On Astral Tides: From Humble Freelancer To Astral Emperor

“The earth element has to soak into the packed earth, turning it into a rock as hard as jade, no, harder, unbreakable.” The strange rat-person in front of the mercenary said, pointing to the flipchart. “I believe that your concrete is of roughly the same level of strength, more so when strengthened by the additions of steel, but we need it stronger, faster, better.” He bared his teeth in a smile.

Damn, this is surreal. Here we are getting lectured on how to use magical bloody powers by some talking rat, in strange company indeed… The mercenary, who had prided himself on being one of the first to join the Black Wolf, back in the early days when it was just Trey, Aliyah and a few others, had never considered leaving, not even for a minute, despite their change in fortunes and country of affiliation. Bastards, I won’t forgive those who ditched us. They missed out though… the money’s good, and the work is… a bit boring, but we won’t be building walls and caves forever…

In addition to a number of his colleagues, there were stranger beings around them. More of the rats, as well as weasels and other animal people, little green men, goblins, if you could believe it, and here and there were dotted some that looked almost entirely human, except for longer ears and inhuman beauty, the men all handsome and lithe, the women gorgeous and with brightly coloured hair. Bloody elves. I suppose the job does have its perks. Though Aliyah has been in a foul mood recently. Not that we haven’t seen that before…

“Here are the plans on the Material. Firstly, for the factory and underground warehouses. Taking advantage of mortal machinery, we have begun excavations, but on this scale…” As the lecturing rat continued, the mercenary marvelled at the fact he was presenting wearing what looked like a lab coat, and that he was using diagrams, graphs and blueprints out of a damn business pitch. When did fantasy get so… so ordinary?

“Do not forget, that resistance to elements and aether in the mortal Material world is significantly stronger, or so I have heard. By the moon, I am so jealous of those who get to walk the mortal world.” The rat went off on a tangent, waxing lyrical about all the magical, wonderful things in the Material, and the mercenary looked over at one of his colleagues, who rolled his eyes. I sure wish I lived in such a place, where even the most mundane things like cars and mobile phones are special. He looked around once more, and in the background the towering tree, shining with a rainbow of ether, attracted his eyes. Yeah, I guess the grass is always greener, this seems plenty magical to me…

“You ever think we’d end up in an engineering core?” his colleague whispered, and several other of the Black Wolf laughed. They were usually split into groups, some on bodyguarding duty, others training, and a further group learning practical skills.

“It’s not all construction techniques, is it? Just like demolitions, this stuff kills in the right hands.” another said, and the mercenary had to agree.

“Yeah, we can make the ground explode, or fire bullets of sharp stone like a damn anti-tank round. And that’s just us. When you see the real pros in action…” He remembered seeing armour comprised entirely of stone, strong enough to stop bullets, and entire rains of deadly jagged rock projectiles, more than enough to down most of a squad. “Then there’s the other elements. A flash of green, and then your head comes off, or you get burnt alive, or worse…”

“Guns are still useful though.” one said, and the mercenary laughed.

“Yeah, though not in every situation. Of course, when you add on such power to bullets, sure, there’ll always be a place for powerful weapons. But these powers make us a weapon.”

“We always have been.” another snorted, amused. “Especially the bosses. And also Luciana. Damn, she’s a fine-looking woman. And so polite. It makes me wonder how she ended up at a PMC.”

“On the surface man, on the surface!” another shook his head. The group was attracting looks from the strange Fae-folk around them, but fortunately their instructor was too busy explaining his project to pay attention. “She’s the sort you think is all polite, but she’s a deft hand with a knife and other forms of close combat, and she’s got a wicked temper when pissed off. You want to have a go at her, be prepared to lose a hand, or at least a finger or two. Especially now. Our big badger general…” The man shook his head, amused at the words coming out of his mouth and how unrealistic they seemed. “…says she’s a natural with wind, and with it her knives can cut through body armour easily enough. I’ve seen it.”

