Exchange

Giznok moved slowly along a desert path towards the edge of the Valley of Trials. It was just past dawn, and he was still half asleep, but something urgent awaited him. He walked silently; his footsteps would be very noticeable in the narrow valley, even though he was a short Goblins. Half the sun hung overhead, its light enough for him to discern his surroundings. The wind whistled, but otherwise, the mountains were silent.

Just as he was about to reach the mouth of the valley, he heard another sound—the sound of pacing back and forth.

It was an Orcs, leaning against the stone wall, panting heavily, looking around; he looked rather menacing. Giznok knew he was late, but a good night's sleep was crucial for an engineer.

"Hey!" the Goblins called out.

"I'm here," the Orcs replied.

Giznok nodded; he had already spotted the Orcs.

"Aren't you the master of that Druids and the female thief?" Giznok rubbed his eyes and said, "Did you send me the message?"

"I am Regar Wrath of the Earth," the Orcs replied. "I thought you would pay more attention to Lo'gosh than to Broll and Valeera."

"Yes," the Goblins replied, patting his short trousers as if striking a negotiator's pose. "So what brings you to me?" he asked slowly, as if he held the upper hand.

"Very good." Regar glanced around to make sure there were no eavesdroppers. "Based on my observation, you are not a slave owner."

Why do you say that?

Regar smiled. "I've never heard of you before, that's the first reason. The second is that Goblins wouldn't do the work of enslaving masters, because training a gladiator requires a lot of money, not to mention the high risk of dueling performances. If they're not careful, the gladiators could die on the battlefield. And Goblins always value risk in business."

"It seems you know a lot about Goblins, big guy." Giznok nodded. "Please continue."

"I won't beat around the bush. I want to buy your Undead gladiator. I can offer you a good price, enough for you to pursue a less risky profession," Regar said calmly, bowing slightly to better observe the Goblins. "What do you think?"

"Very good suggestion," Giznok replied, unable to hide his smile. "How much are you planning to offer?"

"One thousand gold coins," Regar said Valiant. He guessed the Goblins would try every means to raise the price, so he had planned to offer more money from the start to shut the short green-skinned man up. "That price should be reasonable, right?"

Surprisingly, Giznok waved his hand to indicate that it was fine, saying, "The price is right." He pointed out, "However, I can offer a discount."

Regar thought he had misheard, and the more surprised he was, the brighter the Goblins's smile became. "Are you kidding me? You better be."

"Goblins never do business at a loss," Giznok implied.

"Then what else do you want..." The Orcs blinked, suddenly realizing that the little guy had other conditions. "Just say what else you want," he added. "No need to beat around the bush, I've heard about the Goblins' greed."

Giznok considered his words, rubbing his hands together absentmindedly. "Thank you for the compliment. Actually, my price is five hundred gold coins and two of your three gladiators."

"What!" Regar slammed his fist on the valley wall, speaking in a threatening tone—perhaps to mask his disgust for Goblins —but it only seemed like a threat. "Two!" He deliberately slowed his speech, letting the two words freeze in the silence of dawn.

"Your price is too high."

"Oh?" Giznok raised his chin and said slowly, "I don't think so. Your three gladiators have all failed, their reputations have plummeted, and they are of no use to you anymore, while I can realize their last value."

"Value? What value?"

"Their intrinsic value... I want the human and the Druids." The Goblins laughed again, leaning back against the rock, clearly pleased with his control of the situation. "Lo'gosh can be my bodyguard; he should be easier to control than my Undead. The Druids can transform into different forms for people to admire," he said confidently. "He can fetch a good price."

Wrath of the Earth considered it for a moment. He could have let the two gladiators use their respective "specialties" as the Goblins suggested, but that would be dishonorable. Besides, exchanging Lo'gosh and Broll for a stronger gladiator was a good deal; he could easily recruit another Broll even stronger than Broll to replace him. "You've got a good little scheme, little Goblins. I agree. When's the deal?"

"I need to give my gladiators a proper talking-to," Giznok replied, clapping his hands like a child. "You should also say goodbye to your men; the transaction will take place here at Dusk."

"Very good." Regar smiled. "But we'll have to go somewhere else." He pulled a rolled-up parchment from his belt and handed it to Giznok. "This is a map of the area," he explained. "I've marked the trading locations."

The Goblins unfolded the map and studied it. "Yes, the map is very clear."

"Alright." The Orcs glanced at the Goblins, sensing something was off, but couldn't quite put his finger on it. "Then I'll go back to my men," he said after a pause.

The Goblins nodded but remained silent. Regar Wrath of the Earth turned and strode away. For a moment, Giznok considered following him, figuring that the Goblins and swiftness would finish the Orcs off with a single blow—that way, he could directly obtain the three gladiators. But the Witherer forbade him to do so: the Orcs still held value; he might be a crucial guide for the Forsaken's next target.

The Witherer's foresight is almost unmatched. Giznok's inner ambition is fueled by gold coins; this is no lie, everything is part of his plan.

He glanced at the map again; the location marked with a red cross was an oasis in the Barrens.

The Orcs will not betray his promise. He will follow the path marked on the map, and if the path is indeed quick and easy and will not be blocked by the Alliance army, he will keep his word.

Giznok shook his head, rolled up the scroll again, tucked it into his belt, and headed back the path he had come from. He thought to himself that he should go back and report to the Witherer.