Tears of Liscor, page 7
part #9 of The Wandering Inn Series
Ridiculous thoughts. Totally at odds with everything they knew of Erin. But the Hobs couldn’t shake the feeling. So they sat around moodily, bandaging their injuries. The Cave Goblins didn’t understand why the Hobs were upset. They were cheerfully sewing each other up when the door opened.
“Guys? Are you—”
The Hobs looked up as one as they heard a voice. Erin Solstice stood in the doorway and paused when she saw the Goblins. A detail yet to be mentioned was that there were a lot of Cave Goblins in the enclosed space. More than last time, even. And they were just the ones Erin could see. She looked around wide-eyed and then focused on the Hobs who sprang to their feet.
“What happened? There are so many Goblins! And—oh my god! What happened?”
Erin had spotted a huge cut on Numbtongue’s chest. The Hob blinked as Erin threw up her hands in horror. She dashed back into her inn, and the Hobs saw a little figure appear in the doorway.
Pebblesnatch had been happily sleeping until Erin woke her up. The little Goblin had been treated to a no-holds-barred breakfast, and she’d been eating it all morning. She paused, and all the Cave Goblins stared at her. She was holding a giant cookie. Pebblesnatch wavered as the Goblins’ eyes fixed on the treat, which gave off a smell they’d never inhaled before. She looked from face to face, looked at her cookie, and closed the door.
A few seconds later, it reopened. Erin appeared with a potion box in her hands.
“What are you doing? Here—”
She moved past Pebblesnatch as the Cave Goblin backed away, clutching her cookie to her chest so hard that it began to crumble. Erin grabbed healing potions and thrust them at the Hobs.
“Where did you get those injuries? Oh no—did the Raskghar attack you? Here, use them! Any Goblin that needs it—”
Shorthilt blinked bemusedly at the healing potion that was thrust into his hands. He opened his mouth, but Erin was already handing healing potions out. The Goblins looked at each other. They hesitated. But then Headscratcher nodded. He uncorked a bottle and carefully splashed some on his arm. The stitches popped out of his healing flesh. The Cave Goblins did the same. Erin breathed a sigh of relief as she looked around.
It was a curious thing. The Cave Goblins stared. Some, a portion of them who had seen Erin, tasted her cooking. The others only had rumors to go on. They had heard of a strange Human that didn’t hurt Goblins. They barely knew what a Human was, but they had heard she ordered the Hobs around. And she made good food. And now that they saw her, they were shocked. Because she was so normal. Because she was giving healing potions to Goblins.
Because she cared. The Cave Goblins stared at Erin. They stared at Pebblesnatch, who was reluctantly giving out fingernail-sized portions of her cookie to other Goblins, and at Erin. She was talking with the Hobs, and they were clustered around her. Smiling. As if they liked her. As if—
As if she was a friend. The Goblins listened as Erin spoke.
“—Had no idea. I’m so sorry I didn’t come by earlier, but I was so busy that I just crashed when everyone was safe. I have food—where did all the Goblins come from? From below? Ha ha. Very funny. I meant…well, okay, that makes sense. Do you have enough food? I can…well, I’ll need to see about buying more. We can deal with that later if you’re good for now. I was really coming to see if you wanted to, uh, play a game. Of baseball.”
The Goblins looked up. The Redfangs glanced at each other. Erin hastened to explain.
“It’s in Celum! In a field right next to the city. It…well, it might be a bit dangerous if someone panics, but Jelaqua said that you’re probably safe. And we owe you so much. So…if you want to bring some Goblins over, we could play a game. There’ll be food. I can’t let all of the Goblins through, but maybe a few and all of you? I’m sorry, but I can’t bring everyone through—”
The Goblins stared at the Hobs. They looked at each other as the Redfangs conferred, glancing around. Then they nodded. The Goblins saw Headscratcher smiling as Erin tried to explain the game to him. Not about the game. Just at her. And then the young woman smiled, and the smile was everything. The Hobs turned. Numbtongue gestured.
“Thirty.”
They would take thirty with them. Pebblesnatch instantly sidled back into the inn. The Cave Goblins stared at her. At the cookie, mostly eaten. At Erin, the empty box of potions—and her smile. Then they charged towards the door, fighting tooth-and-nail to be the first ones through.
