POV: Valdium Raver Lyrius

Sometimes my own son scares me. That strange smile he had given me... it looked almost like that of a madman determined to hunt down something. He must have declared Grudon as his mortal enemy or something... but whether that was a problem for him or for the white dire bear I couldn't tell. He was far too talented to be considered a normal child but sometimes he still behaves like one. All I can say is that he is the strangest ten-year-old I had ever met... but he was also my son, and I love him dearly.

We were currently walking towards a large stone pillar that stuck out of the ground, surrounded by trees and grass and more trees. When we, my son, his two friends, two hunters and me, reached the stone pillar one could see the fine markings, the fine runes carved into it, making it seem far more sacred and holy than it actually was. Some moss tainted the otherwise pristine, grey stone pillar with its dark green. And in a doorframe, carved into the pillar itself was a metal gate the size of a tall man. To us, it may seem normal, but to the ones inhabiting the place it was probably huge.

I nodded to one of the hunters and she stepped right up to the metal gate, knocked three times in different places. First in the middle, then on one of the carved faces, this one showed a smiling face, and then on another carved face, this one showing a sad face. She had to crouch down to reach the places she was supposed to knock on.

A loud creak came from the gate as it swung open, revealing two small, green men with long noses and pointy teeth that seemed like they could easily rip flesh.

"Ah, raver, what brings yer here?" one of them asked, looking at me with his yellow, cat-like eyes.

"We want to order some weapons," I replied.

"So you came personally?" the goblin asked with a confused demeanour.

"We got some... special materials." I smiled at the goblin while pointing to the large sack one of the hunters was carrying. He opened it up slightly to reveal countless, black, metallic scales.

"Wait is that..." the goblin began but I put a finger on my lips.

"It's supposed to be a surprise for the old man," I said.

The goblin smiled at me, showing me his pointy teeth before he led us down the stairs that were right behind the metal gate. It was a long winding set of stairs carved into the ground itself. All of this seemed like it was goblin-made, nothing natural about it. That was until we reached the end of the stairs. We found ourselves in a large, open cave chamber, rough pieces of stone sticking out of the walls, ground and ceiling along with stalactites and stalagmites. The chamber itself was lit up with lanterns hanging from whatever place was convenient at the time. Some hung from the ceiling, or from either a stalactite or stalagmite while others hung from the wall or wooden beams that stuck out in the largely grey cave-like sore thumbs.

Some light also came from square holes in the walls, and in between those square holes were wooden doors every so often. Wooden stairs and platforms led to the ones that were situated a bit higher from the ground and there were even some balconies, most of which were only on the houses close to the artificial pond that emerged from the wall in one corner.

The warm light from the lanterns made this place seem welcoming despite its cold colours.

"Well then, let me lead ya to our boss;" the goblin that had led us down the stairs said before leading us towards a tunnel hidden behind a large bear fur. We pushed it aside and walked through the tunnel until we reached another fur that we also pushed aside. This time we emerged in an even larger chamber with large air channels in the walls that were blocked off with iron bars. Large forges lined the wall, roaring with fire every time a goblin would pull the sting that activated the bellows. It was truly a sight to behold.

I could hear singing from the smiths working the forges.

"And we work the forge, hit the iron, hit the steel, yeah we work the forge! Yeah, we work the forge! We hit the iron, hit the steel, hit it hard, hit it good, work the forge, work the forge, yeah we work the forge! And so we strike the metal, strike it true, make it sturdy, make it sharp, make it good! We work the forge, we work the forge, yeah we work the forge!"

I'll never not like their work songs. I began smiling as we walked through the large hall. It was hot but bearable due to cold air being constantly streaming inside through the air channels in the walls and ceiling. I looked back to my son who looked around with a look of great interest on his face. He seemed to analyze every little detail about the place. My smile became even brighter. There was no sign of that crazed smile from earlier. His two friends also looked around with great interest.

"Once either of you becomes the next chieftain you'll need to know this place well," I said.

"Of course," said Ilmar, the older brother, smiling at me awkwardly.

I smiled at him and turned forwards again. Talking with children that age and trying to teach them is difficult, my respect for you has become even greater old Elster...

After a short while, we reached the end of the long chamber where a much larger and more imposing forge resided. It had been carved into the wall directly and was decorated with a large, human-looking face. The face of the smithing god, Arlons, a god worshipped mainly by the goblins. It was strange to see such a monument since neither we nor the goblins of the Ilvaldira forest actually worshipped any of the gods. For us, there was nothing beyond the forest, literally... And worship had been abandoned decades before I was even born.

"How did I deserve to be visited by the Raver Lyrius?" one of the goblins working that particularly forge asked.

This one was taller than most others, standing at maybe around one metre fifty or so. A long grey beard grew from his face and his head was bald. His arms and hands and part of his exposed upper body were covered in burn marks and bruises and most of his fingers seemed like they had been broken at least twice.

"We brought your something... something you'll like," I responded with an even brighter smile on my face.

The goblin looked at me with a confused expression, his yellowish eyes basically question marks. I snapped and the hunter carrying the sack filled with the scales stepped forward, putting it on the ground and opening it up.

"Is that..." the goblin began.

"It sure is!" I said.

"So then, what shall I make you?" A smile crept over the goblin's face, showing me his pointy teeth, or at least those that were still there.