by Pirateaba
“He’s that guy who poured his food on the ground, right?”
Erin frowned at Yellow Splatters as the [Sergeant] sat at his table, looking around with all four arms folded across his chest. Purple Smile was waving at her and she waved back with a smile to him. Then she turned to Lyonette.
“Okay, serve him last and let the other Antinium begin eating first. If he does that again, I’ll talk to them. But I’m worried about the Halfseekers too. Jelaqua’s not looking happy.”
“Of course she’s not! But she probably won’t start a fight.”
“You sure? Right, just don’t serve her anything strong, okay? Feed her, don’t let her drink. A happy Selphid’s a fat Selphid. Or something.”
Lyonette smiled and hurried off. Erin circulated the tables, smiling at everyone and not getting many smiles in return. The Goblins were muttering to themselves, the Halfseekers looked like they were having an argument. Ceria and Ksmvr were helping get some mud off Yvlon and Pisces was complaining about his order to Erin. The Antinium were just—just sitting there, waiting for their food.
And then it happened. There was a yelp and Headscratcher sat up in his seat. Instantly, the room tensed. Erin turned, and saw Jelaqua and the Halfseekers half-risen from their chairs.
“Wait, wait!”
She shouted at them as Lyonette stared at Headscratcher. He was grimacing, raising one of his arms. It rose over the edge of the table and, hanging from it, her teeth still buried in his arm, was Mrsha.
“Mrsha!”
Lyonette cried out in horror and rushed forwards. Headscratcher regarded the Gnoll, wincing as she growled and bit into his arm. She refused to let go, and the Goblin didn’t seemed inclined to make her let go. He had frozen with the other Goblins. Badarrow watched Lyonette tensely and moved back, eying the Halfseekers and Lyonette went over to Headscratcher and Mrsha.
“I am so sorry. Mrsha! Let go now, little miss! I mean it! Let go now or—”
Mrsha let go and dropped onto the table. She growled, her eyes flashing. Her mouth was red with blood. Lyonette froze. There was more than a bit of feral animal in the small Gnoll. Ishkr growled something at her and she snarled wordlessly at him. Erin turned back towards the table, concerned. Across the room Ceria whispered to her team.
“What’s wrong with Mrsha?”
The Gnoll was growling at the Goblins. Headscratcher leaned back, not so much afraid as wary. Lyonette seized Mrsha and waved desperately at Drassi and Ishkr.
“Keep serving! I’ll—Mrsha, you’re apologizing. Now!”
The Gnoll fought her, clawing at Lyonette, snapping. Lyonette could barely hold on, and Erin was hurrying over to her when the second thing happened. Ishkr went over to the Antinium, holding bowls of ground beef seasoned with hot pepper and a fried egg on top. He passed it to Purple Smile, and the Soldier passed it to a Worker. And Yellow Splatters lost his temper.
—-
Yellow Splatters had seen Mrsha sneaking downstairs and underneath the Goblin’s table. The Gnoll was quite good at concealing herself despite her white fur. Perhaps only he had seen it; the other Antinium were too focused on the smells of cooking and the other people in the room were all glaring at each other.
He didn’t care, but when Mrsha bit the Goblin, Yellow Splatters appreciated her ferocity. The smell of blood and the sudden, sharp spike of tension and scent of fear—he felt like he was on the battlefield again.
That was good. But he stared at Purple Smile and hated the other Antinium for everything he was, everything he was not. Part of Yellow Spatters knew it didn’t make sense, but he didn’t care. He was just angry. Frustrated. He was in charge, but eight of his Painted Soldiers had still come here! And Pawn and Anand and Belgrade all liked Purple Smile. And why had Twin Stripes become Aberration?
Then the Gnoll with red-brown fur came over and handed a bowl of food to Purple Smile. He shouldn’t have done that. He should have served Yellow Splatters first, but the [Sergeant] was prepared to overlook that. What he wasn’t willing to forgive was when Purple Smile took the bowl and handed it to a Worker.
A Worker. Not a Soldier. Not one of the warriors who risked his life to fight day and night for the Hive, who gave their lives—Yellow Splatters’ four hands clenched into fists as the Worker hesitantly accepted the bowl. It looked up at Purple Smile, and the Soldier raised his mandibles and gestured for the Worker to begin eating.
