As the fist bore down on him, Kyle used Repel, the point originating on his left shoulder. He was blown sideways and at an angle, Synaptic Barbs screaming as the air parted around the massive attack. As expected, the creature followed-up with an elbow strike as it pivoted back around. This was the same combination he’d been struck with earlier, and he ducked underneath the attack, then sidestepped the chopping blow that came crashing down as a follow-up. The ground below him shook, shards of bone embedding themselves in the monster’s hand in the aftermath of the strike.

  That served as the signal Kyle needed. With a surge of power, he twisted and tore at the creature with Parasitic Resonance. The response was more dramatic this time, the creature letting out a shriek of pain as it began to thrash. Kyle was forced to activate Storm Shelter in response, keeping the beast close as Parasitic Resonance did its work.

  Again, spiderweb cracks formed due to the onslaught, and Kyle knew he didn’t have much time. He felt a steady influx of mana from the creature, which was baffling in and of itself. Up to this point, Kyle didn’t think it would be possible for a D Grade to sustain this type of mana drain while still being able to move. This creature shattered that belief.

  Just as Storm Shelter shattered, Kyle darted backward, distancing himself from the blindly thrashing beast. The damage he inflicted with Parasitic Resonance was more pronounced, with its eyes being destroyed. This part of the plan, at least, seemed to work well enough. The monster continued its rampage blindly, unable to locate Kyle after he disengaged.

  Unfortunately, that was the only aspect that went as Kyle hoped. Even with the significantly deeper application of Parasitic Resonance, the behemoth was still up and moving. It was a mixed bag; one that Kyle didn’t feel good about. The creature’s body was visibly being knit back together, though more slowly than before. Identify confirmed that the mana pathways in its body were a mess, the lingering damage from Parasitic Resonance taking a tremendous toll. Still, the monster continued to fight.

  Kyle couldn’t image the agony and pain that it must be going through, which left a bitter taste in his mouth. He never relished the suffering of others, and though this was a true life-or-death battle, he didn’t want to prolong it. Unfortunately, he didn’t have a choice in the matter.

  With the monster’s unreal durability, none of the other skills in Kyle’s arsenal would do the trick. From the look of things, he would have to repeat the process at least once more. Even then, it wouldn’t be a clean death. Kyle would have to do enough damage to systematically shut down every critical function, and then hope the beast would simply collapse and fade away.

  He let out a weary sigh, then approached the monster again. It was a shame it had to be this way, but at this point he wasn’t willing to just walk away. A familiar jolt of pain ran through his stomach, and he knew that the Core of the Parasitic Devourer had added a new item to its menu.

  Careful to keep a safe distance from the blinded creature, Kyle once again infiltrated its system with Parasitic Resonance, allowing the connection to go deep. An explosion of gore fountained from one of its shoulders, and Kyle saw a fresh, bloodshot eye appear, fixating on him almost immediately. The creature let out another feral bellow, and turned to pursue Kyle, a fist already on its way.

  Kyle simply activated Storm Shelter, and watched with a tinge of pity as the creature broke its newly reformed hands for the third time against his barrier. It’s howls were a mix of rage and pain, and part of Kyle wanted to know why it seemed so hell-bent on continuing its attack. Most creatures with any type of survival instinct would have left by now, but this creature seemed keen on throwing its life away.

  Kyle obliged it.

  One final push of Parasitic Resonance, and the monster collapsed to the ground for the final time. Kyle forced himself to watch as it let out its last, labored breath. He wasn’t satisfied with how he’d gotten to this conclusion, and he felt relief when it finally expired. He definitely wanted to take some time to meditate, but first he had a goblin to track down.

  “C.H.A.D.D., where did the goblin go?”

  [IT RETREATED TOWARD THE RUINS, DR. MAYHEW. MARKING IT ON YOUR MAP NOW.]

  A small dot appeared a good distance away, the goblin having made impressive time in its escape. Of course, the battle against the monster hadn’t exactly been a quick one. With Ignition active, Kyle gained ground quickly. The goblin looked back at him at one point, eyes only widening as it took in the crimson glow. It let out a high-pitched squeak, and then redoubled its efforts at escape.

  With a final burst of speed, Kyle got in front of it, holding out his hands in a placating gesture.

  Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.

  “Whoa, there. Slow down, I’m not here to hurt you. I just have some questions,” Kyle said, using the most reasonable tone he could muster.

  “What… what are you? And how do I understand you? Wait, do you understand me?” the goblin asked, and Kyle could see that it was a younger male, likely just into adulthood. “Are you some kind of monster? Please, don’t hurt me! I swear, I’m not a threat! Ancestors above, please! I have a family!”

  The goblin’s voice increased in tenor and pace with each word he spoke, shrinking back bit by bit.

  “It’s a long story, but I’m not from around here. I promise, I’m not looking to cause you any harm. I just want to learn more about where I’m at relative to the capitol, and about this place. That’s it.” Kyle offered the goblin a warm smile, which didn’t seem to help calm the young man down one bit.

