Treasure Hunting II [Solo]

[Saber]

    Swirling the knife in his hand, Saber took in a deep breath as he sliced through the air, cutting out the throat of one more of the never ending Goblins. The creature staggered backwards, gasping for air as it clawed at its neck, and then it was shoved out of the way. Saber huffed and didn’t waste any time checking for the amount of damage he had dealt, rather; he had no time to do so in the first place. The Assassin barely had any time to move after his attack and had some trouble deflecting an incoming jab from another Goblin’s sword. The rusty weapon was inches from skewering the player, and such a strike would have proven fatal. In normal situations, Saber would have been able to deal with such an attack, but not here. Not now. As Saber deflected the sword, he was forced to turn to his left so he could deflect another sword, and then he had to move so he could deflect a knife. All the while, the player’s eyes moved from creature to creature, scanning for an opening where he could either attack or escape through. However, such an opening was becoming scarce to find as the Goblin numbers spiked upwards.

    From the tunnels below, a massive swarm of Goblins had appeared; only twenty had arrived at first, but now there were almost fifty or sixty at the minimum. There were so many that the quick and nimble player was unable to deal enough damage to match the number dying to the number arriving. It was a difficult thing to say, but he had to; Saber was fighting a losing battle. With every step forward he took, the man was forced backwards six, seven, eight, nine steps as to avoid being turned into an edible piece of meat on the Goblin’s dinner menu. On that note; Saber would have rather fought zombies than the vicious horde in front of him. It was frightening, but it was also something Saber was beginning to question. He wasn’t questioning the high number of Goblins per say, but he was questioning his location. If his concern was correct; then he was in the wrong tunnel. Oh yes, by a long shot Saber was most likely in the wrong tunnel.

    However, by the shape of the tunnel he was hesitant to flee it so easily. If he did, then there was a chance that would leave his prize behind. There was no way he was doing that so he continued to fight. One step forward, six steps back, one Goblin dead, six more on the way. It was a horrific thing to know and Saber was constantly being reminded of how pitiful his attempt to fight was as more and more bodies jumped into the massive pile. The floor shook because of the noise and the walls were scrapped by the armor and weapons of the Goblins on the sides. It was like a massive mosh pit composed of hungry predators, and Saber was the kill they were fighting over. Sadly for them; Saber was prey which would not let him be caught so easily. They would have to throw an entire army at him if they wanted him dead.

[Saber]

    Jumping back with all of his might, Saber created a massive space between himself and the Goblin horde. As the creatures stumbled over one another and raced forward, he opened his menu and quickly tapped across the screen to his equipment menu. There, he switched his old bow for a new one and equipped his throwing knives onto his thighs. The two new weapons had a much higher damage ratio than his bow and knife, making them much deadlier weapons to use. With that in mind, Saber yanked the new bow off his back and prepared to shoot. It was time to clear a path, or at least turn the Goblins into rolling boulders. Due to their numbers, they were already doing much of the stumbling on their own. He would just have to pour gasoline onto the fire.

    Nocking an arrow, Saber took in a deep breath and planted his feet. Accuracy went out the window five minutes prior, so Saber didn’t waste time aiming for heads or critical points. Speed and greed was what he needed, so he opened fire. One arrow after another, Saber filled the tunnel with rapidly moving projectiles in hopes of doing damage, any damage, to the horde in front of him. The Goblins rushing up towards him were drilled in their faces, arms, chests, and legs with the high number of shots Saber was putting out, and many of them were falling. The Assassin denied retrieving the skill, Rapid Shot, but part of him felt as if would have come in handy now in this situation. There was no time to navigate his menu to retrieve it, so he focused on his own skill. One arrow every three quarters of a second wasn’t extremely fast by any means, but it was doing the job. Saber’s right arm moved like a machine as it rotated from bowstring to quiver to bowstring, and the Goblins were feeling it. In times like this, Saber felt like the Germans on D-Day.

