The Arch(mage)

With the gates open and the guards on duty eliminated, there was nothing standing in the way of the horde of goblins. Like a green river over a dry riverbed, they spilled through the streets of the town, putting out any light-sources as they passed. Hundreds of yellow eyes sparkled in the night, filled with malicious intentions.

Flinch watched it all below him, as he jumped swiftly from roof to roof, approaching the centre of the town. He could already make out the outline of the massive stone arch they suspected to be a portal. It was taller than any building in the town except for the church and the guardhouse. With a muted *thud*, he landed on the last roof between him and the construction. He was now standing at the edge of a circular town-square, in the middle of which, the arch was being built.

Actually, the construction looked finished. It was finely carved white stone, on the surface of which a collection of runes had been engraved. They gave of a humming blue light, which had to be annoying for anyone trying to sleep in the nearby houses. Flinch squinted his eyes as he found a spot where the runes were partially obscured. It looked like someone was in front of them, but it was way too high up for a person to do that. Suddenly it dawned on him, the mage was right there.

She was gently resting on a pillow which appeared to be the magical tool keeping her floating in the air. With a wand about the length of her forearm, she easily carved another rune into the blank stone with swift and practiced motions. She was humming, a soft and comforting noise, and slowly kicking her dangling feet, completely absorbed into her task.

Flinch tilted his head to the side. 'This is the powerful mage everyone worried about?'. She didn’t look like much, but he was still wary of her. He had seen multiple times how arrogance could lead to someone’s downfall, in fact, he had profited a lot from people making this very mistake with him. He patted the bag he had brough, which held the collar he had used on Astra many months ago. It was durable and completely suppressed one’s magic, perfect for a pretty little mage like that.

With flat breaths and avoiding making any noise, Flinch descended from the roof and crossed the town-square towards the mage. She didn’t give any sign that she noticed his approach. When he was close enough where he felt he could reach her with one mighty leap, Flinch braced himself. The whole operation depended on this. The biggest threat to them was right in front of him, humming and drawing runes, oblivious to his presence. He had to finish this in one swift motion.