Downsloping Dialogue

It was pitch-black in the forest, and were it not for my goblin eyes, I would have made shelter and stayed the night in the forest. There’s no benefit to travelling at night, especially when you’re lost, according to the hiking manual. You could easily get even more lost, or walk in circles, or end up in accidents. However, that was of no concern to us as we walked—er, as I walked

“Oof… Ey, ya have my thanks, chief,” Said the goblin whom I was carrying on my shoulder, clearly ailing. “I thought I could take that thing with my Kragnin, but… Ugh, yeah, ya saw how it went

“Hey, don’t worry about it, sir. You saved me by jumping that stupid thing.” I gratefully reassured the man. “You even told me to save myself instead. Thank you, sir.”

“No, no, no. With all respect, I just uhm—y’know—thought I could handle it myself. That's all.” Beyond his dismissive tone, I noticed a sense of disappointment on his face. He looked down in humility as we walked down the slope, towards the exit of the forest, the plain hills already in sight.

“You did save me, sir. What were you doing there, if I might ask?” I inquired.

“Just tryin’ to prove my strength to myself, chief.” He chuckled. “Gobland’s fallin’ apart—tribes fightin’, lynxes everywhere, y’know how it is. Wanted to prove to myself that I was strong enough for the tribe.”

I definitely did not “know how it is”, man. We weren’t on the same page, at all. The shaman had barely taught me anything about this world, so I felt completely out of the loop, causing me to feel awkward and on-guard.

“Begging your pardon, chief, but what’s yer name?” The goblin promptly asked me, probably noticing my discomfort.

“Albar.” I replied curtly. “I’m yet to be called “chief” by the likes of your venerable self, sir, so just Albar is fine.” I said. I was excited to be addressed with such respect, but soon I would have my throne and be addressed as royalty instead, so I had to be patient and delay my gratification so that I could savor the feeling later on.

“Bull! Ugh…” He groaned in pain as his footing slightly gave out. “Yer clearly a Gnobble from the Ausmulii—y’know—cus of yer dark skin and white hair. I guess the news about ya hadn’t reached us yet.” He continued.

I did not understand what he was talking about. Clearly, there was something about me that made it easy to identify from which tribe I originated; either my skin or my hair. The shaman and I shared hair color, but my skin was onyx gray whereas his was green-grey. If hair color was the identifier, it would make sense, because the goblin I was carrying had a dark, olive green skin complexion and taupe brown hair. His hair was also very short, as opposed to mine and the shaman’s. What he meant in regards to “news about me”, I hadn’t an inkling.

“Scuse me, chief, the name’s Ekermun,” he said while I remained quiet.

“I see. So, sir—”

“Beg your pardon, chief, but Ekermun’s fine,” he interrupted me. He seemed conflicted about being addressed as ‘sir’, though I did not understand why. He was clearly older than me, rocking a beard and all, so I was simply trying to respectful.

“I did not mean to offend—”

“Nah. It’s just… it’s not right, y’know,” he cut me off again. His face contorted into discomfort, not knowing what to say. It’s evident that my thorniness had rubbed off on him.

“Very well,” I replied, despite my confusion. “So, Ekermun...” I fell silent. He cut me off twice, so I felt a even more awkward about continuing the conversation. We continued to traverse the slope in silence. A minute later, Ekermun spoke up once more:

“If I’m not too bold, how did ya defeat that Lagsrik, chief?” He asked with a pleading tone. I was glad he broke the silence; it gave me another chance at making conversation. Perhaps I could learn something about this world from him. Even basic things would go a long way.

“Lagsrik, huh?” I began, already happy I had learned something new. I proceeded to detail my fight earlier, leaving out my emotional state and controlled rampage. Ekermun listened intently to my monologue, hanging on every word and detail. After I finished, the awkwardness surrounding us started to swiftly dissipate. Ekermun noticed the curious look I gave him, prompting me to speak up.

