Sweating more than ever before in her life, Hiinku almost turned down the street, but seeing a flash of white, she thought it to be a Disciples robes, going for another walk around the block before coming back around. Nenhii claimed making her woolen cap green made her less suspicious, but there was no way it could be doing anything other than drawing attention, right? What if her ears were to poke against the fabric, wasn’t drawing more attention to her head a bad idea?

Looking down the evening streets of Medean, even though dusk approached, dozens of people still rushed between shops before they closed. She didn’t want to be seen, but someone would certainly notice her simply circling around after a fourth time. Or had she already been spotted? The mission needed to be completed, but neither could Hiinku endanger their collaborators.

According to the information passed along, the arrogance of the Church meant there was essentially no chance of her being tailed; after all, Hiinku had been born outside the camps where her kin were enslaved, nor did she have much contact with many other elves. She didn’t have any associations with suspicious characters or rogue elements. But if the Church was so careless, how could they manage to put down every rebellion thus far?

Heading towards the designated meeting place, she stopped by a food stall for several minutes, eating some sweet porridge. Acting natural, Hiinku continued on, entering a cobbler’s workshop. The sign had an unmistakable purple smear on the back edge, not a color that easily found its way around by accident. Inside there was another elven woman, stitching a boot together.

“You’re here for the Elban package?”

“The ranger wants to change the material.”

“And you can pay for such a thing?”

“I will acquire it at any cost.”

“Then head to the back, under the second crate on the right should be some leather that might interest him.” Their code phrases felt uninspired, but talking about the forest and the moon would have been much more conspicuous. Heading to the back, Hiinku frowned at the wooden crates. Sharp cuts and dull grains on all, each from a tree killed before its time.

She thought back to Aeushe and Aeisheeeohsh, the only two trees she ever had the pleasure of being around for an extended period of time. While they grew proud next to her house, they also had no other companions. The two of them grew up straight, but uninspired by their fellows. After overthrowing the Church, how glorious would it be to plant a grove and watch it grow? Those younger saplings receiving support from their elders, while Aeushe and Aeisheeeohsh could feel their home grow.

There were no berries without a bush though. Setting crates aside to reach the leather underneath, she didn’t see anything like a secret passageway, just another crate of tough hides. Thinking some other clue might be hidden within, she looked between each skin.

A small click sounded from behind.

Turning to the corner of the room, she now noticed a splintered, plank. Hiinku averted her eyes from it at first, but upon closer inspection, it was protruding, and more warped than she previously thought. Something was forced into the other side— perhaps a latch. Going to the crate hadn’t been for her to find the entrance, but for those in the secret room to identify her, though she had no knowledge of how they did so.

Hiinku shivered in discomfort as she placed her hand on the plank, gently pushing it. Indeed, it and a two foot wide section of wall angled backwards. A tight space between rooms, only two feet or so wide, and at the end of its short length, it abruptly terminated at a ladder descending into the earth. Despite a warm glow coming from beneath, she shuddered again.

Closing the passage and propping the latch against the opposing wall, she readjusted the large satchel on her side. Making sure nothing would fall out, she mentally prepared herself. Roots may make their way into the earth, and what seed wasn’t at some point covered in soil, but the depths were no place for an elf. Human thumbs were not something she and her kin should be beneath either.

About five rungs down, she heard a harsh voice attempting to speak in a hushed voice while remaining understood.

“You are Hiinku. Keep calm as you descend. For all in the forest, remain quiet after you descend as well.”

Unsure of what was going on, she did as requested, remaining quiet as she reached the bottom. Far deeper than expected, they were probably more than 10 meters below ground. Loose earth crunched against the unworked floor beneath her feet. Turning towards the light source, she stifled a gasp.

A goblin even more sickly green than most of its kin and skin of an unsettlingly charred texture, frowned quite apparently.

“Elves act like a forest’s protector, what of us? If Heihsa greeted, then you would scream loud enough alerting others.”

“A goblin?” Hiinku reeled in shock, even as it beckoned for her to follow. Goblins were savage creatures that paid no respect to any life in the forest, only temporarily bowing their heads to those stronger than them. It would be difficult to answer if it was humans or goblins who took the lives of more trees and elves.

“Dumber than my common kin… yes I am goblin. All are needed to face the humans. Not just elf and goblin either. Our leaders recognize cooperation.”

“Yes...that is true.” She looked over the goblin once more, trying to observe him with more neutrality. She still couldn’t see anything other than a savage face with wretchedly sharp and disordered teeth, and a crooked and misaligned back. The only thing setting him apart from a malformed beast was his speech, and perhaps his slender arms with surprisingly dainty and well formed fingers.

For the whole of the forest, perhaps this was necessary. She might disdain them, but they were incredibly close to the natural world; although they were more like some primitive fungus or lichen compared to arboreal elves. Hiinku began to remove her satchel to hand it over.

