( Zane POV )

"Sir, I must advise you against this! Please, give up on this meeting and return to your slumber!"

"I understand your concern, Anno, but I’m overruling you. They told me to be online at this unholy hour, and I’ll be damned if I’m going to be the deadweight of this operation."

I have to plug in the password twice before I get it right. “N1ght-Sky”, very melodramatic. Christ almighty, I’m tempted to listen to Anno. I really resent all this post-midnight theatrics.

Shucks, too late.

"Hi Zane! Everything alright?"

"Actually, ma'am, he is very uncomfortable indeed! This entire situation is highly irregular and deeply disturbing to my master’s sleep patterns! It’s also entirely unnecessary!"

Jade ignores him. John ignores him. Damn, but I’m a sucker for peer pressure.

"Right, Zane, please join us at the main table."

We start to move towards the digital incarnation of a meeting table. It looks like an asset Jade’s lifted from the war room in Doctor Strangelove.

"What?! Ms Jade! Will you please acknowledge my presence!"

Nobody does. We sit at the circular table, in positions where the three of us can talk face-to-face. Anno tries angrily to force Jade to respond to him, with no success. Eventually, he resorts to perching on the table directly in front of her, and is driven to further hysterics when she uses the chat room settings to turn down his opacity.

"Now that we’re all here, let’s start with the purpose of this meeting. As Jade predicted our tribe will arrive at the goblin hollow in about fifty-three minutes, real-time."

"Why the hell are we already here, then? That’s nearly an hour of sleep you’ve robbed me of!"

"There’s a problem, one we can’t ignore. It’s our point situation, and a question of experience."

"At this point, I’ve got quite a bit of experience with small scale skirmishes in this game. I’m starting to get a feel for it, when I need to push and when I can just leave it to my troops. Were I to take the role of commander, I’m pretty confident we could win. But… I can’t. Unfortunately, I don’t have any spare points to order my people around. We’re broke."

"You, on the other hand, have plenty of points to spend, but you haven’t directed a single skirmish. You haven’t needed to; wolfkin can handle themselves just fine. They’re easy mode. And don’t get too big-headed, John. You’ve got plenty to learn as well."

I nod slowly to indicate that I’ve grasped the full ramifications. As it currently stands, the whole attack could be a dreadful roll of the dice. My brow furrows.

"Hmm. Is there a point-transfer protocol?"

Anno speaks up, audible despite his transparency.

"Ah, no, Sir. I could be wrong, but I believe Ms Jade and Mr John wish to teach you the basics of small scale combat."

"Not just the basics. I need to power you through everything I know of small scale combat situations in this game, and we need to do this before the actual battle, which is in forty-nine minutes. John could use some tutelage in this as well."

"Ah… yeah. Oh, right, almost forgot: we’re going to use a small-scale time dilation effect to give us about an extra fifteen minutes."

"Darn. Time dilation always gives me a headache. I don’t suppose I get any say in this?"

"Of course you do! We aren’t planning to listen to it, though. So, let’s make a start. Forty-eight minutes left."

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( Jormund POV )

I breathe out deeply, calming myself.

So far, things have gone well between to the two tribes. It seems that nothing brings friends together like conspiring the slaughter of an entire people.

Our plan is finalised, for what good it’ll do, and now I’m leading a small party of warriors, all humans, towards the goblin hollow. Oh, and Kali. That’s why I was on edge. Not the prospect of sudden death, but the eminent possibility of being backstabbed.

"Hey. Kali. A final warning: Follow your part in the plan as you were told. This could all get very hairy if you suddenly decide to help your fellow tribesmen, but I assure you that the Alpha would make a point of hunting you down even if it killed him."

"I am helping the goblins, but only those who deserve my help. You can have the hunters. That’s not Kali’s problem, eh? No, not my problem at all..."

I don’t really understand how anyone, even a goblin, could feel such hatred for their own tribe. But then, he’s been honest enough so far, and he is very strange.

I glance around the rest of my little group: Yor, Forgu and Ralnt. Forgu, like me, looks tense, but neither Yor nor Ralnt seem phased. Perhaps you get used to this sort of thing when Candur have tried to disembowel you often enough. Perhaps this death-or-glory stuff becomes routine. Or perhaps they’re just not scared of goblins.

"How the hell are you two so calm?! I’m nearly pissing myself here!"

You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

"You learn to deal with it, don’t you, Ralnt? We’ll either live or die, but ultimately we can’t change the result by being worried. And besides, they’re only goblins: they usually only win through ambushes. We’ll be fine."

Ralnt just nods, a touch distractedly. Kali whispers something to Forgu.

"Quiet! We’re nearly there! Prepare yourselves!"

A final few steps. Careful. Calm. Perfectly balanced and ready to strike.

Our group enters the clearing at a run, bursting from the foliage like... very angry humans. Around the central fire, as many as thirty goblins are going about their daily tasks; working, tanning, cooking, chatting.

Everything stops upon our entry. There’s a moment of stunned silence, and I take the initiative.

"Behold! I am Jormund, twice-living, slayer of Fang-Takers and scourge of those who stand in my way! I come here to challenge the Headman of this hollow to a duel, or take his life in battle! Let him show himself, or let him live in shame until I hunt his cowardice down!"

By the time I’ve finished this challenge, the clearing is empty, every goblin having scampered down the nearest tunnel entrance in mere seconds. All but one - we’ve tied Kali to us with a piece of rope, precisely to avoid such a disappearance.

"Well, that could have gone better. At least they didn’t just attack us; I doubt we could have vanquished such a number ever with the prowess of ‘Jormund the Twice-Living’."

