Moving on to a new stage, a small group of human adventurers passed by Don’s cave.

They wanted a good look at this small cave system in the mountain. It was far enough from Orlata City, a different city from the aforementioned one, and close enough for a three days’ travel on horseback to and fro.

Furthermore, one of them had signed themselves in Solvent’s church. She was an official there that made waves under their nation’s National Commission on Adventurers. This paved the way for their eventual alliance with Don.

So Don came into an agreement with them to pay them handsomely whenever they came to clear monsters unrelated to her and her associates within her cave system.

As for why the adventurers teamed up with Don, one of the reasons included her disguise. Specifically, her disguise was a hermit mage. She even played the role of a storyteller. On top of that, Now Don's committed ally, Solvent, had arranged it so that the adventurers were well-fooled to believe that Don was known in this area.

In the meantime, Bata arrived with the two goblins Birdie and Twerp at Orlata City. Back at the cave, the rest of the goblin warriors were reading books about history, and Don was giving them quizzes. After every quiz, she let them take a break to hunt to get their fill of the day.

Eventually, while all of this was happening, the humans attacked Bata, Birdie, and Twerp and put them in cages. They were current outside Orlata City and had set up camp.

While imprisoned, Bata played with his mechanical toy, while Birdie and Twerp sang songs: “Go to the city to the west, and I’ll reward you with a pretty heavy wand.”

Three members of the adventurer group turned left and right and asked one another what city he was talking about. They were confused and could only assume.

These three stayed behind, while the rest of the members of this adventurer group went down the path to Orlata city, entered it, and prepared to sleep there. They stayed at the foreign inns and ate the monster cuisine there.

One of the three adventurers remaining in the camp, Algae said, “I should know that all hermits ask you to get something faraway as a last request.”

“Assuredly, you know the foes of the hermits—the warlocks, remember?” said Kloe, the other adventurer beside Algae.

“I wouldn’t know—” said Jared, the one in front, finishing a mouthful of banana cue. He drank from a pouch of water and burped. “Excuse me.”

“Yeah, right...” said Algae, looking between himself and the hermit striding toward them from the darkness. He nudged Jared and Kloe, cursing. “Is that...?”

Having come a long way from Sam's city—Promise City—Don, in her hermit form, removed her hood and revealed herself.

From the adventurers' perspective, a moment ago, they saw the hermit, and now, replacing the hermit, a troll stood between the adventurers and the way back to Orlata City’s gates, blocking their way. This was a big development for that, and they could only stare and watch. For context, they stayed here to relax at the camp, preferring a station closer to the dungeons, caves, and wilderness. This made it easier for them to move around between the city and their priorities. However, this proved now life-threatening with the rare troll hopping into their crib.

Squeezing into Don's mind, she grunted, asking them if they saw the two goblins Birdie and Twerp, looking for the cages. She had come here with the help of a teleporter mage, but that costed lots of money. So she didn't want to do it again. The reason she knew of Bata and Ritand's absence was because of a skill that tracked them and their wellbeing. This way, she knew exactly their status and whether she needed to come help.

With that said, entering into a previous unresolved event, the late Sam was unprepared to deal with Don enough that she could get away with killing him, Sicario, and many of his goblins. Indeed, his life had been in her hands ever since he began to put her on the frontline and in the tent, or the equivalent thereof, where he practically slept; having trusted Don as Solvent did. It had been a power struggle between the two, representing different sides, human and monster. Solvent was supposed to die to Sicario, or at least that was what Don planned. But she lived, while Sam died—an imperfect conclusion, but one that Don didn't find a reason to correct afterwards.

Regarding Solvent's case, her adventurer members had all died for her sake. So she had nowhere else to turn to, except Don. She didn't want to return because that would be humiliating. It was much more easier to confide in an enemy-turned-friend than a friend with whom one had a long history with enough that any revealed humiliation would only cause her hopelessness and anxiety.

