Chapter 20 - Chapter 19: Rebels under attack! The goblins fight back (part 1)

One Piece the Movie

(the following is a nonprofit fan based parody any characters from one piece is owned by Eiichiro Oda, Toei Animation Co., Ltd., any characters from super Mario are owned by Nintendo, any characters from troll hunters, are owned by DreamWorks and universal

Disclaimer

Some of the characters found in this story and / or universe do not belong to me, but are intellectual property of their respective owners. Any original characters in this story are my intellectual property.

Story nonprofit created fan and fan without compromising the original work.)

Chapter 19: Rebels under attack! The goblins fight back

(Darklands Castle)

Inside one of the ruin castles of the dark lands, a giant figure began pacing back-and-forth what looked to be a council room.

His heavy steps caused the room around him to shake and small bits of debris to fall out from the walls and ceiling.

The figure was a large monster. He wore a large loincloth adorned with several skulls.

It was a gigantic creature, having dark gray skin, short brown beards, yellow eyes with black sclera, and sharp teeth with fangs sticking out.

He was the strongest and last ogre to ever exist: The Skull crusher Bekuzar Dulizrog.

He earned his name throughout the many years he spent on the battlefield.

He was a high-ranking commander in the troll Kingdom since he was the last of the ogres after they were wiped out long ago.

He was an extremely powerful ogre, capable of defeating multiple enemies at once with just his brute, strength and psychotic nature alone.

The troll kingdom welcomed him into their ranks with open arms and he has been loyal to Bular's cause ever since.

Since he joined the troll Empire, he quickly climbed the ranks due to his vicious nature and his powerful fighting skills along with his knowledge of magic.

The first Bekuzar's weapon of choice was a massive club, and he is also capable of creating massive fireballs with a chant. 

By reciting the words "Carbunculus... Crescunt... Iacta!", Bekuzar could cast and throw either a large ball of fire or multiple fireballs at once. 

Other kingdoms knew him well as being a beast on the battlefield, always willing to jump at first into any territory without a second thought and coming out Victorious.

Bekuzar was a powerful monster able to defeat every warrior he had come across; all of them being some of the most powerful in their kingdom.

Even though he was a hierarchy member among the kingdom he wasn't exactly liked by every single one of their residents. 

Bekuzar was also known to be able to regenerate any minor wounds inflicted by swords and other sharp weapons as long as it wasn't too severe.

Though due to his Vicious and brutal nature it made perfect sense why.

From rumors amongst Thrillers entire Army was that, Bekuzar was known to be an arrogant and especially vicious Warrior and Commander, Who was specially known for caring nothing for the goblins or any of his subordinates That worked Underneath Him. However, Ogre shared the Disgusting nature of the goblins, as he had confined an They known for viciously torturing and tormenting his victims for information. The Goblins would usually be his assistants when it came to that job and did they love that role of violence they shared with the mighty warrior.

At some point in time, During one of their expositions through enemy territories in kingdoms, Ogre was granted an army of goblins by Bular.

Though due to his violent and arrogant nature most of the Kingdom didn't really see him as a leader figure as he was just a fighter who likes to swing his sword around because he can. So unfortunately for Bekuzar, She had to be put under the watchful eye of one of Bular's higher ranking generals.

Though he wasn't too angry at the, for one he was still able to fight however he pleased as long as he was given confirmation to and two, He always thought that the goblins never made good soldiers and that they would mostly just get in his way.

Unfortunately, this time he was angry for another totally different reason.

He was anxiously waiting in the meeting room for his commanding officer to appear with any news from the kingdom.

The dark land had been under their control for the last two years, though there wasn't much to really control in that department.

It wasn't the original dark lands where they all had come from, or at least were most of Bular's army came from, but it was a former kingdom that had been captured and taken over by the troll army.

It had been wiped of all its inhabitants long ago and remained a barren wasteland ever since. 

The only remaining forms that resigned in the dark lands were the goblin soldiers and other creatures that were left under Bekuzar's watch.

And it was safe to say Bekuzar was tired of having nothing to do but sit around and being annoyed by the goblins.

The only thing he really had going for him that was the time where he had captured an army of elf soldiers.

Granted they weren't really able to put up much of a fight against him, but he was at least something exciting that happened.

Well that and apparently the rumor going around between the goblins that there's a new rebellion group around that's been trouble with the goblins.

Though it was a shame that the group didn't sound strong enough to really give him a challenge. It would still be exciting for him to hunt them down torture and kill them all one by one just for his own personal enjoyment

That would be if he was able to find their base operations, unfortunately for him it might as well have been invisible because he couldn't find it.

They basically have been doing what the trolls have been doing and only attacking from the shadows never going into a full confrontation, but enough to show that they were there and we're keeping an eye on them which annoyed him.

And to make things worse he had caught a whiff of a weird scent, No it was not the smell of silk coming from the Goblins orThe black tarness of the darklands. But another weird kind of scent he hadn't smelt in a long time and it felt familiar to him, but he Couldn't figure out what it was and this infuriated him. 

Thankfully, however, that all changed soon once his commander came back with new orders from headquarters.

Been waiting patiently in that room taking quick Pete at the window to see if he could find him anywhere.

" What the hell is taking him so long"?, Bekuzar asked aloud as he continued to pace back-and-forth,"With his speed he should've been back by now".

It had been three days since his commander had left to drop off the elven prisoners to the Work camps.

Bekuzar had been left with nothing to do but to sit in charge of the castle and to await new orders.

He hated the five I'm just sitting around and doing nothing while there were enemies out there for him to hunt down and kill.

Irritated by the way, he quickly walked over to the window and opened it wide before looking down at one of the goblin standing watches.

Eager for any news, Bekuzar asked him," Did he show up yet"?

The goblin, startled by his commander's question, quickly shook his head no.

Bekuzar growled and groaned at that response,"Goddamnit I can't just sit here waiting for him to show up! I gotta go out and do something anything I'm not built for this sitting around and giving orders shit, that's what he was here for"!, he shouted angrily as he began walking away from the window," and what's worse is while I'm sitting here on my ass twiddling my thumbs the enemy could be making plans to try and ambush us"!, He shouted angrily as he grabbed a dagger and stabbed it right in the center of of the dark lands.

Two of the goblin soldiers, who had been stationed in the room with him. It was just to watch and make sure that the meeting went well and to greet their superior commander. Unfortunately for them, they had to also deal with his constant temper and anger issues towards not only the situation, but just in general. And it definitely wouldn't make things easier for them when he took his anger and frustrations out on them as well. This made him seem like almost a terrifying destructive ticking time bomb that could go off at any moment.

The goblin stood in front of the door, shaking in fear as they watched the angry ogre punch a hole into the concrete wall of the medium growl in frustration.

After he had done that, he quickly turned away from the wall and picked up his club off of the table before beginning to walk to the door," to hell with this waiting around shit I don't wanna go find something to kill"!, Bekuzar angrily announced, the terrified goblins, not daring to stop him.

And just as he said that, a voice suddenly called out to him," Oh Bekuzar, always quick to rush into a bloodthirsty battle. You honestly need to find a new hobby, old friend".

The ogre eyes went wife as he turned to see his commander, standing before him in the center of the room, looking sinister at him," well I guess I'm not really want to talk, am I"?

The commander had a very tall and slender humanoid figure . At first sight, he can be mistaken for someone wearing a full set of red and silver armor , when this is his actual body. His knees and elbows are covered with a fierce and sinister mask-like designed pads. 

He was one of the former members of the 10 Commandments: The Apostle of Chaos Galand The Truth.

Galand is or was an elite warrior of the Demon Clan, who was serving directly under the Demon King as the Truth of the Ten Commandments until his along with the other 10 Commandments defeat at the hands of Merlin. As a result of them being defeated, Merlin had sealed most of them away except for Galand, of course, who amends to slip away after being beaten by Merlin power.

Soon after ,with nothing better to do other than hiding away to prevent Merlin from sealing him away, he was quickly recruited into Bulars empire by Bular himself. Having taken a liking to Galands destructive and powerful nature, Bular thought he was a perfect addition to the kingdom army. And oh boy was he right about that, because Galand was a force of nature.

Galand had a very destructive, sadistic and battle-crazed attitude just like Bekuzar. He shows to be somewhat reckless and daring, given that he was eager to fight new enemies despite having all his magical power drained by Merlin. But make no mistake. He was still an extremely and incredibly powerful individual who cut down anyone who stood in his way. In some of the tales told amongst the other kingdoms is that since he's the Commandment of Truth any who lie in his presence or go against their word will almost immediately be turned to stone.

And his vicious reputation will be talked about throughout most kingdoms who were fully aware of his existence.

Some had even made many folklore tales about him and his reputation.

One thing that was common amongst the stories was how easy it was to mistake Galand as a demon wearing a suit of armor, when in actuality this is his actual body.

But make no mistake. That suit of demon armor has more than enough skills to help balance him out.

As a former member of the Ten Commandments, Galand is an extremely powerful demon despite being past his prime. Like all members of the Demon Clan, he possesses their unique power of darkness which he can use for a variety of purposes, such as forming wings for flight.

 Galand was sealed away by Merlin after losing the ancient war against the other four races

As a member of the Ten Commandments, Galand is an extremely powerful demon despite being past his prime.[4] Like all members of the Demon Clan, he possesses their unique power of darkness which he can use for a variety of purposes, such as forming wings for flight.[5] back in the day his aura, combined with the aura of the other Ten Commandments was so terrifying that it made the normally any opponent of his sweat in fear by their presence along with unnerving.

