Chapter 84 - 83: Where Monsters Bow
The morning air was crisp as they set out on their journey. Lumberling rode at the front, Jen seated behind him, arms wrapped lightly around his waist. He had brought extra horses, he knew he wouldn’t be returning alone.
Behind him, Uncle Drake and Aunt Celine rode side by side, their pace measured and quiet. Uncle Orrin followed next, with Old Man Dan bringing up the rear. The group moved in silence, their expressions thoughtful, each weighed down by the uncertainty of what awaited them beyond the trees.
They carried questions, unspoken, heavy things. And fears, too, quiet but present. But their trust in Lumberling ran deep. Too deep, perhaps. Jen and Old Man Dan had faith in him, unwavering and complete. And if what he said was true... then this wasn’t just a journey.
It was a choice.
A step into something that could change everything.
It took them days to reach the goblin village. The journey itself was calm, no monsters, no signs of soldiers. Only forest and quiet.
But when they arrived, their breath caught.
The village gates were open, wide and waiting.
Before them stood towering figures, goblins, kobolds, even evolved monsters with eyes too sharp and armor too fitted to be anything but military.
And yet... they were organized. Soldiers stood at attention. Wolves watched from the ridge. Boars snorted, their tusks capped in steel. A line of elite goblins and kobolds flanked the path in silence.
Uncle Drake’s hand instinctively brushed his old sword hilt.