In conclusion, Sam and Solvent's lives fell into Don's palm because of how greedy they were to get an upperhand. That was why they lost everything. This was Don's divide and conquer strategy, one that Ritand and Bata had yet to recognize.

Returning to the confrontation between Don and the adventurers, now that she was here, they were hyperventilating, overshadowed by Don's massive, lumbering yet limber form.

The nine-foot-tall troll was in the distance in front of them, leaning against a tree the side of his knee, resting both hands on it, and stretching her other leg forward. Her head pointed toward her other leg, and she eyed them, grunting, as a dimple formed on her face’s one side.

The adventurers knew that the monsters reputed the trolls to be calm. However, among the humans, they were known to chase down their prey. They were more endurant than humans and any other studied humanoids.

When the troll stepped forward, she discovered RItand and Bata peeking from behind a log and a boulder.

Algae shot an arrow on the ground in front of the scurrying goblins. “Don’t,” he warned the two goblins. The arrow splintered after it slammed against rock, one of its splinters injuring Ritand.

Bata said, “Got it.” The two goblins hopped off the slope and fled away.

Ritand asked Bata for something to cover his wound.

Bata handed him one of his toys. “I only have this,” he said.

Ritand scratched his head, using the cloth parts of the toy to wipe the drips of blood.

Bata began moving around the fight until he was behind Don.

Don responded with a long, hard stare.

Algae raised his arms to shoot.

Don shook his head toward the adventurers, making a warning.

Algae’s arms froze.

Kloe lowered Algae's arms along with the bow, pointing his shield at Don and the running Bata in the distance to make Algae focus.

Having contacted the other goblins at their base with a magical artifact, Bata joined Don and Ritand and said, “The goblins are asking for you. Should I tell them ‘no’?”

Without warning, Don sat on a log and leaned his leg against a pile of gravel. “I can talk. Please.” He lowered his head and raised open palms.

Kloe almost removed his shield, but Jared stopped him, shaking his head. Jared said, “Why are you guys blocking the way? What did we do to you?”

His tone was aggressive, but Don's overwhelming presence kept him flexible.

When one of the goblins offered a mechanical toy, he found himself forcibly laughing. “This is...” he said, noticing Kloe’s concerned expression.

With this shift in tone, Algae put his bow back in its strap. “I have things to do," he said. "If this isn't what I think it is...” After realizing the possibility of his statement being misinterpreted as aggressive, he tried to lighten the mood, pointing at the small shrubs beside Don jokingly. “I’m going to be eating that, okay?”

Jared chuckled again.

Mysteriously, Don sat up, went over a log, and left.

Bata and Ritand handed Jared the pamphlet from Don, who gave them the agreeing eyes.

The adventurers and the monster trio parted ways on a strange note.

Long after this encounter, returning focus to Promise City, Birdie and Twerp left their small office, saying goodbye to Kyra and Cali. They fidgeted with the mechanical toy that Ritand requested, complaining a customer or two. By the time they reached the city gates, they were guffawing about weird customer they had.

Furthermore, Solvent adjusted her girdle, seeing Birdie and Twerp turn a corner. “Hello, hi. I might have had a little call about two goblins taking a little too much time in the city.”

“No, Don told Bata to tell us that Kyra needed more time with—” said Twerp, bending over to brush the mud off his leg. “Either way, what is it, again, Birdie? What else did he say?”

Birdie said that he forgot, shushing Solvent before she spoke again.

Solvent stopped insulting them and left them to their themselves, continuing her rounds in the inner city.

Resuming Birdie and Twerp's journey on the road outside the city gates, when they passed by a group of adventurers, Birdie saw a hare person sitting in front of Ritand in the distance. “What is Ritand doing—” Birdie said, holding up his mechanical toy and sliding from side to side.

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“‘Ritand,’” said Exterme, one of the younger adventurers, trudging up close. “Is the troll Ritand? What is it?”

Birdie raised a brow, chuckling. Twerp stood behind Birdie, studying the hare person.

