Chapter 12: Ch.0012 – Choice

It was nearly an entire day after her rescue that the little goblin child finally woke. Both Ash and Myr had been home at the time, and it had been the earth mage who’d sensed her rising first. 

The duo strode into the room and found her scarfing down the freshly made food paste that he’d left by her bed with reckless abandon. So focused had been the girl’s hunger that she’d scarcely even heard the shift of the leather curtain as they’d entered the room, or their presence for the first minute after their arrival until Ash had made himself known with a soft ‘ahem’. 

The goblin girl flinched and jumped away, her back pressed against the wall, her golden eyes wide with surprise and fear. 

“Hey, don’t be afraid. It’s me. Remember? Handsome and nice human guy that saved you from those monsters?” 

Her eyes widened marginally but her terrified demeanour remained. “Enjoying the food? I know that it doesn’t taste too good but I’m not sure if you can eat solid foods so soon after going hungry for as long as you likely did.” Or at least, he assumed it was so. It was one of those tid-bits of information that he’d learnt through the vast sources of media available on Earth that had somehow managed to stick with him. 

He wasn’t sure if it was accurate or not, but it didn’t hurt to be cautious. The girl remained quiet, her gaze dancing between him and Myr. He glanced towards the woman. Unlike him, she stood rigid and imperious, her eyes fierce and her arms folded beneath her ample chest. He sighed. 

“Uh, you can leave me to this.” he said dryly. 

Myr spent another few seconds staring at the girl before she nodded and turned away. “Try not to die, kid.” she said as she left the room. He rolled his eyes and turned back to the goblin girl. 

“Um, do you have a name?” he asked as he lowered himself to a kneel in an attempt to look less imposing.  

Silence. She wasn’t even really blinking; such was how intensely her attention was fixed on him. 

“How did you get separated from your tribe?” he tried. 

More silence. 

“Do you know how we can contact them?” 

The silence got thicker if anything. 

Ash rolled his head back and sighed yet again. Asking her questions was pointless, he realized. The girl was too standoffish, not that he blamed her for it. He likely would have been the same in her situation and circumstance. 

“Can you at least tell me if you’re still in pain or not? Any part of you that hurts a lot?” 

A moment passed. The girl remained frozen in place like a cornered cat. He swept a hand through his thick brown locks and rose to his feet. 

“Alright, fine. We’ll talk again whenever you want to, okay? Just... let me know if you need any more food or water or anything. I’ll be just outside here.” He left with his offer hanging in the air and the sound of lips smacking resumed not too soon after. 

“She a nervous little critter, ain’t she?” asked Myr as he took position on the leather cushion across from her. They’d usually be engaged in training his physical combat stances around then but the presence of the little goblin made that impossible. Ash didn’t want to leave her unsupervised and neither did Myr, though likely for entirely different reasons. And so, he settled into a meditative pose and nodded. 

“She’s probably scared and exhausted out of her mind. She’ll open up to us eventually.” 

“Or run away.” 

Ash couldn’t deny that that was a likely possibility, and probably Myr’s hope. He wouldn’t let her slip his grasp that easily though. In the state that she was, she’d just get herself killed by some hungry monster within the day. He could only hope that they’d earn her trust before she attempted anything of the sort. 

With that thought in mind, Ash entered into meditation and started to grind his levels. It was harder going than normal. His focus was torn between his focus on his threading and his concern for the goblin. 

He idly wondered why he cared so much for the kid, but the face that popped into his mind was answer enough. Ash felt his heart lurch as he thought of the youth. He’d never let a child suffer like he and his brother had for all those years. Not when he had the strength to give them better. 

It was a promise he’d made a long time ago, and Ash had no plans to renege on those words any time soon. 

The following hour was a troubled and irritating one, and despite his best efforts, he found focus and peace an elusive thing and his grinding suffered as a result. Eventually, Ash was forced to give up for the time being and returned to the waking world. Myr was still sat across from him, her face the picture of peace much to his annoyance. But she wasn’t alone. 

Standing a few steps outside of her temporary lodgings was the goblin girl, her gaze sweeping around her surroundings. Ash watched her for a few seconds until the girl noticed his attention and immediately retreated back into her room. He snickered, amused, but decided not to follow after. 

Let her see that her curiosity would arouse no consequence from him. 

Ash rose and strode over to Myr’s bed and made himself comfortable, Dimple’s Novice Guide to Magical Theory propped open as he decided to revise through some of the magical theory that he had yet to fully comprehend. It was a few dozen minutes later that he was broken from his focus by the sound of leather shifting. A small green head peeked out, golden eyes surveying the hall, but he pretended to not notice. The girl found him laid on the bed and eyed him wearily and then again Myr. 

