Liberty Parlance
"Alex, Mia, the Spider-Mans, this is it. Here they come." J'onn J'onzz in his Martian form announced, leaping before the face of the Statue of Liberty.
The three Peters took a fighting position. A storm came. Lightning came from nowhere in the sky...
"What's up, Peter?" a familiar voice rumbled in the sky.
Max Dillon appeared in the sky with a new electric suit that contained the Arc Reactor mounted on his chest.
"Dillon!" grumbled Alex. "He has more and more powerful!"
"With the Arc Reactor, it's not going to be easy to reach him." added Mia when she pulled out her bow.
"How do you like the new-new?" laughs Dillon floating in the air. "Look, you give it to me, I'm gonna destroy it. But I'll let you live. Don't make me a murderer, Peter."
Mia in the Green Arrow outfit positioned herself and threatened the floating electric man with her bow.
"You're not on your home, Electro! And I won't let you kill Spider-Man! Stay down if you don't want to know what it feels like to be one of my targets!"
"Put your bow away, Miss Robin Hood!" laughed Electro viciously by throwing several lightning bolts at the future female archer. "I don't care about you!"
The latter narrowly avoided them.
J'onn floated in the air and dodged Electro's electric shocks.
Peter put on his Spider-Man mask and left with La Macchina di Kadavus jumping out of the head of the Statue of Liberty. He called the others Spider-Men through their communications:
"Okay, guys, here he comes."
As Electro chased them on the scaffold, the two new Spider-Men put on their masks and went into action.
The Amazing Spider-Man flew into the air on Electro with the cure.
"Hey, Max! I missed you, man! Ho!" he said to him, flitting towards his enemy.
Electro noticed him and gave him an electric shock. The new Spider-Man narrowly avoided it. He flew away from him, while the electric man pursued him by throwing electric attacks.
Earth – Prime' Spider-Man, freed from the attention of Electro, flipped through the air hanging his webs on scaffolding and passed La Macchina di Kadavusto his friends who were waiting on the other side of a mystical portal.
"All right, MJ, heads up!"
He reached the portal near the crown, threw the Box to MJ and Ned, still at Midtown High School. MJ grabbed the Box.
"Got it! Ned, Close it."
Ned waved his arm in circles, as before. But... the portal didn't close!
"Uh... it's not closing." commented MJ.
"Yeah, I know." Ned grumbled as he tried to move his arms to close the gate.
"Why isn't it closing?" insisted Peter's girlfriend.
"I don't know... I..." replied Ned, distraught.
"Did you close it before?"
"No? No. I mean, I have opened some."
At the statue's water base, Lizard jumped out of the water.
Electro continued to fire electric shocks at the Amazing Spider-Man, who dodged them. He let himself fall on the crown and tried to reach his enemy by reason:
"Max, Max, Max. Can we just talk... for a second? Just you and me, just talk?"
Electro then recognized his Spider-Man grinning.
"Look who showed up! My old friend Spider-Man."
"I'm trying to save you, Max. That's all I've ever wanted." pleaded the Spider-Man of the electric man.
"You're not trying to save me." Electro roared by floating near him and throwing several lightning bolts in all directions.
"I am."
"You ain't even the shit no more! Don't worry about me. I'll save myself. Burn up!"
He looked at the Arc Reactor on his chest and fired a flash of flames licking the heels of the Amazing Spider-Man as he plunged.
"I got his attention, now what?" he told his counterparts as he swung with his webs.
"Okay, great!" grumbled the old Spider-Man.
Before he could suggest anything, Lizard had jumped up and clung to the old Spider-Man's foot.
"Uh, just FYI... Lizard-guy is here too!"
"Hold on, Spider-Man! I'm on him!" said J'onn as he flew towards him.
The Martian caught Lizard, took it off Spider-Man's foot and both fell into the void. The two beings were fighting in the air, and the Lizard landed on steel bars of the scaffolding.
"Who are you? Aren't you a lizard?" asked the reptile man fighting the alien.
"I come from Mars." replied J'onn in a hostile voice, striking his fist into the monster's jaw.
Mia ran straight at the two beings who were fighting. She fired an arrow that passed just above Lizard and an ultrasonic noise confused Connors, who was moaning in pain.
The Amazing Spider-Man turned around and made his way with his webs around the striking lightning of Electro.
