To meet me face to face, arrogantly rather than honorably.

Silence stretches for a moment and you grip the obsidian hammer in your hands tightly, poised to jump into action should the situation call for it, but you do not have to strike out just yet as the brush around the clearing rustles and beast-kin start to come out from the woods slowly. Their numbers are as you expected, a dozen or so beast-kin of varying types. You find it odd that those that are carnivorous animals and those that are herbivorous animals mingle together, but you suppose that, once they became beast-kin, such things didn't matter.

You look over your shoulder as rustling can be heard there and a trio of beast-kin are escorting your followers out from their hiding spot and into the clearing with you, the other goblins looking uneasy as they are **** forward. You find that Blackmane looks the most uncomfortable and that is probably because some of the male beast-kin are leering at her and reaching underneath their primitive loincloths to fondle themselves while staring at her. You take a moment to snarl out at one of the beast-kin doing this, slamming your hammer down hard enough on the ground to leave behind a deep imprint. That beast-kin starts at that and snarls back at you, but, after meeting your gaze for a moment, backs off.

Blackmane glances at you gratefully, but you don't take the time to return the gaze as you instead fix your gaze ahead as a towering beast-kin male comes forth. He is part stag, if the antlers upon his head are any indication, and is at least double your height and breadth. He is an intimidating figure, his body all rippling muscle that is only covered in a loincloth and a few necklaces made of sinew and bone, and his dark brown eyes set in a human face look at you as one would look at a small child trying to challenge a stronger adult: with arrogant amusement and condescension.

The stag-man comes to stand before you, a smug grin on his face as he looks down at you, and leans upon a large spear that has seemingly been made from the oily black wood of the forest. It's point is not metal, but looks to be bone instead and you decide that your own weapon is superior to his if it comes to that. His strength of body, however, is obvious and you know that, in a fight of pure strength, you would be hard-pressed to come out the victor.

At the moment, though, the beast-kin doesn't see you as a threat at all as he all but laughs at you, his voice deep and booming as he looks you and your group over. "Goblins in my forest! I have not seen that in a long while! And I have never seen a goblin with the courage to call out to me in such a way!", he booms, his command of the common tongue better than yours you have to grudgingly admit, "That amuses me! That is the only reason I decided not to have you skewered right on the spot!"

"You are Beast-kin chieftan?", you ask, ignoring his rather condescending words and cutting to the point as you look up at him, squaring your shoulders and not showing even the smallest hint of being intimidated.

"I am Balthor! I lead the Beast-kin and these woods are my territory!", he replies in that same booming tone of voice, "Why have you come, goblin? Why have you trespassed in my forest?"

You feel a slight twinge of irritation at the Beast-kin's words and you let it show as you bare your teeth and growl slightly as you reply to his words. "Dark Lord Master commands Minion to travel to mountains. Must travel through Umbral Wood to get there.", you say and then add, with your burning red gaze fixed upon Balthor's own, "Umbral Wood is Master's territory so Minion has right to travel through. Not need answer Beast-kin question."

You hear the assembled group of Beast-kin growl and stamp their feet at those words, many of them clashing spears against the ground as though in preparation to use them, but Balthor raises a hand to silence them. He looks into your eyes and does not waver as he meets your gaze, showing himself to be stronger than those others you had met before who could be cowed with a gaze. He is of a different sort and that, strangely enough, pleases you.

"The Dark Lord rules this land, true, but he does not live in these woods. He does not rest beneath the shade of its trees nor hunt the prey within. He holds sway over the land as a whole, but these woods are mine.", he asserts, his booming voice now lower and more intense as he fixes his hard stare on you, "So you do answer to me now, goblin. And if you wish to pass through my wood, you must pay a toll."

You narrow your eyes at the Beast-kin as he says this, weighing his words for a moment. While you disagree with his assertion that he owns these woods (as, in your eyes, everything belongs or will belong to your master), you know that you are at a disadvantage here and should try and negotiate rather than fight. With just you and the five goblins with you, you do not think you would be able to win a full on battle. Perhaps if you had had time to properly train up the goblins with you, things would be different, but there had been no time so you must work with what you have.

"What payment Beast-kin wish?", you ask, still wary even as it seems you are prepared to acquiesce to Balthor's wishes.

The Beast-kin leader smiles a wicked, predatory smile as his eyes slide from you and to a point over your right shoulder. You hear a shuddering gasp behind you and you don't even have to wait for Balthor to speak to know what it is he wishes for payment. You should have guessed, honestly.

"The female. We want the female you have with you. Give her to us and the rest of you may pass.", he says, his teeth gleaming as he smiles predatorily at you as he, and Blackmane holding her breath behind you, await your answer.