The Second Key of Kalijor

 

-1-

The warm afternoon air streamed through Riana’s dark purple hair as she moved swiftly across the Plain of Serenity. Her hair had grown quite a bit in the months that she had been searching. It now fell nearly to her waist in a ragged pony tail, a contrast to the neat arrangement that used to hold her shoulder-length locks. Her long elven ears were perked up, listening for any signs of danger as her violet eyes scanned the horizon with an intense scrutiny. She quickly covered the distance to what she hoped would at last be her final destination.

Fine features reflected her time in the wilds of Kalijor, being wind lashed as she roamed from place to place searching, always searching. The soft black leather top and breechcloth, enchanted to ease friction against her newly tattooed skin so long ago, looked as if she had only purchased them yesterday. The mystical tattoos themselves had long since healed, ceasing to be a constant source of discomfort to her, although her skin was still slightly more sensitive than it used to be. In the months of her searching, many of the mystical markings that had previously been faded and dulled due to her lack of power and skill, had since come into sharp focus, reflecting her strengthening will and skills.

Xanthe sped along the grassy plain with a smooth, constant gait that far outstripped the pace of even the strongest horses in the realm. His sinewy, scaled body looked like shimmering white crystals flowing in the daylight as his four powerful legs propelled them along close to the ground. His long neck and tail swayed hypnotically as he moved, his long horns hugging his neck as they arced gracefully away from his serene dragon-like face.

Together they had been searching Kalijor for more than six months for any sign, any indication of where her sister had been taken. Katrina had gone to give Malice the crystal key in Kalijor, while Riana was to retrieve Solidarity Online’s prototype processor from the mercenary, Gregory Shantal, at the same time on Mars Station. Both meetings had turned out to be traps. Riana had barely escaped from her exchange with her life, and had seen a vision of her sister being beat, nearly to death, by Malice in Rathalon. She was forced to watch helplessly as, after the beating, Katrina had been dragged into a magical portal and vanished. So Riana had dedicated herself to finding her sister, wherever she was, and freeing her of whatever bonds were keeping her in peril. In the meantime, her body remained in its game pod on the Tyconderoga, with IV’s feeding her body essential nutrients and piezoelectric stimulators working to keep her idle muscles from deteriorating.

The search had begun in the Crossed Swords tavern in Rathalon, the unofficial capital city of Kalijor. Despite the fact that she had seen many of the patrons there in a vision, none of them had been forthcoming with any information. They all remembered the fight, but none of them had any idea where the pair had vanished to or how. They had simply disappeared into thin air.

Gornin, at the Cohai Observatory, had not been of much use either. The mysterious old troll had only said that there were many places in Kalijor that were beyond the reach of the gods. These places were accessible only to those who knew how to get to them, and almost anyone who knew such things, would never reveal their secrets. At least, not without some hefty persuasion.

Now she was trying to track down any tale of places so difficult to find and enter that no one knew anyone who had actually been there. It had been a daunting task when she first began six months ago, and was no less so now, although she had been able to put to rest several rumors. One such rumor had suggested that there was an old hollow tree in the vast Forest of Brume, and if one rapped on its gnarly outer surface in such a way, a portal would open to a secret dungeon beneath it. After researching every conceivable approach to the tree and combing through the forest for a month, following each set of instructions to the letter, she had never encountered such a hollow tree.

Another rumor suggested that there was a secret chamber beneath the Burning Expanse that could be accessed by the wielder of the enigmatic Master Sword. The Master Sword was a weapon of such beauty that it enchanted those that laid eyes on it, forcing them to stand and stare at its magnificence. Of course no one knew anything about how or where to acquire the sword. However, the records in the Magic Academy’s extensive library seemed to support that the weapon existed, or at least had existed at some point in the past. That trail ran cold there though, with no leads as to where the sword might be.

Currently, she was chasing down a rumor about an ancient tower that sat in the middle of The Bramble. The story went that the defender of the tower could allow access to a secret chamber if he was bested in combat. This particular tale required a person to acquire the key to the tower from the leader of a tribe of goblins inhabiting The Bramble. So, she and Xanthe had ridden hard through the night, having left Rathalon at first light the day before. They had just sighted the edge of The Bramble, a tangled and gnarly forest with thin, spindly trees that seemed to grow in every direction but skyward. The entire forest, hundreds of acres in size, seemed more like a giant shrub or bush than an actual forest. Long since overrun by the strange, twisted trees that grew from nowhere with the speed and voracity of a bed of thistles, it had once been the site of a large human city.

