The group approached in the darkness. As they had travelled down the path from the hill into the valley, they had seen the lantern light clearly on the main route that stretched its length. There were at least two patrols. The town of Sallew itself, from the valley-side, had looked like a giant firefly, its glow radiating into the night sky.
Harm crouched in a thicket; one group was with him, and the other was further to his left. The warehouse was in darkness, and he could hear no sounds.
"Let's go," Harm said, as he crouched and moved across the open ground leading to its rear.
Just because they could see no lights at the warehouse from the rear didn't mean that there was no one inside. It had no windows, so it wasn't as though the light could have escaped. The group with Harm comprised three of the goblins from the initial hunting party and Luubu. Everyone had been overly enthusiastic about joining him. Dafu was leading the other party of five and would keep watch unless signalled.
Harm rested his back against the warehouse wall on reaching it, listening carefully again. He could hear no sound, so he proceeded around the side, his four party members following in a single line. One thing the goblins were exceedingly good at that Harm had learned was following orders. If he told them to do something, then they would do it. As they reached the front of the warehouse, Harm signalled for them to stop. He edged forward and peered around the corner. There were no lights that he could see, and the doors were closed.
He wondered if Satil had already moved the contents; then again, where would he move them to? There had been so much inside. With Harm being so close to the township and where Satil lived, the urge to visit him was almost overpowering, and he had to keep reminding himself that they were there for a specific reason.
He sneaked along the warehouse front to the door, constantly aware in case of sound or movement from inside. It was silent, and he slowly stood, reaching and trying to open it, holding the handle and, as gently as possible, applying his weight. The door was heavy, and it usually took two people to open and close it. Harm didn't need it wide, though, and only opened it far enough to slip inside. The interior was in darkness, and he stopped for a moment before looking back outside at the corner and signalling for the others to follow. The line of goblins streamed down the front of the warehouse and entered behind him.
Harm couldn't see a thing in the darkness, the only light in the central area coming from the slightly ajar door where moonlight filtered through. He knew the layout from his rather unfortunate visit and slowly moved into the interior. A hand patted him on his shoulder, and he turned, barely able to see the goblin who had touched him. Squinting, he leaned forward. It was no good; it was just too dark. It looked like it was gesturing at something, not that Harm could see, and then remembered the one fact he had utterly negated. Goblins had improved night vision. They were unaffected by most light changes; it apparently had little impact on their vision. They had only used fires at night for warmth and not to provide light for the clan, and Harm had needed to use the lantern he had stolen from Kartoon most evenings since he had been there.
It had been ten days since he had become their chief, and things had been going well. It had been so easy to earn the goblins' respect, simply by ensuring that they all could eat each day, whatever happened. Harm reached out towards where he thought the goblin who had tapped him on the shoulder had been, reaching into thin air.
"I can't see shit," he whispered.
There was movement, and a small hand grabbed his wrist. He felt it tug him, and he allowed himself to be led. It was only a few paces before they reached some crates. It appeared the contents were still there. He tried to remember exactly what he had seen in the supplies. There had been crates of dry rations, sacks of wheat and seeds. Barrels containing oil and the tools he had seen had been in the far corner by a workbench. He carefully pried the lid off a crate and looked inside. The goblin next to him patted his arm excitedly, not that it was any good; all he could see at most were blurry outlines and no details of the contents. Whatever it contained had made the goblin happy.
Harm nodded and then pointed towards what he thought was the far corner, whispering. "There is a workbench with tools."
The same hand again gripped his wrist and led him across the open warehouse floor roughly in the direction he had pointed, before coming to a stop and Harm nearly walking into them. As Harm tried to focus on the contents of the bench, pointing at several of the tools he believed they needed, he heard a door opening before he saw the light. Through the crates at the far side, where the rooms and the cellar he had been kept in were. He should have thought to go there first, and as he turned, he spotted light being cast from a lantern on the ceiling of the warehouse. The effect the light had on Harm's vision was immense, and he started to define shapes in the dark. He was with one of the goblins while the other three were interspersed around the warehouse at various crates. He couldn't be sure who was who in the light, and his heart thumped in his chest as he started towards the crates, where he knew they would appear.
As the light got brighter as it approached the entrance to the manmade maze of crates, Harm noticed one of the goblins had climbed upwards and was several crates up now near the entrance. Harm rushed as quietly as he could across the space, but he knew he wouldn't reach it in time before whoever was coming would appear.
A man's face appeared, with a lantern being carried at his side, swinging casually. The man's face turned to one of shock as he spotted Harm crossing the open warehouse floor towards him.
"Boyce," he shouted as a shadowy form dropped on him from above. The glint of metal flashed in the lantern light. The man let out a scream as the short sword of the goblin plunged deep into his shoulder. The man and goblin fell to the floor in a mass of limbs.
"Shit," Harm swore as he triggered Equip and called Florence.
Hehehe! Time to kill! The voice chuckled.
Harm ran across the remaining space, no longer concerned by the noise. The other goblins with him were also approaching, their old and even rusted short swords held in their hands. Harm realised that the goblin who had completed the aerial assault on the man was Luubu as she stood withdrawing the blade from his shoulder before pulling it violently across the man's throat. Its battered edge tore into his neck.
