Golgarn stumbled forward on his short legs. He was tired. So very tired. Every step took effort, even though his strength and vitality were his highest stats.

It had been weeks since he had run from the mountain base that the Scyrric had conquered. Even before the mountain had been out of his sight, he had heard the alarms and screams. It was pure luck that he hadn't been targeted by the hostile Scyrric and had reached a distance that he felt safe from pursuit.

Unfortunately, even though he escaped that hostile situation, the peril hadn't ended. There had been monsters to run from, animals to fight, and combative races. Golgarn had assumed that his status as an Unklarn would have given him some protection, maybe even enticing other races to shelter and feed him in exchange for a bit of armor and weapon repair. That wasn't how it went.

As soon as he entered other territory, they would swarm him. A few attacked him on sight, and he had to use all his might to run, while others did converse with him, but they kicked him out after hearing about what happened at his mountain. No one wanted to cross the Scyrric.

When he left, Golgarn assumed that even if he didn't find anyone willing to liberate the Unklarn mountain base, he would at least have options for work and survival. Then maybe after the races left this world to the Scyrric, he could use their worlds to portal back to his own. That he couldn't even find the possibility of refuge had left him in a bad spot.

The further he traveled from the base, the more concerning his situation became. He had been taught all about the Unklarn Pact and the other races participating in this world. What to expect in this world had been drilled into his head. None of it mattered, now that he was here.

Golgarn sighed. He was out of food. Even water had been sparce. The sun was setting. This world had rather short cycles, and too much direct sun for a race used to working inside mountains. For this night, Golgarn had no idea where he would sleep, like many of the nights since he had escaped.

The mission felt hopeless. Saving his brethren, killing that nasty Scyrric, they were pipe dreams. Even escape still felt unachievable with the treatment he had received while he traveled. He was so dirty that he wouldn't be surprised if people thought he was one of those Telmapalus muck men. Of course, he had never heard of a Telmapalus as short as an Unklarn.

With hunger rumbling his stomach and fatigue clouding his mind, Golgarn nearly missed a danger. He brought his foot forward to step but stopped mid stride. Then he pulled his foot back.

He stood still and turned his head to take in his surroundings. With his brow furrowed, Golgarn got on the ground. He put his face down and looked at the grass in front of him. Then he set both his hand and ear against the ground.

With a sniff of uncertainty, Golgarn knelt. He unfastened his large pack and dropped it next to him. Out of a pouch from his belt he took a square device. It was wooden with thin metal plates layered on each side. Runes were precisely etched on each metal layer on every side. Different colored liquids and powders filled the grooves of the runes.

Golgarn opened a pocket on his pack. He took out a small crystal. It had a very coarse shape, but when Golgarn slid it into a diagonal hole in the corner of the cube, it slid in easily. Then the runes lit up.

The cube was rotated a few times until Golgarn found the side he wanted. He turned the topmost metal plate. Then the topmost rune glowed. With surprise, Golgarn hopped to his feet and once more looked around in concern.

"This be a problem," he muttered to no one.

Then he held the cube on his palm and moved it around him. He pointed it in different directions and the intensity of the glow faded or grew. When he turned in the direction he had come from, it was dim. Pointing it ahead made it glow brightly. He angled it 180 degrees in the front, and all directions glowed bright.

"I almost stepped in this territory. It be a powerful one too," he commented to himself. Not having a companion to speak with had been a lonely time. "It be large and well powered. Maybe a territory with so much success wouldn't mind me spending a few nights in exchange for some smithing. Or maybe they got so big from killing and will see me dead for crossing them. Hm."

Golgarn pondered it for several minutes. The shadows stretched noticeably as he considered the situation. In the end he pulled out a circular wooden chip. One side had his name carved into it and the other side said Unklarn.

"Name I go forward. People I turn back."

He tossed the disc into the air. It flipped over and over before he caught it. Then he checked his palm. The disc showed his name.

"Let's see if I be lucky or dead."

It didn't even take thirty seconds of walking before Golgarn was forced to stop in his tracks. A display appeared next to him and a young voice spoke.

"Halt and identify yourself!"

"Sorry to disturb, lad," Golgarn said to the voice in what he hoped was a friendly way, unable to see a face on the display. "I be Golgarn of the Unklarn. I invoke the terms of the Pact of Braundicorg for safe passage."

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There was silence for a moment. The voice then quietly spoke with others, but Golgarn couldn't hear what was said. Then the original voice came back.

"We are unfamiliar with your race or that pact you mentioned. Stay where you are and a patrol will arrive in the next twenty minutes."

"I thought all races knew of the Pact. If'in you don't, no need to worry. I'll just head back and be on me way," said Golgarn as he took a step backwards.

"You will stay where you are and wait for the patrol," insisted the voice harshly.

"Lad, I be no intending to stir up a quintle nest. No offense meant and no harm be done, so I be leaving."

"If you move another step then I will open fire to disable you."

The threat of the voice was serious, but Golgarn chuckled. He looked around and there was no one without sight. He was also on a black road with only grass on either side of it. No one could be near enough to harm him if he hurried to get away.

"It would need a high Tier 5 to attack me from out of view. Next time you be threatening, make it more believable," said Golgarn as he brazenly turned around and lifted his foot to walk.

Then the ground next to him erupted. A hole that was five feet wide and just as deep was created instantly. Golgarn swallowed hard and felt sweat oozing through his long hair.

