Chapter 3, Exploring New Horizons
"I thought back to when I was smaller, naïve to the world. Looking up to the sky and seeing the moon hide behind the clouds. It hit me, feeling small looking up to the stars suddenly bursting into view. How could such beauty and scale exist? I thought back and the idea came into being. You did, how much time did you spend making this, us? I only want to spend more time looking at a perfect night sky, to sit and wonder at the serenity. What can I do with the world you have made, where do these skies lead us?
I ask you, please. Grant me yet another day..."
Year of Wrath 1231, Season of Heat, D.52, Ilgor
"Who's coming with me? Vil, Til, you two want to come along?"
Both of them looked up to see me standing at the cave entrance. backlit by overcast clouds, their ears twitching at the low distant thunder. "Nah, it's going to start raining. Ilgor, you just do it; you're the best at it."
"You know, you can come and learn, then maaayybe, I don't have to do it all by myself" But, they just both went back to throwing their dice. “You’re both my raiders; I could just make you come with me.”
“You could, and we would. But… isn’t Yvet eager to join you?” Til poked fun at me, the whole clan had started noticing Yvet and his interest.
“He was preoccupied.” Walking over to the game they were playing, I snatched the die mid-air. Weighing it, “If I roll anything higher than a three, you come with me.”
Til laughed and agreed, Vil looked decidedly less amused offering to distract rather than engage. “Why couldn’t Yvet join you today?” He asked as the die spun erratically out of my hand. I really figured they would have just dropped the topic.
“Chief pulled him away to help his crew. Said something about a new hunt, I figured it had something to do with those kobolds that showed up.” Sighing as the die rolled a two.
“Whatever.” I thought to myself, I'll make them all start scouting with me eventually. I left the cave to see Mother. Setting out from the Clan after Kari painted my cheeks with charcoal dust. She always said that it was supposed to bring good luck. I wondered how much it would help when the clouds were threatening to weep all day. She'd have wanted to paint the clan symbol on my side if I let her, that one took too much time. The cross pattern was far too noticeable, besides only a few humans from the City wore symbols on their skin like that. Oh well, she hugged me and I set off down the trail from the caves.
Stalking around the main clan territory, old lessons echoing in my mind. The forest was a proving ground, where we learned to hunt, fight. Game paths were our puzzles to work out, how to stalk prey silently. All in an effort to teach us to do the same when and if we became raiders, the Chief saw very little difference between targets fit for raiding and the deer and bear in the wood. I just remember the look in their eyes, the look on a man was not the same as a deer.
Following the kobold tribe that had sprung up in the last few months, there were fresh breaks in the undergrowth. The Chief wanted to fight with them, but I argued that we should leave them be. He didn't want to share the traditional territory with them. Besides, they didn't hunt the roads like we did and kept to themselves. The Chief argued that it would please Bhal and that we could raid their tribe. I was beginning to wonder why he always focused on the fight and the glory for the Great Father.
I tried to get him to calm down and asked him if he really wanted a prolonged conflict with them. A conflict that would probably just weaken us over time. The argument, like distant voices bouncing off the trees. “Why not? It’s a small tribe, barely thirty heads to them. It would be easy for us to have the raiders ambush and be rid of them! Why do you want to shame Bhal with inaction?” I also reminded him that Kobolds didn't really have anything we wanted, they didn't have any food we'd want, they ate mostly carrion and poisonous plants. The only gear they had was what they had on them at all times, they lived in warrens and burrows. He was annoyed but agreed. Besides, the kobolds weren't dumb, they knew how to fight.
The yapping was easy to follow the entire time, quietly, but still audible. I spotted a group of them through the trees some distance off, they had found a patch of red berries, picked a few, and moved on. Moving through the emerald canopy out of their sight, they rarely looked up like many other things in the forest. A glade bushes of these berries, growing under the filtered light of intertwining branches. I'd have to ask the hunters in the village if they were edible, while Mother was teaching me much about medicine these days, I didn’t have the same expert eye as her yet.
