When I came back, it was too late to grab anybody and talk, so In the end, I found myself a nice spot on the ground, and I sat down there, thinking.

Ki'rai, whatever that thing was, brought me a lot of information. Now I knew that we are just a bunch of pawns in a game we have no idea about. We didn't know the rules, we didn't know the stakes, but we were paying with our lives for everything.

Maybe The Great One was doing all of this for reasons only known to him, or maybe I was lied to, and Xuvi, tired of hiding from the wrath of a powerful being, after what they have done, wanted to use us to somehow get rid of him. Maybe they were behind this invasion. History already showed they can mess with those strange devices.

Ki'rai was able to change shapes, which meant the creature could also possibly make it to the city without being noticed. I unconsciously found myself looking at the tent.

One thing was sure. I needed more information, and I also needed to help my friends recover. There was also Nadia. I didn't even want to think about seeing her remains, but I couldn't just push that any further. I had to say my goodbyes. I owed her at least that much.

There was so much to be done, and so little time, but I was determined. I knew I'm gonna get to the bottom of this somehow. I will gather enough strength, so nothing like the invasion will happen again.historical

I allowed myself to slack a lot. I allowed myself to be entangled in some stupid politics, and I was about to be entangled in another conflict. This time between some kind of supreme being, and a bunch of aliens, but I needed to find the answers, and I needed to make those responsible get punished for what they did. That was my way of grieving.

As soon as the sun rose, I went to find Hatta. He was in his office with Amit and Blue, looking at the sketches of the city, talking about defenses.

- I hope I'm not interrupting anything important.

- You are, but we can take a break - said Amit.

- I've checked far into the woods, and there are no signs of orcs. Since I returned in the middle of the night, I didn't want to wake you up.

- I wasn't asleep anyway - said Amit. - I waited for other scouts, and they said the same things. You know you could come to me with this, don't you?

He seemed a bit riled up.

- Yeah. Sorry. I had some thought in my head, and hat to... put them in line.

He sighed.

- We know it's not the best time for you, but we need every capable person now - said Hatta. - We need to re-establish ourselves in the city and prepare for the next... situation...

- I know. How about I'll hang around the goblin territory, bring back some crystals, and have my eye if something is not coming from that direction?

- It's a good idea - said Blue, gaining the attention of others.

They looked at him, but he seemed to ignore them.

- Bring as much as you can. We need resources to equip people and start hunting as soon as it's possible - he continued.

I just nodded and left, closing the door behind.

- What the hell are you thinking? - asked Hatta.

I still could hear his muffled voice.

- I know he is in pain and everything, but we need every capable person right now. - was Blue's response. - If he wants to be of use, we need to use him.

That was the last line I heard through the closed doors, as I just started walking.

I went to search for my cart and took the backpacks from it. I put one into the other and then swung by the device to get some provisions. Marcella, yet again, stopped me and asked to help her with the wounded. I used all of my healing magic to help those in need.

Nobuo still remained unconscious, just like Zora and few other people. There was very little we could do for them besides everyday care. I wished I had the ability to wake them up. It would be so much easier then, with all of those warriors.

I filled my backpack with necessary supplies and then left, heading straight to the goblin cave. Clearing my way up there was easy, just like dealing with the guardians. I looked around, but there was no sign of Ki'rai around. I waited for a moment, and collected the crystals, then looked around again, but still, nobody showed up. I ended up pulling the horde out of the cave and dealing with them.

After, I summoned my shadows, to help me pick up the score, and carry it for me. Still, the creature didn't show up even when we were done. There was no other choice, but to get inside. I took out one of the torches from the backpack, lit it up with my new fire abilities, and gave it to one of the shadows, to carry it for me.

Then I finally entered, taking it slowly, to look around the walls, for anything that could possibly hide there. It was a hard task considering that I had only a dim torchlight at my disposal, and the entity I was looking for could change shapes at will.

Then a shape came out of darkness and stopped in a place where my torchlight could just barely make it visible. It was an ugly little goblin.

- Is that you? - I asked just as it froze in place.

- Yes. You made me wait for you.

- That's not how I see it. I was expecting you to wait at the entrance. I actually looked for you there.

- Let's go. We are late because of you - was creature's reply. - Next time don't waste so much time.

What a cheeky little shit - I thought to myself. Even though that was what I thought, I ended up following.. There was too much at stake to let my ego get the best of me.