Bastion had been too distracted by the blood iron in the pool to pay any attention to his surroundings. He trusted that their two scouts, Elyra and Ariel, who had no interest in the materials in the cavern, would have their backs.

  Once Ariel shouted and pointed her guns in a certain direction, however, Bastion finally noticed a familiar glow in the distance. It was the glow of a Great Fate.

  “Ariel, stop!” Bastion shouted, but it was already too late.

  Ariel opened fire, sending a pair of Rank 1 bullets hurtling toward the figure holding a dagger on the far side of the cavern.

  Fortunately, Elyra, who had a direct line into Bastion’s thoughts, sensed his distress and intent. Without a word, she used Shadow Recall to appear behind Ariel, then used Shadow Rampart between the bullets and the target to raise a wall of shadows, deflecting the bullets away from their intended path.

  The sound of both guns firing startled Seraphina and Lilia out of their harvesting spree, as well as their voyeur in the shadows.

  "Shit! They have guns!" came a man’s scream, followed by the muddy footsteps of retreat.

  "Go grab him for me, Ely," Bastion said with a sigh of relief.

  "Yes, Master," Elyra replied before disappearing into the shadows.

  "Was that English?" Seraphina asked as she came closer.

  "Yup," Bastion replied.

  "That was a hero!?"

  "Yup."

  "We have to go get him."

  "Already sent Ely."

  "Will she be fine? I mean, it's a hero."

  Bastion thought for a split second and realized his mistake in sending Elyra alone. Heroes were reincarnators who had an absolute edge in their missions granted by the gods. This meant they could be as powerful as Seraphina, who at Apprentice Rank possessed explosives capable of taking down Rank 2 combatants.

  "Damn, you're right. We better go after them," Bastion said before racing after Elyra, with the girls following behind.

  Once they reached the end of the cavern, they were met with an unexpected sight. Elyra, their assassin and one-on-one combat specialist, was being held in place by orange spectral snakes. The snakes were controlled through channeling by a four-foot-tall shaman wearing a plague doctor’s mask and stitched hide leather.

  "Ely," Bastion called through telepathy, but there was no answer. Whatever these snakes were, they completely negated magic and immobilized their victim.

  Bastion immediately charged in, his sword and shield raised, ready to face a tough opponent, when the shaman shouted, "Shit!"

  He canceled the channeling, yanked a pot from his waist, and smashed it on the ground, releasing a thick black cloud that obscured vision.

  Undeterred thanks to their masks, Bastion and the girls rushed to Elyra, who took a moment to get her bearings.

  "Ely?" Bastion asked through telepathy.

  "I'm sorry for failing you, Master. That goblin's magic was powerful. It completely locked me in place while slowly draining my health, mana, and stamina. I couldn't even use magic or skills."

  "It's fine, Ely. I'm just glad you're safe. That goblin was a hero, so getting out alive is good enough."

  "Should we go after him?" Seraphina asked.

  "I'll go,” Bastion said. “You girls follow and make sure he doesn't lock me down with those snakes,"

  "I'll do it, Master," Elyra said with determination. "I managed to use Shadow Mark on him. This time, he won't be able to catch me off guard."

  "Alright, but we'll be right behind you."

  Elyra slipped into his shadow before reappearing from the shadow of the goblin shaman, who was sprinting away while cursing and smashing one clay pot after another.

  A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

  "Shit! Shit! Shit! That was too close. Who the fuck are those people!"

  Suddenly, Elyra popped out and used Shadow Bind on the goblin shaman, freezing him in place. She quickly began disarming him, leaving only the mask that was keeping him safe from the toxic air in the cavern.

  "You caught me off guard earlier, but this time you cannot escape," Elyra said.

  Bastion and the girls soon caught up to the pair.

  "How long can you hold him, Ely?" Bastion asked.

  "A few more seconds, Master. He's stronger than he looks."

  Bastion nodded and stepped in front of the goblin, blocking his only escape path into what looked like a natural tunnel.

  "I know you're a reincarnator who can speak English,” Bastion said in English. “I’m one too, so you don’t need to be afraid. We just want to talk. My maid will release you now, and I expect you to be civil. Do you understand?"

  The goblin didn’t respond, but judging from his widened eyes, he got the message.

  "You can release him now, Ely," Bastion said.