"I need Max's cure." he says by communication.
"Yeah. I'm on it!" said Spider-Man.
He noticed J'onn and Mia fighting Lizard.
"Peter, we need Lizard's cure!" said the future female archer.
"Okay! Okay!" Spider-Man was about to join them.
But before Spider-Man can help...
"Peter, look out!" Alex exclaimed.
A giant hand made of sand grabbed him and sent him over the edge of the scaffolding where Sandman had seized him in flight.
"Where's the Box, Peter?" asked Sandman making a giant face of sand appear.
"Flint! We can help everyone." pleaded Spider-Man.
"I don't care!" roars the sand giant.
Alex aka Sentinel threw a grenade at the giant sand arm that exploded, freeing Spider-Man from Marko's grip.
The Amazing Spider-Man and Electro were swinging in the air while Lizard and the elderly Spider-Man were balancing on the scaffolding. Earth – Prime' Spider-Man released his right hand and attempted to interpose the crane, but was interrupted by his young counterpart who passed by and began falling. Trying to stop his fall, the Amazing Spider-Man tried to reach the crane, but ended up hitting the elderly Spider-Man. Lizard used this to crush the aged Spider-Man against the crane.
"Sorry!" the Amazing Spider-Man said while drawing a new web somewhere.
The elderly Spider-Man removed the web from his young counterpart.
"Gross!"
"Sad to tell you, Sandman. Nobody's going home!" announced Dillon floating in the air, body flurried with electricity.
Electro pulled on the crane which fell on Sandman and disturbed his physical form, stunning him. All the others Spider-Men moved away from the object, which crushed the remaining Lizard. Dillon finally caught the other young Spider-Man and knocked him down. Marko rose like a sandstorm, preventing Electro from seeing anything. The Spider-Men, safely hidden inside the scaffolding, took advantage of this moment for a short break. All three removed their masks.
"What the hell is going on out there?!" cried the Amazing Spider-Man. "I kept yelling at you, Peter – 2, Peter – 2…"
"I know, but I thought you're Peter – 2?" the old Spider-Man said with confusion.
"What? I'm not Peter – 2…"
Alex ran to them.
"Hey Boys, we need a better plan than that! If we are divided, we will have no chance of beating those we want to cure!" she says.
"Stop arguing, both of you!" cried Peter addressing his two doppelgängers. "Listen to Peter – 1. Look, we're clearly not very good at this!"
"I know, I know. We suck." declared the Amazing Spider-Man. "I-I don't know how to work as a team."
"Me neither." added the embarrassed old Spider-Man.
"Well, I do. I have been in a team, okay?" Peter said. "I don't wanna brag, but I will. I was in the Avengers."
Alex rolled her eyes, while the two new Spider-Men looked at him with admiration.
"The Avengers?" said the elderly Spider-Man in confusion. "That's great! What is that?"
"Wait, you don't have the Avengers?" said Earth – Prime' Spider-Man.
"Is that a band?" added the Amazing Spider-Man. "Are you in a band?"
"No, I'm not in a band. No, the Avengers is… Earth's Mightiest…"
Alex shouted in, exasperated:
"Who cares! That's not the point! We need to focus right now! We have to stop Giant-Sandpile, Mister Electric and the big slimy iguana!"
"She's right." Peter nodded. "All we gotta do is focus, trust your tingle, and coordinate our attacks, okay?"
"Yes. Okay. Let's pick one target." approved the old Spider-Man.
"Right. We take them off the board one at a time." added the Amazing Spider-Man including the strategy of his young counterpart.
"Now you got it." said Peter rejoicing. "Okay... Peter – 1" (Addressing the older Spider-Man) "Peter – 2!" (Addressing the other younger Spider-Man) "Peter – 3!"
"Peter – 3!" nodded The Amazing Spider-Man satisfied.
"All right, let's do this..."
"Good, we have a plan!" Alex nodded.
As the four of them moved away, Amazing Spider-Man called them out again:
"No, wait, wait, wait, wait!"
They all stopped and turned to him.
"I love you guys!" the Amazing Spider-Man told his counterparts.
"Thank you." said the other two Spider-Man in unison.
After a warm moment between Spider-Man, Peter put back his mask.
"All right. Let's do this."
"Get to work!" added the elderly Spider-Man putting on his mask.
