Chapter 4

CHAPTER 2 | The Disease in the Forest Five days had passed since Terios had appeared in Krio Village. Perhaps because they had so little knowledge of the world, the children were already getting used to living with the undead. “Teacher, here it comes!” “Ah, nice one.” Terios used his chest to stop the ball the young boy had kicked, then bounced it on his knees and feet a few times before passing it to the girl next to him. “You’re amazing!” “I used to do competitions where you had to keep kicking the ball without dropping it, actually. Whoever kicked the ball the most times was declared the winner,” said Terios. He had taught the children to deftly kick a ball using those experiences from long ago. Mira looked on with a smile, then turned to the brick oven and cast a spell. “Fire.” An ember shot from her fingertip, and the firewood burst into crimson flames. “Is that good?” asked Mira as she turned back to Torio, who’d been watching from behind. “Yeah, thanks,” he said. “Sorry for asking you to light it all the time, though.” “It’s fine—don’t worry about it.” She grinned while Torio scratched his head apologetically. The villagers rarely asked someone to make a fire until they had turned fifteen and been accepted as an adult. This was because of a disaster that happened in another village decades ago. Some children played with a flame, accidentally spreading it until it obliterated the settlement’s wheat fields. Shortly after, the place fell to ruin. As the village baker, Torio’s father was responsible for making all the bread his neighbors would eat. Since Torio would someday take his place, his father had naturally taught him how to start a fire. Still, turning wood scraps into charcoal took work, so he’d asked Mira to help quickly light a fire with magic. Of course, Mira had no way of knowing that Torio’s request was simply an excuse to hang out with the girl he liked, a common ploy of boys his age. “I’ve seen it a lot now, but your magic’s still awesome every time,” he said. “Hee-hee, thank you,” said Mira, sheepishly giggling at the compliment. He blushed at how cute she was, but then he started complaining. “But why are you the only one who can do magic? Wish I could do it, too…” “S-sorry.” She bowed her head, even though his tone suggested he blamed the general unfairness of the situation rather than her. He lightly poked her head. “It’s not your fault. It’s just that the gods are unjust.” “…Yeah, I guess.” Her expression darkened, recalling the faces of the people who had died, her mother and Torio’s parents. It wasn’t just the adults and elderly, either; even a newborn had perished. Mira and Torio were only alive because they’d lucked into being saved by Terios. Having been born into a small, destitute village, sometimes Mira suffered from hunger and cold, all while hearing about kings and nobles born into cities who feasted in warm mansions. Although believing those tales had prepared her for the unfairness of the world, she still resented this absurd fate. Is that why Terios wants to build a peaceful world? Perhaps he aspired to a world where people could live without fear of unjust death because he’d lost something precious to him. She wanted to ask but felt it would be rude. As she thought of Terios, Torio grew annoyed and tapped on her shoulder. “Don’t trust that bony old coot too much.” “You still have doubts?” Mira smiled awkwardly at Torio’s stubbornness. While it was unsurprising that Torio wouldn’t completely accept a terrifying bone monster, Terios had saved their lives and stayed with them for five days now. But still— “We wouldn’t be alive if he wasn’t around. Questioning him will only wear you out,” said Mira. “I get that, but…” He failed to find the words to counter Mira’s logic. He probably only rebelled out of discomfort with his own powerlessness, even though the reality was that they had no choice but to accept Terios. Earlier, Torio had suggested that he take care of baking bread himself because it was a waste to leave the stored wheat to rot. That must have also been an attempt to stave off his feelings of powerlessness. I guess I understand that feeling a little. Although she wasn’t dissatisfied with her current life, she felt bad relying completely on Terios. Even so, as a girl unskilled in studying and magic and not skilled in anything else, she dreamed of one day standing on her own. And within that dream, she dreamed of someday paying Terios back. Which is why she said— “Let’s work hard to study right now. We can think about the future when we’re adults.” “A-all right.” Torio nodded, blushing as Mira encouraged him. The next moment, his expression turned earnest. He grabbed Mira’s shoulders. “Hey, Mira, when we’re adults—” “Your bread’s burning.” “Aah?!” Torio shrieked and leaped away from Mira at the unexpected sound of a woman’s voice. Just then, a soft mass of fur hopped on top of Mira’s head. “Ms. Cat?” “I do like the color black, but I detest when bread or meat gets burned,” she remarked, licking herself until Mira grabbed her and set