Xanthe’s powerful strides drew them toward the dark spot on the horizon. From her perch on his back, Riana spied a prone form on the ground ahead of them. It was small, faintly green, and partially hidden among the knee high grass. Drawing the great half-dragon to a halt, she slid off his back and patted him reassuringly on the neck as she cautiously stepped towards the body to investigate.

Tentatively, she prodded the diminutive form with her booted toe. When it failed to respond, she rolled it over onto its back so she could see it more clearly. The creature would have been about three feet tall had it been standing upright. The greenish tint to its skin faded into a pale yellow color on its stomach and the insides of its arms and legs. Its head was a little too large for its body and bore a long, crooked nose beneath sharp, protruding eyebrow ridges. Solid black eyes stared up at the sky lifelessly and its clawed hands still clutched at a short bow and a handful of arrows. Apparently it had never even managed to get one of the projectiles knocked before its life was cut short.

Four long, deep gashes across the creature’s chest, running from its left shoulder down to its right hip were clearly the cause of the creature’s demise.

“Goblin.” Riana said aloud, causing Xanthe to look down at her curiously, blinking his large blue eyes. “Dead, and without much of a fight. Someone caught it completely by surprise.”

Passing several more dead goblins as they continued toward The Bramble, Riana realized that they were not the only ones heading into the thicket. The only question she had was, were these ‘others’ going to be a problem for her?

As they drew even with the edge of the ‘trees’, they could hear the faint sounds of combat emanating from within the forest. The occasional clash of metal on metal and the high pitched squeals and grunts of goblins. Looking up and down the tree line, Riana could see no way for Xanthe to get into the forest with her, so she dismounted and patted him affectionately on the neck. “Looks like you’ll have to stay here and cover our retreat friend.”

Xanthe bowed his head in understanding and then pushed her towards the trees with his nose, urging her on. He seemed as anxious to find Katrina as Riana was.

Drawing Elkorine with her right hand, she examined the short sword as the light played off of its matte grey finish, the elven runes on its blade soaking up the light. A memory of that morning in the cellar of the Cohai Observatory as Gornin and Dorin had given her and Katrina the magical weapons played through her mind. Master Gornin had told her that the the magical sword had been a part of every major event in Kalijor’s known history, and that it would serve her well for as long as she needed it. She felt a sudden pang of guilt for not being there with her sister in order to defend her against Malice. She had protested Xavier’s chosen course at some great length, but in the end, he had forced the issue, and they had separated. Shaking the memories off with a shudder, she pressed into the thickly matted trees of The Bramble, heading toward the sounds of conflict.

The trees grew close together, at extreme and strange angles to one another, creating a thickly woven mass of branches and trunks that made it difficult to navigate. Pressing through the mass as quickly as she could, Riana felt the brambles scratching her skin and grabbing at her clothes. Catching her foot in a protruding root, she fell, bruising her knees and shins. By the time she got close enough to see what was causing the noise, she had scratches and bruises from head to toe thanks to her hasty journey through the impossible tangle.

In a large clearing, several crumbling buildings—the remains of the former human city—offered a dozen or so goblins an easy advantage over a single man. A full mane of blonde hair fell to the middle of his back and his thin, muscular frame was adorned with a simple brown leather belt supporting a breechcloth. A series of leather straps across his chest supported two empty scabbards on his back. He wore brown leather boots and plain metal bracers. Wielding a sword-staff similar to those of the Rathalon Defenders, although shorter, the man moved in a graceful dance around the circle of goblins. After watching him twirl the weapon this way and that, Riana realized that the goblins had no advantage here. Each time the weapon moved, at least one goblin fell to the ground, clutching its head, neck, or body in pain. She was considering helping him when a goblin with a bow in hand made its way to the top of a dilapidated building. Drawing a bead on the lone man his arm pulled back, ready to let fly a wicked looking hooked arrow. Without a second thought, Riana stepped into the clearing. With the briefest moment of concentration, one of the tattoos on her body glowed brightly in chorus with her violet eyes, and she threw her left hand forward. She pointed at the goblin archer and an arc of lightning leapt from her finger tips.