    He wasn’t a machine gun, and he didn’t have such a thing, but the distance between Saber and the Goblins in front of him was his saving grace. It allowed him to focus only on shooting instead of dodging, and he was able to rack up one kill after another. Fatigue was his only opponent for the moment, one that was coming in like a bullet train. As Saber’s arm spun and his muscles flexed, pain filled his shoulder and his left wrist started to tremble. The Assassin grit his teeth. His arm felt like it would rip apart if he kept firing at the pace he was, but he kept moving. He kept shooting. He kept fighting. His health had dropped slightly since the beginning of his drop into the dungeon because of the Goblins, and he wanted payback. If it meant killing every one of the ugly green faces in front of him; he would slaughter them all.

[Saber]

    However, as expected, Saber was unable to stay stationary forever and his bow was slowly becoming the more ineffective weapon ever. Before he knew it, the Goblins were almost on top of him again, leaving him no choice but to ditch the ranged-attacks. After firing one more shot, Saber strapped the bow onto his back again and drew six of his throwing knives; three in each hand. Clutching them tightly between his knuckles, the player brought his weaponized fists up into his face. He turned sideways, brought his right fist close to his face, and took a southpaw stance as he readied himself for close-quarters again. The amount of Goblins in front of him had deteriorated, and the tunnels had stopped spitting out the green creatures, but it wasn’t enough. This would be the last push, whether he failed or succeeded. This would be it.

    “I need a new hobby…” Saber mumbled before lunging forward. Cocking his right hand back, the player rifled off a heavy superman punch. The force of the punch caused the three knives to dig deep into the skull of the struck Goblin. Its health depleted to nothing, causing it to explode into a bright light. Saber hissed and swirled to his right, upper cutting the next victim in its jaw. As another explosion filled his vision, the player spiraled right and smashed the back of his fist into a buckler. With the knives dug into the wood, Saber twisted his fist and pulled hard, dragging the Goblin into his left fist. The knives dug into the creature’s stomach, plastering the floor with fake blood before the Goblin exploded.

    Saber huffed and stepped forward, backhanding a knife out of the way before slicing his own hand down, and cutting three deep lines into the green flesh. Before he could be struck from his left, the man sliced through the air and cut two Goblins across their cheeks. With a heavy sidekick, he launched them both into the crowd behind themselves. The player took the opening and sprinted straight in. As he ran, the player stepped onto the face of a Goblin and used it as a springboard, launching himself forward down the tunnel into the middle of the pack ahead. The sudden appearance of the flying player caused some of the Goblins to stagger back, and that made Saber grin. So, they had numbers but it seemed that they still were afraid of him.

    “Be afraid…” Saber drilled his feet into the chest of a slightly larger Goblin and dug the knives into two Goblins beside him, forcing all three down onto their backs. With all of his might, he pulled in his fists and cut the torsos of the Goblin’s open. Using the momentum from the cutting, the player sliced the throat of the Goblin beneath him. All three burst into light. Saber returned to his feet and punched hard to his left, whipping another creature with the knives between his knuckles, and then he did the same to his right.

[Saber]

    “Deadly… Dance!” The six knives Saber held began to illuminate as the player sliced at a downwards angle, cutting three long gashed into the Goblin in front of him. Without stopping, Saber twisted his body and kicked his feet through the air, increasing his rotational speed as he cut the Goblin again, and then again and again! Saber moved his body faster and faster, twirling his hips and kicking off his toes to keep himself moving down the tunnel and into the Goblins in front of him. As his speed increased, the damage he put out did as well. Each time the skill stopped, Saber grit his teeth and activated it once more. The extremely short cool down allowed him to chain it, giving him an almost never ending spinning attack as he carved a path through the horde.

    However, as Saber cut his way down, the Goblins continued to squeeze in on him. He was making progress and his kill count was rocketing up as the damage he was putting out in his twist was killing Goblins after only one or two hits. Saber couldn’t keep it up forever, and he was forced to stop several meters from the bottom of the herd. Deadly Dance was powerful but the Goblins had begun to move out of his path, limiting the creatures he could hit. So before they really turned his skill on him, he returned to his fist fighting. With a hard kick, Saber brought his heel down like an axe on the final Goblin in his path, ending his deadly spin. The creature exploded after the player slammed one of his bladed-fists into the back of its skull. With a grin on his face, Saber stood up and brought his fists to his face. The Goblins hissed and snarled around him for a moment, then they jumped him. Saber lunged forward and smashed his fists into shields, flesh, and kicked weapons out of his path as he moved down towards the tunnels.

