"So. What's your name green guy? How do they call you?"

Curan was leaning into the cage. It was secured with a chain. No one tried to take Gob's key..

"It's important to have a decent name. I need to sell you after all."

"My name is Evie! I was born in the evening!"

The fairy was flying around the cage. She was much more carefree than the goblin she accompanied. He looked grim.

“Where will you sell me?”

“I wanted to invite you to a nearby mining colony, but your tongue makes you way more valuable to just give you away like that.”

“So where to?”

“Well. Viper is looking for a decent buyer. Maybe someone will try to make you his servant? Oh, don’t look at me like that! There are so many fools around its hard to count.”

Curan looked at the goblin with his piercing gaze. He was different from the other bandits. His scent possessed a certain touch of nobility. At least gob felt that he was different enough from the rest to consider him somewhat highly.

“I expect that you will either be taken far away to act as a pet, or you will stay right here in Erlen. They have an underground arena that someone of your caliber will surely enjoy.‘

“Fighting with other goblins?”

“Indeed, to the very death.”

Curan said nothing more. Gob didn’t respond. In the distance Piper began to chop down some wood. It was getting darker. With each strike the giant man slowly trimmed down big chunks of lumber.

Curan slowly turned back from the goblin. He wasn’t even looking at him anymore. The small green skin was more interested in their cook swinging his axe around. Curan moved away while stroking his beard. It seemed pointless to talk. He gasped and added.

“Think about the name. Humans like to name everything. I don’t know. Like Green Traveler or Quick punch. Just tell me when you will come up with something.”

As he was walking away Gob finally replied.

“You are all weak, aren’t you?”

“Huh?”

Curan stopped in his tracks.

“What do you mean weak?”

Gob pointed at Piper chopping wood.

“He is weak.”

He claimed and didn’t bother to explain more. Curan came back to the cage. Goblin’s hand wasn’t shaking as much anymore. Fritz reported to him that the goblin was doing some basic training throughout the days.

“He could chop you down with ease.”

“He wouldn’t have a chance.”

“Oh do you claim to be stronger than he is?”

Curan was fascinated. The goblin looked at him with visible disgust.

“I’m not strong. I’m unlucky.”

The human was surprised. He couldn’t quite understand this goblin. The green skins usually were much more simple. They used tools and made ambushes. Ok. But did they really were concerned about concepts like absolute strength and superiority? This goblin was found with a dagger of high value.

Did he used it properly? Or was someone just unlucky to lose said knife in the forest. Suddenly Curan wanted to know more about this little green fiend. He was found with a random dead female far away from the goblin grounds. He was in terrible shape, yet he wasn’t just any run of the mill green skin.

His body spoke volumes about his upbringing. And this intelligence. Could he actually be an escaped slave of some eccentric nobleman? Curan pushed on.

“Let’s say that I believe you could win against Piper here. What makes you think we are all weak?”

Gob looked back at him and replied.

“If I could kill some of you and there is someone that could kill me in a single strike.. That makes you weak.”

“Even Piper could kill you if he landed a good..”

“A single strike. No blood and bone. A clean cut that severs me whole.”

Gob replied. His hands were shaking, so he clenched them into fists. Before Curan could ask he added.

“One I won’t be able to dodge.”

Curan suddenly realized what this goblin must have encountered. He looked away from the goblin. It made him remember his own past. It was because the goblin was so unusual that he missed it completely. He was looking at someone who was essentially broken, yet still refused to admit it.

He turned to his cook. Piper was carrying a huge tree stump to chop it down. He stopped him with his hand.

“Piper.”

“Yes chief?”

“Throw this at me.”

“Excuse me?”

Curan made sure that Gob was watching this unfold. He placed his hand at the hilt of his longsword, readying for a strike. He took his stance and repeated the command.

“Just throw it at me with all you got.”

Piper was conflicted. What if the chief got hurt?

“Piper.”

“Yes?”

“It's okay. Just throw it at me.”

With this the giant decided. Gob observed how he effortlessly raised the stump above his head.

The throw was powerful. Huge piece of wood approached the chief at a magnificent speed.

Slash!

The way Curan moved his sword was nothing less of a miracle. A strike so fast that Gob could barely register it cut down the wood in two mid flight, making the two now remaining pieces to violently crash a few feet behind the swordsman.

Gob looked between the neatly cut wood and Curan himself in a state of shock. Sadly the man didn’t pay him any attention anymore. He sheathed his sword back into the scabbard and headed straight to his tent.

Piper gathered the wood while gazing at his chief with curiosity, admiration and awe neatly mixed into small, easy-to-understand package.

As Gob was backing into his own thoughts, he heard Curan’s voice one’s more. The man standing in front of his tent was eyeing him up. As their eyes met, he spoke.

“Chose a decent name goblin. Your buyer will come for you tomorrow.”

And with that he disappeared into his tent.