The goblin yelped in surprise and pain as the bolt of lightning struck, enveloping it in electricity. A moment later, it fell to the ground, a smoking heap. Some of the other goblins immediately broke off from their attack on the man and headed toward her with weapons drawn. Again, she concentrated and her eyes flashed. This time, with her fingers spread wide, a fan of electricity leapt from her to the onrushing goblins. Jumping back and forth from goblin to goblin, it lit up the clearing with flashing, blue light. Half a dozen of the goblins dropped lifelessly to the ground. From nowhere, more appeared to climb over the charred bodies.

In a flash, Riana summoned a freezing cold whirlwind. Surrounding her in a fury of driving ice and snow, the squall swirled around her briefly before abruptly blowing itself out. A protective layer of ice armor now covered her body. Without hesitation, she waded into the group of goblins swinging Elkorine. The magical sword cut the creatures down as easily as it would stalks of grass. The goblins’ various assaults chipped at the magical armor as she made her way toward the blonde man. He continued his assault on the flood of goblins, seemingly taking no notice of her own battle on his behalf.

Before she saw it, she felt the strands of magical ether coalescing around one of the creatures. Turning to face the goblin shaman, she heard the last words of the spell and felt the forest floor came alive with roots and vines that wrapped themselves around her legs with the strength of a vise. Her eyes flashed again as she hurled a tongue of flame at the shaman. Enveloped in a ball of fire, the creature fell to the ground screaming in pain. It had managed to call out another incantation before it fell, however. A sphere of blue energy surrounded Riana, collapsed in on her, and caused the icy armor to crumble into frost at her entangled feet.

Goblins surrounded her as her protective enclosure dissipated. She eyed the advancing horde and knew she was in trouble. Her eyes flashed and a large fireball formed in her left hand. Throwing the ball of flame at her feet, her eyes flashed again. With a faint popping noise, she disappeared from her bondage, popping back into the clearing on the far side a second later. Staring in astonishment at the spot where Riana had been an instant before, the goblins confusion turned to determination. As they began to look around, the fireball exploded into a torrent of heat and light, engulfing everything within twenty feet of where she had been rooted to the ground. Wails of shock and pain echoed from the giant fireball before it receded into nothingness, leaving only blackened ground and desiccated goblin bodies.

“Nice moves.” The soothing tenor voice rolled across her sensitive ears, causing them to perk up.

Turning to find the source of the voice, Riana saw the blonde man standing a dozen feet away holding his sword-staff in one hand and grinning mischievously at her. His deep cobalt eyes twinkled as he looked at her.

“You have some experience fighting goblins?”

She blushed a bit. “Never such large groups of them…” As she realized he could see more or less her entire body, she blushed crimson from head to toe, suddenly more self conscious than she had ever been before. Trying to look anywhere else in the large clearing, but somehow always coming back to his deep blue eyes, she knew he was sizing her up.

He grinned again. A show of playful exuberance revealed his white teeth that may have been just a little bit too sharp.

Reflexively, Riana’s eyes rolled over his athletic body. Well toned and muscular, but not overly so, he was thin for an average human, and tall. Clean shaven, there were a series of thin braids running through his mane of blonde hair which was secured into a loose pony tail behind his neck. She wasn’t sure, but she thought she could detect hints of slightly darker spots in his hair.

The man grinned again at her roving eyes, causing her to blush a deeper red. “Well you handled yourself admir…”

He stopped short. A faint sound, the sound of a sinew bow string being drawn, nearly escaped Riana’s sharp elven hearing. Spinning around to find the source of the sound, she saw the miniscule goblin archer just as he loosed his arrow. Her eyes flashed and a bolt of lightning leapt from her fingertips, singeing the arrow as it sailed directly toward her head, but not stopping it. A flash of panic flowed through her as she watched the arrow. She didn’t have time to take another shot. ‘Not like this, not now. I still haven’t found my sister.’ She thought as the whole world slowed down to a crawl.

Entering her line of vision, moving faster than the arrow by a good margin, the man’s hand plucked the arrow out of the air while the tip was mere inches from her forehead.

He handed her the arrow and took a small metal object from his belt. In a flash of speed and a blur of motion, he spun around and flung the small metal blade, striking the confused goblin archer between the eyes and knocking him bodily from his perch.

Turning back to Riana, still standing inches apart, he grinned broadly. “So. Come here often?”