Exterme stopped his scoff by clearing his throat; instead, his lip curled, and his eyes glinted with a sardonic rage. His mindset had taken a downturn after he lost a good deal with the city mayor Sam after he died.

He unveiled a dagger strapped to his waist.

Unaware, Birdie lowered his arm to his side, saying, “Yeah.” He hesitated, prolonging a vowel. He nudged Twerp on the lower back with his other arm.

In the same scene, Exterme stabbed at Birdie and hardened a whisper. “Tell me. Tell me, please. I need to know, or else, he’ll kill my only friends.”

Birdie fell to the ground, falling away. He died.

Shifting to the larger city, elsewhere, the gate with its water-stained cracks closed, and Cali put each of her children to sleep.

In another place, Don forgot to remove a small fire, trudging toward it, and falling backwards as the night birds fluttered about.

Back at the scene of the murder, Twerp grabbed Birdie’s shoulders and hugged him from behind, pulling him toward a log and boulder.

Exterme chased after them, shouting at Twerp to stop running.

After some time passed, Twerp told Exterme to look behind him.

When Exterme turned around, Algae, Kloe, and Jared grabbed him and put him to sleep.

Now that the chase was over, Twerp let himself collapse, falling to the ground as he tripped backwards, holding again onto Birdie. His face was strained, and his expressions were wrinkly. His mouth was moving up and down, as the hushed voice among the adventurers crescendoed.

Soon, the rest of the goblin warriors arrived, standing before one of their member's decaying body. Their eyes were hard, and then they were soft. They adjusted him until he was curled up.

After the group finally returned to the city and headed to an open forest area, Heset, who was the hare person, said, “How long does a goblin last—oh, sorry, manners." He was a part of the group Exterme belonged to, but he didn't think that Exterme would kill Bata like that. When Exterme chased Twerp, they still couldn't gather up the confidence to kill him. That was why it was a good thing they passed by the camp where Jared, Algae, and Kloe stayed earlier. They had gotten their help to stop Exterme. “How much can a warrior goblin take?” It was a weird question, but he felt that this incident was avoidable if Birdie was stronger. Of course, he knew that it was rest of the party's fault for just watching him chase after Twerp. But Birdie didn't have to die.

They were adventurers, so killing goblins was normal. But these adventurers were part of a new agreement that involved not fighting monsters associated with hermits like Don. Solvent was instrumental in this process, so even if he considered herself a lost soul after her loss, she still had a strong influence among the adventurers. In reality, she just needed a break.

Returning to the moment, incidentally, Ritand touched his pocket, where the mechanical toy Birdie had was.

Bata tried to answer Heset, “Good—”

“Enough for a beating," interrupted Twerp, echoing what he felt was Heset's mocking tone, directing this tone at Heset.

Heset sat down politely. “Is that how they describe you? ‘Underlings of Sam.’” In order to lighten the mood, he placed his legs on the table in front of him. He had the brightest intentions, but he always found a way to make things offensive.

And the thing was that Ritand and Bata were the ones being patient with him.

Heset was pushing a conversation with them, and Ritand and Bata were letting him do so.

Twerp curled his lip, making sure his arms leaned on the table against Heset’s legs.

Heset put down his legs and turned his head away.

“Don and I are done,” Bata said vaguely, leaning his arms beside Twerp’s hands on the table. “Anything?” He tilted his head toward Twerp and Ritand.

Twerp muttered and left the table at the same time as Heset did, putting on his gambeson.

Some time after this interaction, at an inn at Promise City, Jared smoothened his skirt and sat on a chair, hardening his voice. “Are you sure you want to do a side quest with us?” he said, putting a leg to the side of the chair and his other tiptoing on the ground. For context, Cali had mentioned that she wanted to join their small-time adventurer group. It was Don's first request to her.

“I need a little more though.” Cali raised a hand and made a pinch with two fingers.

They drank mugs of coffee, as Cali noticed Solvent. Solvent was walking backwards and conducting for a traveling choir.

