Renn and Ruby led the way as they followed the red thread leading to the center of the island. As they stepped into the tree line and off the beach, Chad sighed loudly in relief. He couldn't handle being so close to the water.

When he was in kindergarten, he fell into the lake during a boating trip and nearly drowned. His small body had slid through his life jacket as he tried to get back to the boat. They had barely gotten to him in time. After the incident, he could no longer handle being in or near large bodies of water. When he was near one, he would go into a panic attack that he couldn't stop.

Going into the trees helped alleviate the anxiety from being too close to the large ocean. He refused to even glance back at it as they headed into the trees.

Slowly following the thread through the thick trees, they came to a small trail. It reminded Drake of the deer trails found in the mountains. It was in areas the deer would frequently travel in order to get to the water or a grazing area.

The trees were just as thick as those on the mainland. Eerie whistles from unknown birds echoed through the trees. Drake looked around. He didn't see any signs of life. He knew there were, though; it was just invisible to them.

Using his magic vision, he scanned the trees. He found no signs of life, not even through his enhanced eyes. He frowned. He hated it when there were beasts that could hide themselves, even from his magic vision. He could feel it; they were being watched.

An eerie feeling washed through them.

"I know that feeling, it feels like in the tunnels," Mike mumbled quietly, not wanting to be heard.

"I know. I think one of them followed us in the tunnels. The feeling disappeared just before we finished. I think they were timing it so that as soon as we finished, they would take the people of Draco Town," Drake whispered back. Then added. "Prepare for battle. I think we're about to be ambushed."

As one, they pulled out their weapons, preparing for battle. It didn't matter, though. Drake kept following the thread, trying to get as close to the people of Draco Town as he could. He needed to teleport them all back to town.

"Have you had problems with the goblins before?" Drake whispered to his father. He wanted to know if they were the same as the gargoyles. There were a lot of problems with them.

Drake Sr shook his head. They stay on their island. I can't even remember a time when we had to deal with them.

As they walked, Drake thought for a moment before he spoke. His instincts told him that they were part of the dimension. He couldn't kill them unless attacked. He knew that was going to be a problem.

"Don't kill them unless they attack you first," Drake whispered. "When they attack, only kill those whose bloodlust you can feel. If you don't feel they are trying to kill you, then knock them out.

"I'm not sure I understand," Drake Sr asked. "Didn't they show enough by taking everyone from the town?"

"I have a feeling," Drake started. "It's something about the note they left in the tavern. We just need to keep following the thread to get as close to the people as we can, but I think we will be ambushed soon."

As if conjured through his words, a large group of goblins rushed out of the trees. The one in the lead, their leader, yelled out a war cry that echoed through the trees. The others cheered in response, raising their weapons high as they yelled back.

Drake quickly scanned the trees, trying to find others. The group in front of them was the only one. The leader of the goblin ambush went straight for Drake. He slashed his sword, aiming for his chest. Calmly, Drake blocked it, slamming his fist in the creature's face.

The goblin yelped in pain, but got up quickly, preparing to attack again.

Drake could see the others fighting, subduing the goblins as they continued through the attackers. None of them felt bloodlust from the goblins.

Drake continued to fight the leader. It appeared he was quicker than the others. Their swords clashed with a high-pitched clang, the goblin's sword breaking. The pieces crumbled to the dirt, creating a gentle melody as they hit the ground.

The leader stepped back, looking at his sword in shock. He looked up at Drake, then turned and ran, leaving his allies behind. Drake wondered what that was all about.

"Leave them; let's go," Drake ordered, continuing to follow the thread. This time, much faster. He was beginning to jog.

The goblins lay in a heap, knocked out from the fight. Drake didn't see what happened. All he knew was that the one he was fighting, when the goblin's sword broke, it shocked him, causing him to run.

As he ran, he sliced bushes and branches out of his way. His eyes glowed brightly, looking for signs of life. The farther to the center of the island he got, the more he could find. The goblin's energy was tan. There was a cluster in the center of the island. They were surrounding an even larger cluster of white energy. He had found the people. He just hoped that the goblin running back to their camp didn't put the people in danger.

He ran faster.

"They're up ahead! I can see them. The goblins are surrounding them," Drake called back to his group as he continued to run.

He didn't stop until the goblins were in front of him.

Without a thought. Drake saw the people of Draco Town in his mind. He pulled his staff and slammed it into the ground. They disappeared in a flash of bright green light, leaving only the goblins.

{Quest Complete: Save the people of Draco Town}

{Draco Town's lives lost: Zero)

{Goblin lives lost: Zero}

{Quest reward: *** }

Drake was trying to figure out what the quest reward meant as he stared at the goblins. The goblins stared back. No one would say anything for a long time. Some of them looked at where the humans had been but vanished only seconds before, then back at Drake and his group. None of them seemed to know what to do.

Drake's father and his cohort stayed silent. They wondered what was really going on.

Drake's own cohort stayed silent as well, trusting that Drake knew what to do. He always did. His instincts were outstanding. They all watched in silence, waiting for Drake to do something.

The silence lingered in the air as if it were solid.

Sighing deeply, it was Drake who finally spoke. "Don't test me again," he sneered; his eyes glowing brighter as he spoke. "Putting innocent lives in danger is not something that I can forgive."

There were whispers in the large group of goblins as Drake waited. He refused to turn his back until he knew without a doubt that it was safe to do so. He watched the group intently, waiting for something to happen. After a few moments, there was movement in the group of goblins.

A much taller goblin stepped forward, leaving the group behind him. He bowed low. "We test." He said calmly. "Bad past, not want again."

Behind them, the attackers came out of the trees. Renn and Ruby turned and watched the creatures pass. Renn growled low, causing them to speed up and run all the way to the others, giving her a wide berth, afraid she would attack them.

Drake ignored Renn. He knew she knew what to do. "This isn't the past. This is the present," Drake pointed out.

The leader spoke again. "We test to have past not repeat. I am Grak. I lead here." He bowed again deeply. "We ally with you. All goblins ally with you." He said proudly.

Drake studied them for a moment. "Why?" he asked, just as calm as Grak. His gaze did not waver from the goblin in front of him. He knew that the others would keep an eye on the rest.

"We test. You do not harm us. You save humans quickly. We like. Good heart. We ally with good heart, master heir," Grak stated. He bowed again. All the other goblins bowed with him this time.

Drake smiled inwardly, but didn't show it on his face. He watched them for several moments before he said anything to the goblin who was declaring that he and his people were allies. "Accepted." That was all he said.

Immediately, the goblin's dark eyes began to glow green, showing them all as allies with Drake.

{Quest reward complete: Goblin Allies obtained.}

"Don't test me again… And leave innocent lives out of it," Drake stated, before slamming his staff into the ground, transporting his group back to Draco Town.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.