So have I. “Hey, you saw her this morning? She’s in a strange mood. And when we got back here, she was wearing a new uniform I hadn’t seen before. It was kind of hot though.”

“Did you ask her about it?” another asked, but before he could answer, the ratkin spoke up, clapping his hands.

“All right, pay attention. I know I can talk too much, but this is important. If the factory suffers setbacks, we are in trouble, to say nothing of the house that the princess and her consort will be living in.”

“Sorry!” the mercenary apologised loudly. I’d best pay attention, or Aliyah will take her bad mood out on us. If word gets back that we’ve been slacking off…

“All right then. So, we have an expert here to demonstrate. It is a minor God of this land, a kami, so be respectful!”

As the strange white snake slithered up, wearing a three-corner hat and robes, it hissed out a greeting, and was soon demonstrating the best way to push earth element into soil and stone, transforming it, as well as strengthening metal. After a brief orientation it was time for the students to try. The mercenary frowned at the block of loose earth in front of him, remembering his training. “So, I have to feel the energy here…” he touched his lower body. “…and then draw it out. Damn, this new age shit isn’t easy.”

The training was hard, but then it must have been harder on those young girls. Looked barely out of pigtails and short skirts. But then Asians do tend to look younger to us Westerners. They can’t have been that old though. It’s a heavy burden, being forced to work so young, but then the bosses started in their mid-teens, so they often tell us when drunk. But damn, if young kids can master this stuff then there’s no way big, rough men like us can’t…

“Not too bad. Thisss isss the hardessst part of the tasssk.” The snake hissed as he brought out the glowing red energy. “And asss your proficiency increasssesss, you will find you can do much you could not do before.”

“Practice makes perfect, huh?” he grunted, pushing the earth element into the loose soil. It soaked in., and with the proper mental image, eventually the dirt and clay changed, solidifying, shimmering like a brownish-red gemstone. Breathing heavily, the man mopped at his brow. Reaching out, he rapped one fist against the now solid block, feeling a hard impact. “Damn, I think I did it. But if it’s this hard… how the hell are we going to fortify an entire underground cavern?”

“It isss quite the undertaking, I agree.” The snake said sibilantly. “But we have achieved much that wasss consssidered impossssssible. Ssstrength of numbersss is a powerful thing. I have ssseen it.”

“True.” I always like being on the side that outnumbers, not the one outnumbered, although damn, that almost never happens. Putting that aside, he took a deep breath, concentrating on the greatly diminished feeling of warmth in his lower body. The root chakra, right? To think such new age shit would be important in my life…

********

“Excuse me, you seem lost.” Aditi turned, clutching her bow to her chest. She was confronted with three very large men, all six feet tall, one dark-skinned, the other two white. For a moment, Aditi felt unnerved, before she realised that nothing bad would happen to her here. Oh no, I am afraid my courage has been quite shattered, since… since the betrayal. The little Indian woman held in a sigh. I have been given a second chance, to help the Princess. And I still carry the bow…

She smiled, though it still appeared a little forced. “I am sorry gentlemen, I am merely taking a break. The view from up here is rather marvellous. It rivals the Tower of London, so it does.”

“English huh?” the lead man said. “It’s good that here there’s a lot of people that speak it, back in Japan most of them speak moon runes.”

Aditi’s smile became more genuine. “I think that is a little rude. Though I do understand English speakers tend to look down on other languages.”

“No, it’s more that we’re too lazy to learn. But we have to. Japanese classes are a pain, though we are persevering.”

“Aliyah would beat us up if we don’t.” another of the men laughed. “Aliyah has it easy, she’s good with languages, Trey, not so much…”

As the banter continued, Aditi finally relaxed, her smile now more genuine. “I see. Yes, as a child I learned a number of languages, English among them. It can be difficult.” She looked out over the Territory, watching the inhabitants below. “I like this place. It is so bustling, compared to London. Though that is starting to change…”

“Yeah, seems like our big boss is in tight with your Princess, girl.” The man smiled broadly. “I saw the news. Quite a press conference. So, are you like him and her, one of the Chosen, as they call them?”

