After Sven's tale of the Night of the Living Toes, Malcolm fell asleep on the cold stone floor, exhausted by the day's events. Sven was already up when he awoke and they quickly dined on another meal of moss wafers.

As they traveled back to the council chamber for the second day of meetings, the tunnels began to fill with Toe Goblins, all headed in the same direction. Wary of Malcolm, they gave him plenty of room in the tunnel.

By the time they arrived at the entrance hall, the doors to the council chamber were open and a myriad of Toe Goblins were streaming in. Malcolm paused for a second to take it all in. At least three hundred Goblins jostled around in the hall, more than he had ever imagined existed.

Their voices filled the hall with a sharp whirlwind of noise, as they yelled back and forth, and compared handfuls of severed toes.

Peeking into the council chamber, Malcolm noticed that since the previous night, long wooden benches had been erected along the walls to serve as seating for the spectators.

Malcolm and Sven joined the flow of Goblins, who shimmied away whenever the human got too close. He tried to stay close to Sven, but from above, all the Goblins looked the same.

At last he made it to the doors. Waving to the guards, he began to enter the chamber, when he felt a small hand grasp the hem of his shirt, holding him back. Svith, the guard from the previous day stared up at him. "You aren't goin' one step further human! These meetin's be for Toe Goblin's only!"

Malcolm stared back, puzzled. "But Sven said I could..."

"It ain't matter what Sven be sayin'!" The Goblin shouted. "My orders be comin' from the TOP! The Almighty Toe himself gave me this command. So get lost!"

He released his grip on Malcolm's shirt and drew his dagger. "Don't make me ask twice..." Malcolm's side ached with the memory of his last encounter with a Toe Goblin dagger.

Malcolm nodded. "There will be no need for that. I will do as the Almighty Toe commands." I HAVE to find Sven! he thought, weaving his way out of the crowd. He will want to hear of this before the meeting starts.

Once he was out of the flow of foot traffic, he looked back and scanned the crowd, trying to spot Sven. "Wretched Goblins!" he cursed. "You all look the same!"

"I could say that about you wretched humans too." A familiar voice replied from behind him.

An extremely worried Sven appeared in Malcolm's vision. "I suppose I should apologize for runnin' off. I was needin' to speak with the Almighty Toe before the meetin' started"

"Let me guess. I've been banned from entering?" Malcolm replied.

Sven nodded. "I figured you'd be findin' that out soon enough. His Majesty couldn't be reasoned with." One of the guards blew a horn, the signal that the doors would be closing soon.

"You should still attend." Malcolm said. "Don't worry about me! I wanted to explore Toehalla anyway. I won't get in any trouble. "

By the time Sven arrived at the War Council, many of the benches were full, and given the number of Goblins still yet to enter, it was clear they would be at maximum capacity. The crowd ogled in envy as Sven crossed the room and took his position on one of the small balconies. As an active Big Toe, he was granted a position in the main council, instead of the public seating further away.

The crowd grew quiet as the doors slammed shut, echoing around the chamber. From a small door under the balconies emerged the Almighty Toe, carried on a litter by four servants.Pompous fool! Sven thought, as the crowd cheered.

Once he was placed in his raised throne by the servants, his Majesty spoke, voice thick with forced grandeur. The throne faced towards the crowd, but from the side Sven was still able to make out his words.

"Citizens of Toehalla! We have gathered here on this historical day to discuss a grave matter of upmost importance. As many of you know, the human fortification of Craighold has been overthrown, permitting those cursed Northern tribesmen onto our territory"

The crowd booed, many of them brandishing daggers, as if they could attack the humans then and there.

"NO HUMANS!" Some screeched, whipping the crowd into a frenzy. "NO HUMANS! NO HUMANS!" they chanted, until the chamber was shaking with the force of their cries.

Raising a pudgy hand to quiet the crowd, the Almighty Toe continued his speech. "The tribes have a tough grip in these hills, but I believe the combating will continue. My query to you, dear subjects, is thus. Do we engage the adversary, drive them from our lands, but jeopardize our lives, as well as our privacy? Or remain here in Toehalla, and observe the nasty violence from afar? The humans are certain to sort themselves out eventually!"

The resulting silence was deafening. The shuffling of feet was the only thing that could be heard. Even the Goblins who formerly brandished weapons stayed quiet. What a bunch of cowards!Sven thought. All talk until they have to back it up!

The Almighty Toe clapped once, jarringly breaking the silence. "Excellent! I'm delighted to see so many volunteers! Now for the straightforward matter of voting. I trust you all know what to do?" He clapped again, and five Goblins emerged, each bearing two baskets.

They began walking around the crowd, stopping at each Goblin for a moment. As was tradition, the spectators each deposited a single toe in one of the two baskets, which were marked with WAR and PEACE. As could be expected by their earlier responses, the PEACE baskets were almost completely full, while their WAR counterparts had only a few dozen toes, Sven's vote being among them.

Once the voting had concluded, the Almighty Toe addressed the crowd. "Well, each and every one of you has completed your decision! As was decided, we will remain here where we are protected, and leave those wicked humans to their ridiculous fighting! No peril of getting injured!"

The crowd cheered, singing praises of their glorious leader. "His brave words be savin' us from a certain demise!"

"Without his leadership, we'd have been wiped out!"

"He's a hero! He rescued us all!"

The Almighty Toe just grinned, taking in his subjects' compliments. "It was no matter, kind citizens!" He proclaimed. "I simply fulfilled my obligations to the future of our grand realm!"

The crowd cheered louder at his remarks, overjoyed with their leader. But they stopped at the appearance of a lone Goblin slinking into the hall, approaching the Almighty Toe. The newcomer whispered a quick message, then whisked out just as suddenly as he'd arrived.

"SILENCE!" Roared the Almighty Toe, eyes bulging with fury "It appears that the human I so graciously allowed in these halls has used this occasion to accomplish his own foul deeds! Just moments ago, he brutally assaulted three innocent Goblins! Is this not evidence enough of his malicious intent?"

The Almighty Toe sneered at Sven, who was frozen with surprise. The Almighty Toe's words were hidden beneath the cries of rage from the crowd, but his eyes spoke plain enough.

"I win."