her in front of them. “Really? I like the burned bits of porridge when they get all crispy,” said Mira. “Hmm, I suppose burnt wheat porridge or rice isn’t that bad.” “Rice?” “A grain farmed in the hot regions to the south. It’s plumper than wheat.” “Oooh, I’d like to try it someday.” “Hang on a minute!” shouted an incensed Torio, snatching the black cat from Mira’s hands despite how she was enjoying talking about food. “You butted in on purpose, didn’t you?” “How upsetting. And after I’d gone out of my way to mercifully save a pitiful cherry boy from the trauma of crushing defeat, too.” “Y-you don’t know I would’ve failed!” “Your voice is shaking, cherry boy.” The black cat grinned cruelly in the face of Torio’s bravery. Mira smiled as she watched. “You two get along well.” “Don’t we?” “We do not!” Torio violently flung the smug black cat, but she flew in a strange trajectory through the air, as if she were jumping off of nothing, then landed back on Mira’s head. “By the way, isn’t it time for you to practice magic?” the feline inquired. “Oh, you’re right. I look forward to your bread, Torio,” said Mira. “Yeah, leave it to me. You’ll regret this, you goddamn cat!” Torio puffed his chest up with pride as Mira waved good-bye and left, then barked at the cat like a dog that’d lost a fight. With his shouts behind them, the two rushed off to the space separated from the village. “I’m sorry Torio’s got such a temper,” said Mira. “Don’t worry. I enjoy teasing him because his reactions are straightforward, unlike a certain disillusioned skeleton I know.” “Still, don’t you think it’s mean calling him ch-cherry boy?” “My, so you do know what a virgin is. Where’d you learn something like that?” “W-well, I heard my next-door neighbor, Sepia, making some strange sounds at night. I asked her if she was sick or something, and she told me a few things…” They chatted lively about indecent things until they arrived at the same clearing they always used for magic practice. But Mira halted in an instant because she felt like something was off. “Hmm? Something’s different from normal…” The atmosphere was not the same as the previous day, as if something had changed, but she couldn’t quite place a finger on what it was. While she stood there perplexed, the cat called out in amusement atop Mira’s head, “Heh-heh, well, what do we have here?” “Do you know what’s different, Ms. Cat?” “I do, but my lips are sealed.” “Hmph.” Mira pouted while the cat smiled teasingly. She looked around again. “The stump we use as a target is there, and the other trees around… Oh?!” Passing her eyes over the forest that surrounded the clearing, she finally realized what it was. The overgrown weeds were trampled down, as though something had passed through. “Was there a wild boar?” Mira remained on the lookout for any signs of creatures in the vicinity as she squinted at the ground. Luckily, she managed to find a track, but it just left her confused again. “What is this?” It wasn’t like a boar’s hoof at all. Instead, it was a five-toed footprint that looked quite a bit like a human’s. However, something seemed off about it, especially its oddly elongated toes. “No way. Does that mean…?” Though primates like monkeys and gorillas inhabited this continent, only one thing popped into people’s minds when they first thought of something that resembled a human. “…A monster?!” “Correct.” The black cat chuckled at Mira’s shriek of fear. “I—I have to tell Teacher!” She didn’t know what monster it was, but first, she needed to get help. She put the gloomy forest behind her and ran as fast as she could. “It’s a goblin.” After Mira had run up and informed him, gasping for breath, Terios had hurried to the clearing away from the village and examined the footprint. He discerned it immediately. “I imagine you’ve heard of them, right, Mira? They’re monsters with green skin that are about as tall as a child.” “Yes, they come up in stories a lot.” She nodded at Terios’s explanation. Along with dragons, they were some of the most infamous monsters, so notorious that even a village girl would have likely heard of them. “But you didn’t recognize the footprint. Does that mean there’s never been a goblin in this village?” he asked. “No, there hasn’t. Or at least, this is the first I’ve seen.” “I see.” Considering Mira’s age, that meant this area had been free of them for about eight years. But why goblins…? thought Terios, his hand on his chin. Monsters were terrifying creatures that attacked humans. Like all humanoid monsters, however, they were also more intelligent than animals and so rarely assailed human settlements. Approximately two thousand years ago, humanity was weak, nothing more than food for monsters. But now that humans had established large countries, goblins understood that attacking a human settlement meant getting wiped out in a counterattack. That’s why you rarely encountered them unless you went deep into their territory, such as caves and forests. It shouldn’t be possible for them to suddenly show up like this. The goblins wouldn’t need