Elmar, Diana, Dereck and Lucius followed the road that cut through the swamp with little hope of it ending soon. Farilla had taken them far. Had crossed a whole of ten kilometers, in fact. But they still had many to go.

The sign was the warning of a witch for people to not go towards her hut. Which was disappointing, but the witch had specified on the sign that she was a light witch and registered as such. To bother her would be a crime.

She could have lied, they all shared that thought. Or it could be bandits. At any rate, it could be something dangerous, and so the group decided to keep following the road and hope for another sign telling them where the capital was.

A bubble rose in the swampy water as they passed, and it broke with a loud splat. The four turned to the water and saw nothing. Such bubbles were common in the swamp, although no one knew why.

“We are never getting there. We should have asked Luca for his crystal.” Said Dereck grumpily. His feet were sore from walking, and he wanted to sit down, the rest didn’t look any better.

“It was his dungeon core. We couldn’t take it from him. You know that, Dereck.” Said Diana. “Although it would have been nice if we had air enchanted boots. Then we could fly.”

“Of course.” Said Elmar. He suddenly felt like the stupidest person in the world. “Everyone, give me your boots.”

Then he got out his portable enchantment fountain from his dimensional bag and placed it on an even patch of the road that was free of water. The other three took off their boots and gave them to Elmar, and he too took off his boots.

Then he got four black mana crystals, and he enchanted the boots. They put them back on and clicked them three times, and they were in the air, floating over the road and no longer needing to walk.

“Why can’t we go higher?” Asked Lucius. His father had boots like these, and he went meters in the sky while they were nearly touching the road.

“Well, we can get lost if we can’t follow the road.” Said Elmar as they began to float onward. “So, I made the enchantments just level 100. I can enchant a new pair of boots when we get to the capital.”

They floated and looked around the capital for any dangers, but found nothing. Soon, they came to a moss-covered hut. It looked abandoned. Diana yawned and raised her hand for the rest to stop.

“We can spend the night here.” Said Diana as she floated towards the hut.

“I don’t know. It could be abandoned for some sinister reason.” Said Lucius. He had heard only bad things about abandoned huts in swamps. Or forests. “What if it is haunted?”

“Ghosts don’t exist.” Said Dereck dismissively. “And we have Elmar. Even if ghosts are real, he will use magic to drive the ghost away.”

“Even so, it pays to be polite. Let us knock first to see if it is really abandoned.” Said Elmar. He knocked on the door three times, and it opened. On the other side of the door was a dirty little goblin.

“Go away. I was here first.” Said the goblin, and he slammed the door in their faces. Elmar knocked again, and the goblin opened again, this time, he had a spear.

“Are you deaf? Or do you want a spear in your eye?” Asked the goblin as he raised the spear.

“Sir goblin…” Began Lucius with all the courtly airs he was thought to put on since his birth.

“Garry, boy. Not sir goblin. And I am not a goblin. I am a gnome.” Said Garry. The four took a better look at Garry. He was green, but his head was smaller than a goblin’s. His teeth weren’t crocked, and he had a beard. Which was unheard of in goblins.

“Sir Garry, we need shelter for the night. Your hut is the only one in the area.” Said Lucius. Garry waved the spear at him.

“What do I care? Shoo now, all of you. I don’t have candy, and you can’t scare me. Go enjoy bunny day or whatever day today is. Hard to tell the date in this swamp, much less the time.” Said Garry, and he made to slam the door again when Elmar gripped the door handle.

“Look, Garry, we have money, and we are tired of sleeping on the road only to wake up drenched in swamp water. Have a heart and let us in.” Said Elmar, and the gnome’s face brightened.

“Money? Why didn’t you say so sooner? Welcome to the Swamp Heaven inn, travelers. Ten gold coins for the entrance fee.” Said Garry, and he extended his hand. “Each.”

“Are you sure you are not a goblin? You sure act like one.” Said Dereck as Elmar counted and then handed over forty gold coins to the gnome.

“My mother is a goblin, bless her soul. But she made the best baked apples in the whole tribe. That is how she got my father to fall in love with her.” Said Garry, and he let them into the hut. There was a giant corridor lit by torches in front of them and laughter coming from the other side.

“Wait, is this really an inn, sir Garry?” Asked Lucius baffled. What use was an inn in a swamp?

“Sure is. What, did you think I’d fleece you this much if what I had to offer was a dry mud floor of a rundown hut? I would have asked triple what I asked. Ha!” And the gnome began to laugh. It was a nice and contagious laugh, and the four soon joined him despite themselves.

They passed through the tunnel and saw that there was a bar of some sort in the main part of the inn with all kinds of creatures in it. Not a human was to be seen.

“Welcome, travelers.” Said the barmaid from across the room. “Food and drinks are not included in the entrance fee.”

Now the four were fairly sure that this being was a goblin and, if the striking resemblance to Garry was any indication, his mother.