Throughout my life, I have been known by many names.
The dark goblin. The techno Arch-mage. The vanquisher of Stars.
Now I am better known as ‘the thief who stole the Archemidis stone’. Quite the downgrade, I know.
I would not mind the new title, had I actually stolen it. After all, it was the source of unlimited mana, coveted by all mages. Not only did I not have it, but now I am being framed. The worst deal in the history of deals, ever.
Now I am here on planet snow white, looking for the most powerful mage in history. Someone so powerful that he would be able to help me out of this predicament.
Or so I have been told by a random shady guy at the bar.
Don’t judge me, desperation gets the best of anyone.
But there seemed to be at least some truth to it. The sea of white under me did not lie, this definitely was planet snow white, if the name was anything to go by.
The problem is that I was lost.
Not just by the consideration of space, but time as well.
I had no idea where I was standing, or how long I have been on this planet. It could be a day, a year, or perhaps an eternity. Time had lost all meaning, at least to my perception.
There was no distinction between the day or night. The snow and the clouds dimly reflected on each other, from an unknown light source.
A thunderous wind howled past me like a thousand year old ghost. Even my armor bowed to its relentless assault. Funny, for something named the Indestructible techno armor.
For a long, long time, I walked. Soon, I felt even more despair than the time I was framed. But I kept walking, until something other than white was visible. A small dot, a small brown dot that looked like a speck of dust. But at least it was not white. Hence, I ran with a madness and vigor I had only shown when I was first in love.
Thankfully, it did not take that long to reach it.
I stood in front of a small hut, staring at the palm leaves and clay with relief in my eyes. Walking towards the small hut, I knocked gently at its brown wooden door, waiting for a response.
Has time slowed down? Or was I just too impatient? I felt like it took days before the damned door creaked open ever so slightly, revealing an old lady in white saree peeking through the small opening, looking at me with a bit of surprise.
But I was more surprised than her. She looked like the human grandma next door, someone with one foot in the grave.
I felt my brain going numb, what is such an old hag doing here? Could she be the hidden powerhouse? The snow must have frozen my brain. If only I had the hive working for a freakin’ second.
I stared at her in stupor before she interrupted my thoughts with an unnaturally energetic voice “You?”
“I am Zarok. I came from far away in hopes to meet …err…..you.” I replied in a bit of confusion, even without knowing if she was the fabled powerhouse, perhaps in fear that I would have to stand in the cold again if she refuses to let me in.
But my fear proved to be unnecessary, as a smile quickly spread across her aged face, creating waves across her wrinkled face.
“Come on in.” She opened the door, inviting me inside. The hut was warmly lit by a lantern, hanging above the small circular table. I rushed forward and quickly sat in one of the stools, finally giving my legs a deserved rest.
I only realized it was a bit rude after the act. Being at the zenith of power for too long does that. I have been used to ordering people for so long that etiquette has become a thing of the past. But she was someone far beyond me. I think
I hastily stood up, only to be reassured by her “Sit, you need it. Tea or coffee?”
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Even though I had long since stopped relying on food and beverages to survive, I did not want to refuse her, and I needed something to warm myself after all that snow. “Tea, please.”
Rio would have rolled around seeing me say please to someone.
She left towards the kitchen with a smile. I looked towards the rest of the hut. There seemed to be only one room. I could barely make out a small wooden bed on my left. It looked neat, cozy and warm, beckoning me to just take a nap.
Just one hour, no, ten minutes. She would not mind, right?
No, what was I thinking? Have I become too tired? No, there was no time for sleep.
I looked towards the rest of the room. The only other furniture was a cabinet that stood a few feet from the stool I sat on. The dim light from the lantern only allowed me to see that much, putting everything else under a veil of darkness.
I could at least tell that the space was far bigger inside than it looked outside. Some sort of space magic? Someone who could cast this level of magic in a place without mana should be far above me.
How could I convince her to help me? Why was someone of her stature here?
As I kept brainstorming, she came back from the kitchen, with a circular black kettle atop a tray. The weight of the tray seemed to be straining her. I hastily stood up, running towards her as I helped her carry it.
“Thank you, Zaruk.” She exclaimed happily, ruffling my bald head.
I felt a bit bad for pretending, after all I was not nice at all. I was one of the vilest villains within the Artechana empire. Still, I would slaughter my pride if needed. She was the only person who would consider helping me.
She slowly sat in front of me, serving two cups of tea at a pace like a snail.I watched her a bit impatiently, but did not dare to interrupt, lest I get thrown out for being a bad guest.
After what felt like a thousand years, she passed me a cup of tea.
“I need your help.” I started, once again making clear of how impatient I was. “I will do anything you ask for. I will give you all I have. My authority, my kingdom, even the part of the nebula I own.”
“Have a sip.” The warm voice asked of me again as she poured herself a few cubes of sugar.
1 cube. 2 cubes 4 cubes
16 cubes!
OI! Grandma, you’re gonna die of diabetes before you even hear me!
32 cubes!
Oi!
I watched with a dumbfounded face as she put in a ridiculous amount of sugar cubes inside her cup. How has it not spilled yet?!
I looked at my own cup, Inching it towards my face, a familiar yet unfamiliar smell touched my nose.
How long has it been since I had regular tea? Must be more than a few thousand years. I sipped the tea that was unreasonably sweet, feeling calmness spread all over me. I did not fear that she would poison me.
She did not need to.
“Go on.” She nodded in satisfaction after putting dozens of sugar cubes, sipping happily.
“I am being framed for stealing the empire’s Archimedes stone. Even though I provided them with proof that I was not the one who stole it, the arch magus of fate blamed me. The Emperor believed him over my words, taking back my kingdom, and prisoning all my subordinates as well. Now, I am being hunted all over the local supercluster.” I started speaking seriously, staring at her to gauge her reaction. But those aged wrinkles around her face did not move one bit.
“Throughout my life, I have lived fearlessly. But I worry that my subordinates and all goblin races are in danger of extinction.” I lied naturally as I clutched the cup, putting on my best acting skills on the table. Even I scoffed at myself.
Was there someone who feared death more than me?
She just kept staring at me with a mysterious smile, silently.
I felt like a kid who got caught by his grandma for being naughty. My cheeks flushed as I stuttered. “I-I want to live. I have to-too many regrets. There are too many things I want to do. I haven’t even had a wife yet, you know.”
She shook her head, speaking slowly “I can’t understand if you start midway. Start your story from the beginning.”
“Well, I suspect it starts from the time I became a baron, when the emperor conferred the first title after me. It was right after I defeated a fire kraken on the outskirts of messier 93, saving a planet. What was its name again? ” I tried to convey my goodness. But I did not lie.
I did save a planet. Does not matter if it was one of the only few good acts in my entire lifetime. Also, It made me happy. Not because I liked saving lives, lives be damned. I would have very much happily zapped the annoying bastards who kept inviting me from place to place.
Only, that would have put me on a list much sooner.
What made me happy is that others no longer looked at me like an abominable creature that did not deserve to exist. It was still there, just hidden by a layer of fear and respect.
That look of fear was addictive. Perhaps that actually caused my downfall. After all, if I had even one person to vouch for me among the arch magus council, I would not have turned out this helpless.
“No, not that. Start from before you became the techno mage.” She interrupted my thoughts again, looking at her cup of tea with a huge frown, crumpling her wrinkled face into even more layers. She put her hands towards the ice cubes again.
You are going to put MORE!?
I gaped again. Wait a minute!
Did I tell her that I was the techno mage?