to the closest empty bar. “Come on, you three. Looks like we’ll have to get you to safety after we take care of the danger.”
“Whoa, gringo!” The lead gnome raised both hands. “Danger is coming, and you expect us to sit here and wait?”
“I expect you to hide and wait. We’ll take of the danger. You three just need to find a safe place to hide.”
“I don’t see why we must stay here if it’s no longer safe.”
Aaron’s jaw clenched, and his fingers flexed into frustrated fists. “You know what, fine! I’ve already died trying to find and save you, only to find out there are three of you. Now, all of you want to run off when you have already told me this is the safest place, you know? Go! Run! I’ve sacrificed more today than any person should be expected to sacrifice—and for what? For three ungrateful gnomes who think they can just leave without a second thought to the coprolite and shale heaped out to find them.”
“I need to protect my hermanos, Señor.”
“For the love of chalcedony, just go!” Aaron turned away from the gnomes and began to search for something he could use as a weapon.
“Hey, enano!”
Aaron glanced over his shoulder toward the gnomes.
“Don’t die again, ‘kay?”
The dwarf shook his head and went back to searching through the debris. He found a thick, bent metal rod; it looked like it might have been a table leg. Hefting the rod in his hand, Aaron assumed this would be good enough.
Tommy was chanting and dancing to the call of his ancestors; the Ailoa Afi ward swirled with a translucent fire about the large, bronze elf. He was calling deep and passionately to his ancestors, and Aaron was confident they could hear his call. The temporal gouge in the air was a long line of cracked, torn auras spewing purple arcane energies that extended vertically, taller than Tommy. It was steadily opening wider.
Aaron quickly jogged to stand beside Tommy. The dwarf planted his feet firmly, ready to fight. Tommy gave a final stomp, activating his ward to its full power. A constant breeze seemed to sweep around Tommy as he remained in a half-squat stance that exuded strength and stability. His fists were tucked close to his waist, and they glowed with a gentle fire.
“I forgot you had those brass knuckles,” Aaron nodded to Tommy’s fiery fists.
The island elf grinned. “Yeah, it seems they have an affinity to my warding magic. I figured they could come in handy.”
Aaron grunted. He glanced back to where he had left the gnomes, but they were nowhere to be seen.
Two massive, clawed hands emerged from either side of the arcane portal and ripped it open wider. Then, an equally large, grey-skinned troll foot stepped outside the portal. The dark, sinister laughter of the giant troll echoed through the portal.
Tommy focused his gaze on the portal ahead. “You ready for this, brother?”
“Fetid fluorite and fukalite.” Aaron readied his metal rod. “Let’s rock!”