The pouring rain cooled Xyn down as nothing else could. Within ten minutes, he was back to his usual calm. Flying close to the ground, he reviewed his interactions with Cynthia and Drazal, going over what he knew and didn’t. At the twenty-minute mark, his eyes twinkled with an unexpected light.

  No, she mentioned it was in this direction. That must be the Combat Arena.

  The dome of grey brick stood atop a circumcised hill. It was large, fifty metres across and seventy metres high. The colosseum was encased with a film of energy, causing it to glow with a faint white light. What wasn’t white was black. All openings were covered in a void-like darkness. The Combat Arena was currently closed. The Four Seasons tournament was months away.

  Xyn landed before it and frowned. The energies emanating from the structure were certainly magical; however, they didn’t register as such to his senses. The film was neither dense nor sparse, strong nor weak, but a confusing fusion. The magical equivalent of vertigo was experienced as he examined the Witch’s legacy.

  It took a minute to steady himself. Finding his feet, Xyn thrust out his right hand. His blackened finger poked forward and…was stopped.

  The psionic’s eyes flickered at the result. Cynthia had told him that Euen’s creations were indestructible even to Transcendents, but seeing was believing. He pushed to no effect. The Flames of the End met its match - its superior in the white energy.

  No.

  It was a hard pill to swallow for Xyn, taking almost ten minutes and most of his mana. Failing with Endera, the psionic threw every attack he could, even breaking his fists with mundane punches. In the end, he wasn’t the exception. He gave up, but not before delivering his final devastating attack, a glob of spit. It did not work.

  I’m lacking, right now. I’ll return after I become a Transcendent. No, there’s no need to return. There are a million of these things scattered around the world. There must be a few in Jont.

  Xyn turned and didn’t look back. Putting distance between himself and the ground and himself and the Witch’s legacy, he zoomed toward the western horizon.

  The ogre, the monkey, the blood mage, the army of monsters, Alison…none of them can compare to my current foe. The ultimate foe: boredom.

  Three hours into his flight, Xyn was near his limit, craving a change. The forest’s randomness had become normal to him, and the occasional monster encounter did nothing for him. He sniped any in his path and collected their monster core with machine-like efficiency and indifference. Magical beasts became more numerous the further west he went, but they mostly kept their distance. The ones who attacked him shared the same fate as monsters.

  Hm? Finding motion in his periphery, Xyn glanced left and discovered an interesting sight. A battle? That’ll do. Thinking this, he swerved and raced toward the commotion. Dropping down on a cliff, he took in the one-versus-many clash.

  The one in question was a familiar beast. Rank 89, the Lightning Liger was a pink and purple-furred four-legged monster bearing a spiral horn. It jutted from its forehead and crackled with wild electricity. The many it faced was an unfamiliar sight. Crimson eyes, green skin with triangle-shaped ears, the creatures could only be called goblins.

  No, only one of them is a goblin. The rest are hobgoblins.

  Xyn was instantly fascinated by the group. They were nearly identical to monsters. What separated them was the “lack” and artificiality present in monsterkind. Also, clothes. The goblins were outfitted in a ragtag of furs and pelts. Void Sense noted the differences while watching the battle.

  While on the ground, it was up in the air.

  Individually, none of the goblins could compete against the Lightning Liger, but together, they stood a chance.

  More than a chance. Look at the little buggers go. Green in skin, not in battle.

  To Xyn’s eye, the goblin’s moveset was similar to the ogre’s, minus the super regeneration. They zipped around with springy motions with an aura ability. That same ability allowed them to fire force projectiles from their hands and empower their limbs.

  The thirteen goblins were divided into two rings of six and seven. The former were the ranged attackers. They peppered the beast with little to no pause. None of the projectiles could penetrate the monster’s barrier, but a handful together could stagger it, which proved vital to disrupt it and create openings for the seven close-range team. Their manifested energy claws drew blood with each passing, and by now, the monster was a train yard for a major railway station.

