“I think I can see why one of us turned pirate.” Jennifer wondered what a pirate’s life might be like. She thought about how she would one day be getting a ship of her own, even if it was just a personal airship.
“Be who you are. Be true to yourself. Never let yourself or others believe you are nothing but a copy. You are your own person.”
The words lightened Jennifer’s heart. “I’ll be my own person. There is too much to do to let being a copy slow me down anyways.”
“Dad would be proud, no matter if he says otherwise. If you need someone to talk to, I will be here for you. But please do not show up at the courthouse looking for a legal loophole for a deal you made with an undead sea captain.”
Jennifer may be new to this world, but she was happy she found herself here on the back of the turtle.
***
Renewed, Jennifer set out with her group to Bishop’s University. As they walked, she checked her inventory. There was a letter of reference from Large Soup Bowl. The reference letter simply said, “I, Large Soup Bowl 14, recommend Just Jennifer for school.” Straight to the point with no room for argument.
Jennifer was receiving a speed buff from Kevin, making the trip shorter. Woozle, Kevin, and Kevin’s goblin flanked Jennifer as she stood in front of the dean of Bishop’s University.
In the blue light of the hologram, the dean inspected the three letters on the table in front of Jennifer. Her heart beat faster with each passing moment. Everything she had done led up to this moment. She was going to get accepted to Bishop’s.
“I accept the letters; They will be placed under review,” said the dean.
“Review?” The word struck so heavily in Jennifer’s mind, that it escaped her lips.
“Yes, your file is now under review.” The dean quickly added, “And if you unplug the projectors again, you will be rejected.”
She had never felt the urge to burn down a building more than this moment. “How long will this review take?” Her tone must have dripped with anger because Kevin growled and Woozle hissed.
“Between tomorrow and the death of your universe.” The dean’s words could have been used to smoke a dead deer with his smugness.
Jennifer swore to herself that if she got rejected, this building would be lit on fire with the dean still on. Thinking of the look on the dean’s face as the office burned around him, she smiled.
“Thank you for accepting my letters of recommendation,” forcing herself to smile, “and considering my application to this university.”
They left the dean’s office and the building. In spite of being in a bit of a huff, her group was greeted by a goblin. Kevin’s goblin jumped off the wolf’s back into the arms of the strange goblin, and with cheerful sounds, they greeted each other.
Jennifer turned and looked at Kevin, who looked back at her. Kevin gave a shrug and moved his head indicating the direction of the goblins. Jennifer shrugged back, and the team followed the goblins back to their encampment.
An elderly goblin in an ornate black robe and large pointed hat stood on the path. To Jennifer’s surprise the old goblin barked at Kevin who barked back.
“Okay, next side quest. Learn speak with Kevin.” She meant to say it quietly, but she was not quiet enough.
“You should learn not to interrupt other people’s conversation first.” The old goblin spoke with a peculiar accent but clear diction.
“What the muffin? You speak my language?” Jennifer put a hand to her open mouth.
“Yes, I do like muffins.”
“Hello, my name is Jennifer.” she said, as the group walked into the goblin encampment.
“Greetings, human, my name is Goblin.” In spite of the deep lines on its face and slow movement, the old goblin spoke with a young man’s voice.
Her curiosity got the better of her, and she asked, “Are you using a trait to speak with me?”
“No. Talisman speaks for Goblin. Talisman speaks human to Goblin.”
“So, why set up the encampment outside of school?” She was trying to make small talk despite the translating skills not being perfect.
“Goblin wanted education, so Goblin came to school. School closed. Goblin try to turn school into a dungeon to raise more goblins. Camping on campus until goblin allowed in residence with classes. Goblin wished for a degree in education with young goblin.” The more the goblin spoke, the more Jennifer empathized with the goblin, and the more her ears hurt.
Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.
Large Soup Bowl was easier to understand, and he did not come with an accent. Looking to the wolf, she saw Kevin’s tail was wagging hard, so Jennifer continued with the small talk as the group made their way to a campfire. “Do all goblins want to go to Bishop’s University?”
“Yes. Goblin of Bishop’s University.”
The group sat, and a deep-fried bird leg was brought to the group. Picking up the food in her fingers, Jennifer took a bite and found the chicken very good. It also caused her stamina stats to jump up.
“I completed the entrance quest, but my application file is under review,” she said between bites.
