Goblin Support Society

Chapter 1: Another One

Note: This is an idea I've been kicking around, a bit of a side project. I have to read some more, but to give it a rough place, this starts at an indeterminate time after the attack on the farm, but before the harvest festival.

I am not intending to describe anything outwardly graphic. If that changes I will add a warning.

"Another one."

Axe-Wielder glowered at Sorcerer as she looked back at her book and turned a page. At this point all she was doing was antagonizing him. "Why do they get to reserve that room? Isn't that a special meeting space for high level missions? Like ours?"

Monk put down his mug of ale, "I believe that it is a special meeting. It's been happening weekly for at least a month."

"Yeah, but what's it for? And why does a obsidian level member get to organize meetings there?" Axe-Wielder did little to hide his irritation or his gaze as it swept to the door, and the young girl holding it open, "It's for more important people than that."

"I have seen a few higher level members of the guild go there." Monk paused, "But they seemed reluctant."

"Embarrassed more like it." Sorcerer murmured, not really reading the page before her. "Another one."

Monk arched an eyebrow, "You think?"

Axe-Wielder grit his teeth and growled. "What could they be planning in there?!" Sorcerer did her best to hide her amusement.

"They're not planning anything." The trio glanced up at Lancer and collectively blinked. He caught Axe-Wielder's eye and frowned, "It's a support group."

"A support group?" Monk and Sorcerer glanced at each other. They hadn't bothered to actually check, but needling Axe-Wielder about it had kept Sorcerer invested for weeks. His steadfast refusal to go and ask, or ask Monk or herself to read the sign posted on the door once it was closed, had left them in the dark as well.

"For what?" Monk asked, and Sorcerer sighed internally. She'd enjoyed ribbing Axe-Wielder, but it seemed like their amusement was about to be cut short.

"People who have had to deal with goblins."

There was a moment of silence as the trio once again exchanged glances. Axe-Wielder looked to the young Priestess as she welcomed someone else in and closed the door behind them. Then he threw his head back and laughed, "Hah! Weaklings! I can't believe anyone would need to go there."

Sorcerer and Monk immediately felt the air grow cold around them and shot Axe-Wielder furtive glances, trying to gain his attention. Lancer's face fell into a grim mask. "You weren't there. Were you?"

"We weren't where?" Axe-Wielder was oblivious to the opinions of others, and ignored the imploring looks from his companions, "Who needs to worry about goblins? They're pests."

Lancer looked like he had bitten into a lemon. "You didn't help defend the farm last season? I can't remember seeing you there, but there were so many of us, I might have missed you."

"Defense of the farm?" Monk cut in, desperate to cut Axe-Wielder off, "We were on a mission, I heard about it afterwards. The guild saved a lot of people and slaughtered a bunch of goblins." He frowned, "It didn't sound that important."

"A lot of women." Sorcerer clarified, "I don't remember anything about any men being saved."

"A bunch of women got captured and you all had to go out to save them?" Axe-Wielder threw his head back and laughed, "Hey Sorcerer, I think-"

The speed at which Lancer grabbed Axe-Wielder's neck was truly astonishing, the clang of gauntlets against gorget cutting off Axe-Wielder's joke before it could even start.

"You don't get to talk about that." Lancer growled, staring Axe-Wielder dead in the eye. "You don't get to crack jokes, and you sure as hell don't get to talk about those women like they're anything but the most unfortunate kind of survivor. You weren't there."

Normally, this sort of nonsense would end with Sorcerer glowering, maybe Monk stepping in and giving Axe-Wielder a dope-slap or a chop on the head. You know playful adventurer banter? Same as calling your elf party member a washboard or trying to convince someone to eat old rations you found in a three-month-old sack?

So Lancer's vice-grip on Axe-Wielder's gorget threw him completely off. Even if he wasn't held by the neck by a silver-rank, dangling inches from the ground, he'd be shocked into silence. Monk slid back into a stance, while Sorcerer grabbed at Lancer's upper-arms.

"C… C'mon, just teasing Sorcerer, didn' mean nothing on whatever happened to those girls or that farm," Axe-Wielder stumbled on his words, apprehension twinging his already coarse speech. He looked to the ceiling, desperately wanting to break eye contact with Lancer, "I… I shouldn' been runnin' my mouth, alright?"

"He's just an idiot," Sorcerer said. Her expression remained as it always did, exhausted, dreary, melancholic. Even her voice was borderline monotone, almost belying a sense of not caring, besides the grip she had on Lancer's arms, her tattered and worn spell book fallen on the floor in the initial scuffle, "He doesn't think about anything at all, beyond meat and fights, but he's not a creep or like our last party member. Let him go. Please."

"Yes, he's just a fool who was just speaking when the wise would remain silent." Monk leapt onto her train of logic, hoping to avoid losing rank, "Really, we don't pay attention to anything he says, I swear."

"Hey!"

A hand was placed on his shoulder forestalling further protest, "You," Dark Magician smiled benignly, "should probably" her gaze drifted to Monk, "take" her grin remained plastered on her lips as she gazed right through Axe Warrior on her way to meeting Sorcerer's gaze, "a goblin" her eyes returned to Axe-Wielder, meeting his, but obviously not looking him in the eye, "mission."

"Uh." Axe-Wielder stared as Dark Magician reached up and stroked his chin, then turned and walked away. He turned back to Lancer, "Uh..."

"That's a fantastic idea." He said dryly, "Either you'll find out why they have that meeting," He smiled without a trace of humor, "or you won't come back."

He moved to turn, but paused, glancing at Sorcerer. "Be careful."