  Xyn was impressed by the coordination. The goblins moved in dizzying spirals around their lone opponent. Their system was seamless…until it wasn’t.

  Roaring, the Lightning Liger fired off a beam of purple energy. It was no flash, but a sustained flow of plasma. Two seconds didn’t sound like a lot, but it was to the goblins who scrambled to avoid its pathway. One wasn’t so lucky and had its left hand severed and cauterised.

  Hm, maybe not - no, I spoke too soon.

  After a brief lapse from the beam, the goblins got back into their groove, and the scales tipped back in their favour.

  It’s touch-and-go. The goblins are edging it at the moment, but it’s anyone’s game.

  The Void Prince’s thoughts were casual as he watched the spectacle. That was it for him. Entertainment. Monster versus monster-like creatures. He had no emotional stake in the outcome. Either way was fine with him.

  This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.

  Oh, the last-second twist.

  When the result seemed all but set in stone, the Lightning Liger did something unexpected. The monster ducked its head, and lightning streaked from its horn. It had been a vaporising beam before this, but now it was different.

  The monster had changed its settings, like turning a dial on a hose pipe. Instead of a powerful laser, it opted for an area-of-effect attack. From 10 pm to 2 am, the lightning sprayed, catching seven of the goblins.

  Game over, Xyn thought as he saw the stunned goblins.

  They would need seconds to overcome the paralysis; seconds the monster wouldn’t allow them. The furry beast chose its target, a one-armed goblin with a purple stripe running diagonally across his chest. It charged without obstacle.

  The Void Prince was indifferent.

  Until he saw it.

  Ah…

  It was unmistakable. It had been since he first laid his eyes on them, yet preconceived ideas had blinded him to an obvious fact. Seeing the truth at the eleventh hour, he moved.

  Void Shift!

  He appeared beside the crouching one-armed goblin. The monster loomed to his left, drifting toward him with its mouth agape and black tongue waggling about.

  An exercise ball-sized sphere of Vanta materialised beyond his left shoulder. It shrank to the size of a baseball. Then, Endera got involved, and the compressed air was spatially slingshotted toward the lunging beast. The air was directed in a spread, resulting in a pushing force like that of a giant’s palm thrust.

  The sequence was swift, so swift that the goblins could perceive none of it. From their point of view, the monster crashed and bounced off an invisible wall.

  The Lightning Liger landed on its feet with a wobble and prepared to launch forward again, but before it could direct any power to its limbs, it fell apart. The goblins watched in shock and awe as the terrible foe they had been battling for the last few minutes collapsed into a pile of neat chunks of flesh. A bright flash marked the expected transition from corpse to monster core.

  Xyn remained as is, still reeling from his near-mistake.

  Have I gone blind? What if one of them died because of me?

  Desperation, fear, hope…emotions he recognised as human, or rather, belonging to the enlightened races; Goblins weren’t monsters, for monsters couldn’t cry. The sight of the goblin with the orange star makeup on her cheeks, tearing up as her fellow goblin’s death seemed certain, had moved him.

  The Void Prince sighed at his ineptitude.

  Learn from this, me.

  Done with his berating, he opened his heavy eyelids and swept his gaze over the surroundings. The goblins were statues, still and silent. An awkward air blew through the area. The monster-like creatures were in unfamiliar territory and were processing the situation.

  Xyn was unfamiliar territory as well, but he felt none of their imbalance. His mind was focused on completing tasks. He turned to the one-armed goblin, who was grimacing.

  The Void Prince extended his Soul Shroud to engulf the goblin. The difference in mana output was such that he could completely overpower the armless warrior. He did a quick but thorough examination of the other’s cells.

  First time healing a goblin. Here goes nothing.

  His words were prophetic. No, worse than nothing, Xyn was hit with a rebound in the form of a sharp psychic pain. Struck, the Void Prince nearly toppled over but managed to catch himself before wobbling to a standstill.

