Chapter 88 Unexpected Visitor

"I've also got this for you." Zariff retrieved something from his storage and held it up for Jack to see.

"That's refined cleansing powder! Where did you get that?" yelled Jack, amazed to see Zariff with one of the key ingredients to the cure for walking death toxin.

"Old man Zarris got it for me, said you were already working with him, is that true?"

"Yeah, he's the one who helped me get a few things and prepare for the mission. He mentioned that he might be able to find some refined cleansing powder, but I haven't given him anything in return. Why do you have it?"

"He and I go way back. I came to him with the list you gave me and found out that you were already looking for it. We talked and he confirmed that a bottle of cleansing powder was in the city. I didn't want to miss my chance, so I traded a few things and we got it within the day. Also, he said you helped him with these." Zariff tilted his head to the side, showing off two studs in his ear.

Still baffled by the circumstances, Jack struggled to recognize the two other soul piercings that he had appraised for Zarris now in the branch chief's ears. "Those… You got the soul piercings?"

"Yup, and they come in handy," explained Zariff. "By replenishing my mana faster, I can resist the curse a little more each day. Plus, who wouldn't want to have something like a soul piercing? I even got the chance to brag in front of that stiff Arnole for once."

"Well… I'm glad you like them," said Jack, still shaking the surprise from his voice. "Do you have any leads on the Death Rattler poison or blood?"

"Nope, I haven't found a clue yet." Zariff shook his head with a soft smile. "At least we've got this now. With this, there's hope for a cure. I'll hold onto it for now, till you've got the rest of the ingredient. Also, make sure to stop by the old man's shop, he's got some new stuff you might like."

"Yeah, if only an old fart wasn't too cheap to give me only thirty gold," joked Jack.

"Well, brat, someone had to front the cost for the painfully expensive refined cleansing powder, so don't complain."

"How much is 'painfully expensive' for a cheapskate like you?"

"Try five hundred gold; does that sound painful enough for you?" replied Zariff.

Jack almost coughed up a lung the moment he heard the amount. In "A Hero's Tale," refined cleansing powder was cheap, between fifty and one hundred gold. It was a common alchemical ingredient and could be made by any alchemist over lv. 40. Considering the circumstances of modern Kartonia, it made sense but was a hard pill to swallow.

"So, unless you've got another complaint, be happy with what you've got," barked Zariff.

"Okay, I get it. I won't complain about my pay any more," said Jack. "But I do have a question for you. Has anything strange happened recently? Or have there been any sighting of a monster in the city?"

"Nope, nothing out of the ordinary. Why?"

"Because my subclass tells me that some kind of infestation is already in progress, and it's threatening the entire city."

Jack's answer caused Zariff to stiffen up and the air in his lungs to freeze momentarily. "Are you sure about that?"

"Yup, I'm sure."

"Then I need to get going." Zariff rushed to his feet and turned to leave.

"What are you going to do?" asked Jack.

"If someone that bad is happening under our noses, then there's only one man in the city that might be able to help figure this out," stated Zariff. "His name's Tridon Salendar, the head of the Salendar Family."

"Salendar…" Jack was taken aback by the mention of the ancient noble family. It was well known in the Zuran Empire as the greatest family of hunters and breeders; some of the strongest hunters in the entire continent were traced back to them. "The Salendar Family is here in the capital?"

Zariff chuckled as he exited the room, "You already know the family's inheritor. He's quiet most of the time, but Troni is definitely that man's son, whether he likes it or not."

The door slammed shut as Jack was hit with another bombshell of information, leaving him with more time and silence to think.

*****

Time passed at a snail's pace for the bedridden hero. The only person to visit him was Maura at lunch and dinner, who force-fed him in silence and left without answering any of his questions.

As the sun was setting beyond the infirmary's windowpanes, a subtle knock came from the door. Jack didn't recognize it and shouted, "Come in."

A woman walked in, wrapped up and covered from head to toe. Before Jack could say anything, the woman became illusory and vanished, leaving behind the appearance of a light gray-skinned, curvy goblin that oozed undeniable femininity.

Startled by the goblin queen's sudden appearance, Jack swallowed some saliva. He tried to put together some words, but his lip fumbled them, making them inaudible.

"I'm the goblin queen, the same queen over the city that you and your party attacked," stated the queen.

Jack froze as he focused on his heavy breathing, doing his best to calm himself.

"I came with your party to the capital in the hope to have my horizons broadened, and they have been. But there's one other reason why I'm here, and that's you."

"What do you want with me?" asked Jack.

"There are a few things. First, I apologize for endangering the female who traveled with you, as well as the many other humans who were captured by us goblins or the trolls. I'm sorry." She bowed her head and waited for Jack to do the same in acceptance.

"Second, and most importantly, there are some things I must speak with you that are of the utmost secrecy."

"You have my word that I won't tell a soul," said Jack, frantically nodding.

"I'm sorry, but your word isn't good enough for this matter." The queen walked up to him and placed her hand on his chest. "If you were able to move, then I wouldn't be able to do this. But since you can't, then this is the only way I can guarantee your secrecy."

Arcane energy leaked from her palm and spread across his bare chest that was only hidden by the sheets. It leaked into his skin and left a small brand of exotic characters, the same size as her palm. There was no pain and the brand soon faded away.

"Now, we can talk. I've already told your chief to not let anyone near the door till I'm done here, and I've cast a barrier of silence within the room so there's no need to worry about anyone eavesdropping."

"What's so important to do all that?" asked Jack, just going with the flow since he was unable to retaliate in any way.

"Before I ask you what I must, let me explain a few things..."

"You're a shadow goblin, one of the rarest breeds of goblins across the continent," Jack called out what was common knowledge to him and unheard of for the whole of modern Kartonia.

"You… you can tell with just a look?" The queen was baffled by how quickly Jack had discerned her origin. "Then you already know that I'm not from that cave originally. I'm the last of my tribe and was lucky to find a protector in Shlad, one of my current goblin captains. With his help, I escaped my tribe's destruction while I was young. He taught me the ways of the world and helped me plan my take over of the mines that he called home. After many years of training and preparations, we returned and began to develop the goblin city."

"That explains how you arrived there, but how was your tribe destroyed? Aren't shadow goblins the most powerful goblins? Surely, there were a few goblins over lv. 50 or lv. 60, right?" questioned Jack, remembering the many times he had fought shadow goblins over lv. 70.

"Only the tribe chief was lv. 60, but he was centuries old and dying at the time. The next strongest was lv. 53… but he wasn't enough to stop the annihilation of our tribe." The queen shook her head, averting her eyes. "After my father perished, my grandfather used his dying breath to clear a path for the others to escape. I was lucky to have Shlad their to guide me and help me. The others… they never made it."

"So, you're the tribe chief's granddaughter? That explains your powerful affinity for magic. But what was it that annihilated your tribe? And what does any of that have to do with me?"

"I've already given up on the thought of revenge, so it's irrelevant who destroyed my tribe. My only goal now is to continue my bloodline and eventually recreate my tribe. For that, I'll need your help."