The Redmane village did not sleep. Even long after the oath before the sacred flame, drums still thundered, chants shook the trees, and the fires cast shadows that danced across fur and fang. Goblins, overwhelmed but elated, found themselves pulled into contests of strength, drinking matches, and storytelling.
But for Luminus, the night had only just begun.
At dawn, when the fires had dwindled to glowing embers, horns sounded again. One by one, the visiting chiefs gathered in the central square: Highclaw the bear, Stormstripe the tigress, and others who had arrived during the feast. Now joined by raven-headed twins from the northern marsh, and tusked boar-men whose arrival shook the ground.
Kaelen stood tall, his mane combed into braids, and raised his claw. "By the flame's judgment, goblins are kin. But if we would stand together, the clans must speak as one. Let the council begin."
The chiefs formed a ring, goblins standing nervously at its heart.
Stormstripe's eyes flicked to Luminus, her voice sharp as claws. "Unity with outsiders weakens us. You would bind yourselves to creatures the humans call vermin. What happens when their kings march south, and they see you stand beside slimes and goblins?"
The raven-headed twins cawed in unison, eerie and unsettling. "The humans already march. Their banners gather at the riverlands. If we squabble, we will all be ground beneath their iron boots."
A hush swept the square. Even the Redmanes shifted uneasily.
Luminus let the silence linger before speaking, his voice calm, resonant. "Humans see you as beasts. They see us as filth. Do you truly believe their swords will spare one and not the other? If we are to survive, it will be together — or not at all."
Some scoffed, but others nodded. Highclaw rumbled approval, his massive arms crossed. "The slime speaks truth. I have smelled human steel too many times to doubt it. If they march, they march for all our heads."
Unbeknownst to the council, their words did not remain within the circle of fire.
Far from the forest, in a stone keep overlooking the riverlands, human banners fluttered. A knight in black steel leaned over a map marked with beastmen territories. Scouts knelt before him, feathers still clinging to their cloaks.
"My lord," one hawk-headed spy rasped, "the oath was spoken. The clans stir. The goblins… they are no longer alone."
The knight's eyes narrowed, his gauntleted fingers tapping the map. "Then the forest festers into something dangerous. The king will wish to hear of this."
He turned, his cloak whispering across the stone. "If goblins can unite beasts, what stops them from uniting more? Send word to the capital. Let the church prepare its fires. This… cannot be allowed to grow."
Seeds of Division
Back at the council, the debates grew heated.
The boar-chief slammed his tusks together. "We are strong enough without goblins. Why should we bleed for them when humans come?"
Mira, standing at Luminus's side, snapped back. "You'll bleed anyway. Better with us than alone!"
Stormstripe hissed. "And when they betray you? When the fire's oath proves nothing more than trickery?"
Luminus's tendrils tightened, glowing faintly. "The oath binds me. It does not bind you. If distrust lingers, then let your claws remain sharp. I will not demand blind faith. Only the chance to stand beside you when the storm comes."
Highclaw's booming laugh broke the tension. "Hah! The slime has more spine than some of you furred fools. I say we test this alliance, not with words, but with deeds."
The council murmured, chiefs glancing at one another. At last, Kaelen nodded. "Then it is agreed. A trial of unity. If goblins and beastmen together can withstand it, the clans will rally as one."
"What trial?" Mira whispered uneasily.
Kaelen's gaze turned grim. "The trial of the Ironwood."
As the council dissolved into preparations, Luminus lingered by the embers of the sacred flame. His core pulsed slowly, heavy with thought. The oath had been accepted, but whispers of doubt still clung to every word spoken.
And now, beyond the forest, human armies stirred, their knights and priests already sharpening blades.
The world would not wait for them to grow stronger. War was coming — and the goblins' place in it had only just begun.