"Who are you?" I ask the girl with cyan hair in monster language. I was too shocked to consider that she may not understand monster’s tongue.
"Nilin" She answered promptly in Common. She understands monster language.
"Pixie?" Cormy blurted out.
The girl does have a pair of transparent wings but they don't look exactly like pixie’s as I have seen in the books.
"How rude." Nilin crossed her arms. "I am no Fairy-kin." She placed her hand on her chest that she stuck out and held her nose high. "I am a Wisp of Guidance, a Spirit of Nature."
To her words, Cormy and I can only blink. We failed to understand her. Even Citra looks at her with a very uncomfortable gaze.
"Anyways" She clears her throat "What are you all standing around for? Don't you have places to go? Isn't that why I'm invoked? You dare let an immortal and ancient spirit like me wait around for you lots?" She asked in a pompous manner.
This girl is just as rude as the human alchemist, maybe worse.
I don't like her but if she is the wisp as she claimed, we have to be nice. Master said so. Be nice to someone if you something from them. While I find the idea demeaning, it is effective in logic.
"We are waiting for our friends." I told her in hopes of grasping her sympathy and understanding.
"Hmph. I don't care." She told us without even looking at us. "I'm not your servant. I'm only here to help because Great Spirit told me to. Don't be mistaken now."
"Wow.... How rude." This remark came from Cormy. Citra nods along with Cormy’s words.
Nilin raised an eyebrow on his remark, veins popping on her forehead. She bends forwards at Cormy with her hands on her waist. "You, a goblin? Dares to criticize a Spirit of Nature. Not even half there for a goblin’s life and you already belittling a Spirit of Nature?"
Cormy looks to me for assistance but I can only offer a shrug and sigh. What is this girl's problem?
"Hmph." She crossed her arms again. "Either you follow me now or you can try your own luck."
Nilin stands in front of the door. She lightly taps the on the door then hammers it and finally, she pounds it repeatedly.
When she stopped, I see her hands have reddened and tears have gathered on her eyes.
Could it be....? Does she not know how to open a door?
"You there, Orc." She points at me. "I will give you the honor of helping me get out of this abominable cottage."
So that's how it is. Fine. As per master's teachings, I smile and sat back on the floor. I motioned Cormy to do the same. Master always said that you just need to stand aside and smile at the ones who came to you for help after being rude to you all the time before this. He told me this to help me cope with the human alchemist's constant crude remarks. I can't believe I'm using it on a wisp. Life is full of surprises.
"E... e..... Oi!" Nilin calls out but I keep ignoring her. I pretend to be busy by tidying up master's clothes. My my, such a mess.
"Orc, don't you dare ignore me!"
Cormy went as far as to blow his tongue at Nilin.
Nilin flinches from the reactions she received, looking appalled. Her hands rolls into a fist, her cheeks inflated and trembles with twitching veins. “Mwu......~!” She lets out such sounds with her lips shut.
If she isn't our guide, I would have already kick her out of the house already.
Be prudent for now, Tom. Master is depending on this. That's right. He's depending on us.
"Fine!" Nilin shouted. She then summons flame of cyan color into her hands.
Oi oi. Are you intending to burn down the whole house? Don't be crazy, wisp. I know you’re angry but such reaction and actions are deprave for a spirit like you.
Is this how every spirit is?
“Tom!!! Cormy!!! Help!!!”
At that particular time, Barthy’s cries resonated into our ears.
“What’s that?” Nilin stops her tantrum and mused at the sudden cry for help. “Orc, is that....”
I paid no mind to what Nilin is asking as I shove her aside and burst out of the building.
“Ah? Hey! Why....”
Before she could finish, Cormy also shoves her aside and he follow right behind me.
Out on the streets, we see Barthy running straight at us with four goblins on his tail.
Not possible. How could there be goblins here and why are they wearing light armor? This is strange. Goblins don’t normally care about wearing armor as it has never cross their mind. And on their neck.... Are those purple veins?
Citra saw this and was about to dash out to Barthy but Cormy’s fast reflex once again caught her before she actually could.
Cormy is really quick with his reflex and reactions.
Switching my attention back to Barthy who is being chased, I cast a fireball magic which hit one of the chasing goblins. The remaining three stops their chase when they saw their comrade got engulf by a fireball. Their gaze lock on me when they understand the magic came from me.