Galand possesses immense physical strength, and while using special moves of his like Critical Over, Galand's physical strength gains a massive increase. With one swing, he is able to destroy a vast portion of any landscape while sending shockwaves strong enough to cleave nearby mountains.[9] He is extremely fast, traveling several miles in an instant.

He also possesses immense levels of endurance and durability, Which age him in taking the front lines of most of the troll armies expeditions and help him as somewhat of a human shield on the front lines. 

It is also worth noting that, despite his similar behavior like that of Bekuzar, being that of a violent brute, for the most part, Galand possesses excellent combat instincts.

It's these feats alone that is why he is such a high-ranking member in the troll Empire and why he is highly respected amongst his comrades. Though he does not share the same sadistic and torturous nature seen in his Goblin comrades. make no mistake that he's still a violent sociopath. A psychopath that is more than willing to inflict any and all sorts of pain onto any opponent he sees without any consideration about what the outcome might be.

Bekuzar dropped his Club," Commander Galand sir", he said acknowledging his Commander,"You finally returned from your journey".

Galand simply turned away from his subordinate as he began to walk towards the already opened window In order to take in the beautiful Wasteland site That stood before him as he stroked his chin as if having a chin beard,"That I have apologies for the late arrival the journey was a little more gruesome than I thought. Oh well, at the end of the day they were delivered to the prison camp on schedule, or at least what was left of them anyway. Their information about Their Kingdom's defenses and plans for this world will prove quite useful once we "persuaded" them to Prevail such private information of course".

"And what a headquarters? Have we gotten any new orders from them? Have they finally given us a new objection? ", Bekuzar quickly asked a bay of questions trying to get as much information as he could out of his superior so that they could prepare for what's next to come.

Though he was hit with a lot of questions, Galand seem to be unfazed by them only continuing to look out the window,"Now that you so gladly mentioned and I do have great news in fact",He said with a high and mighty tone as he dramatically turned around to face Bekuzar, As if to unveil something crazy,"(Ahem) Our King Bular the butcher has successfully acquired the last piece of killer head Bridge and is heading towards the Mushroom Kingdom as we speak"!, Event said, excitedly announcing their victory.

After hearing the good news it took a moment or two for Bekuzar to process the information before suddenly jumping up excitedly and punching the wall causing the room around them to shake,"AH HELL YES FINALLY, WE ACTUALLY DID IT"!

Galand How did in agreement," yes we did, and now all forces are to gather all their Essentials, weapons, soldiers, and anything else that will be of value or useful and head straight for our main fleet. Effectively immediately, these are the orders from Bular himself", he announced, informing his subordinate of the next phase in their plan.

That new information made Bekuzar celebrate harder, him finally getting a chance to leave that Barren Wasteland and make their way to the human world. Though all he really cared about was getting to the next battle already .

No before gallon had the chance to finish off the information, Bekuzar had already started celebrating"Haha yes finally we get to leave this disgusting Wasteland and make our way onto the next Battlefield just as soon as we gather all the soldiers",he said triumphantly.

Galand nodded his head victoriously,"Ah yes indeed my friend! Now oh that's left for us to do is to find, capture, and kill the Rebellion hiding within the dark lands. And by us I really mean you".

As soon as he heard that, Bekuzar Suddenly stopped cheering as he then turned to his Commander with a confused look,"Wait what?", He asked, still confused, thinking that maybe he was hearing things that he wasn't just told that he had to still stay inside the dark lands Just to look for a rebellion group that isn't even really a threat to them.

Galand smiled brightly as he continued,"Yes apparently Bular wants to make sure there's no Loose Ends that could get in our way before traveling to the new world. So we've all been assigned to finish up our operations in the selected location you were getting before making our way to the rest of the fleet. So once you've found and killed them off, you and the goblins here can pack everything up and make your way over to the rest of the fleet. And it is there one will start to make our way towards the Mushroom Kingdom".

After Galand finishes with his explanation of their orders, Bekuzar suddenly groans in annoyance at the new instructions he was given,"(Groans) You have got to be kidding me? He can't possibly be ordering us to continue to stay here in this wasteland and hunt down these small fries that aren't even a threat to us"!, he angrily complains .

"Well I definitely can't say that I don't agree with you on that part, however I do understand why he's making this order. His main objective is to keep any loose ends from interfering with the plan As well as trying to make sure we have all the supplies we need for the trip over to the human world. All of our other comrades are probably doing the same Gathering up all the materials after finishing their objective and are currently making their way towards the main Fleet as we speak. You just have to do Bekuzar kill the rebels and be on your way towards the Rendezvous point" Galand Explains ignoring his subordinates' complaints.

"Wait a second, what will you be doing throughout this entire operation? you've only mentioned what I have to do"!, Bekuzar suddenly And suspiciously questions him.

"Because I was given orders to return to the work camps in order to give my aid and supervision in transporting the prisoners to the main Fleet",Galand answered in his defense,"And considering the number of them it's going to be quite a task on my shoulders. And because there's so many of them it's going to take a while so I won't have time to be there and come back to help pack everything up in time. So I'm going to have to put you in charge of the task Finishing off the rebels and making your way over to the Mushroom Kingdom".

Bekuzar still wasn't buying that explanation, mainly thinking that it was nothing but a load of bullshit,"Wait a second, why would Lord Bular want you to help them? They should be more than capable of handling that situation on their own".

Galand Simply responded by shrugging his shoulders," Lord Bular thinks that my incredible speed and breathtaking leadership would prove most useful with that task. Well that and the fact that he doesn't think that the Rebellion is strong enough to actually pose a threat to us. So removing a few units from this station won't be too much of a drastic change this late in the war".

"But I still have to actually stay and spend more time in this shit hole doing nothing but having aimless searches for that pointy eared group. You might end up being one of the first to enter that new world, and fight all those possibly strong humans", Bekuzar complained.

Galand chuckled as he placed his hand on Bekuzar's shoulder and shook his head no,"Don't worry about that old friend, Bular doesn't plan on activating the portal until all of his forces are here so you won't have to miss a tiny bit of battle".

Bekuzar palmed his face in frustration,"You make it seem as if It's so simple yet we haven't seen any sign of them in weeks. And anytime we send any scouters out We either never see them again or they send us back all the bodies as a warning".

"Bekuzar, their elves with magic that's nothing we haven't defeated before. If anything we've killed enemies far more entertaining than them. Who cares if they're able to hide a little bit better than all the others at the end of the day their fodder all the same", Galand reassured, trying to break Bekuzar's concern as he motioned his arm towards the window,"All you have to do is find and kill them before you leave here you don't even have to capture them.

"But then there's still the main issue of finding their hidden base of operations in the dark lands, especially if they're using cloaking magic to their advantage. So unless one of those goblins burst through those doors and tells us that they've magically been able to find that base finding and killing them is off the tabl-",Bekuzar Was suddenly interrupted by the door slamming wide open, Startling both Galand and Bekuzar. 

They both quickly turned to see who it was and to their surprise it was a random Goblin practically trying to speak with them.

Suddenly growing filled with anger, Bekuzar began shouting angrily at the Goblin,"You insignificant little pest, how dare you have the nerve to interrupt an important battle strategy meeting?! Leave at once and get back to your post immediately before I tear you into confetti! 

Though obviously frightened by his superior's threat, The little Goblin continued speaking quickly and frantically With the words "Waka Chaka", showing that the words were actually their native language for how they spoke to one another, as he was just as frantically pointing in a random direction.

Though Bekuzar, who seemed to get more aggravated at the fact that the goblin wasn't obeying his orders to leave, Galand On the other hand was an entirely different story.

He was more curious about what the goblin was trying to tell them,"Now hold on a minute Bekuzar I think that he's trying to tell us something. Though I can't seem to understand all that stuttering it's doing ".

Thankfully both the warriors were quite fluid in the Goblin tongue, It was basically like human English for them.

But in this case it wasn't exactly easy for them to understand him when he was just practically screaming at them the way he was.

Aggravated by all of the stuttering, Bekuzar began screaming at the goblin," QUIT FRANTICING AND TELLl US WHAT'S GOING ON"!, He loudly ordered.

Startled by his superiors' outburst, the goblin took a quick deep breath before saying,"Waka Chaka", explaining what he was talking about.

 After a few moments of the two warriors listening to what the goblin was splattering out of his mouth, they were finally able to understand just what he was talking about. 

"You found the elf rebellion camp That we've been looking for for the last few months. And the only reason that you did was because you caught an elf escorting two humans towards the camp. and you think the only reason that she was doing that must've been because the humans must have accidentally traveled here through the dark lands Because you and your brother found them coming out of a warpipe"! Galand Suddenly asked with surprise Of what he was just told.

The goblin knotted in confirmation,"Waka Chaka",before he then began pretending as if he was swinging an invisible sword In an over exaggerated swinging motion.

Galand saw this and continued translating,"And you're also saying that one of the humans is somehow a Swordsman powerful enough to kill entire hordes of goblins. Not only that but the other human has the incredible power of teleportation"!

The goblin nodded at everything Galand was saying to be true, and Bekuzar, after hearing and seeing this, Came to a sudden realization.....

