Kelna, a big town a day or two west from Southbank. It is big enough to maintain and man

a wall of its own. Gilbert and Xandrien enter the town on the north side. A group of people is

complaining with the guards. Something about a food shortage. A few streets further

Xandrien begins talking.

"If you insist on defying the fake god, then why are we here?" He asks. "Why did you have

us leave Southbank, Gilbert?"

"Do you really think I wish to stay in the town that caused Archil's death?" Gilbert says. "I

can't go back to Oliron and Grimsby is burned to ash. What place do I have left to go but

here?"

"The countryside." Xandrien says. "You could always start an existence as a farmer. It is

simple and away from everything."

"Do big towns make your nervous, Xandrien?" Gilbert says smiling.

"Yes!" Xandrien says. "It seems big towns tend to burn better than smaller ones."

"You should be the least scared of that." Gilbert says. "You killed the Dragon after all."

"That Dragon burned my home, Gilbert." Xandrien says. "By all means do not forget that."

"Sir?" A man walking past suddenly says. "I'm sorry sir, but are you mister Gilbert by any

chance? I have an urgent message for you."

"Who are you?" Gilbert looking at the man, confused. The man wears a black hood

covering his face. He is slightly bend forward.

"Just a messenger, sir." The man says. "I was told to send you to that building at the end of

the street. They told me it is imperative you go there."

"Gilbert, follow me." Xandrien says. He walks towards the man, before rushing forward and

bumping in to him. The man stumbles and loses his focus. Gilbert and Xandrien disappear

into the crowd.

"What was that all about?" Gilbert asks.

"Use that brain of yours!" Xandrien says. "Nothing good can come of entering that building.

If it is people willing to join us you could care less. If it is a trap we are both in trouble. If

you intend to go there, then by all means go, but don't take me down along with you!"

They continue along the main streets for a while before they find a tavern. It is surprisingly

empty for a tavern along the main road and all the candles are almost burned out, but it is

still a good place to rest. They take a table and order bread and beer.

They never finish that meal, because as soon as they are about halfway the door is

slammed open and an armed group of guards storm in. Five men part of the local garrison.

"Gilbert of Oliron, you are under arrest for the murder of council member Maxwell." The

captain says. "We are to execute you here and now!"

Xandrien rushes up, but he is hit on the head with the side of a spear.

"Stay out of this peasant!" The captain says. "Restrain him."

Gilbert is grabbed by the arm and hoist out of his chair. One of the guards grabs a stool

and places it in the middle of the room. Gilbert neck is placed on the stool.

"Gilbert Noname, you are hereby executed for treason and murder!" The captain yells

pulling out his sword.

In the corner of the tavern a man gets up and walks out through the door. The man wears

a torn cloak that flows in the wind. He closes the door as he leaves. As it shuts, the rooms

goes dark as the candles are all extinguished simultaneously.

"Why in the world?" The captain yells.

Gilbert act quickly. In the moment of distraction he pulls out on of the lock picks still in his

pocket and he thrusts it at the place he saw the captains leg earlier. A yell of pain confirms

the it. The lock pick went deep into the underside of the captain's knee, utterly destroying

it. The captain would not walk again.

Xandrien hits the guard restraining him in the chest with all his strength. A bolt of lightning

lights the room as his fist connects. Xandrien then kicks the guard to his other side.

Another bolt of lightning lights the room.

Gilbert has taken cover next to the bar. The remaining two guards curse as they stumble

into things and fall over. Moments later someone opens the door. Right in front of Gilbert

lies one of the guards. Gilbert rolls away from him and grabs the stool. He guard tries to

defend himself, but there was nothing he could do. Gilbert hits him again and again as the

guards head is slowly turned to mush.

Xandrien walks over to the last guards who is battle ready with his spear and shield raised.