They then discuss something with each other which was too far away for me to catch their voices. But knowing goblins, I can assume that they are debating of whether to keep chasing or back off. When they turn with their back facing where they came from, I guess they chose the former option.
I was surprise when they move into position. They are actually positioning themselves. Another feat that goblins are not capable of. Something’s wrong.
But it doesn’t matter now, as master always said.
Fine. I will not show you any mercy even if you’re my kind.
{Element of tranquility and rage, winds that shred my enemies, Wind Scars}
Maybe it’s because of my many practical uses of spells, [Wind Scar] now has a wider range. Only one of the goblins have seen it coming. The other two are swallowed by the shredding winds.
The remaining goblin stops his approach. His eyes are on his comrades who are now in pieces from [Wind Scar]. Even from this distance, I can see his legs shivering. He is afraid.
Odd. This feels odd. The position is always reverse. It’s odd to find myself being the one doing the intimidating.
The last goblin drops the sword he’s holding. With a shriek, he turned and ran, all the while screaming, “Eeeeek! Monster!!!!”
Very odd indeed. Another day that I never though I would see, being revered in fear.
When I made sure the goblin has truly ran away, I tend to Barthy. He has few scratches and flesh wounds but nothing serious. I’m relieve. Judging from his quick breaths, he must have been running for a long distance without stopping. He is now on his knees and palms panting.
I carry him back into the building. I don’t know if it’s just me being sensitive to strange happenings but Barthy feels lighter.
With my feet, I kick open the door.
"Eh? How...." I heard Nilin stuttering with those words as her eyes feast on the opened door which slams back shut after I enter, but that's not what's important, so she’s being ignored.
"What happened?" I ask Barthy when I lay him down on the floor. I wonder how many times does that make today for asking that question.
"Is the human. He has been taken."
"Taken? By who?"
"Goblins."
"Goblins?
Barthy swallows. "The Red Orc."
No. It can't be. He's alive?
The Red Orc was once a part of my former tribe but now an exile. It was normal and a constant thing for members of tribes to be exiled due to some dispute with the current clan leader. The Red Orc is a little bit special in his exiled. He and all his underlings were banished for committing cannibalism. Everyone in the tribe included the clan leader thought he had died as we always came across the bodies of the exile few days later. In that dungeon, getting exile is seen as the same thing as a death punishment.
To think that he survived and have been living here.
Curses. Master is still asleep. What to do?
As I frantically look around for a solution, a realization dawned on me.
I can’t keep relying on master. Master is asleep now might stems from the reason that we have been relying on him too much. I can’t keep troubling master like this forever.
"The human is in trouble. I must go save him." I declare so as I stood up. I may not like the human but that is not a good reason for me to just abandon him to his demise. Master would have not hesitated to save him. After all, Master did allow him to travel with us till this far.
"Cormy, Barthy. Stay here with master. I will go and save the human."
Citra has a face that says “What about me?”
I tried to pat her and surprisingly, she lets me although she wasn’t completely trusting of my hand as she shivers a little from my touch. But at least she trusts me. I’m glad.
"What about me?" Nilin tried to cut in but we all ignored her. She’s not important right now.
Right as I'm about to dash out of the door, I stopped. I look back at them.
Nilin has her eyes gleaming with hope.
"Where was the human taken?"
Nilin's face slacken. She is making some soundless gasp.
Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.
"Um.... the forest path. The one we used from the dungeon?" answered Barthy. Looks like he wasn’t that sure about it himself but that’s more than enough.
I thank him and ran off but not before shutting door right in the face of the wisp who was about to leave the house behind me.
----------------------------------------
Although being a scout is not my strong suit but all of us goblins are at least capable in the slightest in tracking and tailing as this is how we caught the adventurers unaware. I can't believe my dark history would be of help to me. I don't know if I should be ashamed or proud. I guess I can ask master about that when he wakes up later.
The forest is vast, the trees and flowers are unfamiliar. It's unnerving to see all these unfamiliar plants with myriads of colors. There was one layer back in the dungeon where it is full of carnivorous plant with the worst of them being called Maneater. I'm glad that master didn't pass through there. Before master gave me a new life, back when I was just another sheep in my tribe, I had gone through that layer. A party twenty of us goblins. At the end of the day, only me and another goblin made it out among the twenty numbers.
