The strangers walk away and into the tent that belongs to me. I glance at my men standing in silence, is that shame?

"What have I missed?" I look at Jorr, who lets out a tired sigh and crosses his arms.

"A lot, you were gone for too long. It's best they explain it to you" He says as we begin walking toward the tent.

"You" I point at a random hobgoblin "Prepare a tent for the goblins and make sure they memorize everything in the camp, they are with me," I say as I turn around and speak to my anxious brethren "Obey what he says, make yourself useful" The goblins nod and I look back at Jorr, who nods approvingly.

"Disappearing and coming back with a new war band, replacing us so soon? You hurt my feelings, Boss"

"I can say the same, now tell me what happened, as short as you want to make it, but I want to hear it from you first rather than a few strangers I almost killed the last time I saw them"

I focus now more on the camp and its state, I notice the tents we got from the humans are raised and well placed. A blacksmith and rudimentary tables and stumps for chairs have been set up. What looks like a training ring is also present, together with new hanging meats being dried. But along with improvements, I notice signs of a battle.

A good amount of my men are injured, unlikely to be from the fight against the people they now house. Lina appears in my sight from the back of the camp, good, I want to return the favor from my fight in the woods. Andrei appears next to her, and he hides it well, but I can see the displeasure of seeing me alive.

"Fair enough. When you were taken away, the cripple, Enon, spoke with us, and in exchange for healing our wounds, we brought them with us. But the camp was occupied"

"The shapeshifter?" I say glancing at one of my men with bandages all over his arm and face.

"Yes. With a large pack of wolves and wargs, along with goblins that rode them like horses...I miss when they didn't even know how to use a slingshot, now they command armies and ride beasts"

"Times change"

"They do" Nojus joins in, walking next to us"The fighting was hard, were not for Indri, the crippled's sister, and the Ahajlii warrior, we would have died. They are strong warriors"

"That shapeshifter...its skill with the spear was incredible, even the Ahajlii warrior struggled to avoid the blows of its spear, and riding that huge devil, at the end we managed to kill off enough of its pack to make it flee, but it's sure to return after winter" Jorr frowns, moving aside the cloth of the entrance to my tent, and nodding for me to walk inside.

Once inside I see the tent is not the one I had before, it is larger, with a proper table in the middle and a couple of bedrolls. At one side of the table, the three strangers stand, except for the cripple, who sits on a chair next to Indri, who eyes me with open hostility. It's as if she was a completely different person, so much thinner and lacking an arm.

They are better dressed than the last time I saw them, except for the elf who still wears her armor and horned helmet, they are dressed in furs and leathers to keep the cold away. The elf has the magic gauntlet now.

"Please, let's speak calmly" Enon speaks up, his long hair tied and hanging past his right shoulder, giving him an almost feminine appearance" I am-"

"You are Enon, she is your sister Indri, and she is the bitch that put an arrow in my face," I say pointing at each one of them, taking Enon aback with my aggression "I am Rokan Ushkur, leader of this war band" I walk up to the table, standing in front of them with Jorr and Nojus to my side. Enon coughs awkwardly.

"She is Dandrie, a respected Knight of the Leaf and a dear friend of us...I do understand the animosity. Please, understand that if we had known you to be capable of speech and, well, to be intelligent at all, we would have never attacked you"

"I find that hard to believe, you had set up an ambush"

"But not for you, we were being chased by-" Suddendly Indri shouts and slams the table, angrily pointing at me and arguing with his brother in their tongue for a bit until he manages to calm her down"Sorry, would it bother you if we brought in the human with you? So my friends can also understand us" I see a bit of bitterness when he mentions the human.

"Do you speak Akani?" I ask on the tongue, and his eyes open wide in shock. Something his companions share as they eye each other.

"Wait, you speak Akani too? That is incredible! Just how-"

"Then you can understand ME!" Indri shouts, leaning forward and prompting Jorr to reach for the handle of his sword, while Nojus prepares an arrow from the bow, immediately causing the elf to summon her spear, in an instant, we are about to kill each other.

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"Sis! You are-"

"This FUCKING, UGLY, DISGUSTING PIECE OF HORSE SHIT ALMOST KILLED ME!" She screams enraged as she slams her hand on the table again "But only because I wasn't ready, I didn't expect a goblin to be so fast and strong..."Her angry face turns into that of excitement"...but now I am, I want another fight!"

"Boss, what is going on?" Jorr says as he takes a step back.

"Indri, please! This doesn't have to end in another fight!"

"I disagree" the elf speaks up, her emerald eyes like glass fixated on me as she frowns "This is no goblin, it must be a devil. We have to send it back from the hell it came from" Leaning a bit as she stands ready to fight I see the bandages on her shoulder, she is wounded, but hides it well if she is in pain.

"Please, stop!" Enon shouts at Dandrie, who doesn't take her eyes away from me "They have been kind to us, it doesn't matter if he is a devil or a demon, we are NOT fighting!" He says now looking at his sister, who does relent after growling in frustration.

