The rookie adventurers respectfully stepped out of the way of Marie and her cohorts.

Not just because of her large stature, she and her colleagues had just torn through the collected forces of nearly a hundred goblins and chased off an orcen fighter a few hours ago.

There was something unnatural and wrong about rank C adventurers in a rank F territory, things went too smooth, too easily, as in a dream.

Marie had taken her high level guild members out to stop a developing crisis for the guild, an upstart orc warlord had been killing beginning adventurers. But when they confronted the issue, it had been resolved within a day.

"Off you go. It's the culling, isn't it?" She told the youths. "Go kill those goblins."

The lot mumbled respectfully and ran off to kill the orc's scattered goblin minions.

-

"Kind of runty for an orc." Boris said as he kicked the creature's remains, shooing away his dog, Snitch, from the carcass. The loyal dog had led them to what was now the corpse of their enemy.

It was relatively small for an orc. Perhaps that explained why it wasn't part of a larger war band, and how much cowardice it had shown running away when it found out it was outmatched.

The orc's own minions had betrayed it and devoured most of the flesh on its corpse when it had showed weakness. "Not really a rank D enemy at all, more like E. Would've made a proper boss for the area, I think." He declared.

That was Boris, still thinking like a quartermaster. He was a decent enough ranger, training his own dogs to do the tracking for him, but his mind stayed in Eston when he was out adventuring. Eston and on the success of their branch. Having a boss would certainly draw a few more powerful adventurers to their little town, if only for a little while.

"Yeah, what gives? Since when does guild administration do monster suppression? This is all backwards!" The petite Mildred complained. As a halfling she had a permanently child-like body, but she made up for it by acting twice as old and cranky as she really was. The mage trainer took a lot of offense for being dragged away from her busy schedule of not having anybody to train.

"You know how many rookies died here since the culling began?" Marie sighed, resting on her shield, "fourty-eight."

"W-what? No. That's too much." Mildred stammered.

"It's true." Boris added. "I've seen the numbers. The cliff sides have become a deathtrap."

"It came down to either ranking up the area, or coming down here ourselves," Marie explained, "and I don't think the area itself has become more magical."

Mildred just nodded. If it was for the sake of not sending dozens of rookies to their deaths, she could be bothered to take a hike to the forest.

"You were half-right though." Marie continued. "It's not the orc warlord causing all this trouble, we're here for bandits."

"Bandits?" Mildred was surprised. "Since when does Eston have bandits?"

"Since very recently." The quartermaster added. "They've been offering money for dead adventurers, we think they might serve a neighboring baron."

"We don't think anything yet," the second-in-command said firmly, "we're just going in and getting rid of them, theories will come later."

"Hah!" Mildred laughed. "I've still got plenty of mana. Fire magic has the perfect spell for razing a camp to the ground, just point me in the right direction, I'll rain down Rhada's Barrage."

"That's the spirit." Boris stretched. "Let's get this over with." And he went on to instruct his bloodhound.

-

From the reports of the camp's location and Snitch's tracking skills, they reached the place within the hour.

It was a well hidden hide-away between two hills, the outlaws weren't using fire or making loud noises to alert a passing wanderer of their location.

The occasional armed guard patrolled the outer border of the collection of tents, and one was just leaning against a tree where Snitch started barking, and the guild staff burst through the foliage.

The man had a naturally dopey face, and his dropped jaw at seeing the invaders made him look even dumber. Behind him a smattering of tents and a few lifeforms were visible, but no significant defenses.

"Alarm! Adventurers!" He finally called over his shoulder when he recovered from the shock.

"Well? What are you waiting for?" Marie asked Mildred.

Mildred laughed maniacally as she indulged in her pyromania. "Rhada's Barrage!" She held up her staff, concentric circles of light formed around her, as symptomatic of such magic, and a barrage of magical fire rained down on the camp, setting everything ablaze and creation mass panic.

The bandit guard immediately recognized the difference in power, spun on his heels, and sprinted away.

"Who do they have guarding their settlement?" Marie complained at his cowardice.