    The moment he was on the verge of breaking through the last few rows of Goblins, a loud bang echoed through the halls and caused Saber to stumble back a few steps. The noise sounded as if thunder had clapped directly above Saber’s head, causing his ears to ring violently, and the entire tunnel began to shake as if it were about to collapse. Both the Adventurer and the Monsters around him were barely able to remain on their feet, and being dazed by the previous noise explosion didn’t help. Saber returned his bloodied knives to their holders before he lost them on the floor and quickly dropped to a knee to avoid falling on his face. Below, out of the entrances of the three tunnels, a light purple mist spread out to fill the air. The miasma of unkind-looking gas spread rapidly through the air. Several Goblins attempted to flee its grasp but they were caught. Saber watched curiously for a few moments to try and see what it did, though he had no time. Pulling his scarf tight around his face, the player tied the cloth around his neck to cover up his mouth and nose. It didn’t help one bit.

    The instant the purple haze clouded around Saber’s face, the fumes filled his nostrils and burned at his eyes. He winced hard to keep it from hurting anymore and held his breath, but the gas filled his nose and seeped into his mouth. Within seconds, Saber’s mind began to draw a blank and he was drowned in the filthy taste and his nose was burned by the scent. Just like the Goblins around him, the player dropped to his chest and passed out.

[Saber]

    Darkness swirled around the man’s eyes for what seemed to be an eternity, but the feeling of something pulling on his knees caused the man to slowly come back to life. Very slowly, he began to reopen his eyes. The burning feeling continued to stab at the pair of visual organs, but Saber forced himself to blink multiple times as his vision slowly came back to him. The whole area was still a blur, and Saber could barely even see a few inches in front of his face yet he saw what he needed to. The player’s arms were being held tightly by two large figures and his body was being dragged along a hard, cold stone floor. His weapons were still on his person but the Adventurer doubted he would be able to break free from the harsh grip on his body. A pounding headache slowed his thoughts and his body barely responded to any of the commands he gave it. Saber was in quite the pinch now, wasn’t he?

    “There.” A deep voice commanded, then the two arms dragging Saber released with a bit of a toss, causing the player to skid a few more feet across the floor before he slammed down onto his face.
    “Leave us. Clean up the mess.” Another order echoed into the air and footsteps echoed in Saber’s ears. The player groaned and squeezed his hands into fists, trying to get his body to respond. It was futile.

    “Tell me, Adventurer. Why do you come here?” The loud, deep voice seemed to speak directly at Saber. However, even though he wanted to respond; Saber could barely move, let alone say anything. His entire body burned and itched, almost as if millions of ants crawled on and bit at his skin. It hurt, bad.

    “Liora, give him the antidote. It seems the potion was a little too powerful for our friend here.” In the direction he couldn’t see, Saber began to hear loud clicks; heels. They weren’t large ones, so Saber could guess they were more like flats than heels, maybe boots? No matter what they were, Saber grew concerned. The clicking grew louder and louder, and a shadow began to cover up the light as whatever was approaching him closed in. Saber groaned and tried to move, but his body hurt even more at the attempt. He elected to remain still, play dead, and just watched the floor as the figure leaned over him.

    A warm, gentle hand was set on his face, coercing the man to slowly look over to his right. The face of the person looking down at him was just barely out of his view, but he could see a ponytail of sorts dangling near the arm that held him. Saber released a low whine as his neck torched with fire, but the hand on his cheek moved a little as to place a finger over his lips. The finger was then replaced by the mouth of a bottle. He opened his mouth a little and drank the pink colored fluid which poured out through his lips. Slowly, as he drank the liquid, his body began to feel much better. The first thing that was relieved was his vision, and the man was able to see the beautiful smiling woman who was still looking down at him. She stroked his cheek slowly and pulled the bottle away from his lips.

[Saber]

    “Better?” She whispered. Saber nodded obediently, not daring to open his mouth in case if he spoke out to the wrong person.

    “How is he?” The deep voice from a few moments prior called out from its distant position, speaking loudly over the silence that filled the room. The woman, who must have been Liona, lifted her head and glanced over her shoulder in the direction of the anonymous being.

    “He is recovering. Give him a moment, my Lord.” Liona gently lay Saber’s head back down onto the stone and picked up her bottle. Before she left the Adventurer to his fate, she gave him one last smile.

