RUSTY

Rusty's eyes roamed the ever-shifting landscape of the junkyard as they moved forward, noting the potential finds around him. The sun cast long, distorted shadows around the mounds of trash, highlighting the metallic sheen of discarded cans and the dull glint of broken glass. Rusty could feel a connection to these materials, almost as if they were trying to whisper their stories to him in a voice too quiet to understand.

"Alright," Jiho said, breaking into Rusty's contemplation. "We're almost there. Be ready, everyone."

Rusty took a deep breath, focusing on his new skill. He was aware of the shells beneath his feet, the mixture of sharp and smooth textures providing traction for his claws. To his left, Chul gripped a sharpened metal spoon, his weapon of choice. Seok hefted a sizable club. It had once been the axle of a wagon, and the way he held it made it look too heavy for him. Just carrying it this far had left him visibly fatigued.

"Okay, Rusty," Jiho whispered, his voice low and urgent. "It's right around this bend. Remember, we're counting on you to be our little shock trooper."

Rusty nodded, feeling both excited and nervous at once. He knew he had made the right choice in selecting his class skill, but if they expected him to fight monsters for them, then [Physical Mastery] would have been much more convenient.

As they rounded the corner of an exceptionally ponderous midden heap, the sight that greeted them was both glossy and grotesque. A massive dump beetle feasted on the refuse, happily shoveling a fresh pile of trash into its jaws, its iridescent carapace gleaming in the sunlight. Its mandibles clicked and crunched as it devoured everything in its path, leaving a trail of emptiness behind.

"Alright, here's the plan," Jiho said, looking at each member of the gang. "Chul and Sooji, you distract it, while Seok and I attack from the sides. Rusty, you get right in there and let us see how strong you really are."

The beetle was intimidating, easily the size of a small horse, dwarfing the goblins and Rusty especially, who could have ridden on one of their backs. He closed his eyes, focusing on the sensation of loss as more glorious trash disappeared into the jaws of the beetle. That was trash that could have been his.

"Remember," Jiho whispered, "we are completely out of food. We need this, we really need it. Nobody run away." He said the last part with a glance at Jiwoo, who was clumping along at the rear of their party. The old goblin shrugged off the order, leaning on his cane for support.

With a fierce, shared cry, Chul and Sooji charged forward, running around to the front of the beetle. Chul had his spoon, and Sooji was spinning a sling. Her first stone launched a second later, plinking off of the beetle’s heavy carapace. The dump beetle reared up, startled by the sudden commotion. Seok and Jiho darted in from either side, looking for an opportunity to strike its softer underbelly.

Rusty hesitated, his eyes darting from the seemingly immense, nightmarish form of the dump beetle to the darting figures of Chul and Sooji trying to keep its attention. The beetle's mandibles looked large enough to snap a goblin in two, and the realization instilled a brief wave of fear in Rusty. What would those jaws do to him if they got hold? But then he saw something that made him forget his own safety. The beetle slammed itself down aggressively, focusing on Chul, and scuttled forward. Chul yelped, falling on his backside as he ducked under the snapping mandibles, which came inches from severing his head.

The sight flipped a switch inside Rusty. His fear vanished, replaced by a hot surge of protective urgency. He couldn't crouch there and watch his friend become beetle food. Without another thought, he launched himself forward. Though he didn't possess [Physical Mastery], his little body had come pre-equipped with more than its share of raw strength. He became a living projectile as he rushed in low, slipping under the beetle's massive body. With a burst of effort emanating from his hind legs and coursing through his entire frame, he rammed headfirst into the underside of the beetle. The sheer, unexpected force of the impact was enough to throw the massive creature off balance. Half of its body was lifted off the ground. It wobbled dangerously on three of legs, teetering for a long moment. Then, to the astonishment of everyone involved, the Dump Beetle toppled, landing with a resounding thud on its side, its legs flailing wildly, helplessly attempting to right itself.

Seizing this momentary advantage, Seok forgot his fatigue and went to work. With a guttural grunt, he swung his axle-club overhead in a two-handed blow onto its exposed belly. The blow connected with a heavy thud, causing a visible dent in the beetle's exoskeleton, and he followed it up with more of the same.

On the other side of the fallen beetle, Jiho was already in motion. His eyes narrowed as he quickly assessed the vulnerable joints of the creature's flailing legs. Holding a pair of scissors, he darted forward on nimble feet. Avoiding the erratic movements of the legs, he snipped at the joints where they met the creature's body, severing into the connective tissues like a sociopathic field medic. Each snip hampered the beetle's ability to right itself, effectively neutralizing its already limited mobility. He was clearly enjoying every cut, manic pleasure coloring his expression.

Soon after, the beetle was dead.

The gang stood triumphantly over the slain dump beetle, its once-menacing mandibles still periodically twitching. Seok flexed his muscles and grinned, basking in the afterglow of victory. "I told you I'd crush it," he boasted, sweat glistening on his brow.

