“Shite, we need to hurry,” Leaf said.

Helbram pulled his sword from the bandit’s chest and nodded, “Jahora, are you done?”

Jahora clenched her hands, cutting off the flow of Aether to her spell as it completed. The web of energy around the door connected to the ground and flashed with a pulse of light. A bang followed.

“All Father’s balls! The hells is this thing made of?!”

The group ran from the gate before they could hear the rest of what was said, running parallel to the town’s wall. Brief flashes of lamplight glimmered through the alleyways as patrols moved towards the main street, but in their rush there was not much they could do to stay quiet. Eventually, as they sped towards the mine a shout sounded from behind them.

“There they are!”

A flare shot to the sky after, coating them in red light.

Leaf cursed and picked up Jahora as he sped up his pace. The gnome spared no complaints, her breaths already heavy by the time her feet left the ground. Helbram felt a flash of weariness as he tried to keep up with the half elf’s speed, but he grit his teeth and kept moving forward as arrows and bolts were loosed at their backs. Helbram placed his shield, dented and damaged as it was, on his back and positioned himself between the oncoming projectiles and Leaf. Most of the shots missed, but a few bounced off of the shield and one off of his helmet as they drew more fire from approaching patrols.

“We can’t drag them all like this!” Helbram shouted.

Leaf nodded and turned away from the town’s wall. The armored man followed him, narrowly dodging a barrel as he entered what appeared to be the town’s market street. Leaf pulled Jahora close and started to jump through the stalls, his elven agility on full display as the gap between him and Helbram widened. The armored man picked up the pace, staying ahead of the bandits that trailed behind. Leaf eventually cut into another alleyway positioned between what appeared to be a tavern and a potions shop with a large stockpile of barrels occupying much of the alley’s entrance. Helbram ducked into the small gap, his armor scraping against the barrels as he pushed into the alley. Jahora had a spell ready by the time he fully made it and unleashed it right as he joined with them. A bolt of Aether surged from her hands and struck the bottom of the stockpile, knocking loose the support that held up all the weight. The barrels crashed down soon after, those at the top of the stockpile bursting into deluges of wine and ale as they hit the ground while the others fell, undamaged as they blocked the alleyway. A curse sounded from inside the tavern, but the three ignored it and continued to sprint into the town’s depths.

Their flight was interrupted by another patrol coming in from an intersecting alley. Their weapons were already drawn, but lamplight gave away the bandits’ position before they leapt to attack. When the bandits rounded the corner, Leaf had already let Jahora back on the ground and drawn his bow. He loosed an arrow into one of the bandit’s chest, forcing him back as the projectile bit through his leather armor. Helbram followed the shot, driving his sword through the side of another bandit just turning the corner. He kicked the man off of his blade into the others that were following and flicked his blade across the first bandit’s throat. Both men fell to the ground in a heap, their sudden deaths giving the remaining bandits pause. Helbram exploited the opening, slashing one bandit across the chest, cleaving deep into his unarmored torso as he fell to the ground. The last bandit made a desperate strike, but an arrow struck him in the side before a bolt of Aether blasted him away. He hit the ground silent, but still breathing.

Agony flared from Helbram’s shoulder, but still he did not feel the warmth of blood trickle down his arm. He sighed in relief as Leaf searched the bodies, snatching up the cylinders from their belts.

“What are you planning with those?” Helbram asked.

Leaf tied three of the cylinders to his belt, “We’re not going to be able to do anything with all of them on our arses like this. I’m the fastest here, so I’ll draw them away.”

Jahora’s eyes widened in surprise, “You can’t be -”

“This is not up for debate, we’ve no time for that. Give me a minute to draw them all away and then make your way to the warehouse.”

Helbram nodded, “Don’t get yourself killed.”

Leaf snorted, “A bit late to say something like that.”

The half elf ran towards the center of town, disappearing into the alleys. Jahora looked after him, concern clear on her face.

“All we can do is trust him,” Helbram put a hand on Jahora’s shoulder. The gnome nodded.

They made their way towards the warehouse, using what they could see of Goldshire’s wall as a guide. Their progress was briefly inhibited by another patrol, but they managed to stay out of sight by hiding behind a gathering of empty crates and other refuse. The patrol lingered for only a moment, their attention drawn to the sky as a flare burst in the distance. They sprinted off, leaving an empty silence behind them. Helbram and Jahora continued on, navigating the rest of the alleyways until they emerged near the entrance of the mine.

