Rosch woke up, while it was still dark outside.
Suz and Thulpina were lying besides him in an enormous bed. The cave he was in was much bigger, than his old one. Rosch stood up, as quietly as possible, trying not to wake up his females.
"Where am I? Suz and Thulpina are here sleeping right beside me without worry. So we must be save.", Rosch thought to himself, as he walked around inside the enormous cave.
The beautiful thing about the cave was that it was made artificial, but with natural stones. Some kind of substance between the natural stones held it all together, while holding the cold outside. The front was closed with a beautiful wooden gate. When you looked up there wasn't a ceiling, instead a huge window, which showed the stars surrounding the brightest moon of the year. Only before winter time was the moon that bright and beautiful. In the middle of that huge hall was a table, long enough for at least 20 Goblins to take a seat at. If you came in from the cave entrance with the wooden gate, on the left side was a huge fire place. The fire place was inside the wall looking like an oven, with an airway for the smoke, that leads out. The airway could be closed from the inside. On the right side, when you enter the cave, was the big room with a huge bed, were Rosch woke up in. And when you entered and walked straight passing the huge table, two ways were seen. On the left was a huge bathroom where more than 10 Goblins could wash themselves and on the right was a long hallway. Rosch walked deeper inside, along the hallway. The interior became more cave-like, because the way slanted lightly and many rooms on the left and right appeared like bifurcations. Rosch didn't enter every room, but most were empty, only the last room was brightly lit. Rosch entered and saw Schajana, Lunara and Galia.
This room was a small bathroom, where only 3 or 4 Goblins could wash themselves. Inside, Lunara held the head of Galia above water, so she could breathe. Schajana looked exhausted, but she still used magic to heal Galia. It seemed Lunara and Schajana took their turns to heal her, even though Lunara only learned the bare minimum of first-aid. Schajana knew some magic to repair flesh, but the herbs Lunara had helped, too. Bones and organs were different. They needed to know the anatomy of the body. Without it the bones would grow together wrongly. Right now they two just had to make sure that her life was ensured, while her spine would probably be to much for them.
"How is she?", Rosch asked weakly.
"She will survive, but it would be a miracle, if she could walk again. ", Lunara said apologetic. Rosch shook his head. He knew they tried their best.
" I.. am okay Rosch. Just exhausted. Don't give yourself the fault for what happened. I heard all this terrible shouts and destruction sounds from your fight with the ape. I just couldn't go on knowing you could die for us, that's why I said to Thulpina that she should go on without me. I would come back with you after your victory. To our luck it seemed that she didn't listen to me either or we both would have died there. Oh and she told me that we should thank Gerhard, since he helped us. Without him we wouldn't have made it in time. ", Galia said weakly, but much stronger as before.
Rosch grabbed her hand, looking sad but was cheered up by Galia again.
" Don't be like that. You know first, I thought that saving you would be enough and I could die happily, but after what you have told me, that thought disappeared instantly. Now I want to be carried by you everyday and everywhere." Galia said more energetic and a little bit naughty.
Rosch had to smile a bit and nodded. They all chatted a bit and Rosch learned that this is his cave from now on. Every family head gets such a grand cave. The dwarf mixes build it while Rosch was inside the dimension.
"What is with the jewel like thing that saved me at deaths door when I fought the Nightwalker?" , Rosch asked suddenly, remembering that miracle necklace. He had so much to do since he came back from the hunting competition that he completely forgot about that.
" That necklace only works on Elves. It is a gift from our Goddess, Elviana. Only the Queen of the Elves and the high priestesses, knows how to make them. You see, it healed you that time but didn't heal Suz even though she was hurt, too. Schajana didn't know that it couldn't save her own daughter, because Schajana's mother only told her it would protect her, not how it works or for whom it may work, so she gave it to Suz hoping to save her live. But she didn't know that if the elven blood becomes to thin it will not work anymore. But thank Elviana that she didn't know or you would be dead by now. ", Lunara told Rosch, who got hopeful for a second, but his hope was crushed again.
" Since my mother only thought me for a year, she couldn't teach me everything. Just the most common spells for flesh wounds or sicknesses. I didn't even know how powerful the necklace was. Lunara told me that it needs to be hold by an elf to regain its power, but can take up years after saving someone from certain death. ", Schajana said completely tired after the long healing process.
" Come let's go to sleep. In the morning I have to go to meet my father. ", Rosch told them a bit sad, while helping Galia out of the water.
They walked a bit as Galia, who was carried by Rosch said, " Thank you Rosch. They told me that you defended me against my father and even your father, making a deal with him, which is so much worse than the first one you did....You did that all for me.", while happily kissing Roschs head and cheek.
" It's okay, you are mine now, but you should know that I never let go of something once I claim it.", Rosch said digging his finger a bit deeper in her butt.
Galia became a bit red. She kind of liked it though, because it gave her the feeling of safety she needed right now. Old habits are hard to lay down and seeing males throwing females away for lesser reasons than paraplegia was normal in Goblin society. That's why she was still a bit scared, but hearing such words made her happy.
"Why did you suddenly say thank Masarath the God of the forest creatures, while holding me in the forest? Never thought you were faithful." Galia said remembering his first words when he realized that she was still alive.
"Don't know, at that moment I was just thankful and I heard you sometimes saying the name of your God, it just bursted out of me.", Rosch said still a bit thankful.
"I didn't believe in him myself. I thought the God was only granting blessings to the males, but in that month we lived together, I started to believe and thanked him often.", Galia said tighten her grip on Rosch. Rosch just smiled and went to bed with everyone.
Morning came, while everyone woke up and chatted. They had some breakfast right after washing themselves. Rosch stood up to wear some nice clothes he traded with Gerhard in the dimension.
" I have to go to my father now. He wants something from me.", Rosch said going towards the wooden gate.
"Wait, I am coming with you.", Schajana shouted going to her room, taking the golden dress and shoes, which he got from Gerhard. Suz has gotten a beautiful green one with a bit golden mixed in it.
"Why are you taking the dress?", Rosch said. She didn't need to show off, but it seemed he was wrong.
"We need to show them what you got. Don't forget that prestige is important even more when you want to recruit 50 warriors.", Schajana said, while the other females looked at him nodding, but not stopping to eat.
Schajana came out and stunned everyone. She really was just flawlessly beautiful. It was no wonder that the family heads fought over her. She smiled, which showed her sharp canines.
Both of them were on the way to Randans cave and as they passed caves and Goblins, all stares went on Schajana. She really showed off, it seems it wasn't only for prestige. She was isolated and used like a trophy, showing off now meant much to her, because she wanted to push it into the faces of all the family heads, who wanted to possess her.
She can walk in the village however she likes now and isn't going to be put in a dark cave for the rest of her life like a wild animal.
Randans cave was the highest cave on the mountain, which showed his status.
The further down you went the smaller the caves became and that meant less prestige as well as status. Rosch's new cave is almost at the foot of the mountain, which broke the pattern now.
But Lunara didn't want to move up, she liked the closeness to the forest and as Rosch wasn't there, she as the mother called the shots.
They traveled up the mountain and stood in front of the cave of Randan.
"Haaaaa, let's get it over with.", Rosch said completely dejected.