The Amazing Spider-Man put his mask back on and joined his doppelgängers. Sentinel went to join Mia and J'onn.
The three Spider-Men jumped off the scaffolding and swung as a team.
"It's amazing to see that!" commented J'onn as he saw them swinging in the air.
He watched the three of them land, one by one, on top of the Statue of Liberty. At the very moment when Sandman, Electro and Lizard rose up right in front of them.
The three heroes were ready to fight their enemies.
The Amazing Spider-Man fought Electro. Flying through the air, the elderly Spider-Man kicked Lizard, while Earth – Prime' Spider-Man slightly slammed the sand giant and swung down.
"Let's go. Okay, Spider-Mans. Sandman first." he announced to them by swinging in the air through the scaffolding.
The now gigantic Sandman chased the aged Spider-Man through another part of the scaffolding.
"I'm gonna lead him inside the statue." he told his partners while being chased by Marko's giant head.
"I'll meet you at the top." added the Amazing Spider-Man as he descended another part of the scaffolding with the Lizard after him.
"Come on!" grumbled the reptilian monster as he chased his Spider-Man.
The latter dodged his attacks and recovered the healing device for Marko, but as he was about to fight his way up to the top of the statue, the Lizard immobilized him.
"Hey, Dr. Connors." says the Amazing Spider-Man struggling to breathe, while the Lizard puts his powerful hands on him.
"Hello, Peter." says the reptilian monster revealing its fangs that formed a horrible rictus.
The Amazing Spider-Man noticed his young counterpart flying in the air pursued by Electro, next to where he was.
"Peter – 1!"
He threw the cure device at him.
"I got it." Spider-Man grabbed the cure.
But Electro threw a blast of electricity, hitting Spider-Man who dropped Marko's cure on the scaffolding below.
The elderly Spider-Man rushed to escape from the Sandman, who was approaching him. Spider-Man from another Earth crawled inside the Statue of Liberty, climbing and making his way to the top.
"Flint! We're trying to help you!" he said, stopping his climb to try to reason with the sand giant.
But Sandman didn't give up the pursuit. The elderly Spider-Man sighed and clung to the top of the statue. He was inside the crown, there was nowhere to go! The sand quickly invades all around him. Spider-Man was imprisoned in a sea of sand.
"Guys, I'm at the top!" he announced to his counterparts. "I need the cure!"
Mia ran into the scaffolding and retrieved the Marko's cure.
"I got it! I'm on my way!" she said by communication.
She pulled a grappling arrow over her and hoisted herself to the top. She ran on a path through the scaffolding. The Lizard, who was always clinging to the Amazing Spider-Man turned away from him and rushed towards the female archer. He leaped and ran to her. Mia saw him and brandished her bow on him, but the Lizard struck her, causing her to lose her weapon. He knocked down the Green Arrow before she could fight back. She fell back, with the ugly grin of the Lizard above her. The monster pressed his hands on her body, choking her. Mia moans in pain as she struggles with all her strength. She saw an arrow fall from her quiver. She reached out to try and catch it.
"Miss Robin Hood!" Lizard chuckled. "Would you like to become a lizard? You will be very beautiful like this! It's human evolution!"
Mia managed to catch her arrow and gave the beast a hostile look.
"Go to hell, you freak!"
She thrust her arrow into the Lizard's hand, which roared with pain. Mia managed to free herself and got up to reach the top of the statue.
The Lizard wanted to go after her, but was approached by Alex and J'onn who surrounded it.
"This is the end for you, Dr. Connors!" said the Martian coldly.
"Oh, no, it isn't! It's just beginning!" roared the Lizard.
Alex shot him with her Martian weapon which threw a blast that repelled the reptilian monster. J'onn congratulated her with the look.
Then, the Amazing Spider-Man appeared from nowhere and came to wrap the Lizard in a big web of spiders, trapping him.
"Just... wait... for your... turn..." he says, tying the monster with his canvas.
"Bravo, Amazing Spider-Man!" congratulated Alex.
"Thanks." nodded Spider-Man.
Meanwhile, Mia ran with the device to cure Marko by hand. Electro chased her in the air, throwing lightning around her.
"You're not going anywhere, Miss Archer!" Dillon laughed floating in the air. "Nobody wants to be fixed. I like what I've become! I'm fine as I am!"
