The goblins were pouring into a hole in the ships haul, and arrows began to pelt the upper decks.

  "Damn it! She was supposed to help us, what was the point of all this!?" Theo shouted up at the ships masts.

  He was angry, more so than scared at this point. After everything that happened since he joined this game- it's been one thing after another and he was sick of it!

  Vaz grabbed him by the shoulder and turned him away from the goblin horde- "We got to go!"

  They ran to the ships edge and dove in. The goblins were welcomed to the ships plunder- they had no use for it after all.

  This swim went by faster than the last, it wasn't before long that Theo found himself high-stepping out of the tide far down the shore.

  Cass and Sorral were waiting at their meeting spot. They smiled and waved; "Did it go well? Where are the sailors?" Cass asked.

  "I'm done! I'm going on strike!", the two girls looked at him confused, then at Vaz. Who shrugged.

  "First I lost my job- not because I'm bad at it, but because a robot is better! Then, I move in with my rich grandmother- and you know my coworkers weren't so lucky! So I follow her in to this death trap world- it never ends!"

  He stomped past them, waterlogged and dripping. He was red in the face.

  [Form Change]

  As the skill activated the flesh lost its' detail, and almost immediately became a bad Halloween costume of Yosef.

  He tore the flesh from his body which fell into a goopy pile around him.

  This act caused even Vaz to take a double take. Cass threw up while Theo was ignoring them.

  "And when I find a 'god', guess what happens? He sends me on a fools errand! Like some throw-away goon!" now he was shouting in his shorter reptilian form. "I find that little girly bastard and wring his neck! You do people favors, and they screw you! First Violet, and-", he choked up and starred at his clenched fist for a moment.

  Vaz approached carefully- "Theo, are you feeling okay?" he said as he raised a hand towards Theo. But he swatted it away and Theo let out an exasperated breath. "-No. I haven't been okay for a long time. I just haven't realized. It's my skill, [Assimilation], I've just been riding backseat this entire time and going with the motions..." he put a palm over his elongated face.

  Vaz seemed unsure as to what to say, though he clearly wanted to.

  Sorral walked over at this point, a bit pale in the face. Probably nervous over Theos true form. And his attitude.

  "I.. I know something of that. Our father-", "Sorral..." Cass began to say but Sorral raised a hand to stop her; "...Our father... Was one of our cities top defenders. He was so strong, but he had a skill that numbed his nerves during battle. It's not easy, all those bottled up feelings have to go somewhere- it's destructive Theo."

  Theo plopped down into the sand.

  "I'm sorry, none of this is your faults... I'm just so angry. And I don't know what to do, I just want to throw a tantrum like a toddler."

  "It won't stop at anger either." Sorral sighed, and sat next to him.

  "When will it stop?", Theo had to know. He felt a chaotic vortex inside him as if it all suddenly unleashed. Emotions of all kinds. Regret, hatred, sadness, desire, it was all swirling around in his chest.

  His conversation with that God- he hadn't realized it but he didn't use assimilation since. And now he didn't want to.

  "At some point you just learn to accept it. Learn from it. You'll probably cry, but I hope you don't do that in front of us- no offense." Sorral half joked nervously. She hesitantly put a hand on his shoulder.

  "And you're naked. You should probably take care of that..." Cass said. Though his true form didn't have genitalia.

  "At least you don't seem like the type to take it out on the people you care about." Vaz added.

  Theo looked at the three of them and slowly realized how much like a child he just acted. If he had cheeks, they'd be warm. He curled his legs up close to his tiny body and hugged them. "We're not getting any help from the sailors. And Lirielle left." he mumbled.

  "What are we going to do then?" Cass asked. Sorral stood up and went towards the center of their little gathering. "We stick to the plan, before we met this 'god'. We find a good place to make a more permanent base. I'll make us defenses, and a way off this gods forsaken island."

  "Technically there is a god-", Cass began to say. "I know what I said."

  "Won't he be angry if we just ignored him?" Theo asked sheepishly, still embarrassed about his outburst. "Screw him." Sorral smiled at him. "We don't need his help, you have me."

  Vaz stood up and brushed some sand off his linen pants. "And me. A few goblins aren't going to stop us now. After what we've been through- whether it's falling to our deaths, or surviving sea monsters, we've made it this far together somehow... No sense in stopping now."

