As the fire began to roar in the night, a dark figure approached the camp. With a darkened skin and pitch black hair, long since stained from the decaying blood of his enemies, the man walked towards the peaceful camp.

Taryk who had four long branches of critters impaled on them, casually roasted his scavenged meat. As he saw the man approach Taryk waved one of the branches, scattering burnt fur and feathers, to the dark figure.

“Ah, where’d ya go?” Greeted the goblin through bites of his well-done once cyan colored squirrel, eventually just tossing it into his mouth whole, questioning further, “whur di’ ‘ou guh - *Ghumph*, why did ya go back before eating?”

With a wry smile, “Took a quick wash at the river. I did eat a bit, or rather stole some from the el - Lisia. But, either way, beyond that you don’t wanna know.”

“Why? Why wouldn’t I wanna know?” said Taryk inquisitively.

“Give it a bit of thought, you’ll be very, very pissed off with me otherwise,” spoke Andrew a knowing smirk, confusing the goblin, but inciting his curiosity further.

After about four seconds of silence Taryk called out to Andrew excitedly, getting so loud as to wake up the sleeping Lisia.

“Tell me, tell me!”

“What the hell are you two doing?!” Scowled Lisia towards to two making a racket so late in the night.

Without speaking Andrew pulled the grimy silver key from his pocket and tossed it the goblin. Seeing the silver shine through the coats of black, red and brown, Taryk’s eyes lit up. Jumping up at the man’s legs, he kept firing question after question towards the man.

As soon as the goblin started demanding spears as payment for getting the treasure without him, Andrew just laughed.

Eventually as Taryk just gave up hounding the man replacing it, naturally, with a critical glare, Andrew spoke out, “calm down. There wasn’t any treasure - well, kind of? Anyways, it’s actually nothing important, why would I lie to a gluttonous goblin about it?”

Intensely analysing his face for any sign of discrepancy, Taryk finally seemed somewhat satisfied and turned to walk away from the two. Lisia was still slightly confused about what all transpired in the mine, though Taryk did mention some things, he left the remainder of the topic for Andrew to retell.

With almost expectant eyes coming from Lisia, Andrew sighed before relaying the story - with the exception of his last excursion into the mine.

Running through a number of emotions during his tale, she finally sighed and got up. With a small green glow, she started healing his forearm - wounded from her own arrow. Placing her hands directly on Andrew’s face he felt the strange sensation flood through his head once more. While the cuts on his face slowly faded, three parallel scars remained above his left eye. One cutting through his eyebrow, another across his eye itself, and the last ending around his nose. With the healing he received he was able to open his other eye. But even if it moved along with the other, it didn’t allow him to see anything.

As the two sat in relative silence, Andrew spoke up, “why did you stay? You are easily strong enough to go back home, well, by yourself for sure anyways. Even if you took that brat, you could likely find you way rather easily.”

Taking a long breath before she spoke, she replied, “you know, it’s strange. I’ve thought about it and could have gone there and back many times over instead of waiting. Rather, I just feel like this is where I belong for now. I have no intention of leaving my family, or running off with you, but I feel like I can grow here. Or at least get stronger to be able to defend my family when I do get back home.”

“Pragmatic fellow, I don’t know if I should feel used or not,” laughed Andrew as he took a bite from a small bird Taryk left on the side. With the crunching and tearing noises finally slowing to a halt, he continued speaking to the somewhat embarrassed elf, “well, either way, I can’t complain. Do as you will. For that matter, could I use you as a guide to that village - no, I won’t burn it down. Though I feel like there are people that will rub me the wrong way.”

“I’ve resigned myself to that, to be honest with you, however, just please listen to me before you do anything drastic. That’s all I ask for. Anyways, though I’m hesitant to suggest it… Try the Den Mother to see if she can do something about your eye,” with a heavy sigh she turned to look away, not willing to see his expression.

Although he was annoyed at her suggestion, he didn’t let it show on his face. With an indifferent shrug, he changed the topic. “Although I’d like be able to see with it again, I’d rather talk to someone else. Anyways, that’s for a later day. At this point I plan on organising the little green men to clear the ridiculous rock creatures.”

