Chapter 133: The Tribe (1)

The snapping sound of a twig broke the serenity of the forest as a group of four crossed through the thick undergrowth. Thin rays of sunlight, that managed to pierce through the canopy of foliage from above them illuminated the eerie atmosphere. 

The group, Aiden, Lilly, and her two canine companions, Sam and Biggy followed the track the goblins used to trace it back to their tribe. After all, if a horde of these vicious little creatures settled in nearby recently, they had to report it back to Granny and Number 3. Also, through the memories of the leader, Aiden wanted to check his hut, as just like the beings there was something there that manipulated its mind making it unreadable.

The lively green and colorful foliage were gradually replaced by brown, grey, and ebony colors as they got closer to their destination. The flowers were replaced by skulls of a variety of animals hanging from the tree branches adding to the eeriness. The green shrubbery turned to wooden skeletons, the remainders of a once-lush forest scenery turned to a dead land. 

Looking at her surroundings, Lily frowned, absentmindedly voicing her displeasure.

"This place is so sad. What creatures can do such a thing to this place? Look!" She looked down at the dry, barren landscape "Even the ground changed! What did they do?!"

Aiden, still in his new goblin form continued in his trek as he pensively responded without looking back.

"Hard to say, Lily. I think this is in their nature. These creatures are greedy, evil, vicious beings. Since they are weak, they have to resort to such means as these to turn the tides to their favor. Like in the battle, they are weak against one on one, they prefer backstabbing, or ganging up on a single foe."

As he continued marching forward, he picked up a dead twig from the ground and threw it sideways. As it landed, large wooden spikes erupted from the ground snapping together in an attempt to pierce the unwary traveler. 

As the trap sprung, he continued.

"See? They resort to tricks and these traps. Just, try to ignore this sad landscape, and be on guard. Our goal today is only to check out their camp and see their numbers then report back to Granny and Master."

Raising her right fist into the air, Lily cheerfully exclaimed.

"Yes! You can count on us brother!" 

Sam and Biggy also barked once in response, agreeing with their master's sentiment.

Slowing his steps, Aiden raised his right hand into the air while placing his left index finger in front of his lips shushing the group.

"Silence guys! We are almost there. Stay on alert from now on!"

Just as he said, in the distance, a makeshift wooden palisade appeared. Long pointy wooden staves were planted in the mud in front of them, adding to its otherwise questionable defensive power. Four dark green humanoid figures in motley leather and fur clothing holding crude, primitive wooden spears stood guard.

Halting their steps, Aiden pointed towards the four guards and spoke in a hushed, whispering tone.

"There! Can you see them?"

Even as a half-elf, Lily's eyesight was keener than the average human's, thanks to her elven heritage. In fact, in terms of sight, she was even better than Aiden if we do not count his [Dark Sense] ability. 

Looking at the group of four, she silently nodded.

Seeing that, Aiden continued.

"From what I know, they are only low-rank warriors in the tribe, probably just cannon fodder."

"Why do you think that?" Lily asked with a surprised expression. All she could make out was that these four were wearing some sort of tribal clothing and were holding wooden spears with a sharp stone head crudely attached to their tips. They barely had any hair and their skin seemed to be toned a clear dark green color. There was no brown mixed in. 

Thinking for a bit, she continued.

"Is it because of the lack of hair?"

Aiden smiled at the response.

"You are half right. Hair is an important aspect to them. Only higher ranked members of the tribe are allowed to grow it out. In fact, the lowest in their society can't grow any even if they wanted. But, besides that, their skin is clean, there are no blemishes, no damages, no color-alterations. These four never hunted, never contributed to the tribe. They are probably new additions to the group, that the new leader placed as guards."

Pointing towards the weapons, he continued.

"Also, look at their weapons. They are different from the ones the previous group had, they look way too primitive, way too simple. There's no craftsmanship in them. They are not loots, they are not acquired through a raid, or a hunt, they are something they quickly put together."

Switching his gaze, he looked at the wooden fence. Thinking for a bit, he added.

"We need to get closer and see what we can find inside. Hopefully, we can find out why they settled down here and what their plans are …"

Listening to his words, Lily gasped, as a frightening thought spawned in her mind.

"Do… Do you think they are preparing for an attack against the city?!"

Aiden nodded to her exclamation. Keeping his gaze on the fence, scanning it for any spots where they could sneak through, he spoke after a while.

"Yes, I think that's exactly what they are planning. Also, keep in mind, that these goblins are merely acting as scouts to a much larger horde…"

A few minutes of wary silence ensued after their little discourse. Aiden kept scanning the wooden fence, the spikes, looking for holes, spots they could use, and Lily just kept silent focusing on the guards ahead.

After a while, Aiden let out a long sigh, seemingly coming to an undesirable decision.

"There's no other way, Lily. We have to trust that my current form will be able to fool them."

"Yes…" Lily answered absentmindedly, focusing on the guards ahead. She shuddered as she finally processed his words and realized what he was about to do. "WHAT?! Are you out of your mind? You want to go in by yourself?"

"There's no other way. Besides, I should be able to blend in, I'm a goblin now after all!"

"B-but… your hair and your eyes… they are different!" Lily continued to argue.

"It should be okay, hopefully, they will think that I came from the horde with new orders or something. My hair should represent a higher authority." 

Turning around, he placed his right palm on top of her head. Giving a gentle smile, he continued.

"Besides, if there's no other way, you know that I am much stronger than them, I can just fight my way back!"

Looking at Sam, Biggy then at Lilly, he continued."

"Just stay here and keep watch. If anything unexpected comes, fire one of your flashy exploding arrows to the sky and I will immediately run back. Just make sure none of you guys are spotted while waiting, okay?"

Enjoying the head pats, Lily had her eyes closed and could only respond with a "Uhm". Even if he was in a different form, she still loved his pats the most in the world. 

Satisfied by the response, Aiden turned around, and was about to leave, when he felt a hand tugging at his arm. Turning around, he looked at the blonde girl who was on the verge of tears looking at him.

"Don't worry Lily, you should know me this much by now. These creatures cannot hurt me in the slightest. I will be back, I promise!"

Sniffing, fighting against her tears, she looked at her brother with a troubled expression. After a few seconds, she managed to gather enough strength to mutter a barely audible question.

"Promise?"

In response, he went ahead and hugged the girl, planting his face into her chest, as currently, he was more than a head smaller than her. Regardless, he still calmly and gently whispered his response.

"I promise."

They stayed in each other's embrace for almost a minute before eventually, Aiden started to break it up. He looked up, trying to wriggle himself out of her hug. Letting out an awkward laugh.

"You know, being the smaller one, really makes you the big sis now. I bet you enjoy it, huh?"

Giggling, Lily looked down and planted a big smack on the top of his head as she replied.

"Yeah! I love it!"

Wriggling again, he finally freed himself and took a step back before she had the chance to pull him back into her embrace.

Seeing how he escaped, Lily pouted, crossing her arms. 

"Okay, let's focus now. We have work to do! Lily and you guys, keep watch here, and as we agreed, let me know if you see some trouble heading our way. I'll head back immediately then."

Not waiting for a response, he turned around, looking at the guards still patrolling the perimeter in the distance. 

Exhaling loudly to calm himself and focus his mind, he took a step forward and started making his way decisively towards them.