"Looks like they didn't have anybody stronger than the average person." Boris commented.

-

They tore through the camp, Marie, as the vanguard, barely had anything to do. None of the bandits were able to put up a fight.

They killed five of their warriors with a few well-placed slashes of their weapons, while the majority of the population was mounting horses and fleeing the premises.

One of the criminals was able to use magic, she seemed to be the leader and had a noble bearing. When the others fled she barked orders at them about where to take their horses, and stayed behind to cover their exit.

The adventurers had planned to exterminate the bandits, but when the party was about to give chase she cast Rhada's Breath, a fan of fire finally requiring Marie to use her shield for something.

Not that she had much power to speak off, after the fire breath it was done with her magic and Boris was able to restrain her with a thrown bola, one of those ropes with weights on either side.

"Darn it all." Mildred groaned. "Now the others got away, and I'm out of magic."

"I think it's fine. I've got a feeling you were the leader, weren't you, little miss?" Marie picked up the captured bandit. "What's your name?"

The woman refused to speak. So Marie threw her against the ground, using her full weight, and slamming all the air out of her lungs.

"Better tell her your name." Mildred giggled as the captive gasped for air. "Marie is no diplomat, she'll kill you for real."

"Har- Lydia, Lydia is my name." The woman gasped.

"How long have you been in this place? Lydia Lydia?" Marie demanded to know.

"... eight years."

"Poppycock." Mildred laughed. "Slam her again!"

Snitch growled.

"Have you looked around this place?" Boris stood a few steps away from the rest. "It's been lived in. The ground has been completely worn out by feet, and look, they were even keeping animals."

"That's ridiculous." Mildred stated. "I've been with the guild for the past decade and we never had bandits in Eston before."

Marie held the captive in a vice grip. "You better talk girly. Maybe we'll let you live."

Lydia, by now very much past the age of a 'girly', choked up the words. "Agh! Stop! We're smugglers, not robbers, we smuggle."

"Smuggle?" Boris became interested. "To the shipyards? Then you have a citizen contact. Who is it? Are you working with the thieves' guild?"

As soon as Marie relaxed her grip on the bandit, she slipped out of it like a greasy eel, and acrobatically launched herself over the vanguard's shoulders with her arms.

She had to have had more mana left than she had let on, because the weapon on Marie's back had become scalding hot when she reached for it.

"No! Do something!" The second-in-command of the Eston guild branch commanded.

"I'm out of mana!" The magic teacher responded.

The quarter master readied his crossbow, but the bandit had continued her acrobatic movements until she jumped against the trunk of a tree and into the foliage.

Snitch ran after her, barking loudly.

"A rogue's skill set." Boris stated. "We'll never catch up to her." Then he whistled for his dog to give up chase and come back.

"What is she? A former adventurer?"

"She sounded like a noble to me." Marie groaned, rubbing her burned palm. "Just from the way she talked. She must have been a disgraced knight, or even a baroness, of some sort."

"A stealth knight." Mildred snapped her fingers. "If I'd known beforehand..."

"Mildred. Is one night enough to get back your mana?" Marie wanted to know.

"Uh, sure?"

"Then we'll stay here. Boris, set up a camp for us, one that's not burned. We'll track those horses tomorrow, either we exterminate them, or they've fled the country, either way, we make sure they don't come back."

"And it's another day you don't have to do the guildmaster's work for him." Boris added.

She grumbled.

I am surrounded by goblins with sharp weapons.

They took away my throwing knives and dagger, as well as my coat.

Without my weapons I can't fight this many of them.

Without my coat I'm slightly chilly.

-

After the goblins captured us, they held a big fake trial where the goblin boss assigned us to work for him.

Now we're in the forest, not very far from their nest, and we're being forced to make planks.

Xandra and I are given the simple tools, a block shaped object for shaving off planks, and a bunch of tar on a piece of animal skin.

The goblins called Yuki and Haruki are using saws and small axes to turn the initial logs into wooden shapes, and then we're supposed to polish them into usable materials.

Furthermore, we're guarded by three more goblins with spears that will prod us if we slack off.