He threw multiple lightning bolts at her. Mia narrowly avoided them. She fired an arrow which hit the electric man on his shoulder, wounding him somewhat. With a howl of rage, Dillon hurled himself down to reach the future Green Arrow.
"MIA! I GOT IT!" called Spider-Man from Earth – Prime who was spinning around the crown of the Statue.
Mia threw the cure into the air with all her might.
Spider-Man caught it. He threw the cure through the open slots of the crown of the Statue to the aged Spider-Man, now completely engulfed in the sand, except for his greedy hand, which grabbed the cure and engaged the device. An explosion of golden light came out and the sand quickly retreated. The elderly Spider-Man took off his mask, breathed and watched the sand continue to fall, revealing Flint Marko again an ordinary human being. The cure had worked on him.
Completely agitated, Flint watched his hand still full of sand become as before. Fascinated, the elderly Peter stared at him.
"It's okay, Flint. We're gonna get you home. Just... stay right here."
The three Spider-Men had gathered at the top of the Statue, where they faced Electro, whose body vibrated with electricity, amplified by the Arc Reactor on his chest. Mia and J'onn joined them at the top.
"How do we stop him?" asked the old Spider-Man.
"I've never seen him this powerful." added the Incredible Spider-Man.
"It's the Arc reactor. We gotta get it off him." explained Earth – Prime' Spider-Man.
"As long as he has this thing on his chest, we won't be able to get close enough to take it off him." Mia objected. "I tried to shoot him with arrows. He just pushes them away."
As if he had heard them, Dillon exclaimed as his body swelled with energy:
"You'll never take this away from me!"
Spider-Man threw a web at him on the Arc Reactor, but Dillon managed to tear it off.
"That's not gonna work." he laughed gloating.
J'onn intervened with the Spider-Man:
"If we're gonna get to his reactor, we need to distract him. It's our only chance to stop him."
Dillon threw a huge electric shock on the five heroes. The three Spider-Men dodged it, while J'onn caught Mia and flew with her into the air, avoiding the lightning jets of the electric man.
"Okay, we've gotta do this up close." said Earth – Prime's Spider-Man. "Peter – 2, go right, Peter – 3, go left. J'onn, Mia, on me!"
The three Spider-Men jumped in sync, with the elderly Spider-Man and the Amazing Spider-Man holding Dillon's arms on either side with a row of webs, while Spider-Man jumped on him, who shot an electric shock from his chest, Projecting it towards the crown of the statue. Mia, clinging to J'onn, fired a grappling arrow that clung to the Arc Reactor.
" Pull me!" she said to the Martian.
J'onn floats, pulling Mia against him, wanting to tear the Arc Reactor out, thanks to Green Arrow's projectile. With a nasty smile, Dillon let lightning fly on the cable of Mia's arrow. Then, Mia and J'onn were electrocuted and released the grappling arrow. Both were thrown away towards the scaffolding. The Amazing Spider-Man jumped on Electro, but fell on the scaffolding. The elderly Spider-Man jumped on the electric man, who fired lightning bolts at him, holding him in place in the air as Spider-Man began to scream with pain. Peter climbed the crane and tried to jump on Dillon from behind, but he teleported in a flash and blew up Peter, who fell several levels off the scaffolding.
Elsewhere, the Lizard freed himself from the webs that held him prisoner. He stopped and heard Ned and MJ in the science lab of Midtown High.
Ned was still trying to close the golden portal still open to the Midtown's science lab. He doesn't succeed.
"I got it. Got this."
"All right, we're gonna do it again. We're just gonna keep trying. Alright. We got it." MJ encouraged him by trying to restore his confidence. "Close it. Close it."
With horror, Earth – Prime's Spider-Man noticed that the Lizard was rushing straight into the open portal to the science lab.
"Oh, no. No, no, no!"
"I'm on it, Spider-Man!" said J'onn floating towards the reptilian monster.
Ned and MJ saw the Lizard coming right at them, with horror.
"Ned, that is the Lizard!" exclaimed MJ.
"MJ, NED, RUN!" yelled J'onn flying straight to the golden portal.
The two teenagers started running while the Lizard and J'onn jumped through the portal, crashing on the chairs and tables in the laboratory.
The Martian clung to the green monster, trying to slow down his run. Ned and MJ ran to save their lives. They had no choice but to cross the open gate and head for the scaffolding of the Statue of Liberty.