——
“I feel so bad.”
Erin confessed to Numbtongue as she closed the door on the disappointed Goblins. There were hundreds crammed into the cave. And they’d all tried to get into her inn. A large number had gone through—until the Hobs had restored order.
It hadn’t been pretty. More than one Goblin probably needed another potion for their blinding headache as the Hobs had banged heads together and thrown the rest back through the door. Now, a lucky thirty Cave Goblins, including Pebblesnatch, were celebrating in Erin’s inn. The rest were in the cave. Sulking.
“You’re sure they’ll be alright without you?”
Numbtongue nodded.
“They’ll be fine. We don’t need to leave one of us behind.”
“You’re sure?”
“Yes.”
The Hob didn’t quite meet her eyes. He was holding a big mug of ale, and he was eating a cookie. So were the other Goblins. The luxury of Erin’s inn and the sweet food was making some of them swoon. Erin eyed the Hob but gave in. The Cave Goblins would probably be fine. And she owed the Hobs. She placed Celum’s mana stone on the door.
“Ready?”
The Goblins nodded. Erin threw open the door. Sunlight made the Goblins gasp. They looked out into a beautiful grassy field. And beyond it were adventurers. The Cave Goblins shrank back in terror, but the Redfangs stood between them and the door and made beckoning noises. They led the Goblins through.
There were adventurers standing on the grass. They froze when they saw the Goblins, but relaxed quickly. The others didn’t. A group of Humans, some dressed in armor, others in bright clothing, whirled when the door opened. When the Goblins came through, they panicked.
“Dead gods! Goblins! Hobs! Sound the alarm!”
“Run for it!”
The members of Celum’s Watch reached for their swords, then began to flee in a stampede at the sight of five Hobs. The brightly-dressed Humans paled, but didn’t run. One of them threw up a hand. He raised his voice and shouted in a surprisingly loud, commanding tone.
“Hold! I say hold, all of you! Turn, guardsmen, turn! These Goblins aren’t enemies!”
Wesle strode towards Erin. He nodded at the Hobgoblins as the Players of Celum stared at the Cave Goblins. They weren’t afraid! The Cave Goblins peered around Rabbiteater’s cloak as the guardsmen of Celum halted in their panicked flight. He bowed to Erin with a flourish.
“Erin, it’s a delight!”
“Wesle! What brings you out here?”
Erin beamed as she hugged the man. He wasn’t too much taller than her, and he wasn’t that imposing or huge a man. His lips were clean-shaven, and he wore a fairly fancy red tunic and breeches, but that was all. And yet, the Goblins thought he looked taller than the Humans around him. It was in the way he carried himself. And the way he moved and spoke. He seemed to draw the eye. Wesle stroked his upper lip as if he still had his fuzzy mustache.
“We got word you’d passed through the city. Caused a bit of a commotion. We thought—we hoped that it was safe to return to your inn. It’s been terribly quiet without you or your inn to perform in.”
Erin smacked her forehead.
“Of course! I forgot—we won! There was a huge battle, Wesle! The Raskghar were defeated! We saved the Gnolls! It was incredible! Liscor’s saved, the Goblins helped, and the Antinium, no matter what Ilvriss says—”
“Huge battle? Raskghar? Sounds like a play!”
A short woman strode over. Emme gave the Goblins a glance and then focused on Erin.
“Is this something we could turn into a play, Miss Erin?”
“Um? Yes?”
“Well then! What are we waiting for? Hey, you lot! Gather over here! Forget the Goblins—they won’t bite. And if they do, bite back! We’ve got material for a new play!”
The Players of Celum approached cautiously. Erin turned and beamed at a Drake and a Human child.
“Jasi! Grev! It’s great to see you all! And you’re all here at the perfect time! We were having a break after all that’s happened.”
“Hullo, Miss Erin. You’ve got a lot of monster folk behind you. Are all them new security for your inn?”
Grev stared at the Cave Goblins, who stared back, never having seen a Human child before. Erin turned.
“What, the Goblins? No, I brought them for the game. Hey, Jelaqua! Look, we’ve got two teams of players!”
