Kashmir smiled, scratching Flufei behind the ear. “Okay,” she agreed.

“Hmmm, I guess you did have a destiny here, yes?” Colb cheered as he looked at Kashmir.

“I love these Frosted Wastes… I wish more people would live here, like I did…” Tanja’s ghost muttered, looking around at the wasteland.

“I’d love to live here,” Kashmir agreed. “This is a nice place. I could imagine a whole society in these mountains. Where anyone is welcome, and only those who earn their place get to be leaders.”

The ghost smiled. “I was right when I sensed greatness in you…” she mumbled. “You know what? Let me see if I can help to bring life to this beautiful land…”

The ghost stepped back, and raised her arms into the sky. Suddenly, the ground shook and rotated, knocking Colb and Kashmir off their feet.

Wealth Mountain suddenly crumbled into the ground, taking Tanja’s physical corpse and all her experiments down with it. Next, a small village of igloos sprouted up where that largest peak had once stood. Half of the igloos were large enough to fit an adult elf. The other half were a little too small, even for an adult goblin.

A new path appeared next, cutting through the mountain range. A loud collective squeaking echoed outwards from it. Hundreds of small winter foxferrets started to pop out from the snow along the path. The creatures excitedly rushed towards the magically summoned village, each claiming one the smaller igloos that had been formed.

“A paradise…” whispered the ghost. “My first big miracle! Take good care of it… Give these igloos away to people that might love the winter foxferrets like we do…”

“I will,” Kashmir promised, scratching Flufei’s sides. “I’ll bring my family… and some humans, and dwarves, and goblins, too. Everyone will be welcome in your miracle.”

“Thank you…” the ethereal figure replied. “I’ll return in a thousand years, to give another miracle to someone that needs it… Until then, I wish you the best…”

The ethereal form faded away, leaving behind nothing more than an empty orb in Kashmir’s hands. Flufei nuzzled Kashmir’s legs affectionately.

With the ghost gone, Colb’s mind returned to his tasks at hand. He lifted the magic telescope to his eyes, and looked out at the Frosted Wastes. He breathed an immediate sigh of relief as he noticed Drek and Stibs. They looked a little worse for wear, but otherwise alive and well as they marched through the snow to regroup with the rest of their crew.

“Hmmm! Drek and Stibs are okay, yes?” he announced. Colb took off his magic gauntlets, and his muscles returned to their normal size. “Hmmm, things might just turn out okay, yes?” he hoped aloud.

Once the team fully regrouped, they inspected and explored the town Tanja had created. As they did so, they swapped stories regarding what had happened over the past hour. The mood was soured upon realizing their team ended up one member short, but spirits rose again slightly when they performed a beautiful funeral for 27 the next morning.

Kashmir and Stibs spent the following week carving an elegant ice sculpture for 27 near the area where he passed away, which brought tears of joy to the eyes of the three goblins.

As the week came to an end, the goblins prepared to return to their respective tribes from the frigid town. Their pockets were empty, but their hearts were filled with stories to share.

Well, almost empty – they’d recovered 27’s Yiklar Folding Cabin, and with that, Drek was able to keep the remainder of the small fortune he’d recovered from the Quartzelian Pirates. Given that fortune, the nice crown on his head, and the vast experience he’d gained during this journey, Drek felt ready to finally pursue his dream of establishing and ruling over a goblin kingdom once he returned home.

Stibs pat Drek on the back like a proud old father, and looked over the team before him. “Hurmph, I’ve lived a long life… for a goblin,” he added, glancing at the 482-year-old elf. “Hurmph, but most of my life pales in comparison to what I’ve experienced over these last few months. I’ll admit, I came into this group a little full of myself. Thinking I could do everything best on my own. It seems I was wrong – and if I could go back, I’d change nothing about this team. Thanks, all of you, for having my back, and for giving this old goblin a chance to see the world.”

“Rrghegh… thank you for your experience and wit,” Drek replied. “Rrghegh, and uh… your fighting. You did good job.”

“Hurmph, you did a good job, too,” Stibs replied, ruffling the crown on Drek’s head.

“Thanks for teaching me so many things, and for helping me find my destiny, Colb,” Kashmir added. “Tell the others I thanked them for being so welcoming, too.”

Colb smiled, silently affirming the first part of her statement. “Hmmm, Kashmir says thank you for welcoming her into our team,” he translated.

“Hurmph! We’d all have died to that octopusduck if it weren’t for you,” Stibs countered.

“Rrghegh, or the hawkbear,” Drek added.

“Hmmm, or the winter foxferret just now,” Colb threw in.

The three goblins smiled at the elf. “There is greatness within you, and you’ll do amazing things here, yes?” Colb cheered.

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Colb then turned to the other goblins. “Hmmm, and I’m glad I broke out of my shell, and became a better medic for the team, yes? Thank you both for spending these last few months with me, from the beginning of the journey all the way to the end,” he said. The two goblins smiled, nodding in reciprocation of Colb’s words.

“Hurmph, I suppose it’s time we start heading home,” Stibs noted after a moment.

The chef goblin signed, looking around at the icy village around him. “Hmmm, I wish we had gotten out with some of that goldatinum before Wealth Mountain disappeared. To bring home for our tribes, yes?”

“Hurmph, it’ll be okay,” Stibs said, patting Colb on the back. “We’ll help each other in tough times, and make things work one day at a time.”

With that, the goblins said their farewells to Kashmir, and packed up their items. However, as Colb grabbed some of 27’s equipment to bring it home, he found something unexpected sitting inside the Yiklar Bag of Traveling Inventory.

“Hmmm! I found an envelope in 27’s magic bag,” Colb announced. “It must be a letter from Yiklar, yes?”

