"I don't understand, why would he insist for you to go?" Enon watches his sister quickly prepare a handmade bag of leather with things she may need for the week of travel that awaits her.
"I don't know, goblin things I guess. You know the bastard is crazy" She replies not bothering to slow down or even look at him. If she wasn't trying so hard to hide her grin, he would believe her.
"Indri" He moves closer to her, holding what's left of her missing arm, and they look at each other "Please, don't tell me you just want to use it" His sister looks away and sighs.
"I need to"
"You don't need to, if you were to take too much-" He says pointing at the vial, she snaps back to him.
"I can take care of myself. I won't do something stupid...I am not, an idiot"
"I know you are not, but I worry it's going to push you to do things you shouldn't, like going out to a harpy infested just because you want to feel strong again" He spoke too much, it was his worry, his concern of so many things. But he shouldn't have said so much and he knew it the moment her annoyed expression morphed, into pain.
"Strong? I want to do something" Indri says, looking briefly at her missing arm "You know so many things, Dandrie is a great warrior...I'm just me"
"And so? That's great! Every hobgoblin in here likes you, there is merit in that"
"I don't want to be liked! I want to be useful!..." She sits on a nearby stool, the heavy bag hitting the ground hard once she throws it away "I hate feeling so useless again"
Enon remains silent for some time, offering only a comforting embrace to give himself some time to think. There is so much he wishes to tell her, to try and make her understand how important she is regardless of what she can or can't do...but he knows there is no use in trying. No matter what he says she will always feel like a burden...until she drinks the vial.
"Alright, I get it" He finally says, trying to make it sound as sincere as possible "I trust you. But, I will give you a fresher sample just in case" Enon offers a brief smile, then moves to his bedroll, his shaking hands slipping on the wheels of his chair.
"What? No, no. You don't have to, this one is recent enough" Indri stands, holding on to the vial.
"Check no one comes, please. And that vial is weeks old, I don't want to risk it being defective...once you need it"Enon struggles a bit but reaches for his pillow, getting from the insides a large metallic syringe, it's needle long and thick. He can't help but shudder and gasp a bit at its sight.
"Come on. Please, if you are trying to make me stay..." She didn't think about it, of course, he would want to make sure the Startear is as fresh as possible.
"Indri" Enon takes a deep breath before looking at his sister, trying to look as calm as possible to her "Keep an eye out"
The siblings stare at each other in silence for a moment, before she rushes to the entrance of the tent, looking through the gap of it, seeing the hobgoblins move around, gathering everything they need for the journey ahead.
Enon nods, to himself, to gather up the courage, and lifts his fur tunic, there is a small silvery ring on the right side of his abdomen, beneath his diaphragm. Before doing anything, he looks at his pillow, focusing on the small portion of it that seems worn, and shoves it in his mouth. His breath quickens and holds his wrist to try and stop shaking.
He guides the needle to the ring, and slowly pushes the thick needle in. A wave of pain travels all over his body as he does his best to not tense up, his eyes getting watery, and the strength with which he bites the pillow increases the deeper it goes. He feels the alien object penetrate each layer until the greatest of pains comes once the tip touches his liver forcing him to stop, his body begs him to stop.
But one glance at his sister it's all it takes. Her life is more important than any pain he feels...and this is the only thing he can do to make sure she stays alive.
Pushing the cold steel needle in brings back memories of the countless times he has gone through this torture, and looking at the cloth walls surrounding him, instead of stone, brings him some calm. The needle is all the way in and after a few seconds he pulls it out, the syringe now containing his blood, noticeable purple liquid gathers and forms small orbs all around, almost as if it was alive and looking for more of its kind.
"Done," He says spitting out the pillow, now more worn than before, and placing a hand where the intrusion was made"Quick, give me the vial "
Indri looks at his brother with a pained expression, guilt creeping up, but obeys anyways. Taking the vial off and pouring its contents on the ground. Handing it over he quickly pours his fresh blood into it, and she catches a glimpse of her brother taking the vial close to his eye, so that his painful tears may enter the vial as well, the first and most important step of making the Startears.
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"You know Dandrie will eat me alive, don't you?" He says, trying to lighten up the mood, and he does manage to dig out a weak smile from his sister.
"Oh for sure, you won't know the end of it," She says and they both giggle, then, she gives him a quick hug from behind "Thank you" She squeezes him hard, letting him go to look through a bag on the ground.
And while Indri gathers the other ingredients, easy to miss at a glance for someone who doesn't know the process of making such a precious substance, the camp gets louder as the blacksmiths hammer down onto the hot steel, and the men skin the smoked meat of animals hunted long ago.
"Lift those tents!" Jorr shouts at the new men as he walks around looking at their progress in the tasks he has given them "You, the firewood?" He says singling out a sole hobgoblin carrying a large bag of food on his back.
"At the southeast side of the camp, Nojus ordered us to leave it with him" The man replies, moving on as Jorr grunts, making his way to the Huani side of the camp.
