While he waited, Lone tried his best to notice the magical dome and see through it. He had very limited success.

Lone could vaguely feel that something was there. He knew it was the Illusionary Dome but without having that prior knowledge, it would have just seemed like any other odd hunch, honestly.

It didn't take long for a familiar face to step through the Illusionary Dome, forcing him to halt what he was doing.

"Greetings, Ninetails, Human," Lal'roh said as he raised bow and eyed the cart behind the two of them with suspicion.

Seven of his fellow Wood Elves followed him out with bows and swords drawn at the ready. "What brings you here during these chaotic times?"

Lone couldn’t help but notice them all inspecting his mix of bone and metal armour as well as Sophie’s pristine full plate with suspicion.

It was also strange how hostile they appeared to be, what with their weapons all being drawn and whatnot.

'Chaotic times, huh? I guess you could call the forest fires that, sure,' Lone thought.

Drawing an arrow and nocking it, Lal'roh lowered the tone of his voice. "I shall ask one more time. What brings you here and in such heavy equipment? What is the cart for?"

'Yeah, man, this hostility is such a red flag. Best be ready to unsummon Sophie instantly if need be,' Lone thought as he looked to Sophie then back to Lal'roh.

"We recently found a destroyed village in the middle of the forest on the south side of the island. There was a group of goblins situated there, four Goblin Mages and two hobgoblins included. We rescued seven Wood Elves - all women - after slaying the goblins. We're here to return them," Lone stated truthfully, gauging for a reaction.

He shivered as he felt something… dangerous. No, more than dangerous. It was like… ‘Was that bloodlust? Fuck me that’s a real thing? They sure reigned it in quickly though.’

Sophie tensed up at his side and moved her hands to the hilts of her short swords, ready to unsheathe them.

“… May I see the inside of the cart?” Lal’roh requested.

Lone nodded calmly. “Go ahead. We’re here to bring them back anyway.”

Lal’roh lowered his bow but kept the arrow nocked as he approached. The moment he was able to see into the cart, Sophie leaned a bit closer to Lone.

“The women are panicking wildly upon meeting eyes with him,” Sophie whispered.

Lone frowned deeply. There could only be so many reasons for that given the fact Lal’roh was one of their kind.

Before long, the wood elf nodded his head and slowly returned to his group. He then said, “Come. I’m sure Chieftain Rewal’eh would like to hear more of how you reclaimed our lost people.”

‘And I’d like to know why they got scared just by seeing you, and how to get ‘lost’ in the first place,’ Lone replied in thought as a theory began to appear in his mind.

A theory he didn’t like one bit.

----------------------------------------

“Ah, Ninetails, welcome. And to you too… Beg my pardon, I have forgotten your name,” Rewal’eh said calmly and with a polite smile.

Sophie didn’t reply verbally, instead, she chose to simply shrug uncaringly. Her hands were still firmly wrapped around the hilts of her sheathed weapons.

“Ah. This tension is… unpleasant, no? Please, have a seat. Perhaps some tea could help calm these nerves? We don’t have much but I’m willing to share some of my rare tea leaves with you both. As thanks to the saviours of my kin,” she said as she pulled out a simple wooden tea set and began brewing some right then and there.

“We’ll stand,” Lone answered. “You want to talk more about the elves we saved and the goblins we killed, right?”

The high elf frowned for a moment before shaking her head and wearing a smile again.

“Indeed. I will be honest, I did not think you had the strength to do such a thing. It’s truly unbelievable. Your equipment is so odd too. It looks brand new and those are… bones? Impressive craftsmanship, to say the least. Your own handiwork?” she asked.

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She then pushed two cups of full tea towards them before filling one for herself and taking a sip. “Delicious.”

Lone reached over to pick up a cup but was stopped when Sophie said, “It has the same mana in it as the most poisonous mushrooms we have encountered on this island. My cup contains a sedative similar to that of the plants you pointed out to Soph.”

Rewal’eh and Lal’roh’s expression froze.

In a split second, an arrow whizzed through the air and pierced right through an eye hole in Lone’s helmet. It easily made its way through his eyeball and even his brain.

Sophie, on the other hand, had instantly teleported behind Rewal’eh and had both of her swords pressed against her neck in a cross shape.

“Move even a single muscle and she will die,” Sophie growled threateningly.

Lone had stumbled back and felt his consciousness fade in and out. In one moment of lucidity, he grabbed the arrow lodged in his skull and ripped it out in one pull, taking some brain matter and his entire eye with it.

Blood flowed like a river out of the bottom of his helmet and his head felt like it was on fire.

Lal’roh hesitated. “Were you not mute? And he should be dead!”

Lone slowly cracked his neck as he pumped MP into his Basic Regeneration to quickly heal his brain. The eye could wait.

