The landscape was exactly like what it could be seen from above, bleak and desolate. No plant or small animal lived there. The soil seemed to have been brown originally, but it slowly lost it colour in favour of a sick grey that made you think that nothing could survive in this land. As a consequence, there was no cover while getting closer to the settlement. The lack of tracks suggested that there was no regular patrol. The only sign that this wasn’t a desert was a small river that was on the other side from Luke’s position. The closer he and Steve got, the more he realized how primitive the huts were. It couldn’t be considered carpentry or woodworking of any skill. The goblins used the branches of several trees to make a cone shaped roof while the walls were nonexistent: the trunk of three or four young trees were staked in the ground to serve as support. They covered those column with animal skins and considered the job well done. The one on the center wasn't any better. The only difference was that the trunks used there came from fully grown trees. It utilized maybe a dozen of them. As a result, its height was greatly increased. Luke didn´t know if this hut was made bigger to represent the authority of the one who lives there or its height was due to the size of the resident. He hoped it was the former. After all, in games bigger meant stronger.

Luke and Steve advanced as fast as they could while being vigilant of their surrounding. There were five bonfire lit, one in front of the central building and the other four on the perimeter of the hamlet. They were on the side looking in the direction of the ladders. Each one had one goblin near. Luke supposed that they should be making sure the fire didn't die. The only exception was the central fire that had another goblin tending it.

Luke decided to change his approach: using Mana Bolt was too loud. Besides he didn't want to utilize his Mana if possible. He was confident in his recovery but believed it was better to not risk it. Considering that the six goblins by the fires didn't have direct line of sight between each other (the fires were each close to a hut that blocked view to the rest). So he got near one, took its short sword and impaled its heart in one fluent move. He refused the idea of smashing its head with his staff for the noise it would make. As he remained hidden from the rest of the tribesmen, the camouflage didn't break. He repeated the actions three more times killing every perimeter goblin. He was nervous about being discovered by the goblins defending the ladders or the ones that obligated him to jump. However the lack of cries of alarm calmed his worries.

For the last group, Steve went for one of the goblins and Luke for the other. They were especially careful this time to avoid alarming the ones inside the hut. He could only hope that the ability to sense the death of the members of its tribe didn't tell it where they died.

The invading duo stopped to hear near the entrance of the hut before entering when they didn't sense any movement inside. Just to be ready, Luke cast Minor Heal to Steve and himself. The insides were sparingly decorated (if you can call no furniture and a handful of animal skins serving as rugs decorations) with a pungent smell that resembled sweat and blood. Bones and rests of poorly cooked food can be seen in several places. The weird thing, however, was that there wasn't any goblin in the building. Luke analysed every corner of the room without finding any clue of where might the goblin chief and his retinue have gone. He decided to leave the place from the backdoor in search of any track (he hadn't noticed any vestige of recent traveling in the front door. With how loose the dirt is here and the wind that is constantly blowing, that means that no one used that entrance in the last hour or so). Exiting by the back, proved to be the right decision when Luke almost immediately discovered prints which suggested a group of five goblin departing from there toward the hamlet perimeter on the opposite side of the bonfires (that means looking toward the center of the valley).

Luke followed the marks while Steve matched his step, periodically sniffing the air. It appeared he hated the region’s odour. Truthfully, Luke felt it too. It was like there existed a permanent gas cloud around you. In the short run, you may not notice, but after awhile it turns suffocating. Luckily, Luke high stats protected him somewhat and Steve should have natural mechanism to deal with it.

Anyway, there went our valiant hero and his loyal companion in search of the evil that corrupted the region! Which is a poetic way of saying that they moved stealthily through a dozen empty houses that represented no danger to them. This changed when they left the hamlet. They could see in the center of the depression (some four hundred meters away) another construction. It didn't appear to be a residence by the fact that it didn't have a roof. It consisted of a platform elevated between three and four meters from the ground, accessible by a staircase with a dozen steps. In the middle of it, there was something that looked like a cross between a table and a coffin with a pedestal. The pedestal was holding a sphere of light that should be causing the area debuff. He arrived at this conclusion when he saw how similar was the colour of the light with the desolate grey of the ground. Or maybe because he could see figures moving there (maybe five). At this point, he realized that the ground was slanted downward slightly in the direction of the altar. Then, Luke connected the dots.

“Wait a minute. A sudden crater appears, the goblins settle in it, they discover an unique magic that helps protect them, Bob probably came here and had to run away and now the highest ranking goblins go to this sphere when they are being threatened by an unknown being… it must be a football ball! This should be the origin of the Magic! But how could the goblin produce enough energy to keep it running? The consumption must be monstrous… the trees! They fed the energy from the trees around here and on the hills region. Now that there are no more trees on that side, they are advancing toward my side!’ Luke realized he had a new priority: he couldn't let the goblins have that relic. It was more important to take it than to eliminate the last of them. Regardless, taking care of the sphere would mean taking care of the goblins.

With that thought in mind, Luke and Steve moved closer to the altar, the strongest goblins and unpredictable danger.