Riana turned away from him as her skin flushed and unfamiliar feelings rushed through her body, pretending to check the clearing for any more signs of trouble. “I… um…”

“First time uh?” She felt as much as heard him move away. Stealing a glance over her shoulder, she saw him prodding a charred goblin with his right foot curiously.

“Yeah.” She managed a whole word somehow this time.

“Are you here for a particular reason? Or just for the company?” His tone was light, as if everything going on were a mere game.

Riana looked down at the arrow still clutched tightly in her hand and snapped its wooden shaft, tossing the splintered pieces to the ground at her feet. “Definitely not for the company.”

“I thought not.” His soothing voice slid over her like silk, but now it was coming from in front of her. Looking up, she saw that he was now poking and prodding though some of the fallen goblins packs and pouches looking for valuables.

“How did you…?” Riana looked over her shoulder at where he had been a moment before.

“How did I what?” He looked up at her. “Get over here so quickly?”

“Uh…” Riana looked down at the ground. “Not that I am ungrateful or anything, I just… have never seen anyone move so quickly before. Not without a spell of some kind.” She hadn’t felt the build-up of magic energy that normally preceded the casting of a spell.

“I get that a lot.” He stopped his rummaging for a moment, a thoughtful look on his face as he considered her words. Finally, he grinned again. Cobalt eyes sparkled in the motley forest light as he said half-jokingly “I’m part cheetah.”

Riana gaped at him for a moment, then grinned. “My name is Riana. I’m looking for the Goblin Chieftain. He supposedly has a key…”

“To the tower on the southern edge of The Bramble. Yeah, me too.” He stood up and ambled back toward her. Shifting his sword-staff to his left hand, he came to a stop in front of her. Confidently, he offered his right hand to her in greeting, “My name is Jumah. Jumah Wataru.”

Riana sheathed Elkorine and then took the proffered hand. “It’s nice to meet you m’lord. Thank you for the assistance.”

“You’re very welcome Riana. And please, call me Jumah. I am no lord.”

She flushed again but launched back into the conversation, hoping he wouldn’t see. “So, what are you seeking in the tower, Jumah?”

He looked at her for a moment. It was as though he was looking right into her mind and soul searching for something. His light-hearted demeanor renewed itself as he released her hand, looking back toward the dead goblins. “Nothing really. I’ve just never been there before.”

She gaped at him, trying to figure out what this man was thinking. “You mean to tell me, you are single handedly moving through this tribe of goblins, to get the key from their chieftain in order to enter a heavily defended, likely trap ridden tower simply because you have never been there before?”

“That pretty much sums it up, yeah.”

“I think you may be totally deranged.”

“I’ve been called much worse.”

“Oddly enough, I believe you.” Now she was grinning from ear to ear herself.

“That’s the spirit. So, you want some company?”

“I told you I didn’t come here for the company.” Riana chided him playfully.

“Oh. Right. Well then let’s just say that we are moving in the same direction at the same time through happenstance.” Jumah took his weapon in both hands and twisted the handle in the middle. It pulled cleanly apart into two separate swords which he then slid home in the crossed sheaths on his back. Bowing low before her, he swept his arms to the side indicating which direction they were headed.

Riana shook her head with a quirky grin on her lips and headed off in the indicated direction, her new companion moving up beside her as they made their way toward where the goblin chieftain’s hut was rumored to be.

 

 

-2-

Riana ducked to the side as the wild boar leapt past her. One of its wicked tusks gouged her upper arm as it passed. Gritting her teeth against the pain, her eyes flashed bright violet as she countered the noxious cloud of vapor spewing forth from the goblin chief’s fingers.

Thinking that this would be as easy as the other goblins had proved to be, turned out to be a foolish mistake. There was a very good reason this fellow was their leader. The creature was tall for a goblin, somewhere around five feet, but looked exactly like his brethren in all other respects. The same long, pointy nose and protruding eyebrows, gaunt, angular features, and cold black eyes made up his visage. He turned out to be an accomplished mage, conjuring up wild boars and lightning bolts as soon as he had seen the pair approaching.

It had also turned out that Jumah was quite adept at dealing with magical attacks. His weapon seemed to absorb most of the attacks and his speed allowed him to block even lightning bolts with it.