I wanted to subtly inquire about this world, and was looking for a chance to begin. I wanted to do it subtly because who knows what would happen if it were revealed that the future king of goblinkind was ignorant about the fundamentals of this world. Or something.

“When we’re out, I’m going to reunite with my uncle and head out for our tribe. I’m sure you could come with, if you want.” I said.

“I appreciate it, but I have to return to my tribe, chief,” he replied in a casual tone. “Sure you’ve seen it too, chief. Dread lynxes destroyin’ our homes ‘n land. It’s not normal.”

“Indeed,” I responded vaguely. “They treated your folk unkindly as well, no?”

“Aye, it’s a mess out there, chief. Them beasts been overrunin’ our huntin’ grounds, scarin’ off game, ruinin’ farmland,” Ekermun ranted, seemingly more comfortable. “I been trainin’ my Kragnin—y’know, that inner fire that makes ya stronger, faster—I don’t know what you Ausmulii call it. We Bugretanii call it Kragnin. Anyway, I was tryin’ to get tough enough to drive those beasts off for good.”

Bingo. I’m already getting somewhere: that Kragnin he mentioned earlier was some inner force that made you stronger. I doubt I made use of that during the fight with that lagsrik, as it is apparently called. Alright, I’ll inquire about it further.

“Aha! Well, I’m sure the Bugretanii are fortunate to have you in their midst with your Kragnin and extensive training,” I said. The awkwardness in my speech had completely dissipated and my usual self-confidence rose up again.

“Nah, it’s nothing crazy,” he replied honestly. “Kragnin. Took me years to get it, gettin’ beat up by lynxes and listenin’ to old Crawgoblins yap about “feelin’ the fire.” Finally got it to surge right.” He sighed deeply.

“Wasn’t enough for that Lagsrik, though...” He lamented. “Yer impressive for defeatin’ that monster, chief. That Gnobble blood got its own kinda Kragnin or what?” He gave a chuckle.

“I mean, I had my uncle’s hint to help me in my fight, as you know.” I dodged the question by repeating what he already knew.

In the meantime, we had reached the end of the slope and walked past the last few trees. A flat plain was spread before us with more hillocks in the distance. A little to our left, I saw a small stream leading to a tiny a pond. Too large to be a puddle, yet too small to be a lake.

“Time flies by, doesn’t it?” I rhetorically stated. “Let’s rest up for the night at that pond yonder.”

“Aye,” he affirmed. “Hopin’ we don’t get spotted or anythin’. Wouldn’t wanna get involved with another one of them land disputes.”

“Sounds troubling,” I dubiously said. “Who know what’s stirring up all these problems in the land.” I muttered out loud.

“Folks from different tribes always wantin’ land, more game. Dread lynxes makin’ it worse, pushin’ us all into each other’s territory. Bugretanii just wanna hold our own, but it’s hard when everythin’s fallin’ apart. That’s why I had to get stronger—Kragnin or not, I ain’t lettin’ my tribe down. Sure you folks at Ausmulii experiencin’ the same, ain’t ya?”

“I mean, that’s why my uncle and I are heading back, right?” I faked a laugh as I stated the supposed obvious. To me, it was evident that I was putting up an act, but Ekermun seemed to believe me, at the very least.

As we reached the pond, I noticed a familiar figure lying down in the grass beside the pond’s bank. He was lolling around with his right leg crossed over its arched, left-side partner. Ekermun politely asked me if I could drop him off by the tree a bit removed from the bank. I complied, and we said our goodbyes for the time being.

Returning to the prone man, I lied down beside him. Nephew and uncle reunited. King and shaman once more.

“My father bestowed yours with the name Albar,” The shaman spoke up. “and it is he who was destined to be king, so I beseech you, my boy, to listen carefully, for I will not waste words twice.” He paused, building the resolve to continue.

“Let us make haste towards our destination, and I shall inform you of that which you do not know.”