Ziplocke, Graul, and Leandra slid down the tunnel and bounced along the rocks and exited out onto the barren landscape that was dotted with jagged stone and twisted trees.
"We are on the other side of the hills," Graul observed.
Leandra pointed to the ground. "Tracks," she stated.
"Let''s hurry! He can''t have gone far." Ziplocke cried.
They followed the tracks as they weaved through the rocky outcroppings that dotted the base of the hills. The Goblins kept an alert eye for there were many ambush locations that existed among the numerous hidden nooks and crannies. The fighting intensified between the Greater Fiends and the Ogre to the point where they could hear the battle even from the other side of the hills.
"We don''t have much time," Graul hissed.
"Watch out!" Ziplocke called out.
The Human pounced on the three Goblins from a hidden alcove. The three were able to dive out of the way in different directions, and the Human found himself surrounded.
"We have you trapped," Graul pointed out.
"Hand over the Gem, and we will let you go," Ziplocke added.
The Human stood with his sword and shield hanging loosely at his sides. He smirked at them from underneath his long bangs, where his eyes were obscured.
"Something''s not right," Leandra cautioned.
Ziplocke agreed as the Human moved incredibly fast, almost like a blur, and lunged at Graul. The stocky Goblin was barely able to defend himself as the man attacked with unbelievable speed. Leandra and Ziplocke unleashed a fury of Fire and Affliction magic which forced the Human to dodge and retreat. The man exploded away in a burst of speed that kicked up rocks and dust.
"There!" Ziplocke pointed to where the Human appeared and added, "He has limits."
"How come he is so fast all of a sudden?" Leandra wondered.
"You don''t suppose he consumed the Gem?" Graul added.
"Stop talking, and let''s get him before he runs away!" Ziplocke shot back.
The Goblin Lord carved out a Rift Portal that brought them closer to the Human. Graul and the man fought and exchanged blows as the two weaved and circled each other. The man expertly braided Rune magic into his sword fighting and launched Boulders at the Goblins while he slashed with his blade. Leandra tapped into the Earth aspect and Shaped the Boulders into harmless sand while Ziplocke closed off the Human''s escape routes with walls of flame. The three Goblins slowly surrounded their quarry. The man shimmered with raw power and caused the ground to rumble outwards with waves of stone and dirt that knocked the Goblins off their feet.
"How is he doing this?" Leandra asked.
"It is settled. He consumed the Gem. We failed our mission," Graul replied.
The Human shaped a disc of earth to raise himself off the ground and launched himself through the air and away from the Goblins.
"Let''s go after him!" Ziplocke cried and shaped a Rift Portal.
"What''s the point? He clearly consumed the Gem," Leandra replied.
Graul agreed and said, "Let''s go home."
Ziplocke scowled, grabbed the two smaller Goblins by their necks, and shoved them through the Portal. They arrived near the Human who was panting from exhaustion. The man growled and readied his sword and shield. Behind them, in the distance, the hills erupted as the Ogre and two Great Fiends appeared on the other side. The three large Demons continued to battle each other.
"They will find you. You can not escape them," Ziplocke spoke to the Human.
"Why do you care?" The man snapped back.
"I agree with the Human. Why do we care?" Leandra stated.
"Because we can be allies," Ziplocke replied.
Graul, Leandra, and the man were shocked by the Goblin Lord''s response. All three stood with their mouths agape.
"Did I hear you right?" Leandra asked.
"No way," Graul insisted.
"I agree with them. Why would I want to work with Demons?" The Human stated.This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.
The Ogre roared and rushed toward them across the rocky landscape. The Greater Fiends took to the air.
"We don''t have much time. They will be here soon," Ziplocke said.
The man crossed his arms and shrugged.
"So? Let''s get out of here. Let them fight it out," Graul said.
Leandra nodded in agreement and snickered as she pictured the looks on the Fiends'' faces when they discovered that the Human had already consumed the Gem. Graul joined in the snickering.
"I would like to stay just to see the Fiends’ faces when they realize they wasted their time coming here," the stocky Goblin added.
"And the look on this Human''s face when they tear him to pieces!" Leandra cried.
The man''s jaw tightened, and he growled, "They can try, they will find I am not an easy target."
Ziplocke slapped his forehead. The Fiends and Ogre were just moments away and he couldn''t believe that he was the only one that took the situation seriously.
"Listen, we all want the same thing. I propose that we form a partnership," Ziplocke rapidly said.
The man looked up and asked, "How do you know what I want?"