The Selphid waved back. She was laughing so hard she could barely stand. It was the reactions of the Humans that amused her. One of Celum’s [Guardsmen] followed the Players of Celum, practically hiding behind Jasi.
“Game? What’s all this? Mister Wesle, these Goblins—”
“Security for Miss Erin’s inn. Don’t mind them, Fabial. The rest of you, take heed! These are Miss Erin’s employees. There’s to be no fighting here! Besides, there’s a team of Gold-rank adventurers.”
“Exactly!”
Jelaqua walked over, still chuckling. She grinned at Fabial, who looked alarmed as Moore approached.
“We’ve got this. These Goblins are under control. Hey, Headscratcher.”
She nodded at Badarrow, who ignored her. The Hobs stared around as Erin tried to explain why the Goblins were here to the Humans. Emme began to pester Jelaqua for details. Grev stared about and made eye contact with Mrsha. In the end, Erin had to wave her hands and shout.
“Attention! Everyone! Shut up!”
They all quieted. The Players of Celum, adventurers, and Goblins all stared at Erin. She looked around and smiled.
“Let’s leave the plays and killing each other for later, huh? Today’s not a work day. We’re just going to relax here. Goblins, Humans, Selphids—”
“Selphid. Unless anyone wants to change my mind?”
“We can do everything later. But for now—does anyone want to play a game of baseball?”
The crowd paused. They looked at Erin and at each other. Then Numbtongue raised a hand.
“What’s baseball?”
The Celum [Guardsmen] stared at the Hob in horror.
“It can talk?”
Erin rolled her eyes.
——
“Baseball is a sport. A game where two teams compete. One team is on the attack, the other one defends. Those’re the basics. Now, we never hurt anyone else. That’s against the rules. We’re competing to get more points. The way you do that is to hit a ball…”
Erin lectured the crowd of people in front of her. Cave Goblins, Hobs, and Humans stared at her. The Players of Celum and Goblins had joined the others in the meadow. The Watch from Celum had to go back to the city and try to explain…something. Erin had Seborn and Jelaqua demonstrate as she spoke.
“—And then, if Jelaqua hits it far enough, it’s a home run. Everyone runs around the bases and scores! It’s great! What do you think?”
The Players and Goblins stared at each other. They shrugged. Emme smiled.
“It looks as stupid as a play did to me the first time I saw one. So we grab these bats and start playing? Why not?”
“Awesome! Let’s play a game! We can make teams. Why don’t the Goblins play a game against the Players of Celum first? The rest of us can correct things, then we can divide and play with everyone!”
Obediently, the groups divided up. Erin grinned at Jelaqua as the Selphid began showing the Humans how to use the bat.
“I still think this is boring as watching tar dry.”
Octavia remarked from her seat in the grass. She’d finished three bowls of popcorn and was eating a fourth. Erin eyed her severely.
“You can go back to Celum. Or pay for that popcorn if you’re bored.”
“Bored? Hey, who’s bored? I love baseball! Go team! Hit those balls!”
Erin rolled her eyes. The Players of Celum seemed excited by the game. As they lined up, Jasi sidled over to Erin.
“It was a good thing Grev heard you were here. We’ve been cooped up this last week, what with your inn being too dangerous.”
“Haven’t you been performing?”
“Ah, well…we didn’t think it’d be right. Not with all the other inns smearing your name. You heard about that, right? We’ve been performing in the squares, but it’s not the same. Everyone’s been antsy, waiting for you to finish. This game is just what we need.”
“What everyone needs. Hey, it looks like the Goblins like the game too. See?”
Jasi stared as Erin pointed. Badarrow was throwing a ball at Numbtongue, who swung and connected solidly with it. The Cave Goblins ducked as the ball flew over their heads and then ran after it as Numbtongue shouted. They seemed nervous, rather than excited to play. But Erin hoped they’d warm up to the game. Jasi just shook her head.
“More Goblins. And you beat those horrible beasts in the dungeon with their help? You have to tell us the entire story, Erin.”
“Alright, but later. I just want to have fun today. Hey, Wesle looks great!”
