7-31. Grimlings
As Elijah soared through the sky, he was entirely amazed at the landscape laid out below him. Enormous, snow-covered evergreens stretched as far as he could see, the carpet of white and green broken up only by a few remnants of the civilization that had once called the area home. There were patches of road, overgrown and covered in ice, buildings half-buried beneath the snow, and tall, faded billboards advertising legal services. Elijah even saw a stretch of highway, complete with an overpass, that led nowhere in either direction.
On the surface, none of that seemed all that surprising. However, when he looked closer, he saw plenty of disparities. Most notable was that the trees were at least five times taller than they should have been. Elijah had seen a lot of pine trees in his day, but he felt certain that they shouldn’t have been able to grow to heights bordering on a thousand feet. The things were absolutely glorious, and he ached to land on those spreading branches and connect with one, just to see how it differed from the ancestral tree in Druid’s Park.
He resisted that temptation, though he felt that he would eventually find the time to satisfy his curiosity. Just not until Ron and his people were safe.
The other curiosity was that the density of the ethera was quite a bit higher than he’d expected. It wasn’t nearly as thick as it was around Ironshore, much less in his grove, but it could definitely give Norcastle a run for its money. That perked Elijah’s interest, because he knew that there were only a couple of explanations for that kind of spike in ethera.
One was the presence of a tower, which was the most likely candidate, but he expected that powerful enough natural treasures could create a similar boost. It was also possible that they were within the range of a Primal Realm. That last option was less likely than the others, largely because if that was the case, then surely Ron and the other residents of Forest Hills would have seen something similar to Hong Kong. Not zombies and the like, but some sort of powerful enemies intent on spreading their influence.
In any case, Elijah wished he had the time to figure it all out, but he remained on a timer. He only had a few days to spare before he needed to get to Hong Kong. Sure, the resumption of the Primal Realm’s functions wouldn’t occur for another few weeks, but Elijah had no intention of showing up the day before that happened. Instead, he wanted to get there, take stock of the situation, then solve the problem before the undead had a chance to once again attempt to take over the world.
So, he didn’t have time to satisfy his curiosity, as much as that constraint irked him.
Finally, the other characteristic that intrigued him was that the entire region was absolutely lousy with goblins. However, they were definitely not the sorts of goblins he was accustomed to seeing. They only barely resembled people like Ramik, and they didn’t even look like the goblins he’d encountered in the first tower he’d conquered. Instead, they were far leaner, with slightly larger heads, small tapered ears, and enormous hands and feet. In addition, instead of green or yellow – or even blue – skin, their complexions were so white that they blended into the snow. Without Eyes of the Eagle, he never would’ve even seen them from above.
The other problem was that when he got too close to the treetops, he discovered that they had no trouble climbing. And that they were incredibly territorial. Before he even knew what was happening, there were a hundred arrows streaking toward him. He beat his wings, using Savage Strength to augment his attributes, and he climbed out of range. Even as the flight of arrows passed beneath him, the little creatures shot at him again.
That was when Elijah decided to turn around and return to the settlement. Once there, he landed near the destroyed school and went inside to the Branch, where he immediately accessed the Communications System and sent a message to Ramik.
Thankfully, the goblin was quick to respond, and within five minutes, Elijah got an answer:
| Sender
| Recipient
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| Ramik Orlox
| Elijah Hart
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| The creatures you have encountered sound like grimlings. They are extremely territorial gnome-goblin hybrids that are generally accepted to have inherited only the negative traits of the forebears. You are unlikely to be able to negotiate with them, as they are known to kill any non-grimling that comes into their territory. They also practice cannibalism. In fact, they will eat just about anything. Proceed with caution, for they also breed like agots. Good luck.
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