Repaying One's Debts

“A cave sweep, huh? How’d you learn about this one?” asked Ronnie.

“There was a letter left behind in that last cave we went to. I thought it was nothing at first, but I pieced together the gibberish on it and figured out where all that food went. Should be a pretty easy job,” said JZ.

“True, true. But why not just take it yourself, then?”

“Aurora mentioned you and Bobbie were looking for work, and I figure with the potential hassle even a job like this might have, the extra hands would be nice.”

“How generous of you,” Ronnie narrowed his eyes at JZ. Then Bobbie stepped forward, putting a hand on Ronnie’s shoulder.

“What’s our cut?” asked Bobbie.

“An even split should be fine, right? I take a third, and you two take the rest,” said JZ.

Ronnie and Bobbie looked at each other for a moment before Ronnie said, “When do we leave?”

“I just need to load some equipment in the cart and I’ll be good to go,” JZ smiled. He had borrowed it from Aurora on the promise that the cart came back in one piece. He even pledged to make sure all repairs were covered and taken care of before he returned the cart. It would be worth it, since it would make his task easier.

JZ loaded a number of crates into the cart, including a box of blight twigs. Hidden among the equipment was a crate full of food. After loading the last crate, he glanced around. There was no sign of those magic blue birds in the sky at the moment. It was still early in the day, so this most likely meant Ozahl hadn’t got out of bed yet.

Good...

Reaching into a belt pouch, JZ pulled out a scroll and whispered its incantation. Scrolls, as he had learned, were spells bound in paper via magic ink by wizards. They were popular among non-magic users because the spell was already “cast”, it just had to be released, so anyone could use them. More complex scrolls required a bit of know-how involving the magical language of the land, Arcanian, but JZ had spent long hours at the local library for a good reason. With the scroll expended, the next time Ozahl tried to spy on JZ, his birds would be misdirected.

“Okay, I’m ready!” said JZ to Ronnie and Bobbie.

“Sounds good. Let’s get this over with,” said Ronnie.

Everyone loaded up into the cart, and once JZ took the reins, they were off.

The gibberish on that letter JZ found in the last cave was no gibberish at all. It was a written language. Whatever strange power he had been granted in this realm allowed him to translate things with relative ease. Even more complex languages would yield to him in time with a bit of study. In this case, the letter was written in the goblin tongue.

“Shakah, food was much help. Gatu grows strong. But many eyes these days. Much trouble. Will have to move soon. Seek stump beyond stream’s elbow and creep through brush. There is new hiding spot. See you soon, love.”

At the bottom of the letter was the name Kela with a crude heart-shaped symbol. Any lingering doubts still in JZ’s mind had been dissipated. He had killed no mere pest, but a man desperate to feed his family. Even if he looked different from JZ, even if he was against stealing, it didn’t matter. He had taken something that could never be returned. But he would make amends in his own way... Or die trying.

“The stream’s elbow,” said JZ, pointing.

“What’s that?” asked Ronnie.

“One of the clues I learned. There should be a stump soon, and then we can find our way to the cave.”

It was a shallow enough stream, so they crossed just fine. Afterwards, JZ found a good spot to park and secured the riding beast. With a silent gesture, he had Ronnie and Bobbie follow from behind as he showed them to the bushes that hid the cavern’s entrance.

“Wow, so this is the place, huh? I gotta hand it to you, Jabez, I thought this would be a waste of time, but you came through after all,” said Ronnie.

“With luck, this cave has more stolen goods to grab,” said Bobbie.

“... About that,” said JZ. Before Ronnie or Bobbie could react, JZ drew his sword and slit their throats. The men crumbled to the ground, their wounds hissing blood and their faces contorted in horror. JZ gave them both a few extra stabs just to be sure, and when he was certain they were dead, he pulled their eyelids closed.

Now comes the hard part...

The inside of this new cave was similar to the last one, in that it was dark, wet, and dangerous. But JZ had long found his footing, so navigating the cave wasn’t a problem. There weren’t even as many traps as he expected, making his silent approach all the easier. When he finally found the goblin family’s den, he knocked on a nearby wall to announce his presence.

“What?” said a goblin in the darkness. “Who are you?”

“Right now? I’m a stranger,” said JZ. “But I hope I can become an ally.”

More goblins crept out of hiding, looking at JZ half out of curiosity, half out of fear.

“Strange man. Stranger indeed. But you know our tongue. Why come here?” asked a goblin.

JZ crouched down. “I’ve done a great harm and... Wish to make amends. May we speak?”

One last voice spoke up, one from a female goblin still unseen. “You come into our home, smelling of blood, and wish to speak, even with all your weapons? Why trust you?”

“You don’t have to trust me. Just hear me out.” JZ then pulled off his weapons one by one, setting them down before getting on his knees, lowering his head. “Please... Just hear me out.”

The goblins looked to one another, appearing confused.

“Kela, what say you?” asked one of them. “This man is... Different. Friend, perhaps?”

“Friend? We’ll see about that. Light a candle.” At this, one of the goblins reached into a cubbyhole, pulling out a candle and a match. JZ didn’t slip off his shine crystal goggles in time to avoid the blindness, and as he pulled off his headgear, his eyelids clenched shut from the sudden exposure. When the pain went away, he looked at the creatures before him.

The goblin who lit the candle was smaller than some of the others, like a child. He had light green skin, a black mohawk, and orange eyes. There were two others with dark blue skin and red eyes instead – a young female with short black hair, and a somewhat older male with a mostly shaved head, save a black topknot, and just like the other goblins he had encountered, they had large, pointed ears, almost like a bat’s, flat noses, and were considerably smaller than JZ. The males had thick forearms and calves, while the females were more bottom-heavy. This became especially apparent when the goblin matriarch, Kela, finally revealed herself.

