Chapter Five.

SPLURT

The goblin's blood washes over me as I tear my knife free from its head, the body going limp as it hits the cave floor. I stumble backward, narrowly dodging a goblin's spear. I put a bullet in its brain as the wound in my side pulsates, the pain is so immense it causes me to drop to a knee. I clutch the ever bleeding wound, putting as much pressure I can in a pitiful attempt to stop the bleeding.

"Is that all you maggots got?!" I growl, the cluster of goblins in front of me testing and prodding, actually using their brains for once, unlike their dead brothers and sisters. I slowly limp backward, still facing the goblin tribe as my blood slicked hand desperately reaches for my only chance to escape this alive. My hand grabs hold of the cold steel of the M67 fragmentation grenade, my breathing getting shallow and shallow by the minute, due to blood loss or the sudden adrenaline rush I'll never know. I only have one shot at this, it's due or dies as the goblins finally risk charging at me, screaming their annoying war cry.

I breathe in cold air, throwing the grenade right at them, the small device soaring right above their dwarfish heads. I weakly bring my pistol in front of me, blocking out the goblin's wails, the dusky smell of the cave, or goblin brain matter all over me. I deeply exhale, the grenade in my sights as my trembling finger pulls the trigger.

BOOM!

I fall backward in a feverish attempt to dodge the resulting shrapnel, my battered and broken 14-year-old frame not even feeling the metal pieces tearing into my flesh. I lay there among the dead and dying goblins for a bit, choking on my own blood as I attempt to chuckle at my misfortune. They said it would be an easy job, go in and kill a couple of dozen goblins! No fucking wonder the pay was so high, 550 scraps for goblins? SO.FUCKING.STUPID. With my last strength, I manage to get up and lay upright on the smooth stone wall, locking eyes with a dead goblin, the rest of its body blasted to hölle. I wonder if they had families, did I orphan a child? Will I die in a puddle of my own blood as a goblin youngblood curses me to oblivion? My vision starts to falter as I assume my body shuts down slowly as I blackout to the panicked voice of some women, inwardly chuckling at the shitty timing.

I'm sorry dad I really am but seems like I couldn't hold to the promise you gave me, I wonder you'll be proud of me from heaven as I burn in hell.

I wake in a cold sweat, cursing the life-like dream to nine hells as I shake the tiredness from my eyes. I lock eyes with a rather sexy looking girl, who is currently in the process of changing my bandages.

"Oh shit, did they order me the sexy nurse package? Fuck yeah!" I murmur drowsily as I check her out from top to chest and then back to chest. I mean, when was the last time I fucke- let out my primal desires anyway?

"Last Sunday actually" A *feminine chuckle answers my theoretical question as my thoughts finally become coherent. I find myself in Cinder's medical ward, the worst of my wounds being treated by a big booby nurse. "Do you happen to know what happened to the women I came with?" I ask her, pushing my lustful desires down in the gutter. My question is answered by a harmonic chuckle as my nurse moves out of view, presumably to do nurse stuff.

"Even in this crazy new world, you should be dead five times over, you must feel like cow shit, and you're asking about the well being of the women you freed? Who barely had scratches on them? Shouldn't you be worried about yourself right now?"

"Nope" I deadpan, cursing as my wounds remind themselves that they exist and want attention. "How long until I'm functional?" I ask, half to fill awkward silence and half because I want to hear her angelic voice. "Maybe a day or two judgings by your unnatural healing factor, got somewhere to be?" She teases. "I gotta get my payment and hopefully your bedroom" I reply not missing a beat. This time she looks me over top to bottom, her gaze lingering on my fit and scarred chest and arms before replying. "You can get your payment today if you take it easy, and I mean EASY. I put my contact information and an address next to your clothes there, meet me around 3 PM, don't be late~" Her angelic voice caresses my ears as she walks out of the room.

After roughly ten minutes of painfully putting my clothes on, I open the door and take a breath of the cold night air. Light snow swirls around Cinders as I watch snowball fights occur between kids as their parents happily observe, hot cocoa in hand. I stand there for a bit, letting everyone's happiness try to kinder my own. I light a cigarette and watch these kids enjoy a childhood ripped away from me threatens a whirlwind of emotions and tears better left buried as I put the cig out and half jog, half limp towards the scrapper's guild, content with getting paid tonight and a date tomorrow.

After some time I finally find myself outside the guild, every breath I take echoing a cold puff of air as I knock on the metal door. "It's Atlas" I rasp loudly, in too much pain to deal with the extra security measures I'm supposed to take. Luckily the guard manned at the door thinks the same as the sound of numerous locks and latches opening quickly result in an opened door. I say my thanks to the guard who nods in kind, the warm air a blessing on my cold soul. I walk a few steps and lean on the nearest pillar, considering taking another cig or not before a gentle tug of my pants comes to my attention. I look down to see the little girl from earlier who asked if I was okay, the same concern still evident in her eyes. "I came to show you where to go Mr.Atlas...and and thank you for saving us!" I smile in response and ruffle her hair, "Don't mention it kiddo, now where we gotta go?"

*This isn't Distim or Lügenbrecher talking, you'll find out later!