Tales from Wellsprings Ch. 01

Another trip into the forest, another annoying problem to deal with. She looked around through the shaded woods for signs that she was getting close, a path or a familiar landmark. What she found instead was a sign much more literal; haphazardly nailed into a tree was a plank of wood bearing writing in unmistakably awful handwriting and spelling comprehension. It was nailed in at a poor angle as if it only mattered that it was on the tree at all, and was just about at face height instead of being well above to increase visibility. The nails were barely even hammered into the tree and half of them were bent in another example of 'good enough' behavior. On it was written, or rather carved and then ham-handedly painted over, 'Wee bye yor stuf!' with a crooked arrow pointing to the left.

"Definitely Goblins." Yuki sighed to herself.

The young woman glared dejectedly at the sign knowing it was her best and last hope to fulfill an order, lest she return empty handed and hope the customer wouldn't ask for a full refund. This was the last order she had under the guide of a nearby apothecary and she needed every last scrap of money as she prepared to open her own shop in her hometown. She ran her fingers through her long and wild mass of wavy auburn hair, pulling it back into a ponytail on the off chance the Goblins were in the middle of having a food fight like the last time: the results of which ended with the longest bath Yuki had ever taken just to get the mashed potatoes out of her hair. She adjusted her grey cloak and debated taking it off before agreeing with her worry that younglings may try to swing on it like the second visit. Yuki folded and tucked it into her leather side bag before, once more, pausing and remembering the Goblin attempting to give her the gift of random mushrooms, cramming them into her bag and getting them all over her spellbook. She secretly wished there was something she could do to hide her freckles upon remembering the utter cruelty of Goblins following her around while trying to count the tiny spots. What made it significantly worse was how often they got confused after the number seventeen before starting over.

She tightened the strap on the bag to raise it up under her arm rather than resting on the hip and proceeded in the direction the sign so helpfully gave despite the fact it technically pointed into the ground some few feet away if one were to take it literally. A good many paces forward she found another sign now pointing 'to the right' and stating 'Wee haf meny sel thingz!' in equally eye-stabbing quality. It was at least a tiny bit cute when she thought about it: that creatures as, to be rather honest, dumb and nonsensical as Goblins had somehow maintained a functioning system from the Old Nights that persisted powerfully to this very day. While this camp specifically might not have started from the harsh and nightmarish past that bore this curious little fruit of advancement, no one had expected Goblins to continue this behavior once the need for it had gone away.

Yuki continued to check and double check her possessions, nothing for anyone to grab onto or fiddle with behind her back and nothing immediately shiny to get them drawn to. The Goblins here have learned well that pickpocketing and general thievery would get them in trouble with the local guard but that didn't mean they could entirely control themselves around something shiny. Though they were generally kind, a Goblin is still a sticky fingered imbecile at times. At the very least one could simply carry some polished rocks and hand them out to distract them from snooping for something more.

It wasn't that much further in that she saw the wall around the camp, the tall wooden beams extending up some ten feet and secured with sturdy rope; both much too large and too well made to be the work of small green hands. Goblins stood watch from behind them and soon began to wave back at the others behind the walls to get ready for a visitor. Yuki approached the sturdy wooden door and watched it slowly open, dragging against the dirt beneath it as the tiny guards worked hard to open the thing so much larger than themselves.

While the ramshackle collective of old shacks and crooked stalls would initially appear incredibly mundane at best, it was still at least somewhat impressive when one considered just how much of it was built by Goblins; a race not particularly known for construction skills, city planning, patience, material processing, patience, cooperation, patience, being able to do a complex task for more than a half an hour and so on. Yet here their village stood: deep in the Pale and realistically their own. The nearby towns and villages all acknowledged the village's existence and right to be with people occasionally making their way into the forest just to see the novelty of nice and helpful Goblins.

