Though called a fortress, the Borath ruins were more the remains of a stone city. Broken walls and buildings created squares and avenues while broken ceilings and roofs offered scant relief from whatever small amount of sun it would receive. Even the most intact buildings came with scars and wounds, giving glimpses of a tumultuous history.

  Then came the goblins. Just from peering over the remains of the outer wall, Benedict spotted more than half a dozen. They were all close to human height, with oversized heads and long arms. Most carried stone-headed clubs, with a few walking around holding slings on their arms. One carried a sword and shield.

  “How long ago did a party pass through here?” Rin asked.

  “If they’re this high alert, recently,” Shiyo replied. “Amelie, what do you need for your spell to work?”

  Amelie removed three bottles of a pale blue liquid from her coffer and distributed it among the party. “It’s a wide area spell. Drink this when I signal and you’ll be protected for more than long enough to avoid the effects. The goblins, of course, won’t be so fortunate. I need to get inside to have the best chance of hitting them all.”

  “Does the top of a building work?” Benedict asked, pointing out an especially tall building somewhere near the center of the area.

  “Should be perfect.”

  “Safety rules,” Rin said. “No one speaks unless absolutely needed. Otherwise, we use hand signals. Shiyo, are you familiar with the standard language?”

  “Enough,” Shiyo replied.

  “We keep out of sight as much as possible. If you see any goblin, alert the others so we can take proper precautions. After Amelie casts her spell, we move directly to the Link. Shiyo, what is your business with them?”

  “They stole a coffer from me. I just want it back.”

  “As befitting our agreement. I’ll lead us in. Benedict, you’re with me. Amelie, stick behind us. Shiyo, take the rear. Any questions?” When no one spoke up, Rin nodded and smiled. “Draw your weapons.”

  Rin hefted his axe. One side of its head was a pointed, dagger-like beak, while the other was a pendulum-shaped blade. Amelie’s staff was almost as tall as she was, with a metal head shaped like a chalice holding an orb. Ornate decorations swirled around it, expertly engraved into the steel. Shiyo drew a long, single-edged blade with a simple disc guard. Among such weapons, Benedict’s plain, straight sword looked simply unremarkable. His next purchase must be a more impressive weapon.

  Over the years, rubble and gravel sank into the dirt, leaving the ground rough and uneven at best. As Benedict followed Rin from one piece of cover to the next, his eyes darted from the ground to the road to the rooftops to avoid tripping while also watching for goblins. Dash by dash, through broken buildings and empty lanes, they continued forward, stopping when a goblin came close and continuing past it when it passed out of sight.

  Across one road, Benedict dashed first, aiming for a surprisingly intact window. Halfway across, his foot caught a stone, and he tumbled forward. His sword flew from his hand, crashing to the ground. From nearby came a goblin’s curious cry, and his heart raced. Feet barely caught traction as he scrambled for both his sword and destination. He rolled through the window and flopped to the ground.

  Peeking over the wall, he spotted Rin, who signaled that the goblin was incoming. Nothing for it. Benedict squeezed against the wall and waited. Some thaumaturge must have the power to let him see through walls. If so, that would be his second purchase when he got back to civilization.

  Heavy feet slapped the ground as the goblin approached, then stopped. Benedict looked up to see one of the creature’s long ears hovering over him. He held his breath and readied his sword. One strike had to be enough. Any sound would alert the others. The monster sniffed. What was their sense of smell like? He had read nothing about it. Then again, it would surely pick him out, no matter what. Benedict angled his hand, ready for a single thrust if the goblin looked inside. Every muscle trembled, and his heart pounded.

  A crack resounded through the alley, and the goblin dashed away. The alley was empty once more. Rin and Amelie dashed across it and into the same building. Shiyo was nowhere to be found. Rin signaled Shiyo would be back soon.

  Past the adjacent wall, as viewed from the window, more goblins ran for the sound. A small black stone caught his eye, landing beyond them. Light flashed, followed by another crack. Those goblins immediately turned and darted away, out of sight.

  They took the opportunity and ran, this time Rin leading and Benedict bringing up the rear, to a broken wall. Across the street, Shiyo landed on the ground and gave them a quick thumb-up. When the goblins didn’t show up for another half minute, they ran the final fifty yards to their destination.

  Rin took one side of the door; Benedict took the other while the women kept out of sight. A quick peek inside showed a deserted first floor with a stairway leading up to an intact second floor. Together, the men went inside first, checking every corner.

