Chương 7: Eye for an Eye

As we prepared to leave, I looked over my new recipe again: System Goblin-Eye Soup Rarity: Common Type: Monster Meat Core Ingredient: Goblin Eyes Description: From times of old, Goblin-Eye Soup was a staple among villagers and adventurers alike… for all who could get over both the sight and smell. Instructions: A soup made from goblin eyes, with other ingredients from the ground. Boil mushrooms and vegetables until soft, and then add the goblin eyes.

Cook through, but serve before the eyes become too soft and disintegrate into the soup itself. Freshen up with a pinch of river salt and a sprig of moonleaf. Add rendered fat for additional flavor. Ingredients: Goblin Eyes, Mushroom, Bitterroot, Potatoes, Fat, Salt, Moonleaf Effects: Unknown Goblin eyes… the pile of goblin bodies had all but burned out, but suspiciously, one goblin, the one I had slain, on the bottom of the pile, had mostly been spared the flame.

Smoke curled over the charred heap in thin gray ribbons, carrying the stink of burned cloth, scorched hair, and bitter monster flesh. The grass around it had blackened, and little embers glowed between twisted limbs. Still the creature stared up at the sky, absolutely nothing in those hazed eyes. Sir Aldric stared at me.

"You aren't thinking what I think you're thinking—""Give me a moment," I said, stepping over to the corpse.

"Just because your recipe says to eat goblin eyes doesn't mean—""You read the skill yourself… to gain stats, I need to eat. I've no other skills to speak of yet, so I'm not sure how else I'll level."

"But still…"

"I'm not asking you to help me," I said, "but I'm not asking permission either." Aldric grumbled.

"Here," he said, handing me a small, empty brown sack.

"Keep em' in here. And you'd best use them today or they'll spoil… well, spoil more than they already are." Nearby, I saw the knife I had used to kill the goblin. I picked it up. It was still coated in the vile thing's blood, the dark smear drying tacky along the blade. I stepped over to the corpse. There was a slight smirk on the goblin's face, as if it were laughing at me. I stabbed the knife at the edge of the eye and pop, out it came.

The sound was wet and soft, disgusting in a way that made my stomach twist despite everything I had already seen. I repeated it for the second as well. I picked up both and placed them in the sack. They were slick, sticky, and slimy all at the same time. The pile of burnt goblins overpowered anything I could have smelled from them, which was probably a mercy.

"We'll see who's laughing when I eat your fucking eyes," I whispered to the corpse, and then berated myself for it. What the hell was wrong with me? I had my revenge, so why did I still feel so… angry? I tied the sack to my belt as I turned away.

"Are you ready now?" Aldric asked. I turned back once more to stare at the dead, eyeless goblin.

"Aye, I'm ready."

Aldric and I didn't speak much on our way back to town, well, except for a few stories regarding Aldric and his companions on their various misadventures. Apparently, they'd slain a dragon whelp. A real dragon. The road back to Bramblewick wound between low hills and tilled fields, still damp from the morning dew. The first part of the walk was quiet except for the creak of Aldric's armor, the occasional clink of Madam Moolisa's bell, and the soft dirt crunching under our boots.

Smoke from Ebbin's farm faded behind us until the smell finally loosened its grip, and I breathed fresh air once again. It was only then that I could smell myself. The morning sun turned to afternoon, and the town was bustling by the time we arrived. Carts rattled along the road. Merchants called from stalls. Chickens scattered beneath wagon wheels, and the smell of bread and dust filled the streets. Madam Moolisa followed us, happily munching on a few lost apples we found on the edge of the road.

Juice dripped from her mouth as she chewed. At the entrance to the town, five or six young men, dressed in ill-fitting armor, held swords and spears as if it were the first time they'd ever held a weapon. Their helmets sat crooked. One had a strap twisted under his chin. Another gripped his spear so tightly that his knuckles had gone white. Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more. At the sight of us, one such man pointed.

"Look," he said, "there they are!" A few came rushing toward us. I had a bad feeling in my stomach, but I ignored it until they came close enough. They stopped a few steps away, and one held down a spear pointed at me.

"Sir Aldric, your companions said that you may have been captured by some criminal with a special class? Is this the lad?"

"Criminal?" I replied.

"Bram, I know you. I've known you for two years, you idiot." Aldric pushed the head of the spear toward the ground with his gauntleted hand.

"Now, now—we were simply delayed, is all. No need for the theatrics. All of the threats have been taken care of."

"But, sir—""All of them," he repeated.

"This lad has done nothing wrong, and, more importantly, nothing illegal. Any who wishes to press the issue will besmirch my honor as a knight, and I will take personal offense to it. So… is there anything else you wish to add?" Bram looked stricken as he literally shook in his boots. The spear tip dipped lower until it nearly touched the dirt. Around him, the other young guards shifted awkwardly, suddenly very interested in looking anywhere but at me. Aldric gave me a small wink.