Kashmir, Drek, and Stibs gathered around the chef goblin as he read the letter aloud:

To the friends of 27:

AaAaAaAaaAaAhhhhh, this letter is from me: 1, the leader of Yiklar!

MmMmMmMmMmmmm, Colb’s blood-drawn message about 27’s death was brought to my attention immediately, yes it was. Since then, our good oracle 67 has been watching over you with her most rarest Yiklar Telescope of Extrasensory Discovery, and giving me live updates on how your battle with Flufei played out. I was glad to hear that it turned out most favorably – even with the loss of Wealth Mountain’s fortune.

If I could say one last thing to 27, I would tell him how unimaginably impactful his journey to Wealth Mountain turned out to be, even without any goldatinum to bring home in the end. You’ve all been away for quite some time, so I imagine you have no idea what’s happened. In short, the friends and good customers you’ve all found during your journey have far surpassed the value of a goldatinum piece.

It all started in Dalrek and Bellra, where you helped an army defeat a summer antlizard using Yiklar-made items. This led to a renaissance of renewed interest in goblin-made goods from the Dwarven Republic. That alone boosted our economy enough to fix our immediate concerns, and begin our process of healing the other tribes.

But you all weren’t finished, no you were not. You next went to the Human Empire, where 27 made the first goblin-to-human sale in history. This has completely changed goblin-human diplomacy forever.

Word of 27’s interesting products spread across the Human Empire like a wildfire, leading to swarms of humans bringing business to all the goblin tribes.

Of course, the Yiklar tribe has been booming. Not just dwarves, but now humans, too, are purchasing our highest-of-quality items as fast as we can produce them.

The Skaal tribe has benefitted as well, selling hospitality and cheerful friendship to any human that passes through on their way to Yiklar. As a result, the Skaal tribe has been glowing lately – every goblin child has a toy and a home, and nobody goes to sleep on an empty stomach. I hear Colb’s Tavern has been doing fantastic under his sister’s leadership, too!

The Kreet tribe has similarly found great success with the humans. They’re quickly becoming famous in the Human Empire for their intricately designed woodcarvings and other handmade knick-knacks. The Kreet goblins seem delighted to share their handiwork with the world, and the booming business has lifted them out of poverty as well, yes it has.

In their own way, the Ratter tribe has been thriving most of all. They’ve become a powerhouse in exporting crime-based services for the sketchiest nobles of the Human Empire. These days, goblin-to-goblin crime is virtually gone from the Ratter tribe, as everybody would rather make money from the humans than hurt each other. I can’t say I agree with Ratter’s business practices, no I cannot, but I’m glad to see the tribe doing so well for itself.

I even heard a rumor that you’ve all befriended the queen of the Elvish Kingdom, or something along those lines. I can’t even fathom how much a connection like that could benefit our four humble tribes.

Anyway, I’ve written enough. Your accomplishments speak for themselves, and you should all be most proud, yes you should be.

With the news of 27’s death, many here in Yiklar have begun to worship him as a deity of commerce, friendliness, and good service. His impact on us will never be forgotten. As for the rest of you, we look forward to giving a hero’s welcome when you return home.

Most excellent work, all of you. Thank you for everything you’ve done for us, and for your tribes.

Cheers,

– 1

“Hmmm! This is wonderful!” Colb cheered, crying with joy. Kashmir and the other goblins teared up as well.

“Hurmph! 27, our goblin deity. What do you think of that?” Stibs chuckled.

“Rrghegh, if that’s true, I think 27 should give us a free miracle! That’s what I think!” Drek joked. “Free stuff! Free stuff!”

Suddenly, 27’s Yiklar Bag of Traveling Inventory began to glow and warp. Colb reactively dropped it to the ground, and took a step back.

The red bag shifted and twisted, transforming into a hollow glass sphere. Glittery particles – the same red shade as 27’s beloved Yiklar Bag of Traveling Inventory – immediately began to appear inside the sphere, swirling around majestically.

“Woa…” Drek mumbled.

“That… is that 27’s Miracle Orb?!” Kashmir exclaimed. “Wow… 1 must not have been kidding when he said goblins had started worshipping the guy. He’s already a full-fledged deity, just like Tanja or Jaiphione!”

Colb picked up the orb, inspecting its smooth surface. “…27…27…27…” it whispered in a familiarly friendly Goblish voice.

“Hurmph, well there’s your wish, Drek,” Stibs observed. “That’s a fast-track to starting a kingdom if I’ve ever seen one.”

Drek cautiously walked up to the orb, placing a small hand on Colb’s back. “Rrghegh… I want to make the kingdom myself. The right way, using all the experience I’ve gotten from this journey. I will earn my way to establishing a throne.” Drek glanced at Kashmir with a smile as he said that.

“Rrghegh… plus, I was joking that I wanted miracle. I don’t need it. Colb, you should have it,” Drek declared.

“Hurmph, I agree. I’ve lived my life, and lived it well. There’s nothing more I really need,” Stibs noted. “I’m more than happy yielding the wish to Colb.”

“I pretty much already got my miracle from Tanja,” Kashmir added. “This one’s all yours, Colb.”

“Hmmm,” Colb muttered, inspecting the twirling red flakes within 27’s Miracle Orb. “When Flufei had an opportunity like this, she wished for Tanja. Well, I wish for 27… I want to see him again, yes? Hmmm, I wish for one last conversation with my friend, so we can all say goodbye, yes?”

Immediately, the red glitter drained out from 27’s Miracle Orb, leaving it empty and a little bit lighter. Moments later, a blue, ethereal form of a goblin fazed into existence.

“AaAaaaaahhhh, I do have some afterlife to be getting to, but I think I can spare an hour to chat!” the ghost said with a smile.

AaAaaaaahhhh, thank you for reading!