The goblin village was ten kilometres away, so a hop and a skip for the likes of Xyn and the goblins who could match his flying speed. There was no rush, though.

  The Void Prince took it slow, and thus Igrun and others did as well. To “walk and talk” was his suggestion. The goblins took to the idea, resulting in the Traveller’s Stone becoming a hot potato as all the pseudo-monsters wished to get a turn.

  Introductions came first.

  Xyn wasn’t content with simply putting a name to a face, and neither were the goblins. Each introduction included one’s likes, dislikes, hobbies and anything they wished to say within a two-minute window.

  Anthia loved insects.

  Dovna disliked insects and thus kept her distance from Anthia.

  Mandola had a crude slingshot and took pride in his marksmanship, claiming to be the best shooter in the tribe. He demonstrated his abilities by targeting near and distant branches with stone pellets.

  Johava was energetic. She had a spring in her step and disliked idleness, as she proved by leaping about.

  Mesma liked being upside down whenever he could. He found the view stimulating.

  Igrun liked dice games. The village chief supposedly had the devil’s luck.

  Vundal…

  [Your turn, human Xyn.]

  To Igrun’s prompt, the Void Prince did a head roll before responding, [I’m two sides of a coin. Simple and complex. I like a lot of things. Exploring, creating, fighting, learning and experimenting…and sitting in front of the heater. I like novel situations and recreating situations one can find in a novel, mostly the fantasy kind. I’d say I’m doing so now, chatting away with goblins and all.}

  [Goblins appear in your books?]

  [They do. Though they don’t have the best reputation.]

  [Then it is the same as reality. To the rest of the world, we are no different from monsters. To actual monsters, we are no different to the rest of the world.]

  Igrun’s sigh broke off as a surprised noise left his lips. Xyn’s sudden shoulder pat was gentle, yet a shock to his system.

  [I see the truth. And the rest of the world - the multiverse - will see it too in time.]

  [Y-Yes, that is the hope. One day.]

  [No, not hope. I’ll spread the word. Just give me a bit of time to find my feet properly. It hasn’t even been a week since I got to this realm.]

  [You’re an Otherworlder?] Igrun asked with wide eyes. His question became rhetorical as he nodded a second later. [Makes much sense. No wonder you treat us so kindly. Different world, different thinking. Also, your magic is strange.]

  [Aberrant is the technical term, but yes. My magic is fairly unique.]

  A screech to Igrun’s left stole his attention. He turned and tossed the Traveller’s Stone to Mandola.

  [How did you kill the furry one? He was blown back, then fell apart. What is your magic?]

  [Hmm, that’s a long explanation. I’ll spare you the words and instead show you. Sounds good?] Getting screeches of approval, the Void Prince made a show of it.

  He redid his actions, only in slow motion. The goblins were beyond impressed. An encore was demanded, which Xyn happily provided. He was asked what more he could do, and again, he couldn’t resist. Their reactions were delightfully childish. He kept a few techniques up his sleeve, as usual, but they were none the wiser. Over a dozen different marvels had been showcased, after all.

  Following the show, he turned the question around.

  [Regenerate with monster cores, fire force projectiles, and enhance yourselves with an aura ability. What more can you do?]

  Igrun, having retaken the Traveller’s Stone, replied with a sigh. [Nothing more, Xyn. That is the extent of our abilities.] Dovna interjected from the side, to which the village chief nodded and followed up with: [Correction, that is the extent of our abilities as we are.]

  [As you are?]

  [History of our race is needed to understand. Do you care to hear it?]

  [Lay it on me.]

  The goblin frowned.

  [It’s a saying.]

  [I see. Many strange sayings. I will learn them.] Collecting himself, Igrun spoke about the origin of the goblin race.

  The chaos of the Great Scramble could be divided into three parts - or rather waves.

  The initial chaos was caused by the Great Shift connecting all the realms. The second wave was due to the cascading effect that Universe 10’s Strangeness had on Machaeverosa. The third wave was brought about by the Towers of Ascension and the resultant Conquerors. Dozens of Transcendents were added to the already tumultuous Realm of Realms.

  The Conquerors, as a whole, had a shoddy reputation. Eighty-four died within a decade of receiving the Witch’s inheritance. They were crushed by the established powers and powerhouses, the trio of Myths especially prolific in slaying the upstart Transcendents. Only a handful of Conquerors managed to make it to the present day.