He snorts, a moment of wry humour in the midst of our disappointment. All that planning, and the goblins didn’t take the bait. So much for Kali’s cunning plan.

And then, the situation changes once more, as a seemingly unending stream of goblins erupts once more from the hollow. Six… Ten… Fifteen… They move too quickly, I can’t keep track of them all. And yet, one catches my eye. He stands still, while the others move around him. He stares me in the eye, as the others sidle. Oh, and he’s a good head taller than the rest, too, and carrying an enormous headdress, fashioned of Candur plumes and wolf teeth, which is something of a clue. The Headman. He speaks, his voice shrill by human standards, yet powerful nonetheless.

"I have come to answer your challenge, arrogant human. I hear your boasts, your self-acclaimed titles, and you prideful confidence. But what proof do you have, human? I am Headman, slayer of wolfkin in single combat, stronger and wiser than any other goblin. What gives you the right to challenge me, rather than beg for my mercy?"

"I carry on my person the trophies of eight of your fang-takers! I slew each, not one by one with traps, as you slay wolfkin, but at once, when I stood alone against the eight! I carry their claws, and the fangs they carried before me! That is how I earned my right to challenge you, Headman!"

I raise the trophies into the air for all to see, dangling on twine from my clenched fist. By this point, there must be seventy goblins surrounding us: should he give the order to attack, we would stand no chance. Time to spring our trap.

"But! Should you turn away, should you be afraid, old goblin, I too am ‘merciful’. Admit you cannot beat me, and I will let you leave, your family with you! And more, should you swear a blood oath to prevent any goblin from doing harm to my tribe, or that of the wolfkin, I will allow you to turn away from this challenge altogether! Or will it be a duel, coward?!"

The Headman’s unyielding stare falters, he blinks. Now, he cannot back down, or order his minions into battle: It would show fatal weakness. Slowly, he responds.

"And how do I know that you will keep your word, were I to accept your offer? Why should I swear a blood oath to a liar?! You lie about the deaths of the fang-takers, you must, so how could I possibly trust your word in this?!"

Blast, he’s smarter than Kali had led us to believe. Although that’s not hard. In any case, he’s trying to wriggle out of it, but fortunately we brought a way to undermine this tactic.

"You accuse me of lying, when I offer you peace?! Then I ask you, why have I brought back this runaway, fed and watered him, given him shelter? Were I so untrustworthy, so eager for your blood, I would have slaughtered him the moment I saw him!"

I untie Kali and shove him towards the Headman with my foot. The goblins have lapsed into stunned silence. Time to make good and leave, while I have the advantage.

"I have laid down my challenge, and your people have seen it! I will return in one hour: have your answer!"

I motion to the others, and, as one, we turn and march away, sweeping aside the goblins in our path. I don’t look back, but I don’t need to: One glance at the Headman’s expression was enough.

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( Kali POV )

The guards escort me inside, claws around my arms. Hardly the first time. Won’t miss it, if all goes right. Won’t miss it, if all goes wrong, either.

Soon, the sound of the hubbub is lost in the tunnels, the confused crowd left far behind. I’ve missed the hollow. Cool, dark, quiet. In relief, I start to question the guard.

"So, ah, how is grandfather? Kali was worried about him, oh very much so!"

"Hmm. He’s not so bad, not so bad. Of course, he’s had more work to do, so have all of us. Your escape messed up so many plans! We’ve been fortifying, we thought this might happen, oh yes! Traitor! Heh. Traitor, cousin. You always were trouble!"

I laugh, a genuine laugh, it rings from the walls in strange, high echoes.

"Cousin, this plot goes farther than you think, and is too subtle for a hunter like you! Take me to Grandfather - if he doesn’t wish to see me, you can always escort me to a cell afterwards!"

My cousin stops for a moment, eyes narrowed in frustration. Kali really does need to work on this ‘tact’ thing. Eventually, however, he shakes his head and we increase our pace. At the next intersection, we take the corridor that leads towards Grandfather’s hole.

"You best know what you’re about, Kali! Always so sneaky, but never quite so clever as you think! The Headman wants you dead, and I don’t want to anger him…"

Eventually we reach Grandfather’s domain, his medicine rooms. I shed the escort and enter. There’s only a single exit, so he doesn’t follow. Inside I find Grandfather and, surprisingly, my sister.

"Vis? What are…?"

Before I finish my words, however, I am forced to swallow them, as sister repeatedly beats me savagely across the face with the bowl that happened to be in her hand. It shatters, but no hot soup or sharp shard wounds me. Some luck, I suppose.

Yes. Kali really must work on this tact thing. It would save ever so much trouble.

"Kali, you damnable idiot! Why?! Why would you do this to me! How could you?! Never terrify me like that again!"

I wipe the filth from my face, and decide to ignore this new development. Perhaps tact wouldn’t save so much trouble, after all.

"I have no time for this. I must speak to grandfather Gordune."

Vis is already winding up for another frenzy, but she quiets when I use his full name. To use the name of an elder is ever so rare, ever so worrisome. It is done only when the situation is dire. Kali is not entirely devoid of strategy.

"So… things are bad. How bad?"

"We must collapse the front entrances of the hollow. As soon as possible. That bad."

"What! No, that’s foolish! It would expose us as working against the Headman, and no amount of talking could ever persuade him otherwise!"

"There’s more. I can’t explain, but there are other plans in play, here. It’s more complex, but it will work! Trust me!"

The silence feels deafening.

Grandfather sits down and rubs his amulet.

"Alright, we do it. Trust, trust… trust it is, then.

Vis, get the others. Collapse the entrances, quickly, quietly, do not let the hunters know that they are trapped on the surface.

And Kali, little one… Or perhaps not so little, now. We will need to talk some more. You have much to tell."