Sage could see the Outerwall of the estate’s courtyard just up the road. It really was in the outskirts of the town and was nicely tucked away in a secluded area away from prying eyes. Sage bit his lip and hesitated to continue moving forwards. Once more he began to contemplate the situation and instinctively knew that it was dangerous, perhaps more dangerous than he had initially thought.

He could still turn back, he assured himself. He still was not past that point of no return. But his curiosity was almost eating him alive. What interest did these people have in the arcane to warrant stealing his tome? magic was often common enough and freely given that stealing it was just abnormal.

And the types of people he could think off that would want to secretly cavort knowledge of the arcane like this were either cultists or necromancers. For his sake he really hoped it was the former, because he just could not stand the thought of a shambling rotting corpse.

For now, he was content to keep on scouting the estate. So far there had been no lack of oncoming information. And not to mention this was also serving as an excellent field test of his familiars’ capabilities. But after the Arrival of the Goblins, Sage had chanced his familiar once more to get within ear range and heard the two groups speaking of a key and someone from a darkness tribe.

More questions and no answers. Why! he ought to have just walked up to the gate and offer his services just to satisfy that craven little itch in the back of his mind.

The goblins had just begun to move out when the courtyard just, exploded.

“What was that?!” The young mage cried when something or rather someone just dropped into the courtyard of the estate. Momentarily bewildered, Sage closed his eyes so that he could clearly see through the eyes of his raven. Sage had not known what to expect but a man wreathed in shadow was certainly not it.

But in his moment of distraction he had missed the Goblins vacate the courtyard, eager to leave the shadowmancer alone and swiftly huddled onto the street where he now stood. There had been a sort of unspoken agreement between their tribe and the dark stranger. If they left each other alone then nothing would come of it. But right now, they were all eager to make good on Miranda’s suggestion and find somewhere a lot safer. But that would have to wait because as soon as they spotted the stranger in the middle of the street, they froze, thinking they had been caught by one of Stonevale’s many travellers.

By the time the young mage opened his eyes he was staring at no less than seven pairs of beady little eyes that looked at him with anger, fear and hate.

“Kill the human!” the shortest goblin yelled.

‘Now I am past the point of no return.’ The boy mentally quipped as he looked over the group and desperately tried to think of a way out. While fighting the Goblins was a certain possibility for him these days. The fighting would no doubt attract the attention of those within the courtyard too, and that was a fight he wasn’t sure he could walk away from.

An idea came to him in a single instant, one of either genius or madness.

“Your mistress has business with me” Sage spoke to the group calmly and narrowed his eyes at them trying to look contemptuous. His wording had also been deliberate in that he had implied that the woman was working for him rather than the other way around, though he also suspected that little detail had gone over the goblin’s grimy little heads.

‘Pretending to be affiliated with these people, how is this any different from your initial obscene idea’ The mage scolded himself, he would either fake it until they believed him or they would all attack en-masse.

“Though it would seem she is preoccupied”. He huffed in fake annoyance. “I assure you the Key will be ready soon. But now you all had best be off until we have dealt with this pest”

The goblins were now no longer looking at him in anger or hate, but instead now had a heavy dose of confusion warping their little faces.
He had been in a situation like this before, though last time his dignity had suffered for it as he proclaimed a young thief of Scara Brae as his boyfriend while he played the part of the girlfriend. It had not been his best moment and to make matters worse he was sure that his lie had been seen through.

‘Please fall for it’ Sage mentally pleaded, and while he knew that he may have a chance with the Goblins, he was sure that any one else within the estate would be a much harder sell.

Of cause before he could get an answer something or someone within courtyard exploded with a torrent of arcane energy.