“It was unbelievable—those minotaurs were living in spitting distance of where you and Nishka fought the wyvern. I wish they’d settled out in the grasslands. Would’ve been a lot quicker to spot them there.”
“How far back does that cave go?”
“Deep, looks like. That’s just a guess, though. We sure know a wyvern could fit into the entrance.”
“I see.”
“We found a narrower tunnel that goes deeper into the cave, but even if we were interested in searching out more wyverns, as hunters we have no business going into that cave.”
“So this is a dungeon that took hold in a natural cave?” Yoi and Mari had told me such things were one of two types of dungeons.
“You sure know your stuff, Shooter! Guess you got all kinds of adventurin’ work done in town, eh? And to think, you were barely gone a month.” Wak’wakgoro gave my ass a smack, but for once I had pants on—the humiliation was only cloth-deep.
We headed toward the hunters’ huts as we talked. Like Cassandra and I, Wak’wakgoro had to live on the outskirts of town. His house was on the way to the lake, but for some reason the pretty boy with the animal ears came with us.
“Did you say your name was Elpaco?” I asked.
“Mmhm.”
Like usual, it was hard for my brain to register anything but a cute girl with animal ears when I looked at him. But Elpaco was indeed a boy, just like he’d said.
“Where did you wind up sleeping last night?”
“Until the village chief gives me hunter credentials, I don’t have a place to live. That goblin let me stay at his house.”
“You stayed in Wak’wakgoro’s hut?”
The hunter shacks were no bigger than a studio apartment, and yet Wak’wakgoro lived in one with his three younger brothers who were impossible to tell apart. And he might have more family besides that. How many people could cram into one hut?
But receiving hunter credentials and achieving independence wasn’t going to happen overnight, so Elpaco was going to have to grit his teeth and bear that living situation for a while.
“I suppose hunting families are pretty much the same everywhere. Sorry, but you’re stuck at my place for a while,” said Wak’wakgoro apologetically.
Cassandra and I clearly both felt sorry for the kid. When I glanced at her, her eyes were determined, and she nodded. Our house was no bigger than Wak’wakgoro’s, but it was about time we stopped letting other people do things for us and started helping other people instead. First step: being good neighbors.
“Ah, so, hey, bud. You’re welcome to stay with us for a while, if you want,” I said to Elpaco.
He wrinkled his nose. “You don’t think that’d be a little awkward? I know you two just got married. And you just got back from a trip to town. I dunno if you really want a third wheel hanging around.”
“Oh, ha! There’s no need to worry about us! Isn’t that right, Cassandra?”
“Y-yes, I agree. If you’d like to stay with us, we’d be happy to have you, Elpaco.”
Then again, maybe we should have spent some more time enjoying last night.
Elpaco’s face had been kind of dull and blank all day, but now I thought I saw a glimmer in his eyes as he looked between Cassandra and me. Hesitantly, he said, “Um! Are you…are you really sure I can stay with you, Shooter?”
“Of course you can!” Cassandra said.
“Our hut is about the same size as Wak’wakgoro’s, but if you don’t mind that, you’re welcome to join us.”
Goblins tended to have large families, so I figured this would save them some trouble, too. Fuzzball murmured, “Thanks…” and that was that. He would be coming to live with us.
“Sure thing. Now that you’ll be moving in, think of us as family. No need to be shy, all right?”
Fuzzball bowed politely. Cassandra and I beamed at him in return.
Now here’s the thing: I had wondered about his ears and tail during the entire trip from town, but I had refrained from asking him about them because it seemed, you know, rude. But now the kid was going to be staying in our house. This was my chance to ask whatever I could. Turned out, Elpaco was bi…uh…multiracial? The result of a union between a human and someone from a canine beastman tribe.
“Can I, um. Can I…feel your ears?” I asked.
Cassandra cried, “Sh-Shooter!”
“I’m just so curious!” I protested. “Like, do they move? What about his tail? Does it wag?”
“Shooter, I understand, but…if you’re going to ask, don’t be so forward.” That said, her face was lighting up a little too. Ha! She was just as curious as I was.
“I guess you can touch them,” Elpaco said.
“Oh! Really? Can you move them whenever you want?” I asked, petting his ears.
“That—he he—tickles!” Ohmigod this was so cute ohmigod. “And no, I can’t control them.”
“Aaah—thank you so much! I really appreciate you allowing me to do that.”
Some part of me still thought they looked so unbelievably cute they had to be fake, but they were so warm, aaaaahh!
“C’mon, Cassandra, you should feel them, too. Look at that! They’re real! Give ’im some skritches!”
“Um, all right. I hope you don’t mind.”
At her delicate touch, Elpaco let out a high-pitched “Eeee~!”
I just had the hardest time thinking of this kid as a guy, regardless of any, uh, evidence.
“Hey!” Wak’wakgoro scolded. “Stop goofing off and make sure you’ve got everything ready to go into the forest.”
“Yes, sir. Do you think maybe Cassandra should have a weapon, too?”
“Good thinking. She needs something for self-defense, at least. A bow and arrows, or maybe a machete. Or how about a shortsword?”
“I have the mace I brought back from town. She can use that. All you’ve gotta do is swing it around to hurt someone, so it’s perfect for a beginner. You don’t need to be shredded to make use of centrifugal force.”
Still, I was thinking about teaching Cassandra a little karate or weapon handling after this. I’d always secretly longed to mentor a wife or girlfriend in martial arts. Karate-Master Husband-Sensei Shooter…I liked the sound of that.
“Are you good for weapons, Elpaco?”
“Mmhm. I have my bow and a spear.” He hoisted the backpack he retrieved from Wak’wakgoro’s hut to prove it. An unstrung bow and quiver of arrows poked out from one side of the backpack and Elpaco was using his spear as a walking stick.
That’s a relief.