That was it. That was the last straw! Yellow Splatters rose and flipped the table over. The Worker and other Soldiers flinched back as he charged around the table at Purple Smile. The other Soldier leapt to his feet, and then Yellow Splatters was punching at him, trying to bash the Antinium’s head in.
“What the—”
The Horns of Hammerad were on their feet. Ksmvr leapt to his feet and thrust Yvlon back as the adventurers reached for their weapons. Purple Smile and Yellow Splatters ignored the cries of alarm throughout the rest of the room. There was only the two Soldiers, face-to-face, mandibles nearly touching, each one throwing punches, blocking, dodging as they fought.
Yellow Splatters knew he had the advantage. He was bigger, stronger, thanks to his classes, and he had the [Touch Carapace] and [Power Strike] Skills. Only, he wouldn’t use [Power Strike]; he’d just beat Purple Smile within an inch of his life to prove to everyone who was right! He lashed out and Purple Smile dodged backwards, two hands raised protectively, the other two warding off punches.
“You two Antinium desist! I am Ksmvr, former Prognugator of the Hive and you are causing a public disturbance in—”
He was doing it again! Yellow Splatters clashed his mandibles together, throwing punches at Purple Smile. He was retreating! Running away! The Soldier was dancing backwards, refusing to let Yellow Splatters get a clear shot at him. All of Yellow Splatter’s blows were blocked or deflected. The other Soldier tried to express his fury as he charged forwards.
This wasn’t right! He should be undefeatable. Purple Smile shouldn’t be fighting equally with him! No one should listen to him! It was Yellow Splatters who had all the answers! Only his opinion mattered! He was right! He couldn’t be wrong! He was right! hE wAs RIghT!
“Enough!”
Erin was pushing towards them, but two of the Goblins were thrusting her back. One had a sword in his hand and was rising, wary and tense. Another was fiddling with a bow. Across the room, the half-Giant was arguing with his companions, raising his staff. The Horns of Hammerad were similarly caught in indecision, tense, waiting for the stalemate between the two Soldiers to break. Every eye was on the Soldiers now, and Lyonette’s grip on Mrsha had loosened.
The Gnoll took the chance. She wriggled out of Lyonette’s grip, kicked off from the stunned young woman and leapt onto the table with the Goblins. They were all distracted. The Gnoll reached for the wand she’d hidden with a bit of string on her furry body. She tore it loose and ran towards Badarrow. She raised the tip of the long, thin, pointy magical wand, and then she thrust it into his ear.
—-
Time slowed. Lyonette saw Mrsha thrusting with the wand, the hard, thin stiletto of wood. It was aimed right at Badarrow’s pointed ears, and it went into his earhole, towards his brain.
Only Badarrow’s warrior reflexes saved him. The Goblin twisted at the last moment and the wand was torn out of Mrsha’s grip. It flew across the room, and Badarrow clutched at his left ear. Blood trickled from it as the Goblins jerked and stared at Mrsha. She snarled, bared her teeth—
“Mrsha!”
Erin’s voice was shocked. Lyonette didn’t wait for words. The horror of what Mrsha had done, tried to do, moved her body. She grabbed Mrsha. The Gnoll wriggled, hissing, biting in her grip—Lyonette flipped her over and began to spank her with all her might.
At first, the shock of what was happening froze Mrsha, but then she was wriggling, yowling in pain, trying to get away. Lyonette held her in place, spanking the Gnoll hard, tears in her eyes.
“You do not do that! Understand? How could you? Yo
u do not do that, Mrsha!”
The Gnoll was crying now, from the pain as much as Lyonette’s shouting. Lyonette kept going, trying to tell the Gnoll, remembering the tip of the wand going into Badarrow’s ear—she only stopped when someone grabbed her hand.
Headscratcher stopped Lyonette’s arm as it rose for another swat. The Goblin looked at Mrsha, and Lyonette saw the Gnoll’s face was streaked with tears. Mrsha leapt from the table and raced upstairs. Lyonette sank to the floor, sobbing.
