75th Day of Ash, 122th Year of the Age of Steel
They all heaved themselves up onto the dock at the Creth Compound. He had locked the grate behind them for good measure. The goblin that had been wounded was lifted out of the boat and laid against the thick stone pillar. For a moment they all basked in the relief of finally making it to safety.
“Come on, we’ve got to tell people.” Sabrione said, exhaustion slowing the words. “Arthur, can you take that goblin to my cell, see if you can’t patch them up. Use a spare tunic of mine or something if need be.”
“You don’t have decent bandages here?” The goblin officer asked incredulously.
“No.” Sabrione said. “We don’t much need them often. Come on.”
Masagh, the officer, and the other goblins followed Sabrione through the side passage into the Entrance hall. Across the tunnel into the main hall was the gold-plated statue of Quetharax. Tall, thin, and radiating a sense of secret knowledge, lich seemed to especially contrast them now. Wet, exhausted, and for the goblins, unnerved, they stepped into the Grand Hall.
“Don’t try anything…” The goblin officer muttered to Sabrione and Masagh.
He turned and looked at her with bemusement. “Like what?”
She eyes the long hall with the tables and banners. “I know what you lot eat. We’re not meals.” He stared at her, surprised. Then he sighed and followed the chuckling Sabrione into the hall.
“We don’t eat the ones covered in sewer water.” Sabrione teased. She beckoned them on. “Come on, you are allies and guests. You’re safe as long as your heart beats.” The goblins followed hesitantly.
The hall was sparsely populated by ghouls eating a grey meal or else in conversations of two. Emerande was sitting in her chair speaking to Parthena. They all turned to watch the procession of Knights and goblins approach.
“What is the meaning of this? Why have you brought strangers to my hall?” She asked, a flinty edge to her tone. Her eyes bore into Sabrione. Her complete faith in her daughter’s professional sense kept her anger in check. Masagh could not remember a time when any but an undead of the house had entered the Grand Hall.
“Something has happened, Lady Creth.” Sabrione explained, glancing at the goblin officer.
“Clearly, what?” Emerande’s eyes flicked between them.
“A curse, lady.” The goblin said. She was staring up at Emerande with the look prey gives a predator they had spotted.
“And you are?”
“Sreeq.” She answered. “An officer in his majesty’s force.” She gave half a bow and then seemed to second guess if she should.
“A curse keeps our Runes dormant, Lady Creth.” Masagh provided. His mother stared at him, uncomprehending.
“Some few days ago, a shadow appeared above. It fills the night and covers the sun.” Sreeq went on. “It seems Rune magics no longer work. None of ours have been able to in any case.” She glanced around as if to confirm it with the ghouls around the hall.
“I was unable to invoke mine in the battle earlier.” Masagh confirmed.
“Battle?” Parthena asked.
“Yes, more than the curse of the sky, creatures form in the shadows. Vicious things of darkness and shadow that cannot be killed with steel or iron.” Sreeq went on. “Only Dawnstone or Moonstone seem to weaken them enough to be defeated or turned away. We met a few at our exchange.” Sreeq glanced at Sabrione.
“They lost two and Arthur is taking another to my cell to get bandaged.” Sabrione crossed her arms, frowning slightly.
“If the city is cursed, why did you come to the meeting at all?” Emerande asked.
“We don’t ignore our contracts. And the shadow monsters only started showing up a few days ago… “ Sreeq set her hands on her hips. “We didn’t know they’d be in the sewers. Didn’t know you wouldn’t know about it.”
“When did this start?”
Sreeq shrugged. “Few days ago. People in the Undercity think it’s the end times.”
They all looked at her. “You said the sun is eclipsed?” Masagh asked.
Sreeq nodded. “Everyday. A shadow over it that brings twilight from dawn til dusk.”
The hall remained silent for a long moment after that.
“You will stay here until your companion is fit to travel.” Emerande broke the silence. “You are honored guests as befits our long history as allies, though I do not think you would enjoy the food we offer.” Her pale face broke in a slight smile. “We will see if we can find something more suited. But please rest here and when you are ready my Knights will escort you back to the sewers.”
It was a few days before the wounded goblin was ready to travel and Sreeq was willing to venture into the sewers with him. They spent the time mostly squatting in the Grand Hall or resting in the Creth library, with a Knight escorting them. While uneasy around the flesh eating ghouls, Sreeq and her people seemed appreciative of the hospitality. When they were loading onto the boat to brave the sewer ways back to the Undercity she even allowed him to keep the Moonstone he had salvaged from the dead goblin.
