A grim procession cut through the swamp.
At its head, a terrified goblin stumbled forward, forced to act as a guide. Behind it walked Aurelion, Rokar, and Rez, their expressions a mixture of determination and exhaustion. In the rear, Krum and Corliss carried a makeshift stretcher crafted from wood and pieces of clothing, upon which lay the still, wounded form of Zura.
Aurelion's mood was as foul as the swamp itself. His entire body ached from the backlash of Limit Breaker, and his patience was worn thin.
"Primordia," he thought with a sneer. "I want nothing more than to stay as far away from it as possible, and now, because of these lizards, I'm walking right towards it. Damn it all."
His gaze swept the murky landscape. "Five petals from a swamp lily, and then I'm free of this cursed place."
Ahead of him, the goblin guide stumbled again, its pace slowing to a crawl.
Without breaking stride, Aurelion struck the goblin's leg hard with the butt of his spear.
The goblin whimpered and fell to the ground. As Rokar and Rez paused, Aurelion stared down at the creature with pure disgust.
"Walk, you filth."
"I... try to walk..." the goblin cried, tears streaming down its face. "...I am so tired."
Aurelion slamming the point of his spear into the earth just inches from the goblin's face.
"Walk or die."
"I don't want to die, don't want to die," it sobbed. "I will walk, but... but you'll kill me even if I take you there, won't you? Won't you?"
"Stop wasting my time," Aurelion said, his voice dangerously low. "If you lead us to the tree, I will grant you your freedom."
The goblin looked up at him, its beady eyes wide with a desperate hope. "You... won't break your word? Right?"
"Don't worry," Aurelion said coldly. "When you lead us there, I will set you free as i said. Now walk!"
The goblin scrambled to its feet and began to walk with a renewed vigor.
Rez moved to walk beside Aurelion. "Are you really going to let it go?" he asked quietly. The goblin in front of them turned its head slightly, listening anxiously.
"Yes," Aurelion confirmed without looking at him. "If it leads us to the World Tree, I will keep my word."
Rez shrugged and glanced at Rokar, who gave a slight nod. "It will not be a problem, I suppose," Rez muttered.
The goblin ahead let out a small, relieved sigh and quickened its pace.
Rez looked back over his shoulder at the stretcher. "At least he's moving faster now," he said to Rokar. "Zura doesn't have much time."
"Let's hope Primordia is willing to help us," Rokar replied, his gaze fixed on the path ahead.
From the back of the group, Corliss spoke up, his voice filled with a conviction the others lacked. "Our ancestors were the first to walk this earth. I am sure our Earth Mother will grant her aid and save one of her daughters."
"I hope so," Rokar said simply.
They continued to follow the goblin while Aurelion, walking in front of them all, frowned.
The goblin led them to the edge of the swamp, which fell away into a deep, dark chasm. Twisted vines snaked their way down to the cliff.
"The Black Continent Chasm," Rokar grunted. He turned to the goblin. "Your nest is on the edge of the chasm?"
"Yes, yes!" the goblin squeaked. "Nest is secret, safe!"
From the back of the group, Krum growled. "Not anymore."
The goblin flinched and looked at Aurelion. "You won't kill me, right?"
"Shut your mouth and keep moving before you test my patience anymore. We can find the tree without you from here."
Terrified, the goblin immediately pointed with a trembling finger to a narrow, barely visible path winding down the side of the cliff. "This way, this way," it urged, and scrambled down ahead of them.
The others followed. As they descended, Aurelion looked down into the chasm.
"Just like the Shadow Canyon," he thought, "a chasm connecting to the dark continent. The wildlife down there is different from the surface... It's likely the nest of those insect monsters is somewhere down there." He filed the information away and continued to follow the goblin.
They finally reached a narrow cave entrance at the bottom of the path.
"Here, here!" the goblin said, about to rush inside.
"Slowly," Aurelion commanded, his hand shooting out to grab the goblin's arm. The creature froze, turning to him. "If you try anything foolish, I'll kill you. Now walk."
He push it forward, and the group entered the cave in a single line. Rokar was right behind Aurelion.
"There could be goblins inside," Rokar whispered. "We must be careful."
"Their leader is dead, their pets is dead, and their main force has been scattered," Aurelion replied dismissively. "Only the weak remain. They won't dare attack us."
"Yes, yes!" the goblin guide agreed eagerly.
"Shut up and show the way," Aurelion ordered slowly. They pressed on.
From behind Rokar, Rez asked, "Are we not going to attack any goblins we encounter?"
"Our priority is Zura," Rokar said firmly. "Do not engage unless they block our path."
The others nodded in agreement and they continued their advance.
After moving through the dark, narrow passage for some time, they emerged into a wider chamber, dimly lit by the eerie glow of phosphorescent fungi. The chamber branched off into several other passages, and they could see a few shadowy silhouettes flitting in the darkness.
