Sophia smiled with expectant eyes.
The teenagers gathered together. “Woohoo!”
“Let’s go!”
“Stop holding it like that! I said relax!”
“Alright!”
The goblins marched toward the teenagers, stone-faced with hints of disappointment.
John showed the group of teenagers a package of food. “Guys, stop, you hungry? Let’s eat!”
“We’re fine.” They shot a goblin dead.
John grabbed them by the shoulders. “Stop! Don’t kill them! We don’t need to fight!”
“Fighting is fun!” They walked outside of John’s reach.
John pretended he was sorry, falling on his knees and begging them.
“Stop. Stop doing that. Stop putting yourself down.” The teenagers’ expressions looked disappointed.
Amanda raised her hands and begged Sophia to stop.
Sophia blinked several times for a few seconds before she turned her head toward Amanda. She stared. “What?” She sounded confused.
“Is there anything I can do for you?”
Amanda furrowed her brows. “What?” She sounded more confused than Sophia.
Sophia smiled. “Is there anything I can do for you?”
She drew a line.
Amanda’s voice grew hoarse as she said “Stop!” repeatedly. Her voice was weak since she had been awake alongside John for over 24 hours.
The group of goblins who had woken up the rest of the around 5,000 goblins emerged. They stabbed some of the teenagers with one arm, and the teenagers fell to the ground.
“Hail to Olato!” The goblins fled on four legs.
John sounded exasperated. “Oh no!”
Amanda grabbed a sheated dagger from her pouch, unsheated it, and aimed it at the bulky man whom John had met. “You... why are you still here?”
The bulky man frowned. “You think I’m a Johnson like Sick is?”
Amanda looked down. “I can’t do this anymore. John is fine, but me, with all this?”
The couple of ogres whom John had met stepped forward and overshadowed her.
Amanda calmed her shaking. “This is wrong, and you know it.”
The ogres grabbed her and tied her against a tree slimmer than her. “She’ll be fine.” They sounded warm and pleasant.
John opened his pouch and put his hand inside. He furrowed his brows when he touched the pouch of coins which Amanda had given him. He took out the pile of cups which he had brought home.
He threw the cups, and the ground turned into slippery ice. The cups disappeared into smoke.
John and the teenagers struggled and fell.
The teenagers cursed. “What is this! What’s going on!”
John grabbed them and tied them up. “Don’t move!”
The teenagers stared at him with grieving expressions.
John moved the bodies of the dead teenagers and placed them face up side by side. “Guys, you’re grieving, and we’re in a war.” He sounded caring and forgiving.
He left and climbed into a mud wall enclosure where a group of goblins ran and avoided crocodiles.
He shook his head and groaned. “Sophia!”
“I’ll help you!” He sprinted toward the goblins.
The goblins shook their head.
John climbed the enclosure and extended his hands. “Grab my hand!”
The goblins grabbed his hands one by one, and he pulled them outside.
John stared at them, and the goblins stared back.
John nodded.
The goblins’ surprised expressions shifted to joy as John clapped.
The goblins shouted, panting. “Yes!”
“Woohoo!”
“Yey!”
John stared at them as their expressions shifted to grief.
“Damian!”
“Matthew!”
“Richard!”
John frowned, and he offered them his dirty handkerchief.
Several goblins accepted and wiped their tears.
John left.
Amanda removed herself from the tree to which the ogres had tied her, falling to the ground.
The ogres chuckled and grabbed her, stopping her from running.
Amanda took out the scroll which she had taken out at the gates. “Do you want to go to the island? Here!”
The bulky man grabbed his hair. “You...” He sounded surprised and suppressed his happiness.
His expression shifted to annoyance as Amanda walked forward.
The bulky man pointed at Amanda. “I did it already. I paid the price.”
Amanda opened her mouth slowly. “W-what price?”
“You know.” The bulky man sounded betrayed.
“Jared, can you tell me what’s wrong? Seriously.”
Jared raised his hands face up and looked at them, his eyes wet. “You didn’t give me the money I needed. I needed it to leave with Sick!”
The ogre bent over and showed Jared their stone-faced expressions. “Be quiet.”
Jared lowered his head and slowly turned away, and the ogres returned to their rest position.
Amanda touched an embroidery design depicting a basket on her pouch. “She’s expecting.”
