I carry Vann over to our ship, avoiding the uncertain looks from the younger members of the crew. I’m sure I could explain it away by saying that humans have a biological craving for goblin meat or something, but I don’t want to taint their impressionable brains too much, so I simply tell them I’ve got a rumbly in my tumbly that no greenberry pudding is going to cure.

With my permission granted, I carry Vann down to the hold below deck. It’s cold as usual, a pair of dragonheart-powered engines keeping both the hold and ship as a whole cold. Scar once told me that earlier ship models didn’t have the holdcoolers, causing most early deaths on the tar sea to be because of heatstroke. The holdcoolers are then—being the only magically powered engines on the ship—the most expensive parts. However, with the hold downright chilly, it’s the perfect place for storing foodstuffs. And, also…

I look at Vann, still slung over my shoulder. But will he really be alright down here?... We don’t exactly have any other place to keep him. This is the only storage area we have, and the only singular room we have is the captain’s quarters.

Grumbling to myself, I prop Vann up against a wall as far away from the holdcoolers as possible. Then, after considering the situation for a moment, I pull a few hides from my inventory, draping the fluffy things over Vann to keep him as warm as possible. Oh, and I also tie a piece of my shirt around his arm, keeping the bleeding restrained.

There. Good. I wish I could write a note for him to see once he wakes up, but I’ll be back soon, so it should be alright.

After hesitating for a few more seconds, I quietly leave the hold, returning to the main deck in time to watch Dragon gleefully fire cannonballs at the slowly sinking yacht. Nazzo watches me approach, inching away a little once I’m close enough to the railing. He looks me up and down, eyes scanning for evidence of feasting. “Are you… done?”

I freeze up a little. “Not… quite. I’m saving it for later.”

“Ah, I—I see…”

Nazzo turns back to look at the burning ship, his ears folded back and trembling slightly. Even though the burning ship is a truly magnificent sight, I find myself looking at Nazzo instead. His behavior is curious. After a few seconds, I reach out to touch him, watching with interest as he recoils. My eyes fall to look at my hand; at my claws, still RED. Scarlet blooms across corpse-pale skin. I look back up at his face to find him quickly turning back to the ship.

Ah. He fears me, doesn’t he?

Not that I can fault him. Anyone would be afraid of me. Most people are, as a matter of fact. But seeing it here, in him…

Reaching out, I put my hand on his shoulder. He jerks away, practically jumping at the touch, but I keep my hand on his shoulder, keeping him in place. Like a rabbit caught in a trap, he turns around, only to freeze when he sees my face. I smile at him. “Hey,” I say. “It’s alright. I’m on your side, remember?” Hand still on his shoulder, I squeeze it a little.

He turns away shamefully, back to look at the burning ship. “Well, yeah, of course, but it’s still… You know…” His face twists in uncertainty. “He looked a lot like my brother. And—and then with the human… It felt more vivid.” He shakes his head, frowning at himself. “I don’t know.”

I see how it is. I pat him on the back. “I get it.” I smile softly. “But you do know that I’d never do something like that to you guys, right?”

His eyes widen, as if the mere suggestion was blasphemy. “Of course! That would be—” He makes the kind of face you do when trying to eat a whole lemon in one bite. “—Completely unthinkable.”

“Yeah!” I chime in. “I mean, with how little meat’s on your bones?” I grab and pinch his cheek. “I’d starve to death!” As he rebelliously shakes off my arms, I chuckle and double down. “Not to mention that you stink. When was the last time you took a bath?”

“I wiped myself yesterday!” Nazzo shoots back once he’s freed himself from my grip. “I’m basically clean!” Despite his tone, the smile on his face tells me that my hijinks have gone through.

Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.

While he’s still on guard, I lean in closer, sniffing at him even as he tries to fight me off. “Ah, now that you say it, you do smell quite clean. Mmm…”

“H—hey, hands off!”

Before I have time to go all-in on the bit and playfully nibble at his arm, Scar strolls by and slaps me on the back. “Didn’t you promise Coda to stop eating the younger crew members? What is this, the third one?”

Smirking back at him, I mournfully reply, “Well, yeah, but it’s only a single bite! He won’t miss it, I’m sure.” Then, after a moment’s pause, I add, “Also, it’s the fourth one. Can’t forget Reggie.”

“Of course, of course. Good kid. Shame he had to go and disobey Coda, but I’m sure his departure will serve as a reminder to all rookie members that Coda is not someone to be trifled with.”

Nazzo, who until now had been in on the bit, turns pale. “W—wait, what?”

While nodding at Scar, I pretend to pick at my teeth. “At least he tasted good.”