Jiho smirked, wiping his scissors clean on a scrap of cloth. "You could only crush it because it was already on the ground, and I was the one to keep it there," he said. Sooji rolled her eyes.

"Good job, gang," she offered, her words sincere despite her teasing tone.

Rusty crept around from behind the beetle. He tilted his head, his soft brown eyes filled with curiosity. "Do you fight monsters like this often?"

Chul's chest puffed out. "We sure do, baby dog," he announced grandly. "I, Chul, am not only an expert hunter, but an even better monster tamer!" His voice held a note of challenge, daring anyone to contradict him.

"Monster tamer?" Jiho snorted derisively, raising an eyebrow. "You've never successfully tamed a monster in your life, Chul."

"Have too!" Chul protested, indignantly. "I've tamed plenty of rats! They followed me everywhere!"

"Chul, you don't tame them," Jiho retorted, his lips curling into a mocking grin. "You live with them as equals. That isn't the same thing."

"Is too!" Chul insisted, crossing his arms and turning away with a huff. His cheeks flushed dark green with embarrassment, but he refused to admit defeat.

Sooji's laughter filled the air as she watched the two of them banter. "It's true," she said. "The rats are more like Chul's roommates than his pets. But he tamed you, didn’t he?" She directed the last comment toward Rusty, who flexed his little wings.

“I am house trained,” he replied.

This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

"Regardless," Jiho interrupted, eager to move on from the subject, "we've dealt with our fair share of monsters in this dump. It's just another day in the life of the gang, you’ll see. Ever upward. Win after win."

Seok, naked as the day he was born, stood watch atop a mound of garbage, scanning the horizon for any potential threats. The sun had reached its zenith, and a sheen of sweat covered his green skin.

"Hey!" he called out, urgency spiking his voice as he spotted another group of goblins emerging from around a nearby heap. "We've got company!"

Jiho sprinted up beside Seok and squinted. “Midden Tribe,” he said, then spat on the ground.

"Quick," Jiho ordered, his smug demeanor replaced with irritation. “Get as much of the meat as we can before they get here.”

The gang sprang into action, hastily harvesting the usable parts of the beetle. Sooji carefully sliced through the exoskeleton, while Chul eagerly ripped away chunks of meat and stuffed them into a splotchy sack. Seok joined them, posing for effect and grunting manfully as he tried to rip open chunks of the carapace by hand. Jiwoo waved his walking stick, shouting encouragement to the gang.

"Rusty," Jiho said, turning to the small dragon, "you need to get out of sight. We don't want them to know about you yet."

Rusty glanced around nervously, looking for a suitable spot to conceal himself, and settled on slithering under a loose pile of oyster shells.

As the gang worked with frantic efficiency, Jiho grew visibly frustrated with the pace of their progress. They could never collect all the meat before the other goblins arrived. “This is our territory,” he muttered. “How dare they follow us here? How dare they!”

The rival goblin group appeared, moving in with confidence. Their leader stepped forward with a sneer, a crown of tin cans glinting in the dim light. "Well, well," he drawled, "if it isn't the famous Gang of Fools, Jiho the coward, and his band of outcasts. What happened to that dump beetle? Was it sick? Thank you for finding it for us.”

A blue-haired goblin at his side cradled her swollen belly. “You’re not supposed to be here,” she said. “This is Midden Tribe land.”

“It is not!” Jiho spat, stepping away from the beetle. His scissors, slick with bug juice, clasped in his hand.

There were half a dozen other goblins with them, carrying various scavenged weapons, clubs and chains, and jagged hunks of metal. As their leaders spoke, they circled around the gang, not yet closing in, but covering any escape.

Anger contorted Jiho’s face for a moment, but he took a deep breath, put on his most smug expression, and replied, "Actually, Yun, we have been granted the right to this kill by none other than the Great Goblin himself. So, I'm afraid you'll have to find your leavings elsewhere."

Seok, however, was not one to take mockery lightly. “Jiho’s no coward!” he shouted, picking up his axle. “If you want some of this beetle, why don’t you fight us for it?”

Rusty, hidden beneath his thin layer of refuse, the salty scents of the shells strong in his nostrils, watched with apprehension. Some of the extra goblins were getting awfully close to his hiding place. The rest of the gang was quickly embroiled in an exchange of insults with the first goblin and the woman, Yun, with only Chul remaining quiet, continuing to stuff wet beetle meat into a now dripping sack.

Jiwoo had joined Seok in tossing out threats and waving his stick around, but the other group showed no sign of being intimidated. Rusty thought about revealing himself. What would the other goblins think of a dragon in their midst? He knew Jiho didn’t want his existence to be known to the wider community, but the situation seemed to present extenuating circumstances. His new friends were in danger. Chul, in particular, had nothing but a sharpened spoon to defend himself with, and he was smaller than most of the other goblins, some of whom were nearly five feet tall.

"Alright," the opposing leader growled, his gaze locked onto Jiho. "If you truly have permission from the Great Goblin, then prove it. I, Bok, of the Midden Tribe, will ensure you bring some of the kill to him as a tribute."