“So these are your colors,” Kela said, standing before the kneeling JZ. “We only see greys in the shadows. To see each other’s colors is to meet in earnest. So, what is your business?”

JZ was momentarily stunned by Kela’s appearance. She was much curvier than even he expected, with long flowing black hair and vibrant orange eyes. Like the others, she wore very little, save a loin cloth and chest wrap, but Kela also had dark red tattoos, as well as amber jewelry that matched her eyes.

“Um... Uh...” JZ cleared his throat. “Well then.”

“Hm? Why you look at me strangely? Am I that ugly to you, tallman?”

“Quite the opposite...” JZ glanced away. “Regardless, I wanted to make amends for something I did to your people. I’m a stranger even in these lands and I did not... Understand how callous the people here were.”

Once more, the goblins looked confused. Kela said, “You have eyes like lost child, yet you smell of tallman blood. Why?”

“I slew two others who would have done you harm. They were a part of a job I did where...” JZ paused, struggling with his mixed emotions. “Here,” JZ finally showed the letter and the doll.

Kela grew pale in the face. She walked over, taking the letter and the doll. “How did you get these?”

“I...” JZ finally slammed his fist into the ground. “I killed Shakah! But I didn’t know! I didn’t know anything!!” JZ lowered his head, tears in his eyes. “I didn’t know... I’m so sorry...”

The young green goblin spoke up. “Shakah is... Dead?”

“Then our fears were true,” said Kela. At this, the young green goblin started to cry, and Kela put her hand on his head. “Oh Gatu... Be strong. Strong for Shakah.” Turning her attention back to JZ, she said, “Strange one, why come here? Why admit this? Your kind slay us without care. Force us to scurry like rodents. We could avenge our fallen in your state. Why?”

“I’m not sure myself... But when I learned the truth, it wounded me. I knew I couldn’t rest until I told you, until I... Repaid my debt to you all.” JZ then pulled off his backpack, setting the leather bag down and unbuckling it. “Here, I brought this as a peace offering.”

Once JZ opened the crate full of food, the goblins gathered around it, inspecting it closely. It made sense. Most likely, humans had tricked goblins before with trapped or poisoned food.

“You eat first,” Kela pointed. “We not tricked so easily.”

“Of course,” JZ nodded. He grabbed a tomato and took a big bite. It wasn’t nearly as bitter as the food he last ate. Just a little sour. When JZ didn’t start convulsing or falling over in pain, the goblins relaxed.

“You bring offerings? Food? Apologies? You must not be human,” said Kela. She then moved closer, looking JZ over. “But this mark... Maybe...?”

“What about it?”

“Once saw man with similar scar. Acted very strange. Avoided at all costs. But... He did not seem mean. He was not like the other humans.”

JZ considered Kela’s words carefully. The scar on JZ’s forehead was a small round ring where he had taken one of the bullets into his brain back on Earth. It was like an echo of his past life. If what Kela said was true, that meant... He wasn’t the first to be sent to Elonia.

“Where did you see this man?” asked JZ.

“Was long time ago, before men marched in these lands so brazenly. Can’t remember where exactly...” Kela then looked JZ over once more, rubbing her chin in thought. “So what now? You want something? You have taken much, and given much. I deem you friend.”

“Friend? I... Are you sure? I’ve caused so much harm...”

“I see much in your eyes, strange one. I see much hate, much sorrow, but all born from love. If you brought harm to us, it was only because you were tricked. Besides...” Kela grabbed JZ by the head and hugged him. “We do not hold grudges so firmly as man. Cannot afford to.”

Soft...

Once Kela let go, JZ said, “I... I can keep helping. What if,” JZ looked at the others, who were happily eating. Even the young Gatu had calmed down, at least for now. “I don’t want any more harm to come to you and your people. I can help bring food and information. Keep you safe and out of reach. I owe it to you all. And there may be others... Who need saving.”

“You seek alliance, then?”

“Yes. And shared space, if possible.”

Kela looked at JZ with a concerned gaze. “We cannot live side by side unless you become part of clan. But to do this...” Kela looked back at Gatu, his cheeks puffed up from being stuffed with food. “I must be sure. Gatu.”

The goblin child swallowed his food in one big gulp. “Yes, ma?”

“Come here.” Gatu stood up and approached, looking at JZ nervously. Kela took him by the hand and said, “This tallman wishes to help us. Keep us safe. But... You have heard the truth from his mouth. You know he has wounded us. What say you?”

Gatu fidgeted, looking between Kela and JZ. He eventually said, “Did... Shakah fight with honor?”

“He fought ferociously,” said JZ.

“And the doll... He held onto it?”

“Until the very end.”

Gatu gripped the hems of his loin cloth, tears welling up in his eyes. Seeing the boy in this state broke JZ’s heart in two.

“Then... Will be brave. Brave like Shakah. Brave ones bear many scars. Signs of wounds. Signs of healing.” Gatu then extended his hand. “Let us heal together.”

“Let us heal,” JZ shook the boy’s hand.

Kela went over everything with the others just to be sure there were no grudges. There was much talk, much explaining, but when they all shook on it, Kela said, “Then the Bone Splitters welcome you, strange one. Speak your name.”

“You can call me Jabez.”

“Jabez, then. Good name. Wear it proudly. This one is Aba,” Kela gestured to the blue goblin girl. “And this one is Yev,” she gestured to the older brother of Aba. “We are all that remains of Clan Bone Splitter. Let us be brave together.”

“Let us be brave,” nodded JZ.