From Xiobierd's pensive expression, combined with him stroking his protruding chin with his thumb, it could be deducted that for the Orc's words on the Goblin's freedom to actually sink in, it would take plenty of time, perhaps more than the Orc could afford. There were many thoughts coursing through Goblin's head - What it is like to be free as he is now? Where could he put his skills to use? Are Goblins in the free world much different from himself?

The Goblin gave his thoughts pause, in order to listen to what else did the Orc had to say. Upon hearing that the man would welcome, or at least that he would not mind company, Xiobierd was quick to cheer up, excited about getting to assist the Orc in his mission, whatever it might be. And he was more than willing to voice it, too:

- "Yes, Xiobierd would be honored to assist big Orc in his mission, to brave whichever task big Orc asks me to brave, to worship the ground big Orc walk on!"

His screams of excitement, in conjunction with all the effort he put into digging a hole the Orc had earlier requested, not to mention the weight of the backpack he continued to wear, all turned out to be very tiring, and eventually, Xiobierd had to plop onto his bottom. As he was sitting on the ground, the Goblin could not help but notice that the Orcish man continued to look attentively at the meat cooking at the pit. Still without much of an idea as of what was happening before him, he leaned over to the Orc and whispered:

- "Big Orc thinks that the Earth God likes the sacrifice?"

Delanac gave a wry smile when he heard the goblin praise him. It was awkward and undeserved, but he didn't want to put a damper on the newly-emancipated Xiobierd's spirits. It was only fair that he be allowed to speak his mind freely, having been oppressed for so long. The orc wondered how the goblin would feel about him once he learned his 'mission' was to become an above-average chef, and that his old man wouldn't allow him back home until he proved his worth. Watching the fire pit, he was pleased with the deer's progress. Soon they would be able to taste the results of their hard-earned meal. Delanac wondered if the carrots and potatoes he had stuffed into the animal's body cavity were done. He would be disappointed if they weren't.

"A proper flatterer you are, aren't you? That fire pit we set up for the deer's for cooking, nothing else. And from the looks of it, it's just about done." Delanac went up to the roasting deer and checked the meat. It looked good so far, and didn't have the same color or texture back when it was raw. There was one last thing to check. The orc walked away from the fire pit into his tent, and returned with a large double-headed axe. Bringing it up to the deer carcass, he lifted the weapon up high and swung downwards–splitting the rib cage with a loud crack! Inside were an assortment of various root vegetables and the sliced lemons he had stuffed in earlier. The aroma of its fragrance was released upon the body cavity being broken open.

Setting the axe down, he wiped his brow with a look of satisfaction. "It's finally done! Now, what do you say we dig in? You want a shank or some of the ribs? There's plenty to go around. Should be enough to last for a day or two." Wiping off the head of the axe, Delanac pulled out two bowls from his pack with some wooden utensils. He handed the goblin a bowl with a spoon before helping himself to some of the potatoes and turnips.

Xiobierd looked most puzzled upon learning that the pic the Orcish man had set up was dug solely for purpose of cooking meat. It was much different than whatever it was he remembered involving his master, a fiery pit like the one before him, except much bigger, and several humans rounded up together. Come to think of it, Orc's actions were much more pleasant to experience. The sight, the smell, the absence of pained screams all made the Goblin more and more appreciative of the situation he found himself in.

As the Orc had split the ribcage of the roasted deer carcass with his mighty axe, Xiobierd had jumped in place, quite startled, before proceeding to giggle about it. He took the moment he had to lean over and take a harder look at the axe head as it was partially buried in the coals beneath the roast. And not unlike before, he was quick to appreciate the good craftsmanship. He wondered whether he could manage to replicate, or perhaps even beat such a well-made weapon with efforts of his own. Not for long, however, for he was quickly overwhelmed by the fragrance of whatever the Orc had stuffed inside the ribcage prior to splitting it in two, combined with that of the meat itself.