  The goblins reacted as one; unintelligible noises sounded around him. For a second, he thought they were going to attack him and mentally stuffed an Accel Bullet in the chamber. They didn’t. The goblins remained stationary, seemingly on the instructions of the goblin who wore a hat of black feathers.

  Xyn recovered and rose to his full height.

  First the Combat Arena, then this.

  There was no doubt in his mind as to who was responsible for the backlash, Euen Cypress.

  That Witch, can she not follow me wherever I go? Oh, Feathered Hat is up to something.

  The goblin raised both hands and approached. Not Xyn, but his downed companion. He took out two monster cores and handed them over. What followed was fascinating to behold.

  Purple Stripe siphoned the energy from the monster core. The drained orb shattered to dust, which left the material plane seconds later. The process was quick. As was the regeneration that came after. Within seconds, the goblin regrew his lost arm.

  They can use it like that. Neat, Xyn thought, impressed.

  It wasn’t just Purple Stripe; several other goblins healed their wounds using monster cores.

  Xyn watched on with wonder and didn’t hide it. The goblins finished their post-battle recovery and stared at the lone human.

  Awkward. The phone didn’t have goblin language on it- ah, oh right, there’s that. The Void Prince slapped his forehead as he remembered the perfect tool for this situation. A Traveller’s Stone appeared in his hand.

  [Greetings.]

  Eyes flickered, and mouths widened at the address.

  [I see I’ve got your attention. Can you understand me? Please raise your hand if you can.] There was a delay of a few seconds as the goblins glanced around before green hands went up. [Excellent. Communication is key.] Xyn summoned a second Traveller’s Stone. [Pour mana into this orb, and you’ll be able to share your thoughts as well. Who wants to go first?]

  This time, there was no delay. Hands shot up eagerly. A few especially eager ones stood on their tippy-toes, and one even hopped in place. The antics amused the transmigrator. Feathered Hat, less so. He shook his head with a wry look on his face.

  Xyn saw him and made his decision. He tossed over the emerald orb. Two goblins leapt for it, but Feathered Hat was faster. He stopped them with his palms, sending them in reverse, and then caught the Traveller’s Stone.

  [Good day, human. I am Igrun, chief of the Thick Thicket Tribe. I thank you for saving our Vundal. We thank you.] Following the words, the rest of the goblins echoed his sentiment in their native language.

  [No problem. Think nothing of it.]

  [Strong in power, stronger in character. What name do you take for yourself?]

  [Xyn.]

  [Rare name for rare human. It fits.]

  The conversation entered a lull as neither side knew what to say next.

  [So, why are you guys out here?] Xyn said, staring anywhere that wasn’t the goblins.

  [We are on a hunt, human Xyn. On our daily hunt. This group are our tribe’s warriors. We adventure, acquire monster cores and other valuables and return to our village to share them with the rest.]

  A village of goblins. The words rolled around Xyn’s head. He was curious about the height-challenged creatures. But the otherworlder… He recalled Drazal’s hateful description of their behaviour. If he’s to be believed, I can take my time. A day or two won’t hurt.

  Decision made, he refocused on Igrun. [Hey. Can I see this village of yours?]

  At the question, the chieftain and his fellow goblins looked unsure.

  [We have never welcomed a human into our village. And this is all so sudden-]

  [One hundred monster cores.]

  [What?] Igrun’s face warped.

  Xyn summoned a monster core and tossed it up. [I’m a scholar of sorts, and you’re the first goblins I’ve met. I’m curious and wish to know more about your kind, from your origin to your way of life. Indulge me for a bit. A few hours will do. In return, I’ll give you one hundred magic rocks and…all the fish you can eat.]

  The chieftain didn’t have time to respond. He made a noise like a deflating balloon as he was practically tackled by several other goblins. One with a mohawk snatched up the Traveller’s Stone and did the equivalent of a mental shout.

  [Deal!]

  Like that, Xyn was led southward through the forest to the Thick Thicket Tribe’s village, Goren.