Gobo was batting a thousand. Whatever the bat had done had charged him with energy. He was ready to knock it out of the park and his current attire said as much.

You're ready champ. Bat thought to Gobo.

The goblin agreed. "Where Caleb?" He asked again.

No clue. But we can find one of those Jora and ask I bet.

Gobo nodded. Filled with determination, he stomped back into the dark of the canyon.

Up above the canyon, the fighting had moved along from the government building into the streets of Varnoss. Jora and Varnoss clashed in battle. Buildings fell as soldiers were tossed into them and streets cracked as Jora were toppled. Above in the sky a rock loomed.

Gobo looked up at the stone in the sky as he climbed out of the canyon. The rock was a pockmarked mess of asteroid hovering above the city. The edges of it roiled and shifted as countless Jora climbed around. Gobo gulped at the sight.

Chill dude you got me. Bat comforted.

The energy inside Gobo surged again, giving the goblin a needed boost of confidence. Nodding to himself, Gobo pushed himself over the ridge of the canyon and back into the city proper. A few straggling Jora were scrounging through the rubble. They sniffed around, picking out bits of food and other organic matter to put in their mouths.

Confidently, Gobbo strode up to one of the monsters closest to him. The Jora paused in its search as it sniffed him out.

"Where Caleb?" Gobo demanded. He pointed Bat at the Jora's chest.

The monster babbled out some noise in response and jumped over to Gobo. It landed with a crash amidst the rubble, almost knocking the goblin off his feet. Gobo dug in with his cleats, steadying himself. Once again he pointed Bat at the Jora's chest.

The monster looked down at Gobo. It was a full three bodies taller than the goblin.

You look like David taking on Goliath! You're doing great! Bat encouraged.

The monster bent down to grab Gobo but the goblin was too quick and jumped back out of the way. The confused babbling grew more intense and the Jora grabbed again. Once again Gobo jumped back out of the way, his cleats giving him incredible traction.

The Jora grew angry after the second miss and swiped down with all four arms. Gobo's left, right, up, and back was blocked. So he took the only way open, forwards.

He dashed towards the monster's legs and then slid past them headfirst.

Safe! Bat yelled. Okay, now knock him out of the park!

Nodding, Gobo turned and planted his feet. He gripped Bat, grinding his new gloves against the leather grip. He squared his shoulders and spread his legs apart as he brought Bat back behind his head with both hands.

Gobo swung with all his might and Bat whipped past his head and into the leg of the monster. A loud keening sound blasted outward from Bat.

HOME RUN!!! Bat cried.

Gobo heard the cheering of thousands of fans as he knocked the ball out of the park and over the stadium. His teammates cheered and crowded around him as he rounded third and crossed home plate. He had done it, they had beaten the Jora ten to nine in extra innings! Someone brought out a champagne bottle and uncorked it over Gobo's head. Fizzy drink spilled over his helmet and into his face. He slurped happily with his tongue.

This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

And then the dream was gone. Gobo was back on Varnoss and surrounded by rubble. Worse yet, the Jora wasn't gone. Bat had struck true, right on the monster's leg, but other than a slight shift back the creature hadn't moved.

And Gobo wins the pennant! Bat cheered, oblivious to what was going on.

The Jora swiped again at Gobo and the little goblin swung Bat to meet it. Once again the sound of a homerun emitted from Bat, but all it did was stop the fist's momentum. Gobo did the only sensible thing his mind could come up with. He dropped Bat and ran.

The sports equipment clanged to the ground and distracted the Jora for a second. Just long enough for Gobo to dash behind some rubble and make a beeline for the canyon again. It was safe there.

And then he saw more Jora at the canyon. As if they were waiting for him. Panicking, Gobo turned off to the right and made a beeline for a collapsed building. He'd hide out there until they left. But then a Jora crashed through the building. They were everywhere! He couldn't hide, he had to get out of here!

Gobo ran as fast as his legs would take him, darting between collapsed buildings and rubble as he avoided the Jora. He was vaguely aware he was running towards the fighting, but he wasn't going to stop. Stopping meant he'd get caught.