After the Orcish man asked the Goblin a question whether he would fancy himself that part of the roast or the other, the latter's expression made it quite obvious that he could not quite decide, and that whatever he would be given, he would appreciate most in his lifetime. And so, Xiobierd ended up helping himself to whatever the Orc treated him to. And what a treat it was! Being so much less hungry than before, having helped himself to hardtack and dried jerky a while ago, he could easily afford to take his time to appreciate the meal he found most sublime. The spoon was a welcome addition, as well, and Xiobierd was most happy to exclaim it. Although obviously unfamiliar with the use of utensils, the Goblin had little difficulty figuring out how to use it, partially remembering his felled master helping himself to a meal and partially mimicking the Orc sat beside him, as the two went on to try different parts of the roast, as well as different vegetables. Upon a moment of reflection, Xiobierd gathered himself to speak, or rather exclaim himself, as he ought to do:

- "Big Orc's food so much better than that Xiobierd ate at Master's home. Had big Orc had minions of his own, big Orc could keep minions happy and strong! More should know about big Orc and his food!"

Delanac felt a surge of pride and joy welling up inside of him when Xiobierd praised him so. Even with his mouth full, he was smiling. Swallowing the bite of meat and parsnip he washed it down with a gulp of water. "Ha-ha! Glad to hear that from you! Turns out that's exactly what I've been fixin' to do. Not the minions part of course, but the cooking bit. Y'see, I plan to learn all there is about cooking–from the highs and lows. What we've been eating right now's just the base of the mountain so to speak and just a simple roast wouldn't surprise anybody. What I'm aiming for is the best of the best, and nothing lower. From what I have I figure I know just about all the ins and outs of cooking with fire and ovens, but I can't stop there." Realizing he was rambling a bit, he slowed down to continue eating. Now where would be the next place he wanted to go? It had to be somewhere he could learn something he had no knowledge of–something more than just boiling, baking, or roasting. Looking at his bowl of food he thought of how it'd taste so much better with some melted cheese, and then a light went on.

That was it! Cheese! All this time, he had been missing out one of the most important staples of the pantry. That creamy texture, the occasional sharpness, the savory aroma and gooey goodness. He knew absolutely nothing about making cheese, aside from it being made from milk. There were also many different kinds of cheeses, each with their own unique flavors and peculiarities. The halflings were well-known for their generous portions at meals, and some of their best wares were sausage and cheese. If he went to Komiteia, it would be cooking two fish over one bed of coals. Once the meal was finished and he was full, he cut off the remaining meat from the deer into strips and set them to dry over a wooden rack placed above the still-burning pile of coals. The dry heat would help remove any remaining moisture and keep it from rotting. While he rested waiting for the jerky to dry out, he spoke his mind to the goblin.

"You know… I've been thinking. There's something I've been craving ever since I've been traveling out here and I've finally figured out what it is–cheese. And you know who makes some of the best cheese? Halflings. There's a place called Komiteia all the way across the next continent yonder where a bunch of halfings are. Proper hospitable folks, they are. I'd wager that they wouldn't mind teaching us a few things about making our own cheese from milk and whatnot. What do you think, Xiobierd? How 'bout we go pay them a visit?"

- "Yiip! Xiobierd wants to help, Xiobierd really does! Noble big Orc's goal is a noble one for sure! Xiobierd shall aid big Orc as best as he can!"

The Goblin had then paused for a moment, visibly giving himself time to think about what could he possibly do to aid his new acquaintance. He barely knew enough to eat in a civilized manner, let alone to cook. The Orcish man seemed to be very heavily armed, and as such he had little need for additional gear. On the other hand, that would mean he has much to sharpen. Jackpot!

- "Yiip! Xiobierd will keep big Orc's weapons nice and sharp! And can offer quality protection, too! Big Orc watches!"

Having made sure he drew the Orc's attention, he let out a high-pitched shriek, which creatures his size likely perceive as a roar. As he did so, he bared his dirty fingernails and pointed teeth. Having done that, he relaxed again and went on to wipe with his sleeve a string of saliva which had shot out of his mouth during his little show. Which, by the way, in addition to showing his combat prowess and intimidation factor, did exhibit his need for a bath, too. And perhaps a thorough one, too.

As Xiobierd remained sat on the ground, he listened to the Orcish man describing his new plan, giving his most focused expression he could afford. Apparently, the Orc had fancied himself some cheese and he sought to learn a way to craft it on his own. A noble goal, suiting a noble Orc, and the Goblin was most glad to come to aid!

