THE RUINS

"What the heck is that idiot thinking?"

Chu muttered as he watched the back of the small group.

At the opposite end, the goblin scout stared at the armband on the grinning boy. A whiff of the scent from the yellow paste confirmed its authenticity. He jumped down into the snow, landing close to Zubyia Rang while staring at the boy.

"Brother, no need to resort to violence. Let's part ways as friends so we..."

Ignoring the blubbering from the bourgeois goblin, the scout turned to his companions and pointed a skinny finger, to stress that this meeting just rose above their pay grade. The chattering taunts and curses immediately ceased, as a ripple of uncertainty spread out to the surrounding ambushers.

Forgetting Zubyia Rang who had shed all dignity and kneeled to the ground pleading, the scout lowered his bow and stepped back cautiously as if in the presence of an Elder goblin.

"What do you want?"

Asked the green-skinned scout, interrupting the pleading goblin.

Zubyia Rang who felt he had gained some respite, looked up while remaining kneeling. The feeling of bloodlust and chaotic desire seeped out from this vile little creature. One wrong move and these little devils would string their bows in song. He turned to Scholar Rang who had retreated some distance away.

"The goblins asked what you want."

"Hey, goblin freak. Not that chewy bag of dried bones, this one here. What does he want?"

The scout yelled in anger while pointing to Ming. Who the heck wanted to know the thoughts of that useless human. Those old bones would make useless soup stock. Zubyia Rang spun his neck from Ming to the goblin, to Scholar Rang, uncertain of what to do under the pressure.

Ming made it easier for him at this moment.

"Hey, tell him we need to visit his head. The goblin boss."

Ming said.

"He says he wants to visit the goblin boss."

The goblin translated without thinking.

The scout nodded and then beckoned for them to follow. The goblin chattered among its peers, deciding that they would lead the group towards their camp. There they would palm off this volatile cargo to the Elders. The trees soon resounded with yells and shrill shouts as the surrounding goblins retreated.

A small group of goblins hastily scrambled through the trees, to report to the goblin camp.

"Master Rang, they agreed for us to meet the Elders."

Zubyia Rang said while sweating by the buckets. His initiation into the human Empire had left him with an avid sense of danger and turned him into a coward.

Unfortunately, as a goblin who had lost contact and fell out of the loop, he had been mistaken. The status that Ming represented had long passed equal dealing with an Elder goblin. When he asked for a meeting with the leader, then it could only mean either the Shaman or the exalted Champion.

After a tense moment during the loud chattering and yells, the party then witnessed the goblins retreating from the encirclement. When the captain belated the new orders, praises soon spread on the smell of success for Scholar Rang.

"Mage Rang has an aura of invincibility since those goblins dare not attack. The goblins must have cowered when they saw him retreat to cast his magic."

"Yes, I saw Mage Rang signal the lad to speak, while he secretly prepared to strike. Look at that docile goblin, that alone can testify to his power."

"I hope this lowly one can follow Mage Rang when he enters the Capital in triumph."

Scholar Rang basked in the praising and sucking up from his companions. Besides the captain and the boy, no one knew exactly what transpired between the goblins. Walking near the cage, he narrowed his eyes while glancing at the brats at the rear.

"Master, that boy has something made by goblins. I smell it. The goblins smell it. It very useful."

Zubyia Rang whispered from his confinement. Shamed after what should have been his grand reentrance into the goblin race, he only avoided certain death because of a fluke. Instead of gratitude, a bud of hate, sprouted in his tiny mind.

"When we make camp, I will take it from him. That buffoon probably found it while playing in the forest. Something like that should only be held by those who can utilize it fully."

Scholar Rang mumbled. The praises from the men had swollen his head, inflating his pride and ego. His greedy eyes foretold he would do anything to maintain this status. That brat knew the secret of what had transpired and also held something he needed. The boy became a liability, a sore on his crowning glory.

As a man who spent all his life studying, and then training a captured goblin for this window of opportunity, he felt he had received a resounding slap. The chagrin of the meeting that should have marked the highlight of his life weighed on him.

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In the evening, a goblin approached the leading scouts. The little creature sneered at the Scholar and robed goblin duo who stumbled in haste to appear.

"Make camp here. Tomorrow you reach camp for Elders to lead you."

The vile goblin spat in disgust at the sight of the turncoat before leaving. He had no idea why the devils relating to the Champion, would mix with this broken goblin. The message, however, had become distorted.

"Master, he says the Elders are waiting for you to lead them."

"What? Are you sure?"

"Yes, Master did you not see how angry he looked. It seems like the Elders have a favorable impression of us."

"Then we must grab that thing from the brat as soon as possible. We must not waste this opportunity, since this may be the only chance we have."

At dusk, Chu huddled with the others next to one of many campfires. He placed his hands near the fire, having arrived from chatting with another group of adventurers.

"See those seven adventurers over at that campfire, the wounded red-haired man lost his brother and his party, that long-haired man lost his friend when they followed a mercenary group in the forest. The one-eyed man lost his eye in a raid down south last year."

