The Dark Lands of Mir.

  It wasn’t a place that should be inhabited by any civilized group of people.

  Yet it was the place the Goblin Clans had no choice but to call home.

  Rick and the others were currently sprinting through a forest that at some point began to slope downwards.

  It was barely noticeable at first, but eventually Rick realized that they were heading down. Of course, Lago, Loruk, and the other Goblins familiar with the Dark Lands of Mir showed no alarm because they were all aware of where they were returning to.

  Eventually, the descent ended, and the slope flattened out, but they just continued running forward. Rick followed calmly while filled with curiosity.

  A curiosity that soon found its source.

  The land beneath his feet soon turned from the brown and green common to forest floors and began a slow turn to black the more he ran on. Even the rich green foliage that surrounded them soon began to turn black.

  It didn’t end there.

  Even the skies above them began to take a turn as more and more clouds could be seen gathering overhead. The clouds were thick and dark, not allowing the sun to shine through to the land below in the way that it should.

  But even then, it was still darker than expected from just having dark clouds overhead.

  It was like the sun itself was choosing not to shine its brightest rays in this direction. As if it was afraid of something. Or perhaps banned from doing so.

  Some time later, the two Shadow Goblin Generals began to slow down their pace, which of course caused the rest of the group to do the same.

  It wasn’t long before Rick saw why.

  The ground they were currently running on eventually ended in what turned out to be a massive cliff. It was overlooking a freakishly large basin down below. Rick looked forward, to the left, and then to the right, but no matter which direction he looked, there was no end in sight.

  Yet that wasn’t the weirdest part about it all.

  It was the fact he couldn’t see the ground of the basin at all. There seemed to be a thick veil of dark mist hovering just above the basin below. No matter how much he tried to peer through it—whether it was sight or hearing—nothing could be gleaned.

  That was when General Lago spoke up.

  “Welcome to the Dark Lands of Mir, Esteem… no… my Future King. Home to a great many horrors who will constantly try to kill you should they get the chance. And the only chance they need is to lay eyes on you.

  “But we Goblins have prevailed for quite some time now. It hasn’t been easy, and there have been more than enough hurdles, but the 14 Goblin Clans are still here, we are still living our lives with strength and vigor, and every single one of them are ready and waiting to serve you.

  “And Sir, please be prepared for the uproar your presence will cause. While all Chiefs and a few others are aware of your birth, word hasn’t spread to every single Goblin in Mir just yet. And even then, I’m sure the Chiefs themselves are dying to see you.

  If you come across this story on Amazon, it's taken without permission from the author. Report it.

  “Which is why I believe General Mogal and Trago led you here specifically.

  “This isn’t the real entrance to the valley below. That is a bit further to our right, but that entrance is always guarded by the members of the Krell Clan. After they spot you and your identity is confirmed, it won’t take long for word to spread across all the Clans.

  “There is no doubt that runners will be sent out immediately for the Chiefs to gather in the Central Clan, which is where we’ll be heading.”

  “Lead the way, General Lago. I’m looking forward to finally meeting the Chiefs and every single Goblin living in the Dark Lands of Mir.”

  Lago smiled, then moved to the front of the group as they walked towards the appointed entrance.

  Meanwhile, the two Shadow Goblin Generals began to spread out from the group. These parts of the Dark Lands of Mir were generally safe, and 99% of the fighting was taking place far deeper in the Lands of Mir.

  But that was only 99% of the time… Sometimes things slipped through the ranks and attacked from a position you thought was safe or... in even rarer times… something was born from the mana of the Dark Lands of Mir, and depending on what it was, a lot of damage could be caused.

  So, Mogal and Trago hung back a bit, and once they descended into the basin, they would spread out even more and blend into the shadows around Rick. They wouldn’t allow anything to interrupt the arrival or the safety of the Future King.

  The group continued behind General Lago, and eventually a small outpost could be seen. Outpost was perhaps a stretch. It was nothing but a small hut and five Goblins standing around it.

  All of them were Tier 3 Goblins.

  Tier Four Goblins like Loruk and the others were seen as important officers in their various Clans and had other important roles, so none would be here.

  So, when the approach of four Tier Five Goblins—and then a few more Tier Four Goblins for good measure—could not only be seen but also felt, the squad of Goblins guarding the outpost stood up straight in a flash.

  And when they saw it was General Lago leading the group, swift salutes were quickly rendered.

  “Welcome back, General Lago!”

  General Lago waved them off, and he even felt a bit embarrassed that he was greeted before the Future King, but after the group also acknowledged Mogal and Trago, Lago was then about to introduce Rick before he had to pause.

  “Lago, it’s fine. Time for announcements will come later. For now, let us get to this Central Clan you speak of. I’m sure all of us could use a real rest.”

  “As you wish, Future King.”

  General Lago responded respectfully and then led the group towards a set of steps carved into the cliffside. And from there, the group descended into the basin known as the Dark Lands of Mir.

  Though after they walked away, the squad of guards all calmed down for barely a moment before one of them froze.

  “Guys… did you hear what Lago said to that strange Goblin?”

  “It’s General Lago, you tree biter. What if he hears you?”

  “No, no, no—this is serious… none of you heard him? He called the strange Goblin Future… King….”

  The other members of the Krell Clan all paused for a moment as they thought back to exactly what General Lago had said. It only made sense that they hadn’t immediately caught on because they were much more focused on being on their best behavior in front of such powerful Goblins.

  Though once they reflected on the conversation, all of them remembered the words of General Lago clearly…

  All of them stiffened up for a second before shocked expressions settled onto all of their faces.

  Then out of nowhere, one of them seemed to remember something and quickly grabbed a bow from the hut, and before any of the other Goblins could catch on to what he was doing, he fired an arrow in the direction of the basin.

  The arrow had a green flag attached to it.

  They didn’t have phones or any quick and easy way for alerting others in case of trouble, and such a bow and arrow with flags attached was what they came up with. There were a few different colors that meant different things.

  Red – Danger

  Yellow – Potential Danger

  So both of these flags were rarely used, as they never usually faced danger from outside the Dark Clans of Mir, but there were a few occasions when something strong wandered too close, and it would be dealt with.

  Again, it was very rare.

  But there was one flag that was even rarer. One that was seemingly there for ceremonial purposes at this point.

  A green flag.

  Royalty.

  That was all it meant.

  https://subscribepage.io/Dosillis-Nook

  https://ko-fi.com/s/99459aa8c6

  https://a.co/d/8HX8W1U