A dreadful experience. The Maneater did have a very alluring figure even to us fickle goblins.
Against my defying instincts, I persist to brave through the unknown of the forest. It took me some time but I found clues that help in tracking down the human.
It wasn't far from the path that we came through while dragging master on a big leaf. It was in the fern bushes beside that path.
There, I found footprints, goblins’. The footprints are deep and only a pair of each. The snapped point of the twigs and branches aren't new. These are scouts and they have been watching us ever since we arrived. Is this what Citra sensed?
They are employing one of our most often used technique, divide and conquer. Waiting for us to be separated naturally or by force and then strike. Letting the human and Barthy went out on just the two of them is a mistake on my part. As a goblin, I should have known better.
Although I hate this trick, I won’t deny that it works extremely well as a lot of adventurers had fell for it. A simple technique used by simple-minded creatures yet so effective. What exactly do I make out of this?
I don’t know.
From just all these clues, I am able to at least guess where they had taken the human to. It wasn't a hard task. I have done this a lot of times and each time brings only terrible misfortune to the adventurers.
I hope one day, I can make up for all of that.
And so by stalking the obvious trail left behind by the goblin scouts, I'm led to a straw hut which is built over a flight of stairs as a disguise. The spiral stairs leads into underneath the earth.
Obviously, I am hesitating whether if I should proceed. It might be a trap and we just got ourselves out from the lowest layer of the dungeon.
Arguing with myself that I will never beat master if I continue on this line of thinking, I steeled my nerves and took small steps down the stairs. It isn’t a long way down but the spiral stairs made the trip longer than it needs to be. Although a life is in danger right now, I can’t rush. As a goblin myself, I know best on how cunning a goblin is.
After the stairs is a corridor that extends in a single long straight line. Although long, the end of the corridor is in sight. There are no cyan vines instead, the path is lit by torches on the wall.
This passage is being used regularly which explains the still burning torches and I'm overwhelmed with a familiar smell. The smell of my kin.
From the smell alone, I can tell The Red Orc has been building his army.
There's some strange smell mixed along. Other monsters?
The further I go into the passage, the worse the smell gets. It bothers me too much. It made me remember more of my dark past. Albeit hitting my nerves, I have not let my focus shift on what’s important.
As I expected, there were traps but I dismantled them. The traps are common for goblins’ uses, so I know how to dismantle them.
And then I heard loud cheers from in front, the end of the corridor.
There is gong to be a lot of them.
Dead face of the human floats into my mind.
No!
No. I can't think like that. That is disrespectful. That only means I have given up. I can't give up.
And the straight passage led me to the end of it, a wooden door with rusted hinges. It will creak if it moves. On the door are the hand prints of goblins and orcs in red. It is not difficult to tell that the red paint is blood. This is the door they come and go through, must be the only way in and out but I don't doubt there will be a secret exit for clan leader’s personal use. Goblins and orcs are cowards after all.
And I want to be different from that.
There are a bunch of noises from the other side of the door. They are cheering about something. Theirs cheers resemble the ones whenever the hunting party came back from a successful hunt. Of course the hunts are the capturing of the unsuspecting adventurers.
And there goes another past of mine that I hope it never surface. Looks like I will have to dig back up my bad memories if I want to succeed in this rescue.
I heard footsteps approaching from the other side and I quickly hide beside the door. I was hidden behind the door as it swung open. Two goblins with short sword on their waist and wearing leather armor came out from that room. They did not notice me as they kept walking on to where I came from.
They must be the patrol scouts. From their chattering, they were the one who discovered our intrusion into the domain.
Curses. We have been careless. We have always relied on master to avoid being ambushed. To think we are this helpless without master, we are truly pathetic.
But this is when and where I will change. I will become strong enough to repay master for the life he has granted me, some day.
As quiet as I can ever be, I creep into the room and sneak along the shadows.
It's not just any room. It's a throne room. A circular hall. The roofs are supported by large pillars which look like it could crumble at any moment. Luxurious red carpets with golden-yellow borders are spread out in the hall but they are torn with time.
