A Goblin’s Evolution

They had already spent a couple of weeks at Rymalona. Dralu had immediately left with the ship again, though, so for the next eight months, it would be only Min, Ellie and Kinder. Life in this city was much more expensive. Dralu’s wage was barely enough to support the group, since he only worked half the time he used to. Thus, Ellie and Kinder both had to get jobs, and Min spent whatever free time she could find painting. Since she was Professional Artist, she would be able to sell her paintings for a fair sum, however, making quality art did require a lot of time.

And time, was something she did not have a lot of. When they had arrived, they had found that getting a caretaker here was much harder than in Ashford. Apparently, they were quite costly, and most wouldn’t even want to work for a peasant family. Only rich people and nobles could have them.

Thus, since both Ellie and Kinder had to work all day, all the housework was left to Min. Although, this wouldn’t be too much work for a normal person, it was quite a lot to ask of from Min. She moved very slowly, and if she had to dust the floor, it would take even longer. She also needed to make food. Luckily, she could do that sitting down.

Thus, she spent a few hours every day, cleaning and cooking. When she was finished, she would be quite exhausted, and would often not have the energy to paint. She did only have 9 points in Endurance, after all. She had always continued to put most her points into Intelligence and Wisdom, so all other stats were relatively low. She didn’t put points into Constitution, even if it could help heal her legs. The reason was simply because the points needed for that kind of self-healing was staggering. She didn’t believe she’d ever be able to reach such a level. Even if she managed to live for three hundred to four hundred years.

And now, there was no point in it. The fractures in her hips had long since healed, making her hip bones deformed and useless. She could barely even move her legs, since it had healed in such a way that made movement hard.

However, since she had seen no need to put points in any other stats, she now had 59 points in Intelligence and 36 in Wisdom. Thus, even though she was still quite childish, somewhat naïve, she was still very smart. She could think much faster than normal people and she never forgot anything anymore. Although, she still didn’t remember her early days with clarity, since she didn’t have high Intelligence back then.

It was late in the evening, when Ellie came back home. She worked for twelve hours every day, and that was just about enough to support one person. It was the same for Kinder. Thus, with their wages and Dralu’s wage, they were able to support all four of them, and still have a bit of money left over. Especially since Dralu was only there half the time.

“Hah, someone tried to recruit me into a brothel again,” Ellie said, as she came in through the door. Kinder was already there, since he worked closer to home. He grunted a bit. Ellie got asked to work at brothels quite often. Unique breeds like her were highly wanted in brothels. She was a half breed between a Drow and a unique, blue skinned Hobgoblin, which made her quite special. First of all, Drows very rarely bred with other species. Second, Min was pale blue, which was usually only seen very far north. The almost black skinned Drow and the very pale blue skinned Hobgoblin resulted in normally blue skinned half breed. There weren’t many elves with this colour. Thus, she was constantly being asked to work at brothels.

Luckily, they had learned early on to not accept those offers, since they wouldn’t be able quit. It was all a ploy. If they accepted, they would basically be slaves. They wouldn’t even earn any money themselves. They would get fed, though, so there were still many who accepted such offers. However, there were still high end brothels, where the prostitutes would make a small fortune, but getting hired by them wasn’t as simple as getting recruited off the street.

“You’ll just have to bear with it. I just hope no one will try to kidnap you. If someone does, you must immediately use the spell I taught you and flee,” Min said, as she hugged her daughter. Since Ellie was the daughter of a Child of Darkness, she, too, held very high affinity for the Darkness element, so Min had long ago taught her the only spell she knew. Since she had levelled the spell up, she held great mastery over it, and was able to teach it, with some effort.

“Yes, mom. I don’t want to end up as one of those girls. If that were to happen, even dad wouldn’t be able to save me," Ellie said.