Jared stopped, his eyes wide. He gave the ogres a secretive glance. He raised his hand from the corner of his legs.
“What are you doing!” Sophia stood and raised a hand.
The ogres collapsed and fell unconscious.
Jared turned toward Sophia, and midway through raising his hand, he collapsed and fell unconscious.
Sophia fell to her knees with a groggy expression.
The crowd watching the fight became noisy.
Amanda dropped her jaw and ran toward Sophia. She grabbed a rope from her pouch.
Sophia let out a weak groan and mouthed “Jared.”
The group of men whom Sophia had married entered into a shield formation in front of Sophia.
Amanda stopped. “What are you doing?” She stuttered, and her head trembled. She blinked fast and shut her mouth, yawning. She collapsed.
The group of men grabbed her and tied her up against a tree slimmer than her.
John collapsed halfway through his sprint to Amanda, and the goblins whom he had helped took care of him.
He became half-awake, and the goblins offered him an energy potion.
Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.
John nodded, and the goblins made him drink.
John’s groggy stare wandered. He saw a carriage.
James jumped out of it and sprinted toward him, raising a mace.
John got up, and his tired senses became sharp.
James lowered his weapon and greeted him.
John greeted him back.
James showed him a map. “We found you.”
A group of a younger soldier and an older man whom John had met emerged from behind James. They gestured toward an army of 100 men behind them.
James smiled. “Can you save Amanda with that number?” His voice grew regretful as he spoke because he thought he sounded rude. “The energy potion is kicking in. Apologies.”
The older man handed him a box of potions. “This is enough?”
John chuckled.
“I’m serious. If this saves Amanda, we should be good for the long term right?”
John chuckled nervously.
The older man’s voice deepened his voice. “Hey, John. Do you read me?”
John nodded fast.
A soldier wearing an apron sprinted toward John and greeted him, waving at him.
John took a stance. “Who are you?”
The soldier gestured toward the older man.
The older man nodded, showing his approval for the apron soldier.
John showed a polite smile.
The apron soldier shook John’s hand. “No comment.” His helmet muffled his voice.
John returned to his rest position. “Amanda’s favorite store? You’re the guy with the girl?” He sounded rude.
“I have food if you guys want. I’m only here for that apparently.” The apron soldier sounded polite. He pulled up his visor. He showed a half-bitter and half-amused smile, avoiding John’s questions.
John furrowed his brows, forgetting he had regretted his rudeness.
The older man extended his hand toward John. “Amanda is there, John. Why are you stalling?”
The apron soldier offered John mushroom soup.
John turned his head around and sprinted away. “Amanda!” His voice was a whisper.
The older man, James, the younger soldier, and the apron soldier chortled and marched behind John.
They and the 100-man army sang and blew horns and trumpets, preparing to charge.
John ran up to Amanda and freed her. “You’re okay, Amanda. I’m here. I’m here.”
Amanda was quiet. Tears dripped down her face.
John hugged her.
The 5,000-goblin army emerged and surrounded the group of men whom Sophia had married and the groups of people who had gathered under Sophia’s name. Those under Sophia’s name numbered 3,000.
John and Amanda left them and joined the older man.
The apron soldier handed John a fresh, clean handkerchief, and John wiped Amanda’s tears.
The goblins whom John had helped out of an enclosure spotted John and ran up to him.
John covered his mouth, trembled, and ran.
He tripped. “Stop! Don’t kill them!”
The older man raised his hands. “Don’t touch them, everyone!”
The goblins pointed toward a path behind them and gestured an escape route.
John nodded, but he gestured that he declined.
The goblins left at high speeds.
John frowned and sat down.
Amanda hugged his leg and massaged him.
John smiled.
The goblin army, also referred to as the “Roy Army” and the Sophia army, also referred to as the “Sophian Army” marched toward one another.
The group of teenagers whom John had tied up freed themselves and pumped their fists. “Yeah! Finally!”
“We got them!”
“We were so close to failing, but here we go!”
Amanda and John fell asleep.
Sick emerged. “Everyone, let’s focus on the positives. I want to introduce myself. This is Sick. This fleshbag of a person. I’ve been gone to focus on better things, but since you guys are messing all about, I thought I might come in and give you all a little chat. No more fighting. No more.”
He handed the Sophia army bags of cash and offered to represent the goblins for peace talks in favor of their self-government. He showed his magical, golden rings as proof of his influence.
