A Familiar Fate 2


    While he was waiting for his minions to return, cknail beganying the groundwork for his next move. The first thing he did was explore Avorlus mansion more thoroughly. The huge building was full of grandly decorated rooms andvish furniture, but that didnt interest the hobgoblins. However, they did make some interesting discoveries. The building had a kitchen of course, and so now that most of the others had left, cknail and the remaining hobgoblins raided it for snacks. Since it didnt seem like anyone had been around for a few days, most of the food was a little stale, but that didnt matter too much to the hobgoblins. A little age made most human foods taste better anyway. Mold added both color and vor.


    After eating their way through the cabs, the searchers moved on to examine and loot the rest of the ce. One of them stumbled upon a hidden doorway in a wall. It opened to reveal a stairway going down, so the searcher immediately ran to fetch cknail.


    Where do you think it goes? he asked when everyone had gathered to study the stairway.


    To a ce that the mage wanted hidden, a ce where he keeps his most prized possessions, cknail replied.


    A hidden food store? the hobgoblin guessed as he leaned forward and peered eagerly down the passage.


    cknail shook his head. No, a mage values his magic more than anything else.


    After a brief search for a torch to light the way, cknail led the way down the stairs. There were light crystals on the walls but none of the hobgoblins could activate them, since they didnt have mage blood. Scamp could have done it, so cknail sort of regretted sending him away. However, on the other hand, if there was any explosive magic down here then cknail didnt want Scamp anywhere near it.


    Upon reaching the bottom of the stairs, the hobgoblins found themselves in a fair sized room with rough stone walls. Tables, shelves, andplex looking contraptions filled the space. Light from the torch cknail was holding shone out into the room but it wasnt strong enough to dispel most of the shadows that filled the chambers corners. Most evidently of all though, everything reeked of human blood. The smell was practically suffocating.


    Ew, it smells like a pinky exploded down here, a hobgoblin remarked as his lips curled up in disgust.


    What are those metal cages for? another minion asked as he stepped up to examine one of the objects in question. There were three empty cages with iron bars up against the nearest wall. They were more thanrge enough to hold people and piles of chainsy inside them.


    cknail pinched his nose close. They are for holding people. You can smell it.


    Oh, we should get one for our base. They seem super useful!


    Maybeter, cknail replied absently as he went to investigate a shelf.


    The tall wooden shelf contained a lot of the items that cknail hade to associate with mages, such as ss bottles and delicate looking metal tools. All the beakers and vials were empty, though. Judging from all the stained ss shards on the ground, it looked like someone had hastily swept the one that had been full of liquid off the shelf and onto the ground. None of the remaining items were of any use to cknail so he moved on.


    The table off to one side looked like it had once been covered in piles of papers and books, but now there was only a ck stain, fragments of burnt paper, and a small pile of ashes atop it.


    This bed isnt veryfortable, a hobgoblin remarked.


    cknail looked over to see that the speaker was lying down on a wooden tform in the middle of the room. It was slightly nted and looked to be adjustable. It also had several straps on its surface, and next to it was a little table that held various small knives, a pair of scissors, and arge saw with jagged teeth.


    Thats because no oneys down on it by choice, cknail replied. Its for butchering people.


    The hobgoblin quickly rolled to his feet and backed away from the table. I didnt think humans ate other humans. Even we dont eat humans.


    The meat and blood arent for eating. They are for the mages experiments.


    Magic sounds very icky.


    It is, when its not exploding, cknail replied as it dawned on him that he had no idea what the Elixir he drank was actually made out of. It was probably best not to think about it.


    Further exploration of the room failed to yield any useful discoveries. All the beakers were broken or empty, and there were no mana crystals lying around. There also wasnt a map to Avorlus location sitting out anywhere, which would have been useful. Disappointed, cknail headed back up the stairs and into the main part of the mansion. All the other hobgoblins were forced to follow him since he was the one holding the torch.


    The entire mansion had had beenpletely searched now that the hidden basement had been explored, and cknail hadnt found any clues to Avorlus location. That meant he had to go back to his first n and prepare an ambush.


    cknail had been doing a lot of travellingtely, so hed had plenty of time to think about a pet project of his, building a better human trap. Now was his opportunity to put his ideas into action. What fun. He couldnt wait to see the look on his preys'' faces when the trap was sprung! Right away, cknail went about gathering up supplies and materials. He was going to need a lot of rope, some bait, and arge frying pan.