Averting her gaze when he flashed a winning smile while dodging a fireball without looking, the rustling of leaves and branches drew her attention. The return of the conjured boar reminded her that she had to deal with it herself, while Jumah was keeping the goblin occupied. Her ears splayed out and she focused on the sounds behind her. Keying in on the animal’s snorting, ragged breath as it charged her, she waited until she heard its feet leave the ground as it leapt, then cast a stop-time spell.

The world around her turned grey and bleak, everything in it frozen in place. An eerie silence caved in on her ears like an explosion in the sudden absence of the sounds of battle. She pivoted on her heel, spinning around to face the boar. The creature was suspended mid air with a foul look in its eyes. Positioning herself to one side, she placed her hand on Elkorine’s handle and prepared to draw the weapon knowing that she would get only one chance.

She pulled in a deep breath of bestilled air and glanced toward Jumah just as she pulled the magical weapon from its sheath.

‘What the…?’ She thought to herself as the world suddenly sprang into full motion again. A cacophony of sounds smashed in on her sensitive ears like a tsunami breaking over a high cliff. Her focus snapped forward just in time to complete the graceful arc of her short sword as it swung out of its scabbard upward toward the startled looking boar. The boar ricocheted off Riana, knocking her to the ground. In a flash of electrical light the boar’s lifeless body collided full force with the chief’s head, stunning him. Jumah took the opportunity to land a killing blow with his swift blades.

Rolling to a sitting position Riana scanned the clearing to make sure they were safe. ‘That’s not possible… time was frozen. He couldn’t have…’ She replayed the scene in her mind once more and she was sure of it. Just as she had glanced in his direction… ‘He winked at me!’

 

-3-

“Well, if you say I did, then I must have. But, I thought it was impossible.” Jumah said with a shining smile.

Riana pushed a branch out of her way as she stepped over a gnarly tangle of roots and sighed. “It IS impossible. That spell slows time in the immediate area down to a fraction of its normal pace. I mean the only way someone could possibly still move is if they were somehow immune…”

“Which I assure you I am not.”

“…or…” she tossed him a sidelong glance, then winced in pain as a protruding branch dug into the freshly dressed wound on her shoulder.

“Or…” Jumah prompted her, after she had taken a few deep breaths to stem the pain.

“Or…” She continued, “If the person in question could move so fast that they could get to that state under their own power.”

Jumah contemplated this comment for a moment as he bent a particularly thick branch out of the way and held it for her as she passed. “You mean the person in question would have to be able to move so fast that they could slow down time around them?”

“Not slow down time per se, just move so fast that it would appear to everyone else that they had simply vanished, or teleported.”

“Wow. That sounds pretty fast. I don’t think I can move quite that quickly, personally.” His tenor voice called out from behind her as they forged on into the forest.

“I don’t see how you could. I mean there’s only one species...” Riana now held a branch back for Jumah. As he passed in front of her, she confirmed that his long golden locks had the faintest dark splotches speckled throughout.

“Thank you m’lady.” He flashed her another grin as he ducked under the branch and moved ahead to the next obstacle. “So, what species is this that could move that fast?”

Riana shook her head, trying to clear her thoughts. “Were-Cheetah.” She watched his face for a reaction before continuing. “But no one has seen any of their kind in decades, possibly a century or more. Most of the were-creatures were hunted to extinction after the great wars. Nobody trusted them to not spread their lycanthropy like a plague.”

“I see.” Jumah’s voice was a bit less jovial as he held back a series of branches for her to get past. “So what do you think?”

“About what?” She turned to look at him and walked sidelong into a thick branch. Her foot caught in a clump of roots and she knew she was going to break something in the fall as she keeled over. Closing her eyes and clenching her jaw in preparation for the pain, she gasped as strong arms wrapped around her, stopping her mid-fall.

Opening her eyes tentatively and looking up she was met by Jumah’s crystal clear blue eyes and his mischievous grin. “About these supposedly plague-bearing were-beasts.” He used his free hand to delicately chase a few locks of hair out of her eyes.

Her skin turned hot and a deep blush suffused her cheeks. Finally she managed to turn her head away from his gaze. His hand pressed against her side and she was suddenly aware of the strength behind those fingers. His fingers were rough, but gentle as he helped her stand up.

She turned her back to him for a moment, pretending to adjust her belt and pouches as she tried to force her body back under her control.

Jumah watched as she shuffled and adjusted, patiently waiting and leaning against the tree he had rescued her from. When she turned back to face him, he stared into her deep, violet eyes.