Aditi’s smile froze, and she felt sick. On seeing that, the man scratched his cheek, embarrassed. “Did I say the wrong thing?”

Aditi squeezed shut her eyes, clutching her bow tightly. After a moment she opened them again, looking out over the magnificent view, the strange dark auroras overhead casting long, rippling shadows. “No, you are not at fault, sir.”

“Sir, she calls you? Damn, that’s one for the history books.” As they laughed, Aditi wondered if they would understand. Mary-Jane did, she knew, but… The Princess and Mr Reckless, they are kind, they sympathise, but they cannot know, what it was to have a gift taken away. Even if I never asked for it, it was a part of me.

“I… I was. But unfortunately, the power of Arjuna is no longer with me. I should have died.” she confessed. “Those I trusted, they betrayed me, and left me for dead. Fortunately, the young gentleman from Japan, Mr Oshiro, he was able to save us. And… I do not wish for the Princess to fight alone, or have to carry the grief of our losses and failures. I would hate that.”

“Fight alone? I do not think that is el caso.” A woman said, and Aditi turned to see a woman ascending the stairs onto the wooden terrace that crowned the great tree. She was wearing a military-style uniform in black and silver, with a long coat and tight trousers and shirt, adorned with badges in a diamond shape. She was small and petite, not much bigger than Aditi herself, with an olive complexion, dark brown eyes and a long brown braid that hung out from her cap down to her bottom.

“Oh hey Luciana. Looking gorgeous as ever.” One of the big men whistled, and she gave him an annoyed look.

“Of course I do. I am always hermosa, beautiful.” She shrugged, long coat billowing. “But you are wasting my time.” She looked at Aditi again. “A visitor from Inglaterra? And a woman too? Come, take a seat, have a drink. You will feel much better. It is sabroso, good stuff. And I have these.” She flourished her hand, holding a number of what looked like small coins. It drew attention, several of the strange creatures that also were standing or sitting atop the terrace came over, curious. Aditi marvelled at them, with their sometimes cute animal forms, but had no fear of them, due to her experiences with Raidre and his Selkie.

“Are those… coins?” one small green-skinned creature that looked like a child said, and Luciana nodded.

“Indeed they are. I was gifted them as part of my reward for joining…” she paused. “Well, there is no need to conversar. I am simply well regarded.” She smiled, waving to a weasel woman dressed in a maid outfit, which reminded Aditi of classic Victorian wear for servants.

“So that’s the famous uniform I heard about earlier. It’s very stylish. Do we all get one?” one of the men said, bantering, and Aditi felt a small sting in her chest. That was how we talked, battling in the shadows of London, before…

“You wish.” Luciana snorted. “Only the best, la elite. If you see someone wearing this uniform, you had best be careful not to provoke them. Now, these coins…” she tossed several to the maid. “I will take the best you have.”

The maid caught them and smiled. “You are quite-quite lucky. Mistress Asha…” she nodded to a beautiful woman with long reddish-brown hair and pale, faintly green-tinged skin, who was accompanied by a woman Aditi recognised, as one of the heroes from Japan who had come to save the Princess. Hyacinth, yes? There was also a cat-like woman with them, with silver fur. “…has just brewed a tremendously good batch of fruit wine. It is grown-grown with blossom from her own Tree and has a delightful flavour.”

“Great, I shall take it.” Lucania chuckled. “I have enough to share, I am not despiadada, heartless. You too, girl.” She said to Aditi, and she soon found herself sitting at a large table, along with the woman, the large men and the child-like goblin. In the centre, a barrel was broached, and fragrant liquid was poured into clear glasses. Aditi took it gingerly and sniffed it, to be hit with the sweet, honeyed scent of sugar, fruit and flowers, clearing her head. How… delightful.

“Damn, this is good stuff.” One of the men said, swigging it with some relish.

“Go easy on it.” Luciana warned. “If I have to go back asking for more money, then the captains, they will not think too buena of me.”

