The goblin was a horrible guide, constantly sprinting in and out of view. What he lacked in hygiene he made up for in speed. While he was still slower than Samuel, he was able to move faster than Leo. If it wasn’t for his ability to smell their destination, then Leo was sure they’d have gotten lost.

But eventually, the small clearing where the villagers were was finally in sight. Marem kept some distance, in case Cordylia had planned an ambush. When Leo finally entered the clearing, he took a minute to understand what he was seeing.

The goblin was practically dancing across the edge of the clearing, jumping and running to his heart’s content. In the middle of a clearing was a group of people currently pinned down by vines. From the scent, Leo could recognize them as the villagers.

But in the middle of the restrained group, facing away from Leo, was someone adorned with a cloak, casting magic on one of the villagers. They wore a long green cloak that reached the ground, vines and flowers grew across the outfit.

When Leo and Marem entered the clearing, the cloaked figure spun around in a moment. Whoever this was had their appearance obscured, a dark brown cloth hid most of their face. The only recognizable part of them were the piercing green eyes that stared through Leo.

The cloaked figure slowly approached, causing Leo and Marem to tense up in reflex. If this wasn’t a plot by Cordylia, then they weren’t certain if this was a friend or foe. The stranger stopped only a few feet away from Leo.

“Hello Leo, it’s been a while,” their eyes creased as if they were smiling.

Leo knew that voice. He took a cautious step forward, leaning in to get a better look. “Koram?”

Koram pulled back his green hood and lowered his mask, revealing his golden curls and wide smile. The elf walked up to Leo, embracing the adventurer in a hug.

“It’s nice to finally see you again,” Koram said.

Leo returned the hug, confused but happy. “What are you doing out here? Weren’t you going to stay in Irontree?”

Koram pulled back. “I remained in Irontree for a while, but I left to find you. The town is in capable hands, with some druids that I could trust to handle whatever may arise in such a small town.”

A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

“I realized that there wasn’t much else left for me in Irontree, so I decided to try and catch up with you. I had hoped to help you with talking to the king, but my journey was thrown off. I’ll catch you up on all the details at a later time.”

Leo couldn’t believe that Koram was actually here. It had been so long since they last met, and things were very different for Leo. But, he realized that things were clearly different for Koram too. Not only was the elf accompanied by this energetic goblin, but his features had changed.

There was an exhaustion in his eyes, one of someone who struggled to sleep through the night. Small scratches and scars dotted his face, minor injuries picked up during his adventures. Koram had clearly been through a lot.

“Hey, I’m Marem.” She walked up to Koram, looking up at the elf. “Leo has told me about you, and it’s nice to finally meet. And not to interrupt your reunion, but why are the people from the village currently imprisoned by vines?”

Everyone’s attention turned to villagers, held in place by vines that wrapped around them. All of the villagers struggled against their restraints, desperately moving to break free. None of them said anything, however, they just groaned in frustration.

“Oh, you’ve really caught me at a bad time. You two should stay back, in case you catch her pathogen. I had just captured them and was about to cure them, but that was when the forest told me about your approach.”

Leo had no idea what Koram was talking about, but he decided to trust his friend. He stood back at the edge of the clearing, forcing the goblin to run around him. Marem stood away, but she kept a close eye on what Koram was doing.

Koram pulled a wand out from his side and walked up to one of the villagers. His eyes glowed a violent green as he waved his wand in a counterclockwise pattern over the woman’s face. While he did so, his hand was moving in a guiding motion.

Small chunks of vegetation flew out from her mouth and eyes. It was a nearly unnoticeable amount, barely enough to fit within a thimble. When he had it all condensed, a small magical cube surrounded it. With one final wave of his wand, everything inside crumbled to dust.

After a few minutes, Koram had managed to do this to every villager bound in vines. Once he was done, the vines retracted and his goblin companion got to work. The goblin helped lay these people in a comfortable position, and he gave Koram a canteen to drink from.

“So, what was that?” asked Marem.

“There’s been an infection going around Kalpania,” explained Koram, while sitting down and greedily drinking from his canteen. “It has a fungal origin, and it is rapidly spreading. I’ve been travelling around attempting to cure as many people as possible, but it isn’t easy. If it wasn’t for my resistance as a druid, there’s a chance I would’ve fallen victim too.”

“Can you tell us what the infection does?” Leo had a growing suspicion about what Koram was talking about.

“People who are infected seem to be under the control of some greater force. We’ve only ever talked once, but she introduced herself to me as Cordylia.”