He woke up with a start. He blinked, and rubbed his eyes, before looking around, and suddenly remembering where he was. He shivered as a cold sea breeze blew the smell of burning into his nose. He clambered out of bed, and felt something flop off his chest. He blinked and looked down to see the Mink jumping awake. The animal gave him a reproachful look, which he ignored. He ran his hand through his hair, and stood there for a moment, his thoughts blank. The Mink brought him out of his state, by gently landing on his shoulder. He glanced at it, seeing its curiosity, and sighed. “Suppose I better try to find a way out of this mess…” He mumbled, before stretching his shoulders a little, and stepping up to open the door before walking through.

He made his way down to the stairs and into the hallway. He blinked when there was no-one around, and he sneakily made his way to the entrance, opening it ajar. His hopeful heart fell when he saw two of Gomorra’s Goblins standing guard, and he briefly considered trying to knock them out and run, until one of them snorted. His breath froze, and he slowly closed the door. Not risking it right now. He wandered into the kitchen of the house, his eyes wandering over the crowded table and…he did a double take at the sight of seven Goblins hunched over a small table, eating food. They eyed him, and he returned the favour. He cleared his throat. “Any of that for me?” They rolled their eyes at each other, and squeezed closer so there was a tiny gap he could sit in. His stomach rumbled, and he made his way over. The Mink started wriggling excitedly on his shoulder, and leapt off early, diving gracefully into his plate of food. He stared at it disbelievingly, as it gorged itself on his breakfast. The Goblins chuckled, and one of the warriors got up, walked over to a cupboard and produced another wooden plate. He managed to sit in the allowed space, and took the plate with a small nod, before loading it up with the random assortment of food that was available. The meal was mainly preservatives, fish, and no vegetables at all. Yet, he quickly found the sour mood he was in to be lifted, as his stomach filled up. The Mink was completely covered in leftovers, but it solved that with a wave of its hand, lifting all of it off its fur, and condensing it into a ball. It eyed its creation, before its gaze slowly moved to him.

“Don’t.” He said quietly, giving it a stink-eye.

It hesitated before it smirked, and the ball shot into the face of the Goblin who’d helped him. The warrior spluttered in shock, before he roared while the others cackled. He coughed in amusement, and hid his smile behind his hand. The Mink shot him a wink, and he shook his head in exasperation.

“Well, it's good to see that you’re fitting in, Jason.”

His expression was quickly wiped away, and he turned to look at Gomorra, standing there and watching them in amusement.

“We have some things to talk about.” She gestured to her team, and they packed up, leaving a plate for her. She made her way over, and sat down opposite the both of them. She tucked into her meal, pausing after her first bite, to say, “First of all, I’ll need to spend time with the Mink, talk to it, and run some tests. I may need you to stay for that, but the Animal seems smart enough to understand us so I don’t believe it’ll be necessary.” She took another bite, and we both looked at the Mink, who was sitting on its back legs. It looked from both of us, its eyes lingering on him, before it nodded to Gomorra. Jason started at that. What? Since when does it actually care? Gomorra, on the other hand, just nodded and smiled. “Then that brings us to the last point. Jason…” she stopped, considering something, before sighing. “...The other Goblins do not like us, and there are so few of us left. Our race has learnt to become greedy and vicious, although not all of us are like that.”

He softly snorted, and she glared at him.

“I do not know where you are from, Jason. But in this world, many people would have just killed you and taken the Mink. You do not appreciate how lucky you are to be alive.”

He glared right back, but the words had created a spark of worry in him. She pursed her lips. “I will allow you to explore, in the hopes that you will learn a bit more about us. But, you will have protectors.”

He regarded her for a second, before nodding. Protectors? Maybe. But also Wardens.

She smiled, and finished up her breakfast, before looking at the Mink and extending her hand. “Shall we then?”

The Mink’s mouth twitched downwards, and instead of jumping on, it started floating in the air. Without a word, Gomorra turned and beckoned the animal to follow, leaving Jason all alone. “Well, I guess I better make the most out of my vast freedom.” He heard a snicker from one of the other rooms.

So, he made his way to the door again, and stepped out to see the two guards. They gave him a nod, and fell into step. He blew his lips, and looked at them. “Got anywhere you’d recommend?”

They both shrugged. “Docks? Got good fish.”

“Sure.”

He started walking, heading down the town. He kept an eye out the whole time, looking for…something? He needed a way out of this mess, but right now? He had no idea what to do. They passed the nearly-destroyed houses again, ignoring the scuttling of the inhabitants. They turned and meandered down a street that was narrower than the others. The light from the rising sun dimmed, and the ever-present smell of destruction became musky. He looked around with interest. It was probably the least damaged part of the town, and it caused a tension he hadn’t been aware of to ease from his shoulders. He glanced back at his two guards, who were also appreciating the new scent.

