Chapter 6 – Asserting Dominance

Inquisitive rats had climbed on top of the still-sleeping red goblin. The two brothers' approach made them flee in all directions. Onch inhaled the stench of the tunnels in a deep breath.

“Trile Lane. Where’s that?”

Two simply took a seat. He leaned back and visibly relaxed. He removed his shirt and threw it to the side.

“I need a break,” he said as he lay down in exhaustion.

Onch acceded. He’d been overworking his only resource. That didn’t mean he’d stop his own efforts.

“Fine then. Rest up. I’ll find this Trile Lane.”

He took a moment to gather his bearings. Taking a new path would only confuse him. He needed to start mapping out the place to know where he was going. With a snort, he started back down the tunnel, this time, he counted each exit as he passed by.

He took a look out each exit as well until he found the place where they’d first come from. Thankfully, the angry human, mage or not a mage, was nowhere to be seen. The street was the same as the night before, calm and frequented only by the fast-moving box projectiles.

Onch kept to the shadows. He looked about for any boards or writing. It was difficult to find any writing at this time, though he did notice numbers on most of the houses. It was a small matter to compare each number to the numbers written in his letter.

After almost two hours of searching, he hadn’t found a match. It had seemed logical that their objective would be close by, but that didn’t seem to be the case. Onch silently cursed his luck.

There were also signboards at the start of each street. He compared the writing to that of the words just after the numbers in his letter. Sometimes the second word would match but never one hundred percent.

It was nearing dawn, and weariness threatened to overcome him. He decided to call it quits for tonight. Climbing back down the ladder, he racked his brains for a solution. The place was endlessly big. It would take too much time to check every single home manually. No matter how much time he spent on the process of mapping, it wasn’t going to achieve his goal.

That was it, he thought as he snapped his fingers. A map! He just needed to find a map of this place. He could then compare the words without having to walk around everywhere.

Satisfied, and feeling quite proud of himself, he descended to the ground. No point in wasting time during the morning. He’d rest. Then, when the humans fell asleep, he’d find a map.

Returning back to their hiding place, he found Two fast asleep. He lay down himself further away, placing his saber within reach. A mild headache had begun. At least things were moving forward.

***

Strangely, Two was nowhere to be seen when he woke up. Onch wasn’t worried. He’d probably be searching for food or scouting around. Onch pushed himself up onto his elbows.

The tunnel was still quiet except for the snoring of their red companion. What exactly had happened to the guy to knock him out for so long? Onch shook his head in disgust. Weak. Had the goblin not been part of his team, he’d have slit his throat and relieved the dead goblin of all his belongings. Even children learned not to show such weakness.

He sniffed loudly and splashed some water over his face. It was dirty, but a luxury he hadn’t seen in the goblin lands for three years. It served as a reminder for him as to the gravity of his task.

He was back above ground in five minutes. This time he’d taken a new tunnel. The one leading directly away from where they’d come.

It was still daytime when he squeezed his way out through a much smaller opening. He couldn’t understand why almost every exit had a different size, shape and cover. It seemed like a waste of time designing so many different holes. Almost even goblin-like wasteful.

A cart sat on the sidewalk just behind his exit. He could see humans approaching. He crawled under the cart only to see the two feet of another human on the other side. Thankfully, they hadn’t noticed a green goblin underneath their cart. Yet.

The ground was sticky, causing Onch’s hands and feet to make sticky sounds as he shifted into a more comfortable position. He brought his hand up for a sniff. Sugar? Was there a sugary syrup all over the ground?

A drop of the syrup plopped onto his left shoulder. There. The syrup was leaking from the corner of the cart. He hungrily stuck out a tongue and lapped up as much of the syrup as he could. He snaked a hand to the top of the cart when the human owner’s attention was elsewhere, grabbing at whatever was closest.

He brought down a paper tray of fried sticks of… something. He couldn’t tell what it was. Whatever it was, they were gone in seconds.

If the noise outside was any indication, it would not be smart to go out right now. The humans had not lessened. So, he settled back and drank more syrup.

It was with a full stomach that Onch pulled himself out from beneath the cart. The owner had covered it with a giant tarp, accidentally smacking Onch as he efficiently tied down the tarp.

Had he not been on an assignment, Onch would’ve killed at least three people by now, but such was life. He glanced about with his one good eye and saw that the coast was clear, but there was a huge amount of noise in the northward direction which his little street led to.

Intrigued, he pattered down the street until he reached its end. It opened up onto a large plaza teeming with humans. Some rushed about intent on their own agendas and others were busy socializing and eating. A few were dressed in the most peculiar manner. They wore weird dresses, masks, face paint and other accessories. A few seemed like they didn’t own any clothes with how much they had on. He saw a number of humans playing instruments, doing acrobatic dances and even some just standing and speaking.

Onch observed in fascination. This was a carnival. The amount of flashing lights and colors on display was nothing short of stupendous. How other goblins would be envious when he described this to them!