to fear retaliation if they attacked Krio Village; the kingdom had abandoned it because it was sullied with the green rot. But the goblins also wouldn’t grasp the complicated situation on the human side of affairs. Based on the number of tracks, I would guess there’s only one or two of them. How curious. Goblins were weak. Even an untrained adult human could easily come out on top in a one-on-one brawl with a goblin. Well aware of this, the goblins stuck to working in groups. Their danger lay in the sheer numbers they used to overwhelm their opponent. And yet, they’re moving in such small numbers. It looks like they returned to where they came from after observing the village… However, it wasn’t unheard of for goblins to wisely scout ahead and observe their enemy to gauge their strength. Terios couldn’t help but feel perplexed. He fell into deep silence as he thought. Perhaps that was what made Mira tug on his robe uneasily. “Teacher…” “Ah, my apologies, I didn’t mean to concern you. It’s all right. I’ll take care of this right away,” he said, patting Mira’s head to calm her. They returned to the village temporarily and gathered the children in the village chief’s house to explain the situation. “We’ve discovered some goblin tracks outside the village. I’m going into the forest to exterminate them. Please wait here inside the house until then.” “Huh?!” “It’s all right. Even if there are a hundred or a thousand goblins, I can clean them out in half a day.” “……” While Terios proudly puffed up his chest, the children turned pale and fell silent. He wanted to believe they were afraid of the monsters. “They are, of a monster known as the bony old coot,” came the cat’s voice. “No, it’s the monstrous talking cat they’re afraid of,” Terios responded to the cat’s telepathic jab. Then he continued his explanation. “I’m going to have the bone golems protect all of you, so you need not worry while I’m gone.” He pointed to the line of bone golems outside, armed with farming tools, and the children let out small sighs of relief despite their lingering fear. “Mommy and Daddy are going to protect us…” “You’re not gonna correct them and tell them those aren’t their parents?” asked the cat. “I’m not that fussy.” Considering the children with tears in their eyes, he shot a glare at the feline, who kept sending him screwed-up messages. As he did, Torio voiced a doubt. “Is it really all right? I don’t wanna bad-mouth the dead, but they don’t look too tough.” “You’re right—they are not that strong,” Terios immediately agreed, having nothing to gain by glossing it over. Unlike golems created from scratch using dirt or stone, bone golems’ abilities varied wildly with their skeletal hosts. That’s because the magic used the memories ingrained in the bones as a catalyst for movement. Though they lacked both soul and personality, the creatures retained the knowledge of many basic actions performed in life, such as “walk” or “raise hand.” This made them convenient, because you could get humanlike motions from them without having to teach them from zero. But by the same token, this meant they weren’t good at actions they had no memory of performing while alive. The golems are good for tending crops, since I crafted them with the bones of farmers, but fighting’s a different story. If Terios directly controlled them with a specific vision in mind, as when he ordered them to do that ballroom dance, he could make them fight like veterans with years of experience, but there was no point in that. And if I had used the bones of knights, they’d be good at fighting but hopeless in the fields… That wasn’t in-line with his goal of using the labor of bone golems to create a peaceful world. Unable to have it both ways, Terios sighed internally, then replied to Torio’s question. “The thing is, goblins aren’t all that powerful. You should be all right so long as fewer than forty attack. If you feel like you’re in danger, tear the slips of paper I gave you earlier to call me.” “I guess that’s fine, then…” Torio reluctantly backed down after hearing the explanation. It didn’t seem like he was upset with Terios and the bone golems. Rather, he must have been frustrated that he was doing nothing but hiding behind the protection of others. Boys will be boys. Terios smiled and looked around at the other children. They seemed satisfied, so he stood up. “Okay, Mira, let’s go.” “Okay! …What?” Mira agreed reflexively, but quickly grew confused. Before she could say anything else, Torio yelled, “Wait! You’re taking Mira?!” “Yes. As Mira has been studying magic, she should be plenty capable of defeating a goblin or two. It will be a good opportunity to get real battle experience,” replied Terios. “That’s not the problem!” Terios tried to cool the seething boy with logic. “Please calm down. I’ll place powerful defensive magic on her. I swear that not a single hair on her head will be harmed.” Trying to lighten the mood, Terios rubbed his smooth, hairless cranium. But that only resulted in Torio falling deeper into fury. “Don’t give me that