Kevin was also enjoying the chicken.
Woozle walked over to the goblin with a large pot of dead rabbit in his shark mouth.
“You understand quest to get into school?” The Goblin’s mouth hung open.
Being distracted by the goblin cleaning the rabbit, she casually said, “Yes. Do you want a letter of reference?”
“Goblin not know what letter of reference is. What is letter of reference?”
Rather than try to explain what a letter of reference was, she took one out of her inventory and handed it over. The look of shock on the goblin’s face was worth it.
The green person looked at the page. He yelled something in their language. A pile of paper, and a few pens were quickly deposited in front of Jennifer.
Jennifer took the first sheet of paper and wrote, “I, Just Jennifer, recommend the holder of this paper for Bishop’s University.”
Handing the paper to the elderly goblin, she said, “One complete. Goblin needs two more.” A pang of guilt settled in her chest, as she thought of a way to explain. Goblins were left out of the cities because the dean disliked goblins. The world did not like them either. Even if they got the letters, there was no guarantee they would be let in. “I’m a shopkeeper. You need a letter from the mayor and a parallel. Two more letters from two different people.”
“How get?”
For such a simple question, Jennifer had no answers. The people in the village only saw goblins as monsters.
“Side quests?” She had no solutions to what seemed like an impossible question. “Are goblins fragments?”
“Goblins are goblins.”
Her thoughts recalled an old saying. Well, not all questions give answers.
“I will find the ones who wrote letters for me and see if they can do the same for you.” She sighed. That was going to be a hard side quest. She watched as a new notification appeared in her menus.
Get the goblins into Bishop’s University– impossible
Jennifer did not want to believe it was impossible. “This one won’t be easy, but worst case, all of my classmates will be little green people. At least they’re not the red planet eating-whatever-moves variety.”
Kevin growled, and Jennifer was on her feet with a mop in hand searching for the source of the danger.
Kevin’s fur stood on end as he stood between a white chicken with a silver tiara and a goblin in a dirty apron holding a butcher’s knife.
Jennifer let down her guard, walked over, and picked up the chicken. “This one is Kevin’s now. No hurting,” she announced to the group of goblins.
Kevin tugged on Jennifer’s school uniform with his teeth.
She let him pull her away from the goblins and gave a polite wave goodbye.
Woozle came bounding up with a fried rabbit in his mouth. The movement was more of a prance to show off the meal.
“You’re going to let me have a bite of that, right?”
Woozle gave Jennifer a dirty look and powered up his rockets. With a gust of hot air, Woozle blasted off faster than either Jennifer or Kevin could chase him.
“I guess that’s a no.” The rabbit looked and smelled delicious. Jennifer could not help but pout. “I always share with him.”
The group made it to town with Jennifer carrying the white chicken the whole time. When they arrived at the house, there was a line in front of her café. Her unopened café.
“Excuse me,” she said, squeezing her way through the crowd. “Shop owner coming through. We’ll be open as soon as I make the tea.”
Once inside, Jennifer used Summon Undead on the blue skeleton. She called it that because, unlike the others, it had the strange blue haze of the spirit that surrounded it. “Okay Blue, start seating. There’s only one thing on the menu.”
Again, she used her power to summon two common skeletons. “The two of you, start gathering water.”
Jennifer started brewing tea before realizing there was only one glass in the house, and it was dirty. Having only one borrowed table with two chairs in the café was not going to get her very far either. Making her excuses, she bolted over to the micro foundry only to find out that her order was not finished. It turned out that the mayor had set priority production on tents for the fragment refugees fleeing the dinosaur warlords. Their numbers were increasing, and they were coming into town with nothing but the clothes on their back. At least they got tents.
“Why go to the foundry when you can get what you need from Exports du Universal,” Sarah said from behind her. Her friend stood confidently in a new suit with a golden name tag pinned on her chest. The very image of a manager that could handle everything. “We are not open for regular business, but do you want to be the first customer for my shiny, new branch?”
“Sarah, I’m so glad to see you. Can you? Really?” She did not bother to keep the panic out of her voice. Sarah’s timely arrival had Jennifer wanting to pick up the woman and hug her. “My hero. Glasses, pitchers, tables, chairs, café stuff, soon. Can you rush the order and be there in an hour?”
Sarah struck a classic superhero pose with her hands on her waist. “Of course.”