I sit in my room now with Vanessa and Christa finally talking girl talk like a normal girl. As they tell me the things that happened with "mother" Toba, And Rolba about their remedial lessons with her. Mrs. Halliway wants me to call her and Mr. Halliway 'mother and father' from now on. They'll come to me later today for my way of teaching to compare them. So I sit here listening to these two prattling on about how attractive Toba was and how Rolba was like a grand tank of muscle with gorgeous hair. I'm currently laughing at their likeness for these two.
"So hey! Tessa, dear!" Vanessa says. Dear? Really? "How was your first day at the guild? What was training like? Did you get a travel party yet?" Jeez! Slow down!
"Easy, Ness. Training was... A little unorthodox but it was only one day. I got a long way to go for the title I chose to have as a scavenger."
"Wait, you want to just scavenge?"
"That's so boring." Christa adds. "You can't get a party like that and don't even get me started on the minuscule and tedious tasks with so little pay for them."
"Well for one the guild master said I was a special case so he's training me in combat to protect myself because of the party issue. So I'll be fine." I guess they don't know about the special agent gig behind the scavenger. I don't wanna worry them so I'll keep it to myself for now. "And mind you that not a lot of goblins want to be an adventurer in the first place. So being a scavenger is like the ideal job for me. I get enough attention being the only goblin in there to begin with."
"Yeah, that's true." Vanessa giggles.
"... All though something amazing did happen to me on my way back."
"What!? What?! What happened?"
"Yes! Please tell!"
"... I was asked by a group to be part of their party."
"Really!?"
"You obviously had to agree to them!"
"Obviously not!"
"Why!?"
"Well one. They were looking for an extra support, which I'm not. Two it was the group I helped at the guild the other day. Technically they're all supposed to be resting. I tried to decline them as peacefully as possible for the base reason of me not being of any actual use to them since they were high rank adventurers to begin with while I was just a beginner with no class or level to start, but they insisted on me joining them no matter what."
"And what did you do then?" Vanessa asks. They were both eager to know.
"I decided to make a condition for them to come back for me in two months if they were still insistent on me joining. This way, they would get the rest they need and more with that time and I would have time to gain enough experience to at least be of some convenience to them."
They stare at me for a good long minute and make me nervous for a while. "... You're so noble!" They tell me with gazes of admiration no less.
"Ehehe... Yeah sure. Anyway, I should go see the guys. I think they should be about done." I tell them as I head out to go to the room mother chose as the class. She decided that the boys should come here for their lessons so they can get use to the noble environment change compared to the alley since they might get a run in with high ranks from noble factions. So she provides rides from there to here and back for them at certain spots like a school bus. The problem with this is that they have to leave their shops for a long while. Luckily Toba doesn't open his shop until noon and Rolba has his wife to help watch the shop for a while but he doesn't want to be away for too long. So we came to the conclusion that they can have morning classes here and noon classes at the alley.
I feel good about the day going so well. I got to learn what I can try out and set new limits for myself to past them I made new comrades in an... Oddly competitive way. Got away from Xyle while he was still oblivious to me turning into a goblin. Though I still need to figure out what the blackness was all about on my chest and the orbs. Maul didn't tell me about it in the end and only got intrigued by my determination to move on. Not that that's a bad thing.
Now all that's left is to... As I get closer to the "classroom" I start hearing Rolba yelling at someone in the room. Are the boys having a bout about who's better at learning? Knowing them most likely. The moment I opened the door, I started wishing that was the case.
Starling, Rolba's wife, was in the room forcing an argument with the guys and scaring mother to the back of the room. She was yelling at him for being here in a noble house where she thought no goblin should ever step foot into unless they did something wrong. Rolba argued that wasn't the case with the Halliway family but she wouldn't hear it. I can start seeing a black mist or smoke steaming from her hair like cloudy extensions. It didn't look right. All I could think was that I had to stop her from raising her voice anymore than this else someone will call authorities and really get us all in trouble.
"Starling!" I yell. "What is going on in here?"
"Tessa!" Rolba says in surprise.