He finally realized what that strange set he was smelling that entire day was, the humans, he knew there was something familiar about that scent, You don't kill a bunch of humans and suddenly forget their scent.

"Son of a bitch that's where I've been smelling all day the scent of filthy humans", he said angrily to Galand.

Galand in response began to stroke his pointy chin curiously," Humans in the dark lands that's quite interesting", he says, as he leans down closer towards the small goblin," are you positive that it was humans that you saw with the elf"?

"Of course there are humans here. I can even smell their scent right now! There are certain scents in the world that you never forget and the scent of humans is one of them"!, Bekuzar said, pointing to his large nose.

After he said that, the goblin eagerly nodded his head as he pointed towards Bekuzar in agreement to what you were saying.

 "Hm interesting, and you said one of them was a powerful sword, man, capable of wiping out an entire hoard of your brethren"?, Galand asked as he leaned in a little more.

The goblin once again quickly nodded his head and lifted three fingers as he then started doing another round of invisible sword swinging motions. By using both his arms in order to pretend to swing swords and picking up what look to be a stick and putting it in his mouth, he was basically doing a cheap imitation of Zoro's three sword style that he used in his fights.

Galand caught on to what he was saying and tilted his head curiously,"And you're saying that he was wielding three swords at once Against all of you"?

Before the goblin could answer the question, Bekuzar scoffed loudly,"A three sword wielding human, do you hear yourself?! There's no possible way a human can be able to hold three swords, maybe at most two but three it's impossible, especially if you're using your mouth to hold one of the three swords! He's probably just exaggerating about human killing an entire horde "!

Galand took his attention away from the Goblin and turned to his subordinate,"You seem sure of that"?

"Why wouldn't I be? It's a completely impractical way to fight, especially if the swords are longer, you wouldn't be able to functionally Use them in a fight without them getting in the way of each other. Not to mention the incredible difficulty to fight multiple enemies at once, especially if it's a horde of goblins. It before too exhausting and straining on any Individual to fight and entire horde of goblins one by one with three misused swords, much less that of a human", Bekuzar explained before shooting a glare towards the goblin,"I bet that the human only killed about 10 of these little pests and they had gotten so scared that the human was actually able to do so. And that resulted in the other goblins probably running off somewhere and this one running back to headquarters! If you ask me I'd say he's making this up to cover up the fact that he ran away from the enemy instead of finishing them off! We should bother with such a small inconvenience like this"!

Galand shook his head at the accusation,"You know someone can't lie while in my presence otherwise they'll be turned to stone,"He leaned in even closer to the goblin,"So it also does take me curious on how humans were able to best entire horde of goblins"?

The goblin hears this, and while he's still doing the sword swinging motion he's also doing an exaggerated whooshing motion as if doing a further explanation on the swordsman.

"Hmm so you're saying that this Swordsman wasn't just fighting by the skillful means of three swords play, but while also fighting by means of some sort of unknown magical power as well he was fighting the horde Like the child he was with"?, Galand questioned.

Goblin wildly nodded his head as he jumped up excitedly, confirming his questions.

Galand Stepped away from the goblin as he stood tall and looked up towards the ceiling still stroking his pointy chin curiously 

Bekuzar Could only try and process what the hell the goblin was talking about.

 A human Swordsman using magical power with three swords?

It wasn't exactly something he ever heard about or saw on the battlefield. He knew of magic sure but from what the goblin was telling you it wasn't a sort of magic that they were used to or really knew of for that matter. Hell he was still finding it hard to believe that a human could even hope to stand a chance against an entire horde of goblins as useless as they were. And now he's hearing that one was able to wipe them out with barely any effort That had now joined with the enemy forces 

"T-this can't actually be true, The only real magical elements used in this world are the power-ups that we see everywhere, some of the magical users on our side. Never been anyone else known here who can possess Magical elements Other than Merlin himself and he was defeated Long Ago by Lord Bular", Bekuzar said aloud, poking holes into this logic

Galand Didn't turn to look at him, he only continued staring up at the ceiling,"Although that might sound true you also forget that from what they're telling us. These humans are from an entirely different world that must have shot from one of the warp pipes that led into this land", his voice and demeanor lowered a tiny bit,"This may prove to be a little more than just a minor inconvenience if we overlook this".

"How would that be"?, Bekuzar questioned as he folded his arms.

Galand turned to face the ogre,"Because though goblins aren't the most powerful species in this world, they're far from the weakest, especially if there's an entire horde of them that are capable of wiping out whole villages. Yet one human Swordsman would take out an entire horde of them within moments, and if one human is capable of doing that, then imagine with multiple humans from them that same other world would be capable of".

Bekuzar didn't like where this explanation was going,"Are you saying that if enough of those humans from that world came here they would be able to take on our Troll kingdom's army"?

Galand stared at him blankly for a moment before he suddenly began to chuckle a tiny bit As he once again started stroking his chin,"Well I don't think they will be able to accomplish that feat, but any human with any magical abilities even somewhere related to the great Merlin himself could be a problem. That case will be especially proven if they decide to align themselves with any of the Kingdom still resistant to our advances. And if they decide to attack our forces, its going to make the situation much more difficult if we're too busy fighting off enemy forces. And when that starts to happens.....".

"It'll make continuing on with the next phases of Bular's plan impossible evolve the forces are occupied fighting", Bekuzar finished off in an angry growl as he angrily balled his fist tightly 

Galand closed his eyes and nodded," Judging by how important this cause is to lord Bular, I believe it is imminent that we nip this problem in the bud before it causes any further delay in the plan".

"Want me to go down there and handle this problem now that we know the location"?, Bekuzar asked, eager to run over to where his club was and go murder every single one of the enemy forces,"And I can bring in some of our forces with me in case what this Goblin is telling us is true".

Galand was silent for about 5 seconds before shaking his head,"No, I need someone with some authority other than myself to stay here and pack everything up in time for the departure. And I can't stay here to do so because I still need to go back to the prison and make sure everything's Packed up and ready to move to the Mushroom Kingdom".

Bekuzar, disappointed, groans loudly as he drops his shoulders.

Galand, not Really noticing his subordinates disappointment, then turns to look outside the window direction the goblin said the camp was,"Though we definitely and not allow these fear the plan any longer, so here's what we'll do instead", He says perkingly as he turned to face the older,"We'll send out our strongest Goblin champion along with a good number of goblin forces to go To that camp and burger every last one of them including those two humans. Anything that could even be considered a threat to the plan must be eliminated immediately", Galand Turns to look down at the goblin," Go and find our strongest champion and make your way towards that camp, one of them in a good number of goblins And call upon our Dry Bones Force while you're at it. With them you should be able to get most of the job done, and I don't want any survivors, No more playing games for you or your brethren until this is done, kill them"!He ordered as he took his fingers off his chin and pointed towards the door.

The goblin foot soldier quickly nodded his head and scurried out of the room to go and do as he was ordered, leaving the two warriors once again alone in the room.

Bekuzar turns to Galand and shoots him a look of concern and anger,"What are you doing sending those useless creatures back out there?! And how will sending one goblin champion make any difference in trying to kill the same human that a goblin horde couldn't kill before?! And how the hell will we know if those things have what it takes to kill those humans"?!

Galand, still staring at the direction the goblin ran off to, turns to face the concerned ogre,"Well know if any of them survive the attack and live the tell story. If they don't, then we'll have no choice but to send you and our entire force out in order to exterminate them", Galand explained.

"Wait, why don't we just send me in now when we can exterminate that entire cat within moments rather than just sending the Goblins to handle this; they're nowhere near competent enough. Think I'm more than powerful enough to be able to take all that entire camp and I still can't fully believe that a human swordsman could take down an entire Goblin horde. But also allow me to finally use my skills once again rather than sitting around at this empty Castle wasting away", Bekuzar argued, wanting to prove that he was more than efficient to handle this matter.

But Galand already knew that was the case, especially when Bekuzar was the second strongest Soldier there next to him. but there were a million reasons why just wasn't willing to send out his best warrior there, Galand Responded by shaking his head,"I need you to supervise the camp's move and the soldiers in my absence in case everything doesn't go as planned. Since I'm not going to be here that leaves you to be the strongest soldier that we have within these walls To keep If you just take off our soldiers in line and on schedule".

"The Goblins here they're not that stupid enough to screw that up",Bekuzar suggested, pointing towards One of the Goblins standing guard at the door, the little soldier seeming confused at the suggestion.

Galand Only responded by shooting a blank stare at him,"Do you honestly think those little pests are competent enough to handle matters this serious if it's not specifically ordered to them"?

Bekuzar About to answer before he stopped and actually thought about it for a second, And to be honest he actually kind of had a point there,"Well no of course not I'm definitely not saying I leave them with such an important task, but that exact same thing could be said about sending them off to an enemy they already lost to before. I could handle that entire Camp within moments and I highly doubt the human swords will approve a match against me and my life. A/nd if we wish to make it to the main Force it would be putin that we hurry up and handle this whole situation so that we could make it on time for the departure",Bekuzar said making some valid points.

"I'm leaving you in charge of preparation that we could kill two birds with one stone, while one half of our division is finishing off the enemy forces, the other half could focus on packing everything up and departing for the Mushroom Kingdom. It would be a waste of time to send out our strongest warrior there to fight such lesser beings instead of focusing on the objective we were given by our King", Galand argued back with just as many valid points.