bullshit! It doesn’t matter if she won’t get hurt. There’s no way it’s right to make her fight!” “No, it will be far better in the future if she gets battle experience now,” explained a bewildered Terios. He hadn’t expected the boy to get so incensed. “I do want to protect all of you, but I can’t always be here to look out for you. I can’t promise that I’ll always be around to help when something happens. That’s why it would be safer for you all to learn how to protect yourselves.” At the moment, Mira was the only one with any fighting capability, which was why she was the only one tagging along this time. But once all the other children, including Torio, had grown and developed enough to fight, he would provide them with combat experience as well. “But Mira’s a girl—” “All the more reason for her to learn to protect herself. Women can face fates far worse than death, unlike men, who are usually just killed and tossed aside.” Terios cut off Torio’s words, laying out the grim truth for the children in as roundabout a way as he could. “Urgh…” Torio gritted his teeth in frustration and shut his mouth, perhaps unable to construct a rebuttal. “How childish of you,” said the black cat with a grin. “It’s up to adults to teach children about reality,” replied Terios coolly before bowing his head to Mira, whose mouth was still agape in shock. “Mira, please accept my apology. I should have inquired as to your opinion on the matter.” “You don’t have to apologize…” “Now, I’d like to ask formally. Would you accompany me to defeat the goblins?” “I…” Endowed with the authority to make her own decision, Mira looked in uncertainty toward Torio and the other children. They didn’t say anything, but their expressions said she shouldn’t go. Yet, this concern probably nudged her in the opposite direction. She swallowed, as if to gulp down her fright, then turned quietly to look up at Terios. “Will I be able to get stronger?” “Yes.” “Then I’ll go.” “Mira?!” shrieked Torio. Mira apologized to him but took Terios’s hand. “You used some fancy words to steal the girl a cherry boy loves? Pervert skeletons are the worst.” “You want to treat me like a pervert that badly?” Terios replied blandly to the black cat’s insult. As an undead creature, he had no sexual desires, and he had no intention of interfering with Torio’s love life. However, it was technically true that he had taken Mira away from Torio for his own gain. This, too, is in service of building a peaceful world. It would be a shame to let someone intelligent, talented in magic, and with a bright future ahead of her go to waste. Apologizing inwardly to Torio, Terios headed with Mira to defeat the goblins. They returned to the clearing where they’d found the goblin footprints. A moment before they stepped into the forest, Terios grabbed Mira’s shoulder to stop her. “Wait a moment, please. Shield Protection.” When Terios spoke the words, light spread from his palm and enveloped Mira. “That should keep you safe if a goblin hits you, plus the plants in the forest won’t so much as scratch your skin. I did promise Torio that not a single strand of your hair would be harmed.” “Thank you.” While Mira thanked him, Terios cast another spell and pulled a staff made of silver metal from thin air. “And I’d also like you to take this. It’s not magical or anything, but it’s sturdy and light and should do well as a weapon,” he said. “Wow, so pretty,” admired Mira, taking the staff. It shone like a mirror. Atop Mira’s head, the black cat murmured in her usual teasing tone, “That’s a mithril staff. It’s worth only about two thousand gold. Make sure you don’t lose it.” “Two thousand gold?!” Mira barely had any opportunities to use silver coins. She couldn’t even fathom exactly how much money that was, but she did understand this was an incredibly valuable object. “T-Teacher, I can’t accept this!” “Nonsense, I have ten just like it. Please use it without any worries.” Pushing back the staff that Mira tried to return with shaking hands, Terios forced a tired smile. He then led the way into the forest, not giving her time to argue about it. “It’s convenient being a skeleton at times like these. Bugs can’t bite me,” joked Terios as he strode boldly through the forest. The light coming through the canopy above had already dimmed during midday. Mira gave chase to keep him in her sights, admiring him all the while. “You can tell which way the goblins went, can’t you?” While she might have been able to see the tracks at the edge of the forest, the thick interior undergrowth obscured any further signs of activity. However, she had heard that a skilled hunter could track their prey with only some slightly broken twigs or blades of grass. “Do you happen to have any experience as a hunter?” she asked. “Well, I guess I was fairly good at hunting.” “He’s hunted all sorts of things. All. Sorts,” interjected the black cat, meaningfully repeating her words in contrast to Terios’s vague acknowledgment. Before Mira could inquire further, Terios rushed to elaborate. “Right now, I am not following the