It didn't take long for everyone to become used to Void and Sprout hovering alongside the traveling group. Void generally rested on Fin's shoulder, and Sprout traveled from plant to plant, helping some grow and causing others to shrivel and die. Whether she would help a plant or destroy it was a coin toss.

The rest of the trip resumed as normal. In the evening, Rasengold and his family would cook while the rest of the group practiced their new battle formations. Brando joined in as the tip of a second triangle. With the two triangular formations side-by-side, they looked and acted like a professional fighting force, even if there wasn't a single heart fearless of the coming fight.

After the sharp slope of the mountainous trail broke, the scenery changed. Dense wood made way for dry surroundings with sparse greenery. Some thorny bushes lay sporadically around, looking like defensive constructs rather than decorative ones. The dry surroundings gave Fin grim memories of his escape from the slave camp. The closer he got to the destination, the more uneasy he began to feel. That was until the outline of the goblin camp came into view, and his uneasiness turned into resolve.

The group had traveled in an uncertain way of vague memories since passing into the desert landscape. When their destination came into view, it came with mixed emotions. There was happiness that they had indeed gone the correct way and the opposite feeling for the same reason. Fin raised his hands and motioned everyone to stop, and everyone gathered around him.

"The goblin camp is just down there," Fin said, pointing. "I saw them, which means they probably saw us too. The sun is still high if we want to press our advantage and mount a surprise attack. Our other option is to set up camp and attack in the morning. We'll have more daylight if we wait for morning."

"Can we draw them out?" Adleweed asked, having been briefed on the camp previously.

Brando nodded. "I'd wager I could draw some of them out, but we won't be able to get them all."

"Before we do anything, we need to scout the place out," Rogard said, almost sorrowfully, "and we need siege weapons."

Fin unstowed his second elemental core and smiled. "I think I can handle the siege weapons, but I'm going to need some help."

Fin employed ten dwarves to help him collect and move rocks. There were rocks everywhere, and before long, he gathered enough for his own burial if his plan didn't work. He arranged them in a rough humanoid shape, nearly two heads taller than he was on the ground with long legs.

He hadn't told Void what he was planning, nor had he asked her if she would help for a very specific reason. He had no control over the smaller Earth Elemental in his inventory. If he wanted it to help, he would have to ask Void to control it. With what he was planning, he would have a semblance of control over the new one, or at least hoped he would.

When everything was ready, he showed Void the rocks, the elemental core, and a small fortune in gold. His reserves were running low, but he could spare the money if everything worked out as planned. He told Void what he was planning and then prepared himself.

Over the last weeks, he tried to figure out how elementals work. After long inaudible conversations with Void, he only had an elementary understanding but felt it enough. So, when Void started stringing the rocks together and connecting them to the core, he waited for the perfect moment. Just as soon as the golden threads were all connected to the core, he reached his mind toward the elemental before Void could. Before he felt or even noticed the connection, he held the Oath Stone in his hand and willed the most brief and basic of agreements.

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"Friends?"

Elementals can only be under contract with one individual. It does not matter what that contract is as long as there is one. Void would naturally form her own contract after creating an elemental. To her, it was part of the process. This wasn't good for Fin because he already had a tiny elemental in his inventory that he had no control over. What's worse is Void had actively used the construct against him when they were first working out their differences. So, he followed the advice of an old saying about apologizing and asking permission and formed a contract himself right from under Void's nose, so to speak. It was a vague contract with countless possibilities to go wrong, but it was his, and most importantly, it was not Void's.

He felt the contract solidify and hid the evidence of his betrayal by tossing the Oath Stone into his inventory. He watched the elemental steadily get to its feet. At the same time, Void experienced a peculiar feeling of confusion. Fin reached out to her to see if she suspected him. He got the impression that she was considering destroying her creation and starting over.

Fin got between her and the elemental and said, "Don't hurt him; he's my friend. Friends don't hurt friends."

He wasn't sure why he referred to the construct as he, but now that he did, he decided to give the elemental a masculine name. Void hesitated, but that's all Fin needed.

"Let's call you Graniteheart Stoneloins," Fin waved for the elemental to follow him. "Actually, let's just call you Grant. Come on, Grant. Let's go meet my other friends."

It was odd having such a dangerous creature following him, but Fin had experienced many odd things since leaving home. What was a giant rock creature compared to a maniacal princess or fathering a nature sprite? He could handle it; he just needed to make sure his other friends could handle it, too.

Most of the group still stood around discussing a plan when Fin approached.

"Listen," Fin addressed the whole group, speaking with a rapid clip. "The rock monster following me is a friend. We haven't exactly defined what a friend is just yet, but I'm sure it will all work out if everyone shows him friendship by being extra friendly and by not attacking."

As soon as the elemental approached, Fin greeted him. "This is my friend Grant. Grant, these are my other friends. When we see friends, we say hello, or in your case, you can wave. Like this," Fin waved a hand in what he hoped was a sincere gesture. "We certainly don't attack other friends."

"Will it help us?" Rogard asked, thinking twice before attempting to touch it.

"I'm not sure," Fin replied honestly. "The contract we have is just, 'friends.' There are no promises not to do harm, obey orders, or anything to stop him from going on a violent rampage if he decides to. All it consisted of was the word, friends. Furthermore, my sprite thinks she made a mistake and is going to try to disassemble my friend Grant as soon as her confusion clears. If we are going to try anything, we have to try it quickly. I vote we send this big guy down to knock on the door."

"We'll need him to do more than just knock on the door…" One of the Kel brothers began before his whole family restrained him from speaking another word.

"If time is of the essence, then send him in," Rasengold said to vindicate the honor of the Kel name. "Let the consequences weigh themselves out."

"I will," Fin decided. "I also better accompany him."

Rogard nodded. "I'll give you a line to pull back to."

"Don't bring anyone within crossbow range until we clear the top of the wall," Fin warned. "All I plan to do is open the gate and fall back."

"I'll show them the line of the crossbow range," Brando offered. "I'll also take my armor now."

Fin put his hand on Brando and unstowed his armor. He then handed over the helmet and motioned Grant forward.

"Come on, Grant," Fin said, walking ahead. "It's time to go pay some non-friends a visit."

The monolith of stone took a direct path to follow Fin. Several dwarves had to jump out of the way of his massive footsteps, avoiding certain death.

Fin sighed with frustration. "Grant, please don't step on any dwarves."

There were no more dwarves to step on as the two started heading toward the slave camp. The elemental moved slowly, but with unnaturally long legs, he more or less kept pace. Behind them followed all the people who came on this journey, all with menacing looks on their faces. Between them and his new friend, he almost felt bad for the goblins, and that thought made him smile.