Chapter XLIV (44)

  Verdant Island fit its name as snuggly as Ashen and Mauve. The island’s lush vegetation spilled over the edges and into the surrounding sea. It was as if the plants couldn’t be contained.

  The Terror docked and Mitsuko made herself scarce, not bothering with any goodbyes. Nobody stopped her as she crossed the docks into a jungle town that reminded her a bit of her childhood village. Though certainly far larger and, in her opinion, far more interesting.

  As Mitsuko wandered the town’s streets, she marveled at the strange transportation method the inhabitants employed.

  Crocodiles swam through a network of canals built into the town. And goblins rode on their backs.

  Goblins. They swarmed throughout the town. Normally, these creatures were vindictive, evil things with less brainpower than an average ape. But these goblins acted differently than all the others Mitsuko had met in her travels. They still looked sinister in how they held themselves, but they smiled and yapped at one another. They worked at shops and ran errands. In fact, the goblins somehow seemed the most civilized of the races on Verdant Island.

  The other people Mitsuko encountered were far less friendly. They largely avoided eye contact, save for the occasional glare of mistrust in her direction. The only person to approach her was a Kemon woman from a vole tribe. The shrewish woman attempted to sell Mitsuko sketchy potions brewed from native ingredients from the island. She promised grandiose results, from pain relievers, to wing growth. Mitsuko wasn’t interested and only her rusty machete kept the woman from pushing their encounter into an altercation.

  “This is…odd,” Sterling said from her pocket.

  “What? Does your current body feel an innate attraction to her?” Mitsuko asked the mouse.

  “What? The woman?” Sterling scoffed. “Hardly. I doubt you want a history lesson on the creation of the Kemon, so I will refrain. Suffice it to say, they are more human than beast. No. I was speaking of the other odd residents of the island. They’re not who I expected.”

  “The goblins?” Mitsuko frowned. “I guess they must have invaded the island in the last thousand years. Who used to be here?”

  “I will remain mute on that detail.”

  Mitsuko considered. Through that context, Mitsuko was picking up that the sage was not a goblin. Probably not the guardian either. That at least helped narrow her options down.

  She sat down on the lip of a canal, her legs dangling over the edge as she thought about her next move. Thick green water slowly churned down below her and the eyes of a crocodile peaked out from beneath the water.

  “Were you friends with the other sages?” Mitsuko asked the mouse in her pocket.

  “You do not have a question available at the moment,” Sterling replied.

  “Oh, come off it. That’s not a real question about the Prismatic Spiral. I just want to know more about you. You heard me talking about my friends on the ship. What are yours like?”

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  The water splashed below and Mitsuko watched across the canal as an unhappy goblin pasted a poster onto a wall. Then the goblin continued on, with a small stack of identical papers under an arm.

  “We are all…acquaintances," Sterling finally responded. “There are some sages I am friendly with.”

  “So not friends.”

  “Perhaps academic rivals? We all respect one another.”

  “Sounds like a sad way to live,” Mitsuko said. She picked up a green mossy stone and tossed it into the slow moving creek below. It plopped into the water, momentarily clearing a bit of the algae and rippling the water. The crocodile raised his head and snorted. “You mentioned a brother. Were you close with your family at least?”

  “Of course. They respected my positions and were proud of me. I helped them maintain their lifespans and youth over the cent—” He cut off and then launched into a spew of unfamiliar curses. “You’re doing this to mine me for information!” he accused.

  “No, I’m not.” Mitsuko sighed. She almost thought he did that on purpose to avoid the conversation. “Fine, if you don’t want to talk about your personal life. How about you tell me the history of goblins?”

  “The history of goblins? Hardly a pleasant topic. And need I remind you that you still do not hold the right to a question at the moment.”

  “You ramble about all sorts of other things from the past. You said yourself that they weren’t here a thousand or so years ago when you still lived. So they’re not relevant to the Prismatic Spiral. Goblins shouldn’t be that much more different than the cutlery to ranted about yesterday.”

  “That was an abomination,” Sterling huffed. “A pronged spoon is a silly design that will likely result in injury.”

  “It honestly seemed like something I’d encounter while in a court of nobility,” Mitsuko said. “I’m surprised you didn’t like it. You guys love your special silverware.”

  “Never! At a civilized meal, there are specific tools to handle specific problems. Something like what I saw on that ship is the opposite of what we strive to accomplish.”

  Mitsuko chuckled.

  “Fine.” Sterling’s whiskers quivered. “I’ll speak a bit on the goblin heritage. They’re a more recent species. Created through the souls of gnomes akin to how as Kemon were created through humans. Goblins are vile, twisted creatures with unstable souls. But they breed quickly. They’re much like the mice of the humanoid world. They reach maturity within a year and usually die after less than two decades. Most well before that time due to less natural causes. And, also like mice, goblins can be found in most regions of the world. They are the second most invasive creature I know of. The first being us humans, of course. Might I add, we truly are our own shade of vile.”

  Then something clicked in Mitsuko’s mind. “Xeri said that Verdant Island was under the control of halves. Can goblins breed with humans? Wait...you said they’re created from gnomes. And I know humans can fuck and breed with gnomes. Then it must be possible.”

  “A valid theory,” Sterling said approvingly. “And procreation across species would explain the lack of volatility from these goblins. Human blood could very well stabilize their souls.”

  “If it’s a soul problem, could a necromancer help goblins?”

  “I am hardly an expert on that inferior field of magic. One of the other sages may be better equipped to answer soul related questions. However, yes, I believe it could be hypothetically a viable method of temporarily helping the race on a case-by-case basis.”

  Mitsuko’s vision wandered over to one of the goblins. Or half-goblins, as she was coming more certain of. The height was one thing. Goblins stood a height with gnomes like Holly. But these ones were definitely a bit taller. And their skin might not be quite as green as some of the other goblins she’d met in her travels.

  “Interesting,” she muttered. Most people in civilization wouldn’t stand for anyone with goblin blood in their towns. They would be chased and killed on principle. She’d seen it happen several times in societies across her travels. But here on an island far from the main continents of the world, half-goblins could spread on their own and create their own haven. “But it doesn’t get me any closer to finding the island’s sage.” She stood up and made her way through the town, navigating to the tried and true hub for information gathering. The local pub.

  15 more chapters on my !!