As Xandrien approaches him be picks up the captain's sword. The guard lunges at

Xandrien attempting to skewer him on his spear. Xandrien steps to the left, dodging the

spear. The guard raises his shield to deflect Xandrien's sword, but it shatters under the

force of the sword. The sword shatters into a million pieces showering the guard in metal

shards. Both the man's eyes are damaged. He sits there screaming in agony as Xandrien

delivers the finishing blow by hitting the man in the head. With a loud noise the neck

snaps.

"Gilbert!" Xandrien says. "We are leaving, right now!"

Gilbert is still sitting on top of the headless guard.

"I killed him..." He says.

"And for that you shall pay." The captain says slowly crawling towards Gilbert. Xandrien

kicks him in the head and he stops moving.

"Snap out of it, Gilbert!" Xandrien says. "He tried to kill you and you defended yourself.

Now get up and let's go!"

Xandrien drags Gilbert to his feet. He turns around only to find that in the doorway stands

a terrified woman frozen in fear. Xandrien drags Gilbert past her onto the streets.

"We are leaving town, Gilbert." Xandrien says. "It is our best chance."

"Yeah..." Gilbert says dreamily.

"Snap out of it!" Xandrien yells. "Archil would be ashamed of you. Now get running!"

The west gates of Kelna are nearby. Just a few streets back. They should be able to arrive

there in a few minutes. As they see the gate appear in the distance, they see it is shut.

They approach the gate, but soon they are stopped by one of the guards.

"Halt!" He says. "A dangerous..."

He stops in the middle of his sentence as he realises who is in front of him.

"Alarm!" He yells.

This cry is soon repeated by one of the guards on the wall. As the sun slowly fades below

the wall the situations turns grim. The guard that stopped Gilbert seems confused now.

"What do you mean alarm?" He says. "Why would you..."

"Goblins in the tree line!" He yells. "We need to man the walls. There are thousands of

them. We don't have the men to hold this!"

"Listen!" Xandrien says. "Whatever you think he did wrong, you are going to need us up

there! There is only one chance now."

"May Arthfael save us all..." One of the guards on the wall says.

"Arthfael won't help us here!" Xandrien yells. "Only we can save ourselves. Everyone get

ready. As soon as the light fades, the fight begins."

Gilbert and Xandrien follow the guards onto the wall. Rows upon rows of Goblins decorate

the tree line. Iron and steel weapons glistening in the fading sunlight. Darkness envelopes

the field outside of the wall. All that remains is the light of torches on the wall. The men

look afraid. They were not prepared for a fight like this. For Goblins to attack a walled town

like Kelna...

"Today may not be our brightest hour, men!" An older man shouts. "But today shall be one

of our finest. These beasts think they can tear down these walls that have stood for

generations? I think that we better show them how humans handle animals. Let's send

them back to there holes! Prepare yourselves!"

The Goblins enter the light of the torches. Their improvised armour gleaming in the light.

The move incredibly fast and as they reach the walls they start to climb them at suprising

speeds.

"We are all gonna die!" A guard yells.

"Back in line, soldier!" The commander yells. "We are everything between them and our

loved ones. Stand firm!"

The first Goblins reach the top of the wall. Most of them are empaled by the spears of the

guards, but some manage to get through. One jumps onto the head of the guard next to

Gilbert and starts to chew his face off. The guards drops his spear and shield as he falls

down, screaming. Gilbert picks both the shield and the spear up and skewers the Goblin

somewhere in the middle of its body. The Goblin makes a shocking motion before going

limp. Its corpse lies on top of the dead guard.

Xandrien is slaying one Goblin after another with the sword he kept. He doesn't even need

to use magic as the Goblins are little more than sacks of meat. The main issue Xandrien is

facing is the sheer amount that keeps leaping across the wall.

A guard further on grabs a torch and shoves it into the face a Goblin its flaming body falls

down, screaming. The fire causes a small chain reaction as more Goblins catch fire. The

light caused by these flames reveal a true sight of nightmares. A massive Goblin almost as

tall as the wall is stumbling his way forward. It has no distinguishable face nor limbs and it

seems to be rolling forward.

Slowly more and more guards fall as the Goblin hordes keep up their relentless assault.

