I'm... really not sure how to take this. The goblin-girl sat by his side for a while, and when she stood back up, drying her tears and grabbing the torch, I followed her as she exited the cavity we were in. I didn't let my thoughts wander, but neither did I pay attention to them either. I did not want to think, and so, I did not.

The whirr of my wings reverberated through my ears, and that was about all I could think of. The two of us, griever and killer, went through several winding tunnels, her cheeks gradually drying up.

At times, I would open my mouth, or my mouthparts, just to see if it could create a sound like that of a human speaking. It could not. Instead, it produced a sound eerily similar to that of a dead or dying cow hitting the floor. "Gnhghn." When I did it, when I made that strange sound, the goblin girl whipped her head around, her green, puffy eyes peering into the darkness where I resided.

She did not see me, thankfully. Even if she had, I seriously doubt she would consider me a threat, or, well, like something that could kill... a creature like, well, you know-, like that. Like her.

I... I didn't do it on purpose, you know?... I thought-, I thought it - he - was just some, some creature, like a large frog! Large, and stupid, and terrifyingly big! And-, and he came out of nowhere, he really did, what with his big club and all. Really, it was self-defence!

It was-, it was...

It was my fault. I could have spared his life. I could have escaped while he was blinded. If I had-, maybe if I had done something like that, I could have spared her this grief, and I could have spared myself, too. I'm not sure why I'm following her for, anyways. If she leads me to the outside, goody! Great, I really deserve it! What a fucking waste.

Wherever she takes me, I'm sure I'll fuck something up. That's just a certainty at this point.

With that belief rooted deep in my heart, I follow the goblin girl through yet another path, and into what I could only describe as a back-room, or a storage. The sides of the room was lined with crudely sculpted pots about half the size of the goblin girl. There were a total of four torches in the room, two hanging by the opening we came through and two hanging by the other side of the room, which I assume leads to some other room.

From the roof hung several rabbits (all possessing a pair of horns which reminded me of antelope horns) and a few four-winged pheasants, seemingly to dry or something. There were also a couple of chain-linked sausages and drying pieces of leather, so the whole room felt very storage-y. 

The goblin girl didn't seem to care about this, and instead put out her torch before emerging into the next room. I followed with increased caution. This really seemed like the kind of place where people would live. Or, goblins, as these were called. Apparently. 

Humm... what if like, all humans are these "goblins" in this world?... Man, that'd be wack. Maybe this is as far as civilization has gotten... 

I emerge from the storage room, and the first thing I am met with is blinding light. 

ARGH GOD FUCKIGN DAMN IT

So, I instantly retreat back into the storage room. A cloth separates the two rooms, leaving me currently in dim darkness. Not sure why this is, might be to keep the wares in here unspoiled or something, but god only knows, really. Either way... That is too damn bright! And that goblin girl just strode right into it! What a champ.

Slowly, surely, I ready my heart and peek outside the curtains. 

The light is still bright as shit, but with some squinting, I can make out what the hell I'm looking at. 

It's... a village. Sort of. You see, half of the village, huts and all, are inside the cave, and the rest are...

Outside...

Outside-?

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

Outside!!

Before I have the time to bolt outside the curtains and into the wide wide glorious world, I'm stopped, because I notice something. Namely, goblin-girl talking to two other goblins, who are far more well-built. She gives them a few words which I can't understand about one, they are too far away, and two, I do not speak goblin. Soon after she has spoken to them, they both nod and stride over to my current place of hiding. 

Oh sHit-,,

Quickly, before they can even enter, I fly up to the roof at great speeds. Moments later, the two grunts enter the storage, talking softly between each other, that is, as softly as "gGrhg hghge grgeghegh" can sound.

Phew, survived. They might not have considered me a threat since I'm very small and all, but if I found a fly in my newly seated jar of pickles, I'd be ready to crucify the little sucker.

The two grunts continue into the cave, grabbing a torch off the wall before doing so. I assume they're going to grab the goblin's body. The one I killed. 

...Maybe I should just let myself get caught and splattered onto the wall?... It'd be what I deserve, really.

But... I do want to see the outside again. And, as selfish as it might sound, I really don't want to die. 

I fly down a little, a peek back outside. The goblin-huts on the inside of the cave's mouth are, at times, merged with the walls, probably to save on building materials. But what truly interests me, from a deep, psychological level, is the outside. Fresh, green grass, a bright, blue sky, devoid of pesky clouds, speckled by birds and butterflies, a forest filled with emerald leaves and chockolate bark, I could cry just looking at it. 

