"Ajax, come here!" a middle-aged goblin shouted at a young goblin.
"Mum, I want to go play with Cecil and Eve," a scrawny-looking goblin responded as he ran off into the distance.
"Ajax! Ajax! Dear lord, what would I do with this kid?"
"Hahaha," a gruff voice echoed from behind.
The middle-aged goblin turned her attention to the source of the laugh.
"Oh, you find this funny? You find your son disobeying his mother funny?" She crossed her hands as she asked her husband.
"Uhm, no honey, I wouldn't dare," he raised his hands in quiet surrender.
"Then why were you laughing?"
"Honey, he's a growing boy; all people acted like that when they were his age. Children are a gift, and they should have fun," his light tone darkened. "They should have fun while they can; they shouldn't be bothered by the filth of this world."
"Sigh," letting out a sigh, the middle-aged woman turned to the window as she flared into the distance where her son had run to.
"I know, honey, but I'm a mother; we mothers worry about our children. You know the situation of the world we live in; at any time we could be attacked. I... I just want him to be near me in case of anything so I can protect him."
"Grom! Are you coming? I don't have all day, you know?" A voice shouted from outside.
"And that would be my cue to leave," Grom said as he picked up his tools.
"Let me see you off, honey."
The married couple walked hand in hand as they went to the door.
"Bye, love. Take care of yourself in your workplace; I don't want anything bad to happen to you."
"Of course, always," Grom replied with a hearty laugh.
He planted a kiss on his wife's lips, their lips interlocking; at that point, it felt like they shouldn't part ways. They were deep in each other's embrace until a voice forcefully pulled them out.
"Ewww! Get a room, you old folks. I don't want to get traumatised seeing two fossils make out."
Reluctantly, they pulled apart.
"Oh, and nice to see you, Kael," the voice said.
Kael, the middle-aged goblin, looked at the person and snorted.
"Oh, come on, Kael, it's morning. Haven't you heard that you shouldn't start your day grumpy?"
"Who's grumpy, you freeloading? I don't know why you always come here. Oh, I do; you come here to eat my food," Kael shouted.
"Hey, hey, hey, you can't blame me. It's not my fault that I come here; in fact, it's your fault."
"My fault? My fault? How is it my fault, Joe?"
"Well, if your food wasn't so goddamn delicious, I wouldn't be here now, would I? So it's your fault for that; no one told you to be a good cook," Joe let out a shrug.
"How the hell do you keep this guy as a friend?" Kael asked her husband.
"Well, the old prick grew on me. Believe me, I have tried to get rid of him, but he stuck to me like a shadow, a cursed shadow at that," Grom laughed.
"Hey, who are you calling a cursed shadow? If I weren't around you, you would have died of boredom doing that job of yours. Now hurry up; we are going to be late."
"I'm coming, I'm coming," Grom turned to his wife. "I have to get going now," he said as he kissed her lips softly.
"Oh, come on, give single people like us a break," Joe shouted.
"Well, no one told you to be single. You're old and have no girlfriend."
"Hey, being single was a choice; it's a commitment if I do say so myself."
"Yeah right, you're single because no woman wants you," Kael hissed.
"Ouch, that hurt," Joe held his heart as if he was hurt.
"Alright, alright, you two, cut it," Grom said as he walked outside.
"Honey," Kael called out.
"Yes?"
"You forgot your lunch."
"Oh, silly me."
"Yo, I hope my share is in there?" Joe shouted.
"Yes, you gluttonous man, I left something in there for you."
Joe nodded; he was very pleased to hear that.
Joe and Grom discussed side by side as they went to their jobs in the mines.
Kael stood there as she watched the back of her husband fade into the darkness.
"Sigh," she let out an audible sigh.
Each day, she worried about her family's safety. Her son, Ajax, was a growing boy, but he was stubborn just like his father; he was also kind and curious about everything. Every time she stared into his dark, curious eyes, she saw a fire in them. Kids had that fire in them, but his, his was something else. She couldn't explain what, but she knew her son was meant for something great; he wasn't meant to be a common miner like his dad.
