As she had promised, Vel kept watch for the entire night while I slept. I asked Alan to keep an extra eye on her during the night, just in case, but nothing of note happened.

In the morning, I prepared some fruit juice for the both of us while Vel prepared a simple dish of scrambled eggs with mushrooms and hog bacon. Then we were on the move again.

After a few hours of careful navigation, we stumbled upon something. Alan spotted a group of three green skinned creatures with pointed ears perched in a tree a few hundred meters from us. When I shared his senses, I recognized them.

Goblins.

Unlike drakonians, who were angry cannibalistic assholes, goblins were much more friendly. Most tribes had a nomadic lifestyle. I remembered the village had traded with a group that had passed nearby when I had been younger.

"Goblin scouts," I whispered to Vel, "should we approach?"

"We can try. We can offer some of our monsters."

"Worth a try."

I went first and slowly approached the tree the scouts had made their observation post. With the dense trees and foliage, they spotted us at the same time I caught them in my sphere. One of the goblins signaled their apparent leader and soon, all three were watching us. They hadn't drawn their weapons yet which was a good sign.

I turned towards the leader and waved. "Greetings," I said in the human language. Most sentient denizens of the jungle knew the language as it was the standard for adventurers.

"Dark Ones," he greeted in return.

"We wish to negotiate passage."

"What do you offer?"

"Monster carcasses, freshly slain."

The leader raised an eyebrow. Understandable considering how light we were traveling.

"Present them," he ordered.

I made one of the Jagras corpses appear at my feet.

"One more of those, I have two crested geckos and some hogs as well."

He jumped down and came to inspect the corpse. I knew the stasis enchantment on my amulet had preserved it perfectly but it was smart of him to verify. The goblin was much smaller than me, the top of his head only reached the middle of my torso.

"Clean kill," he remarked, "marks of magic. You slew the beast yourself Dark One?"

"All of them. We were planning to eat them during our trip but we're happy to share. There's always plenty to be found."

"Indeed, Dark One. One is enough for safe passage. The Elder is always interested in visitors as well, Galzi can bring you to her."

"We would be honored," I said.

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The goblin camp was an hour away. Galzi, a man with a clipped ear, led us through the thick jungle with practiced ease. Despite his small stature, he had no issues orienting himself. Half-way through, the density of trees started to diminish and after a while, I could see a small hill through the vegetation.

From above, Alan was the first to spot the camp. Big circular tents were placed around the top of the hill. A wooden palisade encircled the whole. Simple guard towers were positioned at regular intervals. At the center was a large dirt area with several smoldering bonfires. Large beasts were corralled into a pen at the southern edge.

As we approached, Galzi shouted something at the guards in his native tongue. I guessed it was to prevent us from being turned into pincushions. I hadn't identified them as it was considered somewhat rude to do to people you were friendly with but I expected that most of them were rank five or higher considering they roamed the jungle. At the gate, the goblin talked to the guards present. A runner left shortly after.

"I am Tilee, welcome to the Sandcrook tribe," one of the guards said with a small bow, "the Elder will be here soon."

"Greeting Tilee," I reciprocated, "I am Liscura and my companion is Velatha of Niu."

"What brings you so far?" She asked.

"We are on our way to Asril village then to the guild."

"Ah, adventurers," she said with a wistful sigh, "I remember my days. It's how I lost my first leg."

"It looks like you got better," Vel said with a smirk.

"Our shaman does weave miracles." She shook her right leg as a demonstration.

Their shaman had to be very good, the druid spell book had several spells to regrow limbs but they required a spell level of at least thirty to cast. I knew it was possible to increase the level for specific types of spells through skills and perks but it was still impressive.

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An older goblin approached us accompanied by the runner.

"Dark Ones," she greeted, "my name is Klaskee, Elder of the Sandcrook tribe."

Vel repeated our introductions.

"Well, come in. It is always better to talk around a good meal. Kalqa told me you brought Jagras from your hunt?" She had a wry smile on.

"We did. How many do you want?"

Klaskee laughed.

"Perhaps a feast is in order," she said with a smile, "we would be honored to host you for some time as well. Guests are all too rare these days."

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Our first stop was the kitchen where I dropped off all of my fresh corpses and added a crate of vegetables on a recommendation from Vel. The chef in charge had a big grin on her face.

"It's not every day I get to prepare a feast for guests, and those ingredients will be perfect. You Dark Ones know how to grow plants."

"We won't hold you then," Vel smiled.

Then, the Elder brought us to her tent. The outside was sparsely decorated, it was hard to tell it apart from the rest. Inside was another matter. The center had a small fire pit over which a pot of water was gently simmering. The floor and walls were covered with rugs and pelts giving the place a very cozy atmosphere. Several chests and boxes served as furniture.

We all took a seat on cushions around a low table. Klaskee brought out several cups and filled a pitcher with hot water. She served us tea in silence and I let the leaves infuse patiently. The aroma wafting in the air was divine.

"It is my favorite blend," the elder said.

"I can understand why," I said. The taste was as pleasant as the smell.

