Turk could not help crying out when the arrow struck him in his thigh. A lucky shot from the archer? He grabbed the arrow and pushed it through, grunting as he felt it tear the flesh from his thigh. It had not pierced all the way through, and he knew he had to get the barbed point out. Once it was through he snapped off the wooden shaft and pulled the arrow out from the back side.

His leather armor now had a hole where he had been shot. Dripping blood on the ground Turk knew they would find him so he moved behind the trunk to prevent any more random arrows from striking him.

Turk had noticed the two warriors who were coming towards the area he was at as he skirted around the trunk. Getting on the ground would not be in his best interest, and he still had plenty of magic power. As Turk made it around the edge of the trunk an idea popped into his head.

Three green lights raced toward the area the archer was at. It was nothing more than the same light spell he had used in the caves, but he was not sure if the archer would know that. He sent them to hover around that area in the tree and focused on his leg. He could feel the wound starting to close thanks to the heart they had eaten and there was no burning sensation so at least there was no poison.

Where is Dad and Vreek Turk wondered as he saw the two warriors reach the bottom of the tree.

“He is up here!” one shouted as he pointed his sword at Turk.

“Go away you blathering idiots!” Turk shouted, and he smiled when he saw the confused looks on their faces. They both backed up for a moment and glanced around the area.

“You speak our language?!” the warrior exclaimed. “How is it possible that a filthy animal like yourself can speak our tongue?”

Turk smiled and decided to have a little fun.

“My mother was an elf, and my father was a goblin. She could not bear to abandon me so she raised me in the woods and taught me this language in case I ever found those who might accept me!”

“Lies!” shouted the other warrior. “No elf would keep a goblin as their child or teach it our language! Tell us the truth before we cut you to pieces, you pile of green shite!”

Turk shook his head and shrugged.

At least they are dumb enough to focus on me and not keep tabs on Dirk.

“You want me to tell you how I learned your language and still threaten me with death?” mocked Turk with a smile. “At least offer me an elf woman or something for fun if I tell you how I learned it. Otherwise, I have no reason to tell you.”

The warrior who had called him a liar struck the tree with his sword and a decent chunk of wood flew from the trunk. Obviously, they were a lot stronger if a simple sword strike could take that much off of the tree.

“Theodmere,” the warrior who just struck the tree sneered, “Help me chop down this tree so we can rid this forest of this filth.”

The other warrior, the one named Theodmere, snapped out of the confusion he was experiencing at hearing Turk speak their words and helped join the other warrior in hacking at the tree with their swords. Large divots appeared quickly, and Turk felt the tree shaking from the blows.

Turk realized he had to delay them more, and words would not be enough.

“Eat this fireball!” Turk shouted as he fired two firebolts at them.

Both warriors raised their shields and blocked the magic Turk had sent at them. Their shields caught fire and they tossed them aside and moved away from the tree.

“I warned you!” Turk yelled as he held another firebolt in mid-air. “My mother taught me how to use magic too! If you will not accept me then I will not hold back this next time!”

The one named Theodmere stood below and appeared ready to dodge as he looked up at Turk.

“Could he be telling the truth?” Theodmere asked the other warrior who was hiding on the other side of the trunk and still striking the trunk with his sword. “Goblins cannot use magic!”

The other elf warrior was obviously angry at Theodmere who was not helping with the tree and seemed to believe Turk’s apparent lies.

“You need to help me now, or I will report you to the council when we get back!”

Turk saw the elf struggling with what to do.

“Theodmere!” Turk shouted.

Theodmere looked up once more at Turk.

“I have tried to reason with your friend, but I must defend myself. I will not kill you if you do not attack me, but I do not expect your friend to listen!”

Five more fire bolts appeared in the air around Turk, and as Theodmere raised his hand and opened his mouth to say something, Turk launched all five of them at the other warrior. They streaked at him from the sides and above, and three impaled him. The warrior burst into flames and started screaming as he fell on the ground, rolling around as he tried to put out the fire.

“Stop, please!” Theodmere shouted at Turk. “Save his life, and I will listen to you and call off our other friend.”

After he said those words, a thought hit Turk. Where was the archer ally of theirs? No other arrows had been fired at this goblin, and that was not like her at all.

Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

Turk feigned a smile and nodded.

“I cannot put out the flames, you will have to help him but I will not attack you as you do”

Theodmere rushed to his friend and tried to use his cloak he quickly cut off from around his neck. As he tried to put out the fires of his friend who was screaming and making a delicious smell in the woods, Turk glanced in the direction where the elf archer had been. His eyes picked up a splotch of red against the tree she had been near, and knew Dirk had handled that threat.

Climbing down the tree while the elf warrior was distracted, Turk made it to the ground and stepped far enough back from the warrior. He held his bow in his hand and placed an arrow on the string.

Finally, the flames were extinguished as Turk ended the connection to them. A few horrible gasps and wheezes came from the charred husk of the elf who had tried cutting down the tree he was in.