“Maybe we should just move to a village somewhere, when your father comes home,” Min said, as she finished making dinner. None of the other two said anything. Even though Min had said it, none of them really wanted to move away. If they moved to a village, they would never be able to make it big. Min wouldn’t be able to get famous as an artist there, and Ellie and Kinder wouldn’t be able to seek their dreams either.

Kinder worked at a smithy, and apparently, he was quite good at it. If they moved to a village, he wouldn’t be able to learn under a skilled smith, but here, he learned from one of the best smiths in the city. Granted, he was only given a few pieces of advice, when the Master Smith passed by. However, that was more than most! This showed that the Master Smith was actually interested in Kinder. Kinder was even willing to let his younger brother become the heir, if it turned out that he had potential to become a master. Smithing was his newfound passion.

As for Ellie, she had gained a passion for the culinary arts! She worked in a restaurant, and helped in the kitchens. She wanted to one day become a great chef and open her own restaurant! However, if they were to move out of the city, that would become impossible.

The only reason Min had mentioned it in the first place, was because she cared too much about Ellie, and was scared something bad might happen to her. It wasn’t all that bad, though. Very few people would be willing to actually kidnap someone, just to get one more whore for their brothel.

Thus, went their days. Min spent most of her time alone, in the apartment, while only going out from time to time, to shop. Buying groceries was quite the struggle for her, too. She couldn’t carry them home with her hands, so everything had to be strapped to her back. That made the trip home very tiring.

On one such day, as she was returning home with a load of groceries on her back, something interesting happened. Someone actually stopped her to talk with her. And this wasn’t one of those guys who wanted to recruit her into a brothel, even if she was a cripple. No, this was a finely dressed gentleman, wearing brocade that looked like it cost more than all her possessions, combined. It was a Dark Elf, or at least that’s what it seemed like, to Min.

“Excuse me, Miss. How about I help you carry those groceries. There is something I wish to speak with you about. Something important,” the elf said. Min stared at him, a bit suspicious.

“I’m not interested in working in a brothel,” she said, then turned around to start walking again.

“No, no, you misunderstand. I don’t work in a brothel. There’s just something important we must discuss. However, it can't be here, where anyone can hear. Let me just help you carry your things home, so we can speak in peace. I promise, I have no ill intentions. If I wanted to hurt you, I would have much better ways to do it,” he said. Min looked at him for a bit longer.

“Fine, then. I could use the help, anyways,” Min said, before finally letting the man help her. Thus, they walked to Min’s apartment. The Dark Elf was quite the gentleman. He even helped Min up the stairs. But he never said a single word. It was only when they had arrived in Min’s home, and when she had invited him to sit, that he spoke. Min sat next to him, looking at him expectantly. For a man like this to want to speak to her, could only mean something important was about to happen.

“What’s your name?” He asked.

“My name is Min,” she answered. The man nodded his head.

“I see. Well, Min, I have a proposition for you. You see, I’m a highly skilled Darkness Mage. I’m quite keen in that element. And when I walked past you, I couldn’t help but notice that you bear an astonishing talent in Darkness. It is so great that I can honestly say I have never seen anyone greater. You even vastly outstrip me in terms of talent. Thus, it was only natural that I came to one single conclusion; you’re a Child of Darkness. Only something like that could explain this level of talent,” he said. Min was greatly shocked! There were only two people in the entire world that ever knew that she was a Child of Darkness, and one of them was dead! She doubted very much that Kazz had told him. It could only mean that this was indeed a great master of Darkness to notice it with just a single glance at her.

“So, I give you a choice. Serve me, join my organization, and become my apprentice, and I shall heal you. You will be able to walk once more. But if you don’t choose to serve me, you shall remain a cripple for the rest of your life, and I shall seal all of your magic. I won’t allow one of my enemies to get you, so my only choice is to either kill you, or seal all your magic so no one can ever notice your talents. Luckily for you, I’m rather merciful," he said. Min looked at him silently for the good part of a minute, thinking.