  Once the Shadow Bind was canceled, the goblin remained still, unsure of what to do. Instinctively, he searched for a way out, but between Bastion’s intimidating armored form and the scary maid behind him, he had nowhere to run.

  "You’re a reincarnator like me?" he asked, eyes flicking around for an exit.

  "Yeah. We’ve been here for 36 years and have finished our mission. What about you?"

  "I’ve been here for a decade as a goblin, and I… I haven’t finished mine yet. It’s getting harder and harder," he replied.

  Bastion noticed the goblin’s jittery demeanor and decided to de-escalate. "Oh, right. My name is Bastion. What’s yours?"

  "James. James Klein," he replied.

  "Nice to meet you, James. Now, how about we talk like civilized people instead of an interrogator and their captive?"

  "Right, sorry. It’s just been a long time since I’ve spoken with a human. Give me some time to adjust."

  "Sure," Bastion said, turning to the girls. "Lilia, make a sterile environment for us. Ely, some tea would be nice."

  Lilia nodded and cast a Rune Circle beneath them, inscribed with the runes Clean, Air, and Barrier. With her at the center, a force exploded, pushing the toxic air away before erecting a 10-meter-wide barrier.

  Elyra waited for the barrier to rise before setting up her gazebo, along with tea and snacks.

  The sudden magic and human comforts were enough to shock James, helping him regain a bit of his humanity, or at least his civility.

  Bastion used Armor Slot to quickly change into noble clothes, while everyone else removed their masks and took their seats.

  James tried to do the same and discovered the table was too high. Fortunately, Elyra added a cushion on the seat, allowing him to sit comfortably at the right height, at least as comfortable as he could get while surrounded by very attractive women, and their no-doubt husband.

  "You’ve met my maid, Elyra," Bastion introduced. "This is our mage, Lilia, and our scout, Ariel. And this is Seraphina, who’s also a reincarnator."

  James’s eyes widened. How common were reincarnators in this world? And why the fuck was he the only goblin?

  "Now that we’re acquainted," Bastion said, "I’d love to hear your story, as well as the specifics of your mission, but I understand if you feel intimidated and may have difficulty trusting us. So why don’t I start with our story before we move on to yours?"

  "I’d appreciate that."

  What followed was Bastion talking about everything, including a bit of his past life. Seraphina shared her story as well, all the way up to when they defeated the Demon Lord. As for Bastion’s vision of this cavern, he left that out, unsure of how much he was willing to trust this goblin.

  "Should I call you Your Highness?" James asked, trying to hide his envy.

  They were nobility, handed everything on a silver platter from birth. Bastion didn’t do much for their mission, simply living a life of luxury with a beautiful maid who definitely sucked his dick regularly, while Seraphina had everything figured out from day one, finishing their mission before they even graduated.

  What about him? He had been trudging through schemes, grabbing the smallest scraps of benefit while living among a bunch of savages. The treatment was worlds apart.

  "It’s Your Grace, but no. You don’t have to, since you’re not part of the kingdom,” Bastion replied. “Now, it’s your turn."

  “Right, well, I used to be an archaeologist until I died to a fucking snake. The next thing I knew, I met this old researcher god who wanted me to kill the chief of a goblin tribe.”

  “A decade ago I was born in a goblin village and given the name Drizzik. I started off just trying to clothe myself when, for some reason, all the goblins began putting me on a pedestal. Eventually, I was officially granted the right to become a shaman and learn their ways from the elders. At least, the ones who survived. They mostly taught me herbology and chemistry, which was all well and good until I discovered the markings along the walls of the shaman’s cave.”

  “It took me years to decipher them, but I eventually succeeded. From that, I learned their shamanistic magic and also discovered the existence of this cavern and how it was used to empower their leaders in the past. I came here to take a look when I found you. Well, when you found me.”

  “As for my mission, it’s to kill the current chief of the goblin tribe. The problem is that this guy is an absolute monster, someone I can’t just poison or trick. He’s too strong to scheme against. Now I’m practically grasping at straws just to survive. I haven’t thought about killing the chief in a long time.”

  James set his cup on the table, his hands trembling slightly, and stared at Bastion with desperate eyes.

  “Honestly… I’m fucked,” he admitted. “If there’s any way… please… can I ask for your help?”