Illusions

The heat emanating from the orb spread throughout my body gently soothing the vicious pain exploding out from my back. I felt the heat gently concentrate in my hands as flickers of light began expanding out from my palms. 

Flames doused my whole body as they exploded outwards from my person. The goblin figure was emersed in these flames as they rushed in every direction igniting the surroundings and blowing large shards of wood in every direction. The roof beneath us toppled under the flames sending me sprawling to the ground. 

The heat still emanated from my body as the orb began to diminish. The once fiery ball of heat which sat in my fingertips now dissolved into shimmering bright red particles which drifted away with the wind.

The pain in my back returned however seemingly much lower after the soothing heat. I wasted no time pulling myself through the wreckage of the house. Flames engulfed the surrounding houses. 

Goblins seemed busy desperately preventing the roaring fire from devouring the whole city. I dragged my weary body from the flames. I did not see the figure in that wreckage. For all that I hoped he had died in the fire blast. 

Deep down I hoped that wasn't true. I wanted that fucker to die by my hand. 

I took a few breaths only to be met by the horrible taste of char and smoke. I coughed up splatters of blood while desperately trying to hobble away. 

My cloak had been burned off in the fire with only my metal armour managing to survive. The blank white colour now makes me into a walking beacon. 

Goblin voices echoed down the street seemingly searching for me. 

Shit, I was in no condition to challenge the whole city.

I stumbled into an alleyway and stood for a few seconds desperately inhaling air into my lungs. Relaxing my mind I began thinking. I had to escape the city. Staying here would be nearly impossible, search parties would be sent out all over the city and it would mean even longer coupled up with that fucking creature. 

Using the last of my energy I kept walking down the alleyway. It split off into another long winding street. 

Screams rang out from the place of the fire—most likely residents of the buildings in the blaze. 

I pushed on into the street avoiding any goblins I could by ducking into side streets at every opportunity. 

Finally, the wall began to come into view. It was largely empty. It seems most of the manpower had been designated for the fire. One rat was hardly as important as a potential city-destroying threat. 

Reaching the wall I stopped to grasp down some more sweet sweet oxygen as I dug my claws deep into the wood. Every move sent horrifying and agonizing pain shooting across my back. Yet I moved out of necessity. Each move pushes me closer to freedom. With a final sigh, I pull myself onto the wall instantly toppling to the floor. 

I lay against the wooden floor for several seconds steadying my breaths. My vision shook in and out of focus as my head spun in every direction. Blood loss, it seems my wounds were worse than I had imagined. Reaching round I gently poked at each wound feeling a twang of pain each time. 

They were deep, very deep. 

Shit. 

I had to move quickly. 

I pulled myself up once more and pushed myself to the other side of the walling and shifted myself over. 

The agony of the way down was nothing compared to the way up. Much of the weight was on my legs compared to my arms this time making it a much more pleasant experience. Still, it took several minutes to finally make it to the ground. 

Distant screams still echoed through the streets on the other side of the wall. It seemed the fire was still raging on inside. 

Now outside the city, I limped across the grasslands using the dead of night as my only cover. I had no time to dart from cover to cover. 

Every step I awaited a brutal storm of arrows to come raining down. I would be dead. There was not much I could do to dodge them. 

Every step I made towards freedom made me more anxious. 

However, no arrows landed. No illusions manifested. I was free. 

The fire must have proved a much larger issue compared to a singular rat. What happened to that trickster I don't know. But if he's not dead. Then I swear to every god above and below that I will kill that fucking bastard. 

It took 20 minutes to reach the treeline. Safety. 

No goblin would follow this far in fear of being attacked by the whole army of rats merely minutes away. 

The usual sounds of the forest at night didn't even flash through my brain as I desperately grasped at trees to keep standing as I made my way closer to camp. 

Finally, lights began to interrupt the stark and pitch darkness. 

The tree line broke back to reveal rows and rows of tents. 

And a figure stood between me and the tents. 

Shadowed in darkness. 

I stepped back as the feeling of fear washed back over me. 

"Don't worry schreetch, it's me"

Lorath took a small orb glowing a bright warm colour out of his bag and approached me. 

I stumbled closer before collapsing into him. 

He gently caught me.

He held me for a few seconds before staring down at me. 

I grasped at the handle of my sword which now laid stabbed deep into Loraths stomach.

"You fucking bastard, Lorath doesn't call me Schreetch"

A wicked grin flashed across Loraths face contorting each and every muscle. 

"I like you white devil"

The facade of Lorath fell away to reveal the goblin trickster. 

"I win, you will not escape our camp alive. 

Kill me and I'll let out the most blood-curdling scream you've ever heard. You'll be butchered where you stand".

"HAHAHA, you caught me little rat. I value my life too much to die like this. But I believe you misunderstand. You never left the city.

Trick"

The world around me contorted as It drooped away. My mind fell blank as my vision blurred. Where the goblin once stood now transitions back to that rooftop. The orb of fire now sat between the goblin's fingertips. 

My blade sat lodged in his stomach but nowhere near a fatal wound. 

He had placed me into an illusionary stupor the second I pulled the orb from my sack. Everything past that was nothing but illusions portrayed in my mind. I had never left the city.

I really hate this bastard.

My brain finally gave out. I could fight no longer. I felt myself slump as my eyes closed. 

No dream came to me during that sleep. It seemed my whole brain focused on resting my weary mind. 

I felt free. The painful, tiring and brutal days seemed to flood my mind. I felt neither warm nor cold. Just perfectly comfortable. 

Maybe death wasn't so bad. 

My mind rested. 

What felt like hours passed in that cosy place before a sudden joly pulled me out of my rest. 

My wrists felt cold and heavy and my back still stung with deep aching pain. 

My eyes sprang open to observe my surroundings. 

Thick rock walls surrounded me on all sides with a singular large wooden door being the only entrance in and out.

Light was scarce only coming from a small grate in the upper section of the door. 

There were no windows and no other things in the room. 

This left me to examine myself. My arms were chained to the wall with large metal cuffs placed on either wrist. My legs and body hung freely apart from my arms. 

My armour had been removed and replaced by several bandages which covered my body. Apart from that I was largely naked bar a small piece of cloth around my waist. 

I pulled a few times on the chains to find them solidly bound to the walls. 

Shit. 

A few more minutes of struggling yielded no results. I sighed in resignation as I hung droopily from the wall. 

It took an unknown amount of time before finally the only door in the room made an audible click as it swung open. 

"Morning, little rat. Did you enjoy your little sleep"

The goblin sauntered. 

"Kill me"

"awwww, where would the fun be in that? Didn't I tell you before I like to play with my food? We will play for a long long time. 

"Kill me"

"Let's introduce ourselves since we'll be good friends from now on. I am Prince Skulk of the Stone Claw clan of goblins."