Chu looked around, before continuing

"All of them suffered losses at the hands of the goblins, at one point in time. So why would they join an expedition to make friends with the creatures they hate?"

The uneasy shuffling in the group broke the silence.

"Revenge. Adventurers are prideful men when you think about it. Out in the far east near the sea, they have been known to throw away their lives to seek revenge. The old-timers in the mine used to say that when you kill an adventurer, make sure you wipe out his entire party, or else you will die looking over your shoulder."

Pick said while placing another log on the fire.

Chu nodded in agreement with the man. Scholar Rang was bringing the proverbial fox into the henhouse. Chu would have laid back and watched the fireworks, but this time he had vested interest to protect. While skimming over different scenarios in his mind, a harsh voice broke his thoughts.

"Hey worker brats, the Scholar wants to meet you, this one."

The Captain grunted while pointing at Ming. Surrounded by his cronies, he cast some leering gazes at the girls. Chu noticed the man kept glancing at the boy's shoulder when Ming moved to stand up. He felt butterflies in his stomach, as he recalled the earlier so-called fateful meeting.

Did the captured goblin figure out the meaning behind the armbands?

An adventurer stumbled towards them near the fire, interrupting their thoughts.

"Hey Captain, the men are asking if you have something to warm the throat. Everyone has the jitters knowing goblins are lurking out there."

The man sniffed while wiping his runny nose with a dirty sleeve. Keeping a sane mind, while knowing wild and dangerous creatures slinked in the darkness required a large pair. Not even the soldiers remained as calm as Chu and the others.

Taking advantage of the distraction, Chu removed his armband and stuffed it under Lucy's cloak. He winked at the surprised girl sitting next to him as he stood.

"It's an honor to meet the esteemed Scholar. Lead on, captain. Congratulations on this success captain, since with this you will certainly earn a promotion to serve in the Capital. I can only envy your life when those noblewomen throw themselves on you."

Chu flattered, as he walked away smiling.

The captain looked at the smiling face that flattered him. He wanted to slap the teeth out of this boy, but the words had stoked his pride. His mind wandered briefly, on picturing ravishing those high-class girls from the Capital. With his cronies also distracted with thoughts of future greatness, they led the boys forward.

Chu shuffled along with them to meet the Scholar, his plan to distract the men from noticing the armbands of the other children as a success. Nobles much less the Scholar, would not waste their sight in scanning a commoner. He did hope his intuition was wrong.

"Well, if it isn't the boys from the so-called heaven inventor's farm. You should know by now that those little trinkets from inventors are incomparable to my historical meeting."

"U-huh, Scholar Rang will have his name etched in the annals of history."

"Ah, yes that's right. Anyway, you boy, yes you. I am a collector of little kick knacks and I found myself having an interest in that unworthy armband on your hand. I would..."

Scholar Rang first wanted to take the armband, but the buttering from the boy distracted him. Before he could finish his act, the boy again disrupted him.

"Oh, the famous Scholar wants this armband? We would love to gift it to the Scholar, but its the last memorial from our deceased father. He had found this on the day a Jaga ripped him apart in the forest. We found this along with his arm. We would never sell it for even one gold."

Chu recalled the grief while staring with sad open eyes at the old man.

"It's all dad left us. We are poor folk, with little backing, so if the Scholar wants to steal it from us or take it by force, then so be it. My brother and I might sell it for two gold coins since the Scholar has such a high reputation."

Chu drawled, loud enough for the nearby soldiers to hear.

"Ha, ha, of course, I would respect your wishes. Take these coins as my gift to you."

Scholar Rang raised his head and flourished his sleeves, before handing out three gold coins. The brat had sweet-talked him into a corner, making it difficult to avoid tarnishing his reputation.

Before leaving, Chu looked the old man in the eyes.

"Are you sure you want to take his armband? You want this band right?"

"Yes, I want that yellow looking band."

Gripping the armband, Rang scowled at the retreating back of the two boys. He frowned on trying to process that strange question at the end. In the end, he dropped that thought.

"Spread the news to the adventurers, that the brats received three gold coins from me. Let them feel some pain."

Chu pocketed the gold, as he returned to his camp. He glanced at the unadorned sleeves of the cloaks.

"Lucy made us hide all of them. We have them hidden in our pockets for when we need it."

Miki said on reading his face.

"We need to keep our distance from that little goblin servant. It seemed he noticed something about our armband."

Tomorrow, Scholar Rang would follow the path of those who thirsted for power and reputation, rather than for knowledge. Planning to one-up a race during the first meeting would not end well. Add the uncertainty of a mutiny and revenge-fueled ambush and a peaceful resolution disappeared in smoke.

How would he deal with this?

Could he demand justice for the adventurers, asking the goblins to hand over the perpetrators?

What if the goblins asked for the same?

In the event of a fight, which side would he stand on?

If he negotiated and saved everyone, would he be branded a goblin lover? How deep would others hate him?

He had one night. One night to answer these questions and more, and determine which path he would be willing to take.