“This is our new home,” stated Bula as she motioned to the small caves that had been dug out into the side of the cavern. “We live here now with the Slendals. They saved us when the forest started to die and the elves were killing us all.”

“How long have you been down here?”

Bula turned and started walking backward as she looked at me with a smile.

“We have been down here for months. There is water and fish down one of the caves. The mushrooms that grow and the worms that light up do not taste great but they keep us strong. For now, we are growing our numbers again.”

I was not sure but from the snickers I heard behind me, I was right in that I saw Bula wink at me when she talked about growing their numbers. I wondered what kind of growth they experienced and then I remembered what we had seen earlier.

“You are breeding with the Slendals?”

Bula nodded and smiled.

“The goblins and orcs that try are not as successful at first but it does happen. It takes longer than usual and the result is a smaller Slendal with an orc or goblin body. Their leader, Yashk agreed to it because I promise we will attack the elves and find a place where the land is not dying.”

I let out a small whistle. I knew the problem with promising something and having to deliver.

Vreek came up next to me and broke my train of thought.

“How many females do you have?”

Bula stopped walking backward and came towards Vreek. She stopped in front of him and took his chin in her hands and moved his head from side to side.

“You are strong I can tell,” she said as she let go of his chin. “I am sure a few of the females would gladly let you try and convince them you are worthy of their time. We have twenty females capable of breeding at the moment. Most of them are pregnant and a few should give birth in a couple of days.”

She turned around and led us past different sections in the cavern where rocks had been stacked to form barricades. It was obvious where the food was prepared and the different training areas as well. As we walked past both areas I realized there was almost no filth down here. She must keep a tight reign on them if that was the case. Bula was leading us toward a carved-out cave that had a massive blue handprint on both sides of its opening.

“Bula, are you making twenty new goblins every month?” I asked.

She shook her head no and kept leading us to what I knew must be her cave.

“There are sixteen or so goblins each month. Every so often we get a few orcs and of course, some die when born. Such is the way.”

“How many goblins and orcs do you have now?”

She lifted her hand and waved me off. “We will talk later about that. Now come, join me in my cave so we can talk about more important things.”

“Like making babies,” I heard Turk say quietly behind me.

Turning I glanced at the two of them and saw them both obviously enjoying this moment. We had already had the birds and bees talk back in our world. I was not sure I wanted to have the orc and goblin talk here.

There were stone rocks brought into the cave for us to sit on while Bula sat in a carved large chair further back in her cave. I realized there were no fires at all that I had seen. The warm air current kept the place comfortable and with the worms that glowed everywhere, there was no need for torches. It was a potential place to build a goblin horde over time without worry of attack.

We had not been sitting long when goblins brought what looked to be like fresh fish in their arms. They had a weird fluorescent blue glow to them as well and I could smell a weird scent coming off of them. It reminded me of something back from our world but I could not put my finger on it.

“Eat,” Bula told us as she took one of the three-foot-long fish a goblin near her held out. She lifted it to her mouth and started ripping bites off of it, scales, bones, and all.

All of us took a fish and even though I was a bit hesitant, I was hungry so I dug my teeth into it. The first thing I noticed was the fish had a dirty taste to it. Like a catfish that had not been cleaned. I wondered if these were bottom-feeding fish of some sort that were living in these underground water paths. It was juicy and it felt great on my throat after all the time we had spent in the caves and caverns without any water.

“Bring them something to drink!” commanded Bula as more goblins came with what appeared to be large stone cups. They were odd-shaped and not crafted well but they did hold some water which was all that we desired at the moment.

Bula was leaning back on her stone throne and watched us as she ate. It felt like each of us was being inspected by some person at a market. We ate in silence and after each of us had eaten two fish and handed over the carcasses to the two goblins waiting, Bula stood up and came closer to us.

“So now that you found us, what are you four going to do? You could stay here and help us with our rebuilding efforts.”

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“I am sure we could do what we can for a few days and maybe a week but I am on a mission for the King and cannot stay here long. I was just helping Brar by tracking you all down.”

Bula’s eyes widened when I mentioned the King and she slowly started to nod her head in appreciation I thought.

“What is your mission?”

I heard Vreek cough behind me and wondered if he was trying to tell me something.

“You would have to ask him. Just know what I am doing is for all goblins and orcs.”

Laughing, Bula turned and walked to her throne and slowly pulled a chest out from behind it.