    “I am a patient man normally, but not to someone who would bring war to my doors.” The voice spoke out; however another figure seemed to be standing nearby. A snort in disagreement echoed through the area.

    “War? The Goblins were on the verge of smashing down our front gates, Sire. If the Adventurer had now appeared when he did, we would have been ransacked.” Off to Saber’s right, heavy boots and armor clicked in unison as someone else seemed to come over to him. With feeling slowly coming back to him, the player slowly began to roll onto his stomach so he could push himself up to his knees.

    “I must disagree. We would have been quite fine without this man’s appearance.” A very snobby sounding female burst through the short silence, and it seemed to make the approaching male laugh.

    “Miss. Viyrel, you do not seem to understand the lack of experience my forces have. We are a mining colony. We have been for the past few decades; no, centuries! The men under my command have only battled precious gems and only know how to use pickaxes as weapons. They know neither how to swing a battle-axe or wield a shield.” The retort was long, and the man speaking was most likely a General of sorts. However, the person he was speaking to only scoffed at him.

    “General Isiendale, the lack of experience in your forces is due to your pitiful training methods.” The woman’s answer to the General’s words seemed to make the man laugh.

    “Enough!” The initial voice from before spoke out, ending the laughter that came from the General. Saber breathed heavily and squeezed his left hand into a fist as he used it to keep himself from falling over. Slowly and carefully in fear of hurting himself, the player looked up to see a dwarf sitting in a stone throne which was decorated by precious jewels and gems. To his right, or Saber’s left, the woman from before stood with the empty bottle in her hand; she was still smiling. To the dwarf’s left, or Saber’s right, two other Dwarves stood. One was dressed as if she was a scholar; the other seemed ready for battle in his heavy plate mail and large two-handed battle hammer.

[Saber]

    “Adventurer.” The Dwarf on the throne spoke up loudly, causing the player to adjust his gaze to meet the one coming down at him.
    “Why have you come here?" The question was an easy one to answer, but Saber held his tongue. He glanced over to his left to the woman standing there. She wasn’t a Dwarf, as she was much taller, but she wasn’t human or Elf either. Still, at her nod, Saber felt a little more comfortable with her there. That was probably the reason for her presence.

    “I…” The instant he started to speak, his throat tightened and his voice cracked. Saber coughed loudly and grabbed at his chest as it squeezed shut. The woman to the Dwarf leader’s right twitched, but a heavy hand reached out, signaling her to remain still.
    “I came following the directions of a book… Curiosity is why I am here.” Saber wheezed out the words and returned to coughing when he finished. It felt as if there was a cork in his esophagus.

    “A book?” The General spoke and looked up at the woman beside him. She performed a double-take, looking between the General and Saber before her eyes finally fixed themselves on her Dwarf ally.

    “Why are you looking at me as if I know the answer?” She asked. The General shrugged. The Dwarf Lord spoke softly in response, as to make sure Saber was unable to hear what he said. The Adventurer continued to cough for a few more seconds before he was able to finally breathe easily again.

    “Tell me, Adventurer. What did you expect to find at the end of your rainbow? Gold? Treasure?” The Lord spoke loudly again, but his assumptions only made Saber shake his head.

    “Knowledge.” Saber placed his right hand on his knee and pushed himself up to his feet. He staggered a few paces but was able to stabilize himself before he fell over. He took in a deep breath, fighting the itchy feeling in his throat, and calmed himself.
    “I followed the directions in hope to find the actual city the book spoke of. I care little for material things. I simply wanted to know if the city was real or not.” As he spoke, the Dwarf Lord leaned forward in his throne and placed his elbows on his knees. The two hands of the short man were placed together, their fingers laced into a platform for the Dwarf to rest his chin on.

    “And what sort of state did you expect this... city... to be in?” The Lord’s question made Saber pause. What did he expect it to be? The book seemed old, and the tale was most likely even older. If it was still where it was, and if it was still in one piece, Saber doubted it would be anything glorious. The player actually wouldn’t have been surprised if the ceiling was caved in.