But still, she had that fear in her; all mothers did. She was afraid of what the world held for him; she was afraid of losing him; he was growing up too fast for her.
Then her husband, her loving, caring husband who worked tirelessly in the mine just to provide for them.
She was afraid of losing him too; after all, the mines house their own dangers. Cave-ins were a normal occurrence, and the most dangerous were the beasts that would occasionally attack the mines. Each day he goes to the mines, she felt anxious. What if her caring husband never returns? What if he was devoured by beasts? There were so many "what ifs," and that made her worry. She wanted to hold her husband and child down to protect them and shield them from all dangers, but how could she? She was just a woman; there wasn't much for her to do. She wasn't exceptional, she wasn't strong; all she could do was pray.
And then there was the most dangerous of them all: "humans," those vile, evil things. They were the ones who talked about purity the most while being vile, disgusting vermin themselves. They hosted raids, killed families, and separated them while looking righteous.
"Sigh," she let out a sigh again. "Grom said I worry too much and need to stop." She couldn't help remembering her husband again. His callous hands wrapping around her while whispering reassuring words in her ears. To her, those callous hands were the warmest thing she had ever felt, and she craved them each day.
She wrapped her arms around herself as she remembered his words:
"My love, frowning would only ruin this pretty face of yours; you need to smile more. It should be a crime to deprive this world of that smile. Don't worry, I'm fine and Ajax will be fine; he's a strong kid, and I'm also strong, I mean, look at these killer muscles." She couldn't help but remember that scene, his reassuring tone.
"Grom, Ajax, be safe." Finally, she turned around, closing the door behind her.
"I shouldn't think much; I should start preparing something for them. What should I cook?" She tapped her head repeatedly while humming.
"Ohhh, Groolock, that's perfect! After all, it's both their favourites; they would be so happy to see it." The thought of her husband and son's smiling faces made her feel happy. She hummed a quiet tune as she began cooking.
.....
"Man, I love your wife; she's so good at cooking, like she must have learned cooking from the God of cooking. It's lovely. In fact, calling your wife's cooking "good" is a crime, and anybody that calls it "good" should be hanged, no, beheaded and thrown to the beasts to be devoured," Joe explained.
"Hahaha, calm down, Joe. No one is getting killed or beheaded or any of that for calling my wife's cooking good."
"You don't understand, Grom, that food is heavenly."
"I think I do; after all, she's my wife," Grom replied.
"Unfortunately," a sad sigh escaped Joe's lips.
"What?" Grom asked with a raised brow.
"I said unfortunately."
"What's unfortunate? Your love life?" Grom teased.
"No, the world," Joe turned to Grom as he responded. "Honestly, I don't see what she sees in you. I'm more good-looking than you are, I got bigger muscles, and to top all that up, I'm taller than you. I'm so much and more, and she chose an ugly bastard like you."
"Calm down, Joe, you're not that much taller than me."
"Yes, I am."
"You're barely 2 cm taller than I am, Joe."
"Still taller than you! If it's that easy to be 2 cm taller than someone, then why aren't you 2 cm taller than me, huh?"
Grom just shook his head.
"Your wife is so hot, so damn pretty, a goddess, and she married you. If I had the chance, I would steal her from you, I would..."
"Hey, Joe," Grom slowly called out.
"Yes? What is it, Grom?"
"Do you know the easiest way to kill someone while getting rid of the body without a trace?" Grom slowly inched his way closer to Joe.
"Why are you asking me this creepy question? And why are you getting close to me like that? Why are you also looking at me like that?" Suddenly, Joe realised that he was all alone in a dark tunnel. He looked back and gulped.
"You haven't answered my question, Joe; how do you get rid of a body without leaving a trace back to you?"
"Are you crazy? How am I supposed to know?"