Saki

  Tama vanished instead of responding, then reappeared and grabbed me in a hug. I tried to break free before she could blink, but I was, as always with Tama, too slow. Suddenly we were in the air and I closed my eyes to avoid looking down. After a few seconds I felt my feet touch the ground.

  Opening my eyes I saw we were in the goblin encampment. Tama was already moving toward Grok's tent. I saw as the nearby goblins fled as Tama practically stormed towards the tent.

  I followed behind her and entered the tent just as she finished saying “no-no cage”

  Grok, who was standing, not sitting, on a throne made of undead. Looked down on us imperiously and raised his sword high into the air before loudly proclaiming “Grok make better no-no cage! I use newest rune I learn make new cage! Come, me showz you!” We left the tent together and followed Grok down the pathways.

  I needed to know what this no-no cage was. Tama of course as always blinked around and played with the goblins as we walked, Grok ignored her antics. A few goblins actually attacked her and she killed them instantly.

  One of my favorites was a goblin with a spear charging her. She just stepped back, grabbed the spear and threw it into the air with the goblin attached by a water chain to the spear.

  We finally came up to a very large cage.. and walked right past it. Stopping inside at a smaller cage, it was definitely bigger then Jiggle was, but not by a lot.

  The bars were made of a dark wood I didn’t recognize and runes covered the entire cage from head to toe on every single bar. It looked like a very advanced durability rune.

  There were other runes I didn’t even recognize. I tried not to cry at realizing literal goblins had higher rune crafting experience then me.

  Tama crossed her arms and said “It’s too small!” Her tail lashed angrily and her ears twitched.

  I opened my mouth to speak, but Grok snapped his fingers and the cage began to grow bigger. I watched in awe as the smaller cage grew to twice its size.

  Tama turned to Grok, now a little happier. “and his stuff?”

  I withered at that, Jiggle had stuff? What kind of stuff could a boar need?!

  Grok smiled and said “Bring Grok Jiggle the greatz items to his throne!” He brought his muscular goblin arms out as in a tada. I watched in abject horror as a feeding trough, a self refilling water pail, and a literal cushion made of enchanted silk.. were placed into Jiggles no-no cage. That void of a pig was living better than me!

  Tama looked satisfied now and nodded to Grok, who nodded back. She then smiled and giggled before saying “Please bring Jiggle’s no-no cage to Dresty! Tama will take care of Jiggle until you get there.”

  ? Grok nodded and clapped his hands, the amenities were removed and the cage was shrunken again. I reached out and touched the soft silk of the Jiggle cushion and cried silently. Truly, life was just not fair.

  After that, Tama turned and with a wide grin said “Tama has got Jiggles no-no cage! Jiggle can stay in the cage and be good. If he breaks out, Tama will put him back in!”

  I looked at the clearly thick wooden beams that made up the cage walls, the Durability runes far advanced from my own and asked a stupid question “Get.. out?”

  Tama laughed hard and said “Silly Saki, Jiggle can pick locks.”

  With that, she turned and blinked over to talk to Grok. I slowly sank to my knees and questioned how in all of existence, a boar without hands, could pick a lock on a cage, without a lock that was magically enchanted to stay shut.

  After Tama and Grok talked for over an hour about the different boar amenities, we finally made our way back to the edge of the encampment, and it turns out Grok’s tribe had not gone far from Drestor. They had set up base on a hill with Drestor visible in the far distance. Which made sense how Tama had gotten us here this fast.

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  Tama and I helped load the cage and the amenities onto a very well made cart. Making me wonder if Grok’s goblins were secretly humans or something. Grik’s men and the entire city of Muosil was horrible and disgusting, Meanwhile Grok’s tribe appeared primitive at first glance, but had technology that rivaled most countries.

  I pulled Tama into a hug and closed my eyes. She took the hint and I felt my feet leave, then after a few seconds, touched the ground again. Letting go, I opened my eyes and turned back to Drestor. It seems the repairs have started. Jiggle had not come back yet.

  I sighed in relief and turned just in time to hear Tama whistle very loudly. My fox ears flattened in pain and I winced. I turned to glare at her but she was looking out towards the forest.