In the center of the room, there is a throne with the back facing the door surrounded by at least hundreds of goblins but no orcs. Some monsters I assume to be their mount or pets are resting in their respective corners.
Someone is sitting on the throne right now. Though the back of the throne is high, the one sitting on it is even taller. I can see the back of its head clearly. That's the Red Orc but.... he's bigger than I remember.
"Aaaah!!!"
Someone screamed.
Is the human.
"Why have you have come here to taint us with your presence?" Since the throne has blocked my view, I can only hear their voice.
"Don't know... what... you... are... talking about..." I heard the human struggling to say.
Who ever is interrogating the human must have been offended as I heard a loud sound, the human is struck and he fell to the ground, out of my obstructed view. I saw his face then, he has basically been pummeled for answers. Despite the injuries, I see fire in his eyes. The human has yet to give up. He has plans for escape but I can’t afford to gamble on that.
"Answer.... filthy human..." The goblin that is doing the interrogation is taller than all the goblins in the room except the sub-variant sitting on the throne.
Curse. This is not good. The human doesn't understand monster language and goblins are a race that can't see reason. They don't want to. For some reason, a crude and flawed logic lingers among my kin, they take seeing reason as a weakness.
"D...don't un...derstand." It hasn't been that long since he was captured but he was already beaten into such state. Goblins are really loathsome. I want to ask master later if there is a way for me to change my race.
"You come to the Great Cinder's domain and you dare to lack the knowledge of our great ways?" The goblin raises the human up by the neck while spouting some jumbled logic.
Not good. If I let it go on, things will get really bad.
Luckily, I have those powdered reagent with me. They are whitish red, I believe humans call such color pink, and I have seen master experiments with it. It burns like Gray Spores but only more intense. When master fainted, I have temporarily taken possession of his trinkets.
Untying the sash on the pouch, I let loose and scatter the lovely pink dust into the wind. Since there's only one way in, the wind blows in one direction, from the entrance directly into the hall. It's just perfect.
I wait until it scatters far enough but I can't be too late otherwise it will reach the human too. My timing has to be perfect.
One of the hundred goblins sneezed from the reagent and the commotion revolving around the human stops. Confusion looms over them as their surroundings blurred from the scattered powdered reagent.
"G...g...gray spores..." said one goblin.
Looks like they know of Gray Spores but they are wrong. Well, doesn't change anything now.
I show myself from the shadows and drew all the glances to me.
I pick up the torch that was simply thrown on the floor. That's just so like a goblin. Not even caring about where they put such harmful item.
I stare at all of them as I toss the burning torch at them.
The tallest goblin saw the meaning behind my actions. Before he could shout out any commands, the scattered spores are lighten up and blinding flash of combustion paint the room a dazzling orange.
I move along the wall to avoid the raging flames that causing the agonizing deaths of the goblins. I remember Master calling it, phosphorous.
Unfortunately, the human is caught in the flames but it was just his right arm and it wasn't a severe burn due to his robes. Must be enchanted with magic to be able to withstand such heat. I move to his side and put out the fire before it burned through the enchanted fabric and into his skin.
"Y...you?" The human said like he can't believe it. I applaud the human's ability to discern our faces. Most Sagax race are unable to differentiate our faces.
"Y...yes it's m...me." I affirm him.
"Why you!" The tall goblin has half of his body burned but he survived and so did a lot of other goblins. The tall goblin doesn’t look like he’s in a good shape but he is still able to stand. Must be because he has evolved.
I put my hands on the ground. {Element of the nature's foundation, the rising tide of sands, Sandstorm.}
Cracks spread on the floor and explodes, raising a tide of dust that swallows the goblins.
Throwing the human’s uninjured arm around my shoulders, I dash out of the smoke and head for the exit. A smile would have appear on my face from the apparent successful rescue but I didn’t. I didn’t because a wall of flames blocked our path.
From amidst the sands that rages around, the Red Orc emerges from it, wearing flames as one would an armor.
No. He is an Orc, no longer.
It's an Ogre. A Red Ogre. A sub-variant that specializes in fire magic. They are said to be impervious to fire.
"You. I know you." The Red Ogre said.
"Element of tranquility and rage, winds that shreds my enemies, Wind Scars." For someone who almost have most of his bones broken, he chanted and cast quite well.