"Oh, thank heavens!" Mother says from behind her desk. "I don't know what's going on but I think his wife doesn't like these two being here to learn our language. We had asked her to wait for him to return with a surprise for her later when he returned with you. But she said that she would come with then suddenly she started blowing up at us the moment the lesson ended. I don't know what made her so furious."
"What the..." I rush to mother and notice starling glaring daggers at me. It wasn't something normal either. She was actually going mad for some reason. "Toba. Please explain what's happening here."
Toba shakes his head furiously in fear. He points to his throat and tries to speak but he sounded like he was in water as actual water spilled from his mouth. He quickly swallows it and looks to me horrified. If he spoke, he'd drown?
"We will not be back." Starling says in goblin. "You return to my husband again, golem and you become like Toba with big mouth! Rolba come home now!"
"Why?! Why go home!? Why stop Rolba and Toba from learning human!? Is not right for us only you!"
"Rolba not needed for human words! Rolba will not be with Golem! Golems dangerous and not trustworthy! Starling not have husband be with such monster as this!" Hey! I'm not a threat to anybody but those who threaten my way of life! "We go now! Toba do as he please! Rolba will not return!"
She drags him out of the room and outside. He couldn't fight his wife for her being unreasonable. I don't know what was going on but I didn't like what was happening. Toba was still stuck in his water hazard. I rush to him and help dispel it with mother. He can breath again. He chokes and gasps for air.
"Toba! Are you okay!?" I ask.
"Toba well." He wheezes. "Starling... Not well at all. Why? Toba need to know. Rolba need to know. Why Starling say Tessa bad? Tessa not return to inn since few weeks ago. Starling harsh to Toba before but not like this."
"What kind of person is Starling to do that sort of thing to anyone!?" I shout. I am furious that she would even threaten her own families life over something so trivial. "That's just flat out being a...!"
"Tessa! Wait!" Toba stops me mid sentence. "... Starling not horrible. Starling good girl. Starling never hurt anyone. Ever. Something wrong. Toba know. Understand. Starling grow harsher everyday since you came. Toba know not Tessa fault, but Starling never fight unless pressed. Starling not well. Not well at all."
Really? She was a complete bitch when she first saw me and called me out to get me killed. Is something really not right with her? Because of me? The thought starts hurting me. Remembering the fact that she called me a monster. Me. A monster? I'm the monster? Sure I'm odd compared to the others, but that's because im not like the others.
"... Tessa." Toba continues. "Starling always spoke ill of Tessa when we mentioned teachings. Starling say Tessa blood bather, no life being. Not trust words of things not of normal birth. Like Tessa has no soul. As if Starling forget Toba see life colors." Life colors? "Tessa alive. Toba see and trust Tessa. Tessa good girl too. Tessa keep promise. Toba amazed Tessa had amazing person teach us. A noble woman teaching goblins is unheard of but... Toba and Rolba happy we learn for business... Starling knew why we learn. So why..."
He's crying and shaking. I give him a hug and he nuzzles his head in my shoulder. He was terrified and confused. I start to sing not knowing what else to do to quell his fears. He wouldn't blame me for this. I don't know why. But I'm blaming myself after hearing him tell me this. I did this to them didn't I? If I hadn't left the forest... If I had just died peacefully... This family wouldn't have fallen apart right? They would stay a happy family....
No.
Detecting disturbance: searching for source.
Source found. Removing unbalanced entity from Room.
I black out for a second and try to open my eyes to get out of it. I only find Toba and mother collapsed. They were sleeping. I feel a warmth on my belly and look to see the black mark from before grow ever so slightly as a thick cloud crept from my arm where Toba was to that spot.
"Wha...?" What happened? And why are they sleeping? They look peaceful... I shouldn't disturb them. I have to leave. If I'm the cause of this problem... Maybe I should find a way to fix it before I disappear.
I lay Toba on the floor and walk out the room to head back to mine and find Vanessa and Christa gone. I grab my fur and head out to leave the manor. If I'm the cause I need to be the solution before I go.