“Well… your ideas sound interesting, Drek,” Kashmir muttered. “Regardless of how they turn out, thank you again for what you did back there… seeing you talk back to the queen was scary, but I think she was seriously considering executing me before you talked her out of it. So, I… um, appreciate that. That, and the fact you bought a year of peace for my family. Perhaps a lifetime of peace, if you do manage to become a king, or at least keep the ruse going.”

Colb glowed as he translated these words, feeling so proud of the young Kashmir for sharing her feelings with Drek like this.

“Rrghegh, you’re welcome. Queen was being dumb and unreasonable… it only made sense for me to point it out. Rrghegh, and I assure you – your family will see a lifetime of peace. I’ll order their relocation to wherever you want as soon as we finish looting Wealth Mountain, and I’ll most certainly establish my goblin kingdom before next year. You have nothing to fear!”

“Thanks,” Kashmir replied, cracking another smile at Drek’s reassurance. With that, she turned back to the window, quietly gazing at the numerous brassleaf shrubs lining the woodland path.

The rest of the journey to Reli was relaxing and comfortable. The longwagon had no issues moving through the forest, and the dozen rooftop guards warded off any dangerous animals that might have otherwise considered approaching the travelers.

As the longwagon approached the village of Reli, the crew awoke to a symphony of music. “AaAaaaaahhhh, we must be close, yes we must be!” 27 proclaimed, jumping to his feet and dancing along with the tune. “I hear a symphony of song welcoming us, yes I do!”

“It’s not for us,” Kashmir replied with Colb translating for her. “That’s just what Reli sounds like. A large population of Reli focuses their magic through instruments and song.”

“AaAaaaaahhhh, magic through instruments? That is good idea for a Yiklar product, yes it is,” 27 cheered.

As the longwagon entered Reli, the crew looked out the windows to survey the villagers. Sure enough, just about every elf in sight was holding an instrument, playing in harmony with their fellow elves. This combined effort across the entire town mixed into one miraculous, ever-shifting, non-stop song.

Colb watched as an adult elf with shiny sappherald earrings and lustrous red hair played along on their banjo. Every time they strummed the instrument, a burst of wind flew out from their hands, launching leaves around them into the air.

Elsewhere, an elderly elf with curly gray hair played along to the tune on a wooden flute. With each note she blew, a new beautiful flower magically sprouted in her garden. “Hmmm, this is quite amazing, yes?” Colb muttered in astonishment.

Colb looked around some more, eventually landing his eyes on a young elf tapping a small drum down a nearby street. His music didn’t seem to be creating any magical effects, yet he was undeterred from contributing to Reli’s continuous song.

After a few moments, the drum-playing boy suddenly tripped, dropping his drum and scraping his knee. A girl about the same age as him rushed over, playing a healing tune for him on her slide whistle. As she blew on the little instrument, the red scrape along the boy’s leg sealed up, and the swelling went away.

This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

The camelmule-drawn longwagon continued to trudge through Reli until eventually coming to a stop on the northeastern shore of the Elvish Kingdom.

The crew exited the longwagon, and with some prompting from the dozen royal guards, approached the watery shore. Once they were close to the sea, the youngest of the royal guards – probably only a hundred years or so older than Kashmir – pulled out a green ocarina and stepped past them, into the water.

The guard’s light blue hair glistened below the rising sun as she gracefully held the green instrument up to her lips. She began to softly exhale and move her fingers, contributing to the continuous, beautiful melody of Reli with her ocarina.

A quartet of spring robinfinches flew in from nearby, singing along to her music and perching on her shoulders. This warm scene of companionship reminded Colb of the alchemist Vitra, whose winter foxferret pet liked perching upon her shoulders as well.

“Ragh, welcome to Reli,” the guard suddenly said in Goblish, looking up from her ocarina. She then danced with a ballerina-like bow aimed towards Drek. At the end of her bow, she blew lightly into her instrument, and the spring robinfinches upon her shoulders lowered their heads in bow as well.

The crew stared at the elf as she continued to lower her head. After about ten seconds, Kashmir summoned a small chunk of ice, and flicked it into Drek’s side. “Rrghegh… uh, oh! …At ease,” he said to the elf. She elegantly stood back up, watching the crew with her calm, pink-colored eyes.

“Rrghegh… what uh… what er, is your name?” Drek asked.

“Ragh, I am Oceanbreeze Trisgwn,” she replied in fluent Goblish. “I’m a member of the royal guard, and your envoy for this evening. Her majesty sent me with you because I was born and raised here in Reli.”

“Rrghegh… miss elf, er, Trisgwn,” Drek replied, adjusting his crown. “What… brings you, er, to my domain unsolicited?”

“Hurmph, this isn’t your domain,” Stibs whispered sharply to Drek.

“MMmMmmmm, I don’t think he knows what domain means,” 27 added quietly.

“Rrghegh… I don’t know what unsolicited means either,” Drek admitted softly.

“Ragh… there are two reasons Queen Eylbella chose to place me here today,” Trisgwn announced in reply. “I am here both for my fluency in your native tongue, and for my ability to summon your ride.” The elf then held her ocarina at-the-ready, and stepped further backwards into the water. As she played, the spring robinfinches flew off her shoulders, and five rubbery brown creatures swam up to her from nearby in the sea.

“Ragh… these are deerdolphins,” Trisgwn cheered, patting one of them on the nose. “They’re very intelligent creatures, although also quite skittish. They need to breathe air to survive, so they always swim right at the surface of the water.”

“Rrghegh, okay,” Drek mumbled, scratching the skin under his crown with one of his clawed hands.

“Ragh… I’ve summoned them so you can ride them wherever you’d like,” Trisgwn clarified. “They’re faster than boats, and much more intelligent, too.”

“Rhe! I see,” Drek exclaimed with understanding. “Then we’ll be off to the Frosted Wastes to take care of my kingly business,” he announced.

“Hurmph, took us long enough!” Stibs added.

Trisgwn played another song, which seemed to keep the skiddish deerdolphins calm as more royal guards trudged into the water and snapped white-colored saddles onto their bodies.

Once each deerdolphin was properly equipped, the royal guards helped the goblins mount them. Next, Colb watched cautiously from atop his rubbery steed as a guard wrapped Kashmir in an elven blanket, then carefully placed her upon the fifth deerdolphin’s saddle. Much like Kashmir’s dress, the blanket appeared to be immune to her frosty powers – thus protecting both the deerdolphin she sat upon, and the water around her, from freezing.

Once everyone was settled onto a deerdolphin, Trisgwn let out a complicated tune on her ocarina, to which the creatures perked their rubbery ears. Once Trisgwn finished playing her musical message, each of the aquatic steeds let out a small bellow of understanding, then zoomed off into the distance, carrying their five passengers towards the isolated Frosted Wastes. With his green ears flapping in the wind, Colb looked out to the vast sea before him, excited to finally be approaching the legendary Wealth Mountain.