Traveling through the forest was not exactly a pleasant thing. For dwarves, who lived most of their lives in their underground cities, being in constant sunlight by itself wasn't something they were used to. Top it off with constantly being in a cart with barely enough space to even stretch their limbs, and it created a combination due to which all four were getting increasingly desperate to reach their next destination and get at least some rest.
And then there were the bugs. When someone says the forest is alive, the first thought is not the constant assault of the small aggressive creatures trying to get their meal out of you. Kaijin slapped his neck, killing another of the annoying bloodsuckers, and swore loudly.
"I swear, if these damned mosquitoes don't buzz off I'm going to start missing Vesta."
"Hey Koby, how far till our next stop?" Kaijin shouted to the kobold who rode his own cart just a few meters ahead of them.
"We should be close. Maybe a few hours till we reach the border of Tempest." Koby shouted back.
Not even a few minutes later, Kaijin got this feeling of being watched. Like there were eyes in every shadow. He looked back to his three friends hoping it was just his nerves acting up but the trio was on edge too. Something was off.
This feeling didn't leave him, no matter how intently he looked at the shadows, hoping to see who or what was spying on him. While looking around, he almost crashed into Koby's cart who had suddenly stopped and heard,
"Halt!" before finally noticing the hobgoblins riding monstrous wolves. Ambush!? No, only one approached Koby as the rest just stood guard on the narrow dirt road.
"You are entering Tempest. What is your business here?" the Wolf Rider asked the small kobold.
"I am returning payment to Lord Momonga," Koby said.
After a brief silence hobgoblin said, "Follow the main road, Rigurd is waiting for you in the capital. Are those dwarves with you?"
"Yes. They are craftsmen and will not cause trouble." Koby said.
When the riders disappeared from the view, Kaijin resumed breathing and, by the sound of it, his companions did the same. The regular dire wolf was a scary thing on its own, but the monstrosities those hobgoblins rode were on a completely different level. Dwargon soldiers likely would not be able to stop something like that, even in large numbers. Only specially trained units could even hope to defeat such a beast and this majin had at least five such wolves, with a high likelihood of them possessing much larger numbers, as Kaijin doubted they encountered the only strong patrol roaming this domain.
The sense of being watched didn't leave him, but the presence felt less hostile, but rather curious. Koby's cart, too, was oddly silent. He was already used to hearing the two bodyguards talking, but now they sat silently, evidently on edge.
It wasn't that surprising, as majins were beings of immense power and to anger one was not a smart move. Only someone like his beloved king Gazel could easily stand against the monsters of such power, but his desire to know more about the mysterious ore trumped all fears he had for the current situation.
After what felt like a few hours, they finally arrived at a clearing and were met with active construction work. Even at first glance, this wasn't just some goblin tribes' first attempts at building civilization, but an explosion of progress from a single source.
All four dwarves looked around, watching the hobgoblins work. Their tools were a little crude but still did their job well enough. These weren't the crude monsters they expected to see, but instead resembled green-skinned humans.
They slowly made their way deeper inside the city as Kaijin noticed another thing. The road they were on was paved with neat, even stones, giving them a smooth and pleasant ride. The closer to the center, the more skeletal monsters there were among the workers, clearly doing the hardest jobs.
Those few who turned to pay attention to both carts looked at them with curiosity, showing no signs of hostility. But considering that dwarves were known to let all races enter their cities as long as their laws were not broken, monsters considered them friendly in most cases.
Their ride came to a stop at the gates of a medium-sized castle with a particularly large hobgoblin waiting at the entrance. There was one thing Kaijin knew for sure; he would not want to get into a fistfight with that guy.
However, the scary first impression melted away as the goblin smiled and said,
"Koby, welcome back. Did you manage to sell the items the master entrusted you with?"
"Yes, I have good news, Rigurd. I got a lot more than I expected and it is thanks to my friends here." Kobold said as he pointed at Kaijin and his team.
Koby had already told them that this majin had named the entire goblin tribe and made them evolve. From what he had seen, Kaijin guessed that his goal was to make a human or demi-human-like civilization, not just subjugate weaker species. Surely there was a job opportunity there for someone like him.
"Master will be pleased to hear it. He will arrive any moment."
Not that he knew what to expect, as "Majin" was such a wide term and most of the powerful enough beings who weren't demon lords were put in that category, but the undead that showed up carried himself like a born king. He even was dressed for the part, with a dark flowing robe and intricately made, solid gold staff in his hand. With him came a winged woman with horns whose beauty was simply unmatched by any woman he had ever laid his eyes on. The last man was a birdman who carried himself with casual ease.
Every single goblin within eyesight kneeled immediately, and even Koby and his two guards followed suit. Knowing better than to test what would happen if he didn't show the same respect, he jumped out of the cart and kneeled as well. The three dwarven brothers followed his example and helped Dord get out of the cart and assume a similar position to kneeling as well.
"Rise and be at ease," the skeleton said. "Welcome back, Koby. I knew I could count on you."
