88 Uninvited Guests

"You have no idea what my organization and I are capable of," I say while crossing my arms. If Sarah is correct, then Krognar should seriously consider my proposition. I didn't really plan to help the shopkeeper, so I could try to strong-arm him into service.

It isn't ethical, but it can't hurt to try.

"So do we have a deal? Join the Order and give us your knowledge on Starmetal, and I promise we'll protect you and do everything we can to resolve your problem." I extend my hand, but the Goblin pushes it away.

"As if, I won't do shit for you unless you give me the head of the bastard who sent his goons here on a pike, so-" the shopkeeper is interrupted by time going backward. The first negotiations failed, but that doesn't mean I can't try a different approach. This time, I don't extend my hand but shove my pistol on his forehead. "Listen, we are waging a war of unprecedented proportions. I don't have time to deal with your problems, but I'm willing to make an exception for you. You have my word that we'll avenge you once the war is over."

Krognar frowns and spits on the ground, "You're just like them, you expect people to do your bidding and be thankful afterward. I didn't submit to a tyrant all those years ago, and I won't start now!" He rolls to the side, and his arm clicks as the hidden mechanism in the silver limb prepare to fire its deadly beam of energy. However, I was expecting something like this.

*Fuck, it looks like I was right and forcing him to work for us isn't going to work.*

I Rewind and freeze the timeline to focus. I'm in quite a problem. I can't afford to travel to Krognar's planet for what could be a long time. There's no telling when the Stonecrusher Empire will strike again. So how could I do this? I need to be fast and efficient, so subtlety is out of the question. To recapitulate, the Goblin doesn't want to help us if we don't give him what he wants, and we can't force him into service. We could attempt to steal the machine, but it would take many Rewinds before we reach that hidden room, not to mention that it could explode in our faces as one final 'fuck you' from the green-skinned engineer.

A sigh comes out of my mouth, and I turn my head towards the shopkeeper, "We can help you, but you have to understand that we are rather pressed for time. So don't expect a clean operation, there will be casualties and innocents may die in the upcoming battles. Are you okay with that?"

Of course, I would have glassed the planet if I could. But I still don't have access to such firepower, not to mention that Krognar might be opposed to the obliteration of his homeland.

The shopkeeper shakes his head, "Boy, it isn't my first rodeo. I know that large-scale operations can result in unfortunate outcomes. But I'm not worried about the collateral damage, the ones who pretended to be my friends abandoned me without a shred of hesitation. So, as far as I'm concerned, anyone who is even remotely linked to these bastards is fair game. That place is no longer my home. I just want my revenge, so I don't care if you sow a bit of chaos. It might put some sense back into the heads of the supposed elites."

I nod, "All right, then it's settled. We kill the ones you want to kill, and you will join us no matter what, right?"

"A plan is starting to form into his head," Sarah warns me.

I aim my pistol towards him, "And don't even think about betraying us." Krognar is taken aback and gulps audibly, "If you even think about it, then I'Ll TaKe CaRe Of YoU." I say along with a burst of golden aura.

"So, how is it now?" I ask the mind-reader.

"It worked, he's terrified. I reckon it will keep him from trying to betray us, but I'll keep an eye on him just to be sure." Sarah replies, "I also tried to decipher the blueprints in his mind, but they are too complex for me to understand. I don't know what any of them mean, and I'm afraid I wouldn't be able to copy them since they are too complex and precise."

I click my tongue. I was counting on her if the mission proved to be too difficult. It would have allowed us to ditch Krognar and go back home, but now we don't have a choice other than to help him.

"Good job," I say to her before addressing the other members of the Order, "Be careful, that Goblin may not look like it, but he's a crafty guy so he could try something funny. Keep an eye on him, and don't hesitate to rough him up if he's planning something."

They nod in unison, so I focus back on the shopkeeper, "So where's that planet of yours? I don't have all day, so get ready."

"We'll see if any of your claims are true then..." he mutters before pressing his large belt buckle. Liquid armor plates flow over his body and form a solid suit of armor that's a bit similar to my own.

*Holy shit, that's so cool. Why doesn't my armor do that?*

The Goblin, who probably sensed my awe, stifles a chuckle. "I still have a few tricks up my sleeves. Now, what are you using for navigation? Is it coordinate based?"

I nod, and the Goblin sigh, "All right, I don't know why you would bother with such a slow system, but it should work. What kind of coordinates are we talking about? Is it divided or a unified system?"