  Telenoch the Goblin King was a Conqueror. He burned brightly but briefly, being one of the eighty-four, lasting only seven years. The Tower transformed him into the monster of legends. His appearance didn’t inspire envy, but his reward was one of the better ones. He was a Transcendent, proper, not just wielding a Transcendent-level tool or magic as most other Conquerors were.

  He was as fast as lightning and hit hard enough to split continents. Beyond his basic stats, he could transform others into his kin. He used this ability extensively. Humans and other races were turned into goblins. Millions were forcefully converted.

  Telenoch saw no problem. While not born one, he embodied the classic goblin. Tyrannical and violent, he established his goblin nation, Gorathian, on the eastern continent of Rudia. The Goblin King wasn’t content with that, though. He expanded his borders without fear…and paid the cost.

  The Primordial Dragon, Luxenavous, made a show of burning him to death, psychically transmitting the death throughout Machaeverosa. With no powerful ruler at its head, Gorathian fell like a house of cards.

  [Without a nation, goblins returned to life before. Some were accepted back. Most weren’t. Lost the ability to speak, they were seen as monsters. Treated worse than beast folk.]

  By this point in the account, a sombre cloud had settled on the group. Slouched shoulders and hung heads were the norm. Even Johava was walking normally. Xyn didn’t feel good seeing the group so downtrodden. His mind spun with ideas to pick up their chin.

  [Goblins scattered as they did. Formed tribes. Only small tribes survive. Too big, others kill.]

  [Hm, why?]

  [Scared. Don’t want another Goblin King.]

  [That’s possible.]

  [Almost impossible, but possible.] Igrun pointed at Lucia, the tinniest of the goblins. [When you look at her, what do you think, human Xyn?]

  The Void Prince tilted his head. [Small? Young? Cute?]

  Igrun showed a grin, as did Lucia. Scratchy snickers sounded all around him. [Human from another world. No doubt.] He got a round of agreements from his fellow goblins.

  Xyn just rolled his shoulders. [What’s your point? What should I see?]

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  [You saw what is on the surface. The truth is beneath that. Goblins do not grow like other races. Time and mana transform us. Lucia is small, cute, but not young.]

  Lucia disagreed with a scratchy noise. She cut a sassy pose as she held her hands with her hips.

  Igrun ignored her and continued. [At seventeen, she’s been an adult for two years already. Adult form is appropriate for her; however, due to us lacking the monster cores, she has remained in the Child form.]

  [How many monster cores do you need?] Xyn asked with sparkling eyes, interest piqued at the mechanic. [How long does the process take?]

  [The process is instantaneous. It is over in a flash. As long as the requirements are met, a goblin can advance.] Igrun scratched his hairless chin as his mental gears turned. [I believe we were short thirty-three monster cores.]

  [Let’s see it.] Xyn said, dumping fifty monster cores onto the ground.

  A stun worse than the monster’s earlier swept through the group. Igrun regained his composure first and turned to Lucia. [A ceremony is common, but if you want-]

  A series of nods interupted the village chief.

  [Your choice. Go ahead.]

  Xyn and the others gave Lucia space. She stood at the centre of the pile of glowing orbs and expanded her Soul Shroud. What followed was exactly what Igrun described.

  It was similar to a monster’s corpse transitioning into a monster core. Lucia’s whole body became a bright light, condensed into a tiny orb, before expanding into a hobgoblin shape.

  Pure fascination was followed by shame as the obvious happened. Her clothes hadn’t conveniently expanded with her and tore into shreds, leaving her stark naked. She was exposed to the world to see. Only for a blink. An elegant dress of Vanta found itself on her person by the next moment.

  “Kua?” Lucia turned around to face Xyn.

  [You’ll have to put on normal clothes, I can’t materialise Vanta beyond three me-]

  Xyn’s feet separated from the earth. It was a hug, no different from a tackle. After a short flight, he and Lucia slid down the slope.

  [Lucia! You’re an adult. Behave as one. Honestly. I apologise, human Xyn. She’s a bit emotional right now.]

  Xyn didn’t need Igrun’s words to confirm the fact. The wetness on his shirt was sufficient proof. He didn’t rush to get up or away and instead locked his arms around the freshly advanced goblin. An embrace. It felt good.

  How long has it been?

