“I have so many questions. Like why did the goblins try to kill us? And why are we working with the same goblins who tried to kill us?!?!” Zel asked with their voice rising to a screech.

“Not kill, deter,” Mohawk hissed.

Elora had gotten Mohawk’s real name, and it was Siv.

“It was definitely killing,” Karl growled.

The Ooraki gripped his ax. Siv and the other goblins scowled with their hands reaching for weapons.

“Enough!” Boomed Nameless.

“We have searched far and wide for the Gifted One. Our scholars and leaders had many predictions, and for the past five years, our forces have been searching all across the high race lands,” Siv said.

“There are more of you?” Elora asked.

“By the hundreds,” one goblin answered in a voice that was a whisper.

“We are legion,” the other goblin said.

“Okay, that is creepy. Does anyone else agree?” Zel stated.

“Creepy? You have two ghouls in your service,” Siv pointed out.

“So? They are beautiful, am I right, Ghoul One and Ghoul two?” The necromancer asked, and the two ghouls screeched and hissed before standing perfectly still.

“They are,” one of the goblins whispered.

Zel’s mouth opened to retort and then closed. The necromancer looked at the goblins and asked, “do you have Necromancy in your lands?”

“Yes,” they both answered.

“Necromancy has many uses where we come from,” explained Siv.

Zel beamed and clapped their hands together. “How delightful!”

“Great, am I the only sane one here that does not see that we will be betrayed?” Karl growled.

Nameless patted the Ooraki’s shoulder. “There are times, my friend, that we must make allies with enemies and enemies of allies.”

Karl glanced at the knight with narrowed eyes. “Huh?”

“He means beggars can’t be choosers. Stop being such a grump and get the cart started,” Elora said, poking an elbow in her friend’s side.

With Zel engrossed in conversation about necromancy, there were no more complaints as the group took a boat across the river and headed north. It was some struggle to bring the cart, and ultimately it was decided that having the cart would save time in the long run. So with clever pulleys, muscle, and cursing, the group could secure the cart on the other side.

“I’ll be surprised if it will work,” grumbled Karl as he inspected the vehicle.

During the transfers, the cart got scuffed and banged up. Karl worked diligently as he corrected some runes and added more mana crystals. The others watched, and after nearly thirty minutes, the cart hummed and glowed with magical life.

“All aboard!” Karl cried.

It was a tight squeeze, but the cart could hold the additional riders. Karl was in the front, with Nameless, Elora, and Milandra behind him. At the rear was Zel and their two ghouls and the three goblins. It was very packed. The travel north was bumpy, cold, and uneventful.

“Will more of your order meet us at the Glade?” Nameless asked.

Siv nodded. “Yes.”

The knight turned their great helm toward the goblin and asked, “how many?”

“It is not certain. I expect a few groups would make their way there,” answered Siv.

“Do you have a way to communicate with each other?” Karl asked.

“We have our ways,” one of the other goblins replied.

“So mysterious!” Exclaimed Zel.

“Will we have enough to aid us against Zaverick’s forces?” Elora asked.

“Maybe. Maybe not.”

“Can you contact all the groups to join us?” Karl demanded.

“It is known to head there. If the groups can make it, they will make it. We will know once we are there,” Siv answered.

Nameless accepted the answer with a grumble.

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“We are doomed!” Zel stated.

Karl snorted, “It is what it is.”

The journey was bumpy and cold, and the group fell into the routine of being vigilant while traveling and training when they stopped to camp. With the addition of the three goblins, the group had additional partners to spar with. Zel refused to practice with weapons and instead meditated and practiced channeling their magic. Elora learned from Siv how to blend shadow magic with swordplay.

“For someone untrained in our ways, you are surprisingly good,” Siv commented in between breaths.

Elora and the mohawk goblin just finished a sparring session.

“You are clever with your illusions and that darkness spell,” another goblin observed.

“We should teach you how to phase,” the other stated.

Elora clapped her hands, and even Zel perked up at this. The necromancer jogged over to listen in. Nameless coached Karl further on fighting and offered advice on how the Ooraki could incorporate their enchantments in a battle. When Karl was not sparring with Nameless, he studied Goodewin’s book and attempted new enchantments. The group was fortunate to have enough mana crystals, and Karl also had his own internal supply from his polka dots. The group discovered that with rest, the dots grew back.

“You are like a pink mana crystal factory,” Zel joked as they sat around the fire eating stew.

The next day was the same. The group would travel for many hours, and when they were close to evening, they would begin to look for a safe place to camp.

“Massster, do you want us to scout the area?” Ghoul One hissed.

“Excellent idea!” Zel replied.