The big Goblin reaches the wall and starts rolling into it. The wall slowly gives way. Gilbert

see this and only sees one solution.

"Xandrien!" Gilbert yells through the turmoil. "Work your magic!"

Gilbert runs towards the blob dodging past Goblins and guards. He grabs a torch on his

way. It takes some work, but Gilbert manages to set his spear ablaze whilst running. He

leaps forward and jams the spear deep into the fat of the big Goblin. Xandrien sees this

and he enhances the flames. The Goblin explodes into a wall of fire and heat. Most

Goblins that were anywhere near the big Goblin also catch fire. Gilbert is flung of the wall

into a group of burning Goblins.

This gives Xandrien an idea. He Grabs a torch and climbs onto the wall. He throws it over

the edge above the hordes of Goblins. Lightning crackles around Xandrien as he

concentrates on the torch.

"Enough!" He yells, his voice resonation across the field. A big explosion follows this

statement. For a moment the field is as bright as day. Goblins everywhere catch fire and

retreat. As the light fades the Goblins can still be seen clearly. But few escape the wrath of

Xandrien. Most simply burn. Lightning strikes the tree line and trees start to explode

around the Goblins. Xandrien faints and falls of the wall. Gilbert catches him.

"Well done!" He says. "You save us all."

Xandrien wakes up in a bed.

"Welcome back to the world of Goblins, Dragons and no gods." Gilbert says. Gilbert is

mostly covered in bandages. "So, how was your trip to dreamland."

"Devoid of anything." Xandrien says. "Gilbert, how did you survive the Goblins?"

"The chaos that followed the explosion saved me." Gilbert explains. "It did cause some

nasty burns though."

"You make up up your mind yet?" Xandrien says laughing.

"What could you possibly be talking about?" Gilbert asks confused.

"These people truly believe Arthfael would save them." Xandrien says. "Please don't tell

me you are still angry at Axsel."

"Well..." Gilbert says slowly.

"Gilbert, these people need someone to guide them to a better world." Xandrien says. "It

won't be me. Axsel chose you. Follow Archil and save us all from this hell."

"I must say I do agree." Gilbert says. "I can't guarantee people will listen to me though."

"Who cares, Gilbert." Xandrien says. "As long as you try it is at least worth something."

If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.

Xandrien tries to get up, but he immediately falls down again.

"I feel sore all over." He says laughing. "That last move really did a number on my body."

"So how is it that we don't always win with you around?" Gilbert says. "I mean, that was an

amazing trick you pulled back there. Creating enough heat to fry all of them. I honestly did

not think you could do that."

"I didn't think I would." Xandrien says. "Magic takes an enormous toll on my body you see.

With the amount I used yesterday, I don't know if I will walk again any time soon."

"Yesterday?" Gilbert says. "That was three days ago, Xandrien. The apothecaries thought

you fried your own brains out."

A older man with white hair walks into the room with a crutch. Where his left leg should be

is only a bandaged stump.

"We have been pardoned for, you know, saving the town." Gilbert says.

"It was good you showed up when you did." The old man says. "I am Joshua Fenwick,

commander of the watch. You save my life and those of my men that night. Although my

leg is lost, but I might have found myself an invaluable ally in you. I thank you, Xandrien

and Gilbert. I have taken the liberty of giving the two of you a last name. You are now both

part of the house Dragonheart. Rumours have started to surface, so I thought the name

fitting."

"A last name..." Xandrien mumbles. "Interesting."

Xandrien drifts back to sleep.

"So what was the deal with that Maxwell character?" Fenwick asks. "Why would you kill a

council member?"

"That is a long story." Gilbert says. "One I intend to spread around town. Could you spread

this story for me."

Gilbert tells Fenwick all about their misadventures in the city of Oliron. The assassination

of Master Jardine, the elimination of the Laytons, the secret room in the library, the killing

of Maxwell and finally the execution of Lyston.

"We mean to stage a revolution." Gilbert says. "We want to remove Arthfael from power

and take back the world that belongs to man. We need people willing and able to help. It

would be great if you could help us recruit people, Joshua."

