Chief Kasz opens his mouth and utters a coarse but heartfelt, "RAAR!"
And he wraps his grubby, slimy goblin arms around me, burying his face in the ruff of fur at my neck. Stunned, I plant my feet to stay standing.
For a long moment, he stays like that, a living hug clamp around my neck. He smells...grateful? Affectionate? Sentimental?
"Raar," he whispers. "I knew you would come. Good beast."
What do I do with this? Goblin affection was not on my bingo card. I had no idea that he got so attached to me. I thought I was a pet, a trophy, nothing more.
He whispers, "My throne is gone. Where I fed you treats and treated you like part of the clan. My caves are gone. Trolls took them over. Bigger. Stronger. Meaner. Took all our treasures except the ones we stuck in our skin and swallowed."
EWWW. I did not need to know that.
But my heart breaks for this goblin. WHY? He stole me. He invaded Lord Lammermoor's home. To be fair, he also got his slimy butt kicked.