    Humming with excitement, cknail went to work. Once he had the tools he needed, he looked around for the best spot to put his ingenious design together. The key was to think like a human so that you could predict exactly what they were going to do. You had to know what they liked, what they couldnt resist, what they hated, and what they feared. Although, it was almost more useful to know what they didnt fear, since humans seemed terrified of basically everything. Not like hobgoblins, which were only afraid of things that made sense, like giant green things with teeth. There were just an ufortablyrge amount of those in the North.


    Why are you putting those shiny bits on the ground? one of the hobgoblins asked as cknail was working.


    They are bait. The humans will see them sparkle and investigate, cknail exined as he did his best human voice. They will be like, look silver coins! They are super useful if I want to do pointless human things. I can never have enough money, so I should pick them up and not think at all about how suspicious they are.


    Is that what a human would really say?


    It is what they will think as they pick the coins up.


    That sounds really dumb, but then again they are very shiny. Can I have one?


    No, these are mine. Get your own.


    Another hobgoblin walked over. Why dont we just sneak up and grab them when they show up?


    cknail glowered at his minion. This will be safer and more fun. Just shut your jaw and do as I say. We are doing it my way. Im the leader.


    When the trap had been set up, cknail ordered one of his minions to pull his hood up and go hang around outside the front gate of theplex. He was to stay by the gate and within sight of the street so that he would attract attention, but he was ordered to disappear back inside if the city guard showed up or anyone tried to approach him. Another hobgoblin was to watch from concealment and report everything that happened. Nothing was likely to happen right away, so cknail went to stuff his face and take a nap while he waited. All this nning had made him hungry and the great big bed in Avorlus room was bothfy and empty.


    cknail hadnt quite drifted off yet when he heard the sound of someone approaching. He was curled up atop a pile of nkets and feeling quitefortable, but he fought off his drowsiness and looked up towards the source of the noise. It was one of his hobgoblin minions, which meant that this probably wasnt an attempt on his life. Although, cknail wasntpletely sure since hobgoblins were so deceitful and vicious, except for himself. He was loyal and honest at all times. Even when he lied he was being honest in spirit, since it was probably for their own good. He was caring like that.


    A stranger hase, the hobgoblin announced when cknail looked his way.


    A human had arrived to test the trap! cknail immediately jumped up and motioned for his minion to lead the way. The hobgoblin nodded and together they raced across the mansion to one of the back doors. They then slipped outside and stalked through the bushes until they were looking out at the front entrance from a concealed position behind a tree.


    At first cknail didnt see anyone, but then he saw motion along the path from the front gate. Someone was creeping carefully along the other side of the hedge, where it would be harder to see them from the house. It was a figure in a long brown cloak. They werent doing a very good job of moving stealthily, but their jerky and tense movements certainly made them look like they were trying hard at it.


    From his hiding spot, cknail watched the figure get closer with building excitement. He smiled as the man got close enough for him to get a good look at. It was definitely an unfamiliar human! Under his hood, he had dark eyes that made him look tired and an unshaven face. The man crouched at the edge of the hedge and leaned out to look around. He scanned the front of the house and the nearby greenery, but his eyes slipped right past cknail and the hobgoblin beside him. The man obviously wasnt much of a tracker or hunter.


    When he didnt see anyone else around, the intruder got up and hurried over to the front door. As he was crossing the grounds, he happened to look over to one side and see something on the ground. He stopped and took a quick second to pick up the item that had caught his attention. It was silver coin. cknail giggled quietly to himself from his hiding ce.


    Just as he was about to start moving again, the intruder saw another coin in the grass and hesitated. A momentter, he shuffled over to pick up this coin as well. That was when he noticed the open pouch of coins next to a nearby tree. The bag was open so that the coins were clearly visible.


    The man hesitated again. He looked confused and hesitant as he turned to scan his surroundings, but once again he didnt see anything dangerous, so he shrugged and slipped the coin he was holding into one of his pockets as he moved towards the tree. He took several steps and then his boot hit something. There was a crack as a twig snapped somewhere nearby. The man flinched and stood up straight to look around again, but he didnt see the trip wire he had just set off. The trap was in motion, and a momentter a dark object descended from the leafy branches hanging overhead. The frying pan smashed into the top of the intruders head. There was a thud and a nk as the iron skillet bounced off bone. The man swayed, regained his bnce, and then crumpled bonelessly onto the ground like an empty set of clothes.