The [Actor] was at bat. And the first ball that Jelaqua threw he hit. Not just hit—the impact sent the ball flying into the air. Mrsha raced after it. Erin whistled.
“That’s good form! Did he copy Jelaqua or something?”
Wesle was swinging the bat as if he’d played the game before. Jasi shook her head. She leaned forwards and whispered.
“He got a Skill! From his class! It’s called [Method Acting]. It means he actually becomes the person he’s playing! A little bit.”
“What? That’s incredible!”
The Drake smiled.
“It is. But it’s not that powerful. I think we checked it, and he’s only as good as someone with, say, ten levels. So he can copy a [Butcher] and do a decent job even without training, but it still takes a lot of work to get any better. If he really copies someone for a while he can get even better.”
“Wow. Hey, that’s a real advantage! Do you have a Skill like that?”
“Not that Skill. But I do have a few new ones. I’ll tell you about it later. I’m going to play this game. You’d better watch out for Emme, though. She’s stronger than anyone else in the troupe!”
Sure enough, when it was Emme’s turn to practice, she hit the ball farther than Wesle did, although it took her four tries to connect. Erin watched the Players bat and catch and field and whistled.
“They’re good! I mean, I guess it’s their acting thing. But—hey, these guys could play a game against my dad’s team! Back home, he had a team in his neighborhood. They were about this good.”
“And the Goblins?”
Erin stared at the Goblins. They’d finished their practice, but it was a bit…lopsided. Badarrow had taken up pitching, and he could throw a fastball. And all the Hobs had hit the ball far. When they hit it. They seemed to strike out surprisingly often given how coordinated Erin knew them to be. Still, when they hit it, the ball went far. Those were the Hobs, though.
The Cave Goblins were barely larger than children, and so when they hit the ball, it barely went anywhere. But they seemed quite coordinated, and as they lined up in the outfield, they seemed cheerful. The Goblins kept staring at the grass and flowers as if they’d never seen them before. Which they hadn’t.
“I think they’ll be okay. We can always change up the teams. Besides, if the Players win a game or two, maybe some of them won’t be so nervous. Hey guys! Are you ready to play ball or what?”
“Ready!”
The Humans cheered as they got up to bat. The Goblins looked to Erin, and she waved her arms as she came over.
“I’ll umpire! You all start playing! Remember, hit the ball and run for the bases! You can steal—oh, just go for it! Who’s up first?”
“Me.”
Wesle strode up to bat. He choked up on the grip of the wooden baseball bat and took a stance that was surprisingly like the one Erin had copied from watching professional baseball players on television. The Players cheered and clapped as the Goblins looked at Badarrow.
The Hob looked at Erin. She smiled at him. Badarrow fingered the baseball and gazed at Wesle. Shorthilt was catching. The Hob glanced up as the wind blew and then slowly wound up. His arm came up, and he threw. The ball flew towards Shorthilt’s mitt. Wesle grinned, swung—
And the ball dropped. Wesle’s bat passed straight over it. The ball struck the ‘plate’ that was a pillow, and Shorthilt snatched it up. He tossed the ball back at Badarrow. Wesle gaped. So did Erin. Everyone stared at her until she remembered and raised her arms.
“Uh, strike!”
“What was that throw?”
Jelaqua stared at Badarrow. The Hob was smirking as Wesle gaped at him in astonishment. Erin’s mind raced.
“That was—that was a splitter! Or a forkball? It’s a legal throw, but—how’d you figure that out, Badarrow?”
The Hob just grinned at Erin. He threw the ball up again and pointed at Wesle. The [Actor] was clearly disoriented, but he gritted his teeth.
“I get two more tries, right Erin?”
“That’s right. Uh—keep playing!”
The Hob wound up and threw another pitch. Wesle waited. This time, he swung as the ball dropped and clipped it. The ball flew up behind him.
“Foul ball! That’s a strike!”
There was a groan from the Players of Celum. They watched as Badarrow caught another ball and threw it. This time, Wesle swung low and clipped the ball again, but it was another foul ball.
“Foul ball!”
Wesle hurled the bat to the ground in frustration. Badarrow grinned. Erin had to call Wesle back.
“You get another swing if it’s a foul ball! Don’t give up!”