“Our leaders possess the forest’s guidance. We must exterminate the human presence from the forest, together. I wish for your success—”

“Why do you act ready to leave already? With omission for secrecy, it can be understandable. But you still have job. When we finish the poison, you bring it back to Nenhii. She contacts those who know.”

“I… alright.” Though she didn’t wish to spend any longer underground with a goblin, this was reasonable. Taking another trip after the poison only provided more chances for suspicion to fall on the area, and on her. And as much as she felt the eyes of the humans on her, a goblin walking through city streets was impossible.

“It will be hours. Either be comfortable here, or follow back; but be prepared if you do.”

“Prepared for what?” Hiinku asked cautiously. If the goblin left with the only light source, that would mean she would be waiting in moonless darkness, in the cold underground. Loitering upstairs might have people associate her with the store, and it was too cramped for her to wait hours in the passage between walls.

“Heihsa. He is snake kin.” The goblin’s smile was pure schadenfreude as Hiinku trembled.

“Snake kin? Not…”

“No, not snakeman. Snake kin.”

Despite not living among her follow elves, and being restrained to a village far from any wooded area, Nenhii made sure Hiinku knew of her heritage and the life in the verdant forest. Those creatures that lived near and alongside them were oft spoken of, which is how she came to know of the savagery of goblins while living isolated from them in a Medean subsidiary. Goblins were a common danger of the forest, but amongst those living amidst the grace of the trees, snake kin were the most antagonistic.

“Lead the way.” The goblin shook his head at her forced tone. It wasn’t simply that she didn’t want to be left underground in the dark, but her elvish pride that solidified her decision. After all, they were working together, with all races cooperating to overthrow the humans; it wouldn’t do for Hiinku, representing the elves, to back down out of fear of their ally.

Even if doing so was the safer option. If she just wanted the safer path for herself, she never would have accepted this mission, simply fuming at the Church in silence.

“Then, hold your shouts. I thought he would eat me in a glance, that is normal in my nest though.” The goblin gave what she assumed was meant as a reassuring anecdote. Or perhaps just a warning. His choked Derrish wasn’t particularly fluent, nor could she read his deformed emotions.

While tiny lamp the goblin held shed little light, both of them could see quite a ways in por illumination, and Hiinku could easily make out the curving of the passageway, which gently sloped down even further. Her ears twitched, as something thudded upon the surface far above. The confining earth made no movement. Given the depth, it would take an impact of literally earth-shattering proportions to affect the tunnel. She still couldn’t help but futilely look upwards every few moments, regretting her sensitive hearing.

An eternity for Hiinku passed in little over a minute before a light from the depths became apparent, and rounding a sharper corner revealed a circular chamber 15 feet across. Obstructing the table covered in vials and tools of various sorts was a scaly brown back with red diamonds. Standing taller than herself, that didn’t even include the tail rhythmically flicking back and forth, which was at least just as long.

She kept her gaze on those controlled movements, the coloration and lean build not suggestive of a constrictor snake kin, that tail still had the power to crush the life out of her.

Only upon his turning around did her gaze change to track his movements. Upon meeting his black eyes, she froze, not even daring to step backwards.

“Not food, a pity. I must remain sharp for this task, so it makes no difference.” Heihsa’s tongue flicked out as he spoke, giving his speech that characteristic hiss of a snake. “It is good humans have such a poor sense of smell. Your fear alone is a dead giveaway.”

Barking something out in his crude language, Hiinku took several steps back as the snake’s gaze shifted to the goblin. Nenhii’s stories couldn’t convey the full terror of an intelligent snake the size of a man. Heihsa wasn’t interested in killing, just devouring. Despite being more than just an animal, his gaze still only saw her as a potential source of food. Vacant, pitiless, ruthless; a true snake that only cared about its next meal when the time came, and simply bided time until then.

“It does not matter either way. Elf, give me the ingredients.” She stiffly removed the satchel off her shoulder as he turned his eyes back to her. He was getting hungry. Contained, she still sensed it. Her arm slightly rotated away from his hand that grabbed the strap. “Too jittery. You’d best not waste my efforts by getting caught.”

Using his arms to comb through the herbs Hiinku brought, he nodded his serpentine head.

“Good, these should sufficiently delay my venom without affecting its potency.”

The goblin spoke up again, and Hiinku continued to catch only half of a conversation. At least it relieved her of the snake kin’s stare. Both of them had a vigorous discussion about the properties of Heihsa’s venom and how it would interact with the plant extract after distillation.

That the goblin could keep up with Heihsa, surprising Hiinku with meaningful contribution to the discussion. Other than their chieftains, they shouldn’t have an intelligence that could level with a snake kin. He also seemed to have no name, so he wasn’t important enough to even qualify as one of the ‘advanced’ goblins. He did imply he was more than just a common goblin, but if it wasn’t just the chiefs who were intelligent…

Hiinku had quite the bit of time to sort out her worldview; as the strange trio of natural enemies patiently worked and waited far beneath humanity’s stomping feet.