The Goblin King took us to his not-so-humble abode. They seemed primitive to me, but the throne we are standing in front of looks imposing. Ornate wooden base covered in lavish and exotic-looking hides. If anything, it’s what I picture the throne would look like of a medieval king.

The goblin monarch sits upon his throne and beckons us over. Eva and I give each other a reassuring look, though we both know how nervous the other is. He orders his guards to vacate the hall with a grunt, leaving us alone with their king.

You’d think he’d keep his guards around just in case. Either he’s not worried that we’ll attack him, or he’s confident he’ll best us. Neither options seem particularly comforting to me in this potentially hostile territory.

Having sensed our reservations, the owner of the throne gives us a toothy grin. “Don’t worry. I’ve got no intentions in bringing you harm. We’re business partners, are we not?”

The British-sounding goblin no longer sounds as posh as he did before. He still had his accent, but he no longer sounded like a walking stereotype. “Ah, don’t worry about it too much, chap. My men love seeing me be all royal, so I like to give them a bit of a treat from time to time.”

“And here I thought you were the weird one, Eugene. There are all sorts of strange people in here, apparently.” Eve quipped in. I’d have to agree. It seems like a strange reason to turn the accent up to eleven but eventually just chalked it up to the oddity of this world.

“It’s an impressive hall you have here. The interior is well-maintained, unlike everything outside of your domain.” I figure I’d start with a compliment to make him drop his guard and hopefully also prices during negotiations.

“Why, thank you, my boy. It all used to be my father’s. Though at some point, we got invaded by the undead, as you saw before. That darn necromancer has been a thorn in our side for god knows how long! Oh how, I wish I could drive him out and rebuild the empire, until then I’ll always stay as duke, despite the crown I inherited” bitterness seeped deep into the voice of the duke.

“We’re here for the trade negotiations, but maybe we could be of some help in that problem too, in the future,” I said. I don’t have any intentions of taking on the deathlord myself just yet, but I’ll probably have to at some point anyway. Just showing my willingness to help should give the goblins a desire to be more generous with our trade, both now and in the future.

I feel bad for using my trading tricks on him as he seems like a benevolent ruler getting off on the wrong foot some time ago. Who knew being able to communicate would be so important in establishing positive relations.

We continued to exchange some pleasantries and information. Both of us are dropping our guards down enough to ease the other party, but not enough to be vulnerable should something unexpected arise.

We’ve learned valuable information. The monsters in this dungeon didn’t originate here but lived in a world similar to earth. They got dragged off here by a mysterious force some months ago and had to survive here.

Seeing how the space and amount of resources are limited compared to what it used to be in their homeworld, eventually, skirmishes between factions, races, and ideologies started to pop off quickly, with some parties getting pushed to extinction.

It started to set in that I’m not the main character. These creatures also had their lives, families, and futures to worry about—many of them succumbing to barbary and hopelessness while down here.

It’s a depressing thought. I don’t know how to establish communications with other folks. I lucked out here, but without an open dialogue, I’ll have no choice but to attack and defend against everyone else.

On the brighter side, trade talks have been going well. After some back and forth, we’ve come to an agreement on the quantity of rewards I’ll get as long as I can guarantee regular shipments of at least 20 liters a day.

“For now, how about you guys stay here for the feast? I welcome you to use one of the chambers we can prepare for you.” the duke offers.

“As much as we’d love to, we can’t stay the night. I have to go to work tomorrow. Though we’d love to sample your hospitality in a few days once we’ve completed our obligations.” I respond. It will do us well to keep a cordial relation here. One of the essential rules in diplomacy, when you refuse something, is to give a counter offer. That way, people will be less likely to be offended while also appreciating the length you go to to make it work anyway.

“A shame really, but understandable! We’ll postpone the feast to your next visit then,” The goblin lamented.

As we prepare ourselves to leave, Theodore stops us one more time. “Before you leave, I’d like to know the names at least of our new benefactors.” I was hoping he wouldn’t ask, but since we’ve come so far, I might tell him.

“This over here is my partner Eve,” to which he gives a courteous now to, “and I am Eugene.”

“Oh my, what a royal name! No wonder you gave me a hard time in our first encounter. I knew you were strong nobility!” He seems almost excited at the prospect. It’s the first time someone reacted to my name this positively. As embarrassed as I am, it does feel nice and refreshing.

“You flatter me,” I give out a hearty chuckle. “But I’m not nobility.” amused at how someone could think I have anything noble about me.

“Bah, I’m sure you do, even if you don’t know it yet!” he seems adamant, so I won’t refute him for now.

“Anyway, since you won’t be staying in the safety of our chambers, you should really get going. It’s not safe here at night.” That seems like something substantial. I would ask him to elaborate, but seeing it is getting late, we settle for simple farewells and head back home.

“I wonder how dangerous it gets at night,” Eve wonders out loud as she sits at my table watching me eat my meal.

“Shouldn’t you know more, though?” I ask her. She’s been a trusty guide so far, with only a minimal amount of my questions being left unanswered.

“I know, right? It’s scary that even I, as your guide, don’t get all the information there is. We’re completely at the mercy of the system. Good thing you’re a lot more dependable than you thought, especially back at the goblin’s place, eh,” she winked at me.

She’s right. I’ve done pretty well so far. But a lot of it is still thanks to her. “Wouldn’t have even made it that far without you,” I grumble out.

“True, I’m a bad bitch. What can I say.” she stretches out. "Speaking of bad bitches, how about we make you into a bit of a badass too? We did get a sizeable amethyst, after all."

That’s right. I wonder what we’ll be able to get out of a gem that big. The thought of gaining skills and levels sounds amazing right about now.