“What is with that Hob? How’s he throwing like that?”
Wesle pointed at Badarrow. The Hob was smirking and throwing more splitters at Shorthilt.
“Guys? Are you—”
The Hobs looked up as one as they heard a voice. Erin Solstice stood in the doorway and paused when she saw the Goblins. A detail yet to be mentioned was that there were a lot of Cave Goblins in the enclosed space. More than last time, even. And they were just the ones Erin could see. She looked around wide-eyed and then focused on the Hobs who sprang to their feet.
“What happened? There are so many Goblins! And—oh my god! What happened?”
Erin had spotted a huge cut on Numbtongue’s chest. The Hob blinked as Erin threw up her hands in horror. She dashed back into her inn, and the Hobs saw a little figure appear in the doorway.
Pebblesnatch had been happily sleeping until Erin woke her up. The little Goblin had been treated to a no-holds-barred breakfast, and she’d been eating it all morning. She paused, and all the Cave Goblins stared at her. She was holding a giant cookie. Pebblesnatch wavered as the Goblins’ eyes fixed on the treat, which gave off a smell they’d never inhaled before. She looked from face to face, looked at her cookie, and closed the door.
A few seconds later, it reopened. Erin appeared with a potion box in her hands.
“What are you doing? Here—”
She moved past Pebblesnatch as the Cave Goblin backed away, clutching her cookie to her chest so hard that it began to crumble. Erin grabbed healing potions and thrust them at the Hobs.
“Where did you get those injuries? Oh no—did the Raskghar attack you? Here, use them! Any Goblin that needs it—”
Shorthilt blinked bemusedly at the healing potion that was thrust into his hands. He opened his mouth, but Erin was already handing healing potions out. The Goblins looked at each other. They hesitated. But then Headscratcher nodded. He uncorked a bottle and carefully splashed some on his arm. The stitches popped out of his healing flesh. The Cave Goblins did the same. Erin breathed a sigh of relief as she looked around.
It was a curious thing. The Cave Goblins stared. Some, a portion of them who had seen Erin, tasted her cooking. The others only had rumors to go on. They had heard of a strange Human that didn’t hurt Goblins. They barely knew what a Human was, but they had heard she ordered the Hobs around. And she made good food. And now that they saw her, they were shocked. Because she was so normal. Because she was giving healing potions to Goblins.
Because she cared. The Cave Goblins stared at Erin. They stared at Pebblesnatch, who was reluctantly giving out fingernail-sized portions of her cookie to other Goblins, and at Erin. She was talking with the Hobs, and they were clustered around her. Smiling. As if they liked her. As if—
As if she was a friend. The Goblins listened as Erin spoke.
“—Had no idea. I’m so sorry I didn’t come by earlier, but I was so busy that I just crashed when everyone was safe. I have food—where did all the Goblins come from? From below? Ha ha. Very funny. I meant…well, okay, that makes sense. Do you have enough food? I can…well, I’ll need to see about buying more. We can deal with that later if you’re good for now. I was really coming to see if you wanted to, uh, play a game. Of baseball.”
The Goblins looked up. The Redfangs glanced at each other. Erin hastened to explain.
“It’s in Celum! In a field right next to the city. It…well, it might be a bit dangerous if someone panics, but Jelaqua said that you’re probably safe. And we owe you so much. So…if you want to bring some Goblins over, we could play a game. There’ll be food. I can’t let all of the Goblins through, but maybe a few and all of you? I’m sorry, but I can’t bring everyone through—”
The Goblins stared at the Hobs. They looked at each other as the Redfangs conferred, glancing around. Then they nodded. The Goblins saw Headscratcher smiling as Erin tried to explain the game to him. Not about the game. Just at her. And then the young woman smiled, and the smile was everything. The Hobs turned. Numbtongue gestured.
“Thirty.”
They would take thirty with them. Pebblesnatch instantly sidled back into the inn. The Cave Goblins stared at her. At the cookie, mostly eaten. At Erin, the empty box of potions—and her smile. Then they charged towards the door, fighting tooth-and-nail to be the first ones through.
——
“I feel so bad.”