"No, sir," Bram finally said, finding his tongue.

"And Sir… your companions are waiting for you at the inn."

"Aye, that they are. I'll need to give them a lecture about trying to send the entire cavalry out for nothing at all." Aldric turned to me.

"Nice to meet you, Rook. And stop by if you want to take me up on my offer. It still stands."

"And you too, Sir Knight."

"Aldric is fine," he replied, waving.

"May we meet again in the radiant light." I waved him goodbye. Madam Moolisa nuzzled my neck and then mooed his way. Everyone began to disperse, none seemingly wanting to speak with me. Eyes slid away as soon as I noticed them. A few shopkeepers pretended to rearrange things that did not need rearranging. A mother pulled her child a little closer as I passed. Is that the sort of welcome I should expect from now on? I felt treated little better than classless, truth be told.

"Hey," a familiar voice called.

"Over here." I turned and saw Lina, hands on hips, in front of her family's shop. The Copperbell sign hung above her, swinging faintly in the breeze, its painted coins catching the afternoon light.

"Hey, Lina," I said solemnly, walking over. Before I could even get to her, she rushed forward and hugged me. She was warm, and she had a sweet-smelling perfume, something floral and sharp beneath the familiar shop scents. Immediately, she pushed me back.

"You smell like—""Like goblin?" I asked, scratching the back of my head.

"Yeah…"

"So it's true then?" she asked.

"Is Ebbin really…" I nodded. Despite the smell, Lina reached out and hugged me again.

"You poor thing," she said.

"Was it… quick?"

"I think so," I replied.

"He seemed at peace in the end."

"That's a relief," she said.

"And what about you? How are you doing?"

"As well as I can. I'm not sure if you've been told, but I have a class now." She averted her eyes. She knew.

"Yeah," she admitted.

"They are saying you are a special grade class of some sort. It's not anything weird… is it?"

"Take a look," I suggested. Same as Aldric, I shared my system screen with her. She carefully read it over, pausing when reading about Stat Eater. The glow reflected faintly in her green eyes, bright against the shadow of the shopfront.

"That doesn't seem too bad," she said, a look of relief crossing her face.

"Well then, do you have somewhere to stay?" I thought back to what Aldric had offered. A room, at least for the day. But it was morning, and any inn would still be cleaning and getting rooms ready. There was also the fact that so many knew that I was a special grade, and I was unsure if they would rent a room to me at all.

"The knight offered me a room, but truthfully, he's done enough for me. Hell, I believe I owe him more than what I have."

"And how much do you have?" I checked the system.

"Thirty-one copper pieces and not one more," I said.

"And a cow," Lina added. Madam Moolisa stopped grazing for a moment to give a soft moo. She laughed.

"Oh, what a sweetheart."

"Truthfully, she belongs to Ebbin's sons. His proper family. I need to get them a message, arrange a proper funeral, a headstone, and—" I hadn't noticed before, but tears stung at the edge of my eyes.

"Easy," Lina said.

"Alright then, for now, you can use the facilities here at the shop. We've some water in the back, and you can borrow some of my brother's old clothes. As for Moolisa here, there is a nice segmented area to the side with some grass. We'll figure it all out, don't you worry." I let Lina lead me to the back, where I promptly changed and haphazardly bathed. The washroom was little more than a narrow back space with a barrel of water, a basin, and a stack of rough cloths.

The water was cold enough to bite, but it pulled away the stink of smoke, sweat, goblin blood, and road dust in muddy streaks. She even provided soap, an expensive luxury unless you made it yourself. Afterward, I pulled on some of her brother's old clothes. Old indeed. They were holey, smelled faintly of damp animal, and were so thin that I could see through portions of the fabric. The shirt hung loose at the shoulders and tight in the wrong places, but still…

Better than my sleeping garments covered in goblin blood.

"Hey Lina, thank you for—" Lina had taken my old clothes to be washed, and she had found the small brown sack. It was open, and the goblin eyes were out on her table. They sat there, slick and pale, staring at nothing at all, leaving wet rings on the wood. In the cleaner light of the shop, they somehow looked worse than they had beside the corpse.

"Listen, I can explain—""You were gonna do it, weren't you?"

"Do what?"

"Make that recipe I saw. The Goblin-Eye Soup. The one you learned with your class."

"I… yes," I admitted.

"I don't have any other skills, so I don't know how else I can level up. Believe me, I don't want to know what goblin eyes taste like, but—" Lina held up a hand.

"No need to explain… I want in."

"You want… what?"

"Call it a merchant's intuition," she said, "but I feel something brewing. A change in the air. I want to experience what a special grade class can do first hand. And, being the merchant I am, I'll make you a deal. I will trade you most of the items you need for one bowl of soup with one of those two eyes after you cook them. Pretty good deal, right?" She held out a hand.

"Lina, I don't know if I even want to—""The deal is set to expire in 3… 2… 1…" I reached out and shook.