The group was far out of sight now, still, I waited like I was taught to. Only after the yapping was quiet in the trees did I drop down to take a closer look. They smelled sweet, they were waxy and smooth to the touch. Slightly serrated leaves, with soft white hairs on the underside, a pale evergreen color. Leaves smelled like pine needles when I ripped a few up. Committing the spot to memory, I jogged after the diminutive lizards.
They followed the stream up into the hills for a while, up through the slate waterfalls. This time of year the moss hung in thick curtains along the falls, the stones slick with algae. Kari would be happy to hear that, snatching a few handfuls of the stuff. She told me it was good for infection. I even saw a few of those strange little fish hanging off the slate, flat and streamlined. Black like the stone with a large sucker on the bottom. The things got to be about as long as my arm in some years. They weren't great for eating though, too bony.
The kobolds were picking stones out of the water, breaking a few of them, and putting them in their bags. “Odd, what are the stones, and why do they want them?” Watching them leave from the tree line until they went on their way. I lost sight of them after a few minutes. Walking over to the stream where they were picking rocks. The stream had dug down recently and exposed a rock outcrop with some shiny nodules in them. That rainstorm last week has really been like the heavens opening up. We thought it'd never stop raining.
Looking down the stream more, I could see a great slate plate that had washed down and took out a few trees in its path. Must have been it, exposed what was under it. “Is that copper? Did that mean there was a lot more under the stream? Lucky find.” The kobolds were observant, I should follow them again to see what else they found.
“Bhal be praised. Either way, I should keep moving.” Thumbing the metallic rock. Looking up at the clouds, it was starting to get darker, it was going to start raining soon. Heading back toward the main road and following along for a while. The fields that the humans used for farming were starting to come into view. The fields weren't yet that gold color of ripe wheat, but it was getting tall. The other fields full of gourds and melons were bursting at the seams with growth. The distant moo’s of cows were absent from the fields, and then did I notice that the only sounds were nothing but crows and the wind across the wheat.
A small camp with a fire set up just on the outskirts of one of the vast farms. Two small brown cloth tents, flaps left unattended in the wind, with a large flat stump between the two. Deciding to see if anyone was there at the moment trying to keep quiet along the tall grass. The camp got closer, the sound of faint voices registering to me. I stopped when I heard the sound of someone's boots grinding on loose dirt.
"That Welkford healer in the city was arguing with the Guards again" A gruff and tired sounding voice said.
Welkford, I had heard that name. Thinking back to the time I ventured deeper into the dockside, following that priest. He was arguing with another, they had stumbled upon a man injured from a cart that had toppled over. The crush of people made it hard to get a better view, I had to crawl under the pier to hear them. I still didn’t know why I wanted to listen to what they were talking about, but it was fascinating.
One argued that they shouldn’t break the church’s edict on helping people, they needed to wait until someone came to them. The other told him that it was nonsense, the reason the church was dying was because of their inaction. The two were apparently healers as when they pushed their way through the crowd to the man, there was a bright flash from between the planks and I heard him gasp and thank the two. They spoke only briefly that Welkford being one of the Eight Divines would only rejoice at their efforts, the only cruelty in this world was those who could help and chose to do nothing. It got me thinking about the clan back home again, but the voices caught my attention once more.
"Again? Does he want to keep being arrested? You'd think he'd not interfere when the Guards are trying to deal with thieves" The other man had a higher-pitched voice, like he was much younger. I couldn't see either of them, not close enough, too much grass in the way.
"Yeah, but the guy does kinda have a point, I don't like that the Guards try to carry out justice without bringing them to the Chancellor first. I think these Guards are just getting a bit too big for their boots" The older man had said. The sound of rustling and I saw the tops of their heads start walking. It had started drizzling, the warm drops going straight through my hair. Wind hadn't picked up for real yet though, so that was good.
"Do you think the other Guards are joining in this whole Holier than Thou shit too? Or is it just these guys that the Healer is arguing with" The younger man sounded tired now, he sighed heavily. Slapping something made of cloth, the smell of dry old dust was in the air now.
