“Freyr?” the small woman asked as she looked up.

“Hmm? Yes, Gruldia?” the god replied, kneeling down to be at her level.

“Will he return to me? After he leaves, I mean,” she asked.

Freyr swept the small woman into a gentle hug and held her for a moment. “Gruldia, he is My Son. Adopted, yes. But Mine, nonetheless. If he says he will return to you, he will. If he says he loves you, he does. If he tells you that he wants to get to know you, the real you, then he absolutely does and he will. You will simply have to get used to a male that keeps his kind words, and does his best to keep the violence and the unkindness out of his world. Yes, sweetheart, he will return to you,” He said with a broad smile.

Gruldia wrapped her arms around Freyr’s neck and hugged him tightly. “Thank you, Freyr. Thank you,” she whispered.

I followed Mil’Grash to a non-descript door that led into an empty room. It was massive. I could barely make out the other side, it was so large.

“Here is where I will teach you the only spell I know, the Portal spell. It will open a portal to this room. Within this room, you can practice to your heart’s content. I will warn you that the spell can be draining. It takes me a few days to recover from using it. Bel’Chazz has an easier time of it, as he is a Draconic being, which is where the spell came from,” she patiently explained.

I nodded along with her explanation, as it absolutely made sense. Although, how I, a human, would be casting a spell was simply wild to me. As she went on about the intricacies and vagaries of Magic, I struggled to comprehend her, and eventually stopped her.

“Hang on a moment, Mil’Grash,” I said, interrupting her lecture. She looked a little irritated. “I’m not trying to be rude, but this is a fair bit for me to absorb. Let me make sure I understand you so far, okay?” I asked. She crossed her arms and nodded, her expression unreadable. “In order for me to cast this spell, I have to first connect to the energies around me. Right?” She nodded. “So, if I understand you correctly, there is a sensation that arises when one connects with those energies, and it usually results in a mild euphoria.” Another nod. “So, if I do this,” I said, and closed my eyes, sinking into a calm trance-like state over the course of about five minutes. “And concentrate on focusing the energy into a spot a few feet away, like this,” I visualized the violet energies I saw when Bel’Chazz opened the portal coalescing in front of us. “I should get the portal, correct?”

“That is correct. If you’re even able to manipulate the energies, that is. I assume you’re doing as I instructed? Sink into a meditative state, and visualize the energy forming the portal?” she asked, and I nodded. “Then it may be safe to say that Humans are incapable of magic,” she said with a sigh. “Looks like you’ll need to have someone collect you. Are you truly incapable of sensing the Energy Fields?” she asked.

“Yeah, I guess so. I’ve never sensed anything but the odd electrical field, and that’s just because it made my hair stand on end. Humans seem to be utterly lacking when it comes to magic. So, who will be collecting me, then? Bel’Chazz? You? Gruldia?” I asked, somewhat defeated.

“I do not know. We would have to get an answer from the Multiversal Entity. Don’t look so down, Ivor. You’ve already done things that I’d never imagined here. This may well be the one place you -and Humanity- cannot tread. Let’s go rejoin the others, shall we?” Her voice radiated kindness as she led the way out of the training room.

We wound our way back to Gruldia and Freyr, where I caught the tail end of a conversation.

“Thank you, Freyr. Thank you,” Gruldia whispered, her arms around my god’s neck.

“Hey guys. Looks like I can’t cast magic, after all. I’ll have to have someone collect me whenever it is time for Council to be in session,” I said as I rounded the corner.

Gruldia’s face split into a wide grin as she heard my voice and she ran to me, her breasts heaving and bouncing, barely restrained by her clothing. She leapt to me and I caught her, holding the diminutive, buxom woman close to my chest.

Hey, darlin’.” I said with a laugh. “I missed you too,” I said, giving her a warm squeeze.

Gruldia sighed in contentment, and snuggled herself into my neck. She began playing with my beard, seemingly happy.

“Well, that’s something I’ve never seen her do before. Not even with me, and I know she misses seeing me whenever Council isn’t in session. I’m happy for you, Ivor. If nothing else, Gruldia is an absolutely divine and true friend to have. If she says she likes you, she does, and I think this may well go beyond a simple ‘like’,” Min’Grash said with a smirk.

“Hush. I’m happy. I have a warm, comfy bear,” Gruldia said as she stuck out her tongue, looking over her shoulder at Mil’Grash.

Mil’Grash laughed, and hugged us both. “I’m happy for you both, you know. Ivor is a wonderful friend to have, just like you, Gruldia. And the two of you seem well suited to the other. Now. There is the matter of his not being able to use magic to deal with,” she said.