"These people owe you and your friend their lives." Fenwick says. "I am sure a good

amount of them would be willing to die for your cause."

"One more thing." Gilbert says. "After thinking for a while I figured that I could help you set

a trap for the next group of Goblins. I have a feeling, they will return soon."

"Let's hear it then!" Fenwick says. "I am open for suggestion. Minimising loses would be

ideal indeed."

You need to dig a ditch in front of the wall the Goblins attacked." Gilbert says. "Fill that with

logs and sticks. That way the Goblins either get trapped or, if they still climb the wall, you

can light it all on fire. I imagine you can accomplish this by tossing down burning Goblins."

"I was planning to assemble a group of warriors to march on the Goblin camp to stomp the

back into the dirt,Gilbert." Fenwick says. "There is no need for us to worry about the

Goblins for much longer."

"Don't!" Gilbert says. "I have seen the Goblin camps. There are thousands upon thousands

of them. No matter how many men you bring, you will all die the moment you enter the

fields after dark. To engage those hordes in open combat is suicide!"

"Our food supplies are dwindling, Gilbert." Fenwick says. "Farmers refuse to man the

fields."

"Have them man the fields during the day and stay in the town at night." Gilbert suggests.

"If you have to, you can always move the farms closer."

"Fine!" Fenwick says, disappointed. I was hoping to show these Goblins so human

valour... I can't be helped I suppose."

"Congratulations, Gilbert!" Axsel says, sitting in his ultimately comfortable chair. "It would

appear that your success on the wall the other day is saving all of you."

"What do you want, Axsel..." Gilbert says. "I am too burned to even think about speaking to

you."

"Is it not acceptable for a friend to congratulate his friends on their success." Axsel says.

"Can I not simply be kind to the ones that execute my plans."

"And yet there is a catch to this entire talk, isn't there." Gilbert says. "Why am I here,

Axsel?"

"..." Axsel doesn't say. "Why do you have to be so serious, Gilbert? This is probably the

only place where you don't have to worry about getting stabbed in unfortunate places. To

business then. You are here, on this lovely day, to commune with me..."

"Axsel!" Gilbert says. "I want to understand what you tell me, so please, by all means,

speak plain human!"

"Alright then..." Axsel says. "I want to tell you your next goal... You see now! That sounded

way to dull! The impact lies within the theatrics, Gilbert."

"What is my next goal?" Gilbert says.

"Someone please return Archil." Axsel says. "He at least listened to me."

"Fake!" Gilbert yells.

The fake god sighs.

"He wants you to move north and convert more towns." I says. "This conversation is

becoming a pain to archive. Could you two please finish up!"

"Come on, Lycon!" Axsel says. "Why would you say what I would say. No matter. Did you

get that, Gilbert? Yes? No? Maybe? Good enough! See you some other time!"

Axsel cabin fades out of view. Gilbert can think of nothing more than the weirdness of it all.

"So, Fenwick, would you allow me to help you fortify the wall?" Gilbert asks. "A companion

of ours had some ideas that may be useful to your men. Master Archil drew these before

he... before he met his untimely demise. He had great interest in helping the people

outside of the city of Oliron."

"Let's see it then." Fenwick says.

"Not all of these are possible, or even probable, but there are a few good ones among

them." Gilbert says while laying the scrolls on a table. "This one is probably beyond

anything you can prepare."

Gilbert points at a drawing of a pit full of oil.

"This is one that will be useful." Gilbert says, pointing at a drawing of spikes pointing

forward. "The Goblins are stupid enough to jump into sunlight. I assume that they will try to

climb the trap, or even push each other into it."

Another drawing shows a while with a piece pointing at the top.

"That one is the hinder the Goblins as they climb the wall itself." Gilbert says, as he sees

the commanders eyes observe the drawing. "It wont stop the big things though.

Unfortunately Archil did not know of their existence. I suggest you simply dig holes and

ditches to trap them in. I don't imagine them to be able to escape a fairly deep ditch. Since

they barely have any bone structure anyway the should settle in nicely. Especially if the

hole is just to small."