Her face scrunched up with a tumult of emotion as she slowly drew back into her room. 

Ash waited until she was wholly gone before he glanced her way and smiled. 

He would draw her out of her shell yet. 

He just had to be patient. 

◆◆◆◆◆ 

The little girl’s presence forced Ash to change his routine somewhat over the course of the next few days. He studied his magical theory more often and cut back on his meditation and combat training much to Myr’s annoyance, though he still spared a few hours to grind and maintain whatever he’d learnt so far. 

His usual outings became matters of necessities in order to hunt or gather whatever the girl needed, and little else. He refused even when Myr asked that he come along to the goblin township for her usual trade runs though that was more to do with the fact that when he’d asked what they’d do about the girl whilst they were gone, Myr had shrugged and said that she’d seal the little goblin inside her room, as if that was a normal thing to do. 

Of course, he’d refused and Myr had been annoyed, but things went on as they always did. 

And so came the fourth day of her stay, and Ash preened as their guest finally showed some signs of opening up to them. 

Ash was laid atop the bed, his theory book spread open beside him. Myr was meditating in the middle of the hall as was her norm. He was about to turn the page when he heard the rustle of leather and watched discreetly as a little head popped out. 

It was the first time that the goblin girl had deigned to actually try to leave the room by herself. 

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She cautiously peeked out, her nose twitching as she sniffed scents and identified the other two presences besides herself. Her golden gaze washed over him and then Myr and the head disappeared again into the depths of her space. 

He sighed but had long since decided to be as patient as required. 

Fortunately for him, the head popped out a few minutes later, before again disappearing. 

Ash watched her antics with quiet amusement as the little goblin girl peeked out of her room seven more times over the course of the following hour, and each time she inched just a little further out into the hall before withdrawing back again. It was on the eighth attempt that she seemingly finally mustered the will to step out from behind the curtains wholly. Though she kept to the far edge of the room and half her attention remained on Ash and Myr at all times, she seemed to have relaxed enough to devote some of her focus to the study of the furniture and decorations littered around her. 

That kept her busied for a few minutes as she cautiously looked underneath tables and behind storage boxes, and then into the other rooms around her. Ash wasn’t sure if she was looking for an exit or just curious, but he watched her movements from the edge of his vision all the same. 

She was slowly wriggling loose of the grip that fear and caution had on her with the kind of swiftness that came only to children. Just a little longer and she’d be happy to answer all his questions. Perhaps a few days at worst, or even le- 

He startled as the earth around the girl rose as four thick slabs, trapping her within. She screamed and Ash rose to his feet but Myr was quicker. She crossed the distance between herself and the girl and hoisted her up into the air by the scruff of her dirty ragged tunic as the earth settled again. 

The child’s scream grew louder and she frantically struggled against the woman’s grip. 

“Enough.” growled Myr and the goblin went still, as did Ash. 

“Myr! What the fuck do y-” 

“Shut up, kid. I’ve tolerated this shit long enough. Your sensitive mother-henning might work on human kids but she ain’t no human. She’s a goblin, and if there’s anything I know about goblin culture, it’s that they’re damned blunt in all things. So, here’s me being blunt.” The mage flicked a hand and the slab of earth sealing the exit to the burrow slid away. “Here: food, warmth, safety.” she began, her speech transitioning to the goblin tongue with expert ease. “Ash over there’ll keep taking care of you like he’s been doing for days without complaint. But you got ‘nother choice too. Run away. Out there? You got your freedom. But also, death, likely by monster. Make your choice, brat.” 

And with that, Myr dropped the girl onto her feet and walked away nonchalantly. A few seconds later and she’d wholly returned to her meditations without missing a beat. Ash stared at the temperamental woman with his mouth agape, his mind boggled by how her casual actions had ruined days of effort, before he eyed the little girl. She was about as shocked as he was, her face betraying the confusion she felt as she stared at the both of them and then towards the hole that led outside. 

Ash swallowed slowly, his throat dry as he watched her take a cautious step forward, and then another. And then as if all hesitancy had been lost, she burst into movement and disappeared beyond the edge of the door. 

He swore and followed after. He emerged to find the girl stood a few feet away from the burrow’s entrance, her gaze affixed onto the trees around her. The sound of bird call and animal cries were in the air, and a faint wind snaked through the trees to caress his face. 