Harm just nodded as he passed her, turned the corner from the crate maze, and stopped as he heard voices.
"What's up?" a man called. When he heard no response, he called again. "Yarrow, is everything okay?"
"Fucking hell," the voice of Boyce grumbled as Harm heard footsteps approaching. The lantern, which had fallen with the now dead man, lay behind him near the corner, casting his shadow forward like that of a monster in the night as he awaited the man to appear. It was only a moment before he did.
"Yarrow..." he stopped speaking on seeing the monstrous shadow in front of him. With the light behind Harm, he couldn't see his face, only seeing the movement as Harm thrust Florence into his chest. The man had no armour, and Florence sang as she penetrated him easily.
The man looked confused as he stared down at the blade, which had sunk through him. His face contorted in disbelief. Blood gushed from his mouth as he coughed violently, spraying blood and spittle at Harm. Harm withdrew Florence from the man's chest. The strike had been critical; Harm knew the man was dead.
Excellent! The demonic voice said, dripping with pleasure.
Letting his body fall to the floor, he stepped over him and moved to the entrance to the rooms in the rear of the warehouse. The goblins followed him closely. Harm didn't pause as he stepped through the open door. When he had been in the warehouse previously, there was only one room he hadn't entered during his search because of his fear of succumbing to his wounds, and that door was now open.
Harm headed straight to it, bright light inside and again, without hesitation, he entered, Florence leading.
He needn't have worried as the room was empty. It housed two single cots, and a table stood between them. Harm smelled liquor in the room alongside stale sweat, and his eyes were drawn to the bottle on the table.
DRINK! The voice screamed in his mind.
Harm hadn't heard this voice for a while now, and it scared him. His palms were immediately sweating, and Florence suddenly felt loose in his grip. He shook his head.
"You okay?" a goblin named Hatu asked from behind him, as he watched Harm with uncertainty, as his body shook.
No, I won't be tempted. He replied to the voice.
But you're thirsty! It said in a sickly sweet tone now, inviting him to drink.
"Get the fuck out," Harm screamed at the voice in rage as he stepped across the room, carving Florence through the air, and shattered the bottle.
Hatu, who had been entering the room behind Harm, backpedalled so fast that he crashed into Nathic, and the two of them went crashing back out into the hall.
Harm heard the curses and tumbling bodies, turning to look at the two prone goblins.
The look of terror on the goblins' faces at seeing Harm's wide, frenzied eyes made them scuttle even further from him.
Reality came back to Harm as he stared at them, his thundering pulse slowing as he calmed. The immediate rage and reaction left his hand shaking violently, which held Florence. He looked back at the shattered fragments of glass and the liquid from the bottle that ran down the wall where it had been sprayed. "Fuck," he swore as he stalked from the room. Harm had never been one to lose his composure so quickly, and that had sent fear coursing through his veins, his skin prickling.
He stood above the goblins and looked down. "Sorry. I didn't mean to scare you."
Nathic had a wet patch on his crotch, and it was obvious he had just pissed himself in fear.
Had Harm looked that terrifying? He didn't know.
"Come on, get up. Everything's fine," Harm said, looking to where Luubu and Yowic now stood in the door to the warehouse.
"Everything alright?" Luubu asked as she noticed the stain on Nathic's crotch. Nathic rose and brushed himself down, looking embarrassed.
"Harm scared the piss out of me," Nathic stammered. "I thought he was going to kill us both."
Harm closed his eyes momentarily and took a deep breath, wishing he hadn't. His nostrils filled with alcohol mixed with goblin piss.
"Fuck," he said. "Let's check the other rooms, and then we will get the others and take what we need."
Harm entered the room and picked up the lantern, walking back out and purposefully searching the remaining rooms in the warehouse. The cell where he had been beaten sent a shiver down his spine as he opened the door to check inside. There were dark stains on the floor, which he had never noticed previously, and he wondered how many beings had been tortured or worse in there before he had been. Nathic was also in the cellar, searching the crates in the storeroom, and called to Harm as he walked past.
"Harm. There are swords," he said.
Harm entered the small store, and inside the crate Nathic had pried open, there were at least a dozen short swords. He picked one up and looked at it. The blade was dulled, and its edges weren't honed. They were training blades used by many guard forces. They may be blunt now, with a stone and oil, they could be given edges.
"Take them," Harm said as he left.
Luubu had collected the other group, and by the time Harm closed the warehouse door, all the goblins were fully laden. Their inventories were full, and they were weighed down, carrying the sacks of seed, wheat, and fertiliser. Nathic carried a barrel of oil on his shoulder. It was almost the same size as he was, and Harm smiled at his clan's commitment. He was grunting and wheezing, and Harm reached down, taking it from him.
"You could have taken a smaller one," Harm said.
"You said you needed oil," Nathic shrugged.
"Yeah, but if it takes you a year to get back to the clan, what good would it do?" Harm chuckled as they disappeared back into the night.
