Midas, especially, looked to have had one too many drinks...
He was slurring his words, his cheeks blushing red, and his eyes were dreary.
"Let's raise our cups once again for this night!" Midas suddenly stood, almost stumbling and falling.
The goblins all stared at him.
"This is not a day of ending. It is one of the beginnings! A new life will come to all who follow me, a grander life. A life of winning!" He cried in delight as he thrust his hand in the air--his drink spilling slightly.
A roar of cheer and excitement echoed through the crowd of goblins.
"Yeahh!!"
They raised their wooden cups full of ale.
"Rahhh!"
"To victory!"
"To a grander path!"
"To our new master!"
...
Midas chuckled, plopping back onto his rear.
"Master," Yemo's voice called out to him.
Midas glanced over, placing his hand on Yemo's shoulder. "You can call me Midas." He said.
Yemo's eyelids opened slightly. His pupils glimmered with admiration, "I see... my lord."
Midas was a bit taken aback by this.
"I wanted to give you something... as a token of my newfound loyalty to you," Yemo said, reaching into his waist pocket.
Midas looked down with suspense and intrigue.
Yemo pulled out two objects. One looked to be a flat plate made of platinum steel. It was hexagonal in shape, and on one side, it had a purple circle.
The purple circle was made of a pasty yet hard object. It resembled shiny plastic, unable to be removed by mere hands or strength.
The other object looked to be a platinum spike with a circle-ring handle at the end. It was no longer than six inches, its tip as pointy as a blade of grass.
"This is the heirloom of my clan. Something we retrieved from a treasure horde long ago. Something that means a lot to me..." Yemo said, handing the two objects over.
Midas slowly grabbed them. "Are you sure you want to do this?" He asked.
"I... do not know. But I want to trust that you are someone I can follow, my lord. I have sworn my life to you. What kind of servant would I be if I were to selfishly withhold a powerful tool from you?" Yemo said with resolve.
Midas was swayed by this resolve, but more so by the word "powerful."
He glanced down at the objects in his hands with even more intrigue, "So what is it?"
"A tracking module." Yemo quickly answered, "The purple paste on the plate can only be removed with the magic enscribed in the platinum pick. With it, a symbol can be carved and tracked for an unknown distance. As far as I can tell, the distance is infinite."
Midas was amazed, 'This... could be incredibly useful.' He thought.
"Thank you, Yemo. I'll make sure it doesn't go to waste." He nodded.
The night continued until morning rose over the horizon.
By that time, Midas and the gang of goblins were already almost prepared to depart.
They were heading home. To Midas's base, at the bottom of the island of Demadur.
They were all groggy. Especially Midas, who had blacked out last night and run out naked, screaming: "I will be the king!"
It was great entertainment at the time, but the hangover it caused quickly made it not so worthwhile.
"Is everyone prepared!?" Midas shouted into the crowd of goblins standing before him. Yemo and Gool stood at the forefront.
Everyone nodded in a resounding flutter.
"Yemo, what is the current count of men in our ranks?" Midas asked.
"Excluding you, my lord, approximately fifty-two goblins." Yemo quickly replied.
Midas smiled, "Good... that should be good enough." He turned, "Lead the way, Gool!"
And just like that, the gang was on the move.
Thankfully, an intense danger did not loom over them. Goblins were some of the slyest creatures on Fell-Terra, being born with the ability to be quick and silent.
Their feet were padded, lightening their footsteps. Their bodies were small and green, perfectly able to blend into their environment.
Luckily, the goblin company that Midas was with was all skilled in the art of traveling.
Although there was much more risk than moving through the forest with only himself and Gool, Midas was glad it seemed they didn't have to face something they couldn't defeat.
As they moved, days passed.
Each night, groups of five or so goblins made small, almost invisible base locations spread out across a few hundred meters. Still, each basecamp was very close to the other, allowing a web that made regrouping very easy.
By the end of the first week, the company had already made its way past the War Pass and was near the center of Demadur.
"This is where we have to be most careful." Gool exclaimed, "Orcs patrol these paths the same as any other beast. When we passed through last time, it was only the two of us, so there wasn't much of a threat. Now, however, we must all be on high alert at all times."
Midas nodded his head, turning back. "Tell your men to keep an eye out and signal if there is any danger." He said to Yemo, who quickly began to spread the information.
Before he even reached the middle of the line of goblins, however, a scream suddenly sounded from the very rear.
"H-help!" It was a goblin's distressed cry.
Everyone immediately turned and braced themselves.
Midas and Gool didn't hesitate, following Yemo as they reached the end of the line.
Midas's eyes widened with shock as he saw two towering figures standing a few dozen meters away from the rear of the goblin company.
One was holding a goblin up by the neck. The goblin was squirming like a bug attempting to scratch his way to freedom.
"Orcs..." Midas muttered, stopping at the rear of the group.
Gool and Yemo nodded, stopping beside him.
'They aren't immediately attacking us... and they are also clad in mounds of armor. There must be an ulterior motive. This isn't a normal attack.' Midas quickly surmised.
The orc that was holding the goblin stepped forward, raising the goblin higher in the air as he squeezed his neck.
The goblin began to turn blue as veins popped out of his forehead. He kicked for life.
"We are the six under the one!" The orc shouted, his grip on the goblin getting tighter.
Midas furrowed his eyebrows. 'Six?' His eyes darted left and right before narrowing back onto the orc.
"Let that goblin go at once." He said in a low tone.
The orc smiled, staring back into Midas's eyes before crushing the goblin's neck in one tight squeeze. An eye popped out of a socket as the goblin's body went limp like a rag doll.
Midas immediately grabbed the hilts of his daggers, "You fucker..."