Before me, in this cave of crystals, was the very person Fissyah and I had been searching for.

Oblec.

A former Goblin of Korukh.

One who’d been exiled for his dabbling in the arcane. He became a monster, so he was scorned. Shunned and sent out to the Karhid Caves.

Why? What did he do? Well, the heinous sin he committed was supposedly evolving into a Gremlin. It was the same reason why we were forced to leave Korukh— or, at least, the reason why Fissyah was forced to leave.

Either way, I didn’t think he was a bad person when I initially heard about what he did, and I especially didn’t think he was a bad person now that he saved our lives. He destroyed the Ravinecrawler that had been chasing us in an instant.

I didn’t know what magic that was— I didn’t even see it. All I saw was a dazzling blue light, followed by brilliant explosions that tore the giant monster apart. The Ravinecrawler had nearly doubled my Combat Power even with [Arc Symbiosis], and now it was dead.

It almost didn’t seem real to me. But when I faced Oblec and used [Appraisal] on him, I understood this was reality. That he was just that powerful.

[Gremlin - Level 62 (Combat Power: 3970)]

“Violet,” Fissyah said in my head. “Is that really him? Is that… Oblec?”

I stared at the dark-skinned man, nodding slowly. “That’s definitely him. Not unless there's another Gremlin running around the Karhid Caves, which would be quite the coincidence.”

Judging by his head full of misty gray hair and a scraggly beard that reached down to his chest, he was roughly around Gort’s age, which fit the bill of who we were looking for. He stood about as tall as me with Fissyah’s body, although his back was slightly hunched at the shoulders.

He hadn’t moved once since he arrived, still standing on top of the Ravinecrawler’s corpses. His crimson eyes glinted as they flickered over to me, and I gulped. His gaze fixed on me, unmoving. A moment passed. Then another.

Oblec kept staring at me, and Fissyah eventually asked in a worried voice, “Why is he looking at us that way?”

“I don’t know,” I replied mentally. “Maybe he’s mad that I called him a hobo that one time and now he wants to kill us for it.”

“Violet, I’m being serious.”

“Look, if you told me the bearded man with powerful magic that can destroy a giant millipede-worm with the snap of his fingers is capable of some basic mind reading, I would totally believe it.”

“Violet, please,” the girl pleaded. “At least say something.”

“Fine. But I was being serious too.”

Sighing, I took a step forward and approached the bearded Gremlin. His steel-like gaze didn’t once break away from me. I involuntarily chewed my lips as I waved at him, speaking out loud.

“Uhm, hello there?”

He didn’t respond.

“My name is Violet, and I’ve been searching for you.”

I waited, hoping for him to prompt me with a follow-up, but he still stayed quiet.

“I was sent here by Gort,” I explained, gesticulating vaguely back where we came from. “I’m not sure if you remember who he is. He told me to find you. That you’d be able to help us. Please, will you hear us out?”

I hoped that bringing up his old friend’s name would garner a reaction. Unfortunately, Oblec didn’t move.

It was as though he was studying my every movement. His narrowed eyes continued to bore into me— a piercing look that seemed to peer straight into my soul. It had to be a Skill he had. Maybe some kind of magic. But I knew by the analytical look he wore, he didn’t trust me.

He was suspicious of us, and we’d need to gain his trust. That was why he remained silent.

* * *

W-what do I say? Oblec’s mind raced as his heart hammered in his chest. I haven’t spoken to anyone in over five years! Do I just say hi back? What do I even do? Drasel save me, I knew I should’ve slept in instead!

He took in a deep breath, trying to steel himself. But it was no good. His lips were too dry, and he couldn’t work his jaw.

Oblec hadn’t been prepared for any kind of social interaction at all when he decided to go hunting for Ravinecrawlers. And now, a strange purple girl stood before him, saying she’d been looking for him, even though he didn’t recognize her at all.

What was he even supposed to say to that? He had no response! But the awkward silence was dragging on for too long, and he had to reply. So, he shuffled his feet and cleared his throat.

“W-welcome! I’ve been expecting you!”

* * *

“Wait, he’s been expecting us?” Fissyah gaped.

I snorted. “Told you he can read our minds. I bet he’s even listening to us as we speak right now.”

“But that’s not how mind reading works! You can’t… predict that someone will show up with mind reading.”

“Fissyah,” I said, (internal) voice flat. “Can you read minds?”

She hesitated. “No?”

“Then I don’t think you should be lecturing me on how mind reading works.”

“But you’re not a mindreader either!”

“I definitely am. I’m reading your mind right now.”

“That’s—” The girl started. Then she sighed. “Just say something already. You’re making it awkward.”

“No I’m not.”

* * *

This is getting too awkward! Why isn’t she saying anything? Why is she just standing there? Why does it look like she’s talking to herself? Oblec really wasn’t sure if his social skills were that rusty, or if the purple girl was the one who was weird.

All he knew was that he wanted the awkward silence to end already, so he decided to continue.

“You see, I’ve—”

“How did you know—”

They spoke over each other. He blinked and gestured for her to speak first.

“You go—”

“No, what were you—”

He paused. He waited, and when she said nothing, he started once again.

“I was saying—”

“I’m just—”

Alright, this wasn’t working out at all for either of them. Oblec wanted to bury his head in his hands and just walk away from this conversation. It would probably be better for the both of them that way.