‘Ding’ [Viper’s Arrow Lv 78]

‘Ding’ [Rotting Hammer Lv 50]

“So…why do the other Goblins hate you?”

They turned to him, and their faces twisted. The Viper eventually said, “The Grasping Hand made our tribe very strong. We were more powerful than any other, until the Holy Will noticed us.” His gravelly voice paused, his eyes distant with the memory. “The Will and Adventurers started hunting us down, it was too much, and we weren’t the only ones who suffered. Goblins have always been killed, wherever they were found but, suddenly, everyone was after us.” He shrugged. “Other Goblins blame us for that.”

Jason nodded as they continued to walk down the street. “Well… it does kinda sound like it was your fault?” His eyes widened a bit when he felt their glares on his back. “Obviously not you two! There’s only ten of you left, right? Were you there when your…uh, Chieftain made the decision?”

They relaxed. “No, only Gomorra was, but she was one of the biggest supporters.”

He raised an eyebrow. “Really? She didn’t sound like…”

They grunted. “She learnt a little too late that the Grasping Hand, for all that they were helping us, also put us in danger.”

None of them spoke any more than that, and Jason’s attention was soon taken up by the street widening out into its own little square. There wasn’t much there, apart from a strange looking pile of bleached…stuff. He frowned, and glanced at the others, who looked just as confused as he was. Clattering interrupted him, and his head jerked back to see a white hand emerge from the middle of the refuse. A tall, skinny Goblin emerged, except this one was completely pale. Even its eyes were just blank slates. Jason hadn’t even realised that he’d stepped back, until Viper and the warrior moved in front. The Goblin statue thing looked at them, its gaze somehow piercing through him. It doesn’t have a mouth. His skin prickled. Then, its mouth split apart in a crack, revealing darkness underneath.

“Hmm, Rotting Hills Tribe, is it? I was hoping that you would arrive.” Its voice was creaky and hissing. It stepped down from the pile.

‘Ding’ [Majesty of Bone Lv ??]

Jason swallowed, and glanced at his two protectors. They were tense, hand gripped tightly around their weapons. “Rotting Hills don’t know you, whatever you are.”

It cocked its head. “No? Have I been forgotten by your Chieftain, sooo easily?”

“Chieftain’s dead.”

It was silent for a moment, before saying, “Aaaah, I was looking forward to a match with him once more. Who is in charge then?”

“Gomorra,” the warrior grunted for the first time.

It cocked its head. “The little witch girl?...hmm, maybe not so little anymore? Perhaps she would suffice.”

Its head moved to him, before his guards could respond. “And what is this human doing here? A death magic user, but so low level? Is the Rotting Hills recruiting?”

“None of your business!” The Viper snapped.

The statue croaked repeatedly, before Jason released it as its laughter. “No need to get so uptight! Just a bit of harmless curiosity.” Its eyes went back to Jason. “So, young man, I’m always interested in an unbiased opinion about my path. What do you think?” It spread its arms wide, displaying its sexless ivory body in all of its glory.

Fucking weird. “It's…interesting.”

The statue laughed, like a frog. “I see you’re judgemental about this. Tell me, what is it that disturbs you?”

He looked to his guards for guidance, but they didn’t say a word. He inhaled deeply, bracing himself a little. “You’re a statue of sorts? Made out of bone? Haven’t you lost all of your sensations? How much of you remains?”

It nodded along. “Ah, good questions. A statue? Not entirely correct. I have become a being of pure willpower, able to shape bone to my whims.” It raised its hand, and bone flowed from the pile behind him. “Such an interesting material. So much potential…” It looked at him, and the crack that was its mouth widened. “Look at you, so weak, and pathetic. You don’t want to be here do you?”

Jason’s heart began to beat faster, and his guards went to move in front of him but ropes of ivory shot out and snagged them. The statue strolled forward, its movements controlled and silent. “But you can’t do anything about it. Tell me, boy, what right of judgement do you hold? I am the most powerful being here – Immortal. You're correct with your assumptions though, there was a price. Just like I’m sure you’ll discover with yours.”

The warrior finally broke free of his restraints, and immediately swung his warhammer around in an arch.

The crack on the statue’s face opened all the way to the ears.

The hammer hit without trouble, and nothing happened, except suddenly there was a long jagged spike right at the warrior’s throat. They all stared at the bead of blood that welled up, and dripped down. “See?” It said smugly.