“Can they handle that…? From the way you described them, it seems like they would just be torn apart one at a time.”

“Taryk will watch out for his little underlings, you and me will go to the village with that brat over there,” spoke Andrew as he nodded his head towards the sleeping elf in the distance. “Deal with that kid firstly then I can kill off the other tribe. At that point in time they should be humping like rabbits, so I can move and hopefully actually sleep in a place without irritating stalkers.”

“Yeah, that’d definitely be nice,” agreed Lisia as she seemed to recall something unsettling, “those little creatures seemed to stare at me as if I were something strange. Lust and veneration seem to radiate off of them, I just don’t get it. At least the combination anyways...”

Snickering slightly, Andrew replied, ”O’ Great Goddess, you who have saved the pitiful souls of the damned goblins. Alas, some things are just meant to be. Though, it might be related to being the only women in the camp, who can say? Actually an attractive one at that, but it is what it is. All I can say, should you stay with me, is to deal with it until we save the goblin women so they have another way to release their ‘urges.’”

With a gentle yawn and a blushing face, Lisia spoke quickly before turning away, “It’s time for bed, I haven’t see anything roaming around so we should be alright. Good night!”

With a brisk walk towards her makeshift bed-roll, she laid down her head and turned her body away from the man.

With a sigh Andrew also turned away from the group he leaned his back against a tree. Leaving the massive axe at his feet, he promptly fell into a dreamless sleep.

-----------

Waking up shortly after sunrise, Andrew yawned wearily. Shouldering his ax, he found his way to the stream he discovered earlier the other night.

As he stripped-down he saw the grey vest break apart into small fragments. Moments later; collapsing further into a fine dust and dispersing into the modest breeze. Half-expecting such a thing happening he simply shook his head and stepped into the water.

As the cool water swept past his ankles, he breathed calmly and began lowering his body. Splashing and scrubbing the viscous, decayed blood and brown sludge took a long while, however, he managed to get rid of a fair portion of what he missed the day before. With his skin no longer black, or even grey, for that matter, he noticed his reflection on the blurry water’s surface.

His long, flowing golden hair that he had once before seised to be. Replaced by a dull, matte black, mixed with a small amount of red and brown; dyed with the inky blood of the enemies. With all the blades, axes, and claws sweeping past him even his long hair was cropped down to only a shaggy inconsistent mess.

Grabbing a small iron dirk from his inventory, he started trimming the longer portions. As an hour past, he finally came out once more.

With shortly cropped black hair, his now tanned face, and chiseled features, he was a far different man than when he came into this world. Even his once grimy ax was washed clean. Though it was black as the darkest night, it was no longer dripping blood here and there. Given that it was already a terrifying and wicked design, it almost seemed lost without it, however, Andrew appreciated its cleanliness all the same.

Once more abandoning his previously stolen stained clothes, he spent only a small time saving his fraying underclothes and legguards from the blood and sludge. However, they too, were dyed black.

As the three we up and about doing their own things, a small elven boy stood awkwardly next to a tree. Seeing the still unburied bodies of the bandits he reflected on how close he was to joining them. By sheer luck, a fellow villager from their village happened to be with the man.

“How in the world did she get involved with someone like him… It’s not allowed! We are supposed to be together! Who can defy the word of the Chief’s son! No man can go against an army of us elves if we get serious... I decided! I will just get Papa to get rid of him….” muttered Kai loudly as he continued his rant. Even before the small elf started Andrew had already walked from the behind the tree line after his bath.

Hearing this Andrew was torn. Annoyed at the blatant thoughts of betraying someone who had spared him before and the obnoxious boy was openly giving him a reason to punish him.

Withdrawing his iron dirks from their position in his inventory, he stood in the open facing the oblivious elf. With four daggers floating in front of him, he rapidly threw it at the pondering elf.

Not even registering the attack until the first dagger impacted the tree, Kai froze. Glancing at a ruthless looking man wielding an ungodly, demonic looking ax in one hand and playing with a dagger indifferently in his other, Kai slowly turned to his side.

With two daggers only centimetres from his head and a third uncomfortably close to something between his legs, he cried. With tears welling up in his eyes and a certain area growing darker the boy collapsed on the ground.

