The colossal sandstone statue came into clear view. It was of a broadly built man, holding a staff into the air as though declaring himself to the gods. The statue was so tall that Friedrich suspected if he were to stand atop it, he could see halfway across the island; certainly, he would see the entirety of Port Balsia, for that was the direction it faced.

The statue did not stand upon the sand as Friedrich had suspected, but in a tiled platform that raised it a few feet above the ground, not that it needed the height boost; rather, the platform ran underground and kept the statue stable amongst the shifting sand of the desert.

“What a spectacular view,” said Friedrich, marvelling at the impressive structure. His eyes suddenly turned shifty and a small grin appeared on his face. “I wonder if I could climb to the top?”

“You will do no such thing,” snapped Teleri, grabbing him by the shoulder before he had the chance to move. “I will not be cleaning up your bloody remains when you fall to your death.”

“It was a pondering!”

“A foolish pondering. Ponder it no more!”

“Oh, hush,” barked Marina, pulling the pair apart. “Can you two stop your incessant bickering for a minute?”

“Indeed,” said Teleri.

“You started it this time,” said Marina, wagging a finger at the Alaurian. “You think you’re much more mature than he is, but you aren’t. Oftentimes, you’re the most immature of all of us!”

“The nerve!” cried Teleri, affronted to be called such a thing. Friedrich tried to hold in his laughter by biting his lower lip.

“Don’t think you’re getting off the hook,” said Marina, grabbing his ear and giving it a firm tug. “Pondering or not, I want your solemn promise to not do something idiotic like climbing that statue. It would be different if you could turn into a bird, but you cannot. Promise me.”

“I promise!” said Friedrich and Marina released him.

“Honestly, you two…” sighed Marina, shaking her head. “If I didn’t love you both so much, I would slap the pair of you senseless.”

Friedrich and Teleri exchanged a look of embarrassment. The young man wanted to make a snarky guess at Teleri’s age, a detail she always refused to share with him, but he refrained in fear that Marina would send a thousand volts through his body; something she could do with the flick of her wrist.

“There’s someone coming. Who is that?” asked Teleri, looking towards the south, very much relieved to find something to break the awkward silence.

The man was wearing a long tunic and draped in a thin flowing robe that kept him cool as he walked across the sand. His walk was slow and graceful as though he was slowly rolling along the sand on small wheels. He had certainly come from Port Balsia if he was coming from the south.

“Hello!” called Friedrich, holding up a hand in greeting.

The man stopped momentarily and then resumed his walk towards the three. As he approached, he pulled down his hood, revealing himself as a middle-aged man with black hair that was starting to turn grey. He had a short, wispy beard and a look of bemusement on his face.

“It is a rare sight to see a single soul at the Watcher of Kai’roh’s podium, let alone three foreigners,” he said. “Well met, my name is Suljah.”

“Friedrich.”

“Marina.”

“Blackjack.”

Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.

“That is a most unusual name for a high elf,” said Suljah, “but if that is your name, then that is your name.”

“You called this statue the Watcher of Kai’roh?” asked Friedrich.

“Yes,” said Suljah walking over to the large pedestal, climbing up and placing his hands upon the statue’s foot. “It is one of the most ancient structures on this island. It predates every town and village by many, many years. So many years that I could not tell you how old it truly is.”

“But it’s in such good condition,” said Marina in amazement.

Suljah smiled at her. “It was not always this way, miss. My grandfather restored it when it was in a state of disrepair, while my father maintained it after he passed away. When my father passed away, I took over the duty of care for the Watcher. I’ve been tending to it with my father since I was a child, so now it is for me and my children to look after, however, I am the one that comes here most often.”

“And you come from Port Balsia?” asked Friedrich.

Suljah laughed and climbed down from the podium. “I come from all over,” he said. “I have crossed this island a hundred times over, but today, yes, I come from Port Balsia. I spend most of my days wandering the island, learning something new every single day. It is a magical place, Kai’roh. Have you found it welcoming?”

Friedrich tilted his head from side to side. “Well…in a manner of speaking…no, not especially. We’ve had run-ins with goblins, been jumped in a city of bandits and been attacked by stone golem, all within the space of a week.”

“My, my, what an adventure in such a short time. I am envious, sir. A life of such excitement is something that many can only dream of.”

“And what about you, Suljah?” asked Teleri. “What is it that keeps you coming back to this statue after so many years?”

“It is my sacred duty to tend to this statue,” said the man pleasantly. “The history of my home must be preserved and treated with great care. To have it fall into ruin would be unacceptable to me. There is something to be said about taking care of something even though you receive no gratitude for it at the time. There will one day come a day, when I am long gone, that my efforts will be noticed. It does not bother me that they are not appreciated during my lifetime.”

“You must have seen every inch of this island if you’ve crossed it so many times?” asked Friedrich.

“It is as I said, I still learn new things. There are ruins that I have yet to venture into and perhaps I never will, but rest assured that there are many old and ancient things on Kai’roh. Treasures lost to time, secrets kept locked away and even horrors beyond your imagination…”

Friedrich walked over to the statue as Suljah trailed off. He looked up at it from directly underneath. “I wonder who this man was…do you know?” he asked.

“I am afraid that I do not and never will,” said Suljah, “but it pleases me that you are taking an interest. It is nice to receive some gratitude while I am still alive.” Suljah chuckled and clapped his hands together.

“Do you know of a man named Namavar?” asked Marina.

“Ah, the tea merchant?” asked Suljah, bowing his head.

“Tea merchant, among other things,” said Friedrich.

“Yes,” said Suljah. “I believe he has taken over Legama recently. He is not someone I would trifle with and I avoid passing by that town when I am on my travels, but I have no doubt that he will not be ruling that roost forever.”

“Can he be trusted to follow through on a promise?” asked Marina.

Suljah chuckled. “Only if you have something he wants.”

“That answers that then,” said Friedrich, looking to Teleri who nodded. “Shall we get going back to Legama?”

“Travellers,” said Suljah, “I appreciate you taking the time to come visit the Watcher. I would love to offer you a trinket, if I had one to give, but your presence was not something I expected. Perhaps, I can offer you something more valuable than material goods…a single question about the secrets of the island?”

Friedrich’s mind immediately was drawn to the Ruins of Kotuga, but he did not want to waste his one question to find out about somewhere he was already intending to explore.

“Suljah,” he said, “would it be alright if we visit you again when I have a question worth asking?”

“But, of course,” said Suljah, smiling and nodding. “I wish you well on your journey, Friedrich, Marina and Blackjack.”

The three bid a farewell to the statue tender and walked across the flat sands and back towards the road.

“We have something Namavar wants,” said Marina, “you think we will be alright?”

“I will go into town alone,” said Friedrich, “just in case he tries to trick us.”

“No,” said Teleri, “we will go together. If things get ugly, we will do as we did before and fight his off his minions. We will fight our way through them all and take everything he has if he tries to double cross us.”

Friedrich pulled out the goblin mask and looked at it. As ugly as it was, it was a work of art. Its glossy paint shimmered in the sun and the soul gem twinkled brightly as the vapour wafted around it, but that was not the mask that Friedrich was focused on. While he held the goblin in one hand, his other hand was pressed upon the other mask that hung around his neck; the minotaur mask.

He thought he was being subtle, but Teleri’s elven eyes did not miss much. She watched Friedrich and her heart filled with dread as he continued to be enthralled by the bestial artifact.