The mine was sectioned off from the rest of the town by a wall only slightly smaller than the town’s perimeter. The pillar of light rose into the sky behind the wall, still maintaining the barrier. No guards were perched on top of this wall, but two stood at the opening to the mine’s perimeter. They were alert, eyes scanning the streets that led to them, only cutting upwards to see another flare flash in the sky. Their hands clutched at their crossbows, body’s tensed and ready to respond at even the slightest movement. Even from his distance Helbram could see the cylinders strapped to their waists.

“Dammit, they’re too far away for me to catch them off guard…” Helbram muttered.

Jahora nodded and channeled Aether into her hands. It was a soft, green color, growing more muted as the shape of a glyph formed at her fingertips. She placed her hand on Helbram’s heel once more, the glyph embedding itself to his boot. He did not feel the lightness from before and instead felt a small sensation at the back of his mind, right next to the claymore that he could not summon.

“When you’re ready, just think of a large burst of wind, my magic will do the rest.” the gnome said, her eyes weary but determined.

Helbram nodded and turned back towards the guards. Their eyes still scanned the streets, but an opening provided itself as another flare flew into the sky. As they cast their eyes upwards, Helbram sprinted into the street and towards the gate. He made it halfway before the rattle of his armor caught the guards’ attention. Their heads started to turn and Helbram took in a quick breath, envisioning the wind in his mind. The spell at the back of his mind released right as his heel left the ground. A gale blasted from his boot, sending the armored man flying through the street. It was fast, too fast. Helbram barely had his sword in front of him by the time he collided with the first guard. The momentum was enough to carry both him and Helbram into the second, who only had enough time to raise his crossbow. Helbram’s blade pierced through the first guard’s chest and into the second’s ribs. The men fell into a pile with Helbram at the top, grip still firm on his blade. His shoulder screamed with pain as he pulled his sword free, the bandits lifeless below him. Jahora’s footsteps pattered in from behind.

“Gods, I didn’t think-”

“It’s fine… we’ve more important things to worry about,” Helbram grunted.

He gave her a pat on the shoulder and the two of them ran through the gate.

The mines were quiet in contrast to the chaos in the town. Most of its confines were shrouded in shadow, with only a few areas lit by lamplight. A few patrols wandered around the open area, their positions obvious from the lamps they carried in their hands. The warehouse was situated towards the east, a large, bulky structure that stood at least two stories high. The pillar of light originated from an open, wide structure to the west. Within that structure was a rigid construct of steel and stone, the origin of the light that pierced the sky. It’s design was both familiar, but alien, antiquated, but advanced.

Helbram and Jahora stuck to the perimeter of the wall, away from the track that ran down the center of the mine and towards the entrance into the mountain. Crates littered the rest of the field, filled with abandoned ores and occluded by piles of rocks that had been haphazardly thrown aside. Many of the carts themselves were still filled with stones from the mountain, and those that weren’t were twisted and warped beyond the point of utility. Craters dotted the ground near the cave, their depths all the more clear as the two closed in on the warehouse. 

Two bandits stood guard at the building’s entrance, with another walking its perimeter, lantern in hand. The door itself was suffused with a yellow web of Aether, similar to the spell that Jahora had cast before. A large padlock hung from the door as well, outlined from the soft glow of Aether behind it.

“It’s been warded,” Jahora said.

Helbram looked to the windows of the building, noting a similar spell across their glass.

“Looks like Marlin has been thorough,” Helbram said in a bitter tone, “Can you break the ward if we get to it?”

“Yes, but it may take a moment.”

As she said that, a final flare flashed above the town.

“We’d best be as quick as possible,” Helbram said.

Jahora nodded and they moved, keeping to the darkness as much as they could as they drew closer to the warehouse. They hid behind a collapsed stack of crates when they got within a stones throw of the doorway. Helbram peered at the bandits from cover, noting that these two held less tension to their posture, but their eyes remained watchful as they scanned the area in front of them lit by lamplight. The one patrolling the building’s perimeter had wandered towards the back of the building. When he turned back to Jahora he saw her preparing the same spell from before in her hands, but he interrupted her by grabbing her shoulder. She looked up at him with a confused look, but grimaced as Helbram shook his head. He directed the gnome’s gaze to the two bandits, pointing to the furthest one and then slamming his fist in his palm. Jahora nodded and placed her hands close to each other. A small ball of pale blue Aether formed at her palms, quivering as the Thaumaturge held the condensed energy in place. Helbram shifted himself, ready to leap off the ground once he gave the signal. He held up his fingers and started to count down.

Three…

Two..

One.