Across the room, the fight between Purple Smile and Yellow Spatters had reached its conclusion. The [Sergeant] had cornered Purple Smile and was bashing through his guard. The other Soldier was blocking but his guard was failing. A few more blows and Yellow Splatters would be tearing his carapace off, beating him into piece—
The cold prick of metal jabbed into his side, painful, making his break off. Yellow Splatters turned and froze. A shortsword was at his neck—an arrow trained on his face. Ksmvr held both his shortbow and shortsword with his three hands. He shifted the arrow to Purple Smile.
“Hold still, both of you. This fight is over.”
The two Soldiers froze in place, staring at Ksmvr. The Antinium’s voice wobbled a bit, but steadied as he continued.
“I am a former Prognugator of the Hive. That gives me no authority.”
He paused. The Soldiers glanced at him and each other. Ksmvr pressed his sword further into Yellow Splatter’s side.
“No authority. At all. But I am led to understand that this sword gives me all the authority I need. Move and I will injure you non-lethally but in a very painful way.”
The two Soldiers didn’t move. The other Antinium were on their feet, staring at them. The Goblins were clustered around Badarrow. He looked expressionlessly around, one hand clamped to an ear leaking blood. The Halfseekers were staring, the Horns of Hammerad were ready to defend Ksmvr. Lyonette was crying, Drassi and Ishkr were uncertain.
And Erin knew what she had to do. She stepped towards Lyonette and Apista buzzed off the windowsill. She flew around, stinger protruding dangerously. Erin took a cautious step and Apista landed on her arm. Erin looked at the Ashfire Bee and lost her temper.
4.42 L
The inn was tense silence. Erin’s heart was in pieces over Mrsha, and she was afraid for Ksmvr, confused about the Antinium. She looked at Badarrow, bleeding, expressionless, and her heart broke in a different way. And then there was the bee.
Apista fanned her wings dangerously as she slowly extended her stinger on her abdomen. Erin stared at the Ashfire Bee coldly.
“Sting me and Lyonette will have to sweep you up, Apista. Understand?”
The air around her froze and the bee hesitated. Slowly it withdrew its stinger and flew off Erin’s arm. It landed on a table and hid behind a mug. Erin nodded. She took a deep breath.
“Okay. Everyone? Freeze.”
It wasn’t so much the words as the atmosphere that came with it. A chill and a pause swept through the inn, which halted the adventurers, the Antinium, and the Goblins where they stood or sat and drew every eye to Erin. She nodded.
“Good. Now, the first person who moves I will personally break their arm. No one stands, draws a sword, or does anything until I say they can. Got it? Good.”
She looked around. The room was quiet. Erin bent and went to Lyonette.
“Lyonette?”
The young woman was crying.
“I had to—I couldn’t—”
“I know. But Badarrow’s fine. Lyonette, look at me.”
The [Princess] did, eyes red, nose dribbling. Erin gripped her arms.
“Go upstairs.”
“But—”
“You don’t have to go into the room. Just sit outside it and make sure Mrsha doesn’t go anywhere, okay? Can you do that?”
Lyonette hesitated, and then brushed at her nose. That only made things worse.
“I—I can. Okay.”
She got up slowly. Erin looked around. Next? Goblins. Antinium. The Goblins were staring. She pointed at Drassi and the Drake flinched.
“Healing potion, Drassi! Give it to Badarrow. Now, as for you—”
She turned to the tableau of frozen Antinium. All three of them stared at her as she walked over. Ksmvr had the tip of his shortsword jammed into Yellow Splatters’ side. A trickle of green blood was running down the length of the blade. Erin stared at Ksmvr.
“Put your sword down.”
He hesitated.
“Miss Erin—”
“I said, down, Ksmvr. Bow as well.”
He reluctantly obeyed. The other two Soldiers shifted when he did. Yellow Splatters began to raise his fist and Purple Smile tried to slide away across the wall. Erin stamped her foot and there was a localized tremor. The Antinium went still.
“You three, sit. Now.”
They looked at her, confused. Erin stared at them. There was a…look in her eyes. A suggestion that she might be willing to beat all three to death with her bare hands if she was not obeyed. The look of a Prognugator of a Hive.
“I said, sit.”
All three Antinium sat down. The two Soldiers and Ksmvr looked up at Erin from their cross-legged positions on the floor. She eyed them but decided not to comment.