His eye was drawn to a scraggly-looking man playing some sort of musical instrument horrendously. Or at least that’s what Onch thought. The humans didn’t seem to agree as a number were gathered around him throwing metal coins into a hat at his feet. A little square-shaped contraption whirred above, then suddenly moved off, but it was the hat that caught Onch’s eye.

He rubbed his hands together greedily. That must be worth a fortune. It was almost half full with coins. He had to have it!

He backed down the street and scaled the building to his right. Dropping down to the ground from two stories up, he shrugged off his jacket and weapons. When his saber and dagger were nicely wrapped up, he hid them behind a broken sofa sitting in the alley. He then spent the next ten minutes maneuvering his way to the alleyway just behind the music man.

Crouching down and closing his eye, Onch remained as still as he possibly could. Even with all this light, anyone could accidentally see him and end his little escapade before it had even started. He had to be patient, like a panther stalking his prey.

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The crowd clapped enthusiastically, threw more coins at the musician and then dispersed. The musician gathered up his earnings and placed them underneath a bag placed behind. He then began his musical session again.

Onch slinked his way to the prize on his belly. His face plastered to the ground with his rear slightly raised, he looked like a class comedy act, but he didn’t notice. The money was speaking to him.

He stayed in the shadows until he reached the bag. His arm reached under and grabbed the hat. The money was his for the taking.

Only for another, smaller, hand to grab his own. He glanced up straight into Blip’s face. She wore a startled expression as she stared back.

“You!” he roared, enraged. “You slimy daffodil! Where have you been?”

Coins flew into the air as Onch pulled the hat out, sending the bag flying as well. Blip fell back with a cry and scrabbled to get out of the way.

Onch could hear cries as he jammed the now empty hat over Blip’s ears and hauled her into the alleyway. Cries of ‘rats’ and 'stop, don’t take my money’ came from behind, but it was all ignored.

“Take this, and that,” he angrily thundered, chopping at the temporarily blinded goblin with his right hand. “Coward!”

Blip struggled to get free, crying out each time Onch’s hand descended. He then switched to kicks, using his sharp toenails to stab at the poor goblin. Having hauled her down the length of the alley, he threw her forcefully against the far wall where there was a dead end.

“Where have you been?” he asked again.

“S-stop it. Enough already.”

Onch growled. He placed a foot over her head, smearing her face into the cold cobblestone below.

“Where. Have. You. Been.”

Blip stilled at the menace in his voice. She was no match physically to her attacker.

“I’ve been around,” she resentfully replied. “What’s it to you?”

Onch increased the pressure on her skull. The gall.

“What’s it to me? What’s it to me!” he began incredulously. “While you two pansies have been having fun, my brother and I have been hard at work. Where were you two when we needed food, when we needed to read this?” he said as he pulled out the opened envelope. “It took us the whole day to find someone to read this, never mind the pain we had to go through.”

Blip stayed silent for a whole minute while Onch stood panting in rage above her. Onch worked to control his anger. Much as he wanted to take drastic measures, he realized he couldn’t. It was too early in their assignments to lose someone. The red goblin was still comatose, and he doubted that Two was enough of a partner to get this assignment done, let alone the next nine. Also, the Triabian had proven to have skills beyond his own skillset.

“You could’ve asked us. We could’ve read it.”

Onch resisted the urge to splatter her brains across the wall. Instead, he satisfied himself with a swift kick to the ribs.

“If only I’d have thought of that before,” he replied sarcastically. “I wonder how I missed that?”

Blip clutched her chest as she wheezed for breath. “Statter can read.”

That gave Onch pause. Another reason not to underestimate these two. Also, where was Statter?

Onch whirled around looking left and right, up and down. No one. He wasn’t being ambushed.

Blip chuckled. “Don’t worry. He’s not here.” She climbed to her feet, wincing in pain. The musician’s hat fell to the ground. “I’ll take you to him.”

Onch regarded her distrustfully. There was no choice but to follow.

“No more games,” he growled.

Blip clasped a hand over her heart. “On me life.”

Before she could move off, Onch grabbed her by the neck and pinned her to the wall. His mouth close to her ear, he took the moment to drive the point home.

“Next time I’ll gut you and leave you for the crows.”

Blip bobbed her head in fearful acceptance, or at least tried to. Onch’s grip loosened and she visibly slackened, rubbing a hand across her throat.

“Nice reunion,” she commented as her voice came back. “Wouldn’t have taken the job if I knew a looney like you was on it.”

“You know the consequences. More rides on this job than your personal amusement. My life, first and foremost,” Onch replied. “Now, lead on.”

They retrieved Onch's jacket and weapons first. Night fell as they scurried around the backstreets of wherever they were. Blip made three wrong turns, aggravating Onch each time. She smiled lopsidedly at the last one.

“Sorry, keep forgetting. It’s this way.”