  Xyn asked the question, but the void of his mind remained silent. No memory of ever holding another or another holding him. Perhaps his mother had held him like this - no, that’s impossible.

  The others looked on with stars in their eyes. Time passed, but none of them complained about what they were witnessing. It was a first.

  Nearly a minute later, Lucia signalled her intention to part. Getting up, she took the offered communication orb. [Thank you, human Xyn. I’ve long wanted to become an adult. You granted my wish.]

  Xyn remained a starfish on the wild grass. [We granted each other’s wishes. It was interesting to see. Thank you.] He got up, closed his hand around his purple blanket and tossed it toward Lucia. [A gift, accept it.]

  [You’ve given me too much already. I must repa-]

  [Say no more. Not about debts and favours,] Xyn said, reappearing at the top of the hill. [Come. There’s still a long way to go. Let’s get moving.]

  The goblins looked at each other, looked toward Xyn, and then looked at each other again before collectively grinning. They were in agreement; their human companion was different. Of the same mind, the goblins rejoined Xyn as a group continued southward.

  After a lull, Xyn restarted the conversation with a question, unable to keep his curiosity at bay a second longer.

  [There are seven rungs of power or forms a goblin has, ending with Goblin Monarch, which the Goblin King was. Each one has a time and a magical energy requirement. The forms are Child, Adult, Brute, Gladiator, Warrior, Noble, and Monarch.}

  Following the list, Igrun explained the exact requirements of each form. It grew exponentially, as one could imagine, with Goblin Monarch needing a thousand years and a million monster cores to be achieved.

  [Brutes are rare, but I’ve seen them. Never seen anything above that. Goblins don’t tend to live that long. Monsters and beasts take lives, but they don’t compare to humans. Humans fear our rise. Every now and then, slayers come, kill the old ones. When we become too numerous, they come and scatter us into small groups. Small groups are harmless.]

  One would expect bitterness, but what poured out of the goblin chief was worse: hopelessness.

  Xyn glanced at his shoulder but refrained from a second pat. He would show and not tell.

  [What about in the village? Are there any old enough to be Brutes? I’ll gladly sponsor another advancement.]

  [That would be big of you, but no, there’s not. Marano is the closest at forty-nine, but he’s four months shy.]

  [I see. A pity. I would have loved to see that. I’ll have to settle for Adult advancement. You have others waiting their turn, right?]

  [We do, but the monster cores…]

  [A non-issue. My curiosity must be sated, no matter the cost. I wish to observe the process more closely. Perhaps, I can learn something from it.]

  Igrun had no words and would have none for the few minutes. He passed the Traveller’s Stone to Anthia, who had been bugging him this whole time. Another round of hot potato was started, and a merry chaos ensued.

  [Six groups of ten warriors. Five go out and hunt. One group stays behind. We rotate every day. That is the way.]

  [Is that enough to defend your village?]

  [It is. You’ll see.]

  Xyn saw and understood.

  Great minds think alike, he thought before the village’s border.

  Goren stood on a circular clearing four hundred metres in diameter. It had no walls, at least, not the traditional kind. A hundred metres of trees separated it from the rest of the forest.

  Brown, barren, and resembling individual bolts in a storm, each one glowed. The frequency made a visual of the goblin village impossible, and the mana density made bulldozing through it in one go a pipe dream for any monster. Descending from above was no easy task, either. The enchanted trees extended high and curved inward to form a massive dome-like structure which encased the goblin village.

  [This arrangement isn’t natural, no?]

  [Simple but effective. The goblin way,] Mandola said, his chest puffing up.

  Xyn smiled. [The smart way.]

  He had seen Igrun and other goblins zoom through the brown maze like the wind. Practice had made perfect, but even more than that, their dexterity was exceptional. They leapt off and landed on branches with the grace of acrobatic monkeys. [Has any monster managed to reach the other side of this maze?]

  [None even gets halfway. Most are clumsy and get stuck, and then are easily killed by the goblins on duty.}

  Like shooting fish in a barrel, Xyn thought, picturing the scenario.

  [Inconvenient to pass through, for all but goblins. Without it, we would have died long ago.]

  Xyn digested the words before refocusing on Igrun. The chieftain had gathered the villagers. There were just over a hundred present. Igrun had suggested that priming was needed. Xyn thought it made sense and gave him their blessing.

  [Sure. If they say no, I’ll take it on the chin. Of course, I’ll pay what I owe.]

