Backstory: Garthan and Melsei Part 1

“Thank you for your work today!”

The sun was setting, and the streets were already dark, covered in the shadow of the buildings. Garthan waved at his younger colleagues as he retired for the day. Being a father was great. His superior understood the importance of family and had assigned him to day duty instead of patrolling the streets in the dark. There once had been a time when he had walked under the moonlight.

He passed by some familiar buildings mindlessly as his thoughts ventured deeper into the past. His footsteps unconsciously headed towards the Academy out of old habits. He had been gone for over seven years, but the streets still felt the same. Was his father ever worried about him? It had been far too long. He hadn’t seen him after his marriage.

He stared into the dying sun. He was finally back after all that had happened. He recalled the first day he had met Melsei…

〄 〄 〄

“Goblin Squad! On alert!” barked the commander of Garthan’s unit.

Forty-two soldiers all saluted in perfect unison as a quiet sound of echoing foot stomps traveled through the room and instantly ended. They stood in rows of six and focused on their commander for their next order. Garthan stood still as his heart beat faster. Today was a day of hunting.

“The Hawk Division has discovered the lair of an underground slave trading market,” the commander shouted, “and it has been confirmed through various interrogations. It is our duty to go in and clean the mess up. Is that clear?!”

“Yes, sir!” shouted the unit.

The commander looked at his soldiers. All of them were experienced killers and had slit many throats. Such was the nature of the Goblin Squad. All of them were armed with a short sword and a knife—professional tools of killing that were quick and efficient. The operation held many risks and enemies, and they would have to succeed. They always did.

“Officers! Retrieve a map of the underground before you head towards the rendezvous area. Make sure to know it like the back of your hand. You know the rest.”

The seven group leaders saluted again. Garthan, age twenty, was one of them. They all had a black sign of a goblin face on their coats. The hunt would begin in two hours. Garthan’s anticipation grew as did his dread. No matter how many times he did it, he still felt excitement. Or fear. It was hard to tell.

The commander exited the room, and soon after, the six-man groups began to follow, starting from the first group. Garthan’s group exited third and he retrieved a copy of the map from the desk next to the entrance. He motioned to his group to accompany him to one of the wooden tables outside. The sun was setting in the distance and the sky was painted with blood. He placed the map on the table as his group crowded around it.

“Stargone Alley, huh?” commented Dagger. They all used codenames in the Goblin Squad. The work was strictly professional.

“I’ve passed by there a couple times,” said Sword.

“What’s our job, Mask? Same as usual?” questioned Bow.

“Blood and death. It’s the same every time, Bow,” replied Knife.

“What I was meaning to ask was, which part of the map are we in charge of?” snapped Bow.

“Hush, all of you,” scolded Bomb. “Be more professional.”

“I can’t help it Bomb. The tension gets on my nerves,” said Bow.

Dagger and Sword nodded in agreement while Knife rolled his eyes. In reality, all of them were tense. This was going to be a bloodbath, after all. Bomb somewhat was the cool-headed one despite his codename. He looked at Mask for instructions.

Garthan took out his dagger and stabbed it on the north-east entrance of the alley.

“This is where we enter. There is an entrance behind the sewer bars. We are to wipe out every living person who isn’t chained or in a cage. Including children and women.”

Mask looked at looked at his group. They knew how to handle jobs like this.

“Be wary of this area,” said Mask as he crossed a line in a small space on the map. “The scouts found a small hole that may be used as an escape route. No one is to be allowed to leave alive.”

“I thought slaves were legal,” mentioned Sword. “Hell, I even saw one yesterday.”

“The commander said we will understand when we get there,” said Mask. “The scouts apparently saw something.”

“Good for you, Sword. Now you won’t have to feel bad while you chop up your victims,” teased Knife.

“Hmph.”

Mask clapped his hands. His group focused their attention on him.

“Sword, Bomb, you will be the first ones to enter. Take out the light sources. Knife, watch their backs and keep an eye out for traps and enemies. Bow, quietly flank anyone who tries to escape and take out any ranged enemies. Dagger, you stay behind at the marked area in case someone comes. You know the drill. Have the map memorized?”

Everyone nodded.

“Good,” said Mask. “Kill everyone and don’t die. Today is a massacre.”

〄 〄 〄

The groups of the Goblin Squad moved silently and quickly through the chilly night air. Each group stationed themselves at their designated areas and slit the throats of anyone who emerged from the underground. Right under the alley lay a giant illegal slave market. Today, it would vanish from existence.

Garthan checked the time on his tiny magical hourglass. The sand slowly fell as his group breathed quietly in the cool air through their black masks. They waited patiently. Finally, the last drop pattered on the bottom.

Mask motioned at Sword, who then quickly sliced apart the metal bars of the sewer in one, swift motion. They had already casted night-vision magic with their scrolls, so the surrounding areas were clear as day. The group dashed into the tunnel, positioning themselves as they had planned. They silently ventured deeper into the tunnel.

The first person to get decapitated was a man in chainmail with an eyepatch. His torch flickered off on the ground as the group flew past him. Sword quickly flicked the blood off his sword on the way. He proceeded to decapitate another man with a torch while Bomb extinguished the light.