Bekuzar still wasn't having it, though Galand was telling him some fair points, he just couldn't agree with the decision to just bench him back at base while the henchman got to kill the enemy forces. So he just had to argue and state his case,"What if he's asking us to go and wipe out any enemy forces that can get in our way, why don't we bring our full attention to that matter. Those little fools aren't competent nor powerful enough to handle this matter unless they're an entire horde of them, and after what that little one was telling us about that human swordsman that wasn't even enough"!

Galand, starting to get fed up with his subordinate questioning his orders especially since they didn't have time for it either. Galand takes aside frustration before he begins to speak,"Look, if you have such complaints but this plan you can complain to King Bular on your own time Right now this is the plan I'm making and you're going to follow it! if the situation takes a turn for the worse than fine you can handle it as you wish right now this is my order"!, he says sternly As he glares menacingly at the ogre.

Bekuzar, after hearing that, was about to argue back with something else, But after seeing the terrifying glare of his commanding officer, he decides that's best for him to keep his mouth shut.

 He knew better than to question too many of Galand's orders he had look on his face that basically told everyone "that I'm serious", and when that happened they had absolutely no say in the matter 

 Not with how cruel and unusual he could be at times. He may seem carefree and funny at times, but all of the ones who have fought beside him know his true sadistic nature especially towards disobedience subordinates. 

And there was no way he could lie right to face and go behind his back To fight the enemy , unless he wanted to end up being a new giant garden decoration.

He had no other choice but to follow this order and go along with the plan ….

That he reluctantly lowers his head and places his right arm across his chest,"Yes commander Galland". 

Galland then continued as he turned away from him and walked towards the opened window,"Last thing we need to send you on a wild goose chase for an opponent that might not even be worth your skill. A few ants surely Art enough to beat a dinosaur, you know this my friend. We both know how you get when you find an opponent that doesn't entertain you soThe best course of action is to avoid another outburst In case that happens. The best course of action is to save our best player for last".

Bekuzar Watched silently as Galand made his way over to the window, preparing to leave, but not before saying one last thing, "Be sure have everything packed and ready to leave by tomorrow morning and to be sure to make haste we hadn't got a moment to spare", just as he was about to hop out of the window gallon, then stop before turning for one last thing,"Oh And since we are on a bit of a time crunch i'll be sending over a few of the troll soldiers tomorrow to help Aid in packing everything up. I trust even you won't need much supervision for that."

Bekuzar's jaw tightened, the veiled insult barely hidden in Galand's words. He nodded stiffly, his deep voice rumbling with suppressed anger. "Understood, Commander."

Galand smirked, clearly enjoying the ogre's frustration. "Good. I'll be expecting everything to be ready by the time I return. Don't disappoint me, Bekuzar." Without another word, Galand leapt from the window, his form disappearing into the shadows of the Darklands.

As soon as Galand was gone, Bekuzar let out a growl of frustration, the sound reverberating through the room. He turned to the battered table in the center and slammed his fist down on it, the wood splintering under the force. "Damn him!" he snarled. "Sending me trolls to 'help'—as if I need their useless hands fumbling around!"

The goblins stationed near the door flinched at his outburst, their small, trembling forms doing their best to remain unnoticed. Bekuzar shot them a glare, and they scurried out of the room without a word, leaving the furious ogre alone.

He stomped over to his massive club, gripping it tightly as his yellow eyes gleamed with rage. "Humans… elves… rebels…" he muttered, his voice a low growl. "They think they can play games with us. But soon, they'll see. Soon, they'll all see."

Bekuzar stood there for a moment, breathing heavily, his mind racing with thoughts of the battles to come. The idea of sitting idly while others fought infuriated him, but for now, he had no choice but to follow Galand's orders.

With one final, frustrated snarl, he stormed out of the council room, his heavy footsteps echoing through the castle as he prepared to oversee the preparations. If nothing else, tomorrow would bring him one step closer to leaving this wretched place—and one step closer to the carnage he so desperately craved.

Bekuzar stormed down the dimly lit halls of the ruined castle, each of his thunderous steps shaking the stone beneath him. His jagged club dragged behind him, scraping along the floor with a piercing screech that sent shivers through the goblins scurrying out of his path. His yellow eyes burned with frustration, and his sharp teeth were bared in a snarl.

"This is an outrage!" Bekuzar growled to himself, his voice a deep rumble that echoed off the crumbling walls. "I'm not some errand boy meant to babysit this useless heap of goblins while they get to do all the killing!"

And who the hell was that psychopathic fool to come in and order him to wait around like a dog?

This is exactly why he didn't want to work under him because he was just giving Bekuzar the hard part of his job because he didn't wanna do this himself.

He knew he should've been asked to join the Kong Kingdom unit, even if he hated the smell of bananas. It would've been better than this shit.

Now all he was left to do was be stuck in a baron wasteland for a few more days while the commander got to do whatever the hell he wanted

This was complete and utter bullshit!

The thought of goblins—goblins, of all things—being sent to hunt down the rebel camp while he was stuck here overseeing packing duties was infuriating. He smashed his fist into the nearest wall, sending chunks of stone crumbling to the ground. "If there's a strong human out there… a swordsman who can wipe out an entire horde…" Bekuzar's voice trailed off, his expression twisting with a mix of anger and intrigue.

The thought of facing a potentially powerful opponent lit a fire inside him. A true fight was what he craved—something thrilling, something worthy of his might. And now, he was being denied the chance to test his strength against such an opponent.

"What a waste!" he roared, the sound reverberating through the halls. A group of goblins cowering nearby flinched and whimpered, pressing themselves against the walls in an attempt to avoid his wrath.

They all surely knew what happened to the last few dozen goblins who stood in his way and or pissed him off.

 And it definitely wasn't pretty.....

Bekuzar shot them a scathing glare. "What are you looking at, you spineless little shits? Back to work, before I use your skulls to decorate my club and or these walls!" The goblins squealed and darted away, their little feet pattering against the stone as they scrambled out of sight.

His mind churned as he stalked through the castle. Galand's orders were clear, but that didn't make them any less frustrating. The thought of goblins botching the mission infuriated him further. "They'll probably trip over their own feet before they even reach the camp," he muttered bitterly.

But the idea of a strong human lingered in his mind, gnawing at him. A human swordsman with the power to annihilate an entire goblin horde—and, as the goblin had claimed, possibly wielding some kind of magic? It sounded absurd, and yet… the possibility was tantalizing. The challenge, the bloodshed, the thrill of battle—that was what he lived for.

And there is no way he was going to let some armor psychopath getting in the way of his livelihood.

Bekuzar slammed open the door to the castle's armory, the heavy wooden panels creaking on their rusted hinges. He stood in the doorway, his massive frame filling the space, as he glanced around at the weapons and armor scattered about. "If those goblins can't get the job done…" he growled, gripping his club tighter, "then I'll have to clean up their mess myself."

His eyes flickered with a dangerous gleam as he imagined stepping into the rebel camp, crushing their defenses, and meeting this mysterious human swordsman in combat. "If this human is as strong as they say, I'll make sure to savor the fight before I send him to the afterlife."

With that thought fueling him, Bekuzar stormed out of the armory, his resolve hardened. For now, he was forced to follow Galand's orders—but if the opportunity arose, he would ensure he wasn't left out of the bloodshed for long.

They just had to be something he could do to get this site to get some entertainment otherwise he might end up throwing himself in that lava

They've just had to be somethin-

Bekuzar paused mid-step, the thought striking him like a bolt of lightning. His snarl twisted into a devious grin, sharp fangs glinting in the faint light of the castle. Why should he be forced to choose between overseeing the goblins and pursuing this enticing challenge?

Why not do both?

He could maintain control of the goblin forces, oversee the preparations, and still ensure the capture of the human swordsman. He just needed to issue the right orders to the goblin champion leading this hunt.

A slow, sinister chuckle escaped his throat as he turned on his heel, stomping purposefully toward the goblin barracks. His club dragged behind him, the heavy thud of its metal tip echoing ominously down the hall. "Oh, this is going to be interesting," he muttered, his grin widening.

(The Goblin Barracks)The barracks was a dimly lit, foul-smelling chamber deep within the castle. Goblins of all sizes scurried about, sharpening rusted blades, patching armor, or lounging lazily on crude benches. The smell of sweat, iron, and decay permeated the air.

At the center of the room stood the goblin champion. He was is an imposing and terrifying creature, significantly larger and more muscular than regular goblins. Standing around seven feet tall, its hulking body is covered in thick, coarse green skin, with scars and battle wounds marking its brutish existence. The goblin champion's face is a grotesque mix of intelligence and malevolence, with sharp, jagged teeth protruding from its wide, sneering mouth. Its red eyes burn with a cunning, predatory gleam. Adorned in mismatched and crude armor scavenged from fallen enemies, the goblin champion wields a massive club or weapon, demonstrating its brutal strength and dominance on the battlefield. He had an enormous, hulking figure, towering over the other goblins like a living monolith. His body was thick with bulging muscles, his greenish-gray skin scarred from countless battles. A monstrous horn jutted from his forehead, cracked and chipped from years of brutal combat. His glowing yellow eyes burned with a cruel, animalistic intelligence.

The champion's armor was a mismatched collection of looted pieces—metal plates reinforced with leather straps, a massive chest plate stained with dried blood, and a tattered cape draped over one shoulder. In his massive clawed hands, he held a colossal greatsword, its jagged edges caked with grime and gore. He moved with a brutish confidence, his every motion exuding raw power.