    “I… I don’t know. I set out hoping simply to find it. Even if it was just some mark on a door. I never thought about the state I wished it to be it. Of course, it would have been nice if it was still in one piece. Then I could actually explore its walls and see how it looked.” Saber paused and looked over to his right, staring at one of the pillars which held up the heavy ceiling.
    “If it was caved in on and there was nothing but rubble… well then at least I would know it existed at some point.” Upon finishing, Saber looked at the woman beside the Dwarf Lord for a moment and then looked back at the Lord. He didn’t seem too enthused.

[Saber]

    “So, you would risk your life against a horde of Goblins just to see a city that you didn’t know was still standing or if it was just a pile of rubble?” The Dwarf Lord sat up again and tilted his head as he spoke his question. Saber wiggled his nose and shrugged.

    “It was a tale from a book that I found in a library. After walking for a few hours, I guess I began to question my own intentions. I got to the point where just seeing the entrance to the city would have been enough.” Saber huffed and squeezed his right hand into a fist, tensing up his entire arm as an awkward cramp pulled at his bicep. It was most likely a response to his fight with the Goblins.

    “Well, Adventurer. I must say that you will be disappointed.” The Lord said as he rose to his feet. The General smirked, his long black beard curling slightly around his lips. The strong and short man began to stroke the long hairs on his chin.
    “The city is not in ruins.” The words initially flew over Saber’s head, and the player raised one of his eyebrows curiously. Though, as the Lord’s voice echoed in the hall, reality began to set in. The city was real? If it was, then where was it? This was the Goblin camp, wasn’t it? So Saber was probably in the wrong spot. Although, if that were true then why were there dwarves?

As if the Dwarf Lord was reading Saber’s mind, the man looked over to the woman on his right and raised his hand, silently ordering her forward. Liona nodded and strode forward, the sound of her heels clicking echoing in Saber’s ears again as she walked over to him. She smiled and waved at him, motioning for him to follow her as she walked over to what looked to be a filled in archway. Yet upon getting closer, Saber could see a thin line down the center of the stone filling. Rather than breathe down the woman’s neck, the player stopped a few paces away as Liona stood right in front of the arch. She leaned forward and pushed. The archway twitched slightly, not budging at first, but after some more pressure the filled-space gave way and opened. Saber’s eyes opened wide as he watched a massive city made of stone open up in front of him.

    “By the Gods…” Saber couldn’t contain his words and he strode over to the open window. The sight was amazing. The city below… it was real!
    “The City of Alswid! You have got to be kidding me!” It felt so… surreal! He had to be dreaming! There was no way the city was actually real. It was just a story! A tale! A made up thing some mother said to get a boy to fall asleep, which the boy turned into a book!

    “Yes, the City of Alswid. It is not as glorious as it once was, as we were nearly driven out by the Goblins many centuries ago during a great war.” The Dwarf Lord walked up beside Saber and looked out the window with the Adventurer, who of course was on the verge of jumping out. The appearance of the noble helped the player relax.

[Saber]

    “I assume those Goblins from before were trying to break in then.” Saber asked. The Dwarf Lord didn’t respond at first and continued to stare out the window towards the city. The General and the other Dwarf woman made their way over but kept their distance.

    “Yes. After a long battle, we were able to drive the Goblins back and with the help of the Adventurers of old, we were able to kill the Goblin King and disbanded the army which were were battling. The Goblins did not attack us again after that, but it seems that they have found our city once more. If you had not arrived when you did, this city would have been massacred.” The Lord spoke with a sad tone, and the woman to Saber’s right scoffed. The General nudged her.

    “Sire, our soldiers are not trained enough in combat. We won’t be able to hold the Goblins off if they bring a larger force.” The female Dwarf said loudly, causing the Lord to simply close his eyes. The General sneered.

    “Miss. Viyrel, my men are ready to die for this city and the--” The Dwarf General began to speak, but the woman he was talking to snapped. She bared her teeth and stomped her foot down, cutting the General off in the middle of his sentence.

    “And die they will! The Goblins will turn your men into food stocks for the next Winter! Your men are weak! They have no idea how to fight Goblins in a true war! Without those doors standing, our city is defenseless!” The Dwarf woman, Miss. Viyrel seemed to be quite defiant in her stance. The General on the other hand remained silent. His pride as a man was the only thing holding him back from swinging the heavy hammer he held at the woman, and Saber could feel it.

