Chapter 67: Who Exactly Are You?

The two clearly had some history, and neither seemed particularly interested in hiding their dislike for the other.

Talia was doing her best to remain composed, but the way she held Orgrun’s staff suggested she was having a hard time controlling her emotions.

The female chief, on the other hand, appeared to be enjoying herself.

After a moment, Talia spoke again.

"My sister? Is she fine?"

The chief smiled.

"What do you think?"

"What about the children?" Talia looked around. "Did they make it here?"

A faint smile returned to the woman’s face.

"They did?" she replied. "Zeph begged desperately to send you some help, but I could only laugh at the ridiculous request. Why? Why would I do that? I don’t owe you anything."

Talia’s expression turned sour.

"Where are they now?"

The chief glanced over her shoulder at one of the guards before looking back at Talia.

"I threw them into the cells."

Talia’s eyes widened.

"What?"

"They were becoming a nuisance. I couldn’t have them wandering around the settlement, especially with everything going on."

"They’re children!" Talia exclaimed. "What did they do to deserve that?"

The chief gave a small shrug.

"They were under my protection, and now they’re under my authority. I can decide what happens to them."

Talia stepped forward.

"Let them go."

The surrounding goblins immediately grew tense. Several of the red-skinned guards raised their weapons, while the archers behind them pulled their bowstrings tighter.

The chief didn’t appear bothered.

"You’re in no position to make demands, Talia."

"They’re family to you!"

"Family?" the woman repeated, sounding almost amused. "You seem to have a strange understanding of that word."

I was shocked to hear the word family.

I hadn’t thought they were related, but it made sense now that I thought about it.

I’d been wondering why we were asking another clan for help without expecting them to turn hostile toward us. Now it made sense that there was some sort of familial bond between them.

Though I believed that relationship had long since soured.

Talia’s face tightened.

"What are you planning to do with them?"

The chief looked at her for a moment before answering.

"I don’t know," she said. "I’m considering offering them to my god as sacrifices."

The words settled over the clearing.

For a second, nobody moved.

I glanced at Talia, whose expression had changed completely.

Her grip on the staff tightened until her knuckles turned pale.

Gunther stepped forward, his broad shoulders rising as he prepared to intervene.

"What did you just say?" he asked.

The chief’s smile faded slightly.

"You heard me, brute."

"You’re going to sacrifice children?" Talia asked.

"Don’t make it sound so dramatic. It’s an honor to be chosen."

Talia shook her head in disbelief.

"You’ve lost your mind."

The female chief’s eyes narrowed.

"Be careful, Talia. You’re speaking to the leader of this clan."

"And you’re talking about sacrificing your own!"

"Look at our skins, fool." She raised her hands and examined them briefly. "You and I have no bond!"

"Fool?" Talia scoffed. "If anyone here is a fool, it’s you, Zarvessa."

"Watch your tongue, Talia."

"The bond you share with demons won’t save you."

The tall goblin who had confronted us earlier moved forward, positioning himself between Talia and the chief.

"That’s enough. You will not speak to our chief like that."

Gunther stepped beside Talia.

The tall goblin looked at him and sneered.

"You want to try something?"

Gunther didn’t answer.

He simply tightened his grip on his weapon.

The atmosphere became increasingly hostile.

The goblins behind us began drawing their weapons, while those surrounding the path adjusted their positions to prevent anyone from escaping.

We were badly outnumbered, and most of our fighters were either injured or exhausted from the earlier battle with the humans.

I could see how this would end if someone made the wrong move.

Even if I managed to defeat the goblins in front of us, there were too many archers positioned around the clearing. One careless attack could result in several of our weaker members being killed before we had a chance to respond.

Talia seemed to understand that as well, but she wasn’t backing down.

I looked at the chief. The amusement had disappeared from her expression.

She raised one hand slightly, and the goblins surrounding us immediately prepared to attack.

I shifted my grip on the Doom Axe.

This was getting out of hand.

I had no intention of fighting an entire clan over a disagreement between two female goblins, but I wasn’t going to stand by if they tried to kill Talia or the others.

We had already lost enough people.

Several archers drew their bows to full tension. The fighters in front of us raised their weapons, ready to charge at the slightest signal.

Gunther moved closer to Talia, positioning himself between her and the nearest attackers. The other goblins followed his lead, forming a loose defensive line despite their injuries.

I stepped forward as well.

However, just as the situation was about to turn into a fight, the female chief’s gaze shifted.

She wasn’t looking at Talia anymore.

Her crimson eyes had settled on me.

More specifically, they were fixed on the Doom Axe in my hand.

Her expression changed.

The playful confidence disappeared from her face, replaced by a look of genuine interest.

She studied me from head to toe, her gaze lingering briefly on the glowing markings that ran along my arms before returning to the weapon.

I frowned.

What was she looking at?

She took a small step forward, and my heartbeat quickened.

"Who is that?" she asked.

The tall goblin glanced in my direction.

"Just another green goblin, Chief."

She didn’t look away from me.

"No," she said quietly. "There’s something different about him."

I felt her attention pressing against me, almost as though she were trying to sense something beneath my skin.

My grip tightened around the Doom Axe as I studied her in return.

Her expression grew more serious.

"That weapon." Her eyes narrowed. "Where did you get it?"

I glanced at the axe before looking back at her.

"Where did I get it? Talia handed it to me," I replied.

I couldn’t help but wonder why everyone I met seemed stunned whenever they saw the axe.

The dwarf had reacted in much the same way, appearing equally curious about its origins.

The female chief took another step forward, her gaze never leaving the Doom Axe.

"Tell me, green goblin," she said, her sultry voice carrying a hint of curiosity. "Who exactly are you?"