Erin confessed to Numbtongue as she closed the door on the disappointed Goblins. There were hundreds crammed into the cave. And they’d all tried to get into her inn. A large number had gone through—until the Hobs had restored order.
It hadn’t been pretty. More than one Goblin probably needed another potion for their blinding headache as the Hobs had banged heads together and thrown the rest back through the door. Now, a lucky thirty Cave Goblins, including Pebblesnatch, were celebrating in Erin’s inn. The rest were in the cave. Sulking.
“You’re sure they’ll be alright without you?”
Numbtongue nodded.
“They’ll be fine. We don’t need to leave one of us behind.”
“You’re sure?”
“Yes.”
The Hob didn’t quite meet her eyes. He was holding a big mug of ale, and he was eating a cookie. So were the other Goblins. The luxury of Erin’s inn and the sweet food was making some of them swoon. Erin eyed the Hob but gave in. The Cave Goblins would probably be fine. And she owed the Hobs. She placed Celum’s mana stone on the door.
“Ready?”
The Goblins nodded. Erin threw open the door. Sunlight made the Goblins gasp. They looked out into a beautiful grassy field. And beyond it were adventurers. The Cave Goblins shrank back in terror, but the Redfangs stood between them and the door and made beckoning noises. They led the Goblins through.
There were adventurers standing on the grass. They froze when they saw the Goblins, but relaxed quickly. The others didn’t. A group of Humans, some dressed in armor, others in bright clothing, whirled when the door opened. When the Goblins came through, they panicked.
“Dead gods! Goblins! Hobs! Sound the alarm!”
“Run for it!”
The members of Celum’s Watch reached for their swords, then began to flee in a stampede at the sight of five Hobs. The brightly-dressed Humans paled, but didn’t run. One of them threw up a hand. He raised his voice and shouted in a surprisingly loud, commanding tone.
“Hold! I say hold, all of you! Turn, guardsmen, turn! These Goblins aren’t enemies!”
Wesle strode towards Erin. He nodded at the Hobgoblins as the Players of Celum stared at the Cave Goblins. They weren’t afraid! The Cave Goblins peered around Rabbiteater’s cloak as the guardsmen of Celum halted in their panicked flight. He bowed to Erin with a flourish.
“Erin, it’s a delight!”
“Wesle! What brings you out here?”
Erin beamed as she hugged the man. He wasn’t too much taller than her, and he wasn’t that imposing or huge a man. His lips were clean-shaven, and he wore a fairly fancy red tunic and breeches, but that was all. And yet, the Goblins thought he looked taller than the Humans around him. It was in the way he carried himself. And the way he moved and spoke. He seemed to draw the eye. Wesle stroked his upper lip as if he still had his fuzzy mustache.
“We got word you’d passed through the city. Caused a bit of a commotion. We thought—we hoped that it was safe to return to your inn. It’s been terribly quiet without you or your inn to perform in.”
Erin smacked her forehead.
“Of course! I forgot—we won! There was a huge battle, Wesle! The Raskghar were defeated! We saved the Gnolls! It was incredible! Liscor’s saved, the Goblins helped, and the Antinium, no matter what Ilvriss says—”
“Huge battle? Raskghar? Sounds like a play!”
A short woman strode over. Emme gave the Goblins a glance and then focused on Erin.
“Is this something we could turn into a play, Miss Erin?”
“Um? Yes?”
“Well then! What are we waiting for? Hey, you lot! Gather over here! Forget the Goblins—they won’t bite. And if they do, bite back! We’ve got material for a new play!”
The Players of Celum approached cautiously. Erin turned and beamed at a Drake and a Human child.
“Jasi! Grev! It’s great to see you all! And you’re all here at the perfect time! We were having a break after all that’s happened.”
“Hullo, Miss Erin. You’ve got a lot of monster folk behind you. Are all them new security for your inn?”
Grev stared at the Cave Goblins, who stared back, never having seen a Human child before. Erin turned.
“What, the Goblins? No, I brought them for the game. Hey, Jelaqua! Look, we’ve got two teams of players!”
The Selphid waved back. She was laughing so hard she could barely stand. It was the reactions of the Humans that amused her. One of Celum’s [Guardsmen] followed the Players of Celum, practically hiding behind Jasi.