Both of them started walking away down the path "Don't know, I think..." They had gone far enough away that the sound of their voices were lost. Stalking up to their camp and taking a look around. I could see them on the road almost out of sight, both had bags with them, both had splitting axes on their hips. One of them had his long brown hair done in a braid similar to mine. The camp looked like it was covered in sawdust, so maybe this was just the spot where they were processing the wood.
The camp had a few things left behind, an old cloth bag for one, I took that. The bag looked in good condition, oiled cloth to keep the contents dry and a hard leather bottom. One of them left a moth-eaten grey hooded cloak behind too. I grabbed that, shoved it in the bag, something stopped me before I set out though. The words echoing through my head, they called us thieves and murderers. Rummaging through the small bag I put the moss in, I felt them. Setting a few coins down on the stump, I figured it would be enough.
Walking down toward the road going to the city, I started making my way toward some of the houses dotted along the fields. A welcoming and warming glow came out of the windows behind elaborately carved shutters. This house was like all of them in the Outer Fields, tiled roof made of a red clay. The house had an addition built to it that was in a different style, more boxy. But the vaulted roof was steep enough to sluff off any snow we might get in the Season of Waiting. The rain had started picking up, running in small streams down the roofs into various barrels and buckets.
Making my way to the log pile behind one of them, and sat under the eave of the house. I pulled that cloak out and put it on. Reminded me of the time Mother had me keep my hair completely down, like the cloak, a proverbial pool around me. It was far too long for me. Taking my knife out and began cutting the bottom half of the cloak off, so that it wouldn't trip me up as I walked. Even had a drawstring so I could wrap it around my shoulders. I put the excess material back in the bag, someone else in the village would have some use for it. They always did, anything we found or could make more use of, we did.
Despite the moth-eaten appearance of the cloth, it had also been oiled, so it should keep the rain off for a while. Tucking my ears back under the hood and doing my best to hide them, tying a soft linen ribbon around them to keep them held together. Getting up, I overheard part of the conversation coming out of the window. I peeked around the log pile and saw a Gnome woman reading to her children. Ashy black skin, her face was mature and refined. Her long silver hair hung in loose curls around her shoulders. A sweet voice, pitched in a strange way, like she was trying to not sound monotone.
"Then when the Hammer fell on the lake of the world. Mhuzelt was left a free home with the mountain that sprung up in the lake. Yorm took his armies and marched across the craggy ground. He sailed to the stone in the center of the lake and built our home there. Building a great city around the Spire. Carving our homes and the Palace out of the stone, and built great bridges to the shores of the island..."
Out of the corner of my eye, movement in the house caught my attention, backing away from the window. Wondering if one of the kids had seen me. But, realising something, those Gnomes had grey skin. I walked over to the rain barrel to see if the charcoal was still on my skin. The trough under the eaves, water calm enough to see myself. Yes, it hadn't washed off yet.
Smearing it to cover the rest of my face,rubbing some into my hands and legs too, covering my green skin. From a distance, a lot of folks might mistake me as a Gnome, we were about the right height anyway. “At least this way, I can get on the road, I won't have to stalk through the sawgrass closer to the city.” Sneaking behind the house and walked the road this time, making my way to the dockside district of the city. “The only thing I can’t hide is the purple eyes, maybe I can play it off.” I thought to myself, thinking back to the eyes of my people, that's the one thing we can’t hide.
The road quickly filled with puddles, and small streams were running along the sides, just making the mud worse. The rain was light for now, surprising that everything was drenched already. The ditch along the road was already full of water, dragonflies landing on the cattails growing in the slope. Few people passed me as they were walking back to the farms, none gave me a second glance. Helped that I had my head down, hood covering most of my face. But, this was good. I'd be able to get a lot closer to conversations, I wouldn't have to look suspicious by hiding behind boxes and houses like usual.
Should tell this bit to the Chief, he'd probably like to use it in one of his raids. A tavern just outside the city came into view, the door wide open, a warm glow coming out and just asking anyone and everyone to come in out of the rain. Its high double-storied roof poured the rain off and dumped into the already-soaked street. The path had turned from mud to cobblestone at some point, though, in this part of the city it barely mattered. More likely to find more stones missing than in the road. More windows on the sides of the building came into view, golden light filtering through the falling rain as I neared.
