Dracopical Isles: Rise of the Underground

Chapter 11

The following day, Emeraldus had thought of a new plan. Instead of bothering to spend precious ingredients on a potion, he could give Slim his first assignment.
Bringing him back with him to the fallen bar and grill, Emeraldus introduces Slim to the plan.
"There. Your first job is to sneak into the cellar room of the former building and retrieve the books you find from the desk. Got it?"
Slim nods, though gives the place an uncertain glance. "Okay but um.. you sure about this, Boss? I don't think..."
Emeraldus interrupts. "Yes," Shoving him forward from behind with a hand. "Now be quick if you do not want the humans to notice."
Cautiously creeping amongst the ashes and rubble, Slim approaches the cellar door. Along with some directions from Emeraldus, he luckily finds it fast and creaks it open on rusting hinges.
Still not as busy as it had been since all leftover trinkets had been collected, the streets remain rather quiet around the site. Only the occasional cooing of pigeons and distant rumbling of coming storm clouds can be heard as Slim creeps down the stairs leading to the cellar. Perhaps the humans are too busy trying to move everything indoors before the rain starts.
Waiting for his subordinate to return, Emeraldus keeps himself on high alert for any plausible interferences. The humans may not be bustling around as much as they usually are in the surrounding streets, but there's almost always just that one exception. Luckily it is only the pigeons that Emeraldus sees in the following few minutes, poking around at bits of dirt and trash for edible samplings.
A while later, the first problem to occur is how long Slim appears to have been down there since he entered. It feels like he had been gone for 30 minutes, to which Emeraldus is puzzled by. It shouldn't be that hard to find the spell books. They were right there across the room from the stairway when he last looked down there - surely Slim wouldn't have missed it.. Did the humans finally go down there for some cleaning recently?
Now feeling a bit concerned, Emeraldus risks walking out there on the site to check. He cautiously switches his attention back and forth from the open cellar door to the streets as he approaches, still on high alert for any danger.
"Little Alchemy.?" He whispers, poking his head inside. "Little Alchemy, have you found the books?"
At first, there is no reply. Going in as far as he can go, Emeraldus can even see that Slim doesn't appear to be sight. Luckily not much at all had changed since Emeraldus last visited - the desk still remains in the back and with the two books set inside the shelf. Half relieved, Emeraldus releases his breath, but half annoyed that the books are still there - supposedly not even touched by Slim, wherever he may be down there.
"Little Alchemy.!" Emeraldus calls again, a bit louder. "Little Alchemy, where are you?"
Shortly after, a slight creak whispers just around the left corner. Turning his head to look, Emeraldus is then suddenly taken by surprise as a stocked shelf falls over, spilling its contents all over the floor. He flinches, a yelp catching in his throat.
"Little Alchemy!" He hisses afterwards with a hint of his annoyance now audible.
Coming around the corner into view, groaning and spinning with a cracked, turned-over potted plant on his head is Slim. Teetering and stumbling around in a daze, he clumsily shoves himself right into the said desk before collapsing onto the floor.
"Little Alchemy!" Emeraldus repeats. "I thought I told you to grab the books and get out! What in the name of Holy Highborn are you doing?"
Wearily lifting his head, letting the potted plant slide off of him, Slim tries to speak in dizzy slurs, "Bos--s..? That yo---u? I... thi-nk I... kinda---a..." He turns his head to return Emeraldus' scowl with spinning eyes. "Wha---t was I supposed to---o do again..?"
"You forgot?" Emeraldus gapes with disbelief. "I said to grab the spell books and get out! How is that hard to remember?"
Still with his dizzy brain, Slim's swaying head turns left to right at the surrounding shelves. "Wha--t spell books---?"
Releasing an aggravated sigh, Emeraldus shakes his head.
Unfortunately, Slim's memory had picked quite the time to fail, and during his first assignment of all things. Even though it had been a fairly easy task, there is just no end to the enigma that is Slim's brain.
Emeraldus is just about to speak again when he is interrupted by the faint chatter of voices. Quickly backing out of the stairway, he lifts his head in the direction of the distant streets - humans!
They must hurry.
"Get the books from the desk!" Emeraldus hisses down at Slim. "Now! Humans are coming this way!"
"Huh.?" Slim's voice replies, now slightly resteadied. "Oh.. okay Boss!"
Turning to start heading back to the cover of the woods, Emeraldus swaps his gaze rapidly back and forth between the cellar door and the direction of the coming voices. He can feel his heart rate beginning to speed up with anxiety, hoping dearly Slim would be quick.
Steadily growing louder, Emeraldus' dragon senses are now screaming for him to run away. Any second now and the humans will be in sight. By the sounds of it, it may be a group of three or four.
As soon as Slim's head rises from the cellar door, Emeraldus hisses again to urge him to move faster and follow him out of sight.
One book in his mouth and the other wrapped in his tail, Slim obeys, though with a bit of a clumsy stride due to the extra weight he's carrying.
Within seconds, the small group of humans come into sight. They just barely miss the two dragons as both disappear into the woods in time. Once a good distance away, Emeraldus grabs Slim and takes to the air back to the tower.