What is this? Some sort of fantasy black company? If I work more than ten hours, I'm entitled to a 1-hour break you know!

[Psst, Rudy.] Xandra leans over to me. [We can escape, Martial Artists are trained to fight without weapons.]

What are you talking about? You haven't been trained for anything! We just went through an aptitude test and were arbitrarily assigned these roles!

[You couldn't even fight them without your weapons.] I hiss back. [We've got to wait it out, when they slip up we can-]

[You know I can hear everything you're saying.] One of the guard goblins sticks his head between ours. I almost slap him.

[This would go faster if we killed you and did it ourselves.] Another guard says, while picking his nose. [So you better, like, be grateful and work hard and stuff.]

[Abel, Benjamin, you're distracting them.] The third goblin guard tells them off while standing with his back straight. [Haruki and Yuki are younger than you, and they're working hard, you do the same.]

The sawing goblins proceed with smug looks on their faces while Abel, who had poked his head in with us, rolls his eyes and stands back. [Better do what Fyro says, he's the boss, isn't he?]

[I'm not.] Fyro lets himself get goaded into an argument. [But I am right, so you still need to do it, so there.]

I give Xandra a meaningful look, we'll escape when the time is right. It doesn't seem like the goblins will just kill whenever.

I'm reminded of David's death. It had happened so quickly. I couldn't tell if the boss goblin had really been offended by his shouting or if he had ordered him dead because he thought it'd be funny. It doesn't make a difference I suppose.

-

That evening we're escorted back to the goblin nest, to eat.

Right now I'm beginning to understand how their society works.

There are castes of goblins.

The lowest one is the one shown on the extermination requests of the guild posters. They're skinny and bald, with a pot belly and losing teeth.

Then there's what Fyro calls [the family]. These are more important goblins that live in the wooden box in the cave, with the furs.

All the goblins at the sawing place belong to the family. They're healthier and cleaner looking. They almost look like kids just a little older than us, although their skin is still a filthy green.

At the top stands Scratch. He was the one-eyed goblin that had set up the fake court and sentenced us to slave labour.

[You know, Scratch gave us everything.] Haruki says.

[Nnnooo. Not everything.] Fyro contradicts him.

But Haruki is steadfast. [Before Scratch, the family was just like the other tribes, Quiet told me.]

[Well, yeah, but that's Quiet-] Fyro responds, but he's less sure now.

By now I'm not seeing much patterns in goblin names. When I heard the Japanese names I had thought somebody was playing a cruel prank by having the goblins of this world be associated with my countrymen, but there were other names too, both western names and nickname-like words. I decide not to question it as I am given a carved wooden bowl with thin mushroom soup.

Up till now the members of the family have been fairly polite. I don't want them to remember they hate us.

[Why are your names so stupid and inconsistent!?] Xandra blurts out while looking disgusted at her own stone bowl of mushroom soup.

The goblins blink a few times.

[The mother chooses the name.] Yuki says. [That's how it's always been.]

It most definitely hasn't, but I don't want to contest it, and I look at Xandra intently to say that she shouldn't either.

-

When the night falls Xandra and I are being made to sleep underneath the planks and debris around their little platform.

It's where goblins that don't belong to the family live.

We still haven't seen Theresa since the trial, where David was killed. I look over at the cave entrance, she's being kept somewhere.

Benjamin stands watch over us, but it seems like he's fallen asleep on his feet, but otherwise no family goblin is present.

When I take a peek at Xandra I see that she's not asleep, she's lying curled up away from the fodder goblins, but her eyes are wide open.

It's a scary situation. But Theresa probably has it worse, she had to pay them back six goblins. It's probably an excuse for the goblins to do what they always do, I don't want to think about it.

-

It's almost morning now and I still haven't sleep, although Xandra has dozed off slightly.

In the middle of the night we're suddenly shocked wide awake by a boy's voice.

[Heya sleepyheads! I'm not disturbing you, am I?]

By straining my eyes I can see the goblin with the eye patch coming close and leaning into Benjamin.

Scratch. The boss.

