Elora, Zel, and Karl scrambled behind Nameless as the goblin assassins launched their attacks. Nameless exploded forwards to meet them with wide swings from his ax that forced the attackers to defend and retreat. The bartender fired another bolt into Nameless’s side.
ARMOR: MAGIC REMAINING 35.25%
Nameless ignored the armor message as he focused on keeping the goblin warriors occupied. If one of them were to get past him, then his friends would surely die. It was clear that the goblins were deadly with their blades, and to make matters worse, they employed shadow magic to trick and confuse. Nameless hated shadow magic, but luckily their curved swords were designed to cut through flesh, not steel, and their attacks sparked harmlessly off his armored plates.
Zel launched a fire spell that exploded, knocking the bartender off his feet to disappear behind the bar. Karl grabbed the dropped crossbow, and Elora furiously cast a spell. In a shimmering puff, the elf made the three academy students disappear from view.
Two goblins rushed Nameless, and the knight was able to fend them off as the third cast a spell to vanish. Nameless kicked a large table to the corner where the invisible assassin was last seen. The furniture knocked them out of invisibility, and the assassin scowled at the knight as they rose back to their feet.
A goblin sliced at a weak spot behind Nameless’s knee joint as the other goblin jumped off a table to flip over the knight. Nameless forced one goblin back with his ax as he caught the second in mid-air to slam them to the ground. The final goblin rushed in to attack but was stopped as a cross bolt thudded into their chest.
From across the room, Karl, Zel, and Elora appeared as the elf’s magical veil faded away. The Ooraki held a crossbow in their shaking hands. The goblins snarled as one grabbed their wounded colleague, and the other finished a series of hand gestures that caused the air to explode in shadowy smoke. Elora, Zel, and Karl coughed, and the smoke cleared as the goblins escaped through the back door and were gone.
“We have to get out of here,” Elora said.
The others agreed and froze when they turned toward the front door. Sargent Snel was standing at the door with a surprised look.
“You set us up!” Growled Nameless pointing his ax at the soldier.
“Legionnaires! Murderers!” Snel cried and pointed a rod at them.
“Oh no,” Karl muttered.
Snel’s Rod glowed red, and a wave of shimmering energy emitted outwards to wash over the group. Karl and Nameless glowed red in response, but nothing happened to Zel and Elora.
ARMOR: MAGIC REMAINING 35.25%
NATURAL RESISTANCE AND CURSE MAGIC:
EVERY LIVING BEING WITH A SOUL HAS A NATURAL RESISTANCE TO MAGICAL EFFECTS. SOME THEORIZE THAT IT IS THE STRENGTH OF THE MIND, WHILE OTHERS ARGUE THAT IT IS THE STRENGTH OF THE SOUL. IN EITHER CASE, YOURS IS DEFINITELY WEAK. YOU HAVE FAILED TO RESIST THE EFFECT OF THE ROD AND HAVE JUST BEEN CURSED! YOU WILL FEEL WEAK AND SICK DURING THE DURATION, WHICH IS UNKNOWN. BUT THAT IS NOT THE WORST OF IT! YOU WILL APPEAR TO GLOW RED TO ANY GUARDSMEN AND LEGIONNAIRE, AND THIS WILL ALERT THEM THAT YOU ARE A WANTED FUGITIVE.
Nameless growled and marched forward but was restrained by Elora as Snel made his escape.
“We have to get out of here,” the elf said again and led them through the back door.
“Truthfully, Karl, I am disappointed in you,” Zel said.
“Not the time!” Snapped the Ooraki.
“You are academy-trained,” Zel added.
“I always struggled with the lessons, alright?”
“Enough of this. Can any of you undo the curse?” Asked Nameless.
“Marks are tricky. It is best to have the fortitude of mind to resist them,” Zel said with a raised chin.
Karl growled.
“Shh!” Hissed Elora.
The elf dragged them all to hide in the shadows in a dark alley behind the tavern. They could hear the stomp of footsteps as Snel returned with several Legionnaires.
“Follow me,” Elora whispered.
The elf led them through twisting alleyways and through dark neighborhoods. The sounds of the Legionnaires faded in the distance, but they still had the issue of the curse on Nameless and Karl.
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“The wagon?” Karl asked.
Elora shook her head. Snel most likely would have confiscated it. Luckily, they had their weapons and some coin but not the rest of their gear.
“My tools!” Karl gasped.
The enchanter made to run back to the tavern but was restrained by Nameless.
“Goodewin’s book is in my bag back in the room,” Karl pleaded.
“We can try to get them back. Or new ones,” Elora said.
“Where are you taking us?” Zel asked.