"Krum," Rokar said simply.
The massive lizardman take a deep breath and open his mouth.
"KRRROOOOAR!"
He let out a deafening roar that shook goblins in the cave.
The silhouettes vanished into the various tunnels and then Aurelion push the goblin forward. "Keep moving."
The goblin led them into another passage. This one was also narrow, and after another short journey, they arrived in a brighter space, this one more densely packed with glowing fungi.
In the center of the room sat a crude, ugly throne made of bone, and a few goblins stared at the group with terror before scrambling away.
The goblin guide slowed, distracted by the sight of its kin. Aurelion smacked it on the back of the head. It yelped and hurried on, leading them towards a passage behind the throne.
As they walked past the grotesque seat, Aurelion spoke, his voice laced with disdain. "Don't you think that throne is ugly?"
"Absolutely," Rez smirked. There was a sudden, sharp crack as his tail whipped through the air and smashed the bone throne into pieces.
"That's much better," Aurelion said, pushing the goblin again.
Rez chuckled and followed them.
The passage behind the throne led them deeper into the cave. After a few more minutes of walking, they emerged into a vast cavern.
The ceiling was not visible, nor were the walls. The only source of light came from a single, brilliant point of white light in the center of the immense, silent space.
The group stopped, taking in the scene.
The goblin pointed with its finger at the light. "There," it whispered. "The sacred tree is there."
Aurelion pushed the goblin forward once more.
"You promised!" the goblin cried. "Will you not let me go?"
"I will free you when we are standing next to the tree," Aurelion said. "Now move."
The group moved forward, advancing towards the light.
As they drew closer to the light. Its source became clear. It was indeed a World Tree, but it was nothing like the one in Ulfgard. This one was small, no more than two meters tall, a mere sapling, its glowing white leaves casting a soft, ethereal glow in the vast darkness.
They stopped beside it, staring in bewildered silence. Aurelion's frown deepened.
"This... this is definitely a World Tree," Corliss whispered. "But it's so small."
As he and Krum gently lowered the stretcher carrying Zura, Krum added, "If it's small..."
"...it must be a young tree," Rez finished.
Rokar grabbed the goblin guide by the scruff of its neck, lifting it to his face. "What is the meaning of this, goblin?"
"Tree, tree!" it squeaked. "It's the sacred tree, what's the problem?"
Aurelion stepped in from the side. "How long has this tree been here?"
"It was here when I was born," the goblin stammered. Rokar squeezed the throat a little tighter. "Chief... Chief Grommash evolved shortly after the tree was born."
"When was that?" Aurelion pressed.
"A few winters have passed since the Chief evolved as ı know."
"Then this tree is only a few years old?" Corliss murmured in disbelief.
"So Grommash was also blessed?" Aurelion continued. "What about Skulk?"
"Yes, yes! They were the lucky ones!" the goblin confirmed.
Aurelion turned to look at the small, glowing tree.
"Is this Skulk still alive?" Rokar asked Aurelion.
"Dead," Aurelion replied flatly.
"What do we do?" Rez asked, looking nervously at the tree. "Is Primordia angry with us?"
"That's... impossible," Corliss muttered.
"We're gonna do what we planned," Aurelion said, his voice cutting through their hesitation as he looked at Rokar. "She has no other chance."
Rokar nodded and released the goblin.
"Then... can I go?" the goblin asked, a hopeful tremor in its voice.
"I will keep my word," Aurelion said. "I will set you free."
As a relieved smile spread across the goblin's face, "Thank you, thank you—"
Aurelion's spear moved in through the goblin's head. He wrenched it free as the body collapsed, flicking the spear to cast the blood from its tip.
The other lizardmen stared in stunned silence.
"Weren't you going to set it free?" Rez finally managed to ask.
Aurelion didn't look at him. "I freed its pathetic soul from its filthy body."
"Still, why did you do it?" Corliss demanded, his voice trembling with a mixture of fear and anger. "You killed it before a sacred tree! Primordia clearly blessed them, you've only made her angrier!"
"It's obvious that this filth wasn't blessed," Aurelion retorted coldly. "And you were the one who found the idea of Primordia helping goblins absurd. If Primordia is angry with us, it's already angry because its blessed champions have passed through my hands. Freeing this one would have changed nothing."
He gestured with his head towards the still form on the stretcher. "Have you forgotten that your friend could die at any moment?"
Jolted back to their purpose, Rokar approached Zura. He gently took her hand and reached out to the small tree, wrapping her limp fingers around one of the glowing, wire like leaves.
For a moment, nothing happened.
"Uh..." Rez started, looking around anxiously. "...isn't something supposed to happen?"
Then, a soft light began to emanate from Zura's hand.
Corliss looked at the light with hope and curiosity. "I think something's happening."