“Game? What’s all this? Mister Wesle, these Goblins—”
“Security for Miss Erin’s inn. Don’t mind them, Fabial. The rest of you, take heed! These are Miss Erin’s employees. There’s to be no fighting here! Besides, there’s a team of Gold-rank adventurers.”
“Exactly!”
Jelaqua walked over, still chuckling. She grinned at Fabial, who looked alarmed as Moore approached.
“We’ve got this. These Goblins are under control. Hey, Headscratcher.”
She nodded at Badarrow, who ignored her. The Hobs stared around as Erin tried to explain why the Goblins were here to the Humans. Emme began to pester Jelaqua for details. Grev stared about and made eye contact with Mrsha. In the end, Erin had to wave her hands and shout.
“Attention! Everyone! Shut up!”
They all quieted. The Players of Celum, adventurers, and Goblins all stared at Erin. She looked around and smiled.
“Let’s leave the plays and killing each other for later, huh? Today’s not a work day. We’re just going to relax here. Goblins, Humans, Selphids—”
“Selphid. Unless anyone wants to change my mind?”
“We can do everything later. But for now—does anyone want to play a game of baseball?”
The crowd paused. They looked at Erin and at each other. Then Numbtongue raised a hand.
“What’s baseball?”
The Celum [Guardsmen] stared at the Hob in horror.
“It can talk?”
Erin rolled her eyes.
——
“Baseball is a sport. A game where two teams compete. One team is on the attack, the other one defends. Those’re the basics. Now, we never hurt anyone else. That’s against the rules. We’re competing to get more points. The way you do that is to hit a ball…”
Erin lectured the crowd of people in front of her. Cave Goblins, Hobs, and Humans stared at her. The Players of Celum and Goblins had joined the others in the meadow. The Watch from Celum had to go back to the city and try to explain…something. Erin had Seborn and Jelaqua demonstrate as she spoke.
“—And then, if Jelaqua hits it far enough, it’s a home run. Everyone runs around the bases and scores! It’s great! What do you think?”
The Players and Goblins stared at each other. They shrugged. Emme smiled.
“It looks as stupid as a play did to me the first time I saw one. So we grab these bats and start playing? Why not?”
“Awesome! Let’s play a game! We can make teams. Why don’t the Goblins play a game against the Players of Celum first? The rest of us can correct things, then we can divide and play with everyone!”
Obediently, the groups divided up. Erin grinned at Jelaqua as the Selphid began showing the Humans how to use the bat.
“I still think this is boring as watching tar dry.”
Octavia remarked from her seat in the grass. She’d finished three bowls of popcorn and was eating a fourth. Erin eyed her severely.
“You can go back to Celum. Or pay for that popcorn if you’re bored.”
“Bored? Hey, who’s bored? I love baseball! Go team! Hit those balls!”
Erin rolled her eyes. The Players of Celum seemed excited by the game. As they lined up, Jasi sidled over to Erin.
“It was a good thing Grev heard you were here. We’ve been cooped up this last week, what with your inn being too dangerous.”
“Haven’t you been performing?”
“Ah, well…we didn’t think it’d be right. Not with all the other inns smearing your name. You heard about that, right? We’ve been performing in the squares, but it’s not the same. Everyone’s been antsy, waiting for you to finish. This game is just what we need.”
“What everyone needs. Hey, it looks like the Goblins like the game too. See?”
Jasi stared as Erin pointed. Badarrow was throwing a ball at Numbtongue, who swung and connected solidly with it. The Cave Goblins ducked as the ball flew over their heads and then ran after it as Numbtongue shouted. They seemed nervous, rather than excited to play. But Erin hoped they’d warm up to the game. Jasi just shook her head.
“More Goblins. And you beat those horrible beasts in the dungeon with their help? You have to tell us the entire story, Erin.”
“Alright, but later. I just want to have fun today. Hey, Wesle looks great!”
The [Actor] was at bat. And the first ball that Jelaqua threw he hit. Not just hit—the impact sent the ball flying into the air. Mrsha raced after it. Erin whistled.
“That’s good form! Did he copy Jelaqua or something?”