    “Enough, Miss. Viyrel. I did not call you here to argue with General Isiendale.” The Lord’s words put a sock in the dwarf woman’s mouth. She adjusted the glasses on her face and held the book in her other hand tighter against her chest.

    “My apologies Sire.” The apology didn’t seem like a real one, but the Dwarf Lord paid it no mind. He simply looked up towards Saber while moving his hands behind his back.

    “Adventurer, we watched you fight the Goblins. We saw your speed, your agility, your bravery and fearlessness against that horde. I asked you what you were searching for and why because I was curious as to the reasons behind your will to fight. Hearing that you were fighting just to find a city which you did not know the condition of was enough to tell me of the warrior spirit in your heart.” The Dwarf Lord frowned as he finished speaking, but Saber didn’t interrupt. He knew there was more even as the Lord looked away to the city once again. The man was old, and Saber could tell he cared dearly for the city below. However, Saber could also tell that he was thinking very hard because the dwarf woman’s, Miss. Viyrel’s, words must have been true; his city was defenseless.
    “Warrior, we need your help. My army is not trained. We have not fought a battle in decades and the generation which my General here leads has never had any contact with any monster of any kind. We have lived in this city without hoping the doors in fear that the Goblins may discover us at any moment. Now I fear that doing so has hurt us.” A heavy sigh escaped the Dwarf Lord’s lips and he placed both hands on the stone windowsill in front of him. Saber could see tears at the corner of the man’s eyes. There was a love that this man had for his city that Saber had never felt, but it was something he could respect.

[Saber]

    “I do not wish to see this city burn. We nearly lost it once, and I refuse to lose it completely. Please, I ask of you… I beg you… Help me and my people fend of this menace of the land!” Saber found himself staring into the pleading eyes of the Dwarf Lord as the shorter man turned towards him. The Adventurer felt a clump rise into his neck and it only got worse as the Lord dropped to his knees.
    “Please…” The man who had just looked as if he could hold up the city on his shoulders now looked as if he was being crushed beneath it as he bowed his head to Saber. Saber didn’t answer him and slowly looked towards the General and Viyrel for guidance. However, the two of them had already lowered their heads. When Saber looked to the other woman, Liona, he saw that she was on her knees as well.

    “I’m sorry, but I am just a soldier. I cannot lead an army.” Saber squeezed his fists as he frowned and looked down at the Dwarf Lord. The man looked up at the Adventurer and grimaced.

    “After watching your battle, your precision, your movements and planning… I am sure that you can lead many into combat, Adventurer. You are not like the others.” The General stood up from his position and slammed the top of his hammer onto the floor in front of him. He grinned and placed both hands on the end of the weapon’s handle.
    “I have ventured out of the doors with a small group of Dwarves many times, and we have seen the Adventurers who travel into the swamps outside in search of their own needs. They fight individual Goblins, strays, or those on the verge of death. None of them would dare rush into nearly a hundred of the savages alone like you did. You even dared use a ranged weapon in such close proximity. I am not sure if that was stupidity or genius.” A light chuckle vibrated out of the General’s chest as he leaned onto his hammer, using it to support him some.
    “I will tell you this, Adventurer; I would follow you to the depths Hel just as I would follow my Lord.”

    “You men and your fighting.” Miss. Viyrel muttered as she adjusted her glasses again. The General shook his head.

    “It is something that a woman who has never held anything heavier than a dictionary would understand.” The words of the General made Liora giggle and Miss. Viyrel seemed to grow red in the face. The Lord stepped forward, moving to a position between Saber and the other two Dwarves.

    “So, Adventurer… will you help us?” The question made Saber think hard, very hard. He considered agreeing, but if he did without being prepared; the consequences would be enormous. Also, if he failed to defend the city and it burned, he doubted that he could shoulder such a burden. At such a harsh time, he would have looked to Shiori for advice. What would she tell him…? Fight on? Would she tell him that he should sit down and think about it?

    “Damn it…” Saber reached up and pinched the bridge of his nose as he turned away from the Dwarves. The man walked over to the window, the sound of his boots ringing out loudly through the silent hall.

