After a flash of light Dongmei appeared inside the bubble again. Martina and Olivia turned towards their friend with solemn faces.

“This was great, Dongmei. You even reached my lame ears!”

“Marina is right. This was probably the best piece of music I ever heard.”

Dongmei smiled lightly, still a bit melancholic.

“Thank you.”, she whispered quietly.

As the mood seemed to be slightly depressed, a cheerful voice suddenly echoed within the bubble.

“Granny Dongmei! This was incredible! You are so good at music! Have you seen all those beasts? They were suddenly so docile! Can you teach me?”

The three grandmas looked at each other. The child’s cheerful voice rang in their ears. Suddenly a genuine smile appeared on all their faces.

Shaking off her dampened mood, Dongmei kindly looked at Tarun’gra.

“Haha, of course, good child. If you want to learn I will teach.”

The goblin emperor watched his daughter’s bright expression. He knew that if something really interested his daughter she would be extremely invested. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have been able to invent something like the Slowmoinator at such a young age.

Zotrahn’gra was looking forward to his daughter playing some music for him. He made up his mind to look for Dongmei after the trial was over.

Everyone was still talking about Dongmei’s performance for a few minutes. The emperor waited for the bubble to turn quiet before nodding slightly.

“Heroes of Earth! You have surprisingly mastered two trials! Congratulations! Now it is time for the last challenge! If you can prevail, the great god will grant you your wishes!”

Zotrahn’gra was satisfied with the effect of his little speech. For the first time he could see some anticipation in the grandmas’ eyes. He had even gained Martina’s attention.

He took on a majestic pose, ready to advance. Unfortunately, just before he could swing his scepter, the high priest’s skeptical voice interrupted him:

“Have you made sure to pick a suitable trial this time? If you mess this up too, you can wait for a visit from me!”

The emperor shivered slightly as his image deflated.

“Don’t worry. I’m confident in the last trial.”

With those words the emperor waved his scepter in annoyance. A golden light flashed. The surrounding animals dispersed sadly as the bubble vanished.

In another world a golden light suddenly flashed. The bubble appeared high in the air, overlooking a hilly terrain. In a small valley some structures could be seen.

“Listen up, heroes!”, spoke Zotrahn’gra.

“This will be the spot for your third trial. Below us is a goblin village. Right now, we are invisible for them.

Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author's consent. Report any sightings.

Soon, this village will face a fierce enemy. It will be your trial to strengthen them beforehand.

I advise you to observe for now. Take your time. Tell me when you are ready!”

Next to the emperor the high priest rolled her eyes. She raised her wooden stick, ready to hit the emperor’s head once again.

However, suddenly she stopped. Thinking it through, this trial could be accomplished in many ways. It was only necessary to strengthen the village. Maybe Zotrahn’gra hadn’t messed up this time.

Smiling smugly the goblin emperor saw from the corner of his eye the high priest lowering her staff. Relieved, he focused on the three heroes who were discussing amongst themselves.

Olivia had only tried for a few seconds before shaking her head.

“I don’t see anything. This isn’t suitable for me.”

“Well, you two have already master two trials anyways. It is finally time I do my part as well.”

“Hmm, I believe you can do it, Martina. Let’s take our time and think about how we can help the village.”

After the short discussion Martina and Dongmei focused on the goblins below them.

Within a strong wooden palisade stood many neat looking stone houses. Goblins were hurrying around, hastily carrying mostly armors and weapons.

Near the gate gathered about a hundred goblins. Just as a new bunch of armors were delivered the goblins quickly gathered around them. Their eyes lit up as multiple hands reached for a neat looking golden armor.

“Hey! I saw it first! This one is mine!”

“Are you dreaming? Naturally the best warrior deserves the best armor! This is mine!”

“Both of you are delusional! I have the highest merit, so I will take this one!”

“Out of my way, weaklings. This armor is mine!”

Listening to the argument everyone within the bubble furrowed their brows. Soon another commotion broke out not far from them.

A small shockwave spread as two swords crossed each other.

“Oring’tra, are you crazy? You dare to attack?!”

“Shut up! Didn’t you deliberately provoke me, Nirau’nja?”

“When did ever provoke you? Did you hit your head or what?”

“Stop acting innocent, you flirted with my sister!”

“So what?! She is her own person. This has nothing to do with you!”

Not knowing what to say Oring’tra only had one way to vent his anger. He swung his sword again, advancing aggressively. Naturally Nirau’nja wouldn’t take this lying down.

Soon, a massive fight erupted. Even some other goblins were injured, but they didn’t dare to blame two of their strongest warriors. They could only hurriedly scatter.

The three grandmas shook their heads in disbelief before looking at another spot.

There, a small team of goblins had gathered. An obviously younger goblin was arguing with his team members:

“What do you mean, everyone will look for their own opponents? Aren’t we a team?”

“Shut up, newbie! We need to gain merit. If we carry you along, you will only drag us down.

“But by working together we can kill more demons!”

“But the merit will be split. It’s not worth it!”, interrupted another goblin veteran.

“How can merit be so important? Aren’t we working together to protect the village?!”

Martina and Dongmei sighed lightly. Next to them the little goblin girl had a depressed look in her eyes.

“What is going on? Why is everyone arguing?”

The high priest solemnly observed the village. In her eyes a thin, dark strand of mana slithered through the village. Under its influence dark emotions arose within the goblins. She sighed but didn’t tell this to the three heroes. It probably wouldn’t help them.

Meanwhile Olivia felt her anger boiling as she listened to the goblins. Suddenly she gritted her teeth and turned towards Martina:

“Martina, you have to strengthen their cohesion! How can those lunatics be arguing over every single benefit? Tell them how important family is! How can they not have each other’s backs in difficult times?”

The old German lady was taken aback by this outburst. She looked into Olivia’s emotional eyes, slowly patting her back.

“This sounded… personal?”

“I guess so.”, sighed Olivia. “Right before arriving here my daughter called me. My son-in-law had a traffic accident. I immediately wanted nothing more than to be there for my family. If I imagine what my poor girl has to endure right now…”

Olivia had a hard time continuing. The old lady sobbed quietly. Everyone felt their throats tightening. Tarun’gra rubbed her cheek on Olivia’s hand, trying to comfort her.

Martina didn’t know what to say. After thinking for a bit an idea formed in her mind. She heavily patted Olivia’s shoulder before turning around.

“I will do my best!”