If I jump at him now I can probably grasp his neck with my hands, maybe even kill him before I'm killed myself. Just imagining it makes me form fists with my hands.

Scratch continues to talk, and I realize now that he's talking to us. [I was just reminded of the fact that I wanted to give you some clarity on the what's-what, the who's-who and our positions as they are now, as such.] In the dark I can't make out his face, but he's emoting a lot with his arms. [So the thing is, I could see you snuff one of the boys and hit the highway. It wouldn't be hard I don't think. But still, we wouldn't want you to come back with your friends for some kind of rescue operation, would we?]

I don't understand at all what he's saying. He's telling us we can just escape whenever we want?

As Scratch looks at me expectingly, he sees my confusion and adds to his story. [The girl, Theresa. What I'm saying is you leave, we've gotta remove all incentives for you to care about coming back, right?] He makes a throat slitting gesture with his finger.

[If you harm any of my friends, you'll make me your mortal enemy!] Xandra exclaims, even louder. [I'll do anything in my power to kill you! So don't ev-]

[Ah, no change then.] Scratch clasps his hands. [That was all I wanted to tell you. By the way, get some sleep, you two look like death.] And he turns around to leave.

Benjamin looks between the two of us, and then almost immediately falls asleep again.

-

The next morning we have to sit through the family doing morning exercise.

They run, do push ups, and practice fighting with each other. It looks like a little P.E. class.

Around this time too, the lesser goblins kind of leak into the forest one by one, they just wander off and away from the nest.

While all of this is happening, nobody is watching us.

I wander a whole lot closer to the cave, where the ground is paved with crude slate slabs. A bunch of stone age tools and collapsed huts surround a well, from which I gather water to wash the smell of my body and to drink. There's two sources of water in the well, one deep, from which muddy water can be retrieved with a bucket, and one shallow, which has cleaner water. I think the second may be the filtered version of the first. There's plenty of magic like that in this world.

We could run away. Scratch's threat echoes through my head. Adventurers died all the time, Theresa got captured by goblins, so many women did. Isn't it throwing our life after hers to stay here?

-

After a while the goblins are done exercising, and the work of the day begins. This time, Xandra and I have to help repair some mud huts.

It seems like only the family works on things the family uses. The other goblins just live near them, around the large platform.

It's not that hard to do, but there's a lot that needs to be done for such a primitive building.

I see another captured woman here. At first I think it must be Brittany or Theresa, but it's a third one.

While we and some goblins are packing dry earth against some woven twig scaffold, she's sitting in the sun and shaping some bowls and plates from wet clay.

[You two keep that upright.] A goblin tells us. There are so many, and they're so similar, it almost isn't worth it remembering their names. I think this one is called George. [We're going to let it dry like this.]

[It needs supports.] Says another one called Sota. Japanese names are so much easier to remember.

[Ugh! Adventurers aren't supposed rub themselves in the mud!] Xandra complains.

[No. They just die.] I whisper at her angrily. [So don't get them angry.]

But she ignores me. [Hey, why doesn't she have to work? Make her hold up this wall! She's your prisoner too, right?] She points at the other woman.

[No.] Says Sota.

[Yes.] Says George.

They look at each other.

[Barbara is working hard. She's made all of us, and now she's sewing clothes.] George explains to us. [And Scratch said that if you complain, we should hit you with this.] He holds up a firm wooden branch with some thorny plant wrapped around it. [That's why I'm holding it.]

[Mom is part of the family!] Sota objects.

George doesn't argue back, he goes on to collect supports for the mud wall.

What wey're building is a smithing tent. It's being erected around a make-shift clay furnace. Comparing it to a real blacksmith's furnace it's like a badly made campfire, basically just a tall funner in which they throw their metal and charcoal. But for goblins it's advanced technology.

Once the walls are up we have to make a roof out of thin planks and untrimmed tree branches. A hole is left at the top for smoke to escape through.

When we're finishing up the roof George starts using the furnace. At first he's just burning bits of bark, and blowing air into the holes at the bottom with a leaf fan, but once it's a fire the charcoal goes in.