[Saber]

    Saber needed help. He hated thinking of it, but he needed it. After flying solo for so long, Saber never really believed he would ever need someone beside him so desperately as he did now. Initially he had just come out to search for the city. He didn’t plan to get tied up in a war, he didn’t plan to have the defense of a whole city on his hands, and he definitely didn’t plan to lead an inexperienced Dwarven Army to battle. There had to be an answer, something, somewhere. What would Shiori do? What would his father do? Saber grit his teeth and squeezed the rock windowsill as he stared towards the lively city below, towards the women and children who walked in the streets, towards the men who mined in the walls, towards the place he had once thought as only a story.

    “Mom… what do I do?” Saber shut his eyes and lowered his head, covering himself in a dark veil.

Suddenly, from beneath the coldness of his eyelids, the smiling face of his mother popped out. She reached forward and placed a hand on his arm. The man opened his eyes as the warmth and unexpectedly; he saw a hand really there on his arm. Glancing over, Liona stood there with a smile on her face. She placed her other hand on Saber’s shoulder and leaned over to his ear. Saber diverted his eyes as she got close and grimaced, but then she squeezed his forearm.

    “Do what you think is best.” The woman whispered. Saber clutched the windowsill and nodded. Liona stepped back as Saber began to turn. He kept one hand on the windowsill, using it almost as support as he stared into the eyes of the Dwarf Lord.

    “Do what you think is best.” Yes, that was what his mother would have told him. Just like Liona had, just like his father would, and just like Shiori would. That left him with only one option; what he should have agreed to in the first place.

    “I will help you protect this city.” The Dwarven Lord smiled and the General grinned, showing his teeth again as he began to chuckle low.

[Saber]

    “Oh yes, this is going to be a blast don’t you think, Miss. Viyrel?” The General continued to laugh as he reached over and patted the Dwarven Woman on the back. She stumbled forward in fright from the sudden contact and stepped out of the man’s reach.

    “Yes, I guess it will.” She was shaken up from the patting and adjusted her glasses again while clinging to her book.

    “Thank you, Adventurer, but there is one more thing...” The Dwarf Lord bowed his head once more for only a moment before looking back up towards Saber.
    “What is your name?” The question was a must easier one to answer, and Saber pulled the scarf down from his face.

    “I am Saber, leader of the Funeral Parlor.” Saber added his title as more of a placeholder, as the Guild wasn’t exactly a thing. Though, the Dwarf General seemed to get a kick out of it.

    “Funeral Parlor eh? Sounds interesting!” The General said as he lifted his hammer over his shoulders.
    “I am General Isiendale, leader of this City’s Army.” The General stepped forward and extended his hand. Saber took the hand firmly and shook it for a moment. The Dwarf Woman stepped forward and raised her hand as well.

    “I am Miss. Viyrel. I am the head of this City’s Academy and am also one of the leaders in times of crisis.” Saber shook Miss. Viyrel’s hand a little more gently as to not hurt her, and then he turned to the Lord who was already on the verge of speaking.

    “And I am Lord Reisnwald, the King of Alswid.” Saber grasped the King’s hand firmly and nodded towards him.

    “It is a pleasure to meet you all. Now I assume that there will be some form of political meeting I will have to attend to?” Saber asked, quickly getting a response of laughter from the General.

    “Oh he’s good! I like him!” The General’s laugh boomed through the hall, gaining him a glare from Miss. Viyrel.

    “Yes, there will be. Tomorrow in the morning a meeting between the City’s Lords will be held as we decide on what to do. I hope you will attend?” King Reisnwald crossed his hands behind his back and looked up towards Saber. The Adventurer crossed his fist over his chest and bowed his head.

    “You can expect me to be there, King.” Saber smiled and raised his head. The King nodded and then nodded towards Liona, who walked over.

    “I assume that from what you have told me about your long trek here, you have nowhere to stay. Is that correct?” The King spoke the truth and Saber would not deny that fact. He had walked several hours to get to the City and didn’t have any plans to really walk all the way back to the city of London just so he could make the same trip a third time. He had thought of staying in a local inn in the city, but it seemed there were other plans for his placement.

[Saber]

    “That is correct.” Saber didn’t speak of his plans for an inn, just in case, but it seemed it wouldn’t matter. The King seemed too had already made plans for Saber’s sleeping conundrum.