Yuki stood as a giant amongst them as she stepped through the gate and into the main square. To the surprise of no one imagining what a structure built by the small green things would look like, the answer was very blunt. The buildings were far too small for a human to fit inside comfortably and were also flimsy enough for a particularly rowdy toddler to annihilate. But the complexity of the village was not to be understated as they had numerous kinds of shops and 'services' available. At some point a chef had come to try and teach the Goblins how to cook and the word of multiple people claiming to have eaten from the village without being rushed to the nearest apothecary with blood seeping from their eyes lent enough belief that it may actually be safe to eat there, though that meant little when the most they could prepare was the absolute most basic of meals. Another curiosity was a bathing area; curious both in that it was fairly well thought out in its design and more so that Goblins were bathing at all. They had a stable offering a few 'sturdeh mountz an' hardee workbeastss' which comprised of two runty donkeys and a rather fat pig.

Yuki's sapphire eyes scanned the village for the specific thing she needed before remembering it should be further in the back. It had been a fairly long time since she had last been here but it was incredibly difficult to wholly forget much about this place for better or worse. She began to head there and wondered how the residents could stand the atrocious gravel 'road' laid down at the entrance when a tiny thing approached her, one of the guards wearing an old and dented human helmet and holding a broken longsword of some kind, its blade badly shattered at the right length to make it a suitable longsword for its current wielder.

"You buy, pretty human?" he asked in as polite a tone as a Goblin could accomplish.

"Uh, possibly yes."

Yuki knew it was difficult to converse with the Goblins as their understanding of languages mostly came down to very basic words and topics awkwardly strung together in a way that almost made them adorable. Giving a blunt negative answer usually made them all feel a tad saddened while giving a blunt positive answer made them all excited to get your attention as you passed by. This may be nicer than other Goblins would ever treat anyone in their territory but no one ever liked being bombarded with sales pitches.

"Here!" the guard said in a happier tone as he lifted his hand to give her something.

Even outstretched, his hand only came up to Yuki's waist despite her height being well within human average. The Goblins were a small and thin race rarely reaching over half of a human's size or weight; their skin a dull green and their eyes rather large. In his hand was a small and lumpy coin about an inch or two across. It was poorly worked all around with the outer edge being a wobbly, drunkenly drawn circle and the sides looked more like the maker struck it out of anger rather than any attempt at craftsmanship. It appeared to be made of iron and bore the letter 'G' on both sides.

"What's this?" Yuki asked the guard.

"Dwarf gave Smith-things. We save Bearded man from bear, Bearded man give Smith-things as thank!" the guard said with a wide smile, "He taught us craft things! We make small, easy things. Give as gift to visitors so they come back!"

Yuki thumbed the coin and flipped it over in her hand before looking back at the guard and smiling, "Goblins smithing things, huh? Never heard of that happening before."

She continued to walk towards the back of the village, glancing over the little shops and stalls they had made. A few children ran about chasing frogs, a favored pet, while an adult handed out carrots for them to snack on. A few were washing the rags they called clothes and one even appeared to be logging inventory in a comically oversized and heavily worn book held up with the aid of two others. The whole place was a wild oddity with Goblins doing their best to build a small society and actively trying to be nice and polite. The majority of their kind were still thieving, nasty little pests that often turned violent if outsiders came too deep into their territory yet occasionally a small commune like this would turn up and often it'd stay. Once the Goblins established themselves they were usually content to live this simple and reasonable life filled with trade and probably more fun than they could have in a cave.

Yuki approached the more intentionally laid out 'market' at the back of the village and found herself to not be their only visitor. Two Orcs were currently browsing what the Goblins had to offer and while Yuki, a mere human, might be a giant to Goblins the Orcs made her feel just as small as the villagers. They wore hides and furs likely taken from their personal hunts, weapons affixed to their hips and shields sat on their backs. As she approached they glanced back at her; their faces, rough and brutish even without the scars and bruises from what looked to be a recent battle, bore the prominent brow and tusks of their kind and their eyes were smaller yet as piercing as their blades. One was a female and considerably smaller than the male yet she still dwarfed anything else around them and sported incredible muscle definition while her companion looked like a walking slab of meat and punching. Orcs were another race that had odd interactions with other civilizations.