When Sick and the Roy Army had left and the Sophian Army returned to their camp, Jared, John, Amanda, and Sophia woke up.
Sophia handed Jared a handkerchief. “Seriously? I was doing this for you, and now, you got all that? What a waste! Why?” She sounded amused.
Jared wiped his tears and returned the handkerchief. “I can tell you’re finished.”
Sophia grinned. “Of course I am.”
John and Amanda screamed. “No!”
“Why!”
The couple of ogres whom John had met chuckled. “Calm down, we didn’t lose the war.”
John and Amanda stared for a few seconds.
John pumped his fists. “Yeah!”
Amanda laughed, tears dripping.
A group of dressed people visited and greeted them wearing purple, yellow, mourning clothes.
John and Amanda frowned.
One of the mourning-dressed men hummed to get their attention. “We visited the grave already. I blame you partly.”
“Thank you.” Another mourning-dressed man offered them a stack of letters.
John and Amanda widened their eyes, but they looked relieved. John accepted the stack of letters.
“But in the end, you didn’t watch them die right?” A mourning-dressed woman plucked the necklace around her wrist.
John and Amanda nodded.
The first mourning-dressed man strided away and gestured the couple of women whom John had met. “If you don’t see them...”
John nodded normally, and Amanda nodded like a woodpecker.
John and Amanda returned home where a boy greeted them.
The boy stood on tiptoe. “They allowed me.”
John and Amanda shook his hands and nodded.
Amanda tensed her lips. “If they allowed you...”
His hands behind his back, the boy followed John and Amanda inside.
He greeted John and Amanda’s son with an enthusiastic howl.
John and Amanda smiled. “I love you.”
“Love you, too.”
They went into a room to the right and locked the door.
The boy danced and skipped around. “Michael, Michael, look at this.” He slashed at the air and swung his legs like a peacock.
John and Amanda’s son named “Michael” smiled, tilting his head upward. He created a portal behind the boy.
The boy offered Michael chocolate candy from Sick’s store.
Michael ate it, and his portal disappeared.
Sick’s voice emerged inside the room Michael and the boy were in: “Hiya, pass this message to your father Charter, John, and Amanda: ‘“Ennobled and revoked” is caught. All I need to do is discuss land with the lich, and you and I can save the goblins once and for all.’”
When John and Amanda exited their room, the boy told them Sick’s message.
John and Amanda left and entered a small store where a group of adventurers discussed.
“We’re late.” Amanda blinked fast and shut her mouth, yawning.
The adventurers clapped. “Good job, John. I heard you helped Lord Mark and Imperial Secretary Sick.”
“Why the titles?” John touched his forehead, adopting a thinking pose. “Anyways, just tell me what we have to do. I’ve already too much on my hands since... Whatever.” He sounded rude.
“High man now, huh?” One of the adventurer men feigned derisiveness, bounding toward John with an willful, arrogant gait.
John bowed his head. “Are we going to explore the same dungeon? Oh, drake was laughing about Jared. Oh, Jared was laughing about the drake.”
Amanda walked toward the adventurers.
All the adventurers chuckled except for one.
This one adventurer covered her face. “Yeah, we heard. He’s in prison for the...”
The first adventurer crossed her arms. “Book.”
Amanda placed a basket beside each of the adventurers and sat down. “Guys.” She waved her hands. “The baskets are worth 50. Take it or leave it.”
The adventurers crowded into one spot, grabbing their boxes and displaying it to one another. They took out an embroidered handkerchief from each basket and put it on a table.
Amanda smirked. “What do you think?”
One of the adventurer men tapped his handkerchief gift. “Whoa-ho. Very nice. Look at that.”
Wearing trousers, Amanda adopted a relaxed pose. She raised her leg, bent her knees, and rested her elbow on her knee. Her other arm rested on the base of her other leg. “Picked them up from the embroiderers’ yesterday.”
The other adventurers imitated the adventurer who had tapped a handkerchief.
Another adventurer pressed his buttocks against a table. “Good coloring.”
John gave Amanda a simple smile.
Amanda looked at him and imitated his smile.
Their smiles grew intense as the adventurers admired the handkerchiefs which Amanda had bought instead of the baskets which she had crafted.