Jason’s eyes were glued to the sharp edge that its arm had become, an interesting idea forming in his head. “To…do that, would I need to become like you?”

The Statue chortled. “Really? Are you convinced that easily? Wonderful…” It seemed lost in its thoughts for a moment, before snapping back into reality. The bones instantly flew back into him, like a released elastic band. “A shame that you're not open to my path. But, perhaps it's more interesting this way? Yesss…I believe it is. Well, little beginner, all you need is a simple manipulator Class. Bone obviously.”

“How do I do that?”

It regarded him, its blank eyes somehow incredulous. “You familiarise yourself with the element.”

“And how do I-”

“If you cannot figure that out, then you’re not worthy of it.” It shook its head, and spun around, heading back to the pile. “Good luck, initiate. You’ll need it.”

He flushed and opened his mouth to respond, but it had already stepped back into the pile. He and the guards stood there, silently, before the Viper slapped him on the back. He staggered and glared at him, but the Goblin matched it. “Why did you piss him off? You don’t ever mess with Crazies!”

He blinked and tilted his head. “Crazies?”

The goblin nodded, and brushed its frizzy hair out of its eyes. “Crazy people are never afraid of giving up things for their Class. They are always more powerful than most others.”

He started. “What is this?”

The Goblin looked at him as if he was weird. “Hells, what parent raised you? To have the truly more powerful Classes, you always need to sacrifice something.”

“Really? So, is my Class powerful? Have I sacrificed…”

He remembered the constant cold, the difficulty he had in feeling warm. Did I get rid of… He felt a shove, and he emerged from his thoughts. “Come on, we’ve gotta get out of here.” The Viper was nervously eyeing the shaking pile, and Jason saw no reason to disagree. They ran by, exiting on the other side of the small square, and continued down the alley. Jason realised that his heart was still beating quite quickly, so he took several deep breaths trying to calm it down. The Viper glanced at him, and chuckled. “Yeah, I think I need a break too. I won’t be coming this way again.” Jason smiled, before he realised what he was doing, and wiped it away. They carried on in silence, which the Viper seemed a little peeved about. Finally they emerged from the street, out onto the docks, and Jason gave a small gasp when he saw what was going on. They were building a ship, a massive one. It could probably fit every single Goblin he’d seen so far. He frowned. Maybe that was the point? He glanced at Viper, his red eyes fixed on the construction; there was a gleam in his gaze, one that he couldn’t place.

“What’s with the boat?”

The Goblin turned his attention back to him, his mouth turning downwards. “You don’t need to know.”

He narrowed his eyes, and looked back at it again. He felt a sharp poke in the back. “Come on, you wanted to look around, right? Then look around.”

He snorted, but aquiciesed, walking up to better observe the workers. He tilted his head, as he began to notice something in the way they moved. They were almost frantic. A lot of them were quite small, so watching them scurry about hammering things at astonishing speeds was a little funny. But, as he continued watching, he felt that it wasn’t natural; he wasn’t sure why, until a breeze blew by, fluttering his rags, and he was reminded of the feast last night. They were completely silent, utterly apart from how they had behaved. He pursed his lips. Something was going on; there was some importance around the ship, but what?

“Hey Viper?” The archer looked and raised his eyebrow. Jason realised that he’d never asked his name, and suddenly felt a little foolish. He ploughed on. “Why are there so many different types of Goblins here?... Actually, why are there three different Chieftains?”

Viper’s face hardened and he knew he’d struck something. “Look, what am I going to do? You two are constantly guarding me, anything I’d try would end up with me killed.”

Viper said nothing, and Jason sighed. “Do you want me to play a guessing game? I’ll do it. I haven’t got anything better to do.”

The Black-skinned Goblin hesitated, before slumping. “You’ve probably already figured it out. Goblins are still being hunted, we are leaving Bretae, searching for whatever lands there are across the sea.”

He inhaled sharply, as something suddenly clicked. “You’re running away? You’re being hunted to the point that this many of you are fleeing?”

The Goblin nodded slowly, and Jason breathed out.

“You’re going extinct, aren’t you?”

The Goblin head whipped up, his expression snarling, before draining and falling back down again.

Jason ran his hand through his hair, and turned back to look at the Goblins in a new light. “I…I don’t know what to say.”

Viper grunted. “Then don’t say anything.”

So he stood there in silence, as he watched the Goblins build their hope for a better life. Each hammer resonated with something inside him. He swallowed, and turned to the archer. “I hope you find a better future. One that works better for everyone.”

The Goblin man’s expression was blank, so he took it for the dismissal it was, and turned to head back to the house.