"Do we have enough time to stop by a music shop?" I ask Goldenclaw.
"I think we've already been gone for too long." He chuckles, "We don't need your friends being worried about you."
Goldenclaw and I had dropped Bella off at the city stables, which would have cost us ten gold coins a night if it wasn't for Goldenclaw, who paid for a week in advance. Seeing we still had time left, he agreed to take me on a city tour.
Now we are heading back towards the Goblin Pot tavern in the Commercial District from the southern gate, eating some Ice Pops that a frostian was selling at a cart along the road. There is a gunshot and a series of screams before I see a crowd rush out of The Goblin Pot as fast as they can, scrambling and trampling over each other. Goldenclaw looks at me, puzzled.
"Your friends, maybe?" He asks.
"I don't know. Let's find out." I run into the tavern, Goldenclaw right behind me.
The door has been knocked off its hinges. Whisperclaw and Ironvine are helping the barkeep stand up. He is holding his arm, which is starting to swell and turn a shade of blue. Finally, I see Renald tying up a large, human man with a lion skin coat thrown over his shoulders. There is a chunk missing from the man's shoulder and a slash going down his back. Blood is everywhere.
"Hey. I think your other friends are here." The barkeep says to Ironvine and Whisperclaw.
"Glimmer?" They say simultaneously, turning to look at me.
"What's up, guys? Seems like I missed the party." I say lightheartedly.
"Good. You're here." Renald stops what he's doing to address me. "Glimmer, go get Ironvine's medical bag from your room upstairs. The room number is 690, don't forget."
Ironvine tosses me a room key, which floats onto the floor.
"Right. I'll be back." I pick the key up.
"I'll go alert the city Knights." I hear Goldenclaw as I head up the staircase, "They will want a full report…"
I get to the top of the stairs and follow the room numbers until I find room 690. I insert the key and turn until I hear a click, and the room door opens. I step into the room with utter disbelief at the sight. The room is massive. It contains two bedrooms, a living room, a kitchen, and a bathroom with a shower, sink, and mirror. The room even has glow crystals, luxury back home in Vertalara.
"C'mon, focus, Glimmer," I say to myself. There will be time to gawk at the technology later; I need to find Ironvine's medical bag.
After a few minutes, I finally find the bag underneath one of the beds. I grab the room key and lock the door, heading downstairs.
"I found it!" I announce proudly.
"Great, pass it over here," Ironvine says, examining the barkeep's right arm. The rest of the group is there, along with a white furred female Saber who looks extremely worried. Goldenclaw is nowhere in sight.
"Where'd GC go?" I pass Ironvine his medical bag.
"GC? Whose that?" Renald looks very confused.
"Oh yeah, sorry." I laugh, "I meant Goldenclaw. GC is just a nickname I gave him."
"Nickname?" Whisperclaw is the one who looks confused now.
"You know, like, a shorter name for someone you're friends with." I start to explain, but I can see she isn't comprehending. "Alright, how about this?"
I look at Whisperclaw, Ironvine, and then Renald.
"I got it!" I exclaim.
"What did you get?" Whisperclaw's eyes are wide in anticipation.
"Nicknames, for all of you." I point to each of them, "Whisperclaw, your nickname is officially Whisper. Ironvine, I'll call you IV, because it's your initials and you're a doctor."
I get to Renald and pause.
"I think I'm going to nickname you 'Ren'." I grin at Renald mischievously, "Yeah, Ren's good."
"Cut it out, Glimmer. We've got more important things to discuss than nicknames." Ren glares at me, "Goldenclaw went to get some Knights to come collect this troublemaker."
"Glimm. Glimm." I correct him. "Call me Glimm. I gave you guys nicknames, so you should be able to give me one too."
"Glimm, Ren, IV, Whisper…" Whisper seems to be trying to understand what's happening.
Then, a light bulb suddenly flickers on in her mind, and a huge grin comes across her face.
"Glimm, Ren, IV, and Whisper!" She cheers like a little kid. "We all have nicknames now!"
I smirk at Renald.
"Fine. Do whatever you want, but don't expect me to call you by those stupid names." He says, visibly red in the face. I can't tell whether he is blushing at Whisper or if he's flushed from being angry.
"Ren, you don't like our nicknames?" Whisper looks up at Renald with tears, like a kid whose dream was just crushed.
"No.. I…" He stammers, his face turning even redder.
"I think Ren loves your nickname, Whisper." Ironvine and I both explode into laughter. Whisperclaw's face turns bright red as well.
When we are done laughing, Ironvine finishes examining the barkeep's arm.
"Sorry, Liaz." Ironvine says, "It looks like your entire right arm is shattered down to your elbow."
"Why are you sorry?" Liaz laughs. "It's not like you were the one who busted into my tavern and hit me with a giant hammer."
"I'm just sorry there's not more I can do right now." Ironvine lets his head hang. "I'm out of my healing pills. I've got to go shopping for supplies to make some more tomorrow. Until then, you'll have to deal with the pain."
"That's fine by me. It'll mess with my aim, but I should be alright." Liaz pats Ironvine on the shoulder and stands, greeting a pair of knights walking into the tavern. "Good afternoon, gentlemen."
"Liaz." One of the knights nods, "We were told by this ranger that your establishment had been attacked. From the looks of things, this seems to be true, to some degree at least. Do you feel well enough to give a statement?"
"Yeah, I should be good. Are we going now?" Liaz calmly steps forward and outstretches his wrist as he asks his question.
"I'm afraid so." The knight nods at the other knight, who walks over to the man Renald had tied up, "We'll be taking this one too."
"Ok, ok. Let's get this moving, I have a business to run, y'know." Liaz grins as the knights chain his hands and pull him out of the tavern. This all happens before any of us has a chance to say anything.
Just as quickly as they walked in, they were gone, taking Liaz with them.
"That stupid ranger!" The white furred female saber yells, kicking a chair.
"Liaz will be alright, Ice, they'll let him go when they find out he didn't do anything, right?" Whisperclaw tries her best to calm the furious and heartbroken saber.
"I'm not so sure about that, Whisper." Renald takes Liaz's seat at the booth, "If what Liaz was telling me, before the guy burst in, is true, then Blackthorn and his men have the First Knight of Amacedia paid off."
I am completely lost at this point. I was gone for a couple of hours, and it feels like I've been gone for weeks. What is everybody talking about?
"Who's Blackthorn?" The words come out of my mouth instead of staying in my head.