"The Throne of Dominion is a position of ruler. According to the rules of the game, the Throne allows one to seize rule over an unknown but massive and impactful space. To quote the game itself: The one who sits upon the Throne of Dominion shall rule over a limitless land where the souls of mortals can not dance." Gool said.
"Where the souls of mortals can not dance..." Midas muttered under his breath, confused.
Dorian smiled, "I see... interesting. To think that the universe has expanded and evolved in such a way during the time I was away is impressive. And also... very bold."
At this moment, Gool pushed himself off the tree trunk behind him. He stood up, facing Midas with an open gaze.
"I, Gool, will surrender to you." He bowed, getting down onto one knee, "From now until my final breath, you are my master, Midas."
A wind circled around Midas and Gool, blowing the young man’s hair across his face as he looked forward with intrigue.
The wind suddenly condensed in the middle, forging a purple mark that resembled a circle with a star inside of it.
The symbol rattled in the air for a second before dissipating into nothing.
Midas smiled, "So it’s done then..." He walked over to Gool and said, "Stand up."
Gool followed his directions without complaint.
Midas untied the goblin and turned to face Dorian.
Dorian smiled, "What do you want from me now?" He said.
Midas sighed, "I think... You already know what I want."
"Supremacy. That is what you must chase. Do not forget my words." Dorian spoke with elegance and power.
Midas felt that these words meant more than what they first seemed to say.
’Supremacy? That’s... a bit random though, no? What I want to know is where the Nine Breath-Circulation technique is located. But that’s just the tip of the iceberg...’
Dorian turned, beginning to walk away.
"Head past orcs and snakes." He said these final words.
Midas narrowed his eyes, ’Past orcs and snakes...’
"W-where are you going to go now?" Midas shouted abruptly.
Dorian froze still. He turned to look at Midas silently before saying, "I am going... back to sleep." He entered Midas’s hut again, "Don’t disturb me or I will probably kill you." He said before beginning to snore loudly from within the walls of the hut.
Midas’s face soured, ’Tsk... and here I was hoping he would just leave me alone forever.’
He turned, ’Still...’ He glanced at his palms, ’The information I have now is not insignificant. I need to find this breathing technique as fast as possible.’
"Past orcs and snakes, ey?" Gool said, stretching his legs out.
Midas looked over with a curious gaze. He wondered what the goblin would say next.
"I think I know... exactly the place he’s talking about," Gool said with a straight face.
Midas’s eyes widened as a realization came over him like an epiphany. "That’s right... You are familiar with these lands." He smirked, "You will be my guide then!"
Gool scoffed slightly while smiling as well, "That’s right." He put a thumbs-up.
Midas released a breath of relief. He was so concerned about information regarding the breathing technique and how to find it that he had totally forgotten about the new weapon he had in his arsenal.
’This goblin... Gool. I knew he would be of use due to his small frame and decent intellect, but I overlooked his past knowledge as well.’ He thought.
A large hue fell over the air as Midas faced the sky. "Night is coming... the first night in this world."
Gool glanced at the hut, "Well, we can’t use that one... and it looks like it would take an entire day’s worth of work to build another one." He looked at Midas.
Midas grinned, "Not quite. Follow me, help me gather some materials."
Gool confusedly followed along.
Since there were now two of them, gathering materials for a new hut wasn’t difficult whatsoever.
After a couple of hours, Midas had created a second hut. He used the same blueprint as before, since they had infinite uses, it seemed.
He also fashioned some leaf clothing and chitin armor for Gool using small scraps he had left over that could perfectly fit a small child--or a goblin.
Since Midas was still not fully secure with Gool, he made the goblin sleep outside for the night.
"Until I trust you, I will be alone during any time I am unable to help myself." These were Midas’s straightforward words to Gool.
On hearing this, Gool took a step back from the hut. A hint of sadness glistened in his eyes as he looked down, "I-I see..." He turned, walking away.
He had contributed to building the hut as well, so this was a bit unexpected.
"I hope you understand, Gool," Midas said from behind.
Gool didn’t turn, simply listening.
"What I want more than anything in this life is victory. For my goals, you must be willing to sacrifice many more things than a nice bed." Midas said with a calm and bold tone, pausing.
Gool’s eyebrows furrowed. ’What does he mean? Am I only a pawn then?’
"But..." Midas continued, "That is not because I have anything against you. It is simply the way that things have been presented. If you were no threat to me, I wouldn’t do this." He turned, closing the door.
Gool exhaled.
’Even though it’s pretty harsh... there’s ambition in his words that I can respect. I’ve sworn loyalty to him now... the only thing I must do is contribute to the victory he desires.’
Gool cuddled up next to some bushes, slowly dozing off before he knew it. Thankfully, the chhiten armor was fairly insulating...
The night passed on by with odd cricket chirps, riveting.
Morning soon arrived with the golden sun, lighting up the forest floor like dotted specs of sunshine.
By this time, Midas and Gool were already on their way toward the monastery that contained the Nine-Breath Circulation breathing technique.
"Ashen Hollow... quite a dreadful name. It just speaks to the ugly history of the land." Midas shook his head as he followed Gool northeast.