Forcing herself to look at his chin or his shoulder, anywhere but those pools of crystal blue that heated her skin and made her heart thump in her chest like a goblin war drum. “Well, canine lycanthropes were the ones able to transfer their condition via bites, but the feline lycanthropes could only pass their abilities to their offspring. Or so I’ve read.” She adjusted her sword awkwardly.

“I see.” Jumah said as he stood up and pushed a series of branches aside, holding them for her.

She nodded a thank you as she passed him, trying not to think about his muscular body sliding past hers.

Taking a few strides, he was again in front of her, his hand reaching out toward the next thicket of branches. As he reached out to grab the branches, he paused just as her hand snatched his wrist. Turning to look at her with raised eyebrows, he saw her staring at his chest with a blank expression and her long elven ears perked up and splayed out in concentrated effort. “You hear it too?” He whispered to her.

“More goblins. Just there.” She whispered back in a barely audible voice and pointed through the branches he was about to move, reluctantly releasing his arm in the process.

Quietly, they both crept forward and peeled away some of the smaller branches and leaves. Peering through them, they saw what they were up against.

A large clearing with a dilapidated stone tower standing in the center was just beyond their hiding place. The tower looked to be about five stories high with a disintegrating tile roof, no visible windows, and a single door around which huddled a mass of goblins. The creatures mulled about nervously as though they expected to be set upon at any moment by a monster.

“That must be our tower then.” Jumah whispered.

“You think?” Riana whispered back with a grin on her face. “What gave it away? I mean, aside from the horde of goblins at the door?”

“Obviously it’s the state of the thing. I mean, look at those roof tiles. I haven’t seen craftsmanship of that quality in years.” He grinned back at her.

With some effort Riana stifled a laugh. Forcing herself back to the matter at hand, she took stock of the situation. It was getting late in the day, with darkness due any moment. There were twenty goblins guarding the single door to the tower, and they stood in the center of a clearing that would guarantee anyone approaching the tower would be seen, unless…

“How much do you like me?” She hissed at Jumah who responded by sitting up so quickly that he hit his head on a branch and then was slapped in the face by the twigs he had let go of in surprise at the bluntness of the question.

“M’lady I… I’m sure you… ah…”

She turned and looked at him with an amused smile on her face. ‘At least it’s not just me.’

She leaned in close to him and brought up her left forearm, pointing to a glyph there she explained, “I don’t know an invisibility enchantment strong enough for multiple people yet. But the one I do know will affect myself and whatever is in my very immediate vicinity.”

“Ah. How immediate are we talking about here?”

She grinned at him. For the first time since she had met him that morning she realized that this man was not imperturbable. “Physical contact close.”

“You don’t mean just holding hands, right?” His eyes darted from left to right as though he was half expecting her parents to break in on them.

She took the opportunity to play with him a bit, taking advantage of his apparent gentlemanly nature. Offering him a wry smile that he instantly took to daydreaming about. “I think we may have to get rather more… intimate, than that.” She pressed on, relishing the rosy color of his cheeks. “Unless you want to fight the lot of them?” She jerked her thumb over her shoulder toward the clearing and the goblins therein by way of explanation.

“Not especially, no.”

“Nor do I.” She stated flatly. “So.”

He looked around for a moment.

“Ok then. How about this? You invis yourself and head over there with the key. You open the door and I’ll meet you inside. Just hold it open for a second before you close it.”

Riana looked at him with a look of amusement on her face. “You’re going to run from here to there in a second? And without alarming the goblins?” She raised her eyebrows skeptically at him.

“Yes. I am going to run that distance in a second, and no I won’t alert the goblins. You’ll already have done that.”

“I’ll already have done that… Why exactly?”

“Do you think they won’t see the door opening by itself?” He smirked at her.

“Oh. I hadn’t thought of that.” She chided herself inwardly.

“Don’t worry about it. This way, my movement will distract them from the door and we’ll have a better chance of locking it behind us without a bunch of them spilling in first.”

“Are you sure about this? If we do it my way it ensures we’ll both get there at once.”

“Because,”he paused, “we’ll have to disentangle from one another before we can deal with the goblins. I think this will work better.”

Suddenly the sky darkened. In a matter of seconds it transitioned from daylight to night, much like somebody turning down a dimmer switch on an electric light.

