“What are you doing here?” the goblin girl asked, goggles flashing in the low light.

  I didn't bother trying to talk, instead drawing the pistol I'd taken to carrying on me at all times. I'd heard her words, I'd heard the explosion. Someone was almost certainly dead, and this wasn't the time for talking.

  She was quick too, her hand flashing upwards a beat after my own. It wasn't superhuman speed like I had, just good reactions. As my finger squeezed the trigger a blue glow surrounded my weapon. I could see as the trigger fell, almost in slow motion, but couldn't do anything about it, clearly she was up to something.

  The weapon exploded, some kind of blockage from her magic, small, exact, and incredibly fast. It looked almost like something out of an old cartoon, with the barrel bursting and curling away. As it did a piece of shrapnel sliced across my bicep, another catching the edge of my cheek and leaving a deep score.

  “Now now, I've seen that trick enough times,” she chided as I recoiled, the pain from the blast radiating across me. “You didn't think it'd work again did you?”

  “Honestly I was kind of hoping,” I said as I threw the now broken weapon at her, at a loss of what else to do with it.

  “Come now, don't you have something new?” she said, the shards of the gun stopping and hovering in place.

  “Still working on it,” I admitted as I charged and threw my hardest punch at her, only for it to be intercepted by one of her bubble shields.

  “Shame, you do have such interesting toys. However I'm not here for you.”

  She'd seen my tricks, but I'd also seen hers, and when her goggles shifted I closed my eyes. The flash was visible even through my eyelids, but not nearly as disabling as it had been last time. Her follow-up of a force wave that sent me sprawling into a nearby wall didn't miss though.

  “I'll stop you,” I wheezed as I tried to catch my breath and rise.

  The rubble around me picked me up once more and slammed me back down.

  This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

  “Kindly stop, big sister likes you as much as she can a human and I think she'd be peeved if I had to kill you. Like I said, I'm not here for you.”

  “If you don't mind my asking, who are you here for then?” came a familiar voice.

  Ignus had caught up, and looked almost calm as he stood in the hallway, hands at his sides, eyes flicking between me and the girl.

  “The ones who've been killing my brothers and sisters. Who are you?” she asked the man.

  “Ah, you may call me Ignus. I'll admit it is refreshing to talk with one of your kind, we've had such trouble...”

  “We?” she asked.

  “Ah, I represent the authorities of this city. I believe we might be able to solve all of this peacefully. Though my people have been looking for yours, to my knowledge none have managed to have direct contact so far.”

  He was so calm I wanted to smack him. I was laying here, out of breath and cut up and he was having a polite conversation like they were meeting in a park or something. However I wasn't fool enough to interrupt while they spoke, he seemed to be up to something.

  “Interesting, I'll relay your intent upwards,” Greta said, ears perking. “But for now I must go.”

  I didn't need to guess at why either, I could hear it. There were other noises from down below, commotion, a lot of it. Yelling, not screaming in fear, but something to be sure. Ignus didn't try to do anything as the goblin girl retreated, bouncing down the hall at speed.

  “What was that?” I asked as I tried to rise from the rubble.

  “Building rapport, you did indicate that not all of them were mad didn't you? And if I'm not much mistaken that was one of the goblins you've interacted with before?”

  “It is,” I admitted. “She was there when...”

  “Yes, I know. Also, what was I supposed to do? She soundly defeated you, and I don't have the capability to defeat her while she's on her guard. Next time maybe don't rush in.”

  “Next time I need to be better prepared,” I grumbled.

  “Agreed, and better trained.” As he spoke I shot him a look I hope communicated the fact that had my gun not been broken it wouldn't be the only thing I'd have shot at him.

  “Enough of that, we need to check on the others.”

  It took me a moment to check myself before we headed downstairs. I was weaponless, Ignus was powerless, and frankly neither of us had come prepped for battle, but that didn't mean we got to run away. No, regardless of the situation we needed to move forward, to continue towards the danger, for that is the path both of us had chosen.

  The smell hit me like a hammer as we entered the main hall. Most of my people had run off, but not all of them. Simon, Priscilla, the priest from The Shield, they were here, as well as mine and Rowenna's families. Most of them were sprawled on the ground, retching, pale, but seemingly unharmed. A few of the men were pulling themselves together, but were clearly spattered with vomit.

  Only one person wasn't, the proprietor, who lay still among the chaos. I recognized him from his suit, for his head was gone, melted by the looks of it. There wasn't blood, but that didn't detract from the fact that he was seriously dead.

  “But why?” I asked, confused at the one dead person in the room. So far as I knew he hadn't even been a threat.

  “We need to find out,” Ignus muttered.

  Priscilla rose on shaky legs, stumbling as she tried to help the others up. By the time I made it over to them it was clear both she, and the other priest were in a minor panic.

  “Death priest?” she asked the elder caster.

  “He didn't kill us, but we need to report this and now,” the man said with a shake of his head.

  “Are you okay?” I asked as I came near.

  “No, no, we're not, that was clearly an unauthorized use of offensive priestly magic. I'd heard that perhaps there was someone, but, that wasn't even a human was it?” she asked.

  “Probably not,” I admitted.

  “People need to know, the right people, right now.” That was all she had to say before seeing to the others.