Rick and the entire group slowly but surely made their way throughout the forest, and after an hour of traveling it wasn’t hard to realize that the Orcs weren’t following.

  It was around this time that Rick shifted from the front of the group and joined Rogu in the rear.

  POV Rick

  “Rogu, we have talked about it a bit, but never quite had the chance to really discuss things. You came here to take me back to the Goblin Clans, because I’m a Royal and the Future King of Goblins, right?”

  “Yes, My Lord. That was and still is the primary focus of my mission. You must visit the Clans; it is just a matter of when.”

  “I see, and to visit the Clans, It will be roughly a year of travel, right?”

  “Yes, give or take. There are various places that we must avoid at all costs, and things could change dramatically at any point that may extend or shorten the entire journey. But it is best to plan for close to a year.”

  “I understand that, but why me? Are there no other Royals? Why not elect one of your Chiefs perhaps?”

  “My Lord, it is much deeper than that. You are special. Goblins cannot thrive without a Goblin King or Queen at our helm. It is impossible. Our race has many advantages, with our versatility and the fact that we grow much faster than others in more ways than one, but there cons as well…

  “How much do you know about the Tiers of power in this world My Lord?”

  “Hmm, not much, I guess. Thats just the level that someone evolved to, right?”

  “You’re not wrong My Lord, but there is more to it as well. What about the races that don’t evolve? Like humans for example. They don’t evolve or gain strength in the way that Goblins and other monsters or monster races do. Yet they are also judged by the same Tiers of Power, I won’t dive into how a human gets stronger since I’m not knowledgeable enough about it, but what I will say is that they aren’t born with caps to their power.

  “No one knows how strong the strongest human is, at least Goblin of Dark Lands of Mir do not know, but we do know they can keep growing, and there are at least 10 known Tiers of Power.

  A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

  “It is important to know that because regular Goblins cannot evolve past Tier 7.”

  “What.?!”

  “That is the unfortunate truth for us My Lord. We can never reach Tier 8 or anything above it. That is simply the hard limit of our race. Except for one person. The Monarch of Goblins is the Goblin in history that is known to be able to evolve to Tier 10. A level of power that demands respect all over this continent. No one would be able to force us to bow or hide away in unfavorable places if a Tier 10 King stood at our forefront.

  “Though it gets even deeper than that. Even though our cap is Tier 7, it is not one we can reach without drinking the blood of the King or Queen, in a sacred ritual passed down among our people. So even the current Chiefs will never advance to Tier 7 without a Monarch to assist them. That is why you are so important to us My Lord.

  “If it wasn’t so perilous of a journey, we would have marched every single clan here to greet you. It is also why you must be protected without fail and returned to the Clans so that you maybe be crowned as soon as possible. If the humans found out about your presence, they would spare no cost to ensure you didn’t live long enough to grow. Goblins are not a part of the known acknowledged Monster Races. We are seen simply as monsters to be killed and hunted for parts. Infestation to be taken out lest we grow too much. Beginner quests for new hunters to wet their eyes. Having a Monarch would change that, and just any Monarch, but one that was a true powerhouse would force them to respect us or start a war to remove us. Both of which are better situations than the lives we live now. Because at least with powerhouse at our help and a host of Tier 7 Goblins at his back, we would have a chance to not only fight but secure a true place in this world. So, to answer your earlier question, no My Lord, there are no other Royals apart from you. At least not on this continent.”

  ‘That’s…that’s a lot to digest…’

  [One thing at a time Rick.]

  ‘Your right, one thing at a time.’

  “Rogu thank for that explanation, there’s a lot to unpack there but I understand the gravity of the situation now, and a lot more regarding the importance of my position. But I’ll start with one thing at a time. You mentioned not on this continent. Are there others?”

  “Yes, My Lord, we Goblins know of two other continents besides this one. We don’t know their exact location or how far they are from here, we just know they exist.”

  “And there is a chance that there are other Royal Goblins on those continents, right?”

  “Hmmm, potentially My Lord. No one has been able to confirm just how far the reach of the Stones of Power are. We are confident that it can reach every corner of this continent, but it is hard to confirm if that is the case for the others.”

  “So, what would be the process if another Royal showed up claiming to be our King? Would me and that Royal have to fight it out?”

  “Honestly My Lord I am not sure. Perhaps my father or some of the other Chiefs will have such knowledge. There are records that even I am not allowed access to.”

  “Records that you aren’t allowed access to huh…I’d love to read those.”

  “No one would be able to stop you from doing so My Lord.”