    Huh, it worked, the hobgoblin next to cknail muttered in surprise.


    Ha, it worked! cknail shouted excitedly as he burst from concealment.


    The two hobgoblins then ran over to examine the fallen human. They were quickly joined by several other hobgoblins that had been hiding and watching.


    Hmmm, very nice. Good timing. It was a little boring, though. I need to make the next one have more whiz and crack. Some boom wouldnt hurt, cknail mused to himself as he examined the remains of the trap. Maybe I can do something with forks...


    Now what? a minion asked.


    We bring him inside, put him somewhere nice andfy, and then threaten to cut him into pieces until he tells me what I want to know.


    What if he doesnt know anything?


    Then at least I will have fun.


    At cknailsmand, two hobgoblins dragged the unconscious man inside the mansion and plopped him into one of the chairs there. Hobgoblins then tied him to the back of the chair with a loop of rope, while cknail grabbed another chair and sat down in front of the captive. When a p failed to wake the man up, a minion went to fetch a bucket of water. cknail made a mental note to maybe use a smaller frying pan next time.


    Ah, gods above! the man screamed as cold water sshed across his face and soaked into his clothes. He jerked forward but the rope held him down, and his eyes shot wide open but they didnt focus on anything for a few moments. However, when the captive did get a good look at the person seated in front of him his eyes went even wider than before. He gasped and looked terrified out of his mind.


    cknail just smiled and leaned forward so he could meet the mans eyes. Hello!


    The captives mouth fell open and he stared back uprehendingly. What?


    Im the one who is going to be asking the questions, cknail replied. You just need to worry about answering them.


    Hells, what are you? the man gasped in terror.


    What did I just say? cknail replied as he glowered in annoyance. He was really getting sick of how stupid people could be. Maybe a few pokes with a knife would help this human learn.


    Are you a demon? Am I dead?


    cknail paused and took a moment to think. Er, yes Yes, you are. Im a demon and this is the hells, so there is no point in not answering all my questions.


    Oh, gods. No, I cant believe it. I prayed to Cor-Dius constantly and tried not tomit too many crimes a day! How could this happen to me?


    Believe it. Now answer my questions, cknail hissed as he raised a dagger threateningly. That seemed like fairly demon-like behavior to him.


    The man immediately began spilling his guts. In fact, he was talking way too much. cknail didnt really care about his reasons for sleeping with his neighbors wife or that time he had stolen his brothers golden ring and sold it.


    Focus on the stuff that happened right before you um died, cknail told him.


    The frantic man quickly began exining about how hed been hired to watch the house for signs of activity by a group of men who had assaulted it a few days earlier.


    Who where they?


    They didnt tell me, foul one. I was just paid to help them find the ce, but they must have been from a mage guild. They were too organized and packing too much magic for them to be anyone else. I have no idea which one. Please dont devour my soul.


    cknail really didnt like being called foul by a smelly human, but that wasnt important right now. He had heard of the mage guilds many times, although he knew little about them, except they were a group of powerful mages. Mahedium had been on the run from them, and now it seemed like they were after Avorlus.


    What did they want with Avorlus? cknail asked his mortally confused captive.


    I dont know, great defiler. I just know they wanted him alive.


    That was interesting, and good news. It meant there was a solid chance Avorlus was still alive. cknail asked the man a few more questions but didnt get any more interesting information out of him, except for the location of what the captive swore was the best cheese shop in the city. Since the man was no longer of any use, cknail got up, walked around, and cut his throat from behind. He did it without warning so that the man barely had time to react. One moment he was whining about how hed been forced to kill that dog because it wouldnt shut up, and then the next he was choking on his own blood. The frothy gurgling was much more pleasant to listen to.


    Alive, the man would undoubtedly have tried to warn hispanions about the hobgoblins presence, and cknail had no way of stopping him. Two hobgoblins then carried the mans body over to the deep pit in the hallway and dropped it down into the dark. cknail didnt want to leave Avorlus house a mess. He was a guest here after all.


    Before cknail could wander back to the bedroom and start napping again, a hobgoblin ran over with news.


    One of the scouts has returned, boss, the excited minion reported. He found the mage you are looking for, but so have the people that attacked this ce. It looks like there is about to be a big fight.