[Interludes Vol. 1.5] In which we spent a little time following Mint and Ebony from a little sister goblin’s perspective.(3/3)

It was so visible in his animated face, and he never once turned a single goblin away who came to him, as evidenced by my older sister Melon who came by just to sit in his lap to have her head patted and belly poked as he told her how delicious the food she cooked was. Something both Ebony and I couldn't possible miss was all that she really wanted, just from the shit eating grin of happiness on her face alone.

Even Bitey was happy, scurrying about the table in some kind of makeshift spinning dance…

"Ah… what are the Runes for Wolf Wind?" I asked, having never learned such a spell on any of my other characters. There was a haste spell, but it had a high mana cost and didn't last long.

"Wolf Wind? Use Force Magic when cast, but four Runes easy use make… [Wind] [Push] [^Power^] [Pull]. Order important. First make wind, push wind back body, create force self, pull wind forward body."

"What… if I can only use three Runes?" I asked, seeing the main problem. I only had three slots for chaining Runes in my HUD.

"What mean only three?"

"I can only use Runes that fit in a certain space…"

Ark Wyze listened to me poorly explain while I began drawing the sixteen-by-sixteen box-shaped grid used for drawing Runes in the game. I filled in each one of the three with a Rune and showed him the problem.

"Should talk Vera Runes… have talent, know more than me. Why need make Rune big? Make small, try like this… okay use other Rune same place not change shape much."

He had drawn all four Runes in a single sixteen by sixteen grid, including the diacritical marks on the [Power] Rune. Some of the Runes overlapped others in places, but it fit and was completely legible, with only three Runes overlapping their sides with each other.

Any doubts that he was the lost son of Salondra Wyze the Tower Master were officially put to rest with that. It was like just learning algebra and someone coming along showing you what a mindfuck calculus could be…

"Can… I try to use it?"

"Maybe use Bitey test? Use Mint, move fast hit wall, trip, get hurt. Ebony, okay Mint use tree-magic Bitey go fast?"

Bitey spun around and raised a bony foreleg.

"Bitey say okay, want run fast!" Ebony answered.

For a moment, Ark Wyze made a face that reminded me of him when he was a goblin.

"Bitey, when Mint make go fast, go give Glace big kiss on face."

Bitey jumped up excitedly.

"Mint, go ahead try." He said to me, gesturing at Bitey, and I opened up the Rune input boxes of my HUD then drew the compressed Rune formula into it, targeted Bitey the bone-spider, and activated the spell.

Bitey began to almost slip comically in place at first, like one of those old cartoons where the characters legs spin like a wheel in place before taking off quickly, leaving only a gust of wind behind them. Bitey was gone a few seconds later, and a few seconds after that, the sound of a high piercing shriek was heard all the way through Goblinhome, reaching my ears.

Less than a minute had passed and Bitey was back on the table. It moved so quickly, none of us even saw it enter Melon's kitchen.

Bitey spun in place and stuck one bony-leg foreleg up. Husband stuck out a balled-up fist and the two bumped… knuckles? I don't know, but I'm pretty sure at this point Bitey is a boy bone-spider.

"Tell Husband… Bitey likes Glace."

"I Never not-believe Ebony."

A few moments later, Button walked into Melon's Kitchen.

"Ebony… why send Bitey scare Glace?"

Ebony quickly pointed at Ark Wyze.

"Tricky Husband fault?"

Ark Wyze nodded, taking most of the blame for us.

"Sorry. Help Mint learn tree-magic. Use spell make run fast when kill Black-claws. Try on Bitey first. Bitey like Glace, tell Bitey run fast, give kiss."

Button shook her head.

"Wait. Husband teach Mint go-fast magic?"

Everyone present nodded, including Melon, who was witness to what I spell I had just used on Bitey moments ago.

Button turned to face me and pointed at herself.

"Can make Button go fast?"

Considering it worked perfectly well on Bitey… it should work just as well on Button.

So, I nodded.

In return, Button grinned.

I think if she had any more blue pigmentation in her skin, there would be a legacy copyright case against her for how fast she could run.

Either way, trouble was averted, and I was somehow welcomed into both hunter and magician factions thanks to Ark Wyze who, when he had free time not being molested by adult goblins, taught me so much more about Formulaic magic and Rune manipulation than I ever learned through any forum guide from the so-called experts.

On the seventh day of having assumed the character of Mint, I woke up and felt the hand of death pressing down on me.

I felt no desire to get up, to move my body, to even eat, drink, shit, or breathe. The logout button had appeared for a moment, though still greyed out, and I thought for a moment that the scenario was going to be ending with my inevitable death. However, before I could give in, Ebony had come to find me, disturbing me all the while she had a panicked look on her face.

I found myself being dragged out of my straw bed by her and forced to walk towards the back of Goblinhome where Old One's cave-hole was.

"What's going on, Ebony?" I complained.

"I don't know. Old One says to keep it a secret."

"Then why are you bringing me with you?"

"Because you're my sister!"

"But Old One told you to keep it a secret! And isn't Button more your sister than I am?"

"Mint… I'm not a mushroom-goblin who needs a tree, but I am a bone-goblin who knows that tree-magic belongs with bone-magic. I don't need Iggy or Bitey to tell me that, either!"

It would be a while before I could pry the meaning of those words out of her, but were it not for Ebony, I might have been able to return to my life in the real world today. Return to my life never to know how much of the real story I would have missed the chance to learn. About everything that I had been searching for since the very first time I played the game and heard the NPC Yx mention their search for the last remaning member of the Bloodmaw Goblin Tribe…

Logout button?

No... There's only one Button I care about anymore.

______________________________

Volume 2 will begin soon starting next week

SUPPORT MY PREMIUM BOOK BELOW.....