Chương 101: Chapter 100 – Two Elves, A Goblin and a Tape Measure

Grimwald wearily looked at the group of refugees in his charge. The task of getting the group to Shadowborne Villa without causing a major public spectacle was proving to be more difficult than anyone had anticipated. So much for covert operations, he thought to himself, looking down at the set of instructions that had been sent over. It was obvious that the higher-ups had not thought this through. He shook his head and sighed as he glanced from the paper to the group.

There is no way they accounted for the size of these folks. There couldn't be. He knew there was no conceivable way he could fit everyone in the gondolas they had arranged for transport, and he could not expect this group to walk down the city streets without gathering a crowd of curiosity seekers. He pulled out a tape measure from the desk and called Celestia over.

"Seems we have some logistical issues, Celestia," he said with a sigh.

"I'm not sure how we're going to get these folks out of the city and to Shadowborne Villa. The little one won't be an issue, but those other three…" He paused, sighing again.

"I don't knows how we could possibly fit one, let alones all three, plus the little one…" He sighed louder this time.

"Plus yous and me in the gondolas they sent." He stroked his beard, contemplating.

"Then there's the bridge clearance to considers," he paused, raising his eyebrows.

"Well, that means there's going to be lots of bending over." Celestia put a supportive hand on Grimwald's shoulder.

"I see what you mean," she said, casting a glance over at the group quietly talking to one another. Her brow furrowed as she thought it over.

"So, we need to think out of the box here." She paused, placing her pointer finger on her chin.

"And I do mean way out of the box… simply because they won't fit in the boxes we have." She giggled.

"Good one," Grimwald chuckled.

"Thanks," she smiled.

"I thought so." Then cupped her hand on her chin, looking for solutions to the current dilemma.

"We know the standard method of transport is simply not going to work in this situation," she said, thinking out loud. She paused, mulling over some random ideas.

"Hey!" she cried out.

"What about the cargo system?" she asked excitedly.

"I mean, I know it's generally used for transporting granite blocks, cattle, sheep, and larger animals and such, so we know it's big enough." She smiled, liking the idea more and more.

"I know it won't get us to the front door, but I know it should get us close," she said, looking at Grim with newfound hope. Grim's face momentarily brightened up, then twisted in frustration.

"What is it?" Celestia asked, becoming concerned.

"I thought you had a eureka moment, but…" she paused, placing her hand on his sleeve.

"But now you look as if I stole your prized dagger." Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.

"How are wes goin' to get them from here to the loading area without causing mass hysteria? We are going to have to walk and there will be no ways to hide them. The city folk are going to take one look ats them and…" he paused, "well, they are going to believe that we has been invaded by giants, likes that old story." He sighed.

"I can sees it now, women will be ushering their children into their houses and bolting their doors while the menfolk go for their blades and clubs." Celestia looked over at the group.

"Well, I can tell you this, they don't even remotely resemble giants, at least the ones I've seen anyway," she said matter-of-factly. Grim's jaw dropped.

"You mean, giants are real?" he asked nervously.

"Yeah, so are dragons, witches, and…" she broke off, reading the look on his face.

"You were brought up believing that they were all mythical creatures, based on fantasy," she said as the realization hit her.

"Yes, Grim, they are real. You name it, and they are probably real. You and I will have to have a chat someday," she sighed.

"I will explain it all to you. But yes, giants are real, and they are some of the nicest entities you could ever meet." Grim shook his head.

"I don't understands, why would the existence of other realms and beings be kept secret likes that?" he scoffed.

"Up until today, I grewed up listening to tall tales about Elves, Goblins, Giants, and the like, and now… not only do I find out that they are real," he began before glancing over at the group.

"But I find meself looking at living proof of their existence. How has this been kept a bloody secret for all these years?" he snapped, his volume increasing as his frustration mounted.

"Shh," Celestia said, shooting him a cautionary glance as the group turned to see what the commotion was.

"I agree with you, Grim, I never understood it either. If it hadn't been such a secret, maybe we wouldn't be in such a mess now," she said in hushed tones.

"We can talk about this all you want, later. Right now, we have to figure out how we are going to get these folks to where they need to be."

"Fine," he huffed.

"But you betcha, you and I's are going to be talking about this…" he paused, "a lot." He added, folding his arms.

"Sooner rather thans later." He looked over at the group, shaking his head.

"Not just Elves, she says… not just Goblins, she says… but Giants, dragons, witches, and who knows what else, she says. Unbelievable. I feel like my whole life has been a freakin' lie." He grumbled under his breath as he slammed the tape measure on top of the desk. Ray, seeing the tension building on the other side of the room, casually walked over to Celestia to see if he could help. Celestia, noticing him heading toward her, waved him back.

Grim needed time to cool off and having Ray's well-intentioned intervention was likely to make things more volatile. Ray shrugged his shoulders and headed back toward the group. Grim walked back to Celestia, his face still marked with frustration.

"Wells," he said, "we are just goin' to haves to walk. There is no ways around it, and after giving its some thought, what is the point of hiding thems?" He shrugged his shoulders.

"It's not like peoples won't notice this lot at some point." He sighed loudly, talking more to himself than to anyone else.

"They are not prisoners, and eventually will bes moving about freely. The sooner we get them outs in the open, the sooner their presence will be…" He paused, thinking, before adding, "I'm going to says normal, but this is anything but," he said, rolling his eyes.