“Can’t go there, too many people, from what I understood, humans thought it was strange to not remove their hoods or hats when entering a building. Too much attention. Let's see what we can find out.” Lightly walking around the back of the building, a small alleyway behind it as it butted up against a larger building. “Tavern must have been here first,” nothing more than idle thoughts, there was still a window in the back. Leaning against the wall just off to the side of it, wringing the water from the cloak. Doing my best to try to not squeeze the oil out of it.
A woman started talking, husky sounding, nearly shouting out the open window. "What do you mean we are running out of bread? Why didn't you tell me this an hour ago? Well don't just stand there, go start making some." I guess this was the kitchen window. "Ah, Boy. What am I going to do with you." She sounded exasperated. I guess this was a common occurrence at the tavern.
I could smell tobacco being burned, it was cedar-like and faintly like cinnamon. Something else, incense? Not sure. "That boy is supposed to be learning how to keep the bar and manage the patrons. But, all he does is forget to communicate with the kitchen. Next he'll be telling us he forgot to order new supplies." The tired sounding woman said to someone else in the kitchen, her annoyance enough to make me empathize with her.
A man started talking, he was huffing, so I suppose he was moving something heavy. He grunted, hearing something thud to the ground. "Don't be so hard on him, he's been here less than a full month. Besides, that caravan with our supplies is supposed to be here within a week." My ears perked up at that. This might be interesting, something I can go off on.
Flipping the hood down to wring the water out of that too, letting my ears unpaste themselves from my head. "That Zybtine merchant with the weird spices, right? Which way did his letter say he was coming from? The woman asked, there was a whoosh of air from inside like someone working a set of bellows. The smells from the kitchen rushing out of the window. Spices, warm bread and cooking stew.
"From the east, said he wanted to see the markets in the City and maybe head north." I sighed, too far away for the Clan to use. We'd have to get too close to the City to pull off that raid. If he was coming to the outer farms then…maybe, but not if he was going to be headed north after this. The woman leaned out of the window and I froze. I was under the window, she jumped as she saw me, putting her elbows down on the window sill, just as I flipped the hood back up.
"What the hell? What are you doing back here?" She asked me. Jet black hair framing her face, and olive skin. She also had a mole under her right eye.
Pitching my voice a little higher, copying what I saw some kids in the docks say a few weeks back. "I got lost, it's raining. So I kinda figured I would sit here and wait... Can I wait here, Ma'am? I won't be any trouble..." I trailed off sheepishly, hoping she'd believe my voice and assume I was a child. There were some benefits to being a goblin in soaked clothing, I honestly did look like a kid to them.
She paused for a moment, then sighed and said “Well kid, you can sit there or you can come inside. You know what, no, you're covered in muck. Don't want that in the tavern." She turned around in the window and said "Bryce, hand me that last bit of bread, you know the one that's been sitting next to the hearth. Yeah, give it here. Some urchin kid hiding from the rain in the alley."
A moment later, turning back around, she handed the still warm bread to me. "Take care sweetheart, try and get back home sooner than later. Your folks are probably wondering where you are in this rain." She closed the shutters. That was too close for comfort, it was nice that she gave me the food though, she was kind. Putting it in the bag I took from the camp. Wandering back out to the street. Guessing that it was just my lucky day. But, I didn't want to stay there now that the woman had spotted me. They wouldn't talk about anything else knowing I was there.
Making for the docks next, I usually had good luck there, granted I was usually here at the crack of dawn, or the dead of night. The last few times was moving from cover to cover listening to the Guards talk or the fishermen setting out for the day. A few times following merchants going over the bridge by swimming along the inside wall of the docks, listening to the rumble of the wagons. The billows of steam smoke from those engines hiding everything but their voices from sight. I don't follow into the city proper though, I'm not sure, it scares me.
For as long as I can remember, for everything I have learned, from the first moments of understanding. I have lived in fear and awe of these humans, I know they killed my parents. I know Ghet was the one who led them, I know that the Clan heartbroken took us Orphans back into their arms. Every lesson was about how to survive the raids, how to hunt for the clan without being seen, to endure.
