She was sick to death of this land. The view was beautiful, but it seemed like everywhere she turned there was some poor pathetic villager or town citizen who needed help with something. The goblin sat near a brook under a shady willow. Her head perspired and her feet were sore. Her black armored worg lapped water into its fanged mouth, occasionally lifting his head to sniff the air, or growl at a passing woodland creature. “Enough Grog! Drink! The sooner you’re done the sooner we can leave, I’m not happy about being here either.”

The goblin had been riding around for days, looking for supplies. She was fresh out of herbs to make her medicines and poultices. She was in dire need of animal organs and blood for her divination spells. And she was running frightfully low on incense and candles for her altar. Healer, soothsayer and conjurer; it was a wonder she had time to do anything else. But her talents were undoubtedly necessary or she wouldn’t be here. She had seen that vision long ago, she belonged with the Grin.

She reluctantly stood up and walked over to Grog, who was apparently not tired anymore as he scraped the grass with his front paw and grunted at the goblin. She stuck her foot in the stir-up, grabbed the reins and lifted herself onto the worg. She adjusted herself on the mount, leaned forward and whispered in his perked ear, “Now let’s get the hell out of here.” The worg growled in approval, and with a quick howl he took off in a swift gallop. The cool wind whipped at the goblin’s face as she tucked down grinning. They rode until the sun began to set on the horizon, as they neared a small village where the goblin decided they would rest for the night. She stabled her mount and tipped the stable hand well for his troubles. “See to it that he is fed only the freshest meat, give him clean water, and a good place to rest. I need him strong and rested if I am to continue on in the morning.” The stable hand took the coins and bowed graciously, as he prepared a place for the worg. The goblin approached her mount and whispered to him, “Don’t give him any trouble, unless he gives you some. I’ll be back bright and early, rest up because we have a long way to go yet.” And with a grunt, the worg plodded off into the, now clean, pen.

The goblin made her way to the inn. The town was quite large, and very picturesque. Flower adorned trees and fountains decorated the many shops and large square in the center of the town. The inn was up a road over-looking the rest of the town. As she entered she was greeted by yet another fur-ball. This one wore a pretty pink dress, with a matching pink streak in her twin bun hair. The goblin rolled her eyes at her approaching host. “Good evening traveler, how can I help you?”

The goblin slapped some coins down on the counter, “A room, please.” The fur-ball nodded, “Of course miss, I have one of our best rooms available, let me just…” The goblin interrupted, “Did I say I wanted the best room? No, I didn’t. I said a room. Four walls, a roof, and some form of a bed. That’s all, are we clear?” The fur-ball’s mouth dropped, and as she uncomfortably shifted she began some garbled form of an apology. “I, well, of course miss. My apologies, it’s just that, well I only assumed…” The goblin smirked, “Never assume, you’ll only serve to make an ass of yourself. That’s good advice.” She left the hostess standing at her counter blinking idiotically as the goblin made her way up the stairs to one of the many rooms. She picked the one furthest down the hall, it wasn’t much, exactly what she was looking for. She wasn’t accustomed to luxuries. Many nights had she spent sleeping in dirt or mud, and after some time, that was all she was able to sleep on. Beds had become too soft, cushions and blankets too suffocating. A cold hard floor was all she needed, and as she lay upon the straw covered floor of this room she drifted swiftly into a deep, dark sleep. And like every other night, she was visited by her spirits.

She awoke startled. The vision she had seen in her dream had shaken her. She was a scared little child in a garden of green statues, all of which were people she knew and recognized. They all had such frightened expressions on their faces, as if in agony. But when she tried to move to touch one, only then did she realize she too was made of stone. All about her, wild green cats stalked the garden as a woman’s cackling was heard all around her.