The goblins around him gave him a wide berth, some cowering as he bellowed orders in their guttural tongue. His deep, guttural voice rumbled through the chamber like the growl of a beast.

Bekuzar strode into the barracks, his massive frame immediately drawing attention. The goblins froze in place, their chatter dying down to fearful silence. The champion turned his head, his glowing eyes narrowing as he straightened to his full, towering height.

"Bekuzar," the champion rumbled, his voice a deep growl. "What brings you to my barracks?"

Bekuzar didn't bother with pleasantries. He pointed his club at the champion and snarled, "You're being sent to hunt the elf rebels, yes?"

The champion nodded slowly, his scarred lips curling into a smirk. "That's right. I'll crush their little camp and bring their heads back to hang on my wall. And maybe save a few of them for a light snack later too."

Bekuzar's grin returned, though it was more menacing than amused. "Forget about just their heads. I have a new order for you and you're going to follow through on it."

The champion tilted his head, curiosity flashing in his eyes.

"There's a human swordsman with them. From what I've been told, he's strong—strong enough to wipe out an entire goblin horde," Bekuzar said, his voice dripping with disdain. "I want him alive. Do whatever it takes to capture him, but don't kill him. Understand?"

The champion's smirk widened, revealing jagged teeth. "Alive, huh? That's unusual. What do you want with him? And what our orders were to kill everyone in the rebellion?"

Bekuzar's grip on his club tightened, his yellow eyes gleaming with excitement. "That's none of your concern. Just follow your orders. Bring him back alive, no matter what. The rest I could care less for. Do what you will with them but bring him to me."

The champion let out a low, rumbling laugh, hefting his massive sword onto his shoulder. "Fine by me. I'll crush the elves and drag this swordsman back in chains that or unconscious."

"Good," Bekuzar growled. He took a step closer, his towering frame looming over the champion. "But don't underestimate him. If he truly has magic on his side, he'll be more dangerous than any rebel we've faced. Be weary of the opponents you are about to face, as many of them. have the means of magic and fighting capabilities. so do yourself and your subordinates a favor and bring enough forces to overwhelm them and burn that camp to the ground."

The champion's eyes gleamed with savage confidence. " don't worry, sir. I'll take your message to the heart. And as for the human, he'll wish he was dead when I'm through with him."

Bekuzar turned, his heavy steps echoing as he headed back toward the main hall. "We'll see about that," he muttered under his breath. "Just don't disappoint me, champion. I'll be watching."

The goblin champion's grin grew wider as he began barking orders at his underlings, preparing for the hunt. Goblins scrambled to gather their weapons, their shrill voices rising in chaotic chatter. The champion's greatsword gleamed in the dim light as he swung it experimentally, the air hissing with the force of his strike.

The hunt was on, and Bekuzar knew that soon enough, he'd have his entertainment. Whether the goblins succeeded or failed, the human swordsman would be his. One way or another

For now, he would head back to complete his task and ensure that they were ready for phase 2 of their grand scheme.

(The Elven War Camp)

It had been about 10 minutes of them walking through the camp. The goblin's retreat through the scorched, barren wasteland left an eerie silence in the distance as the elven camp settled into its rhythm for the evening. Alicia led Zoro and Vanellope deeper into the camp, pointing out various areas and facilities. The pair, still adjusting to the sight of elves casually performing tasks and the surreal surroundings, followed quietly.

Touring the Camp

"As you can see, this camp is small but efficient," Alicia began, gesturing to the surroundings. "Over there is the smithy where we repair weapons and armor." She pointed toward a small forge, the glow of molten metal casting warm light across the smith's stern face as he hammered away. Sparks danced in the air, illuminating racks of blades and arrows.

Zoro gave an approving nod, impressed by the craftsmanship he saw. "Not bad. Pretty solid work."

Vanellope looked curious as she pointed toward a pond that shimmered unnaturally. "What's with the lava pool over there? Does it, like… cook food or something?"

Alicia chuckled. "No, that's used for crafting enchanted weapons. The lava is infused with magical properties from the Dark Lands, making it ideal for forging stronger gear. We try to scavenge whatever advantages we can from this wasteland."

Vanellope's eyes sparkled with intrigue. "Okay, that's actually kinda awesome."

Alicia smirked, continuing toward the massive tree in the center. "This is the heart of our operation." The tree's colossal branches spread out like protective arms, and atop its platforms, elves armed with longbows stood watch, scanning the horizon with sharp eyes. "From here, we monitor everything within miles. The magical barrier helps, but we rely on scouts and lookouts to warn us of any approaching danger."

Zoro stared up at the tree, his hand resting casually on his sword hilt. "Impressive. But a barrier won't stop a determined enemy. You've got a lot of gaps if someone's smart enough to exploit them. Otherwise, I'll tear this little rebellion apart piece by piece."

Alicia glanced back at him with a smirk. "True, but that's why we rely on teamwork. Well that and we elves are a lot more clever than they tend to give us credit for. As you'll see soon enough once you get to see us in action firsthand. But for now, I think it's about time. You both got some shut eye. We could talk more later", she then stepped away from the tree and start heading in a different direction of the camp ,"come on. Follow me. I'll lead you to the tent you'll be staying in".

It took a couple minutes before Alicia finally pointed out, "All right here we are", Alicia said that she pointed up the medium size 10 in front of the duo," this is where you two will be sleeping".

Finally able to stop, both Zoro and Vanellope look upon the place where they were going to be resting their heads.

And to be honest, well it wasn't too bad....

Its exterior, woven from what looked to be enchanted black silk, glistened in the moonlight, camouflaging it within the shadows of the tree it resides next to. 

Zoro whistled as he started to scan the area for the other tents,"Hmm, Not bad for a war camp", impressed with how honestly nice looking tents were.

"Yeah well, we had to make sure we at least slept comfortably if we were going to battle against the enemy", she said she then placed a hand on the tent,"Well that and before we set up the force field, we had to make sure the tents made for good camouflage hideout if the enemy were to spot our camp.

While the other two were conversing Vanellope decided to go inside the tent and check out the interior," I wonder if the inside looks as good too", she says she opens up the tent and enters inside".

And to be honest that part looked even better.

 Inside, the tent exudes an ethereal glow, emanating from delicate crystals embedded in the walls. The air inside was almost imbued with the scent of forest moss and wildflowers, creating a serene atmosphere amidst the chaos of war ground. Runes were also etched into the tent's fabric, as if it were meant for a spell of some sort though it was unknown to either one of them. Vanellope also spotted two elegantly carved wooden beds, draped in plush, moss-green blankets, to provide comfort and rest for the duo. There were more elven runes inscribed on the bedposts and were sewn into the sheets and blankets.

"Yeah it does. It definitely does", the little girl says that she's been hopped on the bed and sighs in relief.

Zoro comes in right after her, takes a quick look at everything inside the tent and notices the strange runes inside.

He squinted his to get a better look at the detail of the runes.

The symbols were slender and elongated, with elegant curves and interwoven lines that felt like a sense of flowing motion. They also incorporate shapes reminiscent of leaves, vines, and celestial forms, reflecting the elves' in some sort of deep connection to their culture. The runes were etched with precision and artistry. They even glowed faintly with an ethereal light when he looked closely.

He raises a curious brow at them,"(Inside his head) The hell are those things", he thought as he reached forward and touched on the strange symbols carved into the bedpost.

"Those are our magical Elven runes", he heard Alicia say as she stepped into the tent.

Zoro, without looking up at her, then asked,"What the hell's an Elf rune"?

"They're a series of intricate and elegant symbols used by us elves for writing, magic, and enchantments. These runes are used in spells to protect, heal, or enhance. They are typically inscribed on various surfaces, like our weapons, armor, and enchanted items, or woven into the fabric of elven clothing and tents like this one. Basically these runes are what the magic users in our kingdom typically create in order to use magic", Alicia explained as she took out one of her arrows and pointed at the ruins carved into it.

Vanellope glanced towards one of the runes on the arrow and pointed at it curiously,"Who wait you make that magical carving yourself"?, Asking the elf about her weapon.

Alicia responded by shaking her head,"No, that's usually the job for our mage Khilseith. But the rest of us do practice every now and again just in case he's either too tired or not around", she continued to explain as she then pulled a handkerchief from her back pocket, revealing yet another even rune sewn into it,"Though they're not as powerful due to magic not being our specialty, but they do help when fighting in battle or on our expeditions".

Once she finished the explanation, she went back into her pocket and pulled something out before tossing it to Vanellope.

She catches it and sees that it was what looked to be a miniature Gollum carved out of a stone with the elven ruin carved into its chest,"Whoa", she says, impressed with its design.

"Some of them could even be considered a good luck charm for those of us who were sent out to war", she explained to the young child.

Vanellope, finished with admiring the charm, stands up on the bed and tries to make her way over to the acher, only for Alicia to raise her hand and stop her in her tracks,"Keep it you might need it just in case".

The little girl smiled and nodded before placing the miniature stone golem into her hoodie pocket. 

Vanellope grinned as she tucked the charm into her pocket. "Thanks! I'll call him… uh, Fred."

Zoro, figuring that they had enough time to settle down, Decided that it was time to ask what their next move was.

 He turned to Alicia and asked,"Hey so when the hell are we going to go look for our friend Luffy anyway"?

