Her motionless demeanor had me wondering. She's not dead now is she? The female Goblin lay sprawled across the dirt floor.
Her face buried against the rough surface, limbs awkwardly stretched in a way that made it difficult to tell whether she was simply unconscious or already halfway into whatever passed for the afterlife in this world.
I couldn't help but consider death an option seeing as how she refused still to give any sort of reaction.
Regardless, I narrowed my eyes, studying her carefully.
In my defense, I hadn't exactly gone all out on her. I didn't squeeze her skull hard enough to crush it when I had her head in my grip, and I certainly didn't slam her down with the full extent of Kaiden's strength.
Make that a mostly didn't case.
The only part I might be willing to reconsider was the impact. That part, I agree, might have been. How do I put this sweetly? Excessively considerate. I think.
Just a little bit over the top, if you will. Even at that, it shouldn't be enough to kill her outright. Not a Goblin.
Unlike humans, Goblins weren't built like fragile porcelain. They might look scrawny and underwhelming, but their inward physical composition told a different story entirely. Their bones were denser. Tougher. Their skin wasn't just skin either, it had this strange, almost rubber-like resilience to it.
So while they lacked raw physical power compared to stronger races, they made up for it in durability.
In short, they were annoyingly hard to kill. And right on cue, my assumption proved correct.
Her leg twitched. A small movement, but enough to completely dismiss the idea of her death.
Her head shifted slightly, dragging against the dirt with a weak scrape. I let out a breath I didn't realize I had been holding.
Good. Still alive.
"I'm glad that didn't kill you," I said with a stretch of a smile across my face as I stepped closer. "Really glad."
A soft chuckle escaped me. "Let's pick things up where we left off, shall we?"
I bent down and grabbed her right leg. The moment my hand made contact, it twitched.
Not hers. Mine did. Or rather. It wasn't as much not my hand as it was the force that guided the said hand in question.
The impulse was brief, but unmistakable. A subtle resistance, like a whisper pushing against my control, urging me to let go.
So that's how it is uhu, Kaiden my friend.
Even buried beneath layers of shock, even with me in complete control of his body, his subconscious still found a way to react.
Still found a way to hesitate. And over what? For Her sake? I clicked my tongue in irritation. "Seriously dude?"
Of all the moments to grow a spine, this was what he chose?
The same female who had played him, used him, and tossed him aside without a second thought. And now, when it came time to return the favor, he hesitated?
Pathetic.
"If you were going to be like this," I framed under my breath, tightening my grip on her leg, "you should've warned me you were a simp."
The word felt fitting for the likes of him. Too fitting with the character demonstration especially.
Not that I hated people like that. No, hate was too strong a word. It was more a refusal to understand them.
A mutual distance if you will.
I simply couldn't wrap my head around the idea of devoting yourself entirely to someone who didn't value you the same way.
It made no sense. None at all. Still. I exhaled slowly. I couldn't fully blame him either.
The memories I had seen, the fragments of his past hidden within that twisted female Goblin's mind. They painted a different picture. A pitiful one.
A life shaped by neglect, manipulation, and quiet suffering. No wonder he turned out like this.
So weak minded and too bashfully hesitant to do what needs to be done? Stomp on the motherfucking fucktards who dares to stomp him.
My motto? payback what you are paid in full.
Being spineless and overly kind would get you nothing aside a reason to be looked down on. I clicked my tongue again.
"Don't worry," I assured, more to him than anyone else. "I'll fix that spineless nature out of you"
My grip tightened further.
"I'll break that part of you down and rebuild it properly." A small smile crept onto my face. "But first…"
I yanked. Her body dragged across the ground, her face scraping harshly against the dirt. She screamed loudly. Unfortunately for her, there was nobody around to help her.
"Oh, pipe down, would you?" I snapped, flipping her over onto her back. "Stop being such a drama queen."
But the moment I saw her face, I faltered. Just a little. That didn't look so good.
Her face was a mess. Bruises layered over bruises, skin torn in places, blood streaming down from multiple points. It was difficult to tell what damage came from the slam and what came from the dragging, but the end result was the same.
She looked wrecked. Completely.
I swallowed. "Maybe she's not exaggerating." Still, that didn't stop the grin from returning. "If anything," I said, tilting my head, "you look more like your natural self now."
A pause. "A bloody bitch."
I nodded to myself. Good going, me. I have got some serious nice play on words. Bet if I tried even harder, rapping shouldn't prove that difficult.
Just got to know when to drop the bars and how to piece those word play together. Is what rap was in my time.
Current era turned it into an opportunity to boast of the crimes they committed. Some even go as far as glorifying their ability to, quote in their words: Smack some bitches.
The female Goblin tried to speak. "Ese—" The sound barely formed. I leaned in, lowering my head closer to her lips. "Hmm?"
"Ple… se…" Her voice trembled, breaking under the weight of pain. "Spa… Spare me…"
I froze for half a second. Then leaned back slowly. Right. That was definitely going on the list of things I never wanted to experience again.
A bloodied faced Goblin begging for her life while looking like that? I grimaced slightly.
"For the sake of my sanity," I lamented, "let's just move past that." Still, her words lingered. Spare me.
I raised my hand, palm open, preparing to deliver one final, clean slap. A finishing touch. Something to wrap things up neatly.
"Spare you, huh?" For a moment, she almost looked pitiful. Almost. But reality didn't bend that easily for me.
She didn't deserve pity. Not even a fraction of it. My hand hovered in the air. Just as I was about to bring it down— Movement. From the corner of my eye lies the male Goblin who was quick to get up as he bolted
Straight for the exit, he ran. I didn't move. Didn't react to his slow and easy to catch movements.
On the contrary, I watched. Let him do what he wanted? Escape. A faint smirk tugged at my lips.
Of course, in his mind, he had tricked me. Played dead, waited for an opening, and made his escape.
Clever. Or at least, he thought so. What he didn't realize was that I had known all along.
From the moment his breathing shifted to the moment his body tensed ever so slightly. I had noticed. And I had voluntarily allowed it.
Why? Simple. Because I needed him. After all, I had already made a promise to them both.
I would touch him. I would touch her. And then. I would touch everyone he brought along. How else was I supposed to gather a crowd without a messenger?
I lowered my raised hand slowly, letting it fall to my side. A quiet chuckle escaped me.
"Perfect." I glanced down at the female Goblin, then toward the exit where he had disappeared.
"We rest for now," I said softly. My smile widened. "The esteemed guests should be arriving anytime soon."
And when they did? Well. Class would be back in session.