“I was afraid of this, actually,” chimed Freyr. As far as I can recall, no human has ever been able to utilize magic in any capacity. It can affect them, sure. Using it, though? Beyond their capabilities. Someone will need to collect him before the Council is in session every time. I cannot do it, so it will need to be someone with the ability to use magic. Preferably without tiring them. Wouldn’t do for someone to Portal in, have to rest a week at his place, then Portal back and have to rest another week. Bel’Chazz could, certainly; or any of the other Kobolds. What about you, Gruldia? How long do you have to recover from using the Portal spell?” my Patron asked of the little Goblin woman in my arms.

Gruldia stiffened, her face flushing. “Um… about an hour. Two at most,” she replied softly.

“Well, that settles it, then. Gruldia will collect him and send him home. And since there is little to do here when the Council is not in session, I see no reason she cannot visit him from time to time, either,” Freyr stated with a nod.

Gruldia’s ears wiggled like mad as she giggled in my neck. “You mean, I could visit him and stay with him and do things with him?! Whenever I want?” she asked excitedly, starting to bounce up and down in my arms.

Freyr laughed, saying, “I see nothing wrong with it, but it would come down to the Multiversal Entity. They would need to approve such a thing.”

“You keep mentioning this Multiversal Entity. What are you talking about?” I asked.

“The Multiversal Entity is the lord of this space. Where we are, is a space where nine planes of existence converge. It is unfair to any of them for any of their creators to hold sway over this space, therefore the Multiversal Entity sprang into being. It encompasses the entire area of the Council and a small portion of each plane. Theoretically, it can influence any and all planes, but it prefers to maintain its little sphere of influence. Let me see what I can do,” Freyr explained.

He began to speak in a language that was unintelligible to any of us, directing it to the very air around us. We waited for a moment, each of us looking uncomfortable. After a few minutes of waiting, a small orb popped into existence between us. Mil’Grash and I took a step back, but Freyr simply placed his hand atop the orb and closed his eyes.

Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.

We saw him nod and shake his head a few times, and after a moment, the orb winked out of existence. Freyr opened his eyes and smiled at us.

“Well, it agrees with me. Here are its words verbatim: Gruldia may absolutely collect Ivor. However, she is only to do so at night, and only when she cannot be seen. Goblins are completely unknown to Humanity, as are Orcs and Kobolds, except in fantasy. If you decide to stay for any length of time, you may not leave his house during the daytime. If he has friends drop by you are to hide. Unless and until Humanity makes it to the wider galactic space, you are to remain unseen. Can you abide by this?” Freyr solemnly asked the Goblin.

“Yes, Sir. I can do these things. If it means more time with him, yes,” she said.

“Alternatively, Ivor is not bound to his own planet. He is free to live with any of the representatives of his plane, or even you two. If he does choose to live with either of you, he loses his place on the Council, however. He will be unable to return to these halls,” Freyr cautioned.

“I kinda like my position here. I’m also eager to see what my stipend is. If it’s enough, I’ll find a new home to actually buy, and move out into the country a ways. Then, Gruldia won’t have to worry so much about being seen. Or you, Mil’Grash,” I said.

Mil’Grash looked taken aback by this information. “What? Me? Gruldia is your prospective mate, not I. Why would I go to your home planet, Ivor?” she asked.

“Because you’re my friend, silly. My friends are always welcome at my home. It won’t be as roomy as my place here, but I’ll make sure I have space for you,” I said with a laugh.

“I am honored, Ivor. Thank you,” the tall Orc woman said softly.

“But for now, he needs to get home. I will open the Portal this time, so Gruldia can sense the energy of Earth, and know how to get there,” my Patron said. “Do you have everything, Son?”

I nodded. “I have the bag I brought with me, Bailey and Byron, and my Goblin. I think I have everything I need,” I said, relishing Gruldia’s giggles.

“Wait! I don’t have anything but what I’m wearing. That might be a problem. I’m sure neither of us would mind if I go naked all the time, but still. If we go outside at all, I’ll probably need some clothes. I can go grab some things, and be back in fifteen minutes?” Gruldia said shyly.

Freyr nodded. “Smart. You’ve got a woman with a good head on her shoulders, Son. Count yourself lucky. Go get your things. We will wait here,” He said.

Gruldia leapt from my arms, and ran off down the hallway, and turned a corner. I sat on the floor, and simply thought about how nice it would be to finally be able to have friends over.

About ten minutes later, we heard footfalls, and I looked up, seeing Gruldia running down the hall, her breasts bouncing wildly. Idly, I wondered how the Hel they stayed in her bra.

“Okay! I’m ready to go now!” she exclaimed, taking my hand in hers, nuzzling it with her cheek.

“Ivor, I will miss you. I can’t wait for your return. I look forward to seeing what you’ll do in the next Council session. Be safe, my friend,” Mil’Grash said, giving me a, for her, gentle hug.