"I will have some of my people look in to these." Fenwick says. "For now, however, we will

have to focus our effort on repairing the damage the last assault caused to the walls. You

won't believe how much damage an exploding Goblin can do!"

"Where do you get the materials from?" Gilbert asks.

"We have a quarry down south from here." Fenwick says. "Why do you asks?"

"Just curious." Gilbert says. "The Goblins can be an issue if the quarry lies outside of town

though."

"Well, the Goblin presence seems to be stronger towards the north." Fenwick explains.

"We never expected the Goblins to attack from the west. We thought the stupid beast

would, if they chose to fight us, come from the north. I just happened to be doing a

checkup on the western wall's integrity when they attacked."

"It bothers me though." Gilbert says. "Xandrien and I came from the west. Maybe we were

the cause of a western attack."

Fenwick laughs.

"Nonsense, Gilbert." He says. "Farmers are fleeing the countryside and animals are

growing scarcer by the day. The Goblins ran out of food to hunt. They came here for a fight

and a meal. Luckily for the both of us they only got one of those two."

"True, I guess." Gilbert says.

Gilbert continued helping and talking at the wall until he returned to the inn after nightfall.

There he fell into a mostly calm sleep.

"I told you something very important, Gilbert." Axsel says. "Do you see that you missing my

monologue causes you to miss crucial information!"

"What do you mean?" Gilbert replies sleepily. "We are going to the next town."

"Are going..." Axsel mumbles. "What I meant to convey to you yesterday, while you were

so rudely interrupting me was that you should go the next village immediately. It is your

fault for not letting me convey this to you."

"But Xandrien is unfit for travel!" Gilbert protests.

"He won't die from a small journey, Gilbert. Axsel says. "Load him onto a cart and drive him

there or something. I am sure that if you ask Fenwick nicely he will lent you a cart."

"The Goblins will devour this town if nothing is done." Gilbert says. "How can I leave now."

"I admit you did well giving Fenwick the drawing Archil made." Axsel says. "I must says, I

did not realise they even existed. Beyond that, however, there is nothing you and your

burned body can do for this town. The faster you finish gathering people for the revolution

the less people will have starved to death due to a Goblin siege."

"How do we save the farms, Axsel?" Gilbert asks. "Even in the long term, how do we

prevent the Goblins from winning in the end. They are numberless."

"There is a solution for it, but your are no part of it." Axsel says. "And the only way to

create an opportunity for this solution is for humanity to be freed from Arthfael. Only the

shall one appear that can cleanse there dens. There are creature in this realm that suffer

no magic overload, you see. Without them it is a war with high costs. One that is preferably

avoided."

A moment passes.

"I honestly wasn't expecting you to give in this easily, so we appear to have some time

left." Axsel continues. "Let me tell you about godly structures. When the primary gods were

still on your plain of existence they each made a home in a different part of the world.

Arthfael made his home on Oliron and build the tower that you saw me topple. The tower

is special in a way that it can only be destroyed by pouring more and more interriftal

energy into it. At one point the energy that holds everything together pulls itself apart.

Stones burst and down goes the structure. Breaking them with confessional means proves

difficult as the forces holding it together have been moulded in interriftal energy. That is

how gods used to build there homes. Each structure only breaks in two ways. The

aforementioned overloading with energy, or by burning it down for a year or so. Fire will

eventually detonate it into a massive explosions as the smallest parts are ripped appart by

the released energy from within them."

"So each building we 'worship' around the world are building made by gods?" Gilbert asks.

"They tend to be the centre of a civilisations, yes." Axsel says. "It tends to be the very

foundation of the first capital. Arthfael's tower wasn't the centre of humanity though... That

story is for another time, however. I wish a nice journey onto you, Gilbert. Tell Xandrien I

said hello and do make sure to stock up on enough supplies. The road north is long and

neglected."

The world around Gilbert fades. He wakes up slowly in his bed.