Todd made his way to the entrance of the mines. Two guards stood by the entrance. These weren’t the guards Todd had grown accustomed to. They had bright green masks and large iron great-swords strapped to their sides that glistened in the sunlight. Todd was certain these weren’t for show when he noticed the small nicks in the blades. Whether or not they worked with Worick, Todd didn’t know. It was strange how they showed up on the day he mingled with the goblins. 

There was only one exit to the cave so Todd walked towards the two men watching the door. Todd strolled past the two people standing by the door. He was relieved when they let him pass.

*BONK* Todd slumped onto the floor.

Todd awoke to find himself tied to a wooden pole in a small outside auditorium. Many masked figures surrounded Todd on wooden benches and quietly waited. Todd wasn’t sure what they were waiting for but he knew he would find out sooner rather than later. He was the center of attention after all.

Tugging on the rope Todd quickly realized he wasn’t going to break out of it. It was tied tightly and was very thick.

One of the men stood out. He wasn’t remarkably tall nor did his clothes look any different from the people that surrounded him. If Todd was a total stranger than this person certainly would stick out to him, especially since he was wearing the same bright green mask as everyone around him. He was familiar.

A large imposing figure eventually spoke up, his voice was deep. Todd assumed he altered it. It didn’t sound very natural.

“Congratulations. One of our members brought you forth as a candidate for our organization. The nature of our work is frowned upon for the most part, so I hope you understand the precautions we’ve undergone.” The speaker paused, scratching his chin before continuing.

“Obviously you’ll have to prove your trust to our cause before we accept you into the fold. We have a task for you Todd, to prove you’ll be an adversary instead of a foe.”

“What do you need me to do?” asked Todd.

“We need you to recover a murky teal potion hidden within Worick’s estate. One of our associates had grown reckless after multiple successful operations. He boldly assumed this land’s Count wouldn’t recognize specific instruments only used to create Hiperrurum. It’s only use is to cure a goblin specific illness. Once you have it you’ll release it onto the goblins. We’ll reach out after the task has been completed.”

Blackness enveloped Todd’s vision for a second time that day. He found himself sitting upon the bunk bed he normally slept on. Clearly a significant amount of time had passed because the night was dark. Todd was fear stricken. His hands and feet trembled under the thin sheets covering his bed. He had been under the radar or so he thought. Someone significant had noticed him. He was now involved in something far bigger than his little escape plan. Todd just hoped it wouldn’t get him killed.