  Igrun’s face warped at the unfamiliar saying. He regained composure a few seconds later and said, [No need to take anything on the chin. I will make them understand.]

  Now, with Mandola and Lucia keeping him company, Xyn watched Igrun make good on his words.

  The villagers were gathered in a half circle, facing Igrun. He cleared his throat and spoke - his mouth moved.

  Shock and surprise were the initial reactions- for most. Anger came next as scrunched-up faces and shouts were observed. However, the next string of words out of Igrun’s mouth froze the crowd.

  He must have said I was an otherworlder, Xyn guessed.

  He was right, and the goblins’ expression turned bizarre and then curious. Questions were asked, and Igrun had answers, which saw most accept the unbelievable claim. Curiosity dominated, but anger remained thick on many faces. Igrun continued, and Xyn watched as the crowd visibly relaxed.

  Must have explained how we met. Maybe about how I helped Lucia.

  The next thing he saw was the crowd bursting into cheers and cheerful expressions.

  Now that’s easy. He told them about the feast. Xyn’s lips curled up. Hm?

  The jubilation was cut off sharply by a shout. A goblin woman donning a circlet, who had been among the fiercest opposition, muted everyone with a sweeping glare and spoke. Her subsequent question caused the crowd’s weariness to return in full force. Igrun just sighed and replied with a wry smile.

  The crowd’s sentiment shifted following it. Xyn saw the outcome but was lost on the contents of the chieftain’s argument. Igrun turned to Dovna and spoke. She rushed Xyn’s way with an excited face, along with several others.

  Dovna reached the other side of the thicket, grabbed the communication stone from Mandola and announced the good news.

  [Excellent. Then, in I go. I’ll need that, thanks.]

  Catching the communication stone, Xyn turned to the lake of trees and vanished. A Void Shift later, he appeared beside Igrun.

  [Greetings, Thick Thicket Tribe, I am Xyn, nice to meet you all.]

  Silence.

  Xyn’s cheerful face was on the brink of crumpling at the reception. What stopped the collapse was a chuckle that sounded beside him. Igrun motioned for the magical tool, and the psionic tossed another one over.

  [As I said, rare human.]

  The statement unfroze the goblins, and the crowd exploded in boisterousness. The stone platform was rushed. Xyn was swamped by a bunch of small green forms, which screeched questions at him excitedly while tugging at his form.

  [Aah!? I can’t understan - ah, Igrun help!?] The Void Prince pleaded as he became a human jungle gym.

  The village chief couldn’t. He was handling his own emergency: his sides burst. His bout of uncontrollable laughter saw the communication stone fall from his person, and several goblins scrambled to get it, and a multi-person wrestling match ensued.

  “Enough!” Agro’s snarling voice cut through the air. “Calm down, and kids, give the human some space. He can’t understand you. Use the communication stone,” she said in the goblin tongue, pointing at the glowing orb.

  A kid goblin hanging on Xyn’s shoulder used his back as a launch pad and reached the communication stone before anyone else could. She cheered while others let off defeated noises.

  [Hello, rare human. Monda, I am. Nice to meet you.]

  [Nice to meet you, Monda,] Xyn returned her friendliness with a smile.

  Monda’s face brightened at the reply while her fellow goblins grew greener with envy.

  [You have food for us? Chief says so.]

  [Yep. Plenty of food.]

  Xyn turned to an open space on his right and poured his will into his storage ring. The process wasn’t as swift as he liked, so he padded the time with some showmanship. He raised his hand slowly and opened his palm toward the empty space, the plethora of red eyes following his actions with great interest.

  Then, at the ten-second mark, as the goblins’ patience was stretching thin, it arrived. One after the other in quick succession. He started with tables and chairs, followed by silverware, mugs and plates, before finally bringing out that which would have the magical beasts drooling. The bread, fish, alcohol and juice were all in self-preservation containers. Xyn had the wooden crates form a long line in the dirt that made up the village’s floor.

  [Can I?] Monda asked.

  [Go ahead.]

  The young goblin tilted the lid of the nearest crate. She and the rest of the goblins’ eyes widened as they saw the organised stack of fish within. Just one crate could feed them all, and there were at least twenty. Once this calculation was made, a noise like a dragon’s roar resounded through the village.

  [No need to hold back. Feast. That’s why I came here, after all.]