After getting to F-Rank I decided to call it a day since it was already pretty late. I went back to the Big Keg Inn and got dinner for Dob, Lob, and me and brought it back to our room so we could eat it there. They scarfed down their meals with an almost scary speed and went right back to sleep. I decided to follow in their footsteps so I went to bed, excited for what tomorrow might hold.

I woke up to the obnoxious bird but decided to come to peace with it for now.

Damn it you stupid bird. I'll leave you alone because you're a good alarm clock but if you ever wake me up at midnight we're going to talk.

With yet another likely shallow death threat towards the bird, I woke up Dob and Lob and we headed down to have breakfast. I could tell Dob and Lob were feeling much better than yesterday because they didn't look like death incarnate. Stella was also feeling better because she sounded much more chipper than yesterday morning.

Well, it's great to see everyone's doing well. Yesterday was a great example of why I don't like to drink that much or stay up extremely late. It's just not worth it because you feel horrible the next day.

After a hearty breakfast, I and the goblins headed out towards the Guild. On the way, I explained in a proud tone what I'd achieved yesterday.

"Hey, Dob and Lob. I have some great news to share with you guys."

They turned their heads towards me immediately, their eyes rapt with attention.

"I managed to rank up in the Guild yesterday! Now we can take on higher-level missions!"

The goblins looked at me in surprise. The surprise didn't last long though as shortly after I announced my rank up I was pulled into a mandatory group hug. I could feel a copious amount of eyes on my back accompanied by a few "aww"s and I felt myself blush with embarrassment. The hug felt great though and I didn't want to make Dob and Lob sad so I just let it happen.

I needed it if I'm being honest. While I loved the pretty much non-stop action I got while in this world I seemed to have been burying some tension inside of me. I also felt a closer bond with Dob and Lob which made me happy since I considered them my friends.

I whispered while in the group hug.

"Hey, guys are we friends?"

Dob and Lob looked at me. A big grin on both their faces.

I couldn't read their minds but I could easily tell from their expressions what they were thinking. I hugged them tighter before tapping them on the shoulder as a signal to stop the hugging before it became too long. We continued walking towards the Guild but I felt the invisible weight on my body lessen greatly and I could sense that Dob and Lob were also feeling better.

Ah, this is a great day.

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We got to the Guild not long after and entered it. We weren't as lucky as the last few times as there was a regular size line. We got into it and I saw a familiar face ahead of me. It was Darius. Instead of feeling exasperated or annoyed like normal, however, I felt myself break into a smile as he turned around. I decided I needed to get what I wanted to say in before we got going so right before he was directly facing me I opened my mouth.

"Hey, Darius! Nice to see you! What's up?"

Darius looked slightly surprised but delighted at my participation.

"Nice to see you too James! I'm just turning in a mission. How about you?"

"Well, I'm getting a mission. Oh yeah, have you met Dob and Lob?"

Darius looked slightly confused.

"No, I don't believe I have."

I gestured at Dob and Lob who were both standing behind me.

"These two guys are Dob and Lob. They don't talk but they're really nice go...guys"

Damn you stupid brain you almost said goblins.

Darius looked at Dob and Lob, his face brightening, probably due to his like of meeting new people.

"Heya Dob and Lob! I'm Darius!"

Dob and Lob waved at Darius and then to Darius' delight gave him a double high five.

"Alright! You guys are cool. If you ever want a drink or something hit me up."

The goblins' smiles dimmed.

"You guys ok?", Darius asked, worried about whether he offended his new friends.

"Yeah they'd probably love to at some point but they just got over their hangover from the celebration at Stella's inn."

Darius nodded understandingly.

"Ohhh. Yeah I get that. Don't worry you won't be peer pressured into drinking that much it'd be more of just having a conversation".

Dob and Lob looked at me with slight worry. They seemed to be saying, "how are we supposed to have a conversation when we can't talk?".

I looked at them reassuringly.

They definitely won't have to worry about not talking when Darius is involved. I bet he could go on talking until the end of time.

Darius seemed to remember that they couldn't talk and gave them a kind gaze.

"You guys don't worry about the whole not being able to talk thing. You can tell a lot from body language and I am very good at talking so you'll be fine. That is if you want to do that at some point?"

Darius looked at Dob and Lob with a hopeful look in his eyes.

Dob and Lob responded with another double-high five. One high-five from each of them. Me, the goblins, and Darius continued our conversation for a while. Dob and Lob nodded or made other facial expressions to convey meaning and I did some translation, also chatting with Darius a bit although I got a bit overwhelmed at some points.

Then it was Darius' turn so we politely ended our conversation. Soon after that, Darius was done so we gave him a wave as he left. Melissa looked at me with a smile on her face.

"Guess you guys are getting along with Darius now."

"Well, I wouldn't say we weren't getting along before it's just he's a bit too intense for me sometimes. Anyway, after a much-needed stress release, everything just seems so much brighter."

"That's great James!"

"Thanks!"

Melissa looked at Dob and Lob.

"And how have you guys been?"

They smiled at her brightly.

"Great! So are you guys here for a mission?"

"Yup! Give us something interesting please."

Melissa thought for a bit.

"How do you feel about taking care of some bandits?"

"Sounds good to me!"

Dob and Lob nodded in agreement, both liking the mission.

"You guys wanna hear the rewards?"

"Nah keep it a surprise. I know you won't pull the rug on us. It gives us something else to look forward to on our return."

Melissa then went on to explain some of the finer details of our mission. There would likely be about 3-5 bandits maximum and it should be pretty easy to fight them. We also got some information on where to go along with a few very fine details that I hope were irrelevant because I forgot them while trying to hold all the information in my brain. For the reward, we just had to bring them back to the Guild so they could be properly processed by the legal system.