"Now, let's get to business. Scouts from Nis visited when we set camp but I have not heard of them since then. I didn’t expect two travelers from Niu to be next."

"Nis and Niu were attacked five days ago", I explained, "A group struck during the night, both villages at once, and abducted the entire population in less than a day. We fought but the invaders were prepared and had many powerful mages with them. My teacher teleported both of us to safety and told us to warn Nis but when we arrived there, the village was deserted and there were sights of battle. No trace of a single soul, not even bodies."

"Concerning," the Elder said, "not many have the strength to take on a whole village at once."

"We tracked them down but their convoy seems to have disappeared. I suspect a portal spell was used to move them."

"I am sorry I cannot offer you much comfort. We will pass the word to any we encounter in our travels. I assume you are on your way to alert Asril?"

"Yes."

"May Gaia watch over you on your travels then," she said solemnly.

After that, the conversation turned to lighter topics until Luixa, the village shaman, arrived. She was enthused at meeting two other healers.

"This spell is familiar," Luixa said when I showed her Rejuvenation, "Breknir is still kicking then?"

"He was my teacher," I replied, "but I don't know if he survived the attack."

"That elf is a tough nut to crack," she said with a grin, "I doubt anything less than an elder demon would put him down for good."

"I hope so," I said.

Luixa took my hand and gave me a reassuring smile. "I was his apprentice once too. He may be an annoying bastard but you need to have faith in him."

Vel put her hand around my waist and scooted closer for a kiss. I leaned against her for comfort.

"Maybe I should, eh." I smiled slightly.

"Let's go to my tent," the shaman changed the subject, "I have some materials I would be willing to trade in exchange for some spells or ingredients."

"Let's go," I nodded.

The shaman's tent was not too different from the clinic in Nui, just on a smaller scale. Luixa, Vel, and I sat around a small table where we talked shop for some time. From time to time, a goblin would come in for help but there were no emergencies.

"Interesting," Luixa said with interest in her eyes, "I would be willing to trade for some of the spells in that book." I had shown her the druid spellbook, which I had just noticed, had been written by Breknir himself.

"Maybe we can find an arrangement," I smiled.

I transcribed several of the high level healing spells and my Void Scalpel for her in exchange for some alchemy materials and several elemental stones.

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After we parted ways with Luixa, Vel and I wandered through the small settlement. It was a strange feeling to be the tallest person around by a wide margin. Not a single goblin reached the height of my chest.

A few children took interest in the two Dark Ones wandering around as well.

Most of them were simply curious and observed from afar. I watched them peek from behind tents or crates as they tailed us through the village. But there were also the bold ones.

This was how I was faced with a small goblin girl, who barely reached my hips, babbling at high speed in a language I couldn't understand. The adults around had smiles on their faces but did nothing to help, Vel was also holding back giggles unsuccessfully. I had to admit it was very funny.

I knelt before her.

"Sorry little one," I said, "I can't understand anything."

She frowned for a second then pointed at herself. "Flake!" It was probably her name.

"Liscura." Then I pointed at Vel. "Velatha."

She nodded enthusiastically and started to babble again but this time, she took my hand and tried to drag me along. I followed with a smile on my face. Not like I had anything better to do. She led me to a tent where an older goblin woman was working a tanning rack.

As soon as she saw the little girl and me in tow, she frowned and called Flake. Her dark green skin took on a reddish tint and she cowered behind my legs. The goblin woman shook her head and approached.

"My apologies, adventurer," she said, "my daughter is fascinated by adventurers, wants to follow in her father's footsteps. I hope she wasn't too much trouble."

"Not at all. She was very nice."

The woman spoke a few words and Flake walked next to her, her head hung low and she looked a bit defeated.

"Hey, Flake," I knelt down next to her and rummaged through my back pouch. I pulled out two of my old pouches, the unenchanted ones, and gave her mother a quick look. She looked surprised for a second but nodded with a smile.

"Here, for a future adventurer," I handed her the pouches. The cloth tunic she wore was tied at the waist by a rope but with a tanner for a mother, I had no doubt she would be able to get a belt soon.

Her mother translated and Flake looked at the pouches in awe. She took them reverently from my hand and hugged them close to her chest.

"Thank you," the mother said, "I'm certain she will cherish them."

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When night fell, the two bonfires at the center were lit and the festivities started. I got to enjoy several goblin dishes and talk with several of the inhabitants. Several of the children who had tailed us through the village made their appearance and pestered us with a million questions. A few adults acted as translators until the next part of the evening happened.

I did a few magic demonstrations and it ended up taking the center stage for a while. Luixa, Vel, I, and a few other mages from the village had friendly duels where we showed off our spells and competed for the applause of the crowd.

"Excellent performance," Luixa smiled, "as expected from one of Breknir's students. I have a feeling you will both go very far in life."

Vel and I shared a cup of berry wine together. We danced with the other villagers around the fire to the sounds of drums. After a while, we retreated for the night to our shelter. Klaskee had provided a place for us to set up inside the walls.

"It was nice," Vel said as she cuddled against me.

"Yes," I kissed the top of her head.