His mere presence makes many of the new men cower in fear, and he scowls in return, with men like this it would have been better to get more of the handmade hobgoblins, they may not be pure, but they are obedient. His eyes fall on the burning campfires, warming up the half-naked Huani that gather around doing nothing when there is so much to be done. They are mainly the ones who pushed the wagons.
"What are you waiting for? Get on your feet and help put up the places where you will sleep!" He shouts in anger, the Huani nearby scattering in fear.
"Jorr!" Nojus shouts from afar, quickly making his way to his friend, frowning when he sees his new brethren clumsily trying to put up the tents, not understanding Jorr but deducing by where he pointed what he wanted them to do "They need rest, can't you see how injured they are?"
"And we need firewood for the trip to the coldest and most barren of places this time of the year, not to warm some dead weight's feet"
"They are my kin" Nojus snaps back, his chest swelling.
"Look around, Nojus. These men couldn't kill a rat two sizes too big! Let alone an Orc skirmish" He says looking back at the weak Huani, who are approached by the pure-blooded ones, to help them "They are not your kin, they are a mistake and you know it" Jorr looks at Nojus straight in his eyes.
"Mistake or not this is their new life, and by Uperbis I will treat them like men and not slaves" Nojus takes a step forth "I saw you looking at the campfire, do you need wood? We are surrounded by it"
"They are leaving tomorrow. The new men and my men, while yours have to stay here and babysit. I want them to be rested and to keep warm for the days they are gone"
"So do I" The two men look at each other for a moment, waiting for who is going to take the first step back. It is Nojus who does "Take half of it, it is fair"
Jorr growls but does walk away. Nojus presses his eyes, glancing at the weak men, knowing that Jorr's words are true...but he can't just give up on them. No, his honor would not allow it. They will be strong and loyal warriors, he will see to it. But the first step is to treat them like equals, not like a waste, let alone slaves.
He looks around and focuses on the furthest part of the camp, where big logs have been made into targets to practice with the bow and arrow, Dandrie teaches new Huani the correct way to shoot, how to stand, when to breathe, and how to correctly pull the string.
"When you let go of the arrow let your wrist twist to the side a bit, it will make it more accurate" Diandre speaks up, the power in her voice so full of authority that the Huani, still shaken and tired, obey it without hesitation.
She observes them silently, more than looking for any mistakes in their practice, which she knows there are many, she can't help but focus on the imperfections in their bodies. How some have tails and others do not, how some have human ears and others do not. Truly a sign of botched work, only a human could do such shoddy handiwork.
But then, she shuts her eyes hard, these thoughts need to leave. She can't think this way anymore, otherwise, she may return to her old ways, decades of diligent work thrown out, only to become that which she fought so hard to leave behind...that which she sacrificed so much for.
What would her parents think of her if they could see her now? Surrounded by the descendants of the Emperor's army, and the broken toys of the human's betrayal? Helping a demonic goblin to have a proper army, that could one day even kill some of her people.
Questions like these ate her from within. But every time she had them, she thought about the siblings, what they meant to her, what they represented. So long as they were alive, it was not all for nothing.
"Lift your elbows more, and stand straight" She orders, and all Huani obey.
Then this stench reaches her nostrils, and she turns around to see the source. That goblin, that cursed creature walks out of his tent. Just laying eyes on him fills her with such anger, with the need to put an arrow through his skull, to tear it off clean from his body and let his soiled blood stain the dirt.
Together with that Silvertail that follows him around. And she suddenly snaps to her, likely sensing the killing intent she doesn't bother to hide. At least one of them is a more descent descendant of her people's sacrifice. A shame that her most precious part has already been cut off.
Again, Dandrie shakes her head and focuses on the task at hand...just a moment of indulgence in her murderous needs is all it takes to see these beings as no more than objects. And she knows that if she ever wants to get rid of all the hate she has been taught she will have to learn to see these creatures as more than just vermin.
But that goblin? No, after the embarrassing defeat at his hands...all she wants, is to kill him.
Then perhaps, she will feel better.
The day moves on as the men in the camp set up the tents and prepare the goods. Rokan inspects everything personally, knowing the camp will be left in good hands with both Jorr and Nojus watching over it. But also knowing that it is weaker than ever, having taken twenty of the most capable hobgoblins, among them the majority of the pureblooded ones, and leaving the camp with only the weak Huani and a handful of the new hobgoblins.
Even if there are nearly thirty goblins now, they are far from a proper fighting force, but they are getting there.
The next morning the wargs have finished feasting on the horses leaving nothing but the cracked bones, even reaching for the marrow within, and Morgana is kind enough to inform him that wargs live by a feast-and-famine lifestyle. Meaning they can go weeks without eating after a great feast such as the one they just had, but if they don't keep a close eye on them, they are just as likely to eat their food reserves in a few days.
And letting them go hungry, would be unwise.
By Morgana's command, the wargs allow the hobgoblins to get on their backs, since they are as big as horses. And the largest among them relents and lets Rokan ride him. The gates open and they begin the journey to the far mountains that always surround them. Thorum follows them on foot, with Lina and the unexpected addition of Indri as well.