Adall, in the guise of Groggle, had finally returned to the goblin hamlet.
He carried on his back the body of one of the trolls he had killed, as well as the head of the iron-maned bear chief. He had brought them back as proof of his success in the mission he had been entrusted with. However, the atmosphere in the hamlet was strangely heavy even before he had spoken of the deaths of Gurtruk and the others.
This was due to the rumor spreading that he had died during this mission. There was also news of the death of Snikkle and his makeshift team who had attacked Grimgar, making the climate even more morose.
Indeed, while they had managed to corner the goblin champion at the cost of more than half of their lives, Tix and Rugnar, who had also secretly left the hamlet to observe Groggle's presumed strength, had stumbled upon them by chance. They flew to Grimgar's rescue, massacring the remaining hobgoblins.
"Groggle? Impossible!"