  This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.

  "Even though I don't look like Yosef anymore?" Theo found himself asking. Vaz scoffed at the idea as if it were ridiculous; "I've always known you weren't really Yosef. If anything- I prefer you like this. It matches your personality."

  Theo snorted; "Really?"

  Cass and Sorral both gave affirming nods.

  "Guess it's like this I'll stay then. Though you should see what I look like in my world.", he chuckled.

  Cass and Sorral exchanged a look. "Your world?"

  Theo stood up then, brushing the sand off. "Long story, sorry for acting like a child.", they looked to Vaz who gave them his routined 'shrug'.

  "Pfft, is that all? Feel free to shout more if you'd like in that case- I've caused drama that would put your little act to shame!" Cass laughed. And Sorral gave them a knowing look that said she'd agree.

  "I'll keep that in mind... Sorral. You say you can lead us to a safe spot?" Theo asked.

  Sorral grabbed her suspender straps and bounced on her heels; "I certainly can. It's my job after all. Discovering new places and building there. By the time I'm done, you'll hardly want to leave!" she smiled. Theo could tell she was just trying to be nice given his outburst, but he appreciated the sentiment.

  "Lead the way, I'll try not to whine too much on the way."

  Cass hugged him suddenly, which at his true forms height pushed his saurian snout into her leather breastplates. "Whats this for?" he asked, his voice muffled.

  She swung him back and forth- "You're just so cute, little pouty lizard boy!"

  Vaz and Sorral laughed at that.

  The group gathered their belongings and set out again- not back to the cavern, but further down the beach. Away from the goblins, away from gods, to a more secluded area where they could settle down for a longer stay on the island. Their stay on the island had been extended.

  And Sorral claimed to not only be able to build a craft to carry them from the island- she also claimed it could fly. Which interested Theo greatly.

  -He was still angry, among everything else he felt. Frustration mostly. But he kept it to himself, hopefully his grandmother would be there soon.

  ---

  On the beach there was a giant bonfire. Many of them were built along the beach, drums beat sporadically and goblins pranced about around the fires. They celebrated joyously.

  The chieftain sat upon a throne built of crates and fine fabrics that had been pilfered from the ship, he ate a leg of crocodile and laughed.

  TopG's success hunting the giant crocodile was all but forgotten in the light of the new shipwrecks plunder. He and his group sat sullenly- happy- but not quite as happy as the rest.

  "Topege try this, is good?" Dalh- one of the more reliable goblins in his group- offered him a plate of grilled meats, seasoned by the goblins top chefs. It even had salt added.

  He shook his head. He wasn't hungry.

  "Why sad?" she asked, turning her head to the side. Her braid of black hair fell to the side like a tassel. In the firelight, her bulbous goblin eyes glistened with orange flecks. She seemed genuinely concerned for him, which meant a lot for goblins. Where life was inconsequential and disposable.

  "Killed humans. For shiny things. Waste. Stupid." he mumbled, watching the goblins dance about as if they accomplished some great thing this day.

  Dahl shrugged and took a bite of steak with her pointed teeth. Goblin mouths opened a bit more than human ones did- their mouths were weapons after all. The flesh snapped and broke away easily. She spoke with her mouth full; "Humans kill goblins, been had."

  "Not here.", "Not, but before!" she pointed a finger at him. Her black fingernail shined in a way similar to her eyes by the light of the fire. Then she pointed to the ocean. "Kill goblins always! When goblin big, they kill. Goblin make, human break. If goblin not be goblin, it happen more." she said. Anger seeping into her voice.

  TopG put a hand on her arm, lowering it. "True. I'm sorry, I just wish no one had to die." he said sadly.

  "True?" Dahl asked. "Been had. Is. True." he clarified. They didn't know some words and he was always teaching them.

  "True. Tru-ew." she tested the word out numerous times with a puzzled expression.

  TopG chuckled, which caused her to smile.

  She placed a hand on his thigh- he brushed it off. Like all her advances.

  "Why always? You look, been had!", she grimaced annoyedly. "I told you." TopG said, looking back towards the fire.

