I wasn't going to post tonight but after seeing so many comments (yes six comments are a lot) I decided to post.

I know the story is lacking (and I know it from a good source (wink)) several of the small details that makes it more enjoyable, but I only notice most of them after some of you point it out.

So keep the comments coming!

Ps: this arc is ending soon and the ideas for the next one are slowly coming together. Keyword being slowly.

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At first, Luke and Steve advanced slowly toward the platform but after awhile they noticed that the goblins seemed mesmerized by the glowing sphere.

The closer he got the more he started to feel dizzy. He felt like the ground was practicing bungee jumping around him. The difference, however, was that the cord never stayed taut. He knew it was a consequence of the relic but he was completely unable to do anything about it. He tripped over some rocks and bit his tongue. The pain allowed him to calm long enough to cast Minor Heal on himself. It didn't work though it cleared his mind a little more. He could now look around to take stock of the situation.

Steve was on the ground next to him, unmoving. He must have been stunned by the magic. Fortunately the goblins hadn't noticed them. At this point he didn't know if he should curse or thank the sphere. He casted the healing spell again and concluded that it wasn't as effective as the first time. The status effect might be getting stronger.

He decided to do something now before he becomes confused again. He pulled all the Mana he could from his repository and made it investigate every inch of his body. He found a couple of strands of grey Mana entering his brain. There were already a dozen of them inside. Luke’s high Intelligence attribute wasn't necessary to come to the conclusion that those strands were causing the ailment.

He first blocked new energy from getting in. Then he tried to expel them but they were too slippery. He was using his Mana to catch them but every time his Mana got close, the grey energy seemed to be repelled like a magnet.

‘This isn't working. I'm losing Mana fast, if I don't solve it soon it will have me’ thought Luke.

That wasn't all. He was also worried about Steve. Luke attributes were extremely high for his level, that, meant he could tolerate the negatives effect a lot longer than his companion. He didn't know how much longer Steve could hold on (he could see his chest rising and falling, but each time seemed to need considerable more effort).

Suddenly, he came back to the magnet analogy.

‘What if I make the strands leave by themselves?’ Luke was really hopeful for this idea. He gathered his Mana and instead of trying to catch the malevolent energy, he concentrated it in the center of his brain region. He made sure his whole body, and especially his neck, was also covered in Mana so that the strands couldn't move into the rest of his body. Then he expanded the energy until it saturated every part of his brain. It worked like magic. The strands couldn't leave faster. Before moving on, he made sure to live a thin layer of his Mana covering his whole body to block any energy from getting inside again.

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He opened his eyes and didn't feel sick anymore. He checked the goblins briefly, but they appeared to not have moved in all this time. If he didn't knew better he would think they were statues.

Luke rushed to Steve position and used his Mana to view his body condition. It was worse than Luke’s have been: hundreds of strands were distributed in his body. The concentration was denser around the brain and heart, but the rest of his body had a great number of them too. He followed the previous recipe although slightly modified. As the strands weren't in a single place, he decided to expel them one place at a time instead of everything at once.

Luke went first for the head. After all the brain is kind of an important body part. He focused his rapidly depleting Mana into a corner of Steve head and slowly moved the frontier forward. It took some time but the strands left his head. Then he went for the neck and the chest. At this point, he stopped to rest his mind. His Mana wasn't vanishing as fast now, but it looked like utilizing so much energy in such a short period was taxing for the brain. This suggested that Intelligence was only related to the amount of Mana, not to its control.

‘That should be Wisdom job’ thought Luke in a moment of clarity.

He then continued his labor. He wasn't as worried about Steve now. His real concern was the goblins snapping out of it and catching him unaware or distracted.

Focusing back on his dear friend, he finished the job with the extremities. He copied the Mana shield he put on himself on Steve. He quickly skimmed through the notifications he got. Two were new skills: Dispel and Mana Shield. Their ability was self-explanatory. He also got a level up in Mana Control. After finishing, he put his sight on the five… no six goblins. Luke had been too distracted to notice that he could see more details about the group at this distance. There were six goblins. There were three that looked like glorified bodyguards. They were taller than what Luke called captains, maybe chest height, and a lot bulkier. They had two short swords, one at each side of their hip, and a small crude wood shield on their back. They were also wearing leather armour, though it didn't appear to be well made. It was a tremendous improvement compared to the almost naked normal goblins. He guessed that it should be strong enough to weaken or even block a couple of sword strikes. They had stopped watching the sphere. Now they were staring all around like looking for something. Luke suspected his and Steve presence had been felt recently. They probably felt the repercussion of the great amount of Mana he used but couldn't find him due to the camouflage.

The fourth goblin was roughly the same height than the bodyguards. However he was wearing a primitive robe. He wasn't certain of the material, but it should be a softer leather like rabbit. The staff he was sporting had the traditional skull enhanced by two small gems as eyes. It gave a despairing feeling, similar to watching your team lose in the last second by a lucky shot.

The prize for ugliest creature ever was won by the huge monster in the center of the group. It was a head taller than an average human and it didn't wear any armour like it wasn't necessary. It had a young tree on its back that Luke assumed was its cub. The size of its muscle could make a man envious and a woman covetous (if they ignored its nature). It was however the face that immediately grabbed anyone attention. It had so many scars that it left no doubt how goblins choose their leaders. It certainly wasn't by vote.

The last goblin seemed ancient. Its short stature and white beard strengthened that idea. It also had a staff which was strangely unadorned. Compared to what Luke had seen until now, it looked pretty basic. More like a walking stick than a dangerous tool of dark magic. And if it wasn't by the dark strands he could feel from it he would believe that illusion.

Luke realized that the giant goblin wasn't the chief of the hamlet, the old shaman was. It was obviously trying to control the magical object to do something. And by the focused gaze it got, it should be about to accomplish its objective.

With Steve recovered and his Mana on its way to full, he wasn't going to let it succeed.