The two ghouls hopped out of the cart and loped off into the distance.

“Is it me, or are they talking more?” Inquired Elora.

Karl nodded, and his eyes narrowed as he watched the undead grow smaller in the distance.

“They grow stronger with the necromancer,” Siv replied.

Zel beamed.

“That is troubling,” observed Nameless.

In response, Zel cackled, “I grow stronger every day!”

At this, even the goblins scooted away from the necromancer. Needless to say, the ghouls were ideal scouts and tireless sentries. The two undead confirmed a safe area for the party to make camp. With the supplies they were given from Rolling Hills, they prepared stew for dinner. After eating, they rested and then started their practice routines until sunset.

“She is truly an exceptional mage,” Siv observed as Zel phased nearly ten meters.

The necromancer’s dark robes fluttered and made them look like a dark ghost as they shimmered from one location to the next. They zipped in a blur before materializing. Elora nodded. She was able to phase for four meters and only for a fraction of the time of what Zel could achieve. However, for Elora, it was enough to significantly enhance her swordplay. When she and the goblins sparred, it was a sight that even captured Zel’s attention. Elora and Siv would exchange feints that were made even more intense with the addition of shadow magic to blur their movements and make them incorporeal for brief moments.

“You can even travel upwards, but you must be careful. If the spell ends while you are in the air, you will fall,” Siv cautioned.

Zel immediately began traveling in arcs and exclaimed, “I can fly!”

“Zel, be careful,” Elora warned.

The half-elf was worried that her necromancer friend would over-exert themselves. What made Zel so talented was their willingness to push the limits of the taint and of magic. However, it also came with risks.

“Oof!” Zel cried as they fell nearly a meter off the ground.

“Zel! By the gods, are you okay?” Elora rushed over.

“I am fine,” Zel said softly while they nursed a rib.

“This is a good reason to rest,” Siv observed.

“Agreed,” Zel said and made their way to lie down beside the cart.

Karl and Elora glanced at each other. The Ooraki resumed enchanting more crossbow bolts. Every night after practicing with Nameless, the enchanter was preparing for the inevitable confrontation with Prince Zaverick.

“We are getting near,” Milandra observed.

“How much further?” Asked Nameless.

“We will arrive tomorrow,” the silver-haired lady answered.

The next day the group traveled through mountains and into a forest full of tall narrow Ponderosa Pine trees over the hard rocky soil. The paths were too narrow for the cart, and they all traveled on foot with Ghoul One and Ghoul Two scouting ahead.

“Be alert,” said Nameless.

They traveled through the thick forest and eventually made it to a circular clearing that was a wide open space, and in its center was a ring of massive white stones.

“We are here,” Milandra stated.

They paused at the edge of the clearing and scanned their surroundings.

“Did we get here before Zaverick?” Karl asked.

Ghoul One and Ghoul two ran the perimeter of the clearing, and after an hour, they returned.

“There is nothing, massster,” they hissed to Zel.

“Shall we go forward?” Elora suggested.

Nameless scanned the forest and the clearing through the eye slits of his great helm. It was about a hundred meters through an open field to the first stone pillar. The stones had to be about three meters tall, and there were a dozen of them forming a circle. What lay beyond the stones was unclear. This was it, the knight thought to himself, and with a nod, he drew his sword.

The others readied their weapons and marched through the clearing toward the stones. As they neared, more details became apparent. In the exact center of the ring of stones was what Nameless had initially thought was another large pillar. As they got closer, he realized that the center rock was worked stone. It looked to be a raised stone entrance that held black iron doors.

“Another dungeon?” Karl asked.

Elora groaned, and Zel clapped their hands in delight. Movement caught Nameless’s attention. A familiar-looking man with a thin build, green eyes, and a pale bald head appeared from behind one of the stones. He was not wearing the imperial armor that they had seen him wear before and instead wore a dark tunic over a mail shirt. He was armed with a sword at his hip and a crossbow slung over his shoulders. The man’s smile faded as Elora dashed toward him, a shadowy jump bringing her blade to his throat.

“Hey!” Exclaimed Elora as the three goblins quickly tackled her to the ground.

Nameless advanced forward with his sword drawn, and he asked, “what is the meaning of this?”

“He is one of us,” Siv replied.

Karl’s eyes went wide. “He betrayed us! He is working for Zaverick!”

Sargent Snel shook his head and bowed to the Siv.

“No, he is one of us,” the mohawk goblin said.

“He is human!” Elora exclaimed as she scrambled to her feet.

“The order of Shaymus is not only for goblins. It is for all who wish to see this world return to its former glory,” Snel said.