  “I’ll tell you anything you want to hear, just please don’t eat me!”

  Kyle raised an eyebrow. “Why do you think I’d want to eat you? Actually, never mind. Let’s start with your name. You can call me Kyle.”

  That seemed to get the goblin thinking, and he met Kyle’s eyes for the first time, seeming to take a moment to study him. “My name is Vel’Norn. I’ve never heard of monsters using names before, or communicating like this. You’re truly not one of the abominations? You’re not with the one that was pursuing me?”

  “Of course not!” Kyle said, consternation in his voice. “How could you think that I’m related to that thing?”

  Vel’Norn seemed to stop for a moment, considering the leaps in logic he’d taken to reach his conclusions. “I’m… not entirely sure. This has been a very stressful evening, as you can imagine.”

  Thinking back on the day he had, Kyle couldn’t suppress a grin at the goblin’s words. “I can certainly relate to that. Let’s start at the beginning – why are you out here? And while we’re at it, where is ‘here?’”

  “I… I’m afraid I don’t understand,” Vel’Norn said, voice shaking.

  “Do you know where we are, relative to the capitol city?” Kyle pressed.

  “I can’t say with exactness, never having been there myself, but I believe we’re the better part of a continent away. If you arrived here to reach the capitol, I’m afraid you’re in quite the wrong spot.”

  Kyle took a moment to compose himself. The news wasn’t great, though it could be worse. All about perspective, Kyle thought.

  The goblin youth was still looking up at Kyle, eyes large, and he decided to keep asking questions before Vel’Norn got overwhelmed again.

  “Are monsters like the one that was chasing you common around here?”

  As if snapping from a trance, Vel’Norn looked around, as if only now realizing that the behemoth was gone.

  “Common? No, hardly. There are few enough of them, though I had the misfortune to encounter one. How did you get it to leave? Illusion spells? Stealth? No, not with you glowing like that… perhaps using some sort of bait? A lure?”

  Kyle considered telling the truth, before letting the matter drop. The goblin was already terrified. Mentioning that he managed to kill one, and would need to hunt others was unlikely to make that particular problem better. “Relax, it’s not going to come back. You mentioned that they’re somewhat rare, how expansive is their territory?”

  Kyle had to repeat the question once more to get Vel’Norn’s attention again before the goblin answered. “Oh, yes. Apologies. They’ve spread out quite a bit, though they’re all still within a few days travel of the ruins. They have been for years.”

  Kyle frowned at that, meeting Vel’Norn’s eyes. “If that’s the case, what were you doing out here? No offense, but that thing had you dead to rights if I hadn’t shown up. If you knew that they were likely to be around, why come at all?”

  The goblin sighed, looking away. “A lot of the people in my village are getting sick. Not the normal sick, mind you. Whatever it is has been spreading, now our Healer is sick as well. There used to be a lot of Healers and researchers here, and I was hoping that they might have left behind something that can help. A notebook, some potions, anything.”

  Vel’Norn paused for a moment, his eyes distant. “I’m one of the fastest and stealthiest people we have. I thought that I could slip by. Serenel told me not to go, but I thought I would be good enough. I was wrong.”

  Kyle nodded, his gut telling him that Vel’Norn was being honest. “I’m not a student of epidemiology, but I might be able to help. At the least, I could try to stabilize your Healer and buy some time. All I’d ask is for a place to rest and some food to eat, if that’s okay with you.”

  Vel’Norn’s expression turned thoughtful, his eyes looking up at the twin moons. He stayed like that for nearly a full minute, and Kyle simply stood by, waiting for him to reply. Eventually, he did. “Do you mean to tell me that you ended up out here without shelter or supplies? You seriously just appeared out of nowhere, with no idea where you were going, and now you want access to the village?”

  “Well, when you put it that way, it sounds sort of strange.”

  Vel’Norn gave him a flat look. “You’re an alien or some sort of mutated troll, you have no idea where you are, and you want me to believe that you might have the answers to all my village’s problems. You’ll forgive me for thinking this all feels a little contrived.”

  “You’re welcome to think that if you’d like,” Kyle said. “That still leaves the question, are your odds better working with me or on your own?”

  The goblin thought for a moment, then nodded. “I suppose you have a point. I was hoping to rest at the ruins tonight, but with the creature about we’ll need to find somewhere safe. Do you have anywhere in mind?”

  Kyle was about to tell him they didn’t need to worry, but instead he nodded. “I know a spot.” He guided the goblin to one of the other locations C.H.A.D.D. marked for him earlier, a clearing surrounded by large stones, and they settled in. Kyle offered to take the first watch, despite his weariness, but before he let the goblin drift off to sleep, he had one question he wanted to get answered.

  “What’s so significant about these ruins? It feels like whatever was here was built in the middle of nowhere.”

  Vel’Norn nodded gravely. “It was built out here intentionally. From what I’ve heard, it was a secret medical facility, financed and maintained by the old royal family. I don’t know what it used to be called, but today we just call it Railen’s Folly.”