Goatie Tales - [The Bored Wizard] Chapter 4 - The Strings

Hey everyone, I’m Goatie from Server 73.

This is Goatie Tales, a collection of short stories set in the world we all know, with a bit of humour and chaos mixed in.

This story is The Bored Wizard, following Merlin, an immortal who fixed the world one too many times and decided to go wandering with a very dangerous team instead.

The core is assembled.

The Hall of Immortals has survived.

Now it is time to see what happens when they step outside.

Welcome to chapter four.

Chapter Four: The Strings

The world beyond the Hall of Immortals was quieter.

Merlin did not trust this.

They stood on a ridgeline overlooking a fractured valley, old ruins scattered below like broken teeth. Magic lingered in the air, faint but deliberate, the kind that suggested recent activity rather than ancient decay.

Merlin inhaled.

“Ah,” he said. “Fresh trouble.”

Leonidas moved first, shield already raised as he scanned the terrain. His presence alone seemed to stabilise the group, every step measured and controlled.

Behind him walked Empress Theodora, calm and observant, golden light resting just beneath her skin like a held breath.

To Merlin’s right, Alexander the Great looked positively delighted.

“This place feels nervous,” Alexander said. “I like it.”

Merlin eyed him. “Try not to conquer anything without asking.”

“No promises.”

They did not get far.

A sharp metallic clatter echoed through the ruins.

Leonidas raised a fist. “Movement.”

Gnomes poured out from the broken structures below. Not just Trynts. Not just Roques.

A mix.

Trynts darted ahead, blades flashing. Roques followed, heavier and more disciplined. Even a pair of Bakans lumbered behind them, weapons dragging through the dirt.

Merlin frowned. “That is new.”

The gnomes did not shout. They did not jeer.

They advanced in silence.

Leonidas stepped forward. “Formation.”

He met the first wave head on, shield locking the Trynts in place as Roques slammed into him from behind them. The impact staggered the ground, but Leonidas held.

Golden light surged.

Theodora’s magic flowed instantly, restoring strength and reinforcing his stance. A Roque struck him square in the chest.

Leonidas did not move.

Alexander did.

He swept past Leonidas’ flank, sword carving clean arcs through the advancing gnomes. He moved fast, aggressively, forcing the Roques to turn and react.

“See?” Alexander called. “They do bleed.”

Merlin raised both hands and sent a controlled burst of magic through the ruins, scattering Trynts into the air.

“Everyone bleeds,” Merlin said. “Eventually.”

The Bakans charged.

Leonidas braced, absorbing the first hit as Alexander drove into the second, blade flashing. A Bakan went down hard, armour splitting under repeated strikes.

Theodora stepped forward, light intensifying as a blow slipped through Leonidas’ guard. The injury sealed before it could slow him.

The fight was clean. Efficient.

Too efficient.

Merlin noticed it first.

“Hold,” he said sharply.

The remaining gnomes froze.

Not in fear.

In unison.

Their heads tilted, all at once, like marionettes pulled by the same string.

A low hum rolled through the ruins. Not a sound. A pressure.

Merlin’s expression hardened.

“Oh,” he said quietly. “That is not them.”

The gnomes turned and retreated suddenly, vanishing into the ruins with mechanical precision.

Alexander lowered his sword. “They ran.”

“Yes,” Merlin said. “Because they were told to.”

Leonidas scanned the shadows. “By whom?”

Merlin looked past the ruins, toward a distant structure barely visible through the haze. Something old. Something watching.

“Someone very bored,” Merlin said. “Or very patient.”

Theodora folded her hands, light still glowing softly. “They are being guided.”

“Yes,” Merlin replied. “And I suspect we have just stepped onto the board.”

The wind shifted.

Far away, something unseen tightened its grip.

---

That’s chapter four of The Bored Wizard.

The team is officially in the field, and the gnomes are no longer acting alone. Trynts, Roques, Bakans, all moving together, retreating on command. Whatever is driving them is organised, deliberate, and very aware of Merlin’s party.

So what do you think is pulling the strings? A hidden immortal? An ancient relic? Or something that has been watching the Hall of Immortals far longer than Merlin realises?

Drop your theories, predictions, or wild guesses below.

This is Goatie Tales, and the real threat may finally be revealing itself.