“If I agree, will I have to leave? I have a family, and I don’t want to leave them. If I have to lose all my magic, it doesn’t matter too much. I only know a single spell after all,” Min said.

“No, you won’t have to leave. In fact, you will continue to live here as if nothing happened. My organization is quite secretive, and very few members live in the headquarters. In fact, very few even know where it is," he said.

“What kind of organization is it?” Min asked, a bit suspicious.

“I can only tell you that after you sign the contract,” the man said, before waving his hand, making a golden sheet of paper appear in mid-air. This paper looked quite mystical. It was covered in all sorts of magical runes. It was even more mystical than the contract Min had signed for her old master.

“So, what will it be? Do you agree to my terms? If you do, I can promise you that you will be able to walk perfectly fine within a few years. And you will be able to walk without support in a month or two,” he said.

“Then, I’ll accept, Master,” Min said, as she bowed her head to her new master.

“Then sign the contract,” he said, handing the golden sheet to Min. Min grabbed the pen that floated above the sheet, and signed her name in exquisite calligraphy. For the second time in her life, she felt the compelling force in her heart, resulting from signing a Magical Contract. However, this time, it seemed even more powerful. She felt like his will was the absolute law that must never be breached! In fact, it couldn’t be breached.

“Hmm, quite good penmanship. Hmm, well, looking at your skills, you seem to be exquisitely skilled in a host of skills. You’re even a Professional Artist while only fifteen years old. Very impressive for a Hobgoblin. This makes me even more certain that you’re a Child of Darkness. Well, since you’re mine now, it is time to introduce you to the organization I’m part of. I would give you a name, however we’re actually nameless. Some people just call us the Nameless. As for what we are, we’re assassins, and some of the best ones at that. We don’t guarantee success; however, we do guarantee complete secrecy. If an assassin is to fail his mission, no one will be able to find out where he’s from or who hired him. This is, of course, because of the contract. All our assassins are bound by it, me included. It is impossible for any of us to give any information about the organization to a non-member. Even if we’re tortured, we still can’t tell. Thus, people can only guess where the assassin is from, but even that is hard, since we’re not the only organization that does this,” he explained.

“Wow, that’s amazing!” Min exclaimed.

“Oh, so you have no qualms about killing people? You will also be required to kill, you know,” the man said.

“Of course not! I’m a Goblin, you know. I killed humans when I was only a few days old. I ate them, too! Very tasty. I quite miss it, actually,” Min said.

“Hahaha, right, you were born as a Goblin. I should have known you wouldn’t mind killing. But you actually killed humans? Were you a hunter? Was that how you got crippled?” The man asked.

“Oh no, not at all. Although, I was indeed a hunter for a few months, but I stopped after meeting my old master. He also found out that I was a Child of Darkness, and trained me for a few months. However, something happened at the tribe; something that could even kill my master. Master should have been very strong, since he was a Count of the Elven Kind, if memory serves me right. As for how I got crippled, it was because my master fucked me too hard, shattering my hip bones. Then he died, before he could finish healing it. He was skilled healer, too, by the way,” Min explained.

“Your old master, you say? Do remember his name? Also do you know where your tribe was? If he was a noble, I might know what happened,” the man said.

“My tribe was located in a forest, bordering Kon Rithia and the Elven Kind. After my tribe fell, I fled with my old mate to Kon Rithia. I just recently moved here, with my lover and daughter. As for my master, he was called Eledor Reynorin. That’s a name I will never forget. Even my daughter ended up named after him,” Min said. The man, whose name still hadn’t been revealed, stared at her with widened eyes.

“You mean to say that Lord Eledor Reynorin was your master? And that you came from that tribe? This is weird. Very weird,” he said.

“What? What do you mean?” Min asked, confused.

“For a Child of Darkness to be born just as a Grand Dungeon awakens. It seems like you must have been birthed by the Grand Dungeon,” he continued.

“What? What Grand Dungeon?” Min asked once more.