No unified government, no standard of living, but typically not openly hostile to other races. While there had been countless wars and skirmishes involving them, it most often required a significant effort to rile them up into a real frenzy. While it must still be stated with no uncertainty that entering Orcish territory requires a number of 'signs of compliance'; indications through various actions to show you meant no harm such as removing your boots to make it harder to run or fight on bad terrain or openly carrying a bottle of drink to give to any Orcs that may approach, passage through their land and even occasional accommodation within their camps or holds was a possibility so long as one expected nothing in the way of civilized comforts or friendly demeanor. Still, if you let them be than most likely they would rarely go out of their way to harm you. The Old Nights forced them to understand when to be civil.

Yuki kept her gaze away from the pair, not out of inherent fear but rather to not seem rude. She knew full well Orcs weren't naturally prone to random violence and as the village was under protection of the local militia, it technically was safe. No, her gaze fell as the pair began to approach.

"Human." the male called out not far behind the female.

Yuki turned slowly, not too fast as to make it obvious she was nervous but not too slow as to be considered rude. They stood within normal conversation distance and their expressions weren't quite as stern as they previously had been. This close she could see more details in their dress and appearance like small pouches and sacks affixed to their belts and the furs they wore were very well maintained. The female also held a strange look of savage beauty; her body was well proportioned and her black hair expertly braided into countless small, waist length braids.

"Yes?" Yuki replied.

"Are you a mage?"

While Yuki didn't bear any icons of a magical profession or college, she did carry her orb in a small pouch on her belt. Then again, they might be asking just to ask.

"I am. Do you need help?"

The male Orc retrieved a sheathed dagger from behind his belt. He drew the blade from its exquisite metal sheath and showed it to Yuki, holding it between his thumb and index finger. Its blade was solid black, dark enough that it appeared to absorb all light around it. The rest of it; the handle, small pommel and flared guard, were all black steel and black leather though its over all construction was incredible. The blade was roughly the length of Yuki's forearm and fairly thin with a slight curve to the edge.

"I bought this from the Goblins. I want to make sure it's safe to use."

Yuki looked back at him puzzled, "Are you asking if it's enchanted?"

"Aye."

Yuki took her orb in hand and held it over the dagger, the magic coming to life as the orb began to glow with a faint blue light. It was roughly the size of an orange and made from glass crafted using enchanted tools in a ritual to imbue it with magical properties. When observed it appeared completely see-thru but when fed with magical force it would slowly fill with sky blue smoke. The light began to shine down over the blade as Yuki's eyes focused and the nature of the blade began to reveal itself to her.

"It is enchanted. It seems to have had a spell cast over it but it's a little tricky to tell the full capability of it."

Her hand left the orb as it rotated around the blade before returning above it. In her mind she could see flashes, glimpses of lethal potential. All she could clearly discern was the image of the dagger soaring through the air and impaling a target before reappearing in its owner's hand.

"I can see a bit of the spell, a remnant of the original intent,' Yuki paused to ensure she explained her vision properly, "I believe if you throw it, it will return? I'm not certain on the specifics so be careful with that."

The Orc placed the dagger back in its sheath before giving Yuki a small nod. The two then proceeded to walk away, raising their hands in silent waves as they passed her before making their way out of the village. Yuki placed her orb back in its pouch once the wispy smoke had dissipated and made her way to a rare and sometimes incredible oddity.

The tiny shop she had been looking for was something most people would never see and often would refuse to believe. It was a tent just barely tall enough for Yuki to stand in even with her back bent down slightly. It was lined with shoddy wooden shelves and a few open crates all loaded with various magical implements and components of all different varieties. Wands, books, potions and other such goods were unbelievably rare for Goblins but here they had an expert. Sitting at the back of the little shop just across from the entrance was a tiny, ancient green thing. Her hair was snow white and her skin was vastly wrinkled from old age, despite likely not being anywhere as old as elderly humans. She wore glasses, another rarity for her kind, with bent and rebent frames and scratched lenses. Her head lifted as Yuki crawled into her shop on all fours, apologizing as her wide hips accidentally hit one of the ropes holding the tent up causing it to shake.

