Side Effects

Tearing my eyes away from the heart wrenching scenes of Mackinzie laying on the ground, blood streaming from her shoulder, I turned towards where the arrow had been fired from. Scattered throughout the towering trees at the edge of the clearing, unfamiliar goblins were poking out of the underbrush.

As my eyes settled on one of the goblins, their hand still drawn back from losing arrow, I felt waves of anger surging through me, as another goblin's arrow streaked towards me. Waving my hand, while struggling to calm my racing thoughts, barely managing to deflect the arrow by conjuring a gust just in time, forcing down my rising anger, I turned and scooped up Mackenzie in my arms and ran towards the cave.

Seeing the others from our camp bussing themselves with dinner preparations, unaware of the danger approaching, I started yelling as I ran, "ATTACK!!! We are being attack, enemies to the east."

Hearing me, Zarra and the others immediately started preparing to intercept any threats. Arrows whistling past me as I neared the cave entrance, some hitting loose rocks and shattering, while others imbedded their stone heads into the hard packed ground.

Crossing the threshold, Zarra immediately appeared beside me as the others closed ranks behind me. She started treating Mackinzie's wounds, and having made sure Mackinzie was going to be okay, the furry I had suppressed came surging back.

Turning back and pushing through the defensive line the goblins had formed, I strode brazenly back into the clearing. My anger continued to burn, my mana racing through my body, something dense and powerful, began bubbling up inside me, my rage transforming it into something dark, malevolent, and maligned.

---

The AI was contently perusing its hosts memories, looking for something interesting to watch, ignoring her host and the outside world for the most part and only occasionally peeking out had become its habit.

Suddenly the AI felt goose bumps covering her, or at least what it thought goose bumps would feel like because it was a discorporated consciousness, as the system that created it started blaring inside the hosts mind space:

[Warning user is forcefully drawing on its divinity, doing so will have unknown side effects]

[Warning user is forcefully drawing on its divinity, doing so will have unknown side effects]

[Warning user is forcefully drawing on its divinity, doing so will have unknown side effects]

[Warning user is for….]

The AI relishing that something important had happened while it was watching Initial D, focused on what was happening outside of the hosts mind space.

---

Adam was slowly walking towards the goblin raiding party, slightly hunched as tendrils of wispy, dark shadows curled around his body, intercepting the arrows by shooting out and whipping them to the ground. Suddenly he stopped halfway across the clearing, and started scanning the tree line, holding out his hand he roared, "come here you bastards that hurt Mackinzie."

The sound of cracking branches and rustling bushes fallowed by pained grunts echoed around the clearing as several goblins were viciously dragged out into the open. They were panicked and desperately struggling against the invisible hands binding them.

"Why did you come here?" Adam asked whipping his head between them, tilting his head waiting for their response.

One of the goblins chocked out a reply as the invisible binds started to tighten, "we scouted here a few days ago and saw that the tribe here weak, only females left."

Twisting his neck to look over his shoulder, Adam pulled back his hand bringing the goblin who replied close enough for him to smell its putrid breath before asking in upbeat, almost childlike tone, "and why would you do that?"

The goblin hesitated to answer, before Adam twisting his hand started to crush it, "We wanted mates, easy to force small tribe."

Adams head remained fix in place as his body rotated to face the goblin, a sense of understanding crossing his face as he beckoned towards his working area, a small, glazed pot slowly floating towards him. "Normally I am pretty easy going, but you hurt someone dear to me, and for that you will experience hell," he said cooly through a sinister grin as he grabbed the floating pot and opened it.

Several small reddish stones floated up from the pot and after taking a moment to inspect them, they were suddenly ground into a fine powder that immediately started smoking. Twirling his finger Adam manipulated a gentle breeze to carry the smoldering powder through the air before letting it fall on the confused goblins.

With the white phosphorus being exposed to air it began igniting as it settled on the exposed skin of the goblins. Unknown to Adam, Isabel was peeking out from behind one of the huts, watching in horror as the goblins being bound in place could only scream as their skin began smoldering, acrid, toxic smoke rising around them, vomit occasionally spewing from the choking goblins. The whiteish flakes quickly burrowing their way through skin, then fat and muscle, before finally slowing down once it had burned down to the bone.

The horrendous cacophony of wails and the smell of burning flesh drew the attention of the rest of the camp, a small formation of goblins made their way out of the cave. When they finally neared the gruesome scene, the normally fierce goblins turning meek and even feeling slightly bad for their enemies.

The raiders bodies were riddled with an innumerous number of charred holes adorning their bodies, a bubbling mix of blood and liquefied fat oozing out. Their skin loose and sloughing off in large curling chunks. Adam satisfied that the goblins were beyond saving and probably in severe shock, let them flop to the ground, the screams coming out of their vomit coated mouths, having given way to coughing and putting as the acidic smoke from their wounds choked them ravaging their lungs as chemical burns formed throughout their respiratory tracts.

Noticing the approaching goblins Adam turned towards them, his sadistic smile still evident as he started taking a step forwards, but was struck by a small glowing ball, and immediately fell forward.