They proceeded to kill one man after another until they reached the area with the hidden exit. Dagger positioned himself while the rest continued forward. The five soldiers soon found themselves at the entrance of a large area, dimly lit with magic lamps and filled with cages of all sorts.

Slave-traders were inspecting their goods and screams occasionally decorated the air. It wasn’t the screams of the vermin. Not yet. Soon, very soon.

Bomb swiftly inspected the area. Six mana lamps. Two torches. Maybe more at the back.

“Earth, condense and spin,” he chanted quietly. “Float and Fly. Rock Bullet!”

The first lamp went out as the projectile broke into its frame. The attention of the criminals turned towards the sound and dead light—

—as Sword started to slice into their flesh.

“Shit! Attack! There is an—” cried a man as his brains splattered some two meters away.

“Wait! I’m innocent! All I—” screamed another man as Bow buried his dagger into his skull. He twisted it out, making a stream of red liquid mixed with clear juice ooze out of the man’s head.

Bomb continued to chant and destroy the lights as he kicked a man on the legs, breaking his bones and making him scream in pain. Another kick to his head made him shut up as his blood seeped into the floor. Many men still remained, but only one light helped them see. They huddled near the light with their weapons and took up battle stances.

A rich looking man stood in the middle of the group. The slave market wasn’t without its defenses; various men in armor with bulging muscles and vicious scars stood ready to fight the threat that had come to them. Some of them held evil grins.

The biggest fighter walked out and twisted his large greatsword at Sword.

“Fight me face to face!” he shouted.

Sword remained silent as he taunted the man by doing some tricks with his sword and dagger.

“You think you can beat me?!” the man roared.

He gripped his greatsword in both hands and charged at Sword, who was much smaller than him. He prepared himself for a direct slice—

—as a knife embedded itself in his head. He fell, dead.

“He was mine!” Sword complained.

“You took too long. I’m supposed to watch your back, remember?”

“Hmph.”

Sword wiped the blood on someone’s shirt and sheathed his weapons. He looked over at the group of people who were now reduced to a group of mangled bodies and bloody organs. The rich man was the only person living and was on his knees, tears streaming down his face.

“I can give you money! I can give you—”

“Where are the keys to the cages?” demanded Mask.

“The-the keys? Here, here! Now let me go!”

Mask snatched the keys from the fat man’s hands and flung the blood off his sword with a mighty swish. The rich man looked at him in terror.

“Ple-please, let me go. I will give you everything!”

“Sure. Go. Scram,” replied Mask.

The fat man looked at Garthan in disbelief and quickly got on his feet. He hurriedly ran to the entrance.

“Are you really letting him go, Mask?” Bomb said.

Mask sheathed his sword.

“Dagger deserves some action too, doesn’t he?”

Sword shook his head at his leader’s twisted sense of humor. The area was quiet now, save the dripping of blood.

“Time to inspect the area. The market continues beyond this cave,” said Mask. “Look out for any survivors and kill them. Report to me if anything notable happens.”

Sword, Knife, Bow, and Bomb nodded and dispersed throughout the underground cavern. Garthan inspected the area again. His body still felt hot from the action, but it had been far too simple. He had expected worse. But it was only natural. All of the market’s top leaders had already been secretly taken out by the Reaper Squad. This place was nothing but a headless rat.

His eyes fell on the slaves. They had been far too quiet. Their numbers weren’t much—this area was still relatively small compared to the inner market. Fear hung on their dark, lifeless eyes as they were rolled up in their cages. Most of them were human. He spotted a beastwoman and a large reptile. Apparently, this place smuggled illegal animals too.

“Mask, come look at this,” said Sword. Mask looked up from the cages and walked towards where Sword was standing. Sword led him through a maze of cages and they approached the back of the cavern.

Heads were decorated on stakes with makeup and powder. Their bodies lay beneath them, positioned in various artistic ways. Mask grimaced. This was the work of some sick bastard. He looked around and saw another section where a man’s skin had been skinned off him. To his horror, the man was still moving, suspended in the air, his hands tied to a rope. His skin was on a desk below him, still fresh with blood.

The raw smell of flesh lingered in the air. No matter how many times Garthan killed, he couldn’t get used to it. It was disgusting.

“Bomb. Bomb!” he yelled.

Bomb appeared in the next moment behind Mask.

“Get the man down and use an emergency healing scroll on him.”

Bomb nodded and used a spell to cut the man off from the wooden pole. He caught the man gently with his robe and placed him on the ground. The man twitched slightly as his lidless eyeballs rolled around.

“It’s too late, Mask,” he said. “He won’t make it.”

Garthan rubbed his eyes with his hand. The scouts had been right, and this was only the entrance. There would be worse things inside. He had to be strong.

“Leave him.”

Mask gave a loud whistle and the remaining members came to him, except Dagger.

“Bow, stay in this cavern and stay hidden. Give a signal if something happens, or deal with it yourself.”

Bow nodded through his mask. He had seen the decoration and had become silent.

“Sword, Knife, we’re gonna kill these bastards,” breathed Garthan, “and painfully.”