“The captains, huh?” one man mused, eyes narrowing. “I’m guessing you don’t mean Trey and Aliyah.”

“No, not for this.” She shrugged, taking a sip, eyes narrowing in pleasure. “Of course, I am still loyal to the Black Wolf, but this does not conflict.”

“So how do I go about joining? If you can buy stuff this good, I’m all in.” one man said, and Luciana shot him a withering glance.

“For you, there is no way.” She shook her head. “Give up on that. But if you wish to earn these…” she shook her remaining coins. “Siempre, there are ways.”

“The American dream, huh?” the man said, going for another mug of the sweet drink, only for Luciana to slap his hand away and pour him a smaller measure. “Work hard, get paid. Spent it on shit we don’t need. Not that such is a bad thing. A man’s got to unwind, and a woman too.”

“I have a question.” The goblin said, surprising everyone. “More than one, if you do not mind?”

Fascinating. Raidre did not talk a lot, and when he did it was mostly with the Princess, so I am curious… “I have questions as well. But you should speak first, sir.”

“Sir? Oh, a mortal form of respectful address.” The goblin mused. “I am not used to such. Goblins are looked down on, the few of us that… never mind that. These coins, this money. I worry. Does this mean that without coins, we cannot get what we want?”

“Isn’t that normal?” one of the men said, surprised. “How else do you buy things?”

“But then… the poor, the wretched…” the goblin protested. “And I have noticed that things have changed. I fear we are no longer welcome. All of the lost who have left the Seelie Court and lands of the Fae for here are being questioned and harassed.”

“I think yooou misunderstand.” A voice said, and Aditi looked up to see Hyacinth, followed by that catgirl, who was looking at the opened barrel, licking her lips.

“Can I have some, nya?” she asked, and Hyacinth clouted her across the back of the head, making her hiss in annoyance, only to quail as she saw the hard look in the maid’s violet-silver eyes.

“Nooo, not until you work. The lazy dooo not get luxuries.” Hyacinth intoned. “Now little goblin, yooou are being unfair.”

“How so? When newcomers arrive, they are herded off to interrogation.”

“Questioning. If yooou want to see interrogation, Hyacinth can shooow you. I remember all toooooo well.” She sighed. “Nooo, we are simply concerned. All who come with gooooood intentions are welcome, we will turn none away, nooo matter how lowly or despised, so looong as they mean us no harm. But…” she continued with barely a pause. “…this Territory should nooot simply allow in anyone uninvited, as has been happening. Nooo, there is a problem, and…. have you nooot ever wondered? How the Wild Hunt cooome and go as they please? Hyacinth has pondered it, I have. So we question, we ask. Pooolitely.” She snorted. “No tortures, nooo harsh words. Just asking. But we have learned much, and we believe we understand several ooof the ways the Wild Hunt evade the Fae Stone Wards and mooore. Surely you see that as a gooooood thing?”

The goblin paused, frowning. “We are too used to prejudice and worse. You can hardly blame me for worry. Many of us have come here…”

“And we are pleased to see it. Akiooo too.” Hyacinth agreed. “And we will take all whooo come and wish to work. And we will give them a good life. But there must be… incentive tooo contribute.”

“Hence the American dream.” The man from before repeated. “Capitalism sure does leave a lot to be desired, but going Commie never exactly worked, did it?”

“Thooose who work can be rewarded, and there are many treats that can make life mooore fun. Such as this.” She tapped the barrel. “But shelter and succour, a home… those we provide for all under our dominion.”

“It makes sense. Those who can work, should.” Luciana said, and she sat more upright, showing off her uniform, and Aditi smiled, forgetting her cares for a while. She seems rather proud of that. Perhaps being an elite, as she called it, is a mark of pride for her? I… I should strive for the same. She has no gift from Arjuna, nor the bow I carry, yet she betters herself.

On seeing the look or resolve in Aditi’s eyes, Luciana tilted the broached barrel, refilling her glass. “Drink up, chica. While you live, there is always hope. Hard times come for us all, but how we face them, and who we face them with… it changes everything.”

