The Goblin Nation

The room was silent. Sun and Smoke waited for Pagasa to speak. They next to a window so thin, only a sliver of the mountain range could be seen. Only the sounds of the wind blowing through the thin windows of the tower could be heard. Then Pagasa pushed his chair away from the table and jumped on the table.

"Things are moving faster than I thought!" He yelled. "I hope you two are not tired from your journey to get here, but we must depart now!"

"Depart?" Sun asked, "Where are we going?"

"Back to your tribe." Suddenly, a small iron box appeared on Pagasa's hand. "Shuja and Cossack are currently leading their own tribes, but that's fine. There's five of you at Razin, so I will turn the surrounding area into our main camp!"

"And what about the iron box?"

Pagasa opened it, and glowing purple tendrils came out of it and began grabbing random objects in the room. Then he teleported to the center of the room, giving the tendrils more space to move about. He placed the box on the floor, leaving it to its own devices.

Sun and Smoke followed Pagasa towards another side room hidden behind large bookshelves. Inside the small room was a stash of weapons of various kinds. A small swivel cannon was leaning against the back wall, hand axes and daggers littering the floor, and rounded shields hanging on the walls.

And a longsword sat on the corner with an ebony blade. Pagasa grabbed the sword and gave it to Sun. "Try holding this."

Sun grabbed the sword, and the heavy blade fell to the floor and pulled Sun with it. He dropped face-first on the cold stone floor. "You could have warned me it was heavier than it looks." He muttered from the floor. Sun got back on his feet and grabbed the hilt of the sword.

Pagasa continued to talk, and Smoke listened but not Sun, for he was too busy with the sword. He morphed the mana inside him and translated it to the black longsword. Sun could tell that a spell was making the sword heavier. The same type of control they learned from Smoke allows them to control their bodies' weight and objects on their person.

Sun's concentration was focused on the sword. It was difficult to lift not because of the weight but the strange complexity of the mana imbued within the sword. But he quickly figured out how the key should be formed and unlocked the sword. It reminded him of his previous life's job as a mechanic for a small auto shop. His past self knew little about the world, but he knew enough to fix a car problem. The complex spell on the sword was very different from a car's engine, but for Sun, the problems seemed similar. He just had to replace some parts of it to unlock the sword.

Sun slowly raised the sword, staring at its shiny ebony blade. He couldn't help but smile at his reflection. He rested the sword on his shoulder and turned around to listen to Pagasa. Unfortunately, he finished just when he finally paid attention.

"Unless you can carry that heavy burden, then you will never be ready," Pagasa said with a grim face. Then he turned around and faced the brothers. "Are you ready to," He stared at Sun, carrying the sword nonchalantly on his shoulders? Smoke turned to Sun, unaware that Sun already carried the sword in his hand.

"Sorry, I wasn't really paying attention." Sun said, "Do you mind if you could repeat what you said?"

"How did you break the spell?" Pagasa asked slowly.

"Well, it's kind of like," Sun paused. Cars don't exist in this world, so his example will fall on deaf ears. He looked around the room, searching for a way to explain his process, until his eyes landed on the bronze robot. "That robot. It has parts that don't fit or loose. Maybe even wrong, which stops it from moving. It's kind of like that." Sun looked at the long sword, "I can't remove the mana from the sword. At least without breaking it because it felt like I might break it if I forcibly pull out the mana, making it heavy. Instead, I replaced the mana, making it lighter with my own."

The tentacles stopped and returned to the box, completing their task. Pagasa grabbed the box and tucked it in his back pocket. The room was half empty now. "Andrik told me he accidentally mentioned something he wasn't supposed to say to you, brothers."

"Andrik?" Sun recalled the jolly dwarf they encountered before using the cave shortcut. "Oh, you mean that general. Yeah, now that I think about it, he mentioned something about us being different from the last ones. And not that you told us, I guess they were really were goblins like us."

"No, he wasn't referring to our civilization or to me." Pagasa walked up to the boys, "There was another goblin that managed to break the spell. He was a crafty little one, strong too. And he also came here to learn about our kind and his purpose. I told him the same things I did to you, and he was eager to follow through with the quest. But first, I must train him. I gave that sword to him just like I did to you. In order to teach and train him, first, I needed to understand his limits and potential. He managed to lift that sword in a day."

"Slower than Sun," Smoke said.

"Yes, but his method was far more impressive." Pagasa took the sword and pointed it to the ceiling, "Not only did he unlock the seal I placed on it, but he also absorbed it all into him. He took the mana from the sword in him. It was amazing." Pagasa handed the sword back to Sun. "Normally, the sword would break under such stress, but he managed to remove the mana from it without leaving a trace. Only a genius can pull that off."

"Why a genius?"

"Because mana is sticky and eternal. At least, that's the best I can describe mana. Its power is greater than our known universe, and its law defines and interprets it, and we are simply using parts of it to bend reality to our whim. But we can't control mana as much as we can control our world with it because it is impossible. Mana can not be taken without consent. There must be some exchange or criteria to be met. Passion leads to fire, trauma makes you stronger, and mana avoids those that are primadonnas. But he did not follow the law, the teaching that I told you both."

"I didn't listen, so could you repeat it?" Sun asked.

"No,"

"And what was his name?" Smoke asked.

"His name was Andrew Prince." Pagasa giggled, "Prince was the name his village Chief gave to him. He came from a northern tribe, so he grew up just like you boys. He grew stronger in the harsh winter months, barely surviving."

"And where is he now?" Sun asked.

"I don't know."

"I feel like that was a lie."

"Perceptive." Pagasa cracked his knuckles. "You'll know where he is in due time. For now, I would like to get started with your training. I don't know how long that will take. On the one hand, you're fairly creative with solving that problem. I can tell you're not as smart as Andrew, but you're naturally gifted, that much I can tell. And you know what, I'll at least repeat to you what the purpose of the sword test. I wanted to see if you are fit to be king to be a leader. Are you patient, determined to break the spell, or will you get tired and frustrated? But it seems like I forgot that there other ways to solve problems."

"Well, it's now like I'm always creative. I just wanted to use the sword without breaking it."

"Exactly, you still dived in head first, but you were still careful. And for me, that's enough." Pagasa activated the platform, "Now get on. It's time to head back."

The brothers stepped on the platform. A glowing neon blue ring formed around them as the platform descends. "What about the gun and the dwarves?" Smoke asked, "They seemed to know you and respect you. Wouldn't they be worried that you're gone?"

"Don't worry, my old friend knows."

"Old friend?" The brothers asked.

While the goblins prepare to depart, Orez was sitting in his office writing a letter to his majesty. Manny stood next to him, watching his pen move across the page. The was to inform the king that new goblins have come, and Pagasa was on the move once more. Caution is a necessity in the coming years because another heir to the goblin throne surfaced. And they brought with them a peculiar weapon, a small gun with craftsmanship that could match the best workshops in the kingdom.

Orez attached the letter on the package containing the gun and handed them to Manny. "Take this to the capital." He told him. The mute bowed, then hurried out of the room. Orez could feel the winds changing. Something mysterious is going on inside the forest, and the goblins that visited today may uncover those mysteries, for better or worse.