Fiction Story

The Thievery of Castle Safeweld

Carter Skolnick

Per. 3

3/2/23

    The Goons of Fairy Hollow gathered around while they discussed the quest on stealing the Dancer’s Elixir from Castle Safeweld. They were throwing a grand ball soon, but lacked any funds for the potion, and what’s a ball with no elixir? Being as conniving as they were, thieving the elixir was something they looked forward to rather than dreaded. The only thing in the way was The Divine Sorcerer Beardman, Protector of the Elixir. He guarded Castle Safeweld at all times making sure no low-life thieves could get past him in an attempt to take his prized potion.

The Goons were a tight-knit pact between a diverse group of thieves, pirates, and warriors. There was Ogier the Loyal, an elf who was in charge of flying the Almighty Dragon, Karagon the Thunderbird. Ogier was the only one who actually knew what he was doing while flying, for the rest of the assembly never cared to take enough time for flying lessons. Cornelius the half-blood wolf, a savage werewolf with no filter, and Stefan the Greedy, a pirate who always had riches but never used them, were in charge of actually stealing the elixir. Cornelius was there to back up Stefan and slash away with his incredibly sharp claws in case they got caught in action. Finally, there was Theodore the Mischievous, a tricky little dwarf, and Ferrenlock the Beastly, a mighty orc. Theodore was in charge of being a decoy for the plan, entering the castle acting as a lost soul and distracting Sorcerer Beardman from his surroundings. Ferrenlock was there to fight the Sorcerer, wielding his hefty chained morning star in case the whole plan went south.

“Are we positive this will go as planned?” inquired Ogier after discussing the quest once more. Ogier was always the worried one. He had more common sense than the rest of the pack which unfortunately led him to be too much of a coward for dirty work.

“Of course it will,” replied Theodore, “Sorcerer Beardman is nothing but a maidenless fool, my tricks will work like a charm on him. And even if they don’t, there is absolutely no way a weakling like him could put up a fight against Ferrenlock.”

“I agree,” Ferrenlock chimed in, “I know you have seen me in battle. That leaf-eater hasn’t any chance against I, The mightiest brute in all the valley, the wildest orc, I have yet to meet my match or anyone who wasn’t afraid of my capabilities.” Everyone chuckled at Ferrenlocks confidence, while he wasn’t wrong it was a bit silly the lack of humbleness he possessed. 

“Well then,” Ogier started, “Let’s get on with it. Karagons waiting for us to mount out back.”

The squad hopped aboard the massive Thunder Dragon. Ogier sat on the sizable saddle placed around Karagon’s neck. He grabbed the long strap in front of him and hit it against the dragon’s upper neck twice. Karagon took off and they were on their way to Castle Safeweld. It was a short journey, only about a 10-minute flight or so from Fairy Hollow. Once they had arrived the crew went over their plans one final time before they headed toward the castle. Theodore headed to the entrance, ready to fool the sorcerer into believing he was no more than a desperate citizen looking for a loan of kindness. Ferrenlock followed behind Theo, trying to blend in outside the doors of the Castle as an average tourist. He was wielding a sizable mace but no one seemed to care. Ogier headed toward the back of the Castle to drop Stefan and Corneilus off to sneak in and steal the prize. Ogier waited patiently outside, mounting the dragon like the coward he was. 

Theodore walked into the building immediately crying out, “Help, please! I must speak with the sorcerer this instant! Nothing could be more urgent!” He forced tears to fall down his face to make his cries seem all the more real. This went as smooth as butter, in no time Sorcerer Beardman was entertaining Theodore’s facade.

“I’m not a charity case you belligerent buffoon,” said Sorcerer Beardman. “You can’t expect help from me if you don’t have anything to provide.”

“I’m willing to do anything, sir, please just help me.” 

Everything was going to plan until Cornelius made a grave mistake. While Theodore was working his craft, Cornelius and Stefan had successfully broken into the back of the Castle. It was all smooth until Cornelius dropped a case of the elixirs on his toe, leading him to let out a roaring howl in pain. Loud enough to alert Sorcerer Beardman. The Sorcerer jolted his head back towards the noise before taking one final glance at Theodore saying, “You’re no fool, are you? You’re trying to trick me!” He cast a freeze spell on Theo, leaving him locked in place, as he ran off to catch the thieves. 

Ferrenlock heard the howl from outside the castle and started to flank Sorcerer Beardman as he went to save his elixirs. He slung Theodore over his shoulder along the way, so he wouldn’t be left behind. Sorcerer Beardman approached Cornelius and Stefan menacingly before unleashing brutal waves of powerful damage spells their way. Cornelius did his best to shield Stefan with his masculine wolf body, but sooner or later it would be too much to bear. Thankfully, Ferrenlock was able to gain the advantage behind the Sorcerer and strike his back with a mighty blow from his mace.  The Sorcerer fell to his knees in a weakened, vulnerable state. “If you give up now I won’t have to kill you,” Ferrenlock said, “Give up the elixirs, that's all we want.”

“Never!” Sorcerer Beardman retorted, “Guarding the elixir is my only purpose in life, without them I’d be nothing but a pathetic failure.”

Ferrenlock chuckled, “Oh man, It amuses me that you can’t see that you already are.” This angered Beardman. He lifted his wand, made from the sacred wood of an enchanted oak tree, and prepared to strike, but Ferrenlocks' reflexes were too fast. Ferrenlock struck the Sorcerer in the back of the neck with as much force as he could, completely decapitating him and killing him instantly. This broke the freeze spell that was cast upon Theodore, leaving him gasping for air as he re-mobilized. Everyone grabbed a crate of elixirs in each hand and rushed out the back to mount Karagon. 

They all hopped aboard the Thunderbird and Ogier hastily lifted off. As he was getting Karagon off the ground, he commanded the dragon to shoot lightning at the castle, completely engulfing it in flames. Everyone cheered as they headed back to Fairy Hollow.

With the Dancer’s elixir present The Grand Ball was a huge success. The Vampires of Fox Hollow attended, bringing the Ancient Sluggish Moongrass, and the fanciest water pipe the goons had ever seen. Everyone laughed together, listened to the finest orchestra ensemble of the land, and had a great time. But most importantly, everyone got absolutely blootered.