sort of tracks a hunter would. Instead, I’m tracing the faint trail of mana the goblins left behind.” “A trail of mana?” Mira squinted her eyes but couldn’t see anything of the sort. “Hmm, I can’t tell.” “A goblin’s mana is very weak, and the trace fades as time passes. You’ll be able to see it with some more training.” He patted her head to console her, then continued in the same tone he took when lecturing. “Actually, this is a perfect opportunity to explain. The difference between animals and monsters lies in whether they produce mana. Their strength or hostility toward humans is unrelated.” “What, really?!” Mira’s eyes widened in surprise. Astonishingly, monsters weren’t always fearsome creatures that attacked humans. “For example,” continued Terios, “it’s incredibly rare for a dragon to assail a human unless they enter its den. Dragons have incredible amounts of mana, so they are monsters. Additionally, while bears are far more powerful than goblins, they are simply animals because they lack mana.” “Really? So if they don’t have mana, they’re animals, and if they do, they’re monsters?” “Yes, exactly.” Mira nodded in understanding, and Terios added to his explanation. “Animals also have souls, but they can’t produce mana. Hypothetically, if they suddenly developed the ability to create mana, they would be considered a monster.” “But then—” If I have mana, unlike normal people, does that make me the same as a monster? She desperately swallowed the question before it could leap from her mouth. However, Terios seemed to have anticipated her question. He gently patted her head again. “Unfortunately, there are some people in the world who fear monsters and magic users in equal measure. But there’s something you need to remember: As long as you hold on to your kind heart, you will always, without a doubt, be human.” “Okay,” said Mira, smiling back, happy that Terios was being kind to her. But in one far corner of her heart, a doubt grew: If I lose my kind heart, will I not be human anymore? Just as villains of the worst kind were deemed inhuman, those who lost their heart’s humanity might no longer belong in the category of human. Someone who is no longer human… Curious to know what that meant but unwilling to think about it, Mira fell silent, battered by conflicting emotions. Thinking she might be upset again, Terios made a show of laughing cheerfully with a clatter of his teeth. “You know, there are kindhearted monsters in the world, like me. I wouldn’t mind if people treated me like one.” “The only people who claim they’re kindhearted are con men and members of the clergy. Be wary of them all,” said the black cat, wagging her tail like a finger as she warned Mira against Terios, though he seemed proud of himself. She couldn’t help but laugh at how funny their arguments were. “Ha-ha!” “I’m just happy you’re feeling better. But we need to remain quiet from here on out,” said Terios. “Is that—?” Mira raised her voice in alarm but quickly clamped her hand over her mouth and nodded to show she understood. He nodded back and continued forward, careful not to make a noise. They continued for a short while, and the forest began to thin. There, they came upon the mouth of a dark cave in the sloped side of the mountain. Sitting in front of the cave was a humanlike figure. Small and green-skinned, it wore only a loincloth and had pointed ears. No hair grew from its scalp. Is that a goblin…? wondered Mira. “Yes, that is a completely ordinary goblin.” “Ah?!” Terios’s voice rang out in her mind as she tried desperately to hold back the cry that almost escaped. “Apologies, this is a spell called Telepathy, which allows us to share our thoughts. I should have explained it earlier,” he stated. The black cat shot over a thought after Terios’s apology, an evil look on her face. “At its most extreme, it allows the user to do some pretty sleazy stuff, like reading someone’s thoughts without their permission.” Mira held back a laugh and smiled, then turned to stare at the goblin again. “You said it’s a ‘completely normal goblin.’ Does that mean there are more unusual ones?” she asked. “Yes. They aren’t as varied as humans, but they are still a species with quite a bit of variation. There are some stronger types called warriors or kings,” answered Terios. “Those ones are big, ’bout as big as an adult human, so you can easily tell them apart,” added the cat. “I see.” Mira nodded and looked at the goblin in front of the cave, but its height didn’t seem all that different from her own. What Terios had said about her being able to defeat a goblin might actually be true. “All right, then, Mira, please slay that goblin,” said Terios. “Uh, all by myself?” “Yes. It won’t be good practice unless you do.” Mira was left bewildered, but the cat moved off her head, and Terios gently pushed on her back. “Me? Beat a goblin?” The goblin yawned leisurely. Apparently, it still hadn’t noticed they were observing it from the shadows of the trees. That would mean in order to defeat it herself—she would have to kill it. It’s