"Sorry, ma'am! The hole's a lil too small for me."

Yuki let off an awkward smile as she looked down at the withered Goblin, an actual shaman adorned in skulls and totems, the only one in this village that could possibly hope to understand anything even remotely magical. She looked over a shelf of jars containing various herbs, mushrooms and other such ingredients for potions. Yuki let out a sigh of relief as she found the jar filled the tiny blue flowers she needed, picking it up and proceeding to browse the room for anything else she might want.

Goblin trade villages had a tendency to have valuable things from time to time; nothing intentionally stolen though it was always warned one should never leave a bag unattended when a goblin village was known to be nearby. While it could be said with surprising confidence that no one in this village would intentionally steal, a bag left entirely alone was considered fair game. Yes, it was probably still stealing in a way but they wouldn't do it if they could locate the owner at the very least.

Yuki's eyes continued to roll over the tent before noticing something quite fascinating. On a small stand and in a locked glass case rested an orb not entirely unlike her own. It sat on a clean blue pillow and neither appeared to have even a single scratch or smudge or fleck of dust on them. The orb itself was something Yuki hadn't ever been able to see in person but knew exactly what it was the moment she saw it. It was roughly larger than hers and its body resembled storm clouds swirling through its crystal. One fifth of it was split open in what looked like a perfectly cut, uniformly jagged mouth leading into the core. Yuki nearly shoved her face into the glass staring hard into the electric sapphire heart of the magical implement, the shimmer of it like lighting cracking within the orb.

Magical orbs were created through a process of 'magical' forging, which for orbs typically meant altering the shape and properties of special crystals that grew from magic leylines, or glass for cheaper alternatives. Almost any of these crystals could be reforged into whatever manner of implement you wanted yet only the most gifted of artisans could take two crystals and merge them like this. The purpose was that the outer body would fulfill the usual purpose of acting as a focusing conduit while the core would then hyper-focus it through the mouth or eye as some called them. This meant that the orb was perfectly suited for general spells like creating a simple light or focusing more advanced spells like firing shards of ice. It was a tool Yuki had always dreamed of owning to help enhance her magical capabilities yet their usual cost often lay in the thousands, far too much for a practitioner of her level as well as someone still trying to get a farm up and running.

Yuki looked at the small, ancient Goblin and tried to mask how horribly desperate she was to somehow obtain such a powerful artefact but the smile and wide eyes could be seen clearly for miles. The Goblin turned to her, her eyes closed and her smile soft.

"I take it you found something you like, Human?"

Her voice was something like a sweet old grandma occasionally chewing and spitting out rocks and gravel. Her face lit up with a sudden and unexpectedly wide smile immediately filling Yuki with a sense of unease just slightly great enough to break her giddy desperation for the orb.

"Well, I came for the ingredients but-"

"You're a mage, then? Someone without magical talent wouldn't look at such a bauble with that kind of desire"

Her expression remained one of almost lecherous intent as she waited for the response.

"I am, Elder Sha-"

"Blue Hawk, kind Human."

Blue Hawk let out the kind of shrill, raucous laughter only an elderly and very weird person could. The kind that often followed a pun or time-worn joke a younger person likely wouldn't enjoy or really even understand. Once she stopped, she looked back at Yuki now with her eyes open and sharply focused.

"Well, uh...Blue Hawk, do you have a price fo-"

"The price is a job!" she shouted as she cut off Yuki again, waving her hand in a gesture one might find to be dismissive if it had come from someone a tad less jovial.

Yuki could feel her body tensing up despite nothing truly intimidating actually happening, but still she replied, "What kind of job?"