For the next two months of travel, I tried to stabilize the group as much as I could, mediating conflicts whenever they arose and taking care of my own safety. At the same time, my interest turned to the language and the Green Blood tribe; investigated every settlement we found along the way.
We cleaned several over these months. None were strong enough to seriously challenge us, but each encounter served to increase our combat experience. We don't venture deep into the forest; We always head south, without making any turns.
Now, sitting on top of a small rock, I finished drawing the runes I had found in my notebook. Each stroke was precise, almost realistic, showing their three-dimensional structure.
During this time, I was able to understand the language of the goblins. Its structure was so simple that, in my opinion, even a child would be able to speak.
Now, however, I was trying to understand the purpose of the altar. There were so many things that just didn't make sense.
The first of them: who taught this to the goblins? As far as my studies went, they didn't have enough advanced intelligence to create something like this on their own.
The second: for what purpose was the altar built? The essence he stored inside was much purer than the one he exuded outwards. What would be the purpose of keeping something so powerful in there, only to release something lower?
The third: what was the source of energy? In my mental world, the rune of thought manifestation had as its source the fire of the soul. But the goblin runes used on that altar... There was no clear power source. At least, nothing that I could detect right now.
There were so many unanswered questions, and each one only added to my sense of discomfort.
I had only one theory. The first was that it had been given to the goblins by something smarter than them—perhaps... a mutation within the species itself. And the cradle of pure essence on the altar? Perhaps it would serve to feed an embryo with this mutation. The entire existence of that altar seemed built just to maintain the life of this goblin.
But what would this goblin be?
I hit my chin with the quill pen, leaving a slight ink mark.
(Hoo... Would this embryo be able to use magic?) The possibility formed in my mind: a goblin capable of using magic, capable of developing consciousness. This would fully explain the reason for the existence of the altar.
(But it's still just a theory. A thought. I can't confirm it... I closed the book, which was only half written, and put it in my bag, concentrating on what surrounded me.
We were in front of a cave surrounded by vegetation. At the entrance, an arched door stood out, with a giant stone face etched into its surface.
There were no trees nearby, just a withered plain of stones and yellow grass. Crows nested in the rocks, and the forest looked like a distant green dot, almost a mile away, lonely in the midst of the desolate expanse of yellow.
"So, any discoveries?" I asked after finishing my note, finally managing to divert my focus to another goal.
The others were scattered near the door. Orisis hit her with a hammer, with all her might, but not a splinter came out, and the annoying sound of the impact filled the space.
They fell silent when they heard me.
"The head is finally back! Hey, help me remove that door out of the way. We're in Bruma, right? We must enter through the door" someone said.
I looked at them for a few seconds. Everyone had a tired expression, as if they were taking turns trying to break it.
I approached the door and noticed characters written on it.
Welcome to Bruma. It was written in Loppus.
"It's a welcome message... they are not stopping us. We just need to figure out how to open the door" I thought aloud. It made sense: if they didn't want us to come in, they wouldn't have put the message in.
"Good! I knew you would use that big brain of yours to our advantage. So... How do we open this up?" Ermmind held her saber, with a murderous look of evident impatience.
I looked at the door. No clue.
"Well, let's see..." I mumbled, studying every detail.
"I have no idea" I blurted out, and I could see everyone's expression drop with my answer.
"So we travel for months to be stuck out here? We lost a lot of time" someone grumbled, impatiently.
"Yes, there should be someone to welcome us" another murmured, frustrated.
"I think there must be some secret. Head... use your head, try to figure it out" Ermmind said, crossing her arms, hoping I had the solution.
They started to get insecure, angry. I knew that this was not a good sign, considering the nature of each one.
I reached out and touched the surface of the door. A shiver ran down my spine, and a faint familiar feeling enveloped me. There was something there, nearby, but I couldn't identify what.
Suddenly, I turned around. My dark eyes locked on a small crow, standing on a rock. He watched us from the side, with a strange and terrifying look.
"Are you the gatekeeper?" I asked in the Loppus language, my voice low and wary.
The other crows flapped their wings and flew, leaving only the one in place. He turned to us, showing no fear like the others, keeping his gaze penetrating.
"Newcomers, new blood, young people" his deep voice resounded, making everyone take a step back. It was impossible to believe that this crow could speak.
They began to get angry. They didn't understand the words—it was a different language—but the creature spoke clearly.
Ermmind was red with anger. He had spent hours knocking on that door like an idiot, and the creature had never received them.
Ermmind and the others went ahead, beginning to chatter with the creature. I just sighed and turned my attention to the door. Curious, I wanted to understand how it worked.
After some time, Ermmind returned, accompanied by his gang. But something was wrong—there was shit stuck in his head. Crow coconut.
"Head, let's get there to talk to that crow, resolve a conflict. You go as a translator" he said, full of confidence.
I looked at the crow. The creature was already scraping its claws on the ground, and I sighed inwardly. I regretted not having gone sooner; It was obvious that the raven couldn't speak anything but Loppus, and these idiots obviously didn't have a clue about Loppus.
"Translator of what, brother? What happened?" I asked, and Ermmind's expression was instantly furious.
"That crow may be clever, but it's a filthy one!" he grumbled. "We went to talk to him and he threw shit in my face! I want to go get satisfaction before I teach him a lesson" he continued, clearly angry.