Side Note

"Your next mission will be excruciatingly tough. Do you understand, cadet?"

"Yes, ma'am, yes!"

"You are dismissed!"

"Yes, ma'am, yes!"

"You didn't explain a damn thing!"

"Oh, yes. That is correct. I shall have Speedy send you to the nearby city, Liscus. There are three Sacred Power holders within its walls. I've reserved an exotic inn for your usage if it requires more than a day to find the three Sacred Power holders. Now, prepare to take notes, for I shall not give this information a second time. Mostly because I wish for this meeting to end so I may enjoy my afternoon soup." 

"The first of the Sacred Power holders tends to stick to crowds. They may be difficult to track down, but they are consistently in the city's marketplace, the most crowded area. I'd recommend looking for a group steeped in conversation, as they tend to stick to a singular group for the entire day."

"Eh, I wouldn't worry."

"And why is that, Mel?"

"We'll probably coincidentally bump into them. That's how it should go."

"Hmm… then let us hope that's how it shall go. The second is the owner of an antique store, who has a knack for finding out if he's being scammed. However, his store is found deep in the slums due to some more… unsavoury business practices. Please approach him with precaution."

"No worries, I'm the epitome of caution!"

"You wouldn't happen to have a leash, Mel?"

"I've been thinking of buying one."

"Ooh… kinky."

"No longer thinking of buying one."

"Noted. The third is the high priest of the city's church. Getting in contact with him may be difficult. I recommend breaking into his home and forcefully looking into his eyes."

"I like the sound of that plan. Finally, I get to use my lockpicking skills."

"You have a very random set of skills, Madeleine."

"Not for a maid."

"I'm constantly reminded of how ridiculous maids are in fantasy."

"Just wait until you hear about my fantasies, Mel."

"No thanks."

"Her fantasies are very entertaining. You should hear about them."

"You watch her fantasies?"

"You watch my fantasies?"
"Occasionally."

"This is getting weird. Hurry up and call Speedy."

"Fine." Merida threw a spoon at a button on the roof of her room, and in came Speedy, who grabbed our wrists. As soon as she came, we found ourselves in a bustling marketplace filled with stalls, goods, and potential pickpockets. 

"Master said you two might need an extra hand or two, so I'll be sticking with y'all this time around."

"Well, good to have you around, Mare."

"Who told you my name?"

"The farmer."

"That damn dwarf. I'm going to have a word with her after this. Let's get this done with."

"That is something I can agree with." Both Speedy and Mel started walking deeper into the marketplace. Ooh, I get to do that maid thing where I follow the master from behind while shopping. I've always wanted to do that, but first… I see a stall selling toys.

"So I have no idea who we're looking for. Who is it?"

"No idea."

"What do you mean no idea?"

"We'll probably bump into them. If we bump into someone and they get confrontational, that's who we're looking for. Either that or Madeleine gets distracted by a stall and is coincidentally approached by who we're looking for."

"What makes you so sure that's what will happen?"

"Because that's how things go. Now… where's Madeleine?"

"Behind us."

"I looked behind us and couldn't see her. That's why I asked. Well, shit. It's always the latter option."

---

Toys, toys, toys! A toy wheel that can roll for two seconds! A toy doll of some weird goblin! A toy golem running low on magic! These are so bad, and that's what makes them great! "What's a maid doing here?" I turned to my right to see a hobgoblin. Huh… they're smaller than I thought they'd be. Only a head higher. I expected a giant twice my size.

"Haha, hobgoblins don't grow that big. Although, this is the first time someone has referred to me as a hobgoblin."

"You're clearly a hobgoblin, though. Green skin, green skin, and some more green skin."

"Heh. That's true. Green all over. What about you? What's a maid doing around here?"

"Looking for some Sacred Power holders."

"Woah… isn't that illegal?"

"Yes. Imitation of a Sacred Power holder, false claim of being a Sacred Power holder, searching for a Sacred Power holder, lots of illegal things related to Sacred Power holders."

"You sure know a lot about that."

"Of course I do. I've broken each of those laws at least once."

"Oh…"

"That's enough about me, though. I want to ask…"

"Sorry, I don't like sharing my sto-"

"I wasn't going to ask about you. I was going to ask about your opinion on this toy I have in hand." It's this weird cube thingy that you can twist and has many colours. I have no idea what to do with this. It must be one of those niche, obscure inventions made by that Golem inventor that's behind practically everything.

"Oh… are you not interested in why a hobgoblin lives in this city?"

"I'll hear you out if you want me to. Firstly, however, tell me. What do you think of this cube?"

"I… uh… think it's colourful?"

"Okay, okay. Anything else?"

"It's… a shape."

"Got it. Shopkeep, I ain't buying this." I put the cube back then faced the hobgoblin. "So, what's your story?"

"I don't like sharing my story."

"Fair enough. By the way, is it really weird for a hobgoblin to be in this city?"

"Yes. Hobgoblins are monsters, after all."

"That's a good point. Mind letting me look into your eyes?"

"Eh? Why?"

"I want to steal your soul by looking into your eyes."

"I don't want my soul stolen."

"Just kidding, I'm just curious about what a monster's eyes look like."

"Oh… sure then." The hobgoblin leaned forward, letting me get a clear look into his eyes. They're disappointingly normal. They're an exotic shade of green, though.

Blend In You can fit into any crowd. Side Note: A free ticket to anywhere.

Huh… the eye vein thingies are black. Does that mean hobgoblins bleed black blood?

"Sort of? There's some black goop mixed into my blood, can't really explain it."

"That is really weird."

"I guess it is." The hobgoblin scratched the back of his head. "I guess… I'll just leave."

"Bye bye!"

"Yeah… bye." And off into the crowd he went… can't believe he was a Sacred Power holder. Ooh, there's Mel and Speedy!

"There you are."

"Question: What did you two think about that hobgoblin who passed you?"

"What hobgoblin?" Speedy looked around, confused.

"Hobgoblin?" Mel immediately drew her bow. "Where?"

"Ah, nothing. Anyways, I found the first Sacred Power holder."

"Heh. Told you, Speedy."

"Argh…" Speedy begrudgingly handed three coins over to Mel.

"You guys had a bet?"

"Yeah."

"I'm never betting with you again."

---

Character profile: Go

Sacred power: Blend In

Favourite stall: The berry stall

Description: A hobgoblin who has integrated into society. He was initially part of a nearby goblin village before it was attacked and destroyed by a pack of wolves, who then took Go as one of their own. He had a short stint with the wolves, often riding on the alpha before they were killed by a tribe of orcs. The orcs, just like the wolves before them, adopted Go. He stuck around with them for a few years before they were ultimately killed off by the Hero's party, who were on their way to the Duchess' castle. Go was spared and was actually given directions to the nearest city. He joined a group of apprentice merchants and now studies with them.

Chapter namesake: Crowded Street (Yun & Yang Stage) by Hideki Okugawa for Street Fighter III: Third Strike.