After a while Talia came to find Kurt.

"You really are just, I mean really? What the hell?"

"Yeah, I thought Layla was going to keep that quiet."

Talia looked at Kurt, like she wasn't believing what she was hearing.

"Kurt this changes everything."

"Yeah, that's what I thought when I found out."

"And when was that?"

"After the fall Castle Bright Flame."

"Kurt, they are going to start pushing you."

"Pushing me?"

"Like, marriage," Talia said with some wide eyes.

"Again, haven't they already been?"

"It's different this time before it was sweetener, now it might be required."

"So that means you're staying right?

Talia stared back, caught off guard by the comment. Turning smiling blushing a little, "why would you say that? Like that?"

"So what happens?"

"Well, you will be officially invited to our clan's home, and they will continually annoy you about it."

"So nothing changes."

"Huh. Kurt, are you saying what…"

Kurt interrupted, "Don't worry about we have to get Sara, and soon, how much longer will this go on for? This is my first time, remember?"

"Well that's another reason I'm here, we are ready, if you would get Layla."

Kurt, Layla, Travis, Derek, Justin, Fredrick and Talia all got back to the negotiating table.

"So, do we have an offer?" said Layla.

"Yes, we think that all of them would be bad, if there was a small team of goblins, especially ones that could put a hole in the wall, that would help us."

"I know just the goblins," Kurt said before Layla could speak. He was of course thinking of his trio.

"That should be fine, so I assume we are to join in the siege of Dakota Springs," said Layla.

"Yes," said Fredrick, "I think it will help us get to know our strengths, and bonds."

"And then after we are successful in winning the city?" said Layla. Eyes on Derek.

"Trade will start, and we will invite Lord Kurt for a visit to our home, to start normalizing our relations."

"We agree," said Layla, "are all of you coming to Dakota Springs?"

"Not just Fredrick and Layla," said Derek, "we are mostly supporting the crown, we won't be the main force. If you can make an opening in the wall. That should be enough."

Then came the planning, involving the goblins that had this problem. So there was much talk about how to dress them and move them. Inside a carriage and with clothing to hide their faces and skin color unless you got close enough.

And it became the plan, save Sara and Laura (and I guess Steve and Tyler), finish off the Fire clan, help the crown take the city and the gate. And be home eventually.

They would take the carriage, Hank, Tom, Joe and Jerry as the driver. Keeping the goblins mostly secret, in reality it was Joe that would be most important if any goblin could take down a wall it would be a shaman, and time. Joe wasn't the fighter, that's why the other two were there, he was the trap to be sprung at the right time. They had decided on taking on the appearance of the Valentine clan, as they could find robes that would cover the goblins up, and Joe would use an incense burner as some priests would. Generally disguised as a low level member of the Valentine clan. The robes could also go over their normal gear. There was some objection but since there were a lot of parties not introduced it would make the siege size easier to tell them apart.

The timing seemed to be right as well because SpellBlade Blake had finished the staff and the sword, or would before they left.

"Okay, I got to explain this to you first," said Blake, as Hank tried to take the blade.

"You slice the enemy with it."

"It's a little different, you wanted the lighting."

"Yes," Hank said, seemingly paying much closer attention"

"Well, I've sort of made it have different amounts, you said you had decent control over it, so when you use just a little bit that should turn on some physical enhancements, you shouldn't be drained using that fairly often, then there is a point where you add more and it will visibly start charging, you'll feel that. You'll have to find that sweet spot. But finally there is a last trigger, full power, this should cause lightning to collect to the top of the sword, once you let go it will shoot out of the blade, depending on how much power you give it and it should shoot straight out the tip. So you have a bit of aim as well. But once you get the power there, you have to shoot."

"Hmm," said Hank, "I see you didn't want me to accidentally zap you."

"Exactly," he handed Hank the Blade.

Hank began to swing the blade then took a few fast steps, "yeah that is a big improvement," he then focused on the blade a bit, and sparks started to line the blade. "That is quite a bit. I shouldn't accidentally do that." He then tried to use the lightning bolt, bringing a spark to the tip, he then pointed out to the surrounding, and a blast of lighting shot out. Hank took a heavy breath, "that does take a bit out of you doesn't it." Hank then took the base, and attached the rope on its handle to his belt.

"I fail to see the staff though," said Joe.

"Ohh that's the neat part, I took a bit of liberty, based on what you said," He then took out a bag, and layed out something that was certainly not a staff. It had a chain, and what seemed to be a hinged part attached to it. "What I did is made it an attachment to your own staff."

"Interesting."

"You see this part is the tip," Blake picked up the large hinged section, it had two curved stems coming out of it, and there was some sort of bag inside it. "This bag is really just dirt or sand, we use it to adjust how tight, or if we have a wider staff, we take some out. "Do you mind?" Joe handed Blake his staff.

Blake then clasped the hinge around the staff, it held tight. The two out stretched pieces of metal, ended up forming a circle, with the top section missing. The ends had these strange round objects at the end. Blake then took a ring, and slid it up the bottom , and attached the two chains hanging from the top part.

"The point of the chains is to give you a physical connection to it, so while you cast spells you should be holding the chains as well. If you notice the top has places to hang your bags, but I have a few things as well, you can put them on. To make it more attuned to fire, lighting, wind, and earth." Blake pointed at some objects that were attached to rings that had eleven writing and drawing on them. "Don't use more than one at a time, they will interfere with each other unfortunately. But I do have these as well." Blake finally took out eight bags, all with eleven writing on them, all with a right attached to them as well. "These will help directly I would think, depending on the spells, I made you two of each element to start with."

"I see, so it's a lot more modular."

"Yes," said Blake, "I saw you changing your staff before, so I thought that was normal for you, as well as made the process of attaching simpler by adding the rings, you can still tie them in a pitch though, but the rings should help everything. It's great because it doesn't use much material so I could make more than one for the amount of metal."

"Can I tie more than one bag to a single ring?"

"I don't see why not, I think you'll have some experimenting to do, and see what works best, but I would assume that is more on a personal level, other goblins may find different charms better for them."

"Is that all?"

"No, I have two more things, one is the new incense burner, it should make clouds simply bigger and faster. Tell me if it works right."

"And the last thing?"

"Here," giving back the staff now with the attachment.

"The ring at the bottom serves three purposes, one is for you to adjust the chains to your liking, height, how taught etc, and second if you give mana directly to the ring you should get a directional shield, and third it will hold it from slipping off the top of you're too rough with it, or if the clasp fails, you don't lose it."

Joe tried that out, and to his side a translucent blue field appeared, Joe then twisted the staff and the shield followed the twist, "I see the staff is the direction, not me."

"Yea sorry I forgot that part."

"At least it's not pointing off the tip, I'm not that kind of spell caster, but I like it," said Joe, "I might find a different staff to use it with too."

"And this last charm should make that a full area barrier, again you can only use one at a time."

"Yes though it should hold tight it would be better if the staff also had something to stop it from slipping, in its form. And you don't have to worry about breaking the staff now, you can just remove it and put it on a new one."

Everything seemed to work nicely. Blake and Hank got to talking and Blake whispered something into Hank's ear, and he seemed to enjoy whatever he said. Blake said that they had intended to give them all to them after he had finished Hank's small shield, but he hadn't started it yet, but because of the mission he wanted to provide what he could.

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