  Satisfied the ground floor was clear, Benedict walked up the steps. Through the doorway to the second floor, he came face-to-face with a goblin. It flinched in surprise before grabbing its club. Benedict darted to the side to clear the door. His foot caught some rubble, and he fell over.

  The club came down. Benedict rolled out of the way. It came again, and he blocked it. The impact sent shockwaves through his body. Benedict kicked the goblin hard between its legs and scrambled to his feet. The goblin lunged, swinging the club again and catching Benedict in his stomach.

  The tunic’s enchantment did its job as well as it could, but the blow still sent Benedict to the ground from the pain alone. All he could do was watch as the club rose again, then fell to the ground—along with the goblin’s wrist. Before it could scream, an axe fell upon its head, cleaving it in two.

  “Thanks, Rin,” Benedict groaned through the pain.

  “Shiyo was first,” Rin said back.

  Shiyo flicked the monster’s blood from her blade and walked back to Amelie.

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  Benedict downed a healing potion, then walked to her. “Thanks for the help.”

  “I would expect the same from any companion, no matter how temporary,” Shiyo replied.

  “I’m heading to the roof,” Rin said.

  With the warmth of the healing potion overtaking his body, Benedict followed. Fortunately, the roof was clear. The women soon joined them, and they watched around the area. Amelie set the butt of her staff on the ground.

  “Everyone, drink,” she said.

  The liquid went down hard. It was thick like tar and with a taste rivaling the strongest of liquors in its unpleasantness. Otherwise, Benedict felt nothing outside of a lingering bitterness.

  Amelie held her staff to the sky. A bright sigil flashed from the head, and a lavender-tinged mist spread out from it like a storm. As the mist passed over and around him, Benedict felt a wave of exhaustion hit his entire body. It passed almost as quickly as it arrived, and the spell continued to spread across the area. Some goblins finally noticed them and charged toward the building. They had missed their chance. They took a few steps into the mist and collapsed into sleep.

  “That’s impressive,” Rin said.

  “My dad taught me that one a long time ago,” Amelie explained.

  “Now, where’s that Link?”

  The thaumaturge retrieved a small disc from her pocket. A bright line a few feet long shot out of it, aiming in a specific direction. Though the goblins were asleep, the party kept a watch to make sure the monsters didn’t awaken while making their way to wherever the line pointed. They ended at another building, mostly intact except for the roof, where the line brightened to almost eye-searing levels.

  Rin slid the door open and peeked inside. “No goblins in here.”

  “And the Link likely is,” Amelie said.

  Going by the contents of the room, they had found the goblins’ storehouse. Rubble—including carriage wheels and broken lumber—intermixed with coffers of all sizes, jewelry, and random art strewn about. There must have been hundreds of individual pieces inside.

  “These are successful goblins,” Rin observed.

  “These are more opportunistic than others,” Shiyo said.

  “You know where they normally strike?”

  “North of here is where they found me. Still ashamed of that.”

  “Here!” Amelie shouted.

  Amelie stripped the area of its artifacts. In the center of her area was a foot-long cone growing out of the floor. Faint magic swirled about the tip, flowing up, around, and back to the ground. As she held her hand above it, the magic caused her skin to glow wherever it touched.

  “Conjuration!” Amelie laughed. “This is what I needed!”

  “Wait, you didn’t know which one it was?” Rin asked.

  “No one’s made it here to figure it out. You’d have been paid regardless, don’t worry.”

  “It’s not the pay I worry about!”

  “One can still wake from a magic-induced sleep,” Shiyo said, prompting everyone to quiet down.

  Benedict surveyed the building as quickly as he could. The only entrance was the one they had used, and the only windows were well above them, near the roof. None of the goblins could possibly get to them without great effort. If an underground entrance existed, it was hidden.

  “One entrance,” Benedict reported.

  “That means an easy defense, one would hope,” Rin said.

  “Attunement doesn’t take too long,” Amelie said. “Shiyo, do you think your lost items could be here?”

  Shiyo glanced about. “Possibly.”

  “Find your item, but be quick,” Rin said.

  “I can keep an eye on the door while I’m searching.”

  Amelie leaned over her Link, pulling magic from it until a faint, bluish aura grew around her. For a moment, she looked like an angel. Benedict cleared the thoughts from his head and walked around. His eyes wandered over the treasures and rubble. What was the history of these items? Were their owners still alive? If not, what about their next of kin? The wheels, broken and not, came from various kinds of carriages, going by the varying designs on the rims and spokes.

