The full squad, Layla, Electra, and Orion, were sitting by the table in the tavern.
"Ugh! Trouble is everywhere around the corner, huh?!" Electra groaned and pointed at Layla. "You should've never left that castle in the first place!"
Layla clung to Orion's arm. "Hmph! I don't feel a bit of regret, Ellie!" She stuck her tongue out.
"On the other hand, you did the right thing, hatchling," Electra smirked. "You've grown a pair in the past month, didn't you~?" She teased.
Orion rolled his eyes. "Get to the point, Electra! Will you be able to gather three more people?"
Layla looked at him in surprise. "Three? The rules say that it's a five versus five, not six versus six!" A smug smirk widened on her face. "Don't tell me that you can't count~!"
"You won't participate, Layla." He sighed.
Electra nodded. "Yup."
Layla grabbed Orion's shoulder and shook him in frustration. "Why?!"
"The Queen... Igraine... Let you out of the castle to fool us and make us think that you can be a part of our team. We're already at a massive disadvantage, and we cannot afford any, even the slightest mistakes, or we'll lose you, Layla." Orion said, determined to win, but not because he wanted to win, but because he was afraid of losing her.
Layla bit his shoulder playfully. "That's unfair! Why does she want us apart so bad, huh~?!"
"Politics, blackhead, politics," Electra said softly and sipped her beer. "She wants to find the best-looking partner for her son to make the Royal family even more special and assure beautiful grandchildren."
"But I would never have children with him! He's annoying, prideful, and pathetic at the same time!" Layla pouted and hugged Orion softly. "I already got the one whose children I want to carry, no, Orion~?"
The tips of Orion's ears reddened as he patted her on the head, avoiding eye contact. "Uhh... I'm flattered, Layla... But are you sure you want to look too far into the future?" He laughed awkwardly.
Layla shook her head. "When I was in the castle, Maia sometimes talked to me. She told me how children are made, and we will have a child when I feel like it~!" She poked his nose.
Electra groaned, almost puking out of disgust. "Well, this is disgusting. Shut up, really. We have more important things to talk about than when the two freshly made lovers explore each other."
Layla and Orion both blushed furiously.
"There's no way I'm gonna-!" He yelled in embarrassment.
Layla wiggled like a warm, brushing her knees together as she played with her skirt softly. "I-... I... hmph...!"
"Yeah! That's right! So, better get back to the actual subject! I can't stand the two of you being too stupid in such an important moment!" Electra yelled, already fed up.
"You sound like you actually care, Electra~" Orion smirked.
"Because I fucking do, hatchling! You two are my family, goddammit! I won't let any of you be taken away, understand!?" Electra yelled. She was already tipsy and unstable.
Orion couldn't help but smile. He wasn't expecting such an answer from her.
Layla stared at Electra for a longer moment.
Orion stood up and hit the table playfully. "Okay! We need to start putting a team together and planning a strategy!"
Electra also stood up, her chair fell to the ground. "Yeah! I will take care of the team!"
Orion looked at Layla. "You will go with Electra, alright?"
Layla looked up at him with puppy eyes. "Huuh? Why?" She pouted.
"I would love to take you with me, but I need to go alone because you grab too much attention." He smiled and patted her on the head.
Layla stood up and tugged his coat. "It's not my fault that I am so pretty, you idiot!" She pouted.
Orion took her hand and kissed it. "I'm not talking about others, Layla. Do you know why I have almost always worked alone when we were younger?"
Layla blushed and shook her head, wanting to hear the reason.
"I couldn't focus when I was with you, Layla. You were the one grabbing my attention constantly. That's why I will be mostly gone for the next two days." He paused, caressing her cheek. "I know that it's unkind to leave you in such a moment when you need the most support, but I swear that I will compensate for every second of it!"
Layla looked him in the eyes and hugged him tightly, planting a soft kiss on his lips. She leaned away and smiled, putting a hand on his chest. "I understand."
Electra smirked. "I was wrong. It's not only the hatchling who's grown up. You have also matured, blackhead."
A couple of hours later, Orion was in a dark alley, pulled in by two people- A brown haired man with blue eyes and a blue haired woman with violet eyes.
He pulled his dagger out from his belt, pointing it at them. "Who are you?! What do you want from me?!" He yelled in a mix of confusion and anger.
The man raised his hands. "No! No! Calm down, Master Orion! It's me! Gorrak!"
The woman nodded. "Yes." She said calmly.
Orion grimaced in surprise. "Gorrak?" He shook his head. "Gorrak is a goblin! You can't be him! You're a human!"
The man shape-shifting into a goblin form and then back into the human form.
"It is really you!? How?! How are you even there! You disappeared from the cave." Orion showered him with questions and then closed his eyes. "Ahh... you must've shape-shifted into something smaller to fit in between the small holes..."
Gorrak nodded. "Yes, you're right, that's exactly what happened."
Orion had a moment of realization. He frowned and looked at him coldly. "How did you sneak past the guards? And who is this?" He pointed at the woman.
"Let me explain everything!" Gorrak smiled.
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One day ago, Gorrak and Solen were hiding in a bush that was next to the gates of the capital. As Orion said, there were lots of knights, maybe even three times more than usual.
"I can smell it. The girl is in this city." He whispered.
Solen squeaked quietly.
"Really?" Gorrak looked at a knight who was walking towards the nearby forest. "He must be going to check the surroundings."