“Well, if nothing else, you just confirmed several theories for me. Good to know fatal blows aren’t quite so fatal to me,” Lone said softly and slowly.

“Now, you two have some explaining to do. A lot of explaining to do if you don’t want my lovely little companion here to fillet this entire camp like a fuckin’ fish,” Lone demanded with power and anger in his voice.

Lal’roh already had a second arrow drawn and had it pointed at Sophie’s head this time but he didn’t fire, instead he looked for guidance from his leader.

Rewal’eh seemed conflicted. However, perhaps due to the blood slowly eking out of the shallow cuts in her fragile neck, or maybe thanks to Lone not dying by getting shot in the head, she sighed.

“We didn’t have a choice,” she said weakly. “It was this or total annihilation.”

“Explain,” Sophie hissed into her ear.

“… We were unaware of the goblins when we were exiled to this land. Even when we learned of their existence, we thought nothing of them. Who would? This place is too small for them to grow exponentially as they usually do,” she claimed.

‘So goblins are a plague of sorts normally? That’s not hard to believe,’ Lone thought.

“Little did we know they were being controlled by a king with hobgoblins serving under it. Our arrogance blinded us to the mere possibility of such a thing,” she said in a regretful tone.

“They rushed your town with an army, huh?” Lone said.

Rewal’eh nodded as much as Sophie’s swords allowed her to. “We didn’t stand a chance. I’m only a D-ranker now thanks to my exile. Goblin Kings start at that rank. Do you understand? This Goblin King had the wisdom and strength to control hobgoblins.”

She chuckled at herself. “Hobgoblins could kill even a strong C-ranker who was caught unaware. Monsters truly do have an unfair lot when it comes to stats per level,” she remarked, catching Lone’s interest.

‘Huh. Monsters get more stats than non-monsters? I wonder why and how big the difference is,’ he thought.

“We were overwhelmed in under an hour. Everyone knows what it means to be defeated by goblins, of all things. I did not want to live the rest of my life as a toy to satisfy the lust and sheer breeding desire of such… filthy beings. So, we tried to kill ourselves,” Rewal’eh claimed.

Lal’roh had a deeply saddened look in his eyes upon hearing the recounting of a tale he had presumably lived through.

Rewal’eh smiled bitterly. “Not only was the Goblin King strong though, but it was also cunning. It gave me a deal. Provide it with a sacrifice every year and we would be left alone. Fail to deliver a single sacrifice though and he vowed to raze the entire island to the ground to find us.”

“Pathetic,” Sophie snarled. “You sent your women to be violently raped over and over again, forced to bear the children of monsters, only serving to strengthen your enemy. Death was clearly the better option.”

“Do not speak as if you know me, Human!” Rewal’eh shouted. “I-! I… I was afraid of death. Do you have any idea what it is like to live for centuries yet see so little of the world only to be forced to end it all due to a measly goblin?!”

Lone scoffed. “A measly goblin who you willingly obeyed, ruining several innocent lives in the process only to lengthen your own.”

At this point, his eye had been fully healed and he had already heard enough. “You have access to poison, intricate magic, skilled warriors. You have all of this yet have you never tried to kill the king? Even just once?”

Silence filled the tent.

“Sophie’s right. You’re fuckin’ pathetic. Pathetic cowards. Why didn’t you just leave the island?” Lone asked, just about done with this conversation.

Tears streamed down the High Elf’s face. “We have no boatswain among our numbers. The ship that brought us here left after ensuring we have safely been delivered to our site of exile.”

Lal’roh suddenly spoke. “The king has a ship though, hidden somewhere.”

“Why haven’t you stolen it yet? You’ve had years to scour the island and find it. At least seven, probably more,” Lone pointed out.

“What part of ‘hidden’ did you fail to understand?” Lal’roh asked. “We may have had it gifted to us though if only we…”

“If only you what?” Sophie asked pointedly, pressing her swords a bit deeper into Rewal’eh’s neck.

“If we delivered you to it,” the high elf revealed. “Only human mothers have a chance of birthing hobgoblins. We suspect that was who owned the ship in his possession, humans.”

“Ah, I see,” Lone said. “Not only would you sell out your own people to save yourself, but even a stranger. Even a blind woman who until now, you assumed was also mute and a former victim of slavery. You guys aren’t just pathetic cowards, you’re downright fuckin’ deplorable.”

“I had no choi-”

“There is always a choice!” Lone screamed. “… Sophie, we’re leaving. With the women. Rewal’eh, I am going to kill the king. I’ll do it even if it’s dangerous. Know why? Because I won’t let a fuckin’ monster turn someone I care for into a sex slave just to save my own hide. I’d sooner die.”

With that, he signalled to Sophie.

She nodded and then pulled back from Rewal’eh and instantly disappeared. A moment later, both she, Lone, and the cartful of Elven women, completely disappeared from the camp.