The smaller party made it to the site where they had been ambushed without further trouble. Masagh peered into the darkness as the remaining goblins gathered their fallen comrades gear and added their bodies to the cart. Goblins were not sentimental about that sort of thing. No matter how fiercely loyal they were to a person in life, once the soul was gone it was gone. Masagh and Sabrione stood guard as they gathered their payment from where Arthur had left it.
“We’ll guard you down to your side of things.” Sabrione said. “Then come back for the cadavers.”
“You sure?” Sreeq asked, eyeing the cart. “Not worried about your cargo?”
Sabrione smiled. “Who’s going to steal a cart full of corpses in the sewers?”
“Fair enough.”
They were in the lower sewers before they found trouble. Sreeq heard it first, steps in the tunnels. Then a dim light appeared. Masagh was at least comforted that it was not the shadow beasts come back for another round.
“Who goes there?” Sreeq challenged. The others all drew weapons and subtly spread out in the tunnel. The footsteps paused a brief moment and then a handful of forms appeared out of the darkness.
Redveins. Hard, grimy looking men and women. They carried metal bars or vicious looking axes.
“Nice magic stones, sewer rats.” The largest one said. “Give them here.”
Masagh, who was closest, rested his claymore on his shoulder and stared back. His face silhouetted in darkness from the goblin torch behind him, he said, “No.”
“We got more than you and yours. That big sword can’t kill us all.” He replied. “Those things been ripping people apart up there. You don’t need all of them. Don’t make this hard.”
“Take your people and go, redvein.” Sabrione hissed.
“What’s that you call me? You want to die for those rocks, eh?” He yelled, taking a step forward and hefting the axe pin his hand. Behind him, his rogues shifted.
“What do you know about it, warmblood?” Masagh asked, stepping to the side and pulling his hood down off his head. Red eyes burned out of a skeletal face with leathery grey skin that dangled in places.
The reaction was what one would expect. Wide eyes, horror, disgust. The gang leader took a long look at him and then raised his axe. “Come on lads, kill these monsters!”
Masagh parried the overhead axe blow with a quick flick of his claymore. A few of the attacks streamed past before Masagh could push the axeman back into the group. He heard fighting behind him but could not turn his back on the four ahead of him. Masagh blocked another swipe with the axe, tangling the mans hand in the hilt of his weapon. The brute’s nose made a sickening crunch as the pommel of the claymore was driven into it.
He dropped and Masagh had to spend a terrifying moment untangling his sword from the unconscious leader while two behind him stepped forward. He was able to bring the blade up before him. A club ricocheted off the edge of his blade and against the wall while the second axe was pinned to the opposite wall.
It was a brutal fight, fought in the muck of the sewers. At one point Masagh stood back to back with Sreeq, the pair fending off three at once. Masagh was able to break free of one precarious pinning by cutting free three fingers from one man’s hand, making him drop his spear and howl in pain.
It felt like a long while, but the gang was unconscious or dying within two minutes. Masagh had a few minor cuts and Sabrione had lost skin from her arm. None of the goblins were wounded any more than they had been before, thankfully. Minor wounds for Masagh and Sabrione were little more than an afterthought, but for a goblin that lived such things might mean the different between making it home or not.
They all stood, panting and staring around.
“Not a good week, for any of us.” The wounded goblin muttered. Sabrione and Sreeq croaked out tired laughs. They all relaxed.
“Maybe we should leave them a stone.” Masagh said. “Not their fault the world’s going to shit.”
“You want to give the shits who tried to kill you a dragon shard?” Sreeq stared at him incredulously. “Thought you might want to tack them onto your cart.”
“We can’t spare one.” Another goblin said, eyes flickering to the Moonstone in Masagh’s hand.
Masagh gripped it tighter. “Not ours, brother.” Sabrione said quickly, frowning at him. “We don’t have a spare and we need to get home.”
“Right, been fun but we’re leaving, with all our stones.” Sreeq said, pulling the wounded goblin back to their feet. “I suggest you fuck off and do the same.”
Then the goblins were off, bobbing away quickly down the tunnel.
“Come on.” Sabrione said and turned to leave. Masagh called after her.
“Wait a moment.”
“What for, Masagh? Let’s just get out of here.”
He didn’t respond. He found the axeman leader and bent down beside him. Masagh slapped the man hard across the face to wake him. Gasping, the thug stared around wildly before wide eyes settled on Masagh. The ghoul could feel the heartbeat in his chest and felt a surge of hunger. “You should get your people out of here… before you end up like us.” Then he stood and stepped over the man. He hurried after Sabrione into the darkness once again.
