With an exertion of will, the chaos seed made the map zoom in to that area. Liddle continued to help narrow down the location until he was able to point out exactly where the settlement was. It was Richter’s turn to be surprised. The encampment was only fifteen miles past the border of his domain. It meant there was an enemy village within thirty miles of his own. Even without the threat of this “Bloodstone,” he knew that a hostile encampment that close was something that would have to be dealt with.
Unfortunately, the area Liddle was pointing to showed only unbroken forest. To make matters worse, that portion of the map looked like it had been drawn with ink. That meant that the Traveler who had made the map hadn’t actually been to the area. Instead, that section of the map must have come from second-hand information. Specifically, another map that the Traveler had seen and whose information he had decided to add to the Traveler’s map. If the area had been in grayscale, that would have at least indicated that the information was based on firsthand experience, albeit experience that was hundreds of years out of date. Richter placed almost no trust in what he was seeing.
“Are you sure that is the location?” Sion asked Liddle. “All I see is forest.”
“I am sure,” Liddle responded, “and it is not surprising that the map shows only forest. The goblins are in a hidden valley. The entrance is easy to miss, and the trees grow tall. I would never have found it if those green-skinned devils hadn’t captured me. I have no idea how the goblins found the valley, but I promise you it is there.” There was no doubt in his voice.
Richter was about to ask more questions when Liddle grabbed his arm, “My brothers are still being held prisoner, and they are not the only ones! I do not know how many are there in total. I was kept in a cage near the wall, which is how I escaped. I do know that there are women and children also being held captive, Lord Richter. You have to save them!”
You have been offered a quest: Bloodstone I. Dozens, if not hundreds, of captives are being sacrificed to fuel an item known as the Bloodstone. Your Companion is clearly distressed by this. You have been charged by the hill sprite, Liddle, to save his family and the other captives. The problem is, they are in the middle of a goblin encampment. Reward: Variable, increases with the number of lives saved. Penalty for failure or refusal of quest: Large drop in regard from Liddle. Do you accept? Yes or No?
Richter gritted his teeth, but he still accepted the quest without hesitation. The truth was, he couldn’t afford to let an enemy base sit at his very doorstep. He had already decided that the goblins would have to be… removed. His frustration came from knowing that there were lives at stake. He was on the clock. The cold and analytical side of him was already measuring how many more lives he would allow to be sacrificed to maximize the success of an attack. He wasn’t a machine, though. Another side of him was beginning to be tortured thinking of child sacrifice. Richter shook his head; the urgency was something he could live without.
“I will do my best to save your people and all of the others,” Richter said. The relief on Liddle’s face was tragic. The sprite’s shoulders fell, and he started weeping quietly. The stress of running for his life while knowing that he was also running away from his loved ones must have been a horrible burden to bear. Now that the weight had been lifted, he could admit his mortality and feel the pain he had been ignoring. Richter did not want to take him from that place of relief, but he didn’t want there to be any misunderstandings.
“Liddle,” the chaos seed continued. The sprite looked up at Richter’s stern visage and nodded. “There are things I need to know. Before that, I need you to know that I will not rush blindly into danger, nor will I allow my people to go into danger without being properly prepared. We must return to our village and gather our strength.”
“But my family-” Liddle interjected. Richter raised a hand to cut him off.
“I will do everything I can for your family, but some of my men have already died to save you. We are battered and bloodied. We need to heal, know more about this encampment you described, and gather reinforcements. Any information you can provide will speed the time that we can move against the goblins and improve our chance of success. Now can you help? Can you be strong enough for your family, that you maximize their chances of survival?” Richter felt like an absolute monster for speaking so firmly to a man that was clearly suffering and sick with worry, but he would not just blindly rush into danger again. He would already be digging three graves that night. That was already three too many as far as he was concerned.
Indecision and impatience warred on Liddle’s face, but Richter’s words reached him. He nodded and his shoulders slumped again. Sion reached out a hand and laid it on the sprite’s shoulder, “Are you sure they only sacrifice one person a day?”
The hill sprite nodded, “Yes. I heard two of the goblins complaining about the fact that they couldn’t slaughter us all at once, but the Witch Doctor had made his orders clear.” Suddenly, Liddle’s face twisted in hate. “The green-skinned bastards! I will kill them all!”
“You will get the chance,” Sion promised grimly. “Have they already sacrificed someone today?” The sprite’s question might seem cold, but Richter realized that it was also pragmatic. Someone having died today meant that Richter could have as much as twenty-four hours to save the rest.
Liddle looked at him with pain in his eyes but still nodded. The fire went right out of the hill sprite. and he said with a voice colored with shame, “Yes. They kill each day at noon. All of the goblins get quite excited when it happens. I-I used the distraction today to escape as they sacrificed a human girl… I could still hear her screaming as I ran into the woods.” His eyes were haunted and guilty as he quietly added, “They like to take their time.”
“You did what you had to do,” Richter said in an understanding tone. “Though we will not be rushing off right this second, I promise you that we will save as many people as we can, your family included. Now, there are things I need to know. That was not a small strike group that was chasing you. Two Warriors, a Specialist Mage and dozens of goblin fighters is a small army. Even though I get why they would want to reclaim an escaped prisoner, it seems like overkill. Is there anything else I need to know?”
Liddle shook his head slowly, “I was surprised as well, Lord Richter. You already know of the Bloodstone.” He thought for a moment before speaking again. “The only other thing I can think of is an idle comment said by one of the guards. They spoke freely around the captives in goblin-speak. The fools were so smug! They did not know that I also knew some words in their foul language. There was much I did not understand, but I clearly heard them say they could not wait to get the ‘egg.’”