The Lizard got rid of the Martian, and was about to get Ned and MJ when Spider-Man managed to hold him by using his spider strength.
"CONNORS STOP!" he screamed clinging to the monster.
Spider-Man, J'onn and the fighting lizard, rammed through the portal and fell back onto the scaffolding. The Lizard threw Spider-Man and the Martian to the ground, and ran after Ned and MJ.
The Amazing Spider-Man was still stuck by the power of Electro. While the electric man laughed, his Spider-Man lost control of the cure device. He hit the scaffold below, where the elderly Spider-Man caught him with one of his webs! He began to rush towards the man electric to inject his cure. When suddenly, a tentacular arm seized him and swung him back. The elderly Spider-Man dropped the cure as another tentacle caught the Amazing Spider-Man, still being shaken by Electro's lightning.
Mia and Alex arrived in time to see Doctor Octopus rise up just behind Electro.
"Octavius?" said Alex, astonished. "Peter had cured him! What's he doing?"
"Damn, we have another problem." declared Mia disconsolate.
"Leave them. They're mine." said Octavius to the electric man without looking at him.
"I don't need your help. I got it just fine." Dillon grumbled, ignoring the tentacle man by continuing to throw his electric attack on the two Spider-Men he was holding.
"Octavius? What are you doing?" exclaimed Alex with eyes wide open in astonishment.
"Dr. Octavius… No…" exclaimed the elderly Spider-Man as he struggled against the tentacle that held him.
Doctor Octopus smiles at them. Then, to the surprise of everyone, a third tentacle clung to the Arc Reactor on Electro's chest.
"What are you doing?!" growled Electro as he struggled to remove the mechanical arm from the Arc Reactor. "Get it off me!"
Octavius released the two Spider-Men.
"He's on our side!" says Alex rejoicing. "He's coming to help us!"
Mia immediately picked up the cure for Dillon.
"Doc, catch!"
She launched the device. Octavius raised a fourth tentacle which caught it at once. And he took the Arc Reactor off the harness on Electro's chest and put in its place the cure device while it shone before all the slits flickered green, while the electricity disappeared.
"There you go!" Octavius was satisfied, while Dillon looked dazed, no longer feeling his powers.
Meanwhile, Ned and MJ were still running to save their lives from the Lizard that was chasing them. Ned desperately tried to open a portal to another place. Any other place. The Lizard jumped on them and Ned managed to open a portal to the bottom of the New York Bay. The water rushes in, knocking the gigantic reptile down.
MJ grabbed the Lizard's cure device. The green monster skidded until it stopped, water and broken scaffolding falling around it.
Spider-Man swung to meet him and kicked the Lizard away.
"MJ!"
Spider-Man's girlfriend threw the cure against the Lizard. Connors leaps forward. But J'onn had thrown himself upon him, and seized him by the body, preventing him from moving. Spider-Man caught the cure and shoved it into the Lizard's jaws releasing green gas. The Lizard staggered back, beginning to metamorphose.
Ned and MJ watched the transformation before their eyes, totally fascinated. Then MJ took La Macchina di Kadavus from his friend.
"We gotta hide this thing!"
"No, no, wait!" Ned nodded.
Ned quickly opened a portal. A warm desert breeze blew in, as Dr Strange came out of the Mirror Dimension, glaring at Ned and MJ.
"Where is he?" he growled with a threatening look.
He used his hands, retaking the Sling Ring from Ned's hands and the Box from MJ's hands.
"Wait, wait, wait!" pleaded MJ.
Ned added:
"Before you do anything, Mister... Doctor Strange, sir, well... Peter's plan is working."
"What plan?" asked Strange suddenly confused.
"He's curing them." replied Ned, showing him the healing of the Lizard.
Dr Strange stepped forward to see the Lizard transform again into Dr Curt Connors, Spider-Man at his side.
"Dr. Connors?" asked the latter, not noticing the return of the Master of Mystical Arts. "Welcome back, sir."
Strange watched the scene before his eyes with disbelief.
"Well, I'll be damned..."
Then he turned to Ned.
"Did you just open a portal?"
"Yes... yes, sir. I did." stuttered Ned stunned.
Strange inspired, impressed by the young man's gaze and then walked away. Stunned, Ned looks at MJ, wondering if Dr. Strange had approved him for his portals.