- "Yiip, tee hee hee" - a grin widened over the critter's face, as he rubbed his hands together - "Halfings certainly 'wouldn't', no, no, noo!" - he continued to express his eagerness to help, albeit not in a way the Orc might have fancied.

"I'm sure you'd do well on your own if I weren't around, that's for sure! Proper frightening display to scare any nasty beasties off. Speaking of beasties, we'll have to be on our guard now. That meat will take some time to dry, and I bet the smell's tasty enough for all sorts of creatures to come for a bite." The orc joked, while still maintaining a serious undertone. Now he needed to plan the best course of travel for them to reach Komiteia. He wasn't sure how the goblin felt about transportation in general, and they had a couple of options on how to go about it. There were airships, which were convenient but expensive. They also posed other dangers as they traveled several thousand feet in the air. Taking a regular ship had its own issues as well. The fare was usually cheaper, but the trip would take longer and the risk of being shipwrecked, attacked by pirates, or being sunk by a creature or storm were real and pressing dangers. Either way it was a matter of time or money.

"I've been meaning to ask you, but what do you think about airships or ships, in general? There's three ways you can cross the ocean, and two of them are more accessible than asking a mage to open a portal for you." For the last option he had never tried it himself, but he had heard of such occasions where sorcerers offered their services for practical matters other than slaying beasts or performing feats of magic. The incidents were very rare though, as you normally didn't see people capable of magic using that as their selling point. They thought it was beneath them, he supposed. 

Xiobierd went on to snicker with pride, confident that the Orc was genuinely impressed with the Goblin's display. He felt so important, too, included in a crucial task of protecting the meat, which seemed to be of great importance to said Orc. Eventually, the critter had faced a question regarding ships and airships. Back in the past, Xiobierd had no chance to see any of these majestic vessels - as a matter of fact, the only vessel he had come to witness with his own eyes was a rusty minecart, into which he was often thrown by his Orcish foremen before being pushed down a steep incline, resulting in loud and painful crashes.

And so, having been asked to express himself about ships and airships, Xiobierd went on to think most intensely, his pensive expression resembling that of a politician awaiting their turn in a debate. Giving himself time, the critter eventually answered:

- "Xiobierd not know… to be on water, or in air? Both sound exciting… but both sound scary, too! Xiobierd was never inside airship or ship… Is landship a thing, though? Xiobierd walked on land for long, long, so Xiobierd would not be scared of no landship… maybe…"

Despite his best efforts, Xiobierd found himself unable to give his new Orcish acquaintance a proper answer. From what he said, it could only be understood that each of the solution can either work or not. Except the landship part, maybe - after all, it is a cross-continental journey which is being discussed!

"A 'landship' huh? That'd just be a carriage or wagon then." He gave the idea some thought, and considered taking the longer route of going aboard a ship bound for Parvpora. He didn't want to shock the goblin too much with new experiences. For some people, being up in the clouds miles off the ground would throw them into fits of panic. He himself still felt his knees wobble at the thought of falling off an airship, so his mind was made up. "A regular ship it is then. The closest place to board a ship is Adeluna from here. Vilpamolan's not very keen on reliability, nor safe for that matter." He only knew a handful of people there who weren't backstabbing seadogs in love with hoarding gems and precious metals like magpies.

"Hopefully if we're lucky, we'll run into one of my old friends down at the docks once we get there. I'm sure Rufus won't mind." Checking that jerky's progress, he noted the sun was going down. "Better get a campfire going, there's beasties about with night coming on." Reusing the fire pit, he found some embers still flickering amidst the cooling stones and tossed dry grass onto them. Fanning air over them, the embers grew as they greedily consumed the tinder. Adding more dry grass and some firewood to keep it burning strong, within a half an hour the fire was brightly blazing as twilight turned into evening. He'd have to give up sleeping in the tent for tonight; keeping watch over the drying deer meat would be a full-time job. "We'll start making headway towards the city tomorrow. How's that sound? It'll be a long walk, but compared to getting robbed by pirates it's worth the effort."