I suppose I could hate them, I suppose I could envy them, but I can’t. It was our fault, for whatever reasons they have, they have never attacked the village. I am certain they know where it is, I am certain they could without effort. But, to see this city they built… I want to prosper like them. I want the family to prosper like they do.
“First time being here in the middle of the day with all these people around.” Whispering to myself didn’t help as much as I thought it might. Raining, there were still people everywhere, lots to eavesdrop on. Not wanting to get too close to the gate though, the walls around the city made me nervous. Felt too much like a cage for my tastes. Walking over to the dockside, spotting some fishermen right below under the docks right above the water. Leaning against the rail of the dock and listening. Watching the ships pull in from the bay, I didn't want it to look like I was eavesdropping on them.
"Good fishing along the bluff lately. Been able to haul in a big tuna catch, even spotted sardines and char there." A young man's voice. Still squeaky to my ears, but then again we had better hearing than humans.
"I don't want to get too close to those goblins. They live in the caves along there, right?" Another young voice, though from that comment he sounded scared to me. Seems like I was right; they knew exactly where we were.
"Yeah, but on the other side of the peninsula, I think they like that harbor-side rather than the open sea to the east." The other man said. “You know that one with the big rock? The one with a few dozen wrecks around them?”
"No, I mean I don't want to die." Scared boy sounded more nervous the longer the older man spoke, I heard him drop something heavy, the sound of their skipper slap against the side of the docking post with a loud dull thud.
"Oh come on, they're too stupid to figure out how to build boats. We will be safe as long as we don't get within bow shot of the shore." The other man was bent on convincing the scared one. Frown cracked my lips, the hair on the back of my neck rising with annoyance.
"I guess there's one group of those little murderers that is a lot safer to deal with." Looking down at them without turning my face to them. They were both facing my direction, but too busy to pay any attention to a random ‘Gnome’ along the upper levels.
"You actually believe that rumor, that there's one of them that doesn't kill and rob, only robs you? It's bullshit. They all are a bunch of little murderers." This might be useful, I have to watch the shoreline the next few days and see if they actually get close to the village, or I’ll post either Yvet or Ghet along there. See where those fish are, Chief likes to fish, clan would be happy for another hunting ground. He'd be happy to know where some better spots are.
My idle musing got cut short, one of the sailors looked up and saw me. Eyes growing wide as he mouthed the word "Purple". Pushing myself off the pier railing, turning away from the two before they could gawk at me longer. Still, my hands felt cold knowing I was probably spotted so easily.
Sitting my back against another wall and watching as the docks worked, the wood slick with rainwater and slime. Pulling my hood down a little more and listened to the world around me, the sound of the waves cresting out in the bay, the chatter of the civilization, the wind snapping at the sails of the ships. “Keep out of everyone's way, off the main thoroughfare.”
"Chancellor put a notice out about the slimes in the city underground" A man with deep voice, old, heavily tanned and in rusted armor. A pistol strapped to his chest, bandelier of small rounds held in a long loop over his shoulder.
"The rain is helping with the fishing today" A dock hand said, carrying a bunch of fish on a rope. A dazzling array of colors and sizes, Knoll would have been jealous. Too secretive he was about his own fishing spots.
"Damn gravity mages make things difficult to slip past them." A salt washed Captain in a rich blue overcoat told someone next to him. Weighing silver coins on a scale provided by the Dock Master.
"That Welkford healer got arrested." A man in a torn shirt and a black eye said to another in not much better condition. Maybe they tried to help him, maybe they were only drunks, going off the stains to their clothes.
"Baron is expanding the walls on the Eastern Gate" A strange accent, I didn't recognize it. Lilting, staccato, like words picked without familiarity.
"Merchant heading in from the south, iron trader. Apparently has some good stuff. Getting off some passenger boat rounding the Southern Sea near Willow Brook. That Mayor there still hasn’t given up trying to dredge out the delta, but who's complaining when new piers are being built? I suppose some noble hired him to outfit his kids with some armor" Eyes darting over to the duo talking. They were walking toward the main gate, scenarios filled my head if I was caught. The rush of adrenaline and fear filled my veins, more fear than excitement I decided. Hesitantly, keeping a distance back but close enough for me to hear them, I followed.