Wesle was swinging the bat as if he’d played the game before. Jasi shook her head. She leaned forwards and whispered.
“He got a Skill! From his class! It’s called [Method Acting]. It means he actually becomes the person he’s playing! A little bit.”
“What? That’s incredible!”
The Drake smiled.
“It is. But it’s not that powerful. I think we checked it, and he’s only as good as someone with, say, ten levels. So he can copy a [Butcher] and do a decent job even without training, but it still takes a lot of work to get any better. If he really copies someone for a while he can get even better.”
“Wow. Hey, that’s a real advantage! Do you have a Skill like that?”
“Not that Skill. But I do have a few new ones. I’ll tell you about it later. I’m going to play this game. You’d better watch out for Emme, though. She’s stronger than anyone else in the troupe!”
Sure enough, when it was Emme’s turn to practice, she hit the ball farther than Wesle did, although it took her four tries to connect. Erin watched the Players bat and catch and field and whistled.
“They’re good! I mean, I guess it’s their acting thing. But—hey, these guys could play a game against my dad’s team! Back home, he had a team in his neighborhood. They were about this good.”
“And the Goblins?”
Erin stared at the Goblins. They’d finished their practice, but it was a bit…lopsided. Badarrow had taken up pitching, and he could throw a fastball. And all the Hobs had hit the ball far. When they hit it. They seemed to strike out surprisingly often given how coordinated Erin knew them to be. Still, when they hit it, the ball went far. Those were the Hobs, though.
The Cave Goblins were barely larger than children, and so when they hit the ball, it barely went anywhere. But they seemed quite coordinated, and as they lined up in the outfield, they seemed cheerful. The Goblins kept staring at the grass and flowers as if they’d never seen them before. Which they hadn’t.
“I think they’ll be okay. We can always change up the teams. Besides, if the Players win a game or two, maybe some of them won’t be so nervous. Hey guys! Are you ready to play ball or what?”
“Ready!”
The Humans cheered as they got up to bat. The Goblins looked to Erin, and she waved her arms as she came over.
“I’ll umpire! You all start playing! Remember, hit the ball and run for the bases! You can steal—oh, just go for it! Who’s up first?”
“Me.”
Wesle strode up to bat. He choked up on the grip of the wooden baseball bat and took a stance that was surprisingly like the one Erin had copied from watching professional baseball players on television. The Players cheered and clapped as the Goblins looked at Badarrow.
The Hob looked at Erin. She smiled at him. Badarrow fingered the baseball and gazed at Wesle. Shorthilt was catching. The Hob glanced up as the wind blew and then slowly wound up. His arm came up, and he threw. The ball flew towards Shorthilt’s mitt. Wesle grinned, swung—
And the ball dropped. Wesle’s bat passed straight over it. The ball struck the ‘plate’ that was a pillow, and Shorthilt snatched it up. He tossed the ball back at Badarrow. Wesle gaped. So did Erin. Everyone stared at her until she remembered and raised her arms.
“Uh, strike!”
“What was that throw?”
Jelaqua stared at Badarrow. The Hob was smirking as Wesle gaped at him in astonishment. Erin’s mind raced.
“That was—that was a splitter! Or a forkball? It’s a legal throw, but—how’d you figure that out, Badarrow?”
The Hob just grinned at Erin. He threw the ball up again and pointed at Wesle. The [Actor] was clearly disoriented, but he gritted his teeth.
“I get two more tries, right Erin?”
“That’s right. Uh—keep playing!”
The Hob wound up and threw another pitch. Wesle waited. This time, he swung as the ball dropped and clipped it. The ball flew up behind him.
“Foul ball! That’s a strike!”
There was a groan from the Players of Celum. They watched as Badarrow caught another ball and threw it. This time, Wesle swung low and clipped the ball again, but it was another foul ball.
“Foul ball!”
Wesle hurled the bat to the ground in frustration. Badarrow grinned. Erin had to call Wesle back.
“You get another swing if it’s a foul ball! Don’t give up!”
“What is with that Hob? How’s he throwing like that?”
Wesle pointed at Badarrow. The Hob was smirking and throwing more splitters at Shorthilt.