The goblin shook her head and brushed it off. She had many dreams, perchance this one was just nonsense her mind had created. She got up washed her face in a small basin filled with water, and dressed in her armor quickly. She made her way down the stairs hurriedly, and began walking toward the stables, her satchel hanging across her body. Then suddenly she heard the sound of a woman crying, and turned in its direction. Another fur-ball, and the fur-balls husband, apparently. He looked to be consoling her as others gathered round the couple. The murmur of the crowd grew louder as one by one they began assembling. The goblin struggled internally. She knew she had to go, she had at least two more days of travel ahead of her. But her curiosity got the better of her, so she slowly approached the huddled couple, pushing her way rudely through the small crowd. “Move! Get the hell out of my way, damn it! MOVE!” Her last demand echoed around the square. And the crowd parted hastily. They all appeared to be looking for the source of the voice, then realized it came from somewhere beneath them. They peered at the small goblin curiously. “Yeah, sorry I’m not any taller. But don’t let that fool you.” As she stood in front of the couple, they peered at her solemnly. She gazed at them, and as she did she heard a voice whisper to her, “speak to them…” The goblin closed her eyes, at the all too familiar voice, and nodded slowly. She looked at each of the fur-balls, then said, “You two, follow me. The rest of you, STAY PUT!” And that was all she had to say, as the villagers began to scurry like mice going about their business.

She led the pair directly outside the village, they followed reluctantly though she didn’t give them much of an option. She could be quite persuasive when needed. She motioned for them to sit on the grass beneath a large oak tree, she did the same sitting directly across from them. “Now, not that I care really, but tell me what happened.” The male fur-ball looked almost defiantly at the goblin, attempting to be bold. “We do not have to tell you anything, you are a stranger here.” The goblin glared at the man, the whispering in her head intensified as she lunged at him. She grabbed his face between her palms and pushed the pads of her thumbs into his eyes, forcefully, but not to injure him. “This is what I dreamt last night you buffoon! This is why I am asking you to tell-ME-WHAT-HAPPENED!!” She pulled away from him angrily as she allowed him a moment to collect himself, projecting her mental image into someone else’s mind was never pleasant for the viewer. He stared at her horror-stricken. “It is the widow Greenpaw! The children tease and call her a ’witch’ because she lives alone in the forest….I never imagined…” The goblin nodded. “Very well, is yours the only child missing.” He shook his head as if not hearing her entirely. “No, some of the other children have gone missing too. But everyone is too scared to go looking, there are dangers in the forest. We are simple people, we do not have the means to…” His voice broke, and he was begging, “Oh please!! Find our boy!! I’ll do anything, anything, but please….bring him home.” And then they were both balling. So fluffy and weak these creatures.

“Alright, alright, quit your balling. I don’t want anything. I’ll do it, I have my own reasons for doing this. This is not for you or your village. I’m doing this for me, got that fluffy!?” He nodded slowly and sniffled, wiping his cheek with the back of his furry paw. His wife staring from her husband to the goblin, unable to control her silent sobs. The goblin rose and looked at the creatures as they also began to rise. She sighed, shaking her head, “Well, I better get the beast,” she said to no one in particular.

The witch lived south west of the village in the deepest part of the forest they called “Forest Heart.” She pulled the reins as Grog slowed and finally stopped in his tracks. He sniffed the air as the goblin gazed around suspiciously. She dipped her hand into her pocket and pulled out three small rectangular stones. They were white and made of bone. On each side, there was a symbol etched into them. She tossed the runes in the air, and held her hand out, catching them all as they landed. She peered into her palm, then gazed straight ahead of her. She closed her eyes, and chanted a hushed incantation. Slowly the wind began to pick up, and the mists in the forest parted ahead of her and Grog to reveal a small house in the distance. The goblin nudged the worg, “That way.” And the worg grunted, heading deeper into the forest, straight for the house.

The house was small, simple. A little cottage, a garden on each side. And there they were the jade statues, most were children. Some were villagers. The goblin felt the gleaning green eyes of the jade panthers glaring at her. The mist began to thicken, and then just as she was about ten feet away from the door, a panther sprung at her, knocking her off her mount. The goblin crashed on the soft earth, knocking the wind from her. She hopped back on her feet quickly, and turned to face her attacker. Just then, a second cat charged, this one was met by Grog who quickly blocked the panther’s path to the goblin with a ferocious growl. And then the two clashed, panther and worg, snarling and thrashing, biting and tearing. Blood spraying from wounds, in the chaos the goblin had no idea of who’s it was. She began a quick and low chant as the mist about them began to glow blue. And within that mist a light rain began to drip softly upon them, as the first cat began it’s next charge towards the goblin. But this time she was ready for him. Reaching her hand toward the sky, the clouds above her darkened as the low rumble of thunder shook the ground. A streak of lightening shot down from the black clouds directly towards the goblin. She absorbed the shock, as if it was charging her with its power, then she flung her hands back and then forward, throwing the lightening charge toward the panther. It shrieked loudly, as it’s hip smoked and seared where the lightening hit. Scared and badly wounded the panther slinked off into the misty forest just as Grog finished tearing the throat of his victim out with a crunch of bones and cartilage.