“I will, darlin’. Take care,” I said as I picked my Goblin up.

Together, Freyr, and I, with Gruldia in my arms, walked down the hall to the Portal Room, and walked inside. Freyr headed to the center of the space, and turned to me.

“Set the Goblin down, son. We must talk, and I’m sure your arms are getting tired,” he said with a smile.

I set Gruldia down, and we walked to my deity. “Now, I know you cannot perform magic, but there is one thing I will gift you, as it is well within my power to do so. Open your mouth,” he commanded.

Confused, I opened my mouth, and he flicked a golf-ball sized sphere of…something into my open maw. It quickly dissolved and I swallowed.

“What was that? It just…dissolved. Kind of flavorless, too,” I remarked.

“That will become apparent in time. Now, Gruldia. You need to understand what Earth is like. You will face nothing but struggle and hardship if and when you go out around people. There are those that fetishize you simply because you’re a Goblin. You could be hurt or even killed. Many Humans are xenophobic to each other, and you’d be singled out. Knowing this, do you still want to go?” he asked gently.

“Absolutely. No risk, no reward,” she said, taking my much larger hand in hers. “And the reward of him is absolutely worth the risk,” she added softly, holding my hand to her cheek.

“As I thought,” he said with a pleased smile. “I’ll send you home, Son. Gruldia? You may stay no more than a week. After that, I believe you will be needed here. You do still have a job to do. Krathu’s indulgence will only hold for so long, I assume,” he said and wrapped me up in a hug. “I’m so damn proud of you, Son. Fare you well.”

Freyr released me and held out his left hand. I saw a thin beam of golden light erupt from his palm, halting six feet from him and it began to swirl into the portal shape that I recalled. He lowered his arm, and motioned for us to go.

Hand in hand, Gruldia and I entered the Portal, and vanished.

We arrived near midnight at the little clearing Bel’Chazz and I left from.

I looked down at my Goblin and said, “Welcome to Earth, Gruldia. Let’s get to my place.” She nodded, and we traversed the rough terrain for almost a mile, arriving at the road in front of my home. Checking that there were no cars coming or going, I picked her up and jogged over to my front door. I set her down and unlocked the door, and we slipped inside.

I locked the door, and fired up the Smart Home app on my phone, returning the usual values to my system. The lights came on and the A/C kicked on simultaneously. I opened my pouch and removed my two companions.

“Hey guys. We’re home. Can you still understand me?” I asked hopefully.

Two tiny heads nodded in unison, and I set them down. “Head off to your room, then. I’ll bring you dinner in a bit, okay?” I said, receiving two pings in my head in response. Their messages read in the affirmative, and I collapsed on my couch. Gruldia sauntered up to me and crawled back in my lap.

“I’ve got you for a week, Ivor. I hope you can handle that,” she said smokily.

I laughed softly. “I can handle you, sweetheart. Question is, can Earth handle you?” I asked with a smile.

“Let’s find out, shall we?” she said, beginning to remove her clothes.

“Hang on, now. The floor and my bed cannot handle all your milk. Cleaning that up will be a nightmare. I don’t like it, but you’ll need to wear your bra at all times. Well, almost all times,” I said.

“Oh yeah. I’d forgotten. You Humans don’t have access to that technology. Not yet, anyway. Well, whenever we finish, I’ll be sure to put it back on,” she said with a shrug.

“No fun just yet, darlin’. First, I need to feed my boys. Then I need to check my bank and see what the stipend amounts to. Afterwards? Afterwards, I’m going to make you scream my name to the heavens,” I said, kissing her sinfully plump lips.

I got up, leaving the breathless Goblin on the couch. I made up a veggie tray for the boys, adding in some bacon. They loved the treat almost as much as I did. I leaned against the counter as I opened my bank app, and froze.

“Holy…”

Gruldia stopped her furious masturbation and looked up, concerned. “What? What’s wrong, Ivor?” she asked, getting up to come see.

“The stipend. Surely there’s been some mistake. Bel’Chazz said it would be enough to live comfortably, but this?” I said watching the Goblin woman approach.

“Show me?”

I turned the phone to her, and she looked confused. “I don’t see anything wrong. Is it not enough?”

“No. Just the opposite. If this is the monthly stipend, I could buy a whole damn island in a year. I don’t need to worry about money anymore, at least. With just this, I won’t need to worry about bills or rent, or food or anything for the next year. Maybe longer,” I said in awe, sliding down to sit on the floor. Gruldia came over and kissed my forehead.

“Now maybe you won’t worry so much?” she asked.

I nodded and turned to her, wrapping my arms around her waist, and began to kiss her softly. “Let’s go, my good girl. I’m going to make good on my promise,” I said in a low, dangerous tone.

Gruldia moaned softly and said, “Yes, Sir.”