"Do not move from that spot!" order the voice.

"Aye, lad. Aye. I'll be staying here and wait for ye patrol," sighed Golgarn in dismay.

Golgarn turned back to the display and then sat on the ground. This wasn't the most aggressive greeting he had been given during his travels, but it very well might be the deadliest.

He sat on that spot for quite a while as he waited. Then he felt the vibrations in the ground. In the distance some beasts came towards him. They had four legs, the first two were shorter than the splayed out back legs. They hopped and ran at the same time, while their torso had straight posture.

"Oh! Those be Pondiwuggle. This base must belong to the Erlwug," he commented to himself.

However, as the Pondiwuggles got closer, he realized it was not the Erlwug riding in the front pouches. Twenty of the creatures stopped a safe distance away from Golgarn, and out of the beasts climbed a race that Golgarn had never seen before.

The beings looked almost like comically deformed Unklarn, except they were stretched lengthwise, looked less stocky, carried delicate facial features, and had a lot less hair on their heads and faces. Golgarn thought they were rather funny looking, though he felt a little envious at how long their legs were. Those would have made escaping easier.

"You identified yourself as Golgarn?" asked the man in the lead as he approached. He carried a spear and had it aimed at Golgarn.

"Aye. I be Golgarn, though I not be familiar with ye race."

"We're humans," answered the man in the lead.

"Hoomuhs? I no heard of ye," responded Golgarn in surprise.

A Leputi who had been behind a few other humans stepped forward.

"The [System] calls them natives," informed the Leputi.

"WHAT?" shouted Golgarn, jumping to his feet. Several spears targeted him after the unexpected movement. "Natives no be this powerful. The ratotron indicated this be a powerful territory. That no be possible with natives."

The Leputi put up his hands. "These natives have a powerful leader and have overcome a lot."

Golgarn focused on the Leputi and then squinted in concentration. His eyes took in the wide shoulders, the big feet and hands, and then he noticed the claw-like knives strapped to the hands. Golgarn's eyes grew wide as he looked at the weapons and then checked the Leputi's tag. It was "Silent Slasher [33]".

"Y-y-you be Tier 3!" gasped Golgarn. "These hoomuhs strengthened their slave to this amount?! Leputi don't reach Tier 3!"

The Leputi smiled proudly and then thrust out his chest.

"Here we are not slaves! The humans took us in, gave us weapons, and helped us become stronger. We do not work for them. We work with them."

"Why would a race go so far against tradition?" wondered Golgarn out loud.

"It is all thanks to the mercy and grace of his excellency!" the Leputi warrior said excitedly.

"Umaltha, can you verify this guy?" asked the human leader to the Leputi.

"Yes, sir. He is an Unklarn. They are mostly crafters. There is a multi-race pact from the higher races. While world claiming, it is traditional to not attack Unklarn. They are crafters who sell weapons, armor, and equipment. As long as they sell to all equally, then they can't be attacked for supplying enemies."

"Are you alone?" the leader asked Golgarn while tightening his grip on the spear.

"Aye," answered Golgarn warily.

"Then answer me this. If you are crafters who don't attack or get attacked, what are you doing here…alone?"

Golgarn swallowed before answering. He wasn't used to being asked tough questions. As an apprentice, he didn't deal directly with other races or customers. There was no telling what the right thing would be to say. More of the hoomuhs were surrounding him, each with a spear or sword aimed at him.

"O-our base be conquered. I be sent out to seek help to reclaim it and rescue my people. If I no be able to, then working for a race until evacuation be acceptable. When I return to their world, I can use portals to return home."

"Unfortunately for you," said the leader, "we don't have portals to other worlds, since this is our home world, so you won't be able to go home. And now that you are here, we won't be letting you go."

"T-then I be guessing that you no be willing to help recapture me mountain?" asked Golgarn hesitantly. He knew it was a long shot, but while threatening, the people here didn't seem ready to do violence to him.

The leader glared at him before speaking. "Eventually we will take all the based and regain the world. The General will see it done."

The human leader held a fist over his head, as if he were holding a weapon, and the rest of the men, even the Leputi, pounded their chest and mimicked the pose.

"I no guess there be any chance to ask this general guy for help?"

Laughter erupted from everyone there. Some joke that Golgarn didn't understand had them all in hysterics. The Leputi didn't laugh but gave Golgarn a sympathetic look.

Once they were done, the leader got much closer to Golgarn.

"All The General cares about is killing everyone who came to our world," he whispered, and Golgarn felt the chill of death run down his spine. "There is no way you want to speak with him."

Suddenly there was some activity from a hoomuh in the back of the group. The leader turned to him.

"Message from headquarters," said the other man. "Their group found out about the infiltration and is heading here directly. Commander Fenton contacted HQ when they were within radio range."

"He's coming here?" asked the leader. The other man nodded emphatically.

Then a rumbling noise started the distance. Golgarn turned and watched as smoke was rising into the air as something was speeding towards them. As it approached, the noise grew louder. Golgarn wasn't sure he had seen a beast able to move that quickly for a sustained time. Usually, skills that allowed that level of speed had significant cooldowns, but this beast didn't seem affected.

He looked at the unit leader, who was also watching but with an excited smile on his face. Golgarn knew things were going wrong for him, and that he didn't want to hear the answer to the question he was about to ask.

"Who is coming here?"

The leader smiled wickedly at Golgarn.

"The General!"

Once more, Golgarn swallowed heavily.

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