Theodmere pulled out a potion and started pouring it into the mouth of the warrior before also splashing some of it on his face.

“I’m here, Arbane. Relax and let the potion do its job!”

The warrior groaned and moaned, but his breathing did sound better. Turk was not sure how fast or effective a potion might be. This opportunity was an excellent chance for him to learn what type of healing these potions provided and how long they took to work.

Theodmere glanced at Turk and saw him holding his bow.

“You promised not to attack!” Theodmere exclaimed at Turk.

“I have not broken my promise,” Turk stated as he kept his distance. “Had I wanted to, I would have ended your life the moment you turned to help your friend.”

His eyes went wide, and Theodmere realized he was in a bad spot. None of his other allies were alive; they all had been much stronger than he was. If this goblin was this strong, did he stand a chance at all?

“Who… who are you?”

Turk smiled and gave a slight bow. He saw Dirk coming up quietly from behind as Theodmere was utterly focused on him.

“I am a goblin champion,” Turk said with a laugh. “Perhaps you have heard of the black death?”

The elf’s eyes went wide, and he leaned back in shock.

“Say goodnight, Theodmere,” Turk stated as he pointed to his brother, who was now behind him.

Theodmere turned around confused at what Turk was pointing to. He saw the butt of a dagger coming for his face. The only other thing he saw before the world went dark was another goblin who looked just like this one, smiling at him.

Dirk grinned as the elf hit the ground.

“Nice work! Way to keep them occupied,” Dirk commended his brother. “No sign of Dad or Vreek yet, though.”

Turk nodded and glanced around the woods. There still was no sign of those two. Surely they must be close.

“How many are still alive?” Turk asked as he walked over to the one called Arbane.

Dirk held up two fingers.

“Just this one and an elf archer chick. I poisoned her so we should still have twenty minutes before she can start to move again.”

Turk nodded and bent down to look at Arbane’s face. The burnt skin was slowly turning back to a normal color, and his breathing was also returning to normal. It appeared the potion had done enough to stop the risk of death for the moment.

“Hey, Arbane, look at me,” Turk said as he gently tapped the man’s cheek. Pieces of burnt flesh came off on his fingers, but Turk waited for the elf to open his eyes.

Slowly the man opened his eyes and glared at Turk when he saw him standing over him.

A growl rose in his throat, but no words came from him.

“Save your strength,” Turk told him as he dug a finger into the man’s burnt neck. The chain armor appeared to have burnt to his flesh. Turk could not imagine the pain he would experience if that was just ripped off his skin. “I will ask you a question. Answer it right, and I will end your life quickly. Lie, and I will slowly peel the skin from your body.”

The elf tried to glare at him, but Turk saw the fear in his eyes. The thought of enduring that pain was not one most would be willing to endure.

Turk glanced over at Dirk and saw he was binding the hands of Theodmere and stripping him of his gear.

“Go ahead and retrieve the one you poisoned and bring her here while I question this one.”

Dirk started to complain about being told to do something but stopped before he did. Turk was the only one besides their dad who could communicate at all with these people. Dirk just nodded and worked on finishing the task before him.

Turk turned back to Arbane and gave him a toothy smile.

“I want to know more about the labyrinth in your town. Where is it? How many days till the reset?”

The elf’s eyes widened when he realized how much Turk knew. If these goblins had this kind of power and knowledge, could they really hope to make it into the labyrinth somehow?

Turk saw the man was thinking and stepped up and walked to where the stuff Theodmere had been wearing was piled up. Digging through a small fanny-like pouch the warrior had, he found another potion just like the one Theodmere had used on Arbane.

He brought it back to the elf and pinched his lips together, and poured half of the bottle down the elf’s throat.

“Drink up!” Turk gleefully said. “I want answers, and I don’t mind making you suffer until I get the ones I want.”

What have I done, Zolb thought as he watched Turk and Dirk manage the two warriors on the ground.

Zolb had used the bracelet and moved in close to see what they would do once both elves were down. His use of the pink skins language was not as good as Turks, but they had been practicing and the heart he had eaten of Yashk’s son had helped him pick up some of it faster.

Zolb stood there and watched as he saw Turk promise to torture the information they were seeking out of the elf.

A sigh escaped his lips, and he was unsure if he should be proud or frustrated.

It seemed each of them was becoming more goblin by the day.

It felt like their humanity was disappearing the more hearts they consumed.

If we do not eat the hearts, we cannot protect ourselves and others, but if we do eat them, we become more like them.

Zolb knew the choices were not easy. Die or lose what had once made them human.

As the magic of the bracelet faded and he was no longer invisible, he heard Vreek coming through the woods.

Turk turned and saw him standing there. Dirk had already started walking over towards the other elf he needed to collect.

“Dad! You got here just in time!”

Zolb smiled and nodded.

“Nice work, you two,” Zolb declared with a grin. “Looks like you two did better than we expected.”