“Good. Now, keep sitting. If any of you three move, I will have Moore come over and hit you. And if that doesn’t work, I’ll get Jelaqua to do it.”
She nodded at the Halfseekers. They stared at her. Erin flashed them a smile and walked over to the Goblins.
“I am very, very sorry about what Mrsha did.”
She said that to Badarrow first off. He stared at her and his face twisted into a sneer reminiscent of Pisces. He had already poured healing potion into his ear and was tilting his head to hold it in. Erin hoped his eardrum hadn’t been punctured or if it had, the healing potion would fix it. She looked at him and around the table.
“I mean it. That was inexcusable and shouldn’t have happened in my inn. You have my word she won’t do it again.”
The other four Goblins shifted in their seats and looked at each other. One gave Erin a half-hearted nod, and another shrugged.
There. That was what Erin felt, had been feeling this entire time. That sense of…disconnect. They didn’t believe her. Or if they did, they thought she wouldn’t be able to keep her word. Or—they were Goblins. They were used to being attacked. That was life.
And that was wrong. Erin hesitated just for a moment. But this was it. She felt what she had to do at last. She reached out and touched Badarrow. She grabbed his hands with hers, feeling his hands—warm and real, in hers.
He jerked, a trickle of potion and blood spilling out of one ear. Reflexively he tried to pull his hands away but Erin wouldn’t let him. She held his hands. His fingernails were long, yes, and his skin was green. Of course. But they were warm hands, and she could feel his pulse. It was accelerating. He was nervous. And as she stared into his crimson eyes, she saw a person there.
“There you are. I knew you were like me.”
He didn’t understand. Erin smiled at him. She leaned closer, and now she could smell him, and he couldn’t look away. She looked into his eyes and spoke.
“I am sorry about Mrsha. But she has a reason to hate you. Goblins killed her tribe.”
He flinched at that. All the Goblins did. They looked at Erin and away. They understood what she meant in a heartbeat of course, but they tried to distance themselves. They tried to hide in what they were and what she was. Goblins and a Human. Two species destined for conflict. They had given their hearts away once and lost them. They didn’t want to feel. But Erin was too close. Badarrow couldn’t look away.
“It was recently. A few months ago. And when she came here…I think she’s afraid you’ll kill her. I know you won’t. But I’m asking you to forgive her. I know she tried to kill you. But she’s a child. I’ll try to get her to come downstairs. I’m not asking you to do anything—but I hope you understand.”
Badarrow glanced into
Erin’s eyes and away. He tried to turn his head, but she kept drawing him back. And then he looked at her as if intoxicated. They were close. She was real. And so was he. He nodded, slowly and Erin smiled.
“Thank you. And I want you to know that I had a friend, once. Her name was Rags and she was a Goblin. She and I didn’t always understand each other, but I thought of her as a friend, as a person. I think you’re people too.”
The Goblins stared at her. Badarrow’s face was filled with expressions the other Redfang warriors had seldom seen. Shock, surprise, and then…a smile. As if he couldn’t help it. Erin smiled and looked around.
“Wait, please. Ishkr? Give them food and make sure everyone has something to eat. I’ll be down shortly.”
She strode towards the stairs and took them two at a time. She looked back only once. Badarrow was staring at his hands and another Goblin, Shorthilt, was prodding at his palms. He looked up at and met her eyes. And she smiled at him and knew he was embarrassed. All that Goblin mystique, all the tension, the uncertainty—she’d forgotten that if you looked into someone’s eyes, you could see their soul. And it shone brightly in the Goblin’s gaze.
Upstairs was different than below. The murmuring below and thawing of shock was at odds with the sound of crying above. Mrsha was sobbing and Lyonette was in tears. Erin strode towards the door to their room and opened it. Lyonette hovered at the doorway. Erin turned to her.
“I think I need to talk to Mrsha by herself.”
Lyonette hesitated, and then nodded. She went downstairs and Erin went inside. She found Mrsha curled up in her bedroll, quivering and making sobbing sounds, although of course she couldn’t fully articulate them. She had no voice, but some things were wordless. Erin reached out and the ball jerked under the covers. A head poked out and Mrsha stared at her.
“Mrsha—”
The Gnoll swiped at her with a paw. Erin caught the paw gently and looked at the Gnoll.
“We need to talk.”