Ash watched the girl wearily, afraid of what he might have to do if she chose to run. She’d die by herself out in the forest, that was an undeniable fact. But forcibly taking her back to the burrow would likely do irreparable damage to whatever burgeoning trust had started to emerge between them. 

He internally cursed Myr for screwing things up so monumentally. He’d been left in a situation where had no right choice he could make, and yet he knew well the choice he had to make. 

“You...” he began softly, and the girl turned to face him. “...if you really want to leave, then I’ll help. If you want to return to your tribe, just lead the way. At the very least, I’ll try and keep you safe until you make it back. Just... don’t run off by yourself. I don’t need to tell you how dangerous the forest is for someone of your age wandering alone.” 

She stared at him; her face scrunched in thought for a moment before she turned back towards the forest. Seconds passed and she continued to stand there quietly, unmoving. It was nearly a minute later before she finally spoke. 

“Calixxa doesn’t have a tribe.” Her voice was faint, barely more than a whisper. The old him likely would have missed what she’d said, but even at level three, his senses had grown enhanced enough to bridge the gap between them. 

“The tribe kicked Calixxa out. Said that Calixxa is ill fated. Gold eyes means bad. Was always alone because of it. No one cared. Momma and pappa always stayed away from Calixxa even when Calixxa called for them. Everyone else was happy and played with and hugged. Calixxa was alone. Calixxa is bad luck.” She turned to face him then with tears streaking down her cheeks. “Jixxa fell off a balcony. Elder Roxxis slipped and broke his leg. Momma burnt her hand. Everyone gets hurt near Calixxa. You will too. Calixxa doesn’t want that. You’re weird and human but you always speak nicely and make warm food and never ignore Calixxa. Not like that other scary human. That’s why Calixxa can’t stay. Calixxa... is ill fated. Always.” 

Ash opened his mouth to dispute that, but the girl had already broken away in a dead-sprint. Her lithe figure rushed into the forest like a fleeing arrow. Ash cursed and took off on her heels. She was fast for her age, he had to admit, but he was larger, faster and had mana coursing through his veins. More so, he had determination far surpassing his mortal limits. 

He would not let that girl get herself killed, no matter what. 

“N-no! Stay away! Please! Calixxa is dangerous!” she hollered as she sensed him catching up, but Ash cared not for her words. Whatever she thought, she was just a little girl. And for all her speed, her legs were still small and clumsy. The goblin yelped as she tripped over a hooked root and fell flat on her face, her body carried forward by her momentum to glide across the dirt before she came to a sudden stop. Ash was on her in seconds and scooped the distraught child up into his arms with absolute tenderness. 

A cut marred her cheek and a trickle of blood crept down her nose from her fall, but he didn’t doubt that she felt magnitudes more pain inside than any small cut could inflict. Tears streamed down her face and she weakly tried to push him away. “P-please, stay away. Calixxa is dang-” 

“No.” he said then. “You are not dangerous. You are not ill fated or whatever. You are Calixxa, a little goblin child, and that is all you need to be. Whatever else you were told was pointless superstition!” 

“N-no! Even the elder shaman said so. Calixxa is bad l-” 

“Then your elder shaman is an idiot and should be kicked in the bum!” 

The girl’s cries stopped there and she eyed him aghast, as if he’d said the worst thing she’d ever heard in her whole life. “Elder shaman I-” 

“An idiot.” he repeated firmly, a growing smile on his face. She blinked, her rivulets of tears curtailed by his words. “Come on, say it with me. The elder shaman is an idiot and deserves to be kicked in the bum.” 

“B-but, Calixxa will be punished if I say that.” she said weakly. 

Ash mustered the deepest, most amused laugh that he could. “Punished by who? I dare them to try and get through me first.” he declared with a grin. 

The girl stared at him for a moment before, to Ash’s delight, a faint giggle escaped her lips. His smile grew wider at the sound. “That was beautiful. You should do that more often.” 

“Do what?” 

“Laugh.” 

“Calixxa loves to laugh, but the tribe doesn’t like it when Calixxa is happy so Calixxa doesn’t laugh.” 

“Well, the tribe isn’t here. There’s only us around, so laugh as much as you want. No one will punish you for it.” 

And this time, she did. She laughed, a soft, weak thing at first but it steadily grew in sound and depth until she was laughing heartily, and then she was crying as well. Her arms wrapped around his neck and she buried her head into his chest. 

“Elder Shaman Maxxara is an idiot and I’ll kick her in the butt one day!” she declared into the nape of his neck. He wrapped his arms around her tighter and whole-heartedly agreed as they made their way back to the burrow. 

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