Jumah pointed toward the clearing and said, “Go now. While their eyes are adjusting to the darkness.”

“Alright, but I want it noted that I think this is a bad idea.” Riana whispered as her eyes glowed and then vanished from sight along with the rest of her.

A moment later, she pushed her way slowly through the foliage with a soft rustling sound and then quietly padded toward the ominous door at the base of the tower.

Holding the handle of Elkorine, to keep it from swinging on her belt and touching a goblin, or making some unexpected noise. Riana picked her way through the goblin guard detail, clenching Elkorine tightly in case something unexpected happened and she needed to defend herself. Moving as quickly as she dared, more than once she ended up face to face with one of the little green creatures. Eventually she reached the tower and squeezed herself behind a particularly burly looking, armor clad, goblin warrior, bearing a large—for him—axe. She gently slotted the old skeleton key into the door’s lock and slid it home.

The key bottomed out in the lock and clanked against the back plate ever so slightly. Riana held her breath as the goblin perked its ears up and began to look around. After a moment it settled down again and Riana slowly let out her breath and drew in another deep draught of fresh air. Glancing briefly over her shoulder to where she knew Jumah should be watching from, she nodded in his direction, forgetting that she was invisible. Looking back to the door, she placed a hand on its rough surface and paused for an instant to prepare.

‘Here we go. This is where we both get shot up by goblin archers.’ With all the courage and speed she could muster, she twisted the key in the lock cringing when it echoed with a loud clanking noise. Wrenching the key back out of the lock, she pushed. The door swung in on its hinges and groaned so loud that she thought it must have alerted the Obscuri in their caves halfway across Kalijor.

She felt the activity before she heard it. The goblins realizing that someone was opening the door behind them. The slow and painful process that went in to that epiphany was almost comical, while their reaction was anything but. A sudden tidal wave of noise came up behind her as the goblins began yelling and screaming, raising their weapons in anger and foul intent.

Riana was already pushing the door aside with her body, pivoting around its open edge and bracing her shoulder against the inside of the wooden barrier, preparing to push it closed again. The goblins’ confusion focused on the open space and the empty doorway. Several crooked arrows embedded themselves in the door near her head and she looked up to see the armor-clad axe-wielding goblin swinging his weapon in a wide arc in a blind attempt at the blood of the intruder.

She smiled at the goblin as an arc of lightning issued forth from her right hand, dispelling her invisibility enchantment. Before they could do much more than register her sudden appearance, the blast of electricity arced back and forth through the assembled mass of goblins, scaring some, stunning others, and outright killing a few.

‘He’s had his second and I need to get through this, with or without him.’ She thought as she pushed with her legs, driving the wooden door closed with all her strength. The heavy door closed against the stone with a resounding thud. Jamming the rusty key into the lock on the inside, she twisted it home with a reassuring clank.

“Well that was fun!”

Riana jumped at the sound, whirling around to put her back to the door and her hand on her sword. “What the?!”

“Calm down m’lady. It’s just me.” Jumah smiled reassuringly at her in the wan light of the tower’s interior.

“How did you… I mean, I just… And you weren’t…”

His smile turned to a knowing, mischievous grin. “It’s a trade secret. I could tell you but…”

“But what? You’d have to kill me?” She looked at him sarcastically.

“No. I just think it’s more fun to make you keep guessing.”

Riana stared at the blonde man with a look somewhere between amazement and incredulity. She had no idea why she liked him. He was arrogant and over-confident. He behaved like a child playing a game, and yet he was still somehow serious enough to make it seem as though he was here for all the right reasons. He smiled at her impishly as she stared at him.

“Look...” She said, releasing her grip on her sword’s handle and moving to examine the small, dark, stone room they found themselves in.

“Is this where you tell me you don’t like handsome, capable, eligible bachelors?” His grin widened. “Would it change things if I told you I cook too?”

She turned her violet eyes back toward him and gave him a look that instantly withered his mood. His back straightened and his muscles tensed. He was ready for instant action and the levity was gone.

“I am looking for my sister. She was beaten nearly to death and then dragged away by a man named Malice. I don’t know where he has taken her, but I have been able to find out that it is a place where GM’s cannot see, or go.”

Jumah nodded solemnly, taking this new information in stride, he did not appear in any way surprised by what she had said. “How long has she been stuck in the system?”