"I won't allow it, I have been understanding with your ways Enon, but I can't allow a devil to roam the realms freely"

"Dandrie, please, I beg you. I know we have...taken everything from you, but please, violence is not always the answer" His tone was softer, calmer, and full of regret does make her glance at him.

The elf remains silent, our eyes locked with each other I can see how every fiber of her body tenses up by how her face contorts in anger, and by how the magic spear begins to shake. But at last, she stands straight, the spear still in hand she slams its end on the ground.

"Now I also deal with devils...Asha'na Min'Utur" She whispers the last bit, as she closes her eyes for a moment.

"Thank you, really" Enon reaches for her arm and gives her a warm smile, but she remains silent and fixated on me "Look, we started off the wrong foot. We just wanted a place to rest and recuperate our strength before leaving you all alone. My sister is just very rowdy and Deidre is...she has many reasons to want you dead. But we just want to rest and be on our way"

"The three of you leave, right when winter begins?" I ask, gesturing at my two companions to calm down "Where will you go?"

"Well, as far away from the Endless Green as possible. To the East" Enon answers, his voice unsure.

"Only the three of you?"

"Y-Yeah...we couldn't free anyone when we-"

"Don't just spill everything!" Indri shouts quickly covering her brother's mouth, who frowns and moves her hands away.

"We need to be honest," He says squeezing his sister's hands, then looking at me "We are escaped slaves from the realm of the Ahajhalnar, the bodies you saw in the spot we fought were their hunters seeking us out" I glance at the elf next to them, who looks away for a moment, in shame "She...she is our friend, she helped us...and we will forever be in debted to her."

"...and what about her? What is she?" I say looking at Indri, who in response spits next to her.

"Oh, you must be wondering why she looks different now...we, have a special potion that makes her stronger," He says nervously, clearly trying his best to not say something he doesn't want me to know.

"Like Starblood," I say, once again surprising him, and making him nod slowly.

"Like Starblood, it is Startears, a more watered-down potion meant to heal and strengthen someone for some time"

"Who are you, Enon?" I ask, now more curious than never to know about these strangers.

"I am an Alchemist, my father-" He frowns for a moment "He taught me everything he knew. My sister was the servant of a noble, and Dandrie...Well, she is our friend"

An Alchemist? I recall Morgana mentioning that when she interrogated me...and believed Fogosh made me with it. What can alchemy do exactly? The tent falls silent as my thoughts begin to run at full speed. What if there is an opportunity here? My men didn't seem to mind their presence and even gave them a big tent, so I don't think they would be against it.

"S-So? Are we alright? We will leave in two- No! Tomorrow morning" He receives glares from his sister and friend, but they remain quiet.

"You are aware that there is a war being fought between the Orcs and humans right now, are you?"

"Is there? Well, it should...make things...oh, they came through the valley" He soon realizes the situation he is in, leaning on the table as he covers his mouth, deep in thought.

"So what? Stupid humans fight with the stupider orcs and we slip right between them!" Indri says with a confident smile.

"No, we were meant to go through the valley and avoid the orcs altogether, but if they brought their armies it means they have not only occupied the valley, but now they must have occupied all the right side of the Farwoods...we would have to go all the way to the other end of the human lands to make it past the mountains and-" He takes a deep breath, massaging his temple.

"Oh, we are fucked then," Indri says scratching her head "So, can I rip his head off? We are going to die anyway"

"Don't, I will keep you both safe" Dandrie adds, but I can see the doubt in her eyes. And after exchanging looks with Enon he sees it too.

"Well, you don't have to leave" I speak up after letting them drown in their thoughts for a bit, and they look at me suspiciously, even Enon "But not for free" My comment seems to strike a nerve, and suddenly the almost carefree attitude of Indri grows cold and alert.

"What do you want?" Enon asks carefully.

"No, we won't make deals with devils," Dandrie says firmly, squeezing the spear in her hand.

"Firstly, I am no devil. I am a goblin, just diferent. Secondly, I want something from each one of you, agree to it and you can stay in the camp for as long as you want, leave once Spring comes and you can traverse the mountains"

"What then? Indri asks, her tone serious, and eyes burning with sudden animosity.

"...I want your mind," I say pointing at Enon, who leans back confused "You will teach me this alchemy you speak of, and anything else you know that I deem useful" Then I point at Dandrie "I want your skills, with the bow and everything else you have to offer. Train me and my men" She squints her eyes "These are my terms. Agree to them, or leave"

"Just that? Nothing else?" Enon asks looking briefly at Dandrie.

"Do you have anything else of value?" I ask, and Enon shakes his head "Then yes, that's it"

"Hey! You don't ask anything of me!" Indri shouts, her demeanor returning to normal.

"I have no need for a servant, but I suppose keeping both of you requires you too," I say looking at Enon, who nods "So, what will it be?"

"...Of course, we agree to your terms," He says leaning forward and stretching an open palm to me. I let it hang for a bit, then shake it once.