* * *

“Violet, stop interrupting him!” Fissyah yelled in my head.

“It’s not my fault he keeps speaking up at weird times!” I protested.

Seriously, everytime I opened my mouth, he’d decide to speak. It was like he was too focused on making eye contact, he didn’t pay attention to all the other social cues and contexts in a conversation.

With a deep breath, I held the bearded Gremlin’s gaze and spoke clearly so he couldn’t cut me off this time.

“You’re Oblec, right? We’ve just recently heard about you. How did you know that we were searching for you?” I frowned, crossing my arms. Something didn’t seem right here. “Did Gort tell you about us?”

* * *

Who in Drasel’s Roots is Gort? Oblec didn’t know anyone with that name or anything similar. Was the girl talking about Bob? Because if Bob sent her, he’d send her straight back.

Stupid Bob. He still hadn’t returned the Arctic Wand Oblec lent him years ago!

“I was told you would be arriving by… the Words of Drasel,” the bearded Gremlin said, nodding sagely. “I knew that this Ravinecrawler would be chasing you in this crystal cave at this time thanks to the vision I was given. I was sent here to save your life.”

Wait, wait, wait— why am I even saying? There really isn’t any going back if I keep going! Well, at least it looked like the girl believed him. One look at her smudged face was evidence enough… wait, why was her face smudged?

Oblec blinked a few times, and tears streamed down his face. His eyes widened as he realized… he hadn’t blinked this whole time!

* * *

“And now he’s crying. Yeah, I think I’m going to call cap on this.”

“What does that mean?” Fissyah asked, puzzled.

“It’s cap— it’s crap,” I said, shaking my head. “However you want to say it, he’s making it all up.”

I was certain now. I should’ve realized it from the very beginning. When someone was left with nothing but his own wits in a dark cavern far away from any civilization, he’d likely lose his mind. At least, a little bit.

The girl paused. “Are you saying he’s not actually Oblec?”

“He probably is. But everything else he’s said so far…”

There was no way he actually was capable of reading minds— let alone predicting the future. With a sigh, I confronted the bearded Gremlin.

“Oblec.” My voice snapped his attention away from wiping his tears. “You were lying, weren’t you?”

“W-what…? Why would I lie!” he exclaimed, clasping his hands together. “I most definitely saved your lives because I’ve been expecting you.”

“Uh-huh. And why were you expecting us again?”

“B-because of… the D-Drasel…”

I stared at him dubiously, and he bit his lower lip. Scratching the back of his head, he tried again.

“Because… Bob—”

“Gort,” I corrected him.

“That’s right,” he said, nodding quickly. “Because Gort told me you were coming?”

Oblec gave me a hopeful look. I shook my head. He flinched. His shoulders sagged as he exhaled heavily.

“Yes…” he admitted. “I was lying.”

“Seriously?” Fissyah exclaimed in my head.

I walked up to the bearded Gremlin, placing a hand on his shoulder. “See? Telling the truth makes you feel much better, right?”

“Actually, I still feel utterly terrible.” He shifted his feet uncomfortably as his face burned red. “This was very embarrassing.”

I laughed. “I know, right?”

* * *

Oblec led me further down the crystal cave, apologizing profusely. He’d already apologized twice now, but he kept bowing his head over and over again.

“I’m really, really, really sorry, Ms Violet. I didn’t mean to make up that lie. It just… happened, you know?” he said as if pathological lying to make yourself look better was a completely normal thing.

“It’s fine, it’s fine. At least we resolved the misunderstanding.” I waved a hand off dismissively. I glanced around the cavern as more fungi filled the walls, partially substituting for the previously ubiquitous glowing crystals. “Where are we going, anyways?”

“To my home.” The bearded Gremlin nodded eagerly. “And I promise you, I’m telling the truth this time.”

“Do you really believe him?” Fissyah asked in my head, her apprehension evident.

“We’ll have to see,” I replied mentally.

It wasn’t like we stood a chance against Oblec in a fight. He was Level 62 with a Combat Power of nearly 4,000. If he was really lying again, it wouldn’t be to lead us to a trap.

“I’m seriously sorry about lying, again,” he said as if he’d read my mind (even though he actually couldn’t.) “Look, I just haven’t spoken to anyone except for Lire in years. But you can see my home right here—”

A hut made of stone protruded in the distance. It stood amongst a few stalagmites covered in a glowing lichen. It really was a house, all by its lonesome in the middle of this cavernous chamber.

“So, he really was telling the truth…” Fissyah’s voice echoed, audible only to me.

“I do not have guests over very often, so there isn’t much extra space, but I do hope it’s enough to accommodate you for now.” He pushed the door open. It grated on the floor, and he stepped into the room. “Welcome to my home. The home of a Gremlin.”

It was a neatly kempt hovel that was honestly quite spacious. I took in the room, then I turned to Oblec with a smile.

“It’s fine. You’ve done more than enough for the both of us, already. Thank you, Oblec.” I nodded at him, and he blinked.

“The both of us?” he asked.

And right on cue, [Arc Symbiosis] ended. There was a pop as Fissyah and I were separated back into our own bodies. We landed on the ground as Oblec’s eyes grew wide.

“Wait— you were two people?!”