Aditi placed the glass to her mouth and took a sip, tasting the sweet, refreshing drink on her tongue. Yes, hard times. But… we are still alive. The Princess too. London stands. And… we are not standing alone. As here I am… “I think that is a wonderful sentiment, Miss Luciana.”

“Drop the miss, chica, I am not someone so special.” Luciana smiled.

“Sorry, Luciana. Your words, they moved me. I have been moping, lost. I am grateful for that, but… no, I need to be stronger. I was Chosen, but I am not merely my power.” She looked down, embarrassed. “I see those here, training hard, ordinary people, men, women, girls and boys. Both human and other beings…” she smiled at the goblin, who looked puzzled. “…united in purpose. Growing stronger. I still have advantages, I have knowledge and experience. If they can grow strong enough to make a difference, I can also.”

“Well said. Sooomeone…” Hyacinth grabbed the catgirl by her ear as she reached for the barrel, making her yowl. “… could learn frooom you. A kind world, that is what Akiooo seeks, a world where those within his reach are safe and happy. But such a world…” she looked at the goblin, her gaze cold. “… it doooes not come without struggle. Many would seek to take the joooy from others, Hyacinth knows. So all who wish for such a world have a duty tooo preserve it. Hence we ask thooose who can to contribute. These coins are simply a reward fooor doing the right thing. If yooou are weak, we will lift you up, support you, until yooou are strong. But if you are selfish and disloyal, then we dooo not need you, and I shall not be gentle!” she turned to the catgirl, shaking her. “That goooes for you too, Ginneka. Akio is grateful that yooou saved mistress Eri, so you have your life, but we dooo not tolerate freeloaders.” Her expression then softened a little. “You have a chance to be important, tooo matter. Work hard and despite your past deeds, yooou will be happy.”

“I know, nya.” She complained, rubbing at her sore ear. “I want that ability, I crave it. I’ll work, I promise. Besides…” she cocked her head, then smiled as Luciana handed her a glass of drink. She gulped it down, and even used her tongue to lick clean the glass, purring happily, before speaking. “He keeps his word, nya. I can sense my brother again, though he seems a little strange, nya. If only I could have a tumble with Akio, nya…”

“I think nooot…” Hyacinth clouted her again, and Aditi laughed at the performance.

“Mr Goblin, do you not want to build a home for yourself, a better place? It is what the Princess wants. It is a lofty dream, but one I wanted to support…”

“And you still can, nooo?” Hyacinth said, her expression now kind. “Akio will spare no effort aiding you. And strength is nooot measured simply by the favour you possess. Mistress Eri proves that. And…” she looked at Luciana, seeing the uniform, her eyes sparkling. “Those who wear the coat of Adamant are nooot weak either.”

Adamant? Setting that aside, Aditi addressed the goblin again. “If you are concerned… maybe you could sit in on one of those border checks? Or am I overstepping my bounds as a guest to suggest such?”

Hyacinth shrugged. “It doooes not matter. It is only questions. We do nothing bad ooor cruel. As for your bounds, we listen to all. And Akio would definitely nooot wish to disparage an ally of Princess Eleanor.” She paused, grinning broadly. “Akio does have a way with Princesses. I wonder… when will be the day I call her mistress?”

As Hyacinth snickered, going off into her own world, Aditi was quite touched. “We are endlessly grateful, especially Mary-Jane and I. Now, I wish to work hard. Perhaps I too one day could be considered an elite such as you?”

At that, Luciana suddenly looked strained, and Aditi cocked her head, taking another sip of the dwindling wine. Now, to training. I am an archer, though my skills have worsened substantially. So… perhaps wind element? That was recommended to me…

********

“If you have anything to ask, you can.” The weaselkin said to the goblin, who had taken the advice of the people he had met to sit in on the identity and border check, as they were calling it. “We are-are interested in the method of entry. It would not do to have infiltrators from the Wild Hunt or Unseelie slip in to do mischief, although…” the weaselkin looked uncomfortable for a moment.