    “Very good, I would hate for you to have to stay at an inn. Miss. Liona, would you please guide our Guest of Honor to the prepared room?” Saber raised an eyebrow at what he heard; it sounded amazing to say the least. When he looked over at Liona, she only smiled and bowed her head.

    “Yes, my liege. Come, Adventurer.” Liona waved Saber to follow her and began to make her way towards the entrance to the hall they were in. Saber didn’t follow at first and looked back towards the King and his followers.

    “Until tomorrow then, take care.” Saber bowed his head once more and walked quickly across the hall as to catch up to the woman he would be following. The doors opened on their own as they neared it. Two guards on the other side pulled the doors apart, showing that they were most likely listening for footsteps from the outside. Liona nodded to them both and they did the same in return. Once the pair had passed through, the doors were pushed closed once more.

    “Thank you, Mister Adventurer.” Liona said as she walked. Saber shook his head.

    “Thank me once this is all over. I don’t even know how I’m going to save this place.” Saber sighed and crossed his arms over his chest.
    “From what I hear, the army is inexperienced and from what I saw; the Goblins are hellbent on getting inside this place. If that’s true, then the Army won’t hold up on its own. Even if I train them, there’s no telling when the Goblins are going to attack. I doubt I can put every Dwarf soldier through what my father put me through.” The thoughts rolled off Saber’s tongue as he thought and spoke simultaneously. He didn’t exactly realize what he was saying until he had said it and by then it was too late.

    “You will think of something. I have faith in you.” Liona smiled at Saber as she stopped in front of a room. The doors were huge, but it seemed like it was their stop. At first, Saber questioned it and thought she was just stopping to smile at him. Though, as the time went on, he learned that there was more to it.

    “That’s a big door.” Saber said flatly as he looked at the woman.

    “Yes, yes it is.” She responded, still smiling at him.

    “A really big door.” Saber said again.

    “Yup.” Liona responded again, still smiling.

    “No.” After a pause, Saber spoke up.

    “Oh stop it.” Liona hissed as she turned to the door. She grabbed the door knob, twisted, and pushed the massive wooden entrance open wide, exposing the beautiful interior. Saber froze in the doorway immediately as he looked around the room at the finely carved walls, the beautiful crafted furniture, and the gorgeous looking decorations. It was far too high class for his tastes. Even the rug looked like it cost more than everything he owned in reality.

    “I…. I can’t…” Liona stepped behind Saber and pushed him inside, causing him to stumble forward and almost fall in the middle of the room. The woman smiled once more and grabbed the door handle.

    “I shall return later in case if you need anything, Master Saber. If you need anything, feel free to ask one of the guards. Please enjoy yourself.” With that, Liona pulled the door closed and disappeared, leaving Saber alone in the middle of the massive room. The man swallowed hard and slowly looked around himself.

    “What have I got myself into now?” A heavy sigh escaped the man’s mouth as he slowly made his way over to the bed. It seemed that he would be in the room whether he wanted to or not, so he decided it would be best just to take advantage of it. As he flopped down onto his stomach, Saber closed his eyes and began to think over what he would have to deal with in the coming few days. If it all went well, he would most likely sway an entire political group to support him and help him fight the Goblins. The King had faith in him and had gone far enough as to kneel and give him a very expensive looking room. With just those two things, Saber knew the expectations were high. There was no backing out of what he was in now. That door had closed the moment he arrived in that tunnel and started to fight the Goblins.

    This place was not his home, this war was not his war, and the people around him weren’t people he knew. Strangers, they were all complete strangers that he would be fighting to protect. Though, that seemed to be the case of what soldier’s did in reality on a daily basis. They trained their bodies and their minds, learned a code of honor, and fought against “enemies” to protect the general public from turmoil. Many of those soldiers had names, but none of them would be known by the average person. The soldier wouldn’t know every person he fought in place of, nor would he know the name of the person he was fighting. He would simply follow orders and do the job he signed up to do; fight and kill, win a battle, complete an objective, and most importantly; live to go home. That was how Saber was beginning to view the world. He simply had to survive in this game, no matter what happened, no matter what it took. He needed to survive so he could go home. He wanted to see his family and he wanted to see Shiori.

    “The heavens are confusing…” Saber whispered to himself as he pulled his body closer to the pillows. When one was in reach, he snagged the fluffy object and rested his head on it. Within seconds, he was out cold.