[Hey!] Xandra coughs violently from the smoke coming into her lungs. [Stop that! We're on top of the chimney right now!]

George looks around for his beating stick, and Sota waves it at us.

[Stop it, Xandra.] I tell her. [We're not heroes, okay? We have to keep our heads low and- Hey!] I almost fall off as I see the goblin drop my throwing knives in the fire. [Hey! You can't do that, those are mine!]

Xandra looks at me like I'm stupid.

Those knives may have been cheap, but they were mine, dammit!

-

Multiple of these huts are being build around the well.

We're making shelter for the blacksmithing workplace, but there's also a kitchen, some sort of basin where they keep water just for cleaning clothes, a piece of cloth above a metal bucket with which they catch evaporated water to drink, and a little roof for wood to dry under.

With how quickly they're building it up it seems like they could have these things a lot earlier, even without our help.

I bring it up when the blacksmith's hut is done. Goblins are retrieving ore and stone debris in from the cave, which tells me they're definitely mining in there, and Xandra and I are made to wait on a sitting spot near the unlit campfire. [Did these buildings get torn down before?] I ask Haruki, the goblin we saw helping making planks, he's carrying a piece of slate rock that's too big for him around.

[Uh-hum.] He nods, trying to wield the things. [Before I was born.]

[How old are you?] Xandra groans at me conversing with the monsters.

Haruki puts the rock down where he wants to have it, then proudly poses with his hands on his hips. [I'm eight!]

Eight? He looks like he's larger than us.

[That's eight days, not years.] Scratch comes up to him and ruffles his hair. [We're just getting started in this place.]

The words sound scary when he says them like that.

[Why did you tear down your buildings and then rebuild them?] I ask out of honest curiosity.

He looks a bit surprised at my question. [Adventurers did.]

[Why?]

He shrugs. [They must have thought it was the common sense thing to do.]

For some reason he's really taken offense at my defense during his fake trial. Isn't it normal to do what's normal?

-

Before the sun goes under, we dress up the walls and floor of the blacksmith's hut with stone and clay bricks, which make the interior actually kinda look like a real building.

The other huts have the planks we've helped make incorporated. But I guess in a place where fire is used they decided against it.

The goblins do have access to bricks and carved wooden materials. But to them these things are hard to get by, so they mostly use mud. The valuable materials are there for decoration, or for places where they're really necessary.

I notice Scratch himself working alongside the other members of the family, even though I thought he is the leader. I wonder if they're in that much of a rush to get this done, or if this sort of thing is just common sense for a goblin.

At the end of the working day he comes up to us. [Good work you two. To be honest, I had expected you to be a lot more obstructionist. Don't take that as an encouragement.]

[When will we get to see Theresa?] Xandra demands to know.

[In due time, dearie.] He tries to touch her chin, but she leans back. [For now I want to invite you to have supper with the rest of us, inside. I think it's starting to rain.]

[Go inside, with you?]

[Well, it's not like you have much choice, do you?]

-

Inside the cave it's warm and cozy. There's a little fire burning, and soft furs are spread out over the wooden floor. I think I can see the trapdoor that leads to the tunnels down below.

Because of my future knowledge, I know that five years in the future this will be an orc dungeon. If I remember correctly, the orcs did have goblin slaves, perhaps the family will be among those.

I had never dreamed that it was actually goblins that had dug the tunnels and created most of the dungeon as it is seen in the game. Goblins are always described as simple creatures, the lowest of the low, total fodder.

Xandra and I are both given a stone plate with actual meat and vegetables, which we keep on our laps. The goblin next to me hands me a knife, and I can tell it's my own throwing knife reforged.

The only other human here is the one we saw earlier, Barbara. Scratch whispers something in her ear and she comes to sit next to us.

A few goblins stare at us, but most are busy with their own food and talking amongst themselves.

[They don't trust Brittany anymore. Because of you.] She tells me.

[Who is that?] Xandra demands to know.

[Brittany and I were here before you lot.] Barbara explains. [Your brother convinced her to attack one of my boys and try to escape.]