She turned her attention to him, "Well first I have to go to a meeting with the rest of my team to discuss our upcoming strategy as well as hearing any updates that the commander has. But once we've discussed that will then bring you up the topic of what to do with you two and your whole situation".

"How long is that gonna take"?, he continued to press on.

Though that only seemed to make Alicia shrug her shoulders," I myself don't particularly know it basically depends on the amount of information each of us has to discuss. That and along with any orders that are going to be dished out during the meeting. But I promise you as soon as we're done we'll make it a top priority to discuss the situation and what to do for you", she reassured strongly.

But that reassurance wasn't really enough to keep him from feeling a little off. 

The last thing he wanted to do at this moment was to sit there and hide from enemies that were going to be hunting them.

It wouldn't have been so bad if it was just him on his crazy adventure, but it wasn't. He had a little girl with him, but he had to make sure I made it home safe and out of the way of unnecessary danger.

He really didn't have time to be sitting around on his ass as much as he usually would. Especially now it's a situation where he and Luffy are once again separated and they don't know where each other are.

And yeah, what she was saying might've been a little reassuring, it doesn't mean that they still didn't need to hurry up and think of a plan. For all Zoro knew he's idiotic Captain could be out there doing something stupid and getting into a bunch of crazy shenanigans.

It doesn't help that they have that guy in the white suit currently hunting them. They needed to keep moving, they end up in another confrontation with him and others like him.

If he was gonna be 100% honest, you probably wouldn't have gone back to the camp if it was just him by himself unless he was just trying to get some sleep. But alas he would just have to wait it out and see what the elves think, if they don't help them then they'll have to figure something else out simple as that.

So with that, Zoro reluctantly nodded his head in agreement," yeah all right sure".

And seeing that they pretty much settled down into their temporary accommodations, Alicia figured it was about time for her to make her way to watch the meeting tent," OK now that you both are here and winded down, it's about time for me to go, but don't worry I'll be back as soon as possible to check up on you. Until then, just stay in this tent and try not to wander off or touch anything. If you need any of us will be in the big tent at the center of camp", she said as she gave them a small wave and quickly exited the tent and headed straight for the big tent, leaving the duo inside.

As she was walking towards the tent, she couldn't help but suddenly feel doubtful about the decision she made to bring them to camp.

Sure, she was glad to have been able to help the humans out but since she's brought them here, all it really did was cause a few issues and worry between her comrades.

If she was going to be 100% honest, she was starting to feel regretful about suddenly bringing them to camp.

All it did and was going to do was cause a strain between her and her comrades to figure out how to handle their situation rather than the mission they were assigned.

Well, she herself didn't follow every single order off the bat, even when it made sense at the time couldn't help, but it meant that Orrian had a point.

Bring two human strangers here and offering to help them out with their situation when they themselves already have a mission to deal with wasn't the best idea.

The group is already too small stretch, too thin with trying to continue their assignment in the dark lands adding more problems for them to try to solve and fix was just gonna be too much for them to handle.

Yes, she wants to help them, but after seeing that weird look on Orrian's, it brought a bit of doubt to her mind.

It was weird because it wasn't usually an expression that he would show them, but for the first time since she's known him, he looked as if something was really on his mind bothering him.

And that only meant that she wasn't going to be filled with good news.

And then that would only mean that the situation was only going to grow that much harder to deal with and get through.

And that was only just their current situation without even adding a new one they were in with these humans.

If she was gonna be honest, she didn't know where the hell they were gonna start with helping them look for their missing friend.

If he went through a different pipe that would mean that they would have to leave the dark plants in order to go help them look for him.

But that was obviously impossible because they had a mission they needed to complete.

They couldn't leave even if that's what they all wanted to do and that's only if she was able to convince her comrades to go along with helping them.

Due to the horrifying actions that were committed by humans so long ago, it didn't exactly make them the most like species even after their extinction.

And this apply to most creatures, not just elves so to be honest, she'd be lucky if she was able to convince one of her friends to help aid them.

She would really need to hope that she had enough of a golden tongue to be able to convince them to prioritize this.

She was gonna be honest she had no idea what kind of news was going to be said in this meeting.

But there was one thing she was definitely sure wasn't going to be great news.

As Alicia approached the central tent, her footsteps grew heavier, not from physical exhaustion but from the weight of her thoughts. The elven camp bustled around her with a quiet efficiency, but she barely noticed. Her mind was consumed by the nagging doubts that had been building since she brought the humans here.

Yes, she was glad she'd been able to help Zoro and Vanellope escape the goblins, but now that she had a moment to reflect, the consequences of her decision began to sink in. She'd acted on instinct, not strategy, and that wasn't something Orrian—or the others—would overlook easily.

What was I thinking? she wondered, letting out a quiet sigh. Sure, she wanted to help. It was in her nature to do so. But bringing two human strangers into their already fragile camp had been a reckless move. They were already stretched too thin as it was, balancing survival and their mission in the Dark Lands. Adding more complications to the mix wasn't just risky—it was dangerous.

She thought back to Orrian's reaction, that sharp, scrutinizing look he'd given her. It wasn't the anger or frustration that stuck with her. No, it was something deeper—something unspoken. For the first time since she'd known him, Orrian had looked… concerned. And not just about the humans. There was something weighing on him, something heavy enough to make him hesitate, and that worried her more than she wanted to admit.

The implications gnawed at her. If the news Orrian brought to this meeting was as grim as his expression suggested, the last thing they needed was an added distraction. Yet here she was, bringing in two humans who needed help finding a friend in a world neither of them understood.

Alicia shook her head, her frustration building. What am I supposed to do now? If she couldn't convince her comrades to help, what would that mean for Zoro and Vanellope? They couldn't leave the Dark Lands—they still had their mission to complete, and failure wasn't an option. But could they really just leave the humans to fend for themselves?

Her pace slowed as she considered the implications. Even if Orrian agrees to help, what then? Their forces were too small to spare a significant number of people for a search. And what if the missing friend was somewhere far beyond the Dark Lands? Crossing into enemy territory—or worse, into lands ruled by other creatures who despised humans—was a risk they couldn't afford to take.

And then there was the humans themselves. While Zoro seemed capable—frighteningly so, if the reports of his battle against the goblins were to be believed—Vanellope was just a child. Fragile, vulnerable. Alicia couldn't shake the image of the girl huddled in fear when she first found her. That wasn't a face she wanted to see again, but could she guarantee the camp's protection would be enough?

The prejudice against humans was another obstacle entirely. Even though they'd been extinct for centuries, the scars left behind by their atrocities still lingered. Creatures across the land, not just elves, carried memories of what humans had done. She could already feel the unease from some of the others in the camp when Zoro and Vanellope arrived. Convincing them to help wasn't just a matter of logic—it would require breaking through years of deeply ingrained resentment and fear.

And then there was the mission. Whatever Orrian had to say tonight, it wasn't likely to be good news. Alicia could feel it in her bones. The timing couldn't have been worse, and she hated that she might be the one to add more stress to an already strained situation.

She stopped just short of the tent's entrance, letting out a slow, steadying breath. The warm light spilling through the flap was inviting, but it also marked the point of no return. Whatever news awaited inside, she had to be ready to face it—and the consequences of her decision.

Alicia glanced back toward the camp, where Zoro and Vanellope's tent stood silhouetted against the dim glow of the enchanted barrier. She'd made a promise to them, and she intended to keep it. But as she squared her shoulders and stepped into the meeting tent, the weight of that promise pressed heavier on her than ever.

A few minutes had passed since the elf girl left, enduring that time both Zoro and Vanellope were just getting comfortable in their tent.

Both were sitting on each of the two beds, with Zoro removing his three swords from his belt and Vanellope snuggling comfortably against the pillow on her,"This bed isn't bad for it bed in a tent, huh Zoro", the young girl asked the pirate swordsman.

Zoro looks up at her while he's placing his swords beside the bed," Yeah well don't get too comfortable, we're not gonna stay long. This is just a pitstop for us to get some rest and be ready for the journey ahead of us", he sternly reminded her.

She didn't question what he was saying at all as she responded by saying,"Yes sir", as she nodded her head.

But what he said also made her wonder what they were going to do once they were all rested up.

Were they going to wait for the elves to make a decision on whether or not to help them or were they going to go and try to look for Luffy and the sunny on their own?

She wasn't really sure on what to do next on this crazy adventure that she was sort of thrown in?

She had kind of gotten caught into the mix of this whole ordeal and had just been following Zoro and Alicia's lead throughout the entire situation. 

And now that they had made it to the first destination. She was really starting to worry about what they were going to do afterwards.

Since they hadn't discussed anything further past them coming to this camp she felt now was the time to figure out what other plans Zoro had cooking in his head.

She would've tried giving her own input, but because this was her first real adventure that she had been on, she had been trying to just follow along with what Zoro was doing.

But now she knew it was time for her to start getting caught up the speed,"So what are we gonna do if they decide not to help us?

It was about time she knew about the next stage in their plan just so that later on, she's not just throwing into the mix of it again.

He kept her waiting on an answer for about a minute before answering with,"Then we'll have to go and look for them ourselves, or at least try to find one of those green pipes from earlier to travel through", he explained closing his right eye and cupped his chin, as if to think of something.

Vanellope after hearing that started to feel a cloud of doubt, however, over her mind.

