The air in the makeshift Green Goblin sanctuary was still, thick with the despair of the wounded and the lingering sulfur smell of Ryu's devastating magic. Leo sat amidst the elders, his mind reeling from the history they were recounting—a history far more complex and cruel than any kingdom ledger suggested.
"The differences run deeper than skin," the eldest Goblin wheezed, adjusting his makeshift bandage. "While the Green Goblins spread across the plains, our kind—biologically similar to basic humans in our ability to multiply and grow—never developed specialized combat traits. We focused on community and growth."
"The Purple Goblins are different," another elder spat, bitterness in his voice. "They hail from the Noisiop Region, a blasted, volcanic land ruled by Princess Guilia Drakheart. Their environment forced evolution: they became masters of chemical warfare, generating potent, specialized toxins from their very saliva to spit or coat their blades."
Leo listened intently. The feud, the elders explained, was not merely a border dispute; it was an age-old battle for racial dominance. The Purple Goblins' rule over the Green Goblins had only been broken by the intervention of King Drakheart, who enforced a hard division: the poisoned, harsh lands to Princess Guilia, and the fertile Green Valley to the Goblins, all under the King's direct protection.
"The border tensions were constant," the elder continued, his voice rising in anger. "Our superior numbers meant our valleys pushed closer to Noisiop. The King ordered neutrality. We obeyed. But the Purple Goblins saw their chance for absolute independence."
The account of the massacre was the breaking point.
"They went too far," the elder lamented, slamming his fist against the dirt. "They claimed our Green Goblins slaughtered a large number of their people inside Noisiop. We swore it was a lie! We pleaded with the Drakheart Kingdom for an investigation, but the King—influenced by Guilia, we now believe—refused. He punished our tribe leaders for the 'atrocity' and cut off the diplomatic ties."
The humiliation led to chaos. The Green Goblins, feeling betrayed, erupted into violent protests, demanding sovereignty. The sheer scale of the unrest was what the Purple Goblins had counted on. The elders leaned in, their eyes glinting with decades of resentment.
"The independence was granted, but it was not a gift of freedom. It was a trap. The Purple Goblins had achieved their aim: they killed their own to frame us."
A terrible silence descended. The sheer depth of the conspiracy was staggering: the Purple Goblins had sacrificed their own kind, manufactured evidence, and masterfully manipulated the Green Goblins' outrage to force the King's hand.
"They wanted the King to wash his hands of us," the elder concluded, his voice a dry rasp. "They wanted the Drakheart Kingdom to be unable to interfere, bound by the neutrality decree that they engineered. Now, with the Kingdom sidelined, they can enact their revenge, claiming all of our land and exterminating our race without consequence."
The chilling realization of the conspiracy's scope made Leo's blood run cold. It wasn't just a war; it was a decades-long political scheme culminating in genocide.
He absorbed every word, asking pointed questions about Princess Guilia's influence and the specific dates of the 'massacre.' Then, unable to contain the political bombshell, he rushed back to Ryu, who was beginning to stir from his exhaustion.
Leo knelt and seized Ryu's shoulder, his eyes wide with urgency.
"Ryu, forget the battle, forget the missing Warlord for a moment! The elders revealed everything. The mastermind isn't some rogue general. The one who has compromised the entire kingdom's neutrality and orchestrated this war is the one we least suspected: our own half sister, Princess Guilia Drakheart."
To be continued…