Although? The goblin was still wary around those Fae races from the seven surviving branches, being as like the giants and the trolls, goblins were seen as traitorous and treacherous, Unseelie sympathisers at best. “Is there a problem?” the goblin asked, curious.

“Not-not exactly. It is simply that the princess says that were the intruders actually Unseelie or other foes here not to do harm, but to claim asylum, we would consider them. Many enemies have become friends. Though such would need to wait for further, more exacting questioning. The-the suspicious ones are detained, with all-all comfort and respect, until the princess or another with the skills to determine truth from falsehoods is free.” The weaselkin looked aggrieved at that. “The princess has many-many demands on her time. All should be grateful that she spends her precious efforts on such visitors.” The weaselkin realised he had misspoke and moderated his tone. “Though of course, those who come will no-no malice are welcomed.”

I see. Old contempt lingers, though I should be grateful they are making an effort, I suppose. Us, the kobolds, other races of ill-repute, their feelings for us will not change swiftly. Remembering the precious cargo they had secreted in this Territory, in his very home, it did make him feel nervous. This is the final hope of the goblins. We chose this place as the rumours made it out to be a safe haven, and so far it has been, but the heightened tension regarding immigrants, money… it is of some concern.

Once inside the small building that served as an interrogation chamber, which was not as bleak and bare as the goblin expected, the weaselkin he was with took a seat, pulling a chair for the goblin as well. Once seated, the door opened and several goblins came in, poorly dressed in rags and looking haggard and downtrodden. They looked scared when they saw the weaselkin warrior who was well-armed and equipped, before calming down when they saw the goblin, eyes going wide. Fortunately they kept their mouths shut. Yes, say nothing. I am just an ordinary wanderer, who has ended up here, searching for a place to belong. Nothing more.

“You three…” the weaselkin said. “…there is no-no need for concern. This is merely a routine identity check…” the weaselkin spoke the words as if learned by rote. “If you came here seeking a place to live, there will be no problems. But your entry was irregular.”

Of course. There are many of us who smuggle in others. We are long used to doing such in the lands of the Seelie. Wait… I see. Since lesser, downtrodden races often managed to pass by the security measures of the Court, it made sense they assumed that the Wild Hunt might use similar methods. I cannot see how those hate-filled monsters could use the same methods as we do, but…

“We… we were scared. Rumour is that all are welcome here, and that shelter and plenty is available for all.” one goblin ventured nervously. “But… we are used to persecution and contempt. We did not wish to travel to the Spring and come that way, so…”

“The reasons are not-not so important.” The weaselkin sighed. “What matters is how. The Territory barrier seems rather porous, this bodes ill for security.” His eyes were hard. “Please disclose your methods, for if they are not closed off, if our enemies use them… well, you would not wish for your-your home, families and friends to be caught up in destruction, like so many lives in the Seelie Court?”

The goblins looked extremely troubled, glancing at the goblin who had come to witness the interrogation, their eyes pleading. I can see I shall have to intervene. It is a leap of trust, but…hard times come for us all, but who we face them with… the human woman speaks truly. “I believe there is no need for this. I understand the method.” he said, and the goblins across from him seemed surprised he would speak.

“Oh, interesting. And how…” the weaselkin asked, curious. “… do you know-know that?”

“I am a goblin.” He said proudly. “Of course I am aware. It is rather simple, and no threat, I assure you. We are simply too small, too insignificant to attract notice, and with the lack of malice in our hearts…” As he explained the three goblins cautiously added their own agreement, filling in a few small points, such as that they were automatically welcomed in any place that contained Seelie goblins, as all goblins would strive to invite and protect other goblins, and soon the interrogation was over, the goblins released. Once outside, the newcomers were shocked.

“To have you come collect us personally…” one said, and another chimed in that he was terrified of the weaselkin. As they walked through the bustling streets of the Territory, they shot wary glances at the Fae and mortals who were coming and going.

