The Goblin Nation

At Everflow City, in the middle of the castle district, sat the Everflow Castle. Its foundation was shaken, its walls broken, and its towers swaying. But Gever was determined to fix the castle and bring new life to its structure. There's just one problem, she was a cook, not a carpenter. She looked through the sketches and blueprints the Razin goblins gave her, but she could not understand them.

She was going to ask her brother, Horder, for help because he used to help with building sh.i.p.s. But he left the city with Cossack along with some of the freed slaves. They headed to the outskirts of the city, planning to expand their agriculture and to negotiate with the mining tribe that used to be under the control of the previous ruler. Gever sat in her office trying to figure out what she could. If Horder was here with her, she wouldn't have to wrestle in her mind trying to understand the drawings.

Fortunately, hope arrived through her doorsteps. Stick walked into the room. "What's up?" He jumped onto a chair. His brown hair started growing back. The short stubbles reminded Gever of a type of brown moss that grew underneath the pine trees around her home village.

"I'm trying to understand these blueprints stuff." Gever handed him one of the papers, "They also gave me a list of stuff we needed. But I need to check if we can even get enough of them. How about you? I heard Smoke left the city as well."

"We got some info from the city locals about a hideout Bishop was building in case he and his sister needed to hide from King. Smoke decided to investigate it along with some of our new knights of arms."

"New?"

"Well, they're not new. He brought Skild with him. We just changed their titles to Knights of Arms since that was the correct term. But enough about that, let's see this stuff."

"Aren't you busy?"

Stick slumps into his chair, "No, not really. And it sucks! Everyone is doing their job, and I've already completed mine. I wrote our new military doctrines, set up our military exercises, closed off the factories, confiscated all the guns produced and used in the war, and assigned our new officers. And I did them all in five days!" He sighs, "I thought it was going to be a lot, but in reality, I just approved paperwork and order people around. And I don't know what else I can do, so I decided, maybe you need help."

"Well, I do." Gever grabbed a pen and paper, "Let's get this over with!"

While life was going as it should in Everflow City, hundreds of miles away, in the middle of the ocean, a more dire situation was unraveling in the seems. Barov and Cirona were searching in a sea of lepers on the pristine beaches of Scoffing Island for the Rainbow Stone. And artifact Barov needed to pass the test. Fortunately, they found it in the hands of a child. She wore simple clothes, and her white skin nearly blended with the white sand. The colors of the rainbow made her stand out among her fellow lepers.

But getting to her was difficult. The leper colony was on the move. Barov grabbed Cirona and covered his mouth with a towel. They raced through the lepers until they reached the white girl in the middle of the colony surrounded by other children. Barov extended his hand and tapped the girl on the shoulder, which startled her. "Sorry didn't mean to scare you." Barov got on one knee, "But that stone you have on you. I need it. Would you please give it to me?"

The girl could barely see as the lumps on her face covered half of her eyes, obscuring her vision. But she could tell the man was no leper. She was afraid of him, so he gave the stone, only for it to be snatched away from her by another child. "Don't give this to him!" The little girl with curly red hair gave back the stone to its original owner. "And you! Stay away from us!"

The two girls walked away, but Barov was not ready to give up. He ran in front of the girls and got on his knee once more. "Please, I really need that stone." He begged them.

"Don't you know who we are?" The redhead stomped her foot on the ground. "We are lepers. That rock is probably cursed now. Why do you want it so bad?"

"To pass the exam."

"Well, you can forget about it! Go and find your own stone." The redhead grabbed her friend's hand and walked away, "Let's leave."

The colony moved in unison away from Barov and Cirona. The rainbow light emitting from the stone fading in obscurity as the dark robbed lepers move to cover the children. Barov fell on his b.u.t.t feeling defeated. If he could not get it through his pleas, maybe he can negotiate, he thought. Cirona sat down next to him and rubbed his shoulders.

She could tell that for Barov this was a minor setback. Soon enough, Barov inhaled as much as he could and yelled at the top of his lungs. "Alright!" He got up and took out a locket from his c.h.e.s.t pocket. "I think this should be fair trade." Cirona frowned. She placed her hand on the locket and shook her head. "Cirona, it's fine. It's empty see," Barov opened the locket. There was nothing inside but dust. "It's just a locket. I made sure to keep the picture safe somewhere else."

Cirona was not convinced and pushed the locket to Barov's c.h.e.s.t. Her shiny puppy eyes melted Barov's heart. He always loses when it comes to Cirona. He sighed and put the locket back in his pocket. He'll just have to find another item to trade with the girls. But he may not have to, as a figure appeared behind him and placed his hand on his shoulder.

Cirona's eyes turned from the defenseless kitty to an overprotective predator. Or mother. She pulled Barov to her and away from the man. The man in question was the troublemaker from before. Corin Ren smiled, "Don't need to get so defensive, piggy."

"What are you doing here? You shouldn't be here."

"Oh, don't be so harsh!" Ren pinched Barov's cheeks, "The church was going to kick me out, but I offered to repent. And you know the church and their core idea of forgiveness and whatever."

"And they're making you take the exam."

Corin rubbed his chin, "Maybe?" Then he turned at the herd of lepers walking down the beach. "You know, I think we are looking for the same thing." Corin looked at the couple and laughed.

Barov could see the cruelty in his eyes and smell the blood boiling in his body. "What are you planning?" Barov clenched his fist. Suddenly, Cirona disappeared in a flash of blue light. "Where did he go?"

Cirona tugged on Barov's shoulders and pointed at the sky where Corin was floating above the lepers. The mana on his foot dispersed, and without it, he fell down on an old leper, pinning him on the white sands. He sat on the poor leper and stared at the two little girls and the rainbow stone in their possession. "Hello there,"

"Who are you?" The redhead stepped in front to defend her friend.

"Just someone who needs that stone. Now give it, you disgusting freak. Or else," Corin stretched his hand behind him, with its back facing the redheaded girl.

"F.u.c.k off!"

"Why you little shit!" Corin exploded and released his wrath on the little girl, but Barov took her place. He pulled her aside and became the target of Corin's attack.

Corin left a handprint on Barov's left cheek. It was red and began to throb from the pain, Barov did not show any sign of pain. He simply glared at Corin, with anger in his eyes. There was also a hint of satisfaction. Since Corin broke the rules, he would be expelled. But at a cost. "It's over, you broke the rules, and everyone here saw it." He told Corin.

But Corin laughed it off. "You're an idiot. You do know you're going to be expelled from this island too, right? You risked everything for a leper."

"Yes,"

"Good," Corin pulled out a gold coin. "Because I already took half of the commission."

"What?"

"Oh come on. Why would I be here, after getting caught?" He said while doing air quotes. "And it looks like the angels and demons flying around the island have caught a whiff of our little conflict." An angel was slowly flying in their direction.

"You planned this?"

"Of course. You're not fit to be king." Corin whispered.

The mana inside Barov began to twist inside his stomach and pulsate in his head. The intense emotions he held deep in himself started to leak out from his body. He could explode and unleash his fury at any moment, but someone else released that anger for him. Cirona grabbed Barov and pulled him away from Corin when a figure suddenly appeared next to him.

Corin was surprised to see a leper appear after a flash of blue light blinded him. But he couldn't see the leper's face because a fist blocked his vision. The leper's fist that is. The leper punched him square in the face. The other lepers parted as Corin flew across the beach and was caught by the angel. The culprit removed his hood. Barov was amazed to see the identity of the leper. He looked exactly like Sun.