“Well, about fifteen years ago, a Grand Dungeon awakened. This is something that might not happen once in even ten thousand years. Eledor Reynorin was indeed the first to perish there. Ever since the dungeon awakened, all the nations around it have been fighting it with their armies. Even Telsaar joined without question. So far, the dungeon has been kept completely locked down, and not a single monster from it has escaped past the armies. All this has been kept completely secret, however. There are records of this happening before, and in many cases, it would cause the destruction of entire nations, and sometimes even species. Luckily, this one doesn’t seem entirely too powerful, so it been kept locked down," he finally explained. Min could only listen in silence. This new information was a bit too much. It basically confirmed that her entire tribe had been destroyed, leaving only her and Kazz. And Kazz, she didn’t even know if he was alive anymore.

“Well, enough of this. I haven’t even introduced myself yet. My name is Altraz. Although you can’t ever tell anyone that you are part of the organization, you are permitted to tell your family that you have become my apprentice. You can also tell them that I will sponsor the healing of your legs. As I said, with continued healing, you will be able to walk in a month or two, although it won’t be easy. In a few years, you’ll walk just as easily as before. However, I’m afraid you won’t ever actually fully heal. You will need constant healing, or your hip bones will start deteriorating. Permanently changing the structure of bones is extremely hard. However, I will teach you healing magic, and in a few years, you will be able to heal yourself on your own, without the need of outside help,” Altraz said.

“Thank you so much, Master!” Min said. She was extremely excited right now, and even more happy. There was only one point in her life that she had been happier, and that was when Ellie was born.

“However, if I recall correctly, you said that you only received the injury because Eledor fucked you too hard? Does this mean that you don’t like sleeping with people anymore? That might be bad, since sex is the most lethal weapon of a female assassin," Altraz said.

“Oh no, not at all! I love sex! I’m addicted to it, to be frank. If possible, I will have sex every day, even multiple times if I can. Even right now, I’m hoping that I can have sex with you, actually,” Min admitted.

“Oh, then that’s delightful. A man is most vulnerable when he’s having sex,” Altraz said.

“Oh well, enough chatting. Since I’m here, and I have nothing to do, I might as well start your first lesson. I will be teaching you Darkness magic, as well as some other elements. You seem to be talented in quite a few, including Light, surprisingly. However, I did hear that Children of the Elements always have some degree of talent in all other elements. It’s because the elements are all linked. Normally, a practitioner of Light will find it extremely hard to practice in Darkness, except if they’re very talented in both. This, however, is very rare. Strangely enough, though, both me and Eledor, your previous master, are of this type. Although, he is more skilled in Light, and I’m more skilled in Darkness, even though we have high talents in both. That’s because, training in one element makes it harder to train in the other, opposite element for us normal people, since we can’t sense or access the link between the element. However, since you’re a Child of Darkness, you're actually born directly from the element of Darkness. Thus, this link is directly present in your body and soul. Therefore, you can easily train in both Light and Darkness, although, your talent in Darkness far surpasses any of the other elements,” Altraz explained. Min just listened in silence. She was actually quite interested in this.

“Well then. Other things you’ll be trained in, are your weapons of choice, stealth, disguise, acting, persuasion and many other things. However, today I shall be teaching you a few spells. It’s pitiful for an Apprentice Darkness Mage to only know one spell. Especially when that spell is one of the most basic ones. As for the spells, they will be Status Disguise, Darkness Shroud and Blind. Status Disguise will allow you to disguise your name, stats and level. This is very important for an assassin, since assassins will often disguise as servants. If someone was to use a scan spell on a servant and find that they are level 150 or something, they would definitely think you’re an assassin or spy. Darkness Shroud and Blind are pretty similar. Darkness Shroud allows you to shroud an area in darkness, making it hard to see, and easy for you to escape or attack. Blind, however, is a single target spell, allowing you to blind one enemy. It is, however, much more effective than Darkness Shroud, since it focuses on one enemy. And if you can gain further mastery in it, by levelling it up, you can blind more people,” Altraz said.

