It didn’t take long for Farrow to return. The good thing about having to travel through water to get out of here is that the people outside won’t be able to tell that we’ve been crying. Because after what Tadwick said to me… well… I started crying as well. We were in a right state when Farrow got back… tears and snot everywhere. I am so glad that it was her that found us and not Agaroth… he would have taken the piss out of me for hours… Farrow is much more polite and dignified. She never even mentioned it.

  Of course… the bad thing about having to travel through water to get out of here is that… in case you haven’t picked up on it yet… I CAN’T FUCKING SWIM. So once again… I end up in the painfully embarrassing position of being treated like a child. I ended up having to cling to Farrow’s back in a kind of awkward piggyback while she swam out of the cave and Tadwick simply followed along. He was still weak, so he wasn’t moving very fast… but still… at least he can swim.

  Holding my breath during the trip wasn’t too bad. The swim took less than a minute, although it felt like longer. Probably would have been quicker if Farrow wasn’t going slow to keep close to Tadwick. Once we were away from the glowworms from the interior cavern, it was incredibly dark. So, she couldn’t risk swimming off ahead and losing him.

  Once we were outside, I realised it was night. I’m not sure what time I was expecting it to be. I had very much lost track of time since that thing bit me… and I lost consciousness twice. The others were waiting on the little island. They had set up various torches to light it up. It was actually a very beautiful sight… if not a tad marred by knowing what had happened here.

  As we emerged from the water, Kiyui and Tadwick ran straight towards each other.

  Tadwick: “Kitty!”

  Kiyui picked him up and gave him a massive cuddle. Kiyui had tears of happiness streaming down his face. I am beyond thankful that Tadwick got out of there alive. If he hadn’t… I really think it would have destroyed us.

  As their cuddle continued, Farrow placed me down on the ground and I looked around at the rest of the island. There was a large rowing boat tied to a tree at the side of the island. Charlie was sat in it with Phoenix. Not the person that I expected to be with him… but she seems to be being quite sympathetic. He was cuddled into her side, crying. They must have found Isaac’s body and told him about it. Poor kid. At least he has his clothes back on now, should help him warm up.

  Alexander was propped up by a tree, with Agaroth casting a healing spell on him. Two goblins that I recognised from the docks were wrapping up some bodies in a clearing to the left. They must have found Sonya too. After everything we’ve been through… all the insane things that we have faced… I find it horrifying that a couple of simple crocodiles were able to kill so many. No sign of Dietrich… she mustn’t have recovered in time to come along.

  Farrow went over to the boat and picked out three pouches. She placed one on the ground next to Tadwick. Gave one to me and opened the final one. They were sets of clothes. Evidently, she had organised her clothes after stripping off to go searching in the water.

  So, she began to get dressed. I looked in the bag to see a raggy shirt with some well-worn britches. I recognise these… they’re Isaac’s… his clothes always looked very scruffy… his family weren’t doing so well for money but were always too proud to accept handouts.

  My mum always used to purposely offer all of the boys snacks whenever we went to put our stall out. She wanted to make sure that Isaac and his brother had something to eat, but didn’t want him to feel singled out. Isaac was always so grateful for anything he received from anyone. And he always used to make Oscar say thank you when he forgot… he was such a polite boy.

  Dwynfel: “I can’t wear these.”

  Farrow: “Your clothes are too… what’s the word… mouillé…”

  Kiyui placed Tadwick down on the ground.

  Kiyui: “Wet.”

  Farrow: “Oui, wet. Your clothes are too wet. You will freeze. You need dry clothes.”

  Kiyui: “At least until we get back. We can hang your clothes up to dry back at the fort.”

  Tadwick started getting his clothes on. Starting with that awful pink crop top that he likes so much. The pink is so bright… I have no idea where Kiyui got that dye from. And who starts by dressing their top half? Seriously? Especially when it’s a crop top… there is something that looks especially ridiculous about somebody stood there wearing nothing but a crop top.

  Anyway… I digress… I could see that what they were saying was correct… I was absolutely freezing… standing around in soaking wet clothes was a really dumb idea. The boys were right when they said I should have taken my clothes off. Not that I could have taken my clothes off in that state. I could barely move. And no way in hell am I sailing back to that fort with no clothes on.

  I reluctantly put Isaac’s clothes on. They were actually slightly big on me. Pretty sorry state of affairs when an eleven-year-old’s clothes are too big for me. It’s a good job that it wasn’t Freddy… he’s always been quite thick set… his clothes would have looked even worse on me.

  Once Alexander was healed to the point of being conscious, we set off back to Fort Bracken. Alexander may have been conscious… but he was still weak… it took all of Agaroth’s mana just to heal him to this point. Alexander was propped up at the rear of the boat. Kiyui was sat with me in front of him. Then Agaroth and Farrow, followed by the two dock goblins, the four of which were the ones actually rowing the boat. Then Tadwick and Charlie, followed by Phoenix who was at the bow.

  Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

  After he had got his clothes on, Tadwick had went straight over to the boat and sat with Charlie. I don’t recall either of them actually saying anything. For the first time that I have seen… they weren’t arguing or giving each other back chat, or calling each other names. They just sat… holding hands. Charlie placed his head on Tadwick’s shoulder and they both just sat in the boat… crying with each other… until eventually the two of them fell asleep.

  I’m not surprised that they fell asleep… after what they just pulled off… I’m surprised they had any energy left. Then again… Farrow did have to give Charlie a stamina potion before we left the cave. If she hadn’t given him that, he probably would have collapsed much sooner.