  Next to a wheel, he spotted a coffer with an unadorned leather cover. Inside, he found multiple small talismans. They pulsed with enchantments when he grabbed them, all unique. Then he drew a sword with a long, slender blade and a pair of short quillons angled backward. With a single twirl, Benedict determined the sword was almost perfectly balanced for him.

  “Where did you find that?” Shiyo demanded.

  Benedict glanced at her to find a glare harder than his last girlfriend’s. “It was on the ground right here.”

  “Please give it back.” She extended a hand, keeping her expression set. “It’s mine.”

  “My apologies, I didn’t realize.” Benedict replaced the sword and held it out to Shiyo, who jerked it from his hand.

  “If you took anything and didn’t put it back, I will gut you where you stand.”

  “I would never do such a dishonest thing.” He believed with every fiber of his being that she would make good on her threat, too. “I wonder if Amelie is done yet.”

  “Some thaumaturges are faster than others. Shall we see?”

  The aura continued to surround Amelie, no brighter than before. The Link, however, shimmered with hundreds of tiny runes on its surface. Benedict could barely discern them through their size and brightness. They flashed, then disappeared along with the aura.

  Amelie held herself up with a hand and panted hard but managed a smile. “I did it.”

  Rin twirled his axe. “Good. I’m ready to leave this place. Benedict, check on our exit.”

  “On it,” Benedict said.

  The tiniest crack in the door let Benedict survey the streets. Dusk approached, and the hazy figures of the goblins rested on the road.

  “They’re still asleep,” he said.

  “Quieter than mice, everyone,” Rin said, leading everyone out of the building.

  The goblins hadn’t stirred, but their positions where they fell created an especially annoying obstacle course back the way they came in. Rin led them single file down the road, wandering through ruined buildings and stepping over sleeping goblins. Overall, it felt like crawling forward while standing up.

  Benedict stepped over a goblin. His boot hit the monster’s arm. It groaned and stirred. Shiyo and Amelie darted to the side, hiding behind a broken wall. Benedict readied his blade and stepped back. The monster snorted and scratched itself, then fell back to sleep. Three pairs of eyes glared at Benedict from two directions. He looked down in shame and motioned for Rin to continue forward.

  A glow appeared just beyond the wall, accompanied by the goblin’s archaic language. Rin led the party into a building just before several goblins vaulted over the low wall. What followed them was a giant at least eight feet tall with animal skins covering most of its colossal form. A sword any man would need two hands to heft hung from its side, wrapped in more animal skin. When it stepped over the wall—using little more effort than Benedict needed to step over a goblin body—it grabbed the sword with one huge hand and held it high.

  “Oh no,” Shiyo murmured.

  The monster’s bellow traveled through Benedict’s entire body. Dust and stone shards fell from the trembling walls and ceiling. Every sleeping goblin scrambled to its feet, staggering from drowsiness.

  “We need an alternate route,” Amelie said.

  Shiyo pointed to the back. “There’s a door there.”

  “That’s our route, then,” Rin said.

  Just outside, they had a clear route to the wall. Rin pointed to a crumbled section, and they ran for it. Benedict searched every direction, hunting for anywhere a goblin might pop up. Amelie reached the wall first. Rin helped her onto the edge. Then Shiyo. Benedict was next. He climbed onto Rin’s shoulder, grabbed the ledge, and recoiled as a stone slammed into his fingers.

  A goblin stood in the open, loading a sling with a jagged stone. It darted to the side as a flash of light flew past, then threw another stone. A stone flew back to him, exploding into a flash on impact. The goblin’s stone caught Amelie in the shoulder, and she stumbled back.

  Rin hoisted Benedict onto the wall, where he caught Amelie’s hand. She stopped herself on the wall, and Benedict let her fall to the ground. On the opposite edge, Rin leaped as high as he could and barely caught it. Shiyo threw another one of her stones as Benedict grabbed one of Rin’s hands and helped pull him up.

  More goblins climbed onto walls and roofs, and stones rained on the party. Rin held his axe out like a shield. Benedict and Shiyo batted others out of the way. In a moment of lull, they leaped one by one off the wall. Rin and Shiyo rolled gracefully and hopped to their feet. Benedict rolled hard, flopping onto his stomach, then lifted himself up and followed. Stones flew over the wall. Amelie held her staff out, and an umbrella-like shield formed above it. Under her protective spell, they ran as hard as they could.