She grabbed her arm and rubbed it back and forth. The presence of Don in the city bothered her, but it made her more safe at the same time.

She got up and finished her task, learning that the choirs had strange birthmarks on their necks.

When Algae left through the door before Jared, he made a hesitation sound first and then said, “That’s Solvent, some church official who has an outreach here. I know her from my time back at NCA.”

“Should I know what that means?” Cali said.

“Weak country, small country, power play stuff,” said Kloe, chewing with his mouth closed. “Why don't you tell me about your time there?.”

Algae slapped his neck, failing to hit a fly sitting on him. “I worked as staff for a month—”

Kloe guffawed and patted Algae on the arm, as Algae drew away, going in front of Jared, who was studying Heset standing on two legs.

“Do they have like an extra muscle in this?” Jared said, teasing Heset.

Heset heard and swore at him.

Jared backed off, laughing so hard he slapped the back of Kloe, who was laughing as well.

Kloe almost tripped from the impact. “Hey!”

Jared glanced between Heset and Kloe. “Apologies... Oh, yeah, the troll said he’d meet up... here.”

Eventually, outside the inn, Don arrived, towering over Jared, his expression stiff. He squatted down and said, “Why is it so hot in here?”

Jared raised a brow. “It’s hot in here because it’s the Palamatas." Seeing an opportunity to mention his goal for coming here to meet Don, he asked, "Can we say something?”

Don gave him a stare of agreement.

Jared sighed and moved the things he was holding under his arm. "I'll pay you for asking this once it's over, but how much does a goblin warrior—”

Kloe placed a hand on Jared. He muttered. “After the stunt Algae pulled?” He cursed. To clarify, it was Algae's idea to cage Bata, Birdie, and Twerp earlier, and Jared had been the one most in on it.

Patting his own forehead in contemplation, Jared looked at Algae and nodded, gesturing for him to talk.

Algae went forward and said, “What do you think we should do? You told us to leave you for a few days, and now, what do you want?” He was being direct.

Their previous interactions had been entirely vague due to how uncommunicative Don was as a troll. So this time, Algae was finally breaking the ice and directing everything to this singular point: "What do you want?"

Don took a deep breath and handed him a small toy.

Algae backed off two meters of distance instinctively. As a result of this, Kloe and Jared glared at him, worried that Algae's reaction might have offended Don. So Algae ran back to Don. “I think this means we’re fine?” he said.

Don was very bad at communication, but this world was weird. So the adventurers, with their already unique culture, were the closest ones to a sense that things were coherent and clear in terms of communication and direction.

Anyway, Don handed Algae a long list of names, some of which being Birdie’s extended family. At the top of the list, it read “Goblindom.”

Long afterwards, elsewhere, Jared, Kloe, and Algae and the rest of the members of their party "Saero" dropped off a cart. They surveyed the landscape where Sam’s goblin workers were clearing trees. These were the same workers whom Don had supposedly killed. But they were still alive.

“Sam is dead,” he read from a manuscript Ritand gave him. “Stop.” It was a reminder and a warning to the workers of their current position of weakness and new submission to Don.

The goblin workers looked overworked and dishevealed. Six of the goblin workers had been recuperating for injuries across their arms since Sam’s death. Earlier, these six took a stance against Don, and that was enough for Don to invite them after the goblin warriors.

“Don’t bother repeating,” one of them told Ritand.

Eventually, the goblin workers put down their tools and slumped down onto boulders. Some of them put their hands all over their heads and faces, groaning.

“I should have known Ritand had this in mind,” said Twerp, pacing back and forth behind the goblin workers. He was concerned about the workers, having been harmoniously under Sam with them for a long time.

“Ritand wants you replaced,” said Algae, rubbing his chin.

Surprised, Twerp tripped and dirtied himself.

“Is that enough?” Algae looked at Jared and Kloe, who were nodding at him. They wanted to test Twerp's resolve.

Meanwhile, Ritand stood in the distance.

