The imp gnomes knew that if they didn't manage to get to Peter and Asmodeos, they were going to have a very bad time.
Nick was just happy that they were out of the village.
Nick was a heavy fighter, a heavy hitter, and a royal guard. He didn't know, for one, if Alaric, the imp gnome prince, was pulling his leg or not.
They had shared a happy moment years ago. A sweet moment. A fleeting one, for all that both of them had not wanted for it to end.
Since then, the imp gnome prince hadn't so much as looked at him.
The man confused him, but what confused him even more was that Nick didn't know whether or not the imp gnome prince wanted to be with him or not.
After all, the imp gnome prince could have simply gotten him to come with him just so Nick could protect him, as was Nick's job.
The young warrior, gnome, didn't hold any illusions about his life.
He knew, for a fact, that his father wanted him to marry the prince so he could inherit, but that didn't mean that that was what Nick wanted.
"Can you smell this? I think someone is cooking magical vegetables and fruit!" The smell of the food was delicious and mouth-watering, and so, Alaric decided to go there.
He hoped for a single bowl of soup, or maybe a single bowl of stew, and if the person who was cooking didn't want to share from the bounty, then they could at least ask for directions.
"Yes, we should go there," Nick stopped as he saw the black and white drops of the necromancer.
The man might be a mage now, he didn't know.
As he saw all the gnomes gathered around a fire, steaming bowls in their hands, eating merrily, he decided that this must be heaven.
A heaven for gnomes.
"Great! We found them. But what now? Should we warn them?" Alaric made a couple of steps towards Peter and Asmodeus.
Those two held his hopes and dreams in their hands.
Even though they did not realize it.
"Greetings, fellow travelers!" Alaric said.
He had a charming smile on his lips, a twinkle in his eyes. This was the beginning of his mission, and he couldn't afford to fail.
"We have come to warn you about a great evil, and may we please to have a bow of stew each?"
Asmodeus looked at the imp gnomes, and then nodded. Soon, both of them had a bow of stew, each in their hands.
Two bows with cut-up fruit next to them, and two bread buns each.
The gnomes nodded at each other before digging into the warm meal, grateful for the bounty which was presented before them.
"My father," Nick didn't know how he was supposed to word this.
He didn't know if he should simply say what he had to say, or if he should keep it a secret that he was the son of the man who wanted these adventures dead.
And yet, he didn't do it.
He couldn't keep such a thing a secret. He couldn't play with the lives of these two men.
"My father wishes to get rid of you. He wants to take the crown of the dark of the imp gnomic kingdom and you…" Nick took in a deep breath. It was now or never. "You are our only hope!"
Asmodeos looked at Peter, looked at the gathered gnomes. Asmodeos knew that the Peter had a lot of things on his mind. That he actually wanted to be a hero, but a hero to the dark gnomes and the normal gnomes.
The imp gnomes were a different beast altogether.
And yet, as all heroes will tell you, Peter needed someone, anyone, to fight against.
If every single one of his adversaries was actually a good person, then how was he going to find the villain, the one ultimate villain, who was going to give him purpose?
"I... So, what you're saying is that this imp gnome elder, your father, is trying to kill us all, and we must fight against him?"
Peter was very confused. He had not expected every single one of the hurdles on his road to hero hood to be a good person.
That wasn't in his contract.
He wanted things to be black and white, simple and elegant, cut cleanly.
But they weren't.
Nick looked at his bowl of stew. He knew that the imp gnome elder, his father, was probably not going to get the army on his side should Peter and Asmodeos came knocking.
But Nick, just like any other child, wanted the best for his father. He wanted his father to live to a ripe old age.
Managed to retire to see his grandchildren, should Nick provide him with any.
If Nick actually sold his father to these two adventurers, then what was he going to tell the spirits above when his time came?
"My father is a good person but a bit confused and very ambitious. Please do not hurt him," it was a plea from the heart.
Peter knew that this little gnome, this little creature, wanted the war to end before it even began.
But even Peter could say that such wars were actually extremely rare.
He was going to capture the imp elder, and he was going to make absolutely sure that no gnome was hurt during this war.
He needed an enemy, he needed a villain, and he was going to get one.
"No one is going to die. That's a promise!" Peter said, eyes shining.
The two imp gnomes nodded, smiling at one another.
The gnomes had everything they needed, and imp gnome elder was probably not going to expect them to come back in the next month or so.
Asmodeus sent Peter a dazzling smile, a smile full of promise.
For Peter, who, for all his attempts to search for an enemy where there might not even be one, had not actually made any false promises that he was going to get rid of the imp gnome elder.
The spirits above knew to cherish that fact.
The clouds parted above. A rainbow appeared even without rain. The spirits above were very happy.
Asmodeos smiled, his fingers crossed behind his back.
More bad Karma points were farmed…