​

Sitting by the fire, Zarin rubbed his tired eyes. Jorra was already awake, stretching lazily as though she’d had a full night’s rest. Meanwhile, Halric was still sound asleep, blissfully unaware of Zarin’s long night of deflection.

Jorra noticed Zarin’s exhaustion and smirked. “Rough night, hero?” she asked teasingly.

Zarin sighed. “Yeah, you could say that.”

“Well,” she said, her tone playful, “you should’ve taken me up on my offer. I would’ve kept you nice and warm.”

Zarin forced a chuckle, though inside, he groaned. ‘Why does she keep trying?’ he thought, the exhaustion already making him less patient.

“I’ll, uh, keep that in mind for next time,” he said, hoping to brush it off without encouraging her further.

Jorra gave him a knowing smile, clearly amused by his discomfort. She stretched again, seeming perfectly at ease. At the same time, Zarin watched her from the corner of his eye, wondering how long he could keep dodging her advances. ‘If she keeps this up, I might never get any sleep again,’ he thought.

His mind drifted to the Dimensional Satchel Jorra had shown him the night before. It was incredibly tempting but not tempting enough to risk spending the night with a goblin who seemed a little too eager. ‘A magic item like that would be useful… but not worth *that* price,’ he reminded himself.

As the morning wore on, Halric finally stirred, blinking groggily as he woke up. “Morning,” he mumbled, rubbing his eyes. “You two look… well, Zarin, you look terrible.”

Zarin sighed again. “Yeah, didn’t get much sleep.”

Jorra chuckled softly. “He’s just a little tense,” she said, clearly enjoying the situation far too much.

Zarin shot her a glance but chose not to respond. Before he could say anything more, Halric stood up, stretching. “We should probably get moving soon if we want to reach Brellin by nightfall.”

Zarin nodded, grateful for the change in topic. ‘The sooner we get to Brellin, the better,’ he thought.

---

As the morning continued and they packed up camp, Zarin rubbed his eyes and took a deep breath, trying to push away the exhaustion. Jorra, still smirking at him, seemed to enjoy watching him struggle while Halric was busy stretching and preparing to move out.

Trying to divert attention from his lack of sleep, Zarin turned to Jorra. “So, what are you planning to do now? You mentioned something about heading back to your tribe.”

Jorra shrugged casually, still looking at ease. “I’ll be joining you both on your way to Brellin. From there, I can find transportation to get back home.”

Zarin blinked in surprise. “Wait, you’re going into a human town? A goblin?”

Jorra raised an eyebrow, amused by his reaction. “What, you think I can’t walk into a human town just because I’m a goblin?”

Zarin scratched the back of his head. “Well, I kind of assumed... most towns wouldn’t be, uh, welcoming to goblins.”

Jorra chuckled, shaking her head. “I’m not like those wild, uncivilized goblins you’re thinking of. There are goblins like me—civilized goblins—who are welcome in human towns as long as we follow the rules. Not all goblins are mindless savages.”

Zarin’s eyes widened slightly. ‘Civilized goblins?’ That was not what he had expected. He’d assumed all goblins were the same—creatures that adventurers were supposed to slay. “So, how do people tell the difference between you and the wild ones?”

Jorra smirked, puffing out her chest proudly. “For one thing, I’m much better-looking than those wild goblins. They’re hideous—jagged teeth, twisted limbs, and an ugly face. You can tell us apart pretty easily.”

Zarin stifled a laugh. ‘Better looking?’ It was hard for him to see Jorra as “beautiful,” no matter what goblin standards were, but he chose not to argue.

Halric chimed in, looking slightly amused himself. “She’s right. The treatment of civilized goblins like Jorra differs from that of the wild ones. As long as they obey the laws, they’re welcome in towns like anyone else. Some goblin tribes even have trade deals with humans.”

Zarin nodded, still wrapping his head around the idea. ‘I guess I have a lot more to learn about this world.’

Jorra grinned, adding, “Besides, I’m not just any goblin. I’m the daughter of the Goblin King, not some lowly chief. My tribe is one of the most powerful in the region.”

Zarin blinked in surprise. “Wait, KING?!? You said ‘chief’ before.”

Jorra tilted her head, smirking. “I like to keep things modest sometimes, but yes, my father is the Goblin King.”

Zarin tried not to show how startled he was. “So you’re… goblin royalty?”

Jorra gave a mock bow. “Indeed, hero. You’re in the presence of the most beautiful daughter of the Goblin King.”

Zarin suppressed a groan, rubbing his forehead. ‘This is getting weirder by the minute.’ “And you’re okay with just walking into a human town?”

“Of course,” Jorra replied smoothly. “I’ve done it before. I’ll get what I need, and then I’ll head back home. Besides,” she winked, “I like keeping an eye on you, Zarin.”

Zarin forced a smile, pretending to be nonchalant. “Right. Well, I guess that settles it.”

Halric looked between them and shrugged. “I guess we’re all heading to Brellin together, then.”

Zarin nodded, his mind racing. ‘A goblin princess heading to a human town? An entire tribe of civilized goblins? This world really isn’t what I expected.’ He sighed inwardly, still trying to process everything as they prepared to head out.

Jorra smiled to herself, clearly enjoying Zarin’s discomfort, while Halric seemed unbothered by the whole situation.

As they set off toward Brellin, Zarin couldn’t help but think, ‘I really need to sleep soon. This is going to be a long trip.’