  Dahl stood up and went to walk away. But then turned towards him, her eyes glistening with held back tears. "Always say, never true." then she ran off.

  TopG sighed. He had just seen many people die. Some of which his troop killed themselves. Why did she choose this day of all to act out? They've known each other for weeks and she's so attached? Perhaps weeks were months in goblin time.

  His goblins leveled more than the others- they spoke more eloquently than others. It would be wrong to be with one that way. Not that he couldn't imagine it. It just felt like he'd be taking advantage of her, she didn't know so much and he knew a lot. It felt imbalanced. Wrong.

  But hurting her feelings this way didn't feel right either. Perhaps she was right. He should tell her the truth. In their time together, his goblins have looked to him before the chieftain. And that's why they were his goblins. He had to take their lives seriously.

  TopG looked to the steak with a single bite out of it that Dalh had left behind. He picked it up.

  ---

  He found Dahl near the water, she was watching the waves.

  "Is cold, Dahl." he said as he walked over. She glanced but turned away resentfully- "Go fire then."

  As he approached she started walking down the shore so he walked beside her.

  "You left." he said, showing her the steak. "No want." she said. "You're not making this easy.", "When easy! You say hard! Plan hard! So many no goblin words, and you teach but never..." she stammered, looking for the words. She had spoken as she's heard TopG speak before, and it wasn't a terrible effort.

  "Try?" he asked, finishing her sentence. She shook her head. "Care?", she nodded, rubbing her eyes.

  "I care..." at that Dahl looked towards him cynically. "-About the goblins, but- I, I come from other place. Far." he gradually came to a stop along the beach as he said so. Dahl did as well, turning towards him.

  "That why so not goblin?" Dahl asked suddenly curious.

  He nodded.

  "Not goblin. Not really.", "But look goblin?", "Not my body. Is... Hard. Telling."

  TopG resumed walking and she followed. "..Where from?" she asked. "Big human city.", "Is human then?" she asked, eyes widening. He nodded.

  "That's why..." Dahl said as if having a sudden realization. "Goblin ugly."

  TopG whirled around at that and grabbed her by the arms- "No. Never say that. Dahl pretty." she blushed and looked back and forth from the ocean and TopG.

  He became flustered too, realizing what he was doing.

  "I-it's just that human different. Goblin different. Not bad, not ugly. Different." he tried to accentuate the 'different' each time he said it. It was true, Dalh wasn't ugly. Goblins bodies were different. Their arms were a bit longer in portion to their legs and torso- with more burly shoulders and longer nose and faces- but they weren't necessarily ugly. Not if you looked at them for some time and had gotten used to them like he did.

  He learned to see and appreciate the human qualities in goblins, of which there were many.

  "Different. But same. Still no like. Had been. Always. Too dumb. Not human." she said sullenly. With bitter acceptance, she clutched her arms as if she held something dirty.

  He hugged her close causing her to yelp in surprise, but then she hugged him back. He looked down at her- as she was slightly shorter. He brushed her bangs out of her face, and she looked up at him as if he was some great person. He hated that look. If she only knew. Perhaps this was her plan, to guilt trip him into a relationship. But he didn't care.

  "If you're going to throw yourself under the bus like that, you can't blame me for what I do." he said softly. "Goin'? Bus? Too man-" he kissed the goblin girl. Her lips matched his- his heart raced and he wondered if this wasn't a scumbag move to do.

  When he leaned away she was crying.

  "What?" he asked, suddenly worried. He leaned in as if he could see the problem better that way.

  "Stupid." she said.

  He blinked a few times, but she smiled. She put a hand on his cheek; "Is k. Can teach."

  This time she kissed him, and for a time they remained like that.

  The sun set on a day of chaos and violence- the two insignificant green specks in a sea of green found comfort in each other.

  Unsure of what the future held. TopG had no idea if it was a healthy relationship or not.

  Dahl knew what she felt, even if by human standards the romance might be base and simple- it was every bit as authentic. It was TopG who wasn't being honest with himself. He'd knew it would end in disaster but that was life. There was still so much she didn't know about him, and he wouldn't hold it against her if she left when she learned.

  But until then, he couldn't have her moping about thinking she wasn't good enough, now could he?

  That was a good enough excuse to do something stupid.