“Would you believe me if I said it was for family?” Hazeel’s soft gaze and gentle smile gave me pause. From all my own perceptions, the people living in this village, these goblins, had nothing they could potentially offer for Hazeel to want to stay.

“Family…” I repeated, lost in thought. Dark feelings bubbled up at the thought and the sting of betrayal pained me for an unknown reason.

“Does that reason displease you?” Hazeel’s calm voice tried to soothe me, but it just felt like an empty statement to me.

I lay back on the cold dirt floor of the tent and breathed out slowly. “What could your false family possibly give you thats worth more than finding your birth parents and returning to your homelands?” Her smile faded and a look of surprise found its way onto her face. She stared at me, then laughed out loud.

“When I was old enough to become aware of my situation, I was outraged. My whole life was spent thinking that living amongst goblins was normal. I even thought that the people I had been growing up alongside that were so kind to me were kind out of the goodness inside themselves, when really it was all a ploy to get closer to me after I became chieftain.” She took another sip of the alcoholic concoction in her left hand and smiled.

“Like you just said, I did try to find my parents, I did find them and our old home on the Gold Continent. Do you know what I found? A perfectly happy family with a daughter and two sons, going on like they didn’t even miss a beat since I had been kidnapped. And even worse,” she shook her head, “when I came into their house to confront them, they treated me like a pest and beat me before throwing me out the door.”

She took another sip. “Pretty sad for someone now considered to be one of her nation’s greatest warriors, huh? So I returned in disgrace to the goblin village, and guess what happened? They took up arms to protect my honor and leveled those elves’ house to the ground.”

Another swig. “But your analysis… it was pretty spot on, but missing one human emotion. I love the goblin family who consoled me and took revenge when I came home a crying wreck from that trip.”

When she finished, I could see her hardened gaze melt into a sad and pitying look. “But your previous statement… is that really how you really feel about the concept of family?” My heart rate rose and my head burned as a new memory returned to me.

---

“It’s been a while, Leo.” Lena scoffed, and in comparison Alison just looked on at me with dead eyes. Why does she have that stare!? I angrily thought. If anyone, I should-!

“Let’s get this show on the road, shall we?” Armando said giddily and pointed to the rags in the center of the room.

Adrian lifted the rags away and revealed a silhouette that horrified me and caused my already fragile heart to sink even further into the pits of despair.

I quickly shifted my gaze away from the two women and looked onto the floor at the mess of rags. Her once long and beautiful hair had been shaved off, revealing the tan skin underneath. She had lacerations all over her body and her left eye was sewn shut. But worst of all, her beautiful figure had been detracted from by the two scarred stubs where her arms used to be.

My heart sank and a black rage started to consume my reason. Rob started to vomit in the corner of the room while a single tear dripped down each of Alison’s eyes. “Christian!!” Leo screamed, but he was still stuck in the stock, relegated to only watching the ensuing performance.

I smoldered and looked around at my colleagues… my peers… and those who used to be my family. They would pay...

---

Hazeel had just posed a question to the young warrior when she felt a sudden chill in the air. She looked around the tent, and even sent some of her qi outside to see if she could detect Brago somewhere near, but to no avail.

Suddenly, she caught a shifting movement out of the corner of her eyes and whipped her neck around to look at the boy, who had just stood up. “Thanks for the drink and the story. Lead me to whatever arena you have set up. As payment, I’ll give you all a show you won’t easily forget.”

Hazeel looked at the boy, at Leon as a warrior for the very first time. His body was studded with flexible muscle, giving him a very slender yet sturdy look.

As he moved over to the doorway, the one thing Hazeel failed to notice that gave her pause was that he was moving around the black scythe with only one hand. Her eyes widened as she realized she may have to part with more than just the valuable parts of the boar that night.

---

The stage was adorned with the horns and tusks of many hunting trophies, and it had to have been around 20 square feet. The goblins clattered around the raised platform with fervour and cheer, eager to see their champion Zeek consecrate their battlegrounds with blood.

Zeek played to the crowd, roaring with charisma and swinging around his steel greatsword with ease. He removed the towering shield from his back and held it in front of him, covering about 75 percent of his body in the process.

Another roar came out from the goblins present as a line opened in the crowd, almost as though it was cut with a knife. At the end stood Hazeel, and following closely behind her was me, sour mood and all. The leftover hatred in my heart burned and desired to be used as fuel to destroy.

“You can take yourself to the stage from here, I presume?” Hazeel’s eyes narrowed but I ignored her changing gaze and brushed past her and on towards danger.

As I moved through the crowd, not one thing passed through my mind. It was clear and free of any thoughts, save for the upcoming fight against Zeek. He was licking his lips and smiling, so proud of his muscular physique that he started flexing to the crowd and doing poses.

I grinned, this was turning into less of an actual fight and more of a professional wrestling spectacle. As I got onto the raised platform, I could see that Zeek’s cheeks were rosy, and his gait was staggered, implying his drunkenness.

“Are you going to be alright fighting like that?” I asked the goblin, but he just spit in my direction.

“Peh! Ahy dohn need yer pittey. I could beatcha only using my dick!” He shifted wobbly from the left to the right of the platform, and I had just readjusted the scythe in my hands when I heard a sigh behind me.

“Don’t be an idiot Zeek. Take this.” Hazeel slowly walked up the platform’s stairs and handed Zeek a liquid stored in a vial. He have her a disgusted look, but didn’t verbally complain as he downed the vial. As if it were only a phantom vision, Zeek’s legs found their strength, his flushed face regained its color, and his eyes cleared up.

“I thought I was showing myself to the ring?” I smiled at her as she averted her eyes. Zeek was still visibly confused, and got up in Hazeel’s face.

“I didn’t know you wanted to have my children so badly that you’d actively wish for me to do well.” a smug smirk etched itself on his face, and caused Hazeel to frown.

“No you moron, I just don’t want to have to spend another 15 years grooming a champion all over again. Do you have any idea how at a loss I’ll be if you die here?”

Zeek was obviously outraged by Hazeel’s statement, but said nothing and only glared at me. Hazeel took Zeek’s head in her hands, “Listen to me, you idiot. Something’s not right about him, be careful.” She turned back to me, “No offense, obviously.”

I sighed and she made her way from Zeek’s corner off the stage. The embarrassed Champion walked towards me in the center of the stage, picked up his broadsword and shield before clanging them together and stomping his feet at the same time. The rest of the goblins soon picked up the habit and started stomping their feet in unison. I gazed into the crowd and saw Brago, sweating with nervousness at the frenzy all around him.

“I am Zeek, Champion of Hazeel, defender of my tribe! Who dares to trample on my honor!” A chorus of, ‘who dares!’ went up from the crowd. I smirked, twirled my scythe around and leveled it directly at his face.

“Leon Ashwood answers your challenge.” The smirk vanished from my face as I whispered, “Don’t die.”