As he sobbed incoherently, Andrew tossed the last dagger. With it skimming past the elf’s forearm - landing just millimetres away Taryk’s previous design in his arm - Andrew calmy said, “calm the hell down, you just get threatened me. Plotting is all well and good - just don’t get caught. Otherwise, pretty knives like to meet pretty little boys. It’s a match made in Heaven, you know?”

Scoffing loudly, Andrew indifferently turned and walked away from the whimpering elf with the small cut on his arm.

It took him another minute or so after he threw the dagger to find Lisia. While she heard the cries from afar she didn’t take the situation too seriously explaining, “he’s always been like that, entitled and pretentious. It isn’t as though he is a bad child, but it is true that his father is the Chief for however much that amounts to.”

“Yeah, so maim, but don’t kill? Anyways it isn’t that big of a deal. Why did that brat join the bandits anyways?”

“Neither, if possible, don’t hurt him any further. For me, please? And why not?” Sighed Lisia as she turned to look towards the abandoned corpses lying only a short distance away. “From the sounds of it, he was decided to leave home for an adventure and was enticed to join up - likely as bait for the more wary ones.”

“So he was full fledged bandit…” murmured Andrew before adding, “still regret me not killing him? Considering you’ll pretty much just amount to being a caretaker over the next little bit.”

Opening her mouth to began to say something, but closed it with an uneasy look. With a forced smile she continued, “yeah, well, could be worse? While I don’t care much about the others anymore, family is still family - no matter what could or has happened in the past.”

“Yeah, yeah, lies - all of that - but I can respect that all the same for what it’s worth. Even if I don’t agree, it’s just your prerogative. Anyway where’s the goblin?”

“Taryk? Hunting last I saw, didn’t want any of the food because of its lack of bone marrow, blood, and body parts.”

“Sounds like him,” said Andrew with a wry smile, continuing, “well I gotta send him off to the camp. See you in a bit,” turning around, he waved his hands casually catching the sight of Kai hiding behind a tree - holding his bleeding arm.

Shrugging his shoulders, he left for the tree line. Searching the forest for a few minutes he came to a grisly sight. Essentially just as Andrew would have expected, Taryk gathered a pile of small nine-tailed foxes, squirrels, birds and other such animals, laying in the pile of half-eaten beasts napping peacefully. Grabbing a small rock on the ground, he tossed it towards the goblin. In a split second the goblin jumped up high, dodging the pebble.

Yawning, he greeted Andrew before asking him, “what’s up Boss? Why did you over so early in the morning?”

“It’s hardly early morning anymore, anyways, whenever you want to leave, head back to the camp to organise a small expedition to clear the mine. I imagine Grok would be happy to hear about it. Though, you should lead them so your little brothers don’t die. I’ll be at some elf village babysitting a brat and his guardian.” Yawning now as well, he turned to leave, but stopped just long enough to pull out a new spear and mace for Taryk.

Ignoring the excitable goblin, Andrew kept going to find Lisia treating the small elf who seemed to tremble as he saw Andrew approach.

With a devilish smile, Andrew spoke up to the child, “Yo what’s up brat? Hopefully that didn’t hurt too much. Otherwise you’re in for a long trip…” trailing over just to mess with the elf.

With Kai nearly passing out in fright Lisia reprimanded Andrew as she tossed him his dagger, “is that really worth your time? You could just not terrorise small children - or small people in general for that matter.”

Catching the flying blade the elf brought along as supposed evidence, he laughed “Nah, it’s fun with this one for some reason, maybe because he is a little criminal, a loud mouthed one at that?” Pausing momentarily he raised his eyebrows questioningly, he didn’t think she would be defensive over the little elf, there it seemed to be more going along with the two elves.

“Be that as it may… Just please restrain yourself. There are separate issues than this,” spoke Lisia with a sidelong glance, releasing a heavy breath.

“Fiance?” Questioned Andrew putting things together, or as much as he could, from what information he had available to him.

Seeing the tightening expression on Lisia’s face Andrew laughed loudly, “you with this kid? He seems like he is pushing 8 years old max.” Maintaining a genuine smirk and snickering all the while, he called out for the two to lead him towards the village taking a small pile of fruits to go as his breakfast.