"Why would he buy his kids armor? What does he think they are going to get out of it?" The older man said bemusement was evident as the rising sun plastered on his face. He had salt and pepper hair in a loose mop, rich clothing, and even finer jewelry hanging off his too-fat fingers.
The man with the dark brown hair responded, hand upraised in an unfamiliar gesture. "Not sure but he's a Consul, they do whatever they want. I heard he wants his boys to be naturally comfortable in armor at an early age? Don't know much more."
Grey hair pondered, chewing his words, "Maybe I can get a few toy swords from him while he's in town, the boys would like that. When is he supposed to get here?" We were starting to get too close to the gates. My anxiety made it feel like I was pumping lead through my veins about getting this close, a cold sweat breaking out across my brow. “Come on, just say when.” Gritting my teeth as the Guards looked over me, I didn't want to follow them into the city. Way too risky.
"Sometime within the next few days." That was all I needed to hear. Spinning around, cloak flinging slightly out, and walked back away from the gates. Someone grabbed my shoulder roughly and turned me around, hood falling down.
Time seemed to slow as the Guard's eyes opened wide as he saw my ears. Looked into my purple eyes and a cold chill filled my body. My heart jumped into my throat. Felt it catch and missed a beat. The worst possible spot to be caught, so close to the City, right next to all these Guards. Right in the middle of a crowd.
Looking to my side and saw a few people looking at me, scared. A few people started to panic as they saw me. A few others drew knives and swords. "Bandit!" The Guard yelled, and drew his sword, not thinking enough to grab the pistol off his hip.
Ducking under his swing, and slashed the inside of his arm, but his chainmail blocked the actual cut. I only managed to tangle his hand with the now loose scrap of cloth from the overcoat he was wearing. He swung again, dodging back pulling the gun from his belt and ran. “Better to have the option…” I thought to myself, clicking open the chamber to check the rounds. Five, one in the chamber. “Good. I hope I don’t need it.”
The streets behind me were left in a confused state. People shouting at each other asking where the other bandits were. The sound of heavy boots on the docks of the Guards running after me. Weaving around everyone in my path, I felt like I was flowing water, like wind through the trees. People looking back over at me and jumping back, didn't get a chance yet to pop my hood back up, but the rain had probably washed my charcoal away anyway. “Not much point.” I told myself.
More people yelled behind me that the goblins were raiding the docks. “I could use that. Make them think there were a lot of us to make a getaway.” While it wasn't a full panic dockside, I did see more and more people ahead of me looking around for something like me.
Rounding a corner, flicking the soaked hood up and hid my ears again. Watching as the Guards ran past me, and kept looking around as they went. Looking down each side alley and street. Pulling the hoods off every shorty they came across. Apologizing as they went, when they didn't find it was me.
I took every backstreet I could find. Hid behind every box and log pile there was, hearing the Guards all around me, heavy thuds from the footfalls on the cobblestones. They yelled at everyone on the roads to seek shelter as they were hunting a suspect. I made my way back to the heavy sawgrass around the roads, and stalked my way back home. Keeping well below the tops of the grass, the cloak keeping the worst of the cuts to a minimum.
I got back to the Clan breathless and wanted to plan out this next hit. Mother asked me how things went. After I told her the story, she said I need to be far more careful. Her worried voice hurt a little. I felt a little bad for making her worry. “That was far too reckless! Going there without a back-up plan! Going there against Yorm’s orders! You worry me to death sometimes, Illy…” She forbade me from getting that close to the city again, we'll see about that. This was a lucrative mission all things considered.