[We're NOT brother and sister.] Xandra pouts.

[Your boys? What do you mean?] I talk over her.

Barbara blushes slightly embarrassed. [I'm the mother here. There's Fyro, my eldest, Abel, George, Mac, Linus, he's the one with the bad legs, Benjamin, Haruto, Yuto, Sota, Yuki, Haruto, and Haruki. The others were here before us.]

[You alone are being used? What about Brittany?] Then I add in a softer tone. [What about Theresa?]

[Brittany was still earning their trust. Your friend Theresa Scratch has been assigned to the visitor tribe to use.]

[Why does she ne-]

I'm interrupted by Xandra, who is annoyed at being sidelined. [We'll just save them! They're down that hatch right? Let's storm down right now and break them out!]

[More mushroom?] Fyro, who sits next to her says, I'm pretty sure to remind her of his existence and that he can hear her talk.

[No thanks, I've got enough.] She answers obliviously polite.

[These goblins are my family.] Barbara objects. [Scratch is a man of his word. I guarantee that after you work off your debt, you and your friend will be set free.]

[And when is that?] I challenge.

[... Soon enough.]

-

Soon enough doesn't seem to be very soon.

We're with the goblins half a week now, and we're still not made clear how many planks and mud huts equal one goblin life.

After a while the buildings are more or less established, only the repairs and fixes for the quickly and shoddily thrown together shelter for what Barbara called the 'visitors', remains within the border.

The goblins are taking us out to farther out their territory a bit more.

Yuto the fighting goblin, and Hayato the trap setter will take us out to inspect and reset traps both for adventurers and for wildlife.

I always try to sabotage traps for adventurers, it's the only moral thing to do, and eventually I'm not asked to come along for those anymore.

Xandra and I get split up more often, probably to stop us from coordinating any plans. But I do think she's not as insistent on a daring escape that could kill us anymore. We've both decided to wait for the right moment.

We're now also participating in the morning ritual.

It's a bit like training for martial artists, Xandra's class. First there's the running and jumping, physical exercise, after that, Scratch instructs the group on grappling and striking moves, which we then practice on each other.

I think that last thing has helped Xandra move away from her violent breakout plan. She has a better understanding of her own ability compared to the others. These goblins are better fed and trained than the visitors, and the ones we've been slaying so far. She keeps losing to Yuto, who is one of the best fighters in the family.

Scratch doesn't consider the training done until after meditation, however. Every morning, after we've gotten all excited from fighting each other, he makes us sit down and do breathing exercises. He's trying to train the others into controlling their emotions, saying things like [feel them coming through you, and passing over you, leaving you unchanged.] I don't think they really pay attention to that part, I've seen them open their eyes and even poke each other during meditation. The one that really needs it is Scratch himself.

And today he is shaken up from his meditation by the sudden noise of horse hooves. It almost seems physically painful for the goblin boss to be thrown out of his calming trance by the sudden intruder.

Xandra and I jump up. We expect it to be a mounted adventurer, a paladin perhaps. But the man seems dismounts and approaches as an ally.

I didn't know the goblins had human allies, what's going on?

Slavery

Although the owning of slaves is legal in most of the known world, how one becomes a slave differs between the four realms of man.

In Reddington, slaves are captured bandits whose lives have been spared, or otherwise taken across the border from Blurich or the Yellow Wastes, having been made slaves there.

In Blurich, demihumans are captured in the wild and made slaves, and any children of a slave is a slave also.

In the Yellow Wastes, both humans and demihumans can become slaves if their tribe is defeated by a more powerful society.

Only in Grienice is all slavery outlawed. The Grienice government has declared it a refuge for escaped slaves to find freedom, the current cause of the tensions with Blurich.

Outside Grienice slaves can become adventurers, and be given a class status and rank. Richer adventurers will sometimes buy slaves to form a party with, allowing them to keep all rewards for themselves.

While it's true that in the past there have been heroes that have opposed the practice of slavery, other heroes have made use of it extensively. The stance on the issue between different individuals and institutions varies based on what heroes lay at the foundation of their culture.