“I am no one special. I simply provide shelter to those who carried the treasure. By the first goblin, they are arrogant and annoying. At least most of them work now and have escaped the interrogation you endured. But we cannot draw too much attention.” They passed a testing site, where numerous ratkin and weaselkin as well as humans and other stranger races were testing some new-fangled devices, the smell of elemental energies heavy in the air, as loud roars sounded, some strange projectiles flying faster than arrows and destroying targets. Something about the sight, the sound and the smells made his heart ache, eager. “Do not mind it. Just be glad you are here. Now… you will have to find a role. I will not tolerate any more freeloaders like the chieftain. And whatever your clan, do not be like him. We are all goblins, even if the lineage to the first goblin is thin or broken for many. There is enough hatred without us adding to it ourselves.”

Soon they were at his humble, yet comfortable house. It was mercifully emptier. Most of the goblins had found their own homes, and now it was just the chieftain and his sons that remained, bothering him.

“I have returned.” The goblin called, and the chieftain greeted him, eyes narrowed.

“Newcomers?” he asked, and the goblin nodded.

“Yes. Do not cause any trouble. We are all goblins, under the first goblin.” He said, keeping calm. “It is known.”

“It is known.” The other goblins said piously. One then ventured a diffident question. “Is… is it here?”

The chieftain nodded proudly. “Yes, we have carried the treasure to safety, our truest link to the first goblin, the hope of our revival.”

“Can… can we see it?” another asked reverently.

“Which clan are you?” the chieftain asked, suspicious, and the goblin whose house it was roared angrily.

“I told you, cease your foolishness. There are too few of us left, compared to the corrupt and the traitors, those of the Unseelie, Wild Hunt and the cannibal tribes of the outer lands. All goblins are one goblin, part of the first goblin. You know that!”

“It is known.” The goblins echoed, and even the chieftain followed it with a grudging agreement.

“If the Seelie take it from us… I am just doing my duty, as the last chieftain who carries the blood of the first goblin.” He said, placating. “I… most of my kin have started working, blending in, as you wished. I have given you ample respect!”

“And I am grateful.” The chieftain is such a pain. But he is right. He is the latest to carry the treasure. For that he deserves some respect, if little else. “I share your concerns, events recently have changed, but… I have asked and investigated, and it does not seem like a return of the old intolerance. I was shown freely what the Fae do here, and why they do it. I cannot say I entirely understand, but… I still have hope. We need hope. So give these newcomers a little.”

The chieftain grumbled, but finally agreed. Reverently, the hidden cavity the goblins had created in the floor was unsealed, and the treasure within was lifted out carefully, a block of dull crystal wrapped in a faded, threadbare cloak. Placing it down, the cloak was removed, revealing a shadow within, and everyone bowed their heads, the goblin whose home it was being no exception.

“Blood of the first.” The chieftain called, as did the other goblins, tears in the eyes of the newcomer. “Blood of the first, last of the first. The first and the last is a cycle. What falls can rise again. It is known.”

“What falls can rise again. It is known.” They echoed, and the goblin nodded, looking down at the shadow in the crystal. What falls can rise again. The goblins have fallen far. Less than one for every hundred remains alive and uncorrupted. The lineage of the first goblin nearly vanished. Yet… his gaze went back to the window, through which he could see the great Rhyming Tree in the distance, casting radiance and verdant energies over the land. Perhaps in this place, we can take root and prosper, what has fallen rising again. And if it does… then we need to break the cycle, for what rises again must not fall, not this time. And for that… Not realising that the shimmer of the crystal was mostly tears in his eyes, the goblin vowed to himself he would never let that happen. We have cowered and hidden too much and for too long. The dangerous maid said it true. All who wish for a world have a duty to preserve that world. So how can we do it? His fingers twitched, and he remembered the roar of the strange weapons, and his heart was uplifted. This money. If we have that, it shows we have contributed, and will be valued… I believe it is time for me to stop doing odd jobs and manual labour. If I am to change the lot of our kind, I must be bolder, more… experimental…