The ensuing silence answers his question. I have no clue what he's saying. "I mean, are the coordinates separated by dimensions or is it a single system?" he adds with a hint of annoyance.

Oh, I see.

I Rewind to the beginning of this exchange. I can't have him doubt me before we even start. "The system we use is a divided coordinate system, is it going to be a problem?"

The Goblin shakes his head, "At least you know your stuff. Let me think for a second, I should remember it in a second..." The Goblin thinks for a few moments before giving me the detailed coordinates of a particular area on his home planet.

"A word of warning before we go. I haven't been to that place in a very long time, so it's possible that the area will have changed a lot." Krognar warns.

"It shouldn't be a problem," I reply. After all, if we land in the middle of a shopping mall, then I'll Rewind and change the coordinates to a more isolated area.

"Got it," he says while rubbing his hands. "Then how does your supposedly costless teleportation works? I won't lie and say I'm not curious."

"Just like that," I say as I fire a portal on a nearby wall.

Krognar leans forward and examines the portal.

"I bet he'll be impressed. The Portal Gun is the perfect way to show your might," Mary says smugly, and I nod in approval, causing her to stifle a giggle. The Portal Gun is awesome, and I won't let anyone say otherwise.

"That construct spews rather large amounts of mana in the atmosphere. It doesn't look to be very efficient, so-" I interrupt the muttering shopkeeper by tapping him on the shoulder.

"You'll have all the time in the world to analyze our teleportation method later. For now, step through the portal." I say.

Krognar takes a deep breath and eyes the portal, "Well, here goes nothing..." he jumps through the construct, and we quickly follow him.

We arrive in the middle of a large open plaza.

Great.

The passersby, who were startled by our sudden apparition, eye us with suspicion. To be fair, we stick out quite a bit compared to the rest of the population. For one, we are way taller than anyone here, and then we would be hard-pressed to fit into some of the buildings I can see in the distance.

"Shit, it looks like this place has developed a lot since I was gone. Back in my day, this area was a failing mining town which was-" Krognar mutters.

"Who are you people?! And don't you know it's illegal to teleport in the middle of public spaces like this?!" a young Goblin with glasses who is wearing a shirt made out of different superposed rings of fabric interrupts Krognar's monologue.

In the meantime, I look around for a more suitable landing area. I spot a small alley nearby that doesn't seem to have a lot of traffic, so I Rewind and modify the coordinates that Krognar gives me.

This time, we don't startle anyone. "I bet your Enforcers have some magical signature detection in place. What are the Families like in the area? Can we oppose them?"

Krognar tilts his head to the side, "I think your translator is acting up, it says the word for 'families' despite you referencing the Enforcers. But to answer your question, this place used to be a failed mining town. It seems to be thriving now, but I bet it's not garrisoned with any elite soldiers."

"You mean that your Enforcers are unified as one organization?" I ask. If that's the case, then we may have bitten more than we could chew.

"Of course," the shopkeeper shrugs, "How else would they organize?"

I Rewind to remove this conversation from the timeline and warn my companions, who are gawking at the small buildings made of tiny dark blue bricks. "The Enforcers in this place are unified, so we can expect heavy resistance no matter where we go when we are discovered. We need to act quickly, and remember to be careful! The capabilities of this place are still unknown to us; it could be possible that they have a Beelzebub of their own."

"Got it," they reply.

"This place is weird, and I've never seen this material before..." Cynthia mutters as she touches the nearest building. Alex sighs and taps her on the back of the head. It seems to bring her back to reality since she straightens her back and tightens her grip on her rifle.

I want to hide my face in my palms, they are entirely unaware of the potential danger and act so casually. I can excuse Mary since she's so powerful, but the others have no reason to be so relaxed.

"Be careful," I say over the comms before turning towards the old Goblin. "So what kind of resistance are we expecting? How are our targets organized?"

"I don't know exactly, it has been a very long time since I've been in this place, and I can hardly recognize it." Krognar replies with a forlorn look, "From what I remember, the Enforcers are very organized, and any suspicious activity will get investigated after a short while. So we should move to a more secluded place if we can. Our group doesn't exactly blend with the crowd, and the magical signature of your portal is sure to have activated all kinds of alarms."

"Then we'll have to keep moving," I say on comms and to the shopkeeper. The group nod in unison and we head deeper into the dark alleyway.

"So who are we targeting?" Mary asks, and the Goblin makes a wry smile. "His name is Wurk, and I don't know what he's doing these days, but it can't be anything good. All I know is that he's still alive and that he wants me dead. If I had to guess, he wants to tie up loose ends, and I'm just one of his many victims."