Jiho faltered for a moment, his mask of confidence slipping ever so slightly. He glanced at Sooji, who stood close by with her arms crossed, clearly unimpressed with the entire situation. The de facto leader of the gang took a deep breath, composing himself before responding. "The Great Goblin is far too busy to be bothered by such trivial matters. We will honor him in our own way."

"Liar! Cheat!" Bok snarled, his eyes narrowing into slits. "You're the same as you always were, telling stories no one believes. The same old [Songstealer]."

[Songstealer]? It sounded like a class, but it had been said like an insult. Rusty shifted slightly under the shell pile, the urge to leap out and defend his family growing stronger with each passing second. He forced himself to remain still, to consider the consequences of exposing his presence to the rival gang. Acting impulsively could put everyone in even worse danger.

As the heated exchange continued, Rusty weighed his options. He knew he couldn't stay hidden forever. And hadn’t Jiho been the one to originally suggest the gang could use Rusty to win some respect from the other goblins? The gang was surrounded, and it didn’t look like they were going to get out of this without a fight.

"Enough!" Jiho finally shouted, his voice cracking under the strain of maintaining his composure. "We will not be bullied by the likes of you! This kill is ours, and we will do with it as we please!"

Yun rubbed her belly, glancing up at the sky. "We keep going in circles. Even if the Great Goblin gave you permission to hunt here, some of this kill is his by right. If you don’t want to bring it to him yourself, why not give his portion to us? We'll gladly take it back ourselves." She smirked, casting a sidelong look at Bok. "We'll be sure to give you credit for the beetle's demise and for sharing it with us."

Jiho's face contorted with rage, while Seok's fists clenched by his sides. In contrast, Sooji pursed her lips thoughtfully. "Perhaps we should share some of the meat," she conceded.

"Finally!" Yun exclaimed, clapping her hands together. "A reasonable word from the famous Gang of Fools. What a rarity."

Chul, having stuffed his sack nearly to bursting, couldn't resist the allure of the beetle carcass any longer. He tore off a hunk of raw flesh, shoving it into his mouth, and chewing with obvious relish. His eyes darted back and forth between the two groups as he chewed, as if waiting for someone to call him on it.

Rusty relaxed. Sooji was the most levelheaded of the gang, and maybe this time, her voice would win out. They could all leave with some food. No one would get hurt, and he wouldn’t have to reveal himself. At the same time, Rusty felt a part of him mirroring the gang's anger at this treatment. Why were other goblins allowed to treat them this way? Who was the Great Goblin that he got to tell everyone where they could hunt and who got to keep what portion of their success?

Jiho, once again in control of himself, spoke with oily smoothness, interrupting his thoughts. "Very well, Bok, we'll share some of the beetle meat, but let's make one thing clear. This is not an act of submission. We earned this kill, we have every right to it, and we have no obligation to hand it over to you."

Seok stomped his feet, engaging in a full-on tantrum, but not willing to go against his leader’s decision.

Jiwoo had other ideas.

"You lot look like you've crawled out of a junk worm’s sphincter," he sneered, eyeing Bok's tin can crown with disdain. "Give us credit? Who would ever trust you to do that? You’re going to rob us and go back to banging rats in a rag pile.”

Bok took a step toward Jiwoo, the jagged metal in his hand glinting dangerously, and Jiwoo stuck out his belly to show how little he thought of the threat.

"Muckridden gobknobblers! Your names in the Midden tribe are as low as ours," Jiwoo continued. "What right do you have to demand anything from us?"

The other goblins had been edging closer, and one of them stepped directly on top of Rusty, shifting the thin layer of shells that concealed him to reveal the scaly body beneath. The little dragon jerked out from under the foot, turning his head around on his long neck and hissing like an angry cat.

The eyes of everyone in the clearing locked on to him, and the goblin who had stepped on him yelped in surprise, falling back on his bottom, and scuttling away. Rusty may have been small, but his sudden appearance had an outsized effect on the rival group. The gang froze, and the opposition scattered. Chul cheered as the other goblins fled, leaving only Bok and Yun behind. Rusty flapped his wings and hissed again, putting his tiny fangs on display. This was fun.

The remaining pair glanced at each other, and without another word, joined their fellows in retreat.

Jiwoo chuckled. “Scuttlesnarps!” He called after them. “Diddlywanks! Run for your lives!”

The other members of the gang exchanged relieved glances, their tension dissipating like smoke in the wind. Rusty’s heart was thundering in his chest, still unsure if he had made the right decision by revealing himself, but he felt like they had made the choice for him. Chul was looking at him with gratitude, and he basked in his admiration.

“We’re going to be the dragon gang,” Seok crowed. “No one’s going to disrespect us now!”

Rusty was supremely pleased with himself. There had been a possibility that his sudden appearance would have only escalated matters. Goblins, however, seemed to be skittish by nature. They didn’t survive in Midden by rushing into fights they hadn’t been looking for. Flight was their first instinct, he assured himself.

Only Jiho looked displeased.