‘Velora, bring up his status, please.’

  [Understood.]

  {Name - Dran}

  {Age - 7}

  {Race – High TinkGoblin}

  {Tier – One}

  {Strength – 10}

  {Agility – 10}

  {Dexterity – 18}

  {Intelligence – 18}

  {Endurance – 15}

  ‘So, he’s really not just an ordinary Goblin. So…there are other types of Goblins out there then…

  ‘I don’t think I’ve ever read any novel where there was a race of TinkGoblins. This is a lot to take in…I wonder if the “Tink” in his name means he’s something like a crafting Goblin. Wait…If he’s a crafter type Goblin, wouldn’t that solve all my smelting issues? It can’t be that easy, right? Right?’

  [You're losing focus.]

  ‘Yes, you're right…Anyway, it seems I still know far too little about this world.

  ‘I guess me and this TinkGoblin really do have a lot to talk about. Then let's start off with the obvious.’

  “Why’d you help me?”

  “Well, you're a Goblin, and Goblin kind will never turn their back on each other. Regardless of which type of Goblin they are. This is normal, and I'm sure any Goblin in my position would’ve helped in the same way.”

  ‘Is he basically saying gang green is worldwide?!’

  [Calm down.]

  ‘How can I?! He just basically confirmed that all Goblins support each other!’

  “Well said! What's your name? I’m Rick.”

  “I’m Dran, but let’s get the food going before we talk anymore. I brought breakfast.” Dran held up two small rodent-type monsters that Rick failed to notice until now.

  “These are called Gimobs. They're fast and hard to catch but since they’re not too smart, a simple trap is all it takes to catch them.

  “I already cleaned them up so we can put them over a fire immediately.” Dran explained to Rick what the creatures in his hands were, though to Rick they just looked like large hamsters.

  “Okay, sounds good.”

  ‘He even brought me food! What a nice Goblin! I hope every Goblin I meet from now on is like this.’

  [I don’t think Dran means any harm, but don’t put all your trust in him too soon. That should go for every other Goblin you meet.]

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

  ‘You know, it’s really funny you say that since you're the one who encouraged me to stay here.’

  [That doesn’t mean you should be ready to trust him the same as you do Jaba. Instead, it just means he has earned the right to be trusted on a superficial level.]

  ‘I suppose you’re right. I’m just a little excited at the fact I finally met another Goblin, and one that is even a whole different type of Goblin! He even kinda hinted at the fact that there might be other Goblin types around!’

  [Your excitement is understandable. Just stay focused and alert.]

  ‘I gotcha.’

  “The food is ready. We can chat while eating. So, I’ll start first. Where did you come from?”

  “I came from further in the forest, but I don’t know exactly where I am. Where is this cave located?”

  ‘Velora, where am I? Just how far did I run last night?’

  [You ran west for almost three hours. It wasn’t until you covered a distance of around forty miles from where that creature attacked you that you finally stopped and fell unconscious.]

  ‘DID YOU JUST SAY FORTY MILES?!’

  “Right now, we’re currently inside the Nameless Forest, which is about two months of travel east of the Iris River Plains.

  “And you're saying you came from deeper inside the Nameless Forest?”

  ‘Iris River Plains?! And it’s a whole two months away wow…So, this forest eventually ends if I keep going west.

  ‘And this place even has a name too? That damn fox didn’t tell me any of this.’

  “But yes, to answer your question, I came from deeper inside the forest. Though, I didn’t know it was called that, nor did I know about this Iris River Plain thing you mentioned.

  “How about you? Where are you from? Are they more of you? If so, where? I apologize if I’m asking too many questions, but I really want to know everything. You’re the first TinkGoblin I have ever met after all.”

  “It’s not too many questions at all, but everything, huh? I guess I can do that, but I didn’t think any other Goblins lived inside this dangerous forest. All the Goblins I’ve ever seen live in the Iris River Plains which is where I lived as well, along with my Tribe before coming here.” Dran’s expression and tone became solemn as he continued.

  “The plains are home to more than one race and all of them are different and go through constant changes. There are only two things in the entire plains that stay the same.

  “The Goblins are the weakest, and the Orcs are the strongest. This is a fact.”

  At this point, a slight angry expression had already made its way onto Rick’s face.

  “The Orcs are in control of the plains and demanded tribute from all the weaker Tribes and races.

  “Although they never tried to bully or push around the races closer to them in strength, those races never once stopped them from bullying a weaker race like us.

  “It’s because only the stronger races get to live near the lifeline of the plains, which is the Iris River itself. With the Goblin race being the weakest race, we had to live on the fringes of the plains much closer to the Nameless Forest, where it is definitely more dangerous.

  “The tribute the Orcs wanted from us was meat and we could only risk our lives hunting inside the forest.

  “Without the tribute we could never drink from the river or even be able to live inside the plains.

  “Though it’s not like we got to drink much from the Iris River anyway.”

  By now, Rick was far from just angry. He was fuming inside. He couldn’t bear to hear the pain and struggles his fellow Goblins had gone through.

  Even though Rick was a former human being, and his time as a Goblin was still short, one shouldn’t underestimate just how committed he was to his new life and race. He had truly embraced his new life, perhaps way faster than some might have expected…One could even think something else was at play.

  Dran noticed his behavior as well, but chose not to comment on it, because he felt it made sense for a fellow Goblin to be upset at the situation. After all, Goblins were a united race as far as he knew.

  “But quite a long time ago now, my Tribe couldn’t meet the amount required for the tribute on time for a long while and the Orcs used us as an example for the others…The Tribe…The Tribe was burned to the ground, and almost everyone was killed.

  “Those who weren’t killed, were taken to be slaves. The only reason that I’m alive is that I was coming back from the forest at the time of the slaughter. I was too weak then and still am too weak to do anything.

  “All I could do was watch… as all my friends and family were killed, burned, tortured, and chained…My only option was to escape to this forest, and I’ve been living in this small cave ever since.”

  By the end of his speech, his voice was trembling as if the forgotten emotions and memories replayed in his head.

  [Rick, I can feel your emotions running wild. Stay calm. You can't help them if you're not thinking straight.]

  “I’m going to murder them…”

  “What? I didn’t hear what you said.”

  “I’M GOING TO FUCKING MURDER THEM!”