The Veteran's Lament

"You lot better not be lying to me. I'm maybe old, but I am not senile." Pagasa pointed at his wrinkles. They were barely visible to the brothers. In fact, he looked remarkably young under the soft blue light emanating from the platform.

"It's true, though." Sun said, "We just found it on the side of the road."

Pagasa rubbed his chin, "I guess I can investigate the area when we get there." Once the platform landed, the goblins got off, and the platform deactivated. Pagasa guided the brothers to their room. He left them two water basins and then left to give them time to get themselves in order.

Pagasa went to the kitchen and prepared their dinner. He grabbed a bag of coal inside the kitchen's side room next to the stove and dumped half the coal inside the coal stove. Pagasa snapped his fingers, and the coals sparked.

Soon the fire grew bigger from its fuel. Pagasa closed off the firebox with an iron lid, locking it in place with hooks on each end. While the temperature continues to rise, Pagasa went to another side room opposite to the stove and sink. This side room was a large cooler with large ice blocks covering its walls. Pagasa took a large frozen brisket and placed it on the sink as he defrosts the chunk with warm water.

Once finished, the stove's firebox was now hot enough to cook on. Pagasa cut the brisket in small sizes before he placed them on the pan. He glazed the pan with red wine and seasoned the meat with salt, black pepper, and kutna - a dwarven seasoning similar to nutmeg. Then he added spinach and wild mushrooms.

Sun and Smoke finished organizing their stuff and washing their bodies right on time for dinner. The kitchen was filled with the sweet aroma of the grilled meat and mushrooms. "That smells delicious!" Sun excitedly rushed to the dining table.

"Hey!" Pagasa yelled, "Dinner is not ready. We still need to set the table."

"You got it, boss!" Sun went to the cupboards and grabbed four plates. He set them up carefully as not to ruin the beautifully knitted table cover. "Woah, are those flowers? Whoever made these sure is talented." The table covers featured a field of lively flowers in different vibrant colors.

"I knitted those," Pagasa said proudly.

"Really?"

"You doubt me? I have very careful hands." Pagasa took one of the plates Sun placed on the table, placed all of the grilled brisket and mushrooms on it, and placed it back on the table's center. He grabbed a pack of roti from the drawer and divided them evenly to amongst them. "Only delicate hands could make something as beautiful as those," Pagasa said softly.

Pagasa sat down and watched the brothers devour their food with their hands. The brothers showed gratitude and appreciation for the food with their satisfied faces and moans. Food was Pagasa's least proud skill. He had to learn to cook by himself after the war, and he learned more after years of living alone, as the only goblin with a proper mind and soul. But watching Sun and Smoke enjoy the dinner he cooked made him proud, especially now.

After dinner, the brothers went to sleep, but not Pagasa. He sat in the living room, staring at the ceiling. This will be the second time he leaves this place, and he hopes it will be his last. Sun shows clear differences between himself and Prince. He is willing to take detours if it meant keeping others safe, but he isn't as calm and collective as Prince. Sun was risk-taker; he acts first and thinks later. If he listened to Pagasa, he would know that the test required to remove the heavy mana from the sword, not to recycle it so it could be lighter.

There was also Smoke. He was keener to listen to his lesson, but Smoke was not looking to become a leader. Pagasa assumed the brother would become rivals, but Smoke was far more concerned about other people than the prospects of learning and becoming king. Prince never asked about Pagasa or the town. It caught him off guard when Smoke worried about the dwarves missing his presence. A king needs a man to push him to his limits and catch him when he stumbles, and Smoke seems to fit those requirements. Pagasa only wished they arrived much earlier.

When the morning light reaches the heart-shaped mountain, the town rose from its slumber and began to move. The miners ate their hearty breakfast before heading to the mines. The shepherds moved their calico cattle herd to fresh and vibrant pastures. The colorful cows grazed on the purple and yellow grass growing on the mountainside.

Orez arranged for the goblins' transport with Manny as their coachman. Pagasa insisted that they will travel on their own. Their wagon had a small tent as a roof, and they were pulled by white bull two times larger than the calico ox. "Why didn't you let Manny guide us?" Sun asked, "He's not much of a conversation starter since he's deaf, but he seemed pretty cool."

"He's not deaf." Pagasa answered, "He's mute but not deaf. How do you think they found out about the gun you were carrying?"

"I knew it!" Smoke locked Sun's head around his arm and burned his knuckle on Sun's head.

"I'm sorry!" Sun yelled.

"Bahaha!" Pagasa laughed at the brothers.

Sun wrestled out for the armlock and retaliated by grabbing and throwing it Smoke's face. This only exacerbated the situation, and the two continued to wrestle on the wagon. Pagasa would have been concerned if it was Prince and another goblin, but he could tell the brother meant no harm with each blow. But Pagasa still needs to stop them because their old carriage could not take their rowdiness any longer.

They rested on the first town they reached but did not stay long. They got back on the road as quickly as possible. They reached the border at night. They got off their wagon and gave them to the guards.

Pagasa followed the brothers while they lead him on the path. The bright yellow light coming from their palm gave them the vision they needed in the dark night. "Do many people travel through here?" Pagasa asked.

"Apparently," Smoke said, "Adventures go through here to get to the ruined cities north. Once there, they would set up camps and send parties to the cities and loot."

"Loot?" Pagasa scratched his bald head, "What do they hope to find in the cities? It's not like it's filled with treasures anymore?"

"But that's the thing. They are filled with treasures." Sun said, "My mom told me that the adventures would return with bags full of antique jewelry and gold coins."

"Weird. And you found the gun along the path."

"Yes, sir!"

"So strange."

"Do you have to keep saying because we already it's strange?"

"Bahaha! Yes, I do, and so I did."

When they reached the fork they headed north. After a couple of walking through the dark, they reached the spot where they discovered the weapon. Pagasa scanned the area for any other signs of abnormalities with his purple glowing eyes.

He managed to find a silver pin stuck underneath the trunks of a tree. Pagasa took it out and examined it under Sun's glowing palm. "Intriguing."

"What is it?" Sun asked.

"It's a Cardinal seal pin. They are worn by Cardinal Assistants, also known as High Deacons."

"Cardinals? Deacons? So what, they're part of a church?"

"The Church of Mahalia. Also known as the Holy Aigua House. One of the superpowers of the world."

"What is the church doing here?"

"Who knows? But let's keep going. I'd like to reach your tribe village before morning comes."

They continued their journey, heading west from the secret path. They traversed through the forest with the starry night watching over them. The night owls and sang to them through the night. Before the brink of dawn came to brighten the land, the three goblins reached their village. The Razin tribe's imposing walls and intimidating cannons pointed in their direction, but the brother knew they were just fake illusions to ward off unwelcome visitors. But for Pagasa, he saw it differently. He knew it was fake, but it revealed the potential.