We gathered up the wagons early in the morning and headed to Maford. About halfway through the day we rode along the path, and eventually the front wheel of the cart blew out as a large group of hooded figures jump out. Around 20 goblins and hobgoblins rise up and call out about me. Calling me "Yellow hair" and "yellow eyes!" and clearly wanting me dead. I had no idea why at the time.
We were swarmed by a huge group of goblins of all kinds, some hobgoblins, some in armor, and some of the caster ones we fought before. They seemed most interested in me. During the battle, Rux turned into a large dragon. I tried to ask one of the goblins why they were attacking him but Rux ate him. The battle ensued, and one of the goblin bosses tried to flee, but Harper and I managed to knock him out, and Ashton tied him up.
Chael fought valiantly against a group of goblins, wreathed in radiant fire. When the battle ended, Chael looked significantly different, with porcelain skin and blue eyes. He seemed to not be able/willing to talk, instead only letting out the soft chirps he's been heard to make before. Chael called himself a monster, which Mara and I disagreed with. I told Chael that I knew very well what a monster looks like, and Chael is no monster. I'm very, very familiar.
As one of the wagon wheels was destroyed, and Ashton was not able to repair it, we split into two groups. Mara, Glory, and I remained at the Maford pass with the broken cart and Ashton, Chael, Velvet, Harper, Rux, and Chael's Rasp companions went on to Maford to get a wheel to come back.
We decided to interrogate the goblin that we tied up to find out what the hell was going on, why they were after me.
I won't forget the fear in his eyes and the horror in his tone as he looked at me after he woke up.
"GONNA CONSUME ME!"
A few weeks ago they had started seeing sightings of a man with golden hair, golden aura, and golden eyes that glowed with an evil light. Some say he started as a skeleton and he's been slowly been eating goblins from goblin camps to build himself up. Takes the heart of a goblin and consumes it and becomes... more. All the way from Woodgate to Maford, usually at night after they make camp one of the camps will be hit. Every now and then one goblin will get away. They all came back saying it was a human with golden hair and golden eyes casting devastating magic and consuming the goblins that he murders. By now there are no more goblin camps left. We let the goblin boss go. It sounds like the Collected.
When Ashton and Velvet get back with the supplies to repair the cart I was... in thought. This isn't what I expected. Does someone have my face? That's clearly not me.
...right?