"T-here is the payment, my lord. Besides my cut, I got one thousand and sixteen Dwargon minted gold coins for the ore and the sword." Koby said while handing a rather heavy money bag.
"Excellent. If you are not in a rush to reach your next destination, I invite you and your friends to enjoy the hospitality of Tempest. I also wish to offer a more permanent trade deal."
"Thank you, Lord Momonga. It would be an honor to continue a beneficial trade relationship with your nation." Koby said.
Unless he was very deceiving, this Lord Momonga gave the impression of a fair and smart ruler. Still, the dark red flames in the eye sockets of the skeleton shook him to the core.
The moment Momonga's attention was on the dwarf, he lowered his head partly to show respect but mostly because he knew he could not withstand looking at those flames for long.
"I heard you helped Koby get a better deal for goods he sold in my stead."
"Yes, my Lord," Kaijin said. He wanted to ask about the ore, but the majins presence was too intimidating. He felt like this each time when he met his beloved king and Lord Momonga had the same aura around him. To speak out-of-order felt improper for someone of his standing.
"I assume you are here to know more about this." The undead said as he stretched his hand forward and a small chunk of dark ore suddenly formed in his skeletal palm.
'HE CREATED IT!?' Kaijin couldn't believe his eyes. Lord Momonga created this fascinating new ore. Was it a skill of his? Just how powerful he was to perform such a feat?
"From what I heard, you are not only a merchant but a skilled blacksmith as well. How about I let you make the first offer?" Momonga said with a tone of curiosity in his voice.
What was he to say? His soon to be new master held all the cards. If he would be able to work as a blacksmith and have a place for his friends, he would settle down here among the hobgoblins. His instincts told him this was the right choice.
"I would gladly work for you Lord Momonga and offer my skills as a blacksmith if my three friends and I are given decent living conditions and I can work on this ore you have."
"That's it? How interesting. But I am afraid mere curiosity doesn't instill long-term loyalty. I let you stay, give you tools to learn how to craft with the materials I have, but what stops you from returning home once you have learned all you can?"
"I will swear loyalty to you, Lord Momonga. My word is all I have left. I just ask my friends to have a place in your kingdom as well."
Momonga reached into a small void and pulled out a vial with red liquid inside and handed it to Kaijin saying,
"Consider this your introductory payment. Choose one of your friends to test this healing potion on."
Kaijin looked at the potion in his hands. He had never seen a red-colored healing potion. But considering that Lord Momonga could create an ore harder than almost all known materials, no doubt he could create healing potions that could restore limbs. The question was who to give it to. Kaijin bowed before his new lord and turned to face his three friends with a silent question.
"Myrd," said Garm.
"My vote goes to Myrd too. I can wait." said Dord.
Myrd nodded, took out his drinking straw, and took slow, careful sips to not spill a single drop. The jaw bone and muscle regrew before their eyes, the same as Myrd's lost hand. A moment later, skin grew over the freshly recreated jaw and then a beard sprouted out, evening out with the rest of his face.
"This is…" Kaijin mumbled. He clearly knew it would happen. Why else would Lord Momonga even offer this potion as payment? But to see it happen before his eyes still was a small miracle. He turned back to face his Lord and dropped to his knees, meeting the master's gaze with gratitude.
"I pledge myself to be your servant, Lord Momonga."
Myrd beside him knelt as well and let out a low grunt with a nod of his head.
"Don't forget about us." Dord and Garm mimicking Myrd and Kaijin.
"I accept your pledge. From now on you will work under Rigurd and listen to his word as mine." Momonga said.
"Oh, while I am still here, can you do me a solid and write the basic process of how you make magical weapons? Our own blacksmith would love to get notes from his fellow craftsmen." Peroroncino suddenly inserted himself into the situation.
"Yes, of course." Kaijin said, looking up at the avian. His casual demeanor clearly showed he was close in ranking to Lord Momonga.
"So you are taking them under your wing?" Momonga asked in a much more casual voice.
{ Bird puns? Really? }
{ Sorry, couldn't resist. }
{ And here I thought you were incapable of having fun. }
"Yeah, they will fall under my domain. Oh, I am Peroroncino or Pero, by the way. One of the Lords around here." Pero said. "
"Then I leave it to you to decide when they have earned additional two healing potions." Momonga said.
The first tour around the city passed by in a blur. They were given a spacious house with a room for each of them. Kaijin could only shake his head at how openly three brothers were ogling the shapely goblina showing them around. She clearly didn't mind and, if anything, was teasing the hapless trio.
The girl was rather chatty and gleefully explained how Lord Momonga, and his closest majins, named all the goblins, making them more than they were. One of the closest advisors of Lord Momonga, the Guardian Overseer Albedo, who already had earned a reputation of one not to be angered at all costs, named her.
Life surely had turned to an interesting page and Kaijin couldn't be more excited to start his work with his three friends, who surely shared his sentiment.
Edited by Edgy.