That merchant had armor that fit children. Now that was worth looking into, Maybe my boys can get something nice out of this. Maybe we can do better than rags and leather scraps. Actual metal would be a true blessing, didn't know the first thing about taking care of it though. Maybe we can get the merchant to tell us if we ask nicely. Or pay him to tell us, then again. If I was considering that, I might as well just make a trade with him… like a civilized person…
***
Year of Wrath 1231, Season of Heat, D.52, Chancellor Michéle
"A goblin spotted by the Dockside Gate" The Chancellor said, reading the report. The Guard stood nervous in front of the imposing man. Despite the Royal uniform, military in style, brass pauldrons along his shoulders, he looked like a child in it. "It slashed your arm, are you hurt?"
"No sir, my chain did its job." He stammered out. The Chancellor noticed the sweat beading on the Guard’s face. His freshly polished boots left nothing on the rich rug that sat atop exotic hardwood floors. The stained glass window that framed him from the doorway, the art deco lanterns hanging from either side of him. He looked out of place in an office that could be mistaken for a lounge meant for high society.
"Good, you said its skin was covered in some grey dust. But, it had the ears, and purple eyes. Was there any more information?" The Chancellor asked.
"Just that it seemed like it knew what was going on around it. And that we never found any other goblins. We believe this one was acting on its own." He looked like he was trying not to crush the hat at his side, white gloves in contrast to the dark blue of his officer's coat.
"Why are you nervous, Officer?" Michéle asked, placing the cup down. Steepling his fingers together.
“I…” He began, words caught in his throat. “thought I was being brought here to be punished for not capturing the goblin, Sir. This was a nearly full panic from the locals, I thought..." Stopping him with a raised hand.
"I do not blame you for losing the suspect. You are not going to be punished, so relax." The Guard visibly relaxed, and the worry in his eyes vanished. "Don't discount them, remember the bigger raids they've done. They aren't dumb, no matter what the common people say. But this was down right clever. You said you saw something off about it, you thought it was Gnome at first, yes?" He asked the Guard, handing him a cup of rich Zybtine coffee, still steaming in the enamel mug.
"Yes sir,” He responded, finally the tension easing out of his shoulders as he took the cup. “I thought I saw a flash of something off, I couldn't place it. Just seemed like it didn't want to get close to other people. I didn't realize the threat until I accidentally pulled its hood off and the rain washed the dust away. Green skin, and the ears fell out.”
"So you've mentioned." He got up from his desk, and walked over to the Guard and handed him a silver coin. "Good work, good eyes, good intuition. But, I'll add that if you have to pursue a goblin in this way again. Do not accost every short being on the road looking for it. You are dismissed."
"Yes sir" The Guard clacked his boots and saluted. The door shut to Michéle's office with a sharp click, he heard the Guards on the other side dismiss the Guard called there. His boots echoing off the polished marble floor in the hallway.
“Interesting, this is a new tactic from the Clan.” They might be an issue later on, Lucas however, doesn't want to massacre them. Neither him nor his Father nor his Father’s Father see’s enough of an issue with them. All that talk about wanting to see what would happen with the merchants. He wanted to see how they would adapt, or just let this keep happening. Not economically worth dealing with them.
He was too much of a Free-Market sometimes. Though it was good that there was no raid, a hack and slash raid from them always made the populace lose faith. It hadn't happened for over two decades now, but the riot from the people as they marched up to the Palace Courtyard demanding the Baron retaliate was… tense. Over six dozen citizens were arrested for inciting the riot, and far more peace keeping than what the public usually allowed. It took weeks for the people to feel safe again.
“Then again, these reports. The word on the street was that there was one of those filthy little things refusing to kill people. That was enough to follow up on, it certainly put the minds of the farmers in the Outer Fields at ease.” He leaned back in his chair, kicking his feet up onto the desk. “I wonder what they changed? And why is it, at least for now, a single one of them? At least it is in a position of power, seems like that entire band of murderers is quieter. Though the hold-ups closer to Willow Brook haven’t changed.”
He pondered to himself, the picture of his wife and child staring back at him from the bookcase. “Maybe. Maybe we can use this. I wonder if we can push things in our favor. I'll have to have a discussion with His Majesty Lucas about this news. Though, knowing him, he'd want to interview the goblin rather than kill it. Maybe it would be best to leave him out of the loop on this for now. We'd have to see if it happens again.”