Chương 25: Freddie - Mud Huts

Freddie climbed over a rotten stump, sweat pouring down his brow, his leather armor sticking to his skin.

"Do we need to move so fast? It's too damned hot." Daron scoffed, knocking on his metal breastplate.

"I'll trade you, if you want."

"It's not my fault you wear an oven." Freddie leaned against a tree, giving himself a moment to rest. A warm breeze ran through the forest. Not pleasant, but he'd take it.

"There is no reason to rush, damn it."

"You would let others get to the tower first? What happened to your excitement yesterday?"

"We're far closer to the tower than any other adventuring party would be. And I was excited to get it over with—not to actually do the thing."

"Rest if you want," Daron said, "but I'll scout ahead. Remember, Raymond could be trapped in that tower. The sooner we get there, the sooner we can rescue him." Freddie rolled his eyes.

"If he's holed up in the tower, how do you expect us to get him out?"

"Maybe he's playing a nice tune for the dungeon overlord," Daron said.

"Or a shitty one," Maudy joked.

"Maybe whoever has him will beg us to take him away." The pit in Freddie's stomach told him that Raymond was dead; at this point, the bard had been gone far too long. Their trip to the tower took them longer than it had any right to be. The earthquake had opened the ground throughout the woods, opening up new rivers and felling trees over formerly accessible paths. Another day of dwindling supplies. Where they walked now, the trees were too tall—the canopy too thick—to see the tower.

Freddie relied solely on his sense of direction to keep them going in a straight line. Daron waved his hand.

"I'll be back. Just going to go a bit ahead and see if I can get a good look at the tower to judge our distance." Freddie groaned.

"If you get lost again, I'm not going after you." The warrior stepped through a bush and yelped.

"What is it?" Maudy shouted.

"I found it." Freddie met Maudy's eyes, and they both shrugged, following the warrior through the brush.

"Oh," Freddie said. Maudy's jaw hung open.

"How?" The giant black tower rose as far as Freddie could lean his head back. Every detail, from the jagged edges to the sharpened outcroppings, was showcased in excruciating detail. Two giant armored statues stood at the base of the tower, raising torches of blue fire. But the most perplexing part was the village at its base. There were a dozen buildings in total. All were made of stone and wood, and completed with red-tiled roofs.

Throughout the village were paved streets, and at its center, a multi-tiered fountain ran with fresh water. They were supposed to be in the Wilds. There was no civilization out here. Not even Ash Ridge was so grand. Freddie repeated Maudy's sentiment.

"How?" Daron dropped into a squat, his heavy metal armor clanking.

"Quiet. Look." Tiny green figures walked through the streets. Goblins. Freddie drew his bow and nocked an arrow.

"Since when do goblins live in stone buildings?"

"Don't be classist," Maudy said.

"Who said goblins couldn't live under a nice roof?"

"I just thought…mud huts and all that," Freddie said. Daron raised a fist.

"We need to go in. There is something strange going on here, and if we are the first to arrive, someone needs to report it back to the guild."

"What do you expect to find that we can't see from up here? There's a giant fucking tower. The goblins made a town around it. What other information would be useful?" Daron rolled his eyes.

"I don't know. How many goblins are there? Where did they get these resources from? Who is leading them? This shit has been going under the nose of the Guild for too long, man. You can stay up here if you want, but I'm going in if you won't." Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation. Freddie caught Daron's shoulder as he stepped forward.

"You're going to get yourself caught immediately with that stupid armor. Gah! Stop looking at me like that. Why do I always end up getting pressured to do this shit?"

"Because you're so good at it," Maudy said.

"We should at least wait until nightfall," Freddie said.

"You can't expect me to barge in there during broad daylight, can you?" Daron scoffed.

"You were the one worried about supplies running low earlier." Freddie closed his eyes, and let out a breath.

"Okay. Fine. I'll go in, see what I can find, and head back out. I'm not doing more than that. You bastards owe me big time." He handed Daron his bow and quiver, only bringing in a single dagger. If he was going to do this during the day, he'd do it light.

"If I'm not back in thirty minutes, then assume I'm dead."

