100. First

“Oh wonderful.  Let all of the fools in,” grumbled the wizened old as the Orrery was sealed off by the magic of the Origin point.  “They’ll blame me for this.  I know they will.  They’ll all roast me over a fire and make me into kebabs or something terrible.”

“What’s your name?” I asked the goblin leader.

“Marvin,” He answered.  I looked at him suspiciously.

“Shut up.  It’s a good name,” he said.

“Marvin, by my right as Earl of Yuikon and lord of these lands Thorn March, I appoint you as the village elder of this clan of goblins.  I charge Eclipse with the preservation of your life, so any who kill you would owe her a debt.”

“Hey, that’s clever,” Eclipse said.  “I’m not certain that I owe you a favor for that, but I don’t owe you a debt.  And I can collect so many favors just by reviving this old dust bucket.  I knew there was a reason I liked you, Hail.”

Marvin glared at me.  I realized that he was actually glaring a few inches to my left.  “I’ll give you some glasses, free of charge.  All I want you to do is greet the incoming goblins, induct them into the ways of your tribe, and to live peacefully with the surrounding human settlements.  If you can do that, there will be peace among us.”

“And the kobolds?” he asked.

“I can wipe their lair out of existence for you, if you want,” I offered.

Marvin scratched the wart on his chin.  “No.  The incomers need something to sharpen their pikes on, I think, and GET HIM!”

A sudden flash of light had happened from the origin point, and a new goblin had appeared, disoriented.  A mob of the established goblins were milling about, laying in wait, and the moment the new goblin appeared they attacked him with fists, clubs, and spears until it burst into white light.  I blinked in surprise.

“Why did you do that?” I asked

“He was first,” Marvin explained.  “It is an old goblin tradition.  We may keep our traditions, may we not?”

“I guess,” I admitted.  “Are you going to kill all of the goblins who come through there?”

“Only the first ten,” Marvin assured me.  “They will be well rewarded with an achievement, I believe.  And their level cannot presently go any lower, after all.”

“Oh,” I said.  “Yeah, I suppose that makes sense.  If these goblin Travelers are anything like human Travelers they would do the same thing.”

<<Status Alert!  An act of great consequence has occurred!  A new race has been unlocked, with unique classes and abilities.  All servers will be cycled to allow for this change to spread throughout the realms in five minutes.  Hail, your consciousness will not be interrupted, you will simply be returned to the lobby.>>

I jumped at the sudden voice of the world making itself known to me directly.  “Did you hear that, Marvin?”

“Yes.  Once the Travelers come through, what do you want me to do with them?” he asked.

“I don’t really care.  Just instruct them not to war with the humans or other intelligent races, and not to despoil the low-competition zone in Thorn March.  Other than that, they can do whatever they want.”

Marvin nodded.  “I shall spread the word.  But I better get my glasses!”

~~~~~~~~~~

“So, goblin Travelers,” Corinth whispered as I rejoined my guard.  “That’s a thing then, huh?  Because of you?”

“Did I do right?” I asked.

“I think so,” he said.  “If I wasn’t already dedicated and locked into playing this character, I would totally give a goblin a go.”

I looked at him.  “You’re not a goblin on earth, though?”

“No.  Earth only has humans, Hail,” he explained.  “The system just squeezes us into whatever bodies we select during racial creation.  It’s best if we pick bodies that look like our real ones, but it will also scale the world up or down to make it feel realistic towards us.”

I nodded.  “Corinth, would you take responsibility for making certain that Marvin gets his glasses?”

“Of course.  Quest accepted,” he said immediately.  “But why?  Where are you going?”

“Lord Hail?”  Tarisha asked.  “Is everything alright?”

Before I could answer, I felt a force grab me from everywhere and pull me out of the world.  A moment later I was in the lobby, with Thomas smiling at me.

“Congratulations, Hail.  Do you realize what it is that you’ve just done?”

I examined him for a moment, then nodded.  “I found one of the lost Gates of TirNiki.  And unleashed a horde of goblins upon my world.”

“They’re Travelers, Hail,” Thomas said quickly.  “They’re not good or evil by default.  You should know that by now.”

“Yeah,” I said.  “I do.  I really do.  I’m tired.  I’m going to go rest in my old room.