If she was gonna be on the she wasn't sure that that plan would be the best one to follow, especially with her knowing about Zoro's poor sense of direction.

There was no way she was just gonna randomly follow him throughout this hellhole when neither one of them knew where to go or where they were.

With their current luck, they would end up randomly wandering into a location where it was infested with more of those little green goblin monsters she barely escaped earlier.

Sure, Zoro could probably handle randomly walking through a dangerous place like this, but she certainly wasn't equipped for it, she was still just a child.

Not to mention the fact about how much energy it took to keep glitching on its own, but traveling real long distances we're just playing exhausting.

And she knew that Zoro couldn't fight those things and protect her at the same time so it would be a massive disadvantage to them.

Even if she was going to go with the plan, the least they could do to help them out in their journey would be to ask them to see if they have a map for them to use.

Even as a child, she knew better than to just trust Zoro's sense of direction no matter how much of a fan she was.

So yeah, there were definitely a few holes in the plan that they would need to discuss with one another.

"Oh OK well, then what if instead of that we tried to talk them into helping us", she suggested, really trying to avoid that last plan if she could.

Zoro thought about it for a moment before almost seemingly shrugging it off,"Yeah sure that could be a possible solution, though I'm not gonna put my cards on that", he said, with his back turned to her.

"Huh, wait what do ya mean,"? she asked, confused.

Zoro was quiet for a minute before answering,"Kid there's no guarantee that they're gonna wanna help us just because it's the right thing to do. From what we've seen so far we kind of arrived here at the wrong time to ask them for help for them while they're in the middle of a war. It wouldn't be surprising to me if they told us that they didn't have time to do the situation they were in. They have their own situation they're going to have to deal with and it won't exactly benefit them. If they have to worry about ours", he explained.

It still didn't stop all the questions she had for him,"But are we really just gonna go back out there and just wander around until we get one of those green pipes? How do we know if we're gonna be able to do that when we don't know where we are or where anything is in this place"?

Zoro was going to try to answer the question but stopped himself because if he was going to be honest he wasn't fully sure what to do other than Zoro. Unfortunately for her Zoro didn't really have that answer to give her. getting sucked through a magical green pipe to a whole other dimension wasn't exactly Something he had previously done on any of the adventures he had ever been on. Usually if he had ever gotten separated from the other straw hats he would simply get back up and walk around until either found them or found someone who knew the way of the land to help lead him to the other straw hats. Hell if he were lucky sometimes he would get stuck with another Straw Hat member so that the two would be able to figure out a plan on how to continue on the adventure. Things are a little different this time around considering that not only was he alone and not with another straw hat but this time he had that child with him that knew next to nothing about being in a situation like this and barely had that much control over her powers. Granted this wasn't his worst complicated situation he had to deal with, but 

After waiting a moment for him to continue talking Vanellope stood up on her bed and looked at him worriedly,"Zoro"?

Zoro was snapped out of his thoughts and realized that he hadn't given her an answer yet so he went with what was in his gut as he leaned back on the bed, staring up at the fabric ceiling of the tent, his arms crossed behind his head. He let out a deep sigh, signaling that he was taking a moment to process everything. This wasn't like his usual adventures—this time, he had a kid with him, one who was looking to him for guidance. That was a new layer of pressure he wasn't used to.

"Look, kid," Zoro finally said, breaking the silence. "I get it. You've got a lot of questions, and you're worried about what's gonna happen next. But here's the thing—you don't need to have everything figured out all at once."

Vanellope sat cross-legged on her bed, fiddling with the little carved stone golem Alicia had given her. "Yeah, but it's not like we've got a lot of time, you know? What if something bad happens to Luffy while we're just sitting around waiting for these elves to decide whether they'll help us?"

Zoro's expression hardened for a moment at the mention of Luffy, but then he smirked slightly. "Heh, trust me, kid. If there's one thing I know about Luffy, it's that he's too stubborn to go down without a fight. He's probably out there somewhere causing trouble and making friends like he always does."

Vanellope looked up, her brows furrowed. "You really think so?"

Zoro nodded. "Yeah, I do. That idiot has a way of surviving the impossible. It's kinda his thing. But that doesn't mean we can just sit on our hands. We've gotta be ready to move, whether the elves help us or not."

Vanellope frowned, clearly still uneasy. "But what if we end up going the wrong way? I mean, no offense, Zoro, but… you're not exactly great with directions."

Zoro narrowed his eyes at her, his pride clearly stung. "Hey, watch it, kid. I'm plenty good at finding my way—"

"You got lost on a straight path earlier," Vanellope interrupted, raising an eyebrow.

Zoro grumbled under his breath, clearly annoyed but unable to argue with the truth. "Fine, fine. I'm not a damn navigator, okay? But I'm good at figuring things out. If we have to go it alone, I'll find a way."

Vanellope hesitated, looking down at the little golem in her hands. "Still, wouldn't it be better to at least have a plan? Like, maybe we could ask the elves for a map or something before we leave? That way, even if they don't wanna help, we won't be totally clueless."

Zoro considered her suggestion for a moment, his one visible eye narrowing as he thought it over. "Yeah, a map wouldn't hurt," he admitted begrudgingly. "But don't get your hopes up. These elves are in the middle of a war. They might not have time to play tour guide for a couple of lost humans."

Vanellope nodded, though she still didn't seem entirely reassured. "I just… I don't wanna end up in some place even worse than this. Those goblins were bad enough. What if there's something out there even scarier?"

Zoro sat up slightly, resting his elbows on his knees as he looked at her. His expression softened just a bit. "Listen, kid. I know this place is dangerous, but you've got me, all right? I've faced things way scarier than those goblins, and I'm still standing. You just stick close, and I'll handle whatever comes our way."

Vanellope offered him a small smile, clearly comforted by his confidence. "Thanks, Zoro. I guess it's kinda cool having a bodyguard who's, like, the best swordsman ever."

Zoro smirked, leaning back again. "Damn right it is."

The two fell into a more comfortable silence after that, each lost in their own thoughts. Vanellope curled up on the bed, still clutching the little golem, while Zoro closed his eyes, allowing himself to relax for the first time in what felt like hours.

But even as he rested, Zoro couldn't fully shake the weight of their situation. He wasn't about to let the kid see it, but the truth was, he didn't have all the answers. For now, all he could do was hope that the elves' meeting would bring some clarity—and maybe, just maybe, a little help. ," We'll, just have to cross that bridge when we get there we'll talk it out and discuss what to do next. Right now, our main focus should be getting rest so that we can prepare for this new journey", he said encouragingly.

With that he then carefully propped his swords onto the side of his bed and slowly Started to lay down on his back and place his hands behind his head and his usual sleeping position 

Vanellope watched Zoro settle into his sleeping position, his movements deliberate and composed as he leaned back with an air of confidence that only someone like him could manage. His hands clasped behind his head, his swords resting neatly at the side of the bed within easy reach. For a brief moment, it was as if nothing in the world could phase him.

She sighed and laid back on her own bed, staring up at the ceiling of the tent, the faint glow of the elven runes casting gentle, swirling patterns above. "Guess you're right," she said softly, more to herself than him. "No point stressing over stuff we can't control. It's just… I've never done anything like this before, you know? It's kinda scary."

Zoro cracked one eye open to glance at her. "Scary, huh? Well, that's how you know it's worth doing."

Vanellope turned her head to look at him, raising an eyebrow. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"It means," Zoro said, his voice calm but firm, "anything worth doing is gonna scare the hell out of you sometimes. If it didn't, it wouldn't be much of an adventure, would it?"

She blinked, considering his words. "I guess you've got a point. I mean, look at you. You're, like, always in crazy situations, and you never seem scared."

Zoro chuckled softly, the sound deep and low. "That's where you're wrong, kid. I've been scared plenty of times. But fear doesn't mean you stop moving forward. It just means you've got something worth fighting for."

Vanellope fell silent at that, his words sinking in as she mulled them over. She couldn't quite put her finger on it, but there was something reassuring about the way Zoro talked—like he'd already seen the worst the world had to offer and come out the other side stronger for it.

"Well," she said finally, snuggling deeper into the plush blanket on her bed, "if you can handle it, I guess I can too."

Zoro smirked, closing his eyes again. "That's the spirit. Just stick with me, and you'll be fine."

The gentle rustle of the tent fabric and the distant hum of the elves going about their business outside filled the quiet that followed. For the first time since their chaotic arrival in the Dark Lands, a sense of calm seemed to settle over them.

Vanellope yawned, her eyelids growing heavy. "Hey, Zoro?"

"Hm?" he responded without opening his eyes.

"Thanks for, y'know… sticking with me through all this. Even though I'm just a kid."

Zoro's smirk softened into something almost resembling a genuine smile. "Don't mention it, kid. Now get some sleep. Tomorrow's gonna be another long day."

"Yeah," she murmured, her voice already drowsy as sleep began to claim her. "Goodnight, Zoro."

"Goodnight," he replied simply, his tone calm and steady, like a rock anchoring her in an unfamiliar world.

As the minutes passed, the tent fell silent save for the quiet breathing of its two occupants. Outside, the elven camp remained vigilant, its guards scanning the horizon and its warriors preparing for whatever lay ahead. But for Zoro and Vanellope, this brief moment of peace was a much-needed reprieve in an otherwise chaotic adventure.

Well...…..