The goblin stood, surveying the forest. Anticipating another attack, but there was none. So she made her way now, on foot, to the lair of the Jade Witch. As she approached the door, she heard a low rumble from within, and the hushed mumbling of a females voice. The goblin tapped on the door lightly with her long talon-like finger nails, a little spark igniting at the tip of one, remnants of the lightening channeled through her body. A few moments later, a matronly fur-ball, dressed in head to toe green silk answered the call. The two stared at each other for a long while, as if they had known each other for quite some time. And in that long deep stare, the heat of burning hatred was palpable in the air.

“Good evening traveler, can I…help you?” The witches trained cordialness was noticeably an act. The goblin had no time nor patience for it.

“Quit your theatrics sister, I know you all too well. And you know of me as well, don‘t you. You know why I‘ve come. The same as I.”

The fur-ball raised an eyebrow, yet insisted on continuing her charade. “I’m afraid, I’ve no idea what you are speaking of. I have never seen you before in my life. But please, come in. I have some tea boiling, perhaps you might share a cup with me.”

“Tea? Are you serious? You’re going to offer me tea?” The goblin rolled her eyes. She dropped her bags on the floor, grinned at the witch, reached for her face touching the tip of her long fingernail, on the witches cheek, zapping her with a little sting of lightening. The witch gasped, as her cheeks flamed, her eyes narrowed, as she glared intently at the goblin. Her mask finally gone.

“You happy now? Enough with the bullshit, let’s go.” The goblin extended her arm at this, palm up motioning for the witch to ‘bring it.’ The Jade Witch smirked mischievously, she turned, feigning to go back inside and close the door, only to spin around and thrust a green beam of energy at the goblin, hitting her directly in the chest. Fortunately the goblin anticipated this sort of cheap trick, and had cast her Astral Shift spell on herself, diminishing the damage she received from the spell. “My turn,” the goblin grinned. And with that the earth began to rumble and quake, as the shaman chanted and a totem appeared at her feet summoning an earthen elemental. The elemental ground into the earth and rumbled forward charging the witch. The earth continued to quake as the earth around the witch began to crack and split. The elemental smashed on the witch, as she tried desperately to cast spell after spell to ward off the elemental, but it was in vain. The goblin stood there eyes narrowed, glowing vividly, fists clenched, as she chanted. Whispering to the spirits, calling to the elements to empower her. Her hands began to glow red, then burst into flames. Behind the witch, the earth had finally split apart, and she stood right at the edge of the abyss below. The goblin roared, her body ablaze, shaking with the vibrating ground, and she hurled the lava blast at the witch. The witch shrieked, futilely trying to dodge the blast, but it struck, knocking her off her feet and back down, deep into the pit of the earth.

The goblin stood staring for a moment at the wound in the earth, where the witch had met her end. The ground now intact, and the children now free, well at least those who hadn’t been turned to jade. Most were merely hiding in the trees trying to escape the jade panthers who lurked about the woods. In the end, they were all returned to their families, only the five who had gone out together three days past to brave the witch. The rest, those who had been missing for months, who had also attempted to brave the dreaded Jade Witch, well those, were now lawn ornaments. And what lovely ones they were, the goblin had to admit, she much preferred the fur-balls as jade statues, unable to speak, gazing blankly at nothing at all. The now empty cottage seemed to be fully stocked with everything she could possibly need for her conjuring, healing, and divination. The garden would be ideal for growing herbs she could use to replenish her stock. And since no one else seemed to want to go near the place after what had happened, she figured why let a perfectly good home go to waste. After-all, since the Grin seemed to be staying for a while, the Jade Forest just wouldn’t be the same without the Jade Witch to haunt it. Roxey grinned as she stepped inside her new home, and shut the door behind her.