  Since the boys were asleep, conversation in the boat was kept to a whisper. Even Agaroth was speaking quietly… which is not something that he does often.

  Agaroth: “I just do nae get it. What the fuck were they doin’ here?”

  Kiyui: “They were on a camping trip.”

  Agaroth: “Fuck’s sake, Twinky. I’m no talkin’ aboot the kids. The fuck were the crocs here for?”

  Dwynfel: “They don’t live in these waters… they never have. Charlie said they must have been brought here.”

  Alexander: “But, who would do that? And why?”

  Good fucking question.

  Phoenix: “My guess… sabotage.”

  Alexander: “Come again.”

  Phoenix: “Boff said the goblins thought it was an attack on them and that they had to be talked out of breaking the alliance and fleeing.”

  Goblin 1: “It’s true. Gideon thought the humans were trying to get rid of us in secret.”

  Goblin 2: “A lot of humans don’t like us, but the farmers round the fort have got very friendly with us over the last few years. The kids play together, loads of the goblins help out on the farms and are learning how to do farming stuff. Many of us didn’t want to throw it all away, even with Gideon convinced that humans were behind it.”

  Goblin 1: “Luckily, Gideon changed his mind when he was told how many of the human farmers had also disappeared.

  I feel bad for not knowing their names… I want to ask, but I feel like we are past the point for introductions and it would seem rude.

  Alexander: “You think somebody is trying to destroy the alliance.”

  Goblin 1: “It’s possible.”

  Phoenix: “Plenty of people still have no trust in goblins.”

  Agaroth: “Bunch a twats. The goblins have been nae bother o’er the last few years. The place is fuckin’ thrivin’.”

  Phoenix: “Many people do not like to let facts get in the way of their beliefs.”

  Agaroth: “Aye, right enough.”

  Yeah, but even so… sabotage is a bit of a stretch.

  Dwynfel: “But do you seriously think somebody would go as far as to travel to another continent… abduct two crocodiles and release them next to the fort… just to potentially screw things up. It seems a bit indirect… surely there would be simpler and easier ways to accomplish it.”

  Phoenix: “I never said it was a good plan. Fanatics rarely think logically.”

  Dwynfel: “But come on… nobody would actually go to such lengths… surely.”

  Phoenix: “Can you think of a better reason?”

  Dwynfel: “No.”

  Phoenix: “Then that is our working theory until we have more information.”

  Agaroth: “I bet it were that cunt, Asmodeus. He’s always been against this shit.”

  Phoenix: “If it was, then I doubt we’ll be able to trace it back to him. He may be a self-righteous and deeply vindictive individual. But stupid, he is not.”

  Alexander looked deep in thought. Agaroth looked at him… as if trying to work out what he was thinking.

  Agaroth: “And how the fuck do you keep survivin’ anyway? Every time we fuckin’ go anywhere, you always end up in a right fuckin’ state.”

  Alexander: “With all due respect, this is only the second time I have been injured.”

  Agaroth: “Aye, whatever.”

  Alexander: “You mentioned Boff before. I notice he isn’t here. Did he stay behind to maintain order?”

  Shit… never got round to explaining everything that happened to Alexander. Agaroth suddenly looked very sympathetic… but he elected not to say anything… he probably knew that such information coming from him would add insult to injury.

  It was Farrow who broke the news to him about Boff’s death. She didn’t explain the ins and outs of it… but I think she did so in a respectful and tactful manner… which is certainly a hell of a lot better than Agaroth would have done if he had decided to break the news.

  The rest of the journey was rather quiet. Alexander seemed stunned about Boff. They had been working together in their unit for over four years… they must have had quite a strong bond. He did ask if any other survivors or bodies had been found. Farrow mentioned that there were several goblin bones in the cave near the eggs. Approximately three body’s worth. Other than that, the only remains that had been found were Boff’s, Sonya’s and Isaac’s. Which isn’t even remotely close to the number of people that went missing.

  It worries me that we found so few of the remains. The current theory that we have is that the crocodiles injured and stored food that they caught near the nest and simply killed and ate anything that they found further away. But it still worries me. I feel like too many people went missing, given that there were only two crocodiles… and as much of a twat as Asmodeus is… I don’t think he’d go to such lengths to sabotage the alliance. It would go against his ridiculous piety. He seems much more intent on watching and waiting for any mistake to occur that he can pin on this alliance… or just goblins in general.

  By the time we reached the fort, there seemed to be some kind of party going on. There was a huge bonfire in the middle of the fort courtyard. As well as several secondary bonfires dotted about the place. The crocodile from the dock had been winched up near the bonfire. It had had several large chunks cut out of it. A couple of goblins and a human male appeared to have made a large barbeque and were cooking large stakes of crocodile meat and feeding everyone.

  I can’t say that any of us were in the mood for a party when we returned… well… except Agaroth. But you know… I think it is admirable of these people to look on the bright side and to celebrate at a time like this. These crocodiles killed so many… the fact that they are dead and the river is safe again is definitely a reason to celebrate. It’s just… it’s just hard to do that when you witnessed people that you know and care about get killed.

  Even people you don’t really know. I only knew Sonya in passing. But she was there for me on that boat… when I had that panic attack… she helped me through it. I can tell she was a good person… but I’ll never get to know her properly now.

  The boat should be larger. Tadwick should also be larger... he is only just shorter than Charlie. Tadwick should also have bite scars, but as we have established many times... the AI generator just cannot cope with scars.