We keep the joke running for almost a full five minutes before deciding to let Nazzo in on it. At that point, both Cocco and Dragon had joined in, so when the jig was finally up, Nazzo was a fair bit miffed about being strung along for so long. However, we all had a good laugh, and Nazzo forgot all about his silly fears. Around that time, I also noticed that Vann had woken up and was wandering around the hold, which meant I didn’t have much time to hang around. I bid farewell to the people on deck and headed down to the hold.

Although it felt wrong at the moment, I’m now a bit happy that I bolted the door to the hold so he couldn’t wander out and mess up my cover story. Since I can smell that he’s close to—but not leaning against—the door, I take a deep breath before unbolting it, and then another before opening it, the cold air of the hold rushing out to prickle against my skin.

And there he stands, covered in several pelts all draped around his shoulders, head lowered to face the floor. Bowing. What the heck is he—

“Thank you for rescuing me, sir, from those dastardly pirates and their horrific tallthing. Being a mere sailor in training, I would expect no more than being kept in your cozy hold, however, with the cold being so terrible, I ask that you allow me up on deck to warm myself. Even if not, sir, I thank you deeply for—” And here, he finally takes the time to raise his head and look at who he’s talking to. His eyes meet mine. The change that comes over him takes no more than three seconds. No longer is he trembling merely because of the cold. The grateful smile falls off his face. His wide eyes fill with BLACK hatred. Like BLACK, transparent ice, his eyes are so clear that I can read his heart easily. Will he fight? Will he flee? Will he freeze?

I don’t want to take the chance on the first two, so while the ball is still rolling in the roulette wheel inside his head, I gently close the door behind me. Darkness falls between us. My eyes adjust instantly, but it takes a moment for him; his eyes widening, pupils trembling and focused on me to ensure I won’t move anymore.

Merely by looking at him, at the guarded way he stands there, I can tell he won’t believe a word I’ll say. I can’t fault him.

Even knowing it won’t be any real help, I sit down on the steps leading to the door going up. Like this, my head is a little lower than his. He’s looking down at me, and I’m looking up at him. Before he has time to act, I take the initiative.

“If you kill me, you won’t leave this place alive.”

Even in the darkness, I can clearly see his brows scrunch up in confusion. “What are—”

“You are on board ‘The Frisky Lady,’ the ship of the Evil Claw Pirates. And right now, you are only alive because of me. You can kill me, injure me, throw whatever insults you want, but it will only shorten your lifespan.” I sit, relaxed, as I say this. There is nothing emotional in my inflection, no hint of fear or reluctance. Nothing but calm certainty. “Unless you follow my lead, you will die, Vann. Maybe not down here, maybe not at my claws, but you will certainly die.”

“How do you know my name?” Within less than a minute of conversation, he has already asked the dreaded question.

Hesitantly, I let the semi-truth spill from my lips. “A while, maybe a year back, we met while I was undercover. I doubt you’d recognize my name or face. However, you were kind to me at a dark time, and I appreciate you for it. That’s why—”

“Is that why you’ve spared me?” he says in disbelief. “Because I was kind to you? What favor could I possibly have done for you to spare my life? You—a human?”

“It isn’t important,” I say, trying to wave off the fact that all he did was give me some tripseeds and treat me like I was an actual person. “It meant a lot, and that’s all that matters.”

He approaches me, fearless. “No. No, I recognize your voice. The words you say aren’t the same, and you look completely different, but…” My eyes are on the floor, on the cold planks of wood beneath my feet. “You’re Fennrick, aren’t you?” Hot shame burns at my ears and cheeks. “You are.” The disgust in his voice is too much. Like he’s appalled by me. By what I’ve become. And it makes me feel so small. “Is that seriously why you’re doing this? I heard you speaking before, when you took me on your shoulder. Don’t underestimate the hearing of us goblins. Your excuse for doing this is ridiculous.” His voice drops to a growl. “What makes you think I want to live?”

I fly to my feet. My hands hover, half-raised at the level of his neck. The breath I draw in trembles.

What was I about to do just now? He stands below me, defiant—strong. I think I was going to grab him by the shoulders. Shake sense into him. I hope that’s what I was about to do. My hands are shaking. But when I look into his eyes, although they were so fearful only a minute ago, now, they’re certain. He isn’t putting on a show of defiance. He’s honest.

I see that, and I see myself in his eyes, and my heart calms down.

I take a deep breath. Then, I meet his gaze, as steadily as he meets mine. “If you want to die,” I say, gently, “then I will make it painless.”

For a moment, he simply looks at me, no expression save for mild surprise gracing his young face. “...You’ve changed,” he mumbles after a while. I neglect to ask him if it’s for the better or worse. In my silence, he turns away from me. “So,” he says, “what’s your plan, tallthing?”