At the top of the scaffolding, Octavius' tentacular arm had gently dropped Max Dillon on the floor of the building. The Amazing Spider-Man dropped next to him by removing his mask.
"Max. Max?"
"Don't worry. I'm all tapped out." replied Dillon exhausted and defeated.
"You sure about that?" asked Peter.
"Back to being a nobody…" the old electric man assured him by letting himself lie on the ground.
"You were never a nobody, Max."
"Yes, I was. Yes, I was. You didn't see me. Can I tell you something? You got a nice face. You're just a kid. You're from Queens... You got that suit... You helping out people... I just thought you was gonna be black."
"Oh, man. I'm sorry." said Amazing Peter feeling bad for his old enemy.
"Ah, don't mind it. There's gotta be a black Spider-Man somewhere out there." Dillon remarked.
The Amazing Peter reached out to him with sympathy.
"Goddamn eels!" mumbled Dillon accepting the hand that Spider-Man gave him.
Octavius looked at the Arc Reactor in his hand, fascinated that someone had managed to create something he himself would have dreamed of inventing.
"The power of the sun…"
"…in the palm of your hand." a familiar voice came out behind him.
Octavius turned and recognized with astonishment his own Spider-Man of his universe.
"Peter?"
The elderly Spider-Man took off his mask, revealing the face of the Peter Parker that Octavius knew. Peter looked at the old scientist with a nostalgic smile.
"Otto."
"Oh, it's good to see you, dear boy." said Octavius smiling with a cheerful air.
"It's good to see you." replied the elderly Peter, as happy as he was.
"You're all grown up." the tentacle scientist remarked. "How are you?"
"Trying to do better." replied Peter, remembering his first meeting with Otto Octavius with a smile.
Octavius chuckled, the nostalgia invading both of them.
Alex spotted them and realized with satisfaction.
"They are from the same universe."
Then, Dr Strange emerged from a portal near the crown of the Statue, carrying the Box. Spider-Man stood in front of him and took off his mask.
"Strange, wait, we're so close…!"
Alex joined him. She tried to reason with the Master of Mystical Arts.
"Stephen! Before you do anything…"
"Skip it!" toned Strange with a loud voice filled with anger. "I've been dangling over the Grand Canyon for twelve hours!"
But he interrupted himself by noticing the older version of Peter.
"I-I'm sorry about that, sir, I mean…" whispered Peter from Earth – Prime.
Then, the Amazing Spider-Man joined them. Strange seemed stunned, and his jaw fell at the sight of the three Spider-Men he had in front of him.
"I'm really sorry, sir." said Peter awkwardly.
"You went to the Grand Canyon?!" exclaimed the elderly Peter with confusion as he stared at Strange.
"He could've used your help!" added the Amazing Peter to the Master of Mystical Arts.
Dr. Strange rolled his eyes and shook his head.
"No, no, no, it's okay, it's okay! Uh, these… These are my new friends!" tried to reassure Peter by revealing his doppelgängers to Strange. "This is Peter Parker, this is Peter Parker, Spider-Man, Spider-Man, they're mes from other universes, they're here to help."
"These two are Peter's doppelgängers in other universes." explained Alex more clearly.
Peter introduced Strange to his two counterparts:
"This is the wizard I was telling you about."
It was too much for Strange, who replied in a quieter voice to the Peter he knew:
"Look, I am really impressed that you've managed to give them all a second chance, kid. But this has to end, now."
J'onn came to join them in his human form.
"Strange, there are some things to consider before deciding to send our visitors home. We are not finished yet."
"We haven't cured Osborn yet." replied Mia, joining them in turn.
Suddenly, a grim and bitter voice comes out from somewhere in the dark sky:
"CAN THE SPIDER-MAN COME OUT TO PLAY?!"
The blood of the old Spider-Man froze and his eyes widened as he suddenly raised his eyes to see the Green Goblin on his glider flying and whose silhouette was cut by the moon. He flew in a dive, throwing shot after shot of pumpkin bombs.
"Osborn!" exclaimed Alex with disdain, recognizing the terrifying figure.
"Green Goblin!" added Mia, drawing her bow.
"We have to stop him quickly." J'onn said.
All the heroes present, including Octavius, prepared to face the sinister Green Goblin.