One of the adventurer men placed the handkerchiefs in one pouch and stacked the baskets. “We were hoping to use the gooselings.”
“Easily, we can access the Dog Bandits’ through the goblins Amanda and I had met. Charter’s also willing to supply us with the food, although...” John remembered the apron soldier who gave him mushroom soup.
Along with the group of adventurers, John and Amanda returned home.
Amanda’s friend and the boy who had played with Michael greeted them inside the home.
“Okay, just sit down there. Amanda and I have prepared—”
“Unlike last time.” The adventurers and Amanda chuckled.
The boy who had played with Michael said “Excuse me” and left.
John left to the gates and bounded toward a mess of leaves. “Where are you? I’m going to need one of you to come down here and meet me.”
Along with ten other large families of goblins, the goblins whom John had saved emerged and greeted John. Human mercenaries and four-wheeled, horse-drawn wagons hid behind them.
John pressed his arm against his hip. “I’m here to ask if any of you have taken a heard of the Dog Bandits.”
“No.”
“Okay.”
John and the goblins went their separate ways.
John returned home and covered his face, regretting leaving in the first place.
Amanda, Amanda’s friend, and the adventurers chuckled and guffawed when John explained what happened.
Amanda touched wine on the ground as hundreds of tiny voices screamed in their ears.
John stood on tiptoe and pointed at the ceiling. “Charter, we got the message! Stop giving us your equivalent of a gift!”
The wine that emerged and dripped from the ceiling stopped coming and disappeared.
One of the adventurer women chuckled. “John, if the goblins have nothing, should we just have Sick handle it? He annouced he’s going to the 500-year-old death cart. Maybe, the lich he mentioned could replace the Dog Bandits and become sort of a proxy for Sick.”
John rubbed his palm. “Who knows?”
John and Amanda brought the adventurers outside to the store where they had bought mushroom soup.
They sat down and ate.
“I have Jared’s book—” One of the adventurer men gave a teasing grin.
“Hey!” John’s voice was a whisper. He gave them a scolding look.
The adventurer’s expression became serious. “I think it’s good.”
John’s expression became angry for a split-second, but he composed himself. “You like it when leaders die?” He clasped his hands together, turned his head away, and covered the bottom half of his face. He glanced around the room.
The adventurer raised his voice. “No, this might be one of the best books I’ve seen so far. I feel like it could be better if he just released it. Who knows? People like me might see things differently.”
John pinched the skin above his brow. “Really, Jacob?” He hid his interrogative tone and stared.
Another adventurer pretended he was aiming with an arquebus hand gun, poking another. “It’s funny! Nah, nah, nah. Oh, no! Oh, no!”
Another adventurer ate politely. “It’s impressive! In that story, everyone slept in a tower, and then, everyone woke up. But he was stuck there for years. He became stronger and stronger until he could fight a giant.”
Another adventurer raised several manuscripts. “Yeah, and the funniest part is when the golems start showing they can talk, and he gets so surprised. That made me laugh so much!”
The adventurer named “Jacob” showed surprise and realization. He compressed his lips and quieted down.
When the adventurers had cleaned their plates, they, John, and Amanda walked home.
A couple of teenage girls emerged and asked for John’s signature.
“You were really friends with the Imperial Secretary?” One of the teenage girls shivered. “That’s so cool! Really, I’ve seen him only once, but I’ve already written so many stories about him!”
John imitated their excitement with his gestures and tone. “Yeah! I thought he was weak at first, but he went and did so many things! Makes me feel like I can be like him, but I want to work alongside him!”
The teenagers smiled and ran off. “Thanks John! Thank you, too, Miss! You’re gorgeous!”
John composed himself. He and Amanda gave polite smiles and said “Goodbye,” waving their hands.
They returned home.
When they had slept, woke up, and prepared themselves, they prepared to leave along with Michael. John covered his face and shoulders and exchanged his purple gown and yellow trousers for a typical adventurer outfit. Michael hid in a covered basket. Amanda exchanged her typical adventurer outfit for a pink slouchy, striped bodysuit that coordinated well with her pink leg coverings.
They left and attended a tournament where the boy who had played with Michael had signed up.
John’s tender smile grew wider as he glanced around. “Where is he?”
Amanda covered her mouth. “Right over there.”
Adrian was on the ground as a silver-haired, black-clothed man whom John and Amanda had met beat him.