Between these beautiful, lively trees, small huts are erected, made from clay, rocks, hay, sticks and all manner of salvaged things. I'd be impressed by their intelligence if I wasn't so stunned by the outside. 

But I have to take it slow. Anxiously, I turn to look to the right, and then to the left. There are goblins everywhere, but none are too close to the storage. If I go now, I can make it!

Slowly, surely, I emerge, and before anybody can notice me, I rise to the very top of the mouth of the cave, which was surprisingly high up.

Yes!! Freedom!!! Soon, I'll be out there, and I can lie down on the grass and everything will be alright and I'll be alright!!!

I fly high and I fly fast, my gleeful eyes panning over the small-scale goblin civilization, over the huts and the primitive creatures and the children and the-,

And the goblin girl. I stop mid-air.

She's standing by one of the many cave walls, this one being rarely empty, no hut using it as a wall or anything. No, on closer inspection, it is far from empty. All over the wall, from the top to the bottom, small, squiggly signs and letters are written, none that I recognize. The goblin-girl is standing by this wall, a small, iron tool in her hand, standing on her tip-toes as she carves yet another signs onto the wall, wherever it will fit. 

I descend, falling slowly until I am level with her writing. All these signs, these bundles of letters, are names. Each name is written seperate from the rest, and each name is just slightly different from any other.

It's... it's a tombstone, isn't it? This whole wall. No, this whole cave. A list of fallen warriors, of dead mothers and stillborn children. I watch the goblin-girl write, her hands trembling as she scrawls the unique, individual name of the one I killed. It isn't anything special. The first part is just like the one from this name, and the others are just like the ones from this other one. His name could just as well have been John Doe. 

And yet, it echoes within me. I will never know the name of the creature, no, the man I killed. He will forever be anonymous to me, and this girl-, his sister, his friend, his lover, will never know who killed him. 

This... is not what I want. It has never been what I've wanted. I can't... I can't leave this behind. If I leave this behind, I'll truly have fulfilled that damn "special quest". I just can's leave this. But how... how can I talk to her? How can I tell her what I did, that I never meant for it to become like this?...

There is only one thing I can do, only one card I have left to play. 

If this still works like the last time, I should just have to say...

"Yes"

Choose your next (EVOLUTION)

Ballgown Butterfly (D-)

Despite the title of this seemingly innocent insect being in reference to its long, admittedly gorgeous tails, it is far from a regular mob. As might be seen if one looks at the wings and said tails, it almost looks like a face, with the eyes on the wings and the black-and-white zig-zags on the long tail creating what seems like a mouth. What makes this butterfly somewhat of a danger is its unusual skill "Shapeshift", which allows it to briefly take the form of a young Elfling. You can easily notice these faux Elflings by the mask they carry, which is extremely similar to the butterfly itself. 

Will 'o Whisperer (D)

At night, you may just catch sight of this elusive bug. Known by most locals as a ball of energy, they are in fact insects. However, at night, the only visible part of the Will 'o Whisperer is the luminous ball replacing its abdomen, which easily dwarfs the insect itself. Not much is known about them, but they are believed to have some sort of ability to communicate with humanoids, as they have the ability to lure them into woods at night, never to be seen again. 

Sorcerer of the Red Court (C)

Native to the inhabitable lands near the Red Ant Mountain, this magic-wielding creature is often defended by hoards of regular ant-grunts and warriors. It is capable of summoning magic, healing magic and offensive magic. Not much is known about their behaviour outside of combat, but in combat, they often soar above the battlefield, firing off AOE spells to wipe out large swaths of rival ant armies or even humans. 

Red Rhino Ant (C+)

You have fulfilled special requirements

A powerful ant native to the Red Ant Mountain, this powerful, large insect has been somewhat domesticated by high-ranking knights of the nearby kingdom of Rativ to become steeds. Their tough hide cannot be pierced by any iron or steel blade, furthermore, they have a natural resistance to all magics, especially fire magic. 

Red Goblin Insectoid (Race)

Complete special mission (You are what you Eat) in order to (UNLOCK) this (EVOLUTION)

A rare race of goblins characterized by their insectoid features. They are able to furl and unfurl their wings at will, often creating the illusion that they are regular goblins. This specific race are of the red variety, native to the mountainous desert-area near the kingdom of Rativ, where they live underground in sandholes. It is unusual to find them elsewhere.