She came and set it down before me and motioned to it.

“It does not work down here. I cannot get it to open.” She pointed to the ring on her finger with three stones set in it. “This does not work either.”

What did she mean by the chest did not work and she could not open it?

“I am new to the chest. What does the chest have to do with anything?” I asked.

Bula jerked back for a moment and then crossed her arms across her chest. Her face became serious as she stared at me.

“How can you say you are on a mission for the King if you do not know about the chest?” she demanded.

I felt Vreek’s hand on my shoulder as he walked past me.

“He is new to this Bula. I am the head captain for Brar and tasked to protect Zolb. He is the one we have been waiting for. Our champion.”

When Vreek spoke that last word Bula strode over and got in Vreek’s face as she looked down on him.

“You make a claim that he is our champion! There has not been one in hundred years! Can he prove that he is worthy of that name?!” she demanded as she yelled.

I heard a noise behind me and saw that the guards who had been standing outside were moving into the cave opening.

Vreek’s voice was calm as I turned back to watch him.

“Challenge him if you want, but do not cry if he hurts you.”

A smile crept over Bula’s face and she nodded. She strode past Vreek and headed toward me. I stood up so that I would not be sitting down when she came.

Standing face to face with her she stared into my eyes for a moment before reaching her hand back and swinging it at me open-handed.

I caught her wrist in my hand and stopped her mid-swing.

“Let her do it,” Vreek called out behind her.

Letting go of her wrist, she smiled at me and then slapped me across my face.

“I challenge you, Zolb. We will see if you are worthy to claim to be champion for us or not.”

I smiled and nodded. Her slap had not hurt but just the thought of getting slapped seemed weird to me.

“You need time to rest or are you ready now?” she asked me. I could see the challenge had already started by how she looked at me while she asked that question.

“I am ready. Are you wanting to do this in private where I won’t make you look so bad before your tribe?”

Bula threw back her head and cackled. After she stopped laughing she shook her head and poked me in the chest with a finger.

“You must be new. You have no idea what challenge involves. Come, let us go to the place we will do this!”

“You want to tell me what I am getting into,” I asked Vreek as we followed Bula toward the place she was leading us. She had been shouting loudly in the cavern and droves of goblins and orcs were headed towards one of the walled sections we had walked by when we came in.

“I don’t know,” Vreek stated with a shrug. “It could be just you and her going one on one or it can be you against multiple warriors. She challenged you in her home so she gets to pick the rules.” Vreek put his hand on my shoulder and stopped me to get my attention. “Do not hesitate to kill if you have to. If she chooses real weapons and you believe the fight will be close, kill whoever you stand against. Do you understand?”

“Even if it is Bula?”

Vreek nodded. “You will become the leader of this tribe if you kill her. You could claim her position if you defeated her without killing her.” Vreek leaned in and whispered, “If you must choose between those two, kill her. Leaving her alive would most likely bring more challenges and attempts on your life later.”

I groaned. How was I supposed to help the orcs and goblins grow if I had to kill them? This just got a lot harder in my mind.

Standing there in the center of the mass of goblins and orcs was inspiring. All along the walled-up areas and anywhere someone could get a spot was a green-bodied individual. Some had climbed on top of the walls and were sitting or standing on them.

“There must be almost one hundred and fifty here,” Dirk informed me as he helped me prepare for what was coming. “That means in a year there should be close to almost four hundred orcs and goblins if they stay here that long.”

As I handed Dirk my sword and dagger I shook my head at how his mind was working. I was about to get into a fight and he was thinking about how many warriors there would be in a year's time. I just needed to focus on this moment and not a year from now.

“Brothers!” Bula shouted from the center of the place we were at. “I have challenged this hobgoblin, Zolb!”

A cheer and some taunting rose up from the crowd as they gazed at me. Bula was smiling as she pointed toward me and nodded at the orcs and goblins who were shouting.

“We will see if he is worthy of the title he claims of Champion!”

The shouting stopped almost immediately and a murmur broke out amongst them.

“Is that normal?”

Vreek nodded.

“No one would casually make claims to be the champion.”

I could tell there was something I was still missing. Something no one had told me about.

“Why does no one claim to be the champion?” I asked Vreek.

Vreek smiled and I realized he had been waiting for me to ask this question.

“It is because doing so means, one day you may replace the King.”