"Then how are we going to find him?" the mind-reader asks.

"That's what I want to find out," he says while glancing towards a nearby window. "I'm not detecting anyone in this house, can anyone of you confirm that?"

Mary is the first one to answer, "There's nobody here, why are you-" the hybrid is interrupted by the sound of broken glass.

"Are we really robbing someone as soon as we arrive in a new world?" Alex says with a sigh as the old Goblin removes the last remnants of the transparent material, which looks a lot stronger than regular glass.

"Don't worry. It's not like we're going to get arrested," Cynthia replies.

"That's not what I'm- You know what, forget I ever said anything. Let's go rob that house." He says with resignation as he climbs into the broken window. I follow and drop into what appears to be a nicely decorated living room. Mary is the second one to arrive, and she stumbles at the last second. I can't react in time, and she slams headfirst into the polished wooden flooring.

I sigh and Rewind to catch her before she falls. Sometimes I have a hard time believing that this woman is comparable to a walking nuke.

"T-Thank you," she stammers before pushing me away. I focus on the others in case something similar happens, but they land perfectly.

"Now why are robbing-" a loud alarm interrupts me, and I sigh. "So why are we robbing some random people, thus risking to attract even more attention?" I ask the shopkeeper who is frantically rummaging through every drawer and containers he can find.

"There's no time to explain!" he slams yet another drawer open. "Where the fuck is it? They must have one somewhere, so- Bingo!" Krognar pulls out what looks like a thick bronze plate with a glass surface.

"What's this?" I ask, but the Goblin ignores me and stuff the mysterious device into his pocket. "I don't have time to explain. We need to get out of here as soon as possible!"

"You heard him!" I say to my group, "Let's run away before we get in even more trouble."

We hurry out of the burglarized house and into the alleyway. Then, we head towards another fork in the dark path. "Down there!" the Goblin says before slamming his mechanical fist into a metal plate on the ground. "I always told them that this old kind of sewer system was a liability, but they didn't want to anger the contractor. Now I bet they'll regret being cheap-stakes!" We drop into the hole, and Krognar closes it behind us.

The drop is longer than I anticipated, and my shield groans when I finally land on the stone floor. The others slam into the ground and Krognar lands gracefully.

I so want something like this.

"They won't look for us here, the tunnels are too deep, and the walls are too thick for the Enforcers to detect us. But we should still run a bit, just to be sure." The old shopkeeper suggests, and I nod.

"All right, but you better explain when we are done," I say before waving my hand towards my companions and running after the surprisingly swift Goblin. I check on Sarah during our journey through the sewer system. "So what's this all about? Do you have any insights?"

It could be an elaborate trap, so I want to be careful.

"There's nothing fishy as far as I can tell," she takes a few quick breaths, "he's genuinely looking to hide, and hasn't thought about betraying us since we arrived."

"Good, but I want everyone to stay on their guard, we never know what will happen with this crazy bastard," I warn before focusing back to the Goblin, who has stopped in front of a rusty door. He puts his hand on the door and energy pulses through his metal arm. The door then slides into the wall.

"For crying out loud, they haven't changed the security for what might be centuries." Krognar laments before entering what looks to be a sort of maintenance depot. There are old jars of various products and what seems to be Goblin-sized brooms. I have to lower my head to enter the snug room, but it isn't too uncomfortable. Mary and Alex also have to contort their body in awkward ways to enter into the tiny opening, but we are lucky since the ceiling goes back to a reasonable height once we are inside.

"So what was this all about?" I ask the Goblin who sits down with the device he stole earlier in his hand.

"This is a sort of HiddenNet terminal, but it can access the local network that isn't connected to the outside. It also allows us to browse anonymously since external connections are even more monitored and censored." Krognar explains.

It makes sense that the Enforcers are restricting access to information. They are already doing something similar on Earth, so this is a grim reminder of Earth's future if we don't win this war.

"I'll hack into this terminal; it shouldn't take too long. Then I'll look into the whereabouts of Wurk and his goons." The resolute Goblin then firmly grips the device while intricate patterns on his metal arms start to glow.

"I'm in!" Krognar says after less than a minute. "Now let's see what he's been doing..."

Krognar's smirk freezes, and he drops the device on the ground while his shoulders slumps. I'm curious about his sudden change of attitude, so I check what's displayed on the screen.

...Fuck, that isn't good.