[Interludes Vol. 1.5] In which some merged magic involves a prenatal panic (3/4)

In no time at all, we had arrived, with me leaping from the wall to the ground lightly and making sure my hands were behind me and holding onto Glace's butt so she didn't fall off, just in case. It was smart of me to do so because she began to lose her grip and slipped off of me.

"Look! Husband and Stella…?"

I pointed at both of them who were lying on the ground in positions that would not be comfortable at all to sleep in.

Glace, who was now standing up on the ground moved slowly towards Stella.

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Glace had put her hand on Stella's belly.

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"Is the strong-one coming?"

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"I'll be back as fast as I can."

I turned my body in place and prepared to run to the back of Goblinhome when something crazy was standing right at the entrance to Stella's cave-hole, staring right at us.

"Glace! What's that!?"

Glace turned around and she saw what I saw.

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I wasn't usually scared of anything, having hunted most of the creatures in the forest outside Goblinhome, with the exception of a Black-claw, but right now everything was telling me that thing was something to be scared of!

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I was already ahead of her in assessing that threat.

"Do we need to fight it?"

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~~** Interlude | Mint **~~

Ugh.

I felt sore all over.

Looking around, I saw Old One and Ebony both lying unconscious on the floor. There was no sign of any of the bones Ebony and I had tried to raise, and the only other body in here was that of…

"Little goblin, you seem to have endured it well."

"Uh… w-what happened?"

"Something that I would have stopped had I realized what you were. A fucking Bloody Druid!"

I was terrified that I was about to make an enemy out of Yx for something I had no control over. Yeah, the being that carried the name Great Protector was none other than the infamous NPC Yx!

"I… I didn't know this would happen!"

"I'm not blaming you, little goblin. But your existence is strange. To have a Bloody Druid and a Bone Lord born in the same generation… I had expectations, but that damn human breaks every single one of them every time!"

Yx walked over to me and picked me up as if I was a sack of onions.

"What's going on?"

"From the magic in the air, and with how quick that skeleton took off with the Bone Lord's pet spider, I imagine it can be both nothing good and something splendid."

That assessment didn't help anything at all.

"What about Ebony and Old One?"

"They'll be fine. It was just magical reverberation. There's a reason nature magic and decay magic should never be combined. It encroaches on the realm of the Divine, and the Gods really don't like mortals doing that."

"Gods?"

"Yes, little goblin. Gods. Nasty beings who have far too much power, time, and boredom on their hands. Pray you never meet another in your lifetime."

Another?

"You… are Yx… aren't you?"

Before we had reached the shit-pit, Yx stopped moving.

"A name you shouldn't know. Who are you? You are recently born, yet you know who I am, when the others here do not."

"Uh… w-well, I sort of know you… in the future…"

"The future?"

"Y-yeah…"

"Interesting. And how am I in the future?"

"Busy… looking for someone."

"Who?"

"T-the last Bloodmaw…"

I was dropped, unceremoniously, onto the floor.

"Are you saying my children have been slain once more?"

"S-something like that? I've met you many times, whenever I've come across goblin encampments. But…"

"But what?"

"There were no remaining true Bloodmaw Goblins left… I was the one to find the last Bloodmaw."

"You speak in riddles. I have no patience for such things!"

"Ark Wyze!" I squeaked out in terror.

"What about the human? Did he somehow kill them?"

The anger on the face of Yx was damning. I did not think I was going to live after this.

"He said so, but not directly…"

I clambered back to my feet and began explaining everything from the storyline I knew about the Bloodmaw Goblins to Yx.

"Hoh. So, you claim to be from a future timeline of this world, and that after meeting both Ark and I, he had passed the Origin Blood to you, and that was when you were reborn here in the present... your past as you are now?"

"Pretty much. According to what I saw in that place in the future, I was supposed to die today. I thought I was going to earlier, but Ebony…"

"Bah. Fate changes as often as a goblin takes a shit. I can feel the life force inside of you, little goblin. You will not be dying anytime soon… unless you choose to seek it out yourself."

"That's good. Ebony might be sad if I died."

"Can you walk?"

"Y-yeah."

"Then let's continue our talk as we do."

Both Yx and I continued walking, and it asked me more question about Ark Wyze.

"So, in the future he has become a Bloodmaw in body?"

"Green skin and all. It seems like he can change his appearance with magic. He was deeply mournful at having lost everyone and he blamed himself…"

"Did he mention how the Bloodmaw met their end?"

"He only touched on it, I'm afraid. Something about how enemies came on three sides, Orcs, Shadow Wolves, and Adventurers…"

Yx stopped walking again for a moment and appeared to be pondering something.

"The current state of the tribe should be able to fend off the Black-claws, but if the Orcs dare disobey my benevolence and cross the eastern stream, that may be an issue. Should the older children band together with the Guardian, Stone-seeker, and Tree-chopper, they should be enough to handle them. But Adventurers coming through the night forest… that may pose a problem. It seems like I will have to pay attention to the movements of the human settlements outside of my domain from now on…"

Sounds of fighting were coming from up ahead. The shrill scream of goblin could be heard.

"Little goblin… Mint, was it? I trust you are wise enough to keep what we have spoken about secret. Never let my name escape your lips as anything other than Great Protector, and tell no-one of your future knowledge, not your sisters, not Old One, and not Ark. Live freely as a Bloodmaw, and enjoy the… story that will unfold."

I nodded profusely.

"Good. Now that our conversation has ended, let's see what troubles come to the wonderful Husband I've gone through so much trouble to procure for my children…"

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