  It took me a second, but I realized what she had just done. “Tama no!” But it was too late, Jiggle broke from the trees at full speed, destroying the lesser tree around him as he charged full force at Tama.

  I watched in horror, unable to stop the insanely fast and strong boar as it covered the distance between us in mere moments. I didn’t even have time to blink and he has made it to Tama.

  I tensed and closed my eyes waiting for the impact.. but it never came. Instead, after a moment I opened my eyes and Jiggle was just.. standing in front of Tama. Tama was petting Jiggle and cooing at the boar, who was.. well he wasn’t causing havoc.

  I reached out almost fearfully to pet him, but he huffed and stomped at me. I retreated my hand quickly, Tama however hit him on the head hard enough to make Jiggles face met the dirt, and then the dirt under that dirt. “Bad Jiggle! Be nice to Saki!” She said in a condescending tone to the Hyper death boar.

  Jiggle, pulling his tusks out of the earth and pulling up large chunks with him. Turned, and almost begrudgingly, bent his head to me. “Good Jiggle!” Tama said happily.

  I fearfully brought my hand out and petted the boar. Despite what I expected, his skin was soft and smooth, it felt more like I was petting a cat then a boar, I looked over at Tama he smiled sweetly at Jiggle and then said “See Jiggle! It’s good to make friends!”

  Jiggle snorted at that and turned away from me, walking off towards the forest. “Tama has your cage when you want to go to sleep later!” Tama called after him. Jiggle just snorted again and I wondered if I was cute enough as a fox to get a bed like his.

  I turned to Tama to ask for better accommodations when we got to the Palace in Trissaile, but she was staring off into the distance towards Grok’s camp. She was frowning. After a moment she turned to me “Saki, Tama has to go see something.” I opened my mouth to speak, but Tama was already gone.

  I carefully made my way across the destroyed area where Talia, Jiggle and Tama had fought and made my way into the city proper.

  I barely made it a few feet into the gate when I was grabbed and twirled around to see Usaki glaring at me. “Where have you been?! Where is Tama! Is she safe?” Her tail lashed back and forth, not in anger, but with anxiety.

  “She blinked over to the goblin camp, she didn’t say why.” I started dryly with a tinge of humor. “Why, you wanna chase her down and beg to kiss her feet?”

  Usaki snarled at me, literally shifted into our fox form with no care about who watched her, and took off towards the goblin camp. She was actually really fast.

  I actually had been wondering something, she had used our shared Kitsune abilities, she had used her fox fire, but she had not once used her void magic. I wondered if she actually had the void magic or it was just me? I would have to ask later.

  With her out of the way, I started to walk to the guild hall. Only to be stopped again by regent Alissa, she looked pissed.

  “They said my cookies tasted bad! Those were royal cookies and were the best tasting!” She snapped at me as she pulled out what I can only describe as a piece of charcoal in cookie shape. I looked at her and considered chasing after Usaki, then sighed and took the cookie.

  Taking a bite, I resisted the urge to spit it out. It in fact tasted how it looked. “Um, regent, by chance, do you ever eat your own cooking?” I said after I managed to swallow the cookie shaped charcoal.

  Alissa laughed at that and pulled another out, which she started to nibble on.

  I smiled at her and said “I see.” I took another bite of the charcoal cookie and slowly chewed as I considered everything going on and what Tama was worried about. Once you got past the.. everything.. The cookies weren’t that bad. Okay, yes they were.

  But I wasn’t going to tell the regent that even if I outranked her. If she was anything like Tama, and she was practically an identical older twin. She probably had that weird power Tama has to make me wrong.

  After very slowly chewing my charcoal.. er.. cookie. I smiled at Alissa and asked “Have you seen Lyran?” My cheeks felt warm when I said his name and I summoned an illusion to avoid having Alissa see it. Even if she would probably be oblivious to it.

  She considered for a moment before asking “Do you mean the tall nerdy one with glasses that was telling me that he could teach me to cook better?”

  “I.. maybe?” I said in confusion

  In response she just pointed behind her and I gave up. “Thank you Alissa, I need to go.”

  Alissa nodded, her tail now wagging happily as she waved at me. She wandered off, still eating her charcoal.. er.. Cookie.

  Chapter 106: A Panicked Decision