Thus, Altraz spent just about the entire day teaching Min these spells, then helping her practice them to the point she could use them easily. Altraz was actually surprised that she could master three spells to this degree in just a single day. That’s Children of the Elements for you.

When Kinder and Ellie came home, Altraz was still there. They were both puzzled by this stranger, since they didn’t really receive visitors.

“Who is this?” Ellie asked.

“This is Master Altraz. He noticed my talents in Darkness and took me as an apprentice. He’ll even heal my legs!” Min said, as she jumped at Ellie, dropping her crutches and hugging her tightly. Ellie almost fell, since she had to support Min’s entire weight. In the end, she struggled to make her mother sit down, while Kinder only stared at the stranger in puzzlement.

Then the words seemed to seep into Ellie’s mind.

“Wait, what? You’re his apprentice? You’re going to walk?!” Ellie said, equally as excited as her mother, before hugging her back.

Altraz only looked on as they calmed down.

“Well then, you must be Eliana. You’re older than I thought you’d be,” Altraz said.

“Yeah, she’s fourteen years old this year, however, since she aged so quickly when she was young, she’s already an adult," Min said.

“One year younger than her mother. You Goblinoids sure are strange. However, I am puzzled at the identity of this young Dark Elf. That lover of yours should be a Drow, right? In addition, he should still be at sea. Then, who is this?” Altraz said, as he stared at Kinder.

“Oh right, I didn’t tell you about him, did I? He’s Kinder. He’s Ellie’s boyfriend, and he decided to move here with us,” Min said, as she held Ellie in her arms.

“I see. Well then, it’s about time for me to leave. I have kept you busy all day, so you haven’t even been able to make food for your family yet. I will see you tomorrow, then,” Altraz said, before leaving out the door. Min looked at her new Master’s back, as he walked out, still entranced. This day had been quite something.

“How the hell did that happen?!” Ellie finally asked, having lost all her patience. She needed to know how her dear mother had suddenly become a mage’s apprentice.

“Well, I guess he just noticed my talent in Darkness, when he walked past me in the market. As soon as he saw me, he stopped me. At first I thought he was trying to recruit me into a brothel, but it turned out he was a distinguished mage and everything. You know that I’ve always been talented in Darkness, so it shouldn’t surprise you too much. He even taught me a few spells today!” Min said, still excited.

“What, really? Show me, show me!” Ellie said.

“Watch and learn,” Min said. Then, all of a sudden, the entire room turned dark, making it hard for them to see. Min could see perfectly though.

“W-what is this! It became dark!” Ellie said. Kinder just looked around himself, puzzled.

“That’s Shadow Shroud. It shrouds a whole area in darkness. Then, there’s this,” Min said, as she pointed a finger to Kinder. Suddenly, his eyes were completely covered in darkness, like he was wearing a mask.

“What now! I can’t see shit!” Kinder exclaimed, surprised that he couldn’t see anything at all, this time.

“That’s the spell, Blind. It can only blind a single person, instead of covering an entire area, however it’s much more intense,” Min explained.

“That’s amazing! Now, if someone actually does try to kidnap us, you can just blind them, while I kick them in the nuts!” Ellie said, kicking into the air, as if to make a point. Kinder only looked on, almost feeling pity for the future kidnapper of his girl.

“Haha, it seems life is finally going to be good for us!” Ellie said, ecstatic. She was very happy for her mother. Ellie and Min didn’t have the usual mother daughter relationship. They were practically best friends, since they were so close in age. There will still quite a few mother daughter elements between them. For example, if Ellie was stressed, or scared from a nightmare, she wasn’t beyond snuggling into Min’s bed. Min also liked when that happened very much. She loved looking at the face of her sleeping daughter.

There was no one in the world that Min cared for more, than Ellie. This was a love that not even best friends could possess. Basically, they were the closest mother and daughter pair in the world!