Returning to Algae, he sighed and he continued, “I need someone I can trust here. I'll let you guys sort things out—" He was referring to the fact that the entire goblin worker group was being used up, so now, having been brought here by Don in order to keep watch, it was hard for him to feel comfortable, because they were adventurers, not Don's donkeys.

“Wait a minute,” said Jared and stood up, speeding up to Algae.

Twerp rubbed the last dirt particles off his clothes at his back. “Don’t worry. I had that with Birdie, I think.” He cupped his chin, failing to pull a boulder under him. He tried grabbing it with two hands and gave up. He sighed, sitting down where two of the goblin workers blocked his line of sight. “I might have done a little challenge under Kyra and Cali, remember?” He looked to his right and covered his mouth. “Ah, right—” He chuckled.

Around the same time, one of the goblin workers insulted one of the adventurers.

“Ah, see, that’s it. Just have a tiny brawl with your buddies. No hard feelings, okay?” He chuckled harder. He softened his voice. “I’m serious.” He saluted toward Extreme, who was passing by.

The adventurers, whose voices were so soft earlier, now shouted at Exterme, worried that he would attack Bata and Ritand since he had killed Birdie. Moreover, they were sure they themselves had sent him to prison. But Exterme was passing by like nothing had happened.

Twerp said: “I found it when you—is it, Jared? Is it fair that he gets to quit the party with only a few scratches—broken bones is fair? Sorry, man. I need more than that—” He was referring to an agreement between him and Jared. For context, Jared had already decided to quit his adventurer party. Moreover, Twerp was angry with Jared since Jared was the one tasked to kill Exterme.

Before anything could happen, Exterme left.

Later, Don got down from a carriage with Bata; the carriage belonged to Cali's father. Behind them, a mother and a child exited and sat down on their haunches at the side. Despite what happened between them in the past, Don had decided to let them come. As for the reasons of Don and the mother, Don just allowed things to happen when it presented itself, while the mother was curious about Don. For context, she didn't know that Ritand had created a magical explosion in the city and that Don had killed Sam. She was just curious after seeing Don earlier and asked to join her.

Anyway, Don minded the rocks on the ground before her and chewed an unpeeled saba banana without pulling it off from the mottled banana hand.

In the meantime, Twerp saluted as a teasing gesture, stopping when Ritand shot him a curious but piercing stare.

Shifting to Ritand, he was eating banana cue, handing half of it to Bata. Bata shook his head, grabbed it, and offered it to Twerp.

Ritand was still staring, as Twerp sat on his haunches with submission.

In the distance, the goblin workers stayed slumping on their boulders, and the adventurers bunched together on a slope like a choir.

Moving on to Bata, he dragged Twerp to him and said, “The mining business is why we are here.” He nodded at Ritand.

Ritand said, “Go with us.” He was holding a pickaxe and slamming at a few cobblestones.

“Just go? Now...?” Twerp wanted to say, but Ritand handed him a handful of gravel.

Twerp gave him a side glance and took the gravel, shaking as he balanced himself as he walked away. “What should I do...?”

Ritand said, “Give it to—” He pointed to Exterme, who was lying on the ground because of his broken body. Don pummelled him after seeing him on the way here earlier.

“I should really tell you how to deal with Birdie’s death.” Twerp chuckled, imitating Birdie’s laugh, tone, and words. “I know you’re struggling...” It was a weird statement, because he was the one that was struggling and confused. Ritand didn't care at all.

Ritand gave him an empty stare, looking at Don.

Don walked up to the goblin workers, listening to them talk about the hare people. She listened to the goblin warriors talk about this earlier, so she was curious.

However, a piercing scream broke Don’s focus.

It was Ritand who screamed. He lost his breath and fell to the ground, as an invisible enemy removed their invisibility to apply the final attack.

The structure of this little community included the goblin warriors, the goblin workers, the adventurers, Solvent, Ritand, Bata, Don, Cali, Kyra, and Twerp, among others. No matter how horrific Ritand scream was, the monsters did not feel anything.