Returning
As the returning party came closer, Pender nervously looked over at Milo. He’d been looking nervously at Milo for a while now, but he knew that he and his comrades would soon be forced to leave- a fact that Pender was dreading having to explain to the others.
As the group got within speaking distance, Milo called out to them.
“What happened at the camp? Lilith mentioned a wyrm.”
Gabriel and the other magician stepped forward, both attempting to explain at the same time.
“The goblins all started collapsing-”
“We heard this scream-”
After realizing they were speaking over each other, they both stopped, before Gabriel took the lead.
“So, after we met in the woods, I realized that the goblins were acting irregularly. When I returned to the camp, I came across a goblin that was being somehow… drained of its blood.”
“What exactly do you mean?”
“Their blood had taken on a black color, and was rapidly leaving their body, disappearing soon after - it was going somewhere, but I didn’t realize this just yet.”
Seth now began speaking. “We,” he said, motioning to Jonah, “were near the center of the camp at the time. Instead of disappearing, as Gabriel said, we saw where the blood was going- it was coalescing into a strange black orb. Soon enough, the orb became a wyrm, and began attacking us.”
“I heard the wyrm’s roar, and me and Lilith went to see what was going on. Whenwe got there, we saw those two knights fighting against the wyrm, and he- Gabriel- arrived soon after.”
“As we fought it, most of us had to retreat due to not being able to pierce the wyrm’s hide, so we began treating the injured. Eventually, the priestess joined us, saying that she had ‘ran out of magic’- so the only one left fighting the wyrm was him,” Seth said, referring to Kass.
“And he killed a wyrm on his own?” Milo asked in what might be the most shocked Pender had seen the man- moreso even than seeing the priestess walk out of the woods carrying a goblin.
“I wish I knew how he did it! Back during the crusades the only way we had to deal with those damn things was to stand back and let the nobles blast ‘em to smithereens,” Jonah added.
“From where I was, I saw bolts of lightning strike once or twice. I assume that was his doing,” Gabriel said.
He can summon lightning? Pender almost broke out in stress hives as he realized just how powerful the magician was- and he was the one who accosted his sister in the middle of town! Please don’t find out about that before we leave town, please don’t find out about that before we leave town, please-
Pender’s train of thought was interrupted when the magician spoke up. “The lightning thing wasn’t intentional the first time, but I did actually manage to kill it with the second lightning bolt.”
“How do you accidentally summon lightning?” Gabriel asked.
“It was a side effect to summoning something else- a magical spear, namely. I thought that if summoning it created a lightning bolt, I could un-summon it for a similar effect. I was right.”
“Ah.”
“Anyway, after that happened, we gathered up everyone, made sure the goblins were all actually dead, and made our way back here,” Seth concluded.
“In that case, I thank you for your help, and would now ask that you leave and return to the rest of your order immediately.”
This statement came as a surprise to all the knights save Pender, as well as the villagers who hadn’t filtered past the gates and back to their houses by now.
“Why?”
“I do not take kindly to attempts of blackmail against myself or the villagers here. Your compatriot here,” Milo spat, turning ‘compatriot’ into a word that sounded like a worse insult than ‘blasphemer’, “did not realize that.”
The three knights slowly turned to look at Pender, who was wishing he was more or less anywhere else in existence right about now.
“Could you give us a moment to talk amongst ourselves?” Gabriel said, with a voice of barely disguised anger.
“If you do so outside the walls.”
“Thank you.” And so the knights went a distance out of earshot.
Hey, Lilith, are you still there?
Yeah, I forgot to stop this connection. What happened?
Well, apparently one of the knights pissed off Milo and now he’s making them all leave. Something about blackmail?
Oh- Amelia told me that one of the knights asked her some questions. I’m not sure about the blackmail, it’s possible he was attempting to blackmail Milo or something?
Maybe.
Anyway, I’ll see if I can get over there. I liked that one knight we talked to, I think at least he was nice.
He threatened us with a sword.
Not to play that card, but so did you.
Not with a sword.
I mean, you attacked me with a sword a bit later.
That was different, that was a training thing.
Okay- presence of weapons nonwithstanding, he listened. I think that we can trust him, at least a little.
I’ll tell Milo you said that.
Thanks.
- - -
Meanwhile, a ways away, the knights were engaged in a discussion that was just on the edge of becoming a shouting match.
“What the hell were you thinking?”
“I- we needed information!”
“Yes, but this is not how we go about getting it!”
“Who put you in charge?” Seth asked.
“Oh, I’m sorry, I thought it was common sense to not antagonize the magic people!”
“What’s done is done,” Jonah said. “Now, we just need to think what we do next.”
“There’s a guy behind you,” Seth said.
Turning around, Pender saw him. The lightning magician, who had somehow managed to sneak up on him. The shock, combined with his paranoia of why the magician was there, made him collapse from fear, falling to the ground in a clatter of metal.
“What’s up with him?”
“Not sure,” Gabriel said. “What brings you here?”
“I talked to Milo and Lilith about it, and we agreed that you can come into the village. Lilith did say she would explain things.”
“Good,” Seth said. “Once we rouse Pender, we will-”
“Oh- not you, just him,” Kass explained, pointing to Gabriel.
“What? Why?”
“Lilith likes him.”
“Huh,” Gabriel mused. “Well, I’ll be there shortly.”