okay. I can do this, she assured herself as she gripped the mithril staff more tightly, her heart pounding so loud she could hardly bear it. Mira had twisted the necks of chickens they’d raised and eradicated pests ravaging the crops. She’d taken plenty of lives so far. This was no different. It just looked similar to a human, and it had the strength to kill her as well. But that was the only difference. “Huff, huff…” Mira struggled to calm herself, but her breathing remained ragged. As she did, Terios’s voice suddenly echoed inside her mind. “It’s certainly possible that goblin brought the green rot with it.” “…What?” Frozen in place like a pillar of ice, Mira struggled to comprehend what he had just said. Terios explained dispassionately. “The green rot can only infect humans and can’t be spread through plants and animals. But there are some exceptions—monsters.” “Monsters…can carry the green rot?” “Yes. And goblins do have green skin. Long ago, the green rot was called the goblin plague. A huge military was mobilized to eliminate them.” “……” His words only half reached Mira as she stood in silence. That goblin brought the green rot? And that’s why she, Torio, and the other children suffered so much, why the other villagers turned into green corpses, why her mother went to get help and never returned. It’s this goblin’s fault. It felt like something snapped inside her brain the moment she came to that realization. All her distaste for killing disappeared. Mira got so hot, it felt like she was burning, and that filled her with an emotion that rarely came to gentle girls—rage. “Graaaaaaaah!” The next moment, Mira realized she was roaring and rushing out from where she hid in the shadows of the trees. She leveled her staff at the goblin, which jumped to its feet in surprise, and shouted. “Fireball!” The spell she’d practiced so many times on the stump went off without a hitch. Unfortunately, the violently burning sphere slipped past the goblin as the creature quickly twisted out of the way. The fireball struck the edge of the cave’s entrance and burst in a shower of sparks. It dodged?! Unlike a stump, living opponents moved. As Mira gritted her teeth and berated herself for forgetting such an obvious fact, the words of an elderly hunter came to mind. “Remember, miss: The most skilled hunters aren’t the ones who shoot at their prey from far away. They’re the ones who close in and shoot from a distance from which they know they can’t miss.” That’s it. I have to get closer. Luckily, Mira wouldn’t need to close the distance between them. Enraged by the attack, the goblin picked up a spear with a crude stone spearhead and moved in to attack Mira. Closer. Let it get closer. The tiny calm part of herself chided her hastier self for wanting to cast the spell so soon. Once the goblin had closed in so much that another two steps would put it in range to use its spear, Mira quickly shouted. “Fireball!” It didn’t have time to react to dodge the second fireball. The spell slammed into the goblin’s chest and exploded. “Gyah!” The goblin shrieked and fell to the ground, the flesh on its chest ripping apart and sending blood flying everywhere. The wound was severe enough to spell the creature’s doom, but it wasn’t the kind that would kill immediately. As it writhed on the ground in pain, she didn’t know whether to feel bad for it or fear that it would use the last of its strength to retaliate. In any case, she found herself walking over to its side, pointing her staff at its head, and murmuring, “Fireball.” The point-blank fireball destroyed the goblin’s skull, igniting its brain matter. Its body convulsed for a few seconds, and then the green creature moved no more. “…I beat it.” Mira sighed in relief and let the tension drain from her shoulders. That was when it happened. “Grah, grah!” An enraged shout accompanied a blow to her backside, which sent her tumbling to the ground. There’s more?! A goblin hiding inside the cave must have heard the commotion and rushed out. Mira didn’t even have time to regret how foolish she was for not only missing her initial shot against the first goblin but also lacking the caution to anticipate this turn of events. The newly appeared goblin jumped on her and raised a crude stone hatchet. I’m going to die. Just as the fear struck her, her body moved out of survival instinct. “Graaaaaah!” Roaring, she struck the goblin’s face with the mithril staff as hard as she could. The blow lacked almost any power, both because of her weak upper body and because being on the ground with the goblin on top of her put her in a bad position to fight. But as luck would have it, she struck its jaw, causing a slight concussion. It ceased the downward swing of its stone hatchet. Without letting her momentary opening go to waste, she yelled with all her strength. “Fireball!” At point-blank range, she cast another fireball, which blasted into the goblin’s face. Charred flesh and blood rained down on Mira where she lay, but an invisible force repelled it the moment before it dirtied her pale face.