He nimbly dodged past as a Jora fell to a group of soldiers, wounds honeycombing the monster's torso. One of the soldiers took a swipe at him with a sword but he ducked under it and kept running. They tried to follow but another Jora appeared at their side to attack.

Gobo reached a point where a wall of Varnoss were beating back lines of Jora. The corncob headed monsters roared in a popping cacophony as they charged at the line. In contrast the soldiers stood silent, steel in their eyes and the emperor in their hearts. Gobo ducked behind a charging Jora as it collided with the line of soldiers.

He rolled between the monster's feet and crawled under the Varnoss' shields. He kept crawling until he was sure the fight was behind him. From there he jumped up and ran as far as he could go.

It was close to nighttime when Gobo's stamina depleted. He collapsed in a heap on the grassy ground outside of the city. In the distance tan and red colors bloomed like fireworks in the sky, each tinged with a hint of gold. Above Gobo saw the pocked asteroid that held the Jora. And then his eyes closed from exhaustion and he fell into a dreamless sleep.

----------------------------------------

That was how Nathan found the goblin when they arrived on Varnoss. The fight with the mothership had wrapped up quickly after June and her troop had escaped the ship. As David flew back to Three Cities, the mothership had recalled all the fighters it could and jumped away from the planet. With no support, the remaining spacecraft retreated.

June had brought back the coordinates for the Varnoss homeworld and much more. Rover deciphered the coordinates with the help of the workers and everyone prepped themselves for the journey ahead. Nathan met up with June and Alex to discuss tactics when rescuing Nathan.

Of course, all those plans were useless now. As Three Cities appeared in orbit around Varnoss, they saw the city in chaos. Another enemy had arrived at the homeworld, one riding an asteroid of all things. Green, four-armed aliens attacked the city while the army tried their best to fend off attacks.

Currently unnoticed, Hailey brought Three Cities low to have Nathan scan for Caleb. He might not be able to see the immutable man but he'd be able to see everything around him, which hopefully meant there'd be an outline of a man in his vision. It was when he was using his blessing that he found Gobo.

He had immediately let Hailey know and she sent down a group to collect the monster. They collected the goblin and deposited him in Caleb's room. Once there, Hailey, June, Alex, and Nathan woke him up.

The first thing the goblin did was flail around violently when he woke. Tiny claws scratched at the bed and Gobo's eyes were wide with panic. It was only when he saw them all that he calmed down.

"Where Caleb?" He asked.

Hailey frowned. "We were hoping you could tell us."

Gobo shook his head and went into a halting explanation of his journey with Caleb, using pantomime whenever he couldn't use words. He stopped after Caleb left to go meet the Emoters.

"Okay," Hailey said after Gobo finished. "The good news is Caleb has to be in the city somewhere. The bad news is we'll have to scan for him, which means attracting attention from both sides."

"We shouldn't get much opposition," June said. "As long as we don't join in they'll probably ignore us."

"What makes you say that?" Alex asked.

"If one splits forces to attack us they lose power, which means their enemy gains an advantage. So neither should strike unless we attack."

Hailey nodded. "It makes sense. All the same, we should prepare for an attack."

Everyone nodded in agreement. Each split up to prepare for the coming assault. Hailey went off with Nathan to the command center so they could scan for Caleb while June and Alex went to the Forger district to gear up. Jim-Jam and Rocket received suits of armor from the Forgers. June was given more explosives which she gratefully accepted.

With everyone ready, Three Cities pushed into the city. Nathan pulsed his power every few seconds while the citizens kept an eye out for any attackers. They moved in a spiral pattern, scanning the outskirts of the city before moving inward.

As they neared the center of the city, some opposition appeared. Some of the green aliens started to jump up and grab onto the city while others tossed rubble at them. Each rock thrown was like a cannonball and struck the city with enough force to shatter the rocks to dust. Turrets turned to fire at the jumping aliens, shooting them down but doing little damage.

"Anything yet?" Hailey asked Nathan.

"Nothing. No. Wait." A void appeared in his vision, person-shaped and empty of everything. "Got him, he's over there."

Nathan pointed upwards away from the city and towards the asteroid in the sky. Hordes of green aliens swarmed around it like ants.

"You sure?" Hailey asked.

Nathan nodded.

"Well shit, how in the world did he get in there?"