That would be...…if she felt like pushing her curiosity down into her gut and sleeping

But she didn't

She thought she was tired earlier, but turns out she had a lot more energy than she originally thought she did

Vanellope lay on the bed, staring at the soft glow of the runes etched into the tent fabric. Her body felt still, but her mind buzzed with restless energy. She shifted under the plush green blanket, trying to close her eyes and let sleep take over. But it was no use—she had been out cold earlier when Zoro carried her, and now her energy reserves felt completely replenished.

With a groan, she sat up, her short legs dangling off the side of the bed. "Okay, I guess I'm not as tired as I thought," she muttered to herself.

She glanced at Zoro, who was lying on his own bed, hands tucked behind his head, snoring softly. His swords rested against the bedframe within easy reach, as if even in sleep, he was ready for anything.

Lucky guy, she thought. He can just doze off like it's nothing.

Vanellope flopped back onto the bed, kicking her legs in frustration. She could feel her curiosity bubbling up, and with each passing second, it grew harder to suppress. The camp was so quiet now, and the mysterious vibe of the place tugged at her sense of adventure.

Vanellope stared at the tent ceiling for a long moment, the dim glow of the elven runes casting soft shadows that danced like tiny spirits. She twisted under her blanket, her mind too active to succumb to sleep. Despite Zoro's reassuring words, a persistent knot of curiosity—and maybe a bit of mischief—was coiling in her chest.

She glanced back over at the swordsman. Zoro, true to form, was already out cold, his breathing steady and his expression relaxed. His three swords were neatly propped against the side of his bed, their polished blades catching faint glimmers from the glowing runes.

Vanellope smirked to herself. He probably doesn't even dream; the guy's like a sleeping statue.

Her gaze drifted back to the glowing runes etched into the tent walls. There was something about them—an energy she could almost feel. It wasn't just their beauty or craftsmanship; it was as if they were alive, humming softly, calling out to her.

She sat up quietly, trying not to disturb Zoro. " Maybe I can go off for a little walk. Get a good look at the place," she muttered to herself. She swung her legs over the side of the bed, her small feet landing silently on the cool, moss-covered floor.

With a curious tilt of her head, she reached out and touched one of the runes on the wall. A faint warmth pulsed under her fingers, and the rune shimmered brighter for a brief second before returning to its steady glow.

"Whoa…" she whispered, leaning in closer. The intricate design of the rune seemed even more detailed up close, its curves and lines flowing into one another like a living piece of art. "What do you do, little guy?"

She pressed her hand flat against the rune this time, hoping for some kind of reaction. For a moment, nothing happened, and she began to feel a little foolish. But then, a soft ripple of light spread out from the rune, like a pebble dropped into a still pond. The glow illuminated the tent briefly before fading away again.

Vanellope's eyes widened, her heart racing with excitement. "Okay, now that was cool."

She glanced over her shoulder at Zoro. Still sleeping. She figured she had at least a little time before he woke up and started grumbling about her "wandering off" or "getting into trouble."

"Alright, little rune, let's see what you're hiding," she whispered with a grin. She began to inspect the other runes on the walls, running her fingers over them, tapping lightly, and occasionally pressing her ear against the fabric of the tent as if she might hear something.

One rune in particular caught her eye. It was larger than the others and situated just above the entrance to the tent. Its design was more elaborate, with spiraling lines that seemed to radiate outward like the rays of a tiny sun. When she reached up to touch it, a soft vibration hummed beneath her fingertips.

The rune glowed brighter than the rest, and a faint sound—like a distant whisper—filled her ears. She couldn't make out the words, but the tone was soothing, almost musical. The light pulsed gently, and for a moment, she felt a strange sense of calm wash over her.

"Okay, this is officially the coolest thing ever," she said, her voice barely above a whisper.

She sat up again, her mind made up. "Well, I guess a little walk around won't hurt," she whispered to herself. "I'm a big kid. I can handle this."

With a careful glance toward Zoro, Vanellope tiptoed toward the back of the tent, where the fabric wasn't tightly secured. She slipped through the gap as quietly as she could, holding her breath as she made her escape. Once outside, she straightened up and took in her surroundings.

The camp was bathed in moonlight, the soft glow from the magical runes on the tents adding an ethereal touch to the scene. It felt peaceful and almost otherworldly, and Vanellope couldn't help but grin. Now this is more like it.

She wandered toward the massive tree at the center of the camp, its colossal branches looming over everything like a protective canopy. The closer she got, the more details she noticed—the intricate carvings on the tree's base, the faint hum of magic in the air. She reached out to touch the bark, her small fingers brushing against its cool surface.

"Whoa," she breathed. "This place is like something out of a fairy tale."

Vanellope continued her exploration, moving past the forge. The tools were neatly arranged on a workbench, and a few unfinished weapons lay nearby. She picked up a small dagger, its blade shimmering faintly with magical energy.

"Cool," she said, holding it up to examine it. "Bet this could take down one of those ugly goblins."

After a moment, she carefully set the dagger back in its place and wandered toward the shimmering pond she had noticed earlier. Up close, it was even more mesmerizing, with molten streaks of gold and crimson swirling beneath the surface. She crouched by the edge, staring into the glowing depths.

"Okay, this is officially the coolest thing I've ever seen," she said to herself, her reflection distorted by the magical water.

The camp remained quiet, with no elves in sight. Vanellope stood up, brushing off her hands, and decided to explore further. She passed rows of tents, each one crafted with the same care and precision as the one she and Zoro were staying in. But there were no signs of life—no elves performing tasks or standing guard.

"Where is everybody?" she wondered aloud, a hint of unease creeping into her voice.

Despite the eeriness, her curiosity drove her forward. She was determined to see as much of the camp as she could before anyone noticed she was gone. After all, it wasn't every day she found herself in a magical elf war camp.

And she was still weighing on whether or not she wanted to be the last or not.

Vanellope wandered through the camp, her small steps echoing faintly against the quiet backdrop of the night. The camp, though sparsely populated at the moment, felt alive with its unique charm and peculiarities. Even if she didn't quite understand everything she saw, she was determined to make sense of it in her own way.

She passed by the large forge again, the residual heat still emanating faintly from the coals. "Alright, I'm calling this place the Fire Pit of Awesomeness," she declared with a grin, gesturing dramatically to the racks of weapons and the glowing embers. "I bet they make the coolest stabby-stabby things here."

Next, she found herself in a small clearing with several wooden racks holding what looked like scrolls and maps. There were a few strange glowing stones scattered around, pulsating softly with a greenish light. She picked up one of the scrolls, squinting at the elven runes.

"Hmm… let's see," she said, holding the scroll up like a treasure map. "This must be the Elven Brainiac Zone. Probably where they come up with all their super genius plans to fight off those ugly goblins. Smarties gotta be somewhere, right?"

Continuing her journey, she spotted a fenced-off area with a few peculiar tools lying about—nets, wooden traps, and devices she couldn't even begin to identify. "Ooooh, what's this? Some kind of… Goblin Catcher Workshop? Yeah, that sounds about right. If they've got traps, they've gotta be catching something."

The silence in the camp didn't bother her too much; she figured the elves were probably off doing important elfy things. Still, it was a little weird not seeing anyone at all. Even the towering tree at the camp's center, which she had marveled at earlier, felt eerily deserted. She stopped beneath its enormous branches, looking up at the platforms overhead.

"Okay, tree, you're officially The Big Tall Looky Place. You're welcome," she said, giving it a mock salute before moving on.

As she ventured farther, Vanellope came across an area where large stones were arranged in a circle. Each stone had intricate carvings glowing faintly with runes, similar to the ones on the tents. She tilted her head, inspecting the area.

"Huh… I'm calling this the Stone Huddle of Mystery," she decided, walking around the stones and running her hands along the carvings. "Bet it's some kind of super-secret elf hangout. Or maybe it's where they play rock-paper-scissors, elf-style."

Despite her amusement, she couldn't shake the feeling that she was being watched. The camp was just too still, and her overactive imagination started to fill the silence with thoughts of goblins creeping through the shadows.

"Nah," she said, shaking her head and puffing out her chest. "I'm way too fast for those guys. They wouldn't even get close."

Feeling a little braver, she wandered to the edge of the camp, where a series of peculiar artifacts were laid out on wooden tables. Some were glowing faintly, others looked ancient, and a few were outright bizarre—like a helmet with what seemed to be feathers sprouting from it.

"Alright, this is definitely The Table of Weird Stuff," she declared, reaching out to touch one of the glowing artifacts. The moment her fingers grazed its surface, a faint hum filled the air, and the glow brightened.

"Whoa! Okay, okay, maybe I shouldn't touch stuff," she said, quickly pulling her hand back. "But that was kinda cool."

Even though she was having fun naming everything and exploring, Vanellope still couldn't help but feel like she was the only one in the camp. She put her hands on her hips, scanning the area.

"Seriously, where is everybody?" she muttered. "This place is like a ghost town. Are they all hiding or something?"

Her voice echoed faintly, and she paused, glancing around nervously. She wasn't scared—well, maybe just a tiny bit—but the quiet was starting to feel unnatural. Still, her curiosity hadn't run out yet, and she wasn't quite ready to go back to the tent.

"Guess I'll just keep exploring until I figure it out," she said, her determination renewed. "I'm not afraid of a little quiet." With that, she continued her journey through the enigmatic, deserted camp, naming everything she saw and trying to piece together what kind of world she had wandered into.

(end of part one)