He grabbed Solen and placed it on the ground. "I have an idea. Can you stay here?"
Solen queaked quietly.
Gorrak took a deep breath and jumped out of the bush, right in front of the Knight.
"What the hell?! What's a monster doing here?!" The knight yelled in surprise as he drew his sword from its sheath.
Gorrak growled like a monster, trying to assure the Knight that he's gonna kill a normal goblin.
Then Gorrak started running towards the forest.
"Hey! Where are you going, monster?!" The Knight roared in frustration, running after Gorrak.
Gorrak constantly changed the direction in which he was running.
The Knight looked around, trying to find him in confusion. "Did that little scum just run away?" He asked himself out loud.
Gorrak jumped off a tree, landing on the knight's shoulders. "No. I'm here, human." He said calmly.
Before the Knight could react, Gorrak wrapped his arms around his neck and ripped his head clean off.
Gorrak jumped off the man and landed on a twig, slipping and collapsing to the ground.
"Ouch!" He grumbled as he stood up, looking down at the corpse on the ground.
A moment later, Gorrak, now looking exactly like the Knight, was walking towards the gate, but he slipped on purpose and fell into the bush.
Solen squeaked in surprise. It was too afraid to do anything as it thought that Gorrak was dead and the Knight found it.
"Calm down, Solen! It's me! Gorrak!" He said quietly, putting his hand on top of Solen.
Solen squeaked in confusion and relief.
"Yes, I know, sorry for scaring you." He caressed the slime softly. "Just hide under that uncomfortable armor, okay?"
Solen squeaked and squeezed itself into the chestplate of the armor.
Gorrak shivered in discomfort. "Ugh! It feels so weird!"
Solen shifted itself into its helmet and squeaked into his ear.
"Yes, yes, you are beautiful, Solen. Just stop pouting into my ear!" He groaned.
Gorrak stood up and brushed all the leaves off his armor. He walked up to the knights who were guarding the gates.
"Hey, Guys!" He said, acting like something's wrong.
"What?" A knight asked.
"I need to go to the toilet very fast! I think I ate something expired in the morning!" Gorrak looked at them with almost a pleading look.
The knights nodded. "Yeah, go, one person won't make a great difference when there's so many of us."
Gorrak bowed before them. "Thanks!"
Gorrak ran away deeper into the city, eventually running into a dark alley and taking off his armor.
The man had dark brown hair and blue eyes. He was in his 20's and there was nothing special about him.
Solen jumped out of the helmet and clung to his leg, squeaking loudly.
"What do you mean it's unfair? I need to have a disguise because it's not that hard to notice a goblin walking in a human city!" He groaned.
Solen jumped around and squeaked, clearly bothered and annoyed.
"I won't play in luring a human here, you idiot! We do not have time for this!" Gorrak yelled.
Solen squeaked.
"You won't move an inch?!" He sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Fine! Fine! If you want this so much, then wait for me!"
Gorrak left the alley, grumbling something under his nose.
Solen did exactly what it had promised to do. It didn't move an inch.
After some time, Gorrak returned, carrying a half-uncounscious, heavily wounded, blue-haired woman who was on the brink of death.
"That's all I found." He dropped the woman to the ground.
The woman looked at him, her jaw tightening. "Where is it?! You... promised... me more!"
Solen squeaked and jumped on the woman's stomach.
Gorrak rolled his eyes. "Yeah, obviously! Her brain is so drugged that she may have two more hours. Master Orion would never allow me to hurt an innocent human."
Solen let out a loud squeak.
Gorrak laughed. "Nope, you are wrong. I saw his memories!" He pointed at himself. "This man had killed many innocent children and raped women." He then kicked the woman's body softly. "Are you sure that this will work?"
Solen squeaked, bouncing towards the woman's ear.
Gorrak's mouth hung open in shock. "You think so?!"
Solen entered the woman's head through the ear, spreading itself across the woman's insides.
The woman let out a weak scream as her body started going up and down. Her eyes turned violet.
Gorrak raised a brow in surprise as he looked at the woman.
The woman sat up and shook her head, her body healed itself almost instantly. A violet, slimy substance started forming new fingers in the place where they were gone.
After a minute she was fully regenerated and looked a lot younger, as if 40 years of her life were removed.
She looked up at Gorrak. "It... feels... weird..."
Gorrak crouched down to her level and ran his hand through her short blue hair. "Solen? Is that you?"
Solen nodded. "I... can... barely... move... or... speak... but... I... see... her... memories..."
She looked down at her hands and smiled widely. "I... like... this... master..."
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Gorrak sighed. "And that's what happened. We've been chasing you for weeks, but we were too slow, and it was too hard to find you, mostly because you don't have any scent, Master Orion."
Orion nodded and looked at the woman. "So this woman is a slime, huh?" He looked her up and down.
Solen waved to him softly, still getting used to the body.
Gorrak noticed that Orion's hand is gone. He pointed at his left forearm. "What happened to you?" He shook his head, looking the one he calls his master up and down. "No, it's not just your hand, Master. Even your presence is different than when you named me!"
Orion looked at his missing hand and smiled. "Let's just say..." He looked him in the eyes. "I decided to act instead of reacting."
He then grabbed his shoulders and looked him dead serious. "Good job in finding me, Gorrak. The truth is... I need your help!"