For the first time, Ziplocke was able to clearly see the man''s face where it was unobstructed by his long black hair. His features looked shockingly familiar! Ziplocke shook his head. He didn''t have time to ponder more on the man''s appearance.
"You want to return home, yes?" The Goblin Lord asked.
Graul scoffed, "Are you kidding us?"
Leandra shook her head and exclaimed, "Just Portal us out already! Forget this Human!"
Ziplocke ignored his colleagues and looked up into the man''s eye. The Goblin Lord came to the man''s chest in height. "Time is running out."
The Human shook his head and sighed, "I do, but what do you want from me?"
Leandra and Graul threw their hands up in the air.
"We are going to die out here," the stocky Goblin stated.
Leandra snickered. "That''s what we get for following the Great failure!"
"Great Failure?" The Human asked.
Ziplocke shook his head. "Don''t mind them. We plan to take control of the Stronghold. What you call the Wandering Spire."
The Human''s eyes narrowed, and he asked, "Why?"
"We have a common enemy. The Fiends. They enslaved you, correct? Do you want to get even? Do you want to prevent them from doing that to others of your kind?" Ziplocke hurriedly said. His words flew out like a roaring stream.
The man nodded.
"Good, come with us!" Ziplocke said and Summoned a Rift Portal.
"I don''t need to be told twice," Graul said, and he and Leandra jumped through the Portal.
The Greater Fiends and the Ogre started to launch attacks of magma and flame at them. The magical barrage exploded around Ziplocke and the Human. The Goblin Lord flinched from the intense heat, and he started to worry that the man would change his mind and that the two would die out here at the hands of the Greater Fiends.
"I feel like this is a big mistake," the Human muttered and exited through the Portal.
Ziplocke quickly dove in after and shut the Rift down. They were back at Modok''s castle. The tiny Goblins shrieked at the site of the rugged Human that appeared in their midst.
"Retreat!" Lummox cried.
He and about a dozen other smaller Goblins escaped through the Threshold. In moments, the Portal shut down. Ziplocke slapped his forehead and rubbed his face. Leandra and Graul fell to the floor laughing. The Human glanced around and shook his head.
"Can you send me back? I think I''d rather take my chances with the Ogre," he asked.
Graul''s eyes went wide, and he laughed some more. "Human, you are funny. I am Graul. What is your name?"
The man nodded but did not answer.
"Still don''t trust us? That is wise. I wouldn''t trust us either. You can call me Leandra," the blue-eyed Goblin said with a snicker.
They all turned toward Ziplocke. The Goblin Lord was studying the Human''s face so intently that he didn''t realize that everyone was looking at him.
"So rude!" Leandra exclaimed.
"Yeah, stop making our new friend uncomfortable," Graul added.
"New friend? Just earlier, you didn''t even want to bring him here!" Ziplocke cried.
Leandra turned to the Human and shrugged her thin shoulders. "Don''t listen to him. Are you hungry? I''m not sure what humans eat."
"Do you have water?" The man asked.
Graul answered, "Yeah, but it is toxic for your kind."
"I can purify it," the man stated.
Leandra perked up and asked, "We figured that. How do you do it? The Life or Water aspect?"
"I can use both, but I am better with the Water aspect," the Human answered.
Ziplocke watched the exchange and couldn''t believe what he saw. "Have you all gone mad?" He cried.
"What''s his problem now?" Graul asked Leandra.
The other Greater Goblin shrugged her shoulders. Ziplocke rubbed his face and took a deep breath.
"I am Ziplocke, and I think I know who you are," the Goblin Lord said.
The Human crossed his arms.
"Your features are unmistakable. I am going to make a guess here," Ziplocke added.
"Oh, by the burning hells! Just spit it out already!" Graul cried.
Leandra snickered and nodded in agreement. "You are being so dramatic. Just make your guess so our new friend can tell you that you are wrong."
Graul muttered, “He travels to the Material plane and thinks that he knows every Human.”
Ziplocke scowled at the two Greater Goblins and turned toward the man. "You are Daverius Zanchi, the older brother of Jeze Zanchi."
Graul and Leandra snickered.
"Can you believe this guy? He achieves the Lord''s rank and thinks he knows everything," Leandra said to the Human.
But the man''s face hardened, and he uncrossed his arms. Graul blinked his eyes.
"You gotta be kidding me! Ziplocke was right?" He exclaimed.
Daverius narrowed his eyes and his hands inched toward his sword and shield. "How do you know this?" He growled.
Ziplocke grinned, and his eyes sparkled. "You do not know how happy I am to have found you. Let''s get you some water, friend. I have much to tell you.”