"At least you'll probably complain less when you're dead," Daron joked. Freddie rolled his eyes and jogged forward. He kept to the bushes and trees, following the perimeter of the small village until he found an opening to run between buildings. The cobblestones were laid; the mortar keeping the buildings together still curing. Had this all sprouted up with the tower itself? Chatter filled the air, and he pressed his back against a house as a group of goblins passed by the alleyway.

He leaned into the shadows, holding his breath.

"But if the Carrion King finds out—""Grelgo's plans are set in stone. The Carrion King will die as planned. What we do in the meantime is inconsequential."

"This town, though. If the human is capable of this, what is to say he doesn't see through Grelgo's plan—""Quiet, fool. There are too many ears nearby." Freddie swallowed. Carrion King? The old necromancer from legend? The goblins passed, and Freddie inched out into the main road. The smell of cinnamon filled his nostrils, and his stomach growled. Pastries? Following the scent, a building down the street bore a hanging wooden sign that depicted a loaf of steaming bread. The goblins were bakers, too?

He scrambled forward, keeping low, and peered through a window of the shop. And paled. A strange man with long silver hair stood with his arms crossed, barking orders at two skeletons working an oven. A pulse of dread filled Freddie. Necromancy? Baking? He stumbled back, pressing against the wall of the adjacent building. He had to get out of here. The ground rumbled, and metal squealed. The giant doors of the tower creaked open, letting a flood of goblins out into the town.

They all looked ragged and drained, several clutching their stomachs. What the hell is going on here? The door to the bakery opened, and Freddie froze. Where could he go? There was nowhere to flee to. Not now. Not like this. The window above him was open. If he could crawl through, he could lie low until the coast cleared. Even if Daron and Maudy left him, he could catch up later. He took a deep breath, silently cursing them for putting him in this predicament, and dove through.

He landed on the wooden floor of a furnished home. The air was cool, the smell of freshly cut wood heavy in the air. The furniture was just as new as the house itself, and quaint. There was nothing more than what was needed. A chair. A table. A cloak hanging from one wall— Freddie's mouth went dry. That was Raymond's cloak. The colorful thing was washed in blood, and beneath it, the bard's lute.

"R-raymond?"

"Who goes there? Hollow is still sleeping—" Freddie screamed, and then slapped both hands over his mouth. An ancient goblin stepped out of the corner. Long gray hair hung down his shoulders, and he walked with a slight hunch. The goblin's eyes widened, he and returned the scream.

"Human!" Freddie scrambled away, rushing for the front door and tripping outside.

"Wait!" the goblin yelled after him.

"They'll kill you!" Freddie's heart raced, his vision spun. Raymond was dead. The goblins had killed him. And Freddie was next. Why did he agree to come in here? The ancient goblin followed him outside.

"Come back inside! I mean you no harm!"

"Yeah right!" Freddie screamed, and stopped in his tracks. A dozen goblins filled the streets and stared down at him, brows raised. He grabbed for his knife, and swung wildly.

"Back away!"

"Who the hell is this guy?" one with an eyepatch asked.

"Another human?"

"Ugly one, too." A new voice joined the complaints of the goblins, more sturdy and calm.

"Hey, man. Calm down. It's alright." Freddie spun. The silver-haired man from the bakery. His eyes glowed a deep red, his skin pale. His clothes were covered with blood stains. Several dozen multi-colored patches were scattered around his shirt where it had been mended. His apron-clad skeletons stood on either side of him, one short and disfigured, the other tall and antsy. Each held a loaf of bread.

"N-n-necromancer!"

"Yeah," the man said.

"I figured that would be your response. I was hoping we'd be able to talk. I'd been expecting a fellow human to show up eventually." Freddie screamed, and the tall skeleton burst apart.

"Sorry. They do that when excited."

"Did that skeleton just explode?" Daron asked.

"Yeah. I think we killed Freddie," Maudy said.

"We can save him!"

"No, we can't. Don't even think about it." Daron's jaw dropped as goblins crowded around the ranger. The goblins continued to multiply with each passing moment. Ten. Twenty. Thirty. Fifty… He clenched Freddie's bow.

"But…I…"

"It's okay," Maudy said.

"We will avenge him. Avenge him and Raymond both."