Onch held his anger in until at last they pulled up behind a still Statter. He stared hard at some sort of machine that contained a multitude of colored balls the size of a quail’s egg protected by a glass pane.

“You find the coins?" Statter asked without looking back.

A savage cuff to the back of the head sent him sprawling onto the road. He looked back, rubbing his head, at a fuming Onch.

“Enough games,” he commanded. “What’s this?”

“It’s some sort of sweet treat. A bunch of young humans were eating them and we wanted one too,” piped up Blip.

Onch grunted at the two and simply grunted derisively. What idiots.

He swung the pommel of his saber at the glass, which proceeded to only crack. Six swings later and there was a small enough hole for the three of them to retrieve one each.

“Now,” Onch clumsily articulated as he sucked on the candy. Nice and sweet. Truly a gem. “Now then,” he said again. “The two of you are going to help me find a map of this place.”

He brought them both up to speed. Neither asked any questions as he informed them of their destination.

It was Statter who spoke first. “Haven’t seen a Trile Lane,” he said thoughtfully. “I’m sure I know where we can find a map though. Follow me.”

The little band set off again, this time with one more member. Onch remained alert for any Triabian tricks, but none came.

Surprisingly, this part of the city did not sleep at night. Humans came and went. There were several venues where they congregated boisterously. Their sounds and overall lack of self-awareness meant they remained oblivious to the three goblins sneaking about.

At last, they stood in front of a closed store. A glass window separated them from a multitude of seemingly unrelated items. Blue globes on stands, hats, stickers, figurines of some woman holding a torch and all sorts of little trinkets lay strewn about. Shirts hung at the front with letters that even Onch could discern. I, then a heart, then NYC. It didn’t look like a word, and there weren’t any hearts in the language Onch had learned. Maybe some sort of code?

“What is this place?" Onch asked.

Statter pointed to a sign above the shop. “It’s called a souvenir store.”

Onch rolled the unfamiliar word around his tongue. What did it mean?

“So, where’s the map?” he asked. Best to stick to the assignment.

Statter shook his head. “I’m not sure, but this’ll be the place." He went to open the front door, but Onch stopped him.

“Wait, it’s probably armed with some sort of alarm,” he cautioned, relying on his recent experience.

Blip bounced up and down uncomfortably. “Well then, how do we get in?”

Onch looked to Statter. The literate goblin merely stared back. Onch sighed. Why couldn’t anything be straightforward?

He motioned to Blip. “Use your energy and check the back.” He then pointed upward. “Statter, you check the roof. There might be a way from there. I’ll look out for humans.”

He waited in the doorway of the shop, pulling his jacket close to avoid the late night chill. Ten minutes later both goblins returned. Their faces said it all.

“Damn,” Onch cursed. He thought about it for a second, before he disregarded any other plan. They were wasting time.

“Break the window,” he ordered Statter, who then proceeded to pull out his bow and thonk it against the glass.

“What are you doing?” Onch hissed. “I said break the window, not make music.”

Statter looked between his bow and the glass. He then looked back at Onch. They stared at each other for five seconds before Statter went back to this useless attempt at breaking the window. Onch rubbed his temples, frustrated. This one was clearly not as bright as he’d originally thought, but he could read. How did that add up?

A large rock suddenly flew through the air. The glass broke with a crash and, as expected, an alarm blared in the dark of the night.

“Get in there and hurry,” Onch urged.

Statter was in before he finished his sentence. Two minutes later and he climbed back out carrying two rolled up papers and a bag filled with what Onch assumed were trinkets. He sported a cheeky grin.

Onch merely rolled his eyes and motioned for them to move. They sprinted down the street for at least ten minutes, stopping at a bench illuminated by a sign just above it.

Onch held out a hand. “Let’s see it.”

Statter offered him one of the rolled up papers. Onch unfurled it to reveal…

A hideous-looking man with pasty white skin and what looked like a fake nose wearing flashy, slightly too big, clothing and a top hat. The man was doing something unnatural with his legs.

Onch slammed the poster into Blip, sending her tumbling to the ground. “The other one!” he shouted.

Statter handed him the other one. Onch unfurled it even as Blip got back to her feet.

It revealed a map, but it was so huge they’d need to work together to find Trile Lane. Onch pulled out the letter and the three of them went to work in the dim light of the sign above them. A light drizzle began, eventually soaking the three of them and their map.

Nothing. After what seemed like hours, Onch kicked the map away in disgust. Another failed plan.

Onch was busy fuming and thinking of another idea when Blip cleared her throat.

“Umm, maybe you want to see this.”

Onch looked at her, irritated, ready to tell her off when he saw just exactly what she was pointing to. Her thin finger pointed to the sign above them, which was actually a map of the city. This time Statter received a kick. Satisfied that he’d punished the other, still smaller goblin, sufficiently, he approached the large-sized map. His eyes zoomed in on the words just above Bilp’s finger.

There. Trile Lane. They’d found it.