Elora led them onto the main thoroughfare, and the smell of the sea and fish answered their question. They were at the docks, and at this time of night, the streets were mostly drunk sailors and tavern songs. Elora led them to a particularly shady-looking establishment made of rotting timber.
“Do we want to go inside there?” Asked Zel with an arched eyebrow.
The ruffians standing beside the crooked door paused at the sight of Nameless, their rugged minds accepting the fact that their daggers and clubs would be of little use against the sizeable armored knight before them. Nevertheless, they attempted to block their passage, but Elora shoved past them. The burly goons gave Nameless a wide berth, and the four entered the nearly empty tavern.
“You have some nerve,” a halfling woman growled from behind the bar.
Her voice was deeper than her small frame would suggest, and she had dark, weather-beaten skin with a large crop of curly black hair. Her age was indiscernible, somewhere between 30 and 50, but the glint of malice in her eyes was evident.
“Vaelena, I have information for you,” Elora greeted in response.
“Oh, perhaps where the money you stole from me?” Vaelena responded.
“Stole? You mean money that was owed to me?” The elf replied with their arms crossed, but a trained eye would know that Elora’s hands were close to her blades hidden beneath her cloak.
Vaelena laughed and nodded to the lean human man sitting to her right. Without preamble and wasted movement, the man lunged forward, drawing a sword and a dagger to attack Elora. The elf responded with equal speed, and the two exchanged blows at a furious pace.
The ruffians outside the door made to move in but were stopped short as a wall of flame was summoned by Zel, blocked their path. Vaelena flung a dagger at Karl that was knocked aside by Nameless.
“You are fast,” Vaelena observed.
One of the ruffians from outside gritted their teeth and jumped through the flames taking the burns to enter the fray. They were welcomed by Karl’s fist and collapsed to the floor senseless. The polka-dotted Ooraki picked up their club as the second ruffian built up the nerve to jump inside.
Vaelena took advantage of Nameless being momentarily distracted by Karl’s fight with the second ruffian, and she dove in between the knight’s legs. Nameless tried to chop his ax down, but the halfling was too quick and ended up behind him as she jammed one of her blades in the gaps behind the knight’s knee.
“What in the hells?” The halfling cried as purple magic leaked from the armor.
ARMOR: MAGIC REMAINING 30%
Elora gasped as her opponent sliced her arm.
“Someone is out of practice,” the lean man said with a sneer and pressed his advantage against the wounded elf.
“Get him, Karl!” Zel exclaimed as the Ooraki struggled with his fight against a thick club-wielding ruffian.
Nameless swung his ax at Vaelena, who dodged to the side, but the knight was prepared and released one grip to catch the halfling. Nameless flung Vaelena at the lean human as he was about to slice at Elora.
The man went down as the halfling acrobatically landed on her feet with a glint of rage in her brown eyes. Elora completed an incantation and hand gestures as her opponent recovered. Several illusory images of the elf burst forward to slice and attack the lean man. He countered and parried the fake images that faded away as the real Elora landed a cut on his arm. Both were now blooded.
Zel screeched as more ruffians braved burns and jumped through the magical flames to enter the fray. Nameless barreled into the newcomers, using his heavy ax to knock their weapons out of their hands. He smashed a gauntleted fist into one and head-butted another. Karl took a glancing blow to his shoulder as he landed a solid hit of his own to his opponent’s head.
In the midst of the chaos, Vaelena was able to latch onto Elora’s back while holding a wicked blade to the elf’s neck.
“Everyone stop! Or Elora dies,” the halfling threatened.
The fighting stopped as everyone took a few steps back, weapons still at the ready.
“Good. Now Elora, tell us what you know. If it is important, I may let you live,” Vaelnea said with a sneer.
“Assassins are operating here without your permission,” Elora gasped.
The halfling tilted their head and arched an eyebrow. “Oh?”
“And, whoever paid them also has a Sergeant in their pockets,” Elora hastily added.
There were mummers from the ruffians in the room, their weapons lowered as a more pressing issue presented itself.
“How do you know this?” The lean man asked.
“They tried to kill us,” answered Elora.
Vaelena laughed, “ what sort of trouble do you get yourself into, elf?”
The halfling leaped off Elora’s back to stand next to her men.
“You don’t believe them, do you?” The lean man asked.
“Elora is a thief, but one thing is for sure, she is no fool. She would not come here unless she had no other choice,” Vaelena said.
“Alright then, so what trouble did you get yourself into this time?” The lean man hissed in Elora’s face.
The elf grinned and scanned the room. Elora was ever the performer and orator.
“I have a tale for you all,” she began.