Winds of blade assaulted the Red Ogre but the flaming armor negates the angry winds.
"Is this it? You and your tribe are now working with humans?" The Red Ogre laughs. The wind magic attack didn't even bother him. "How low have you all sunk? And you call yourselves goblins?" He grimaced.
The goblins who survived are now surrounding us and closing in.
For note, I failed to see how can one be proud to be a goblin, says a goblin.
"Kneel before the Great Cinder!" The tall goblin said in a loud voice.
"That can wait." The Great Cinder brushes him aside and steps forward. "Doesn't matter once they are all dead."
I gulped.
This is bad.
"Now, tell me. Have you come to wipe us out with the assistance of this human?"
"No, you're mistaken. We are just simply passing by. We just looking for a way out of this place."
"Lies! And you heretics, you dare to leave without the Great Cinder's permission?" The tall goblin looks really furious that even his eyebrows are twitching.
The Red Ogre is indifferent to my answer. In contrast to his right hand man's reaction, he calmly conjures a ball of flame in his hand without any chant. "You are not very good at lying, orc. You are testing my generous patience."
You are not very good at seeing the truth.
This is getting worse at every passing moment. I have to figure a way out and fast.
"Now, tell me the truth." The fireball in his hand burned even fiercer.
"That is the truth." I told them.
But they didn't believe me.
The Red Ogre distorts his face and he throws the fireball in his hand at us. I shove the human to the right while I dodge to the left. The fireball hits the wall behind us and explodes, smoke envelopes me and the human after.
The human struggles to get up but his body is too hurt to support its own weight. The human deem his current position is more than suffice, he begin chanting.
“Element of destruction in celerity -- ”
While the human chants, a shadow appears enters into the smoke. It’s fast and tenuous. I barely saw it and felt its presence. It’s a goblin dressed in all black. He’s targeting the human.
I grab his shoulder to stop him. He reacted with quick reflexes, counter-grabbing my hand and twist it. I give out a small scream but I recover for a counter, a simple hook with my free hand. With his free hand, he parries mine. He thrusts out his palm and I’m sent back sprawling on the ground.
The goblin in black robes must also be an evolved. He’s good in the arts of hand-to-hand but it matters not now. I stall him enough to let the human finish his chanting.
“-- Fierce Warriors Of The Tempest! Storm’s Guardian!” he shouts out the chant with extreme desperation.
Three lightning dragons manifest around the human. The same spell which butchered and massacred the fifty numbers of monsters from the time when we were separated from master for a little while.
One of the lightning dragons attacked the goblin in black but the dragon missed and destroy a large chunk of floor instead. The goblin retreated back to the Red Ogre’s side as the smoke clears.
“Lightning magic. Adept level. Mana consumption, high.” the tall goblin said. “But nothing before the Great Cinder.”
“Of course.” The Red Ogre said and pushes at the air with his open palms. Flames are launched from his push.
The flames charge at the human but the lightning dragons coil around him, acting as a barrier that protects him from the flame.
“Tsk.” uttered the Red Ogre.
“Perhaps a little more persuasion is in order?” The tall goblin advises in a sophisticated manner.
The Red Ogre scoffs and sends his fist on to the ground, raising a tidal wave of flames at us, similar to my [Blazing Wave] but a bigger magnitude.
The lightning dragons left the human and went to clash with the tidal wave of flames rushing at us. There was no winner. The two magic canceled out each other with an explosion that raised a large cloud of smoke.
It was a perfect opportunity to run now. The wall of flames may still be obstructing the wall but I can probably run through it. Better to take that chance than staying here.
As I reach out for the human, the goblin in black appeared and stood in between us, wearing a triumphant smirk. Behind the goblin, is the human, who has struggled successfully to get to his feet. It’s a little victory but what happened next only spell despair for me. The Red Ogre has lost its patient and charges directly at us, more precisely, at the human. The Red Ogre’s fist which is about the half the human’s size, sent him plunging into the wall, creating a hole.
While I’m watching the despair that unfolds before me, the goblin in black spun and send me crashing into a wall with a kick.
Before I could even said a single word from a chant, the goblin acted quick by driving both of his feet into my face.
Needless to say, stars exploded before my view and my consciousness didn’t survive the impact.