We searched the rest of the toy store. Most of the shelves were trashed, action figures melted by heat, plush toys torn to pieces, and plastic doll heads rolling loose in the aisles. Amber stepped over a crushed RC car, nudging it with her boot. In one corner, we found a mostly full bottle of water and some half-burned packs of gum near the register. Everything was useless, no system drops, no loot, but just wreckage.
But something in the back caught my eye.
A child-sized chair with a woman's blood-smeared jacket draped across it, oddly out of place in a store for toddlers and plastic swords.
I picked it up. The fabric was torn near the sleeve, dried blood stiff along the collar. I checked the pockets.
Inside was an ID card.
I turned it over slowly. "Samantha Green," I read aloud.
Karen's breath hitched. "That's my sister's name."
I handed her the card without a word.
Amber exhaled through her nose. "She was here."
"But we don't know if she still is," Liam added, calm but blunt.
"Then we keep looking," Karen said. Her voice was firm this time. Steady.
I gave her a brief nod, then looked at the others.
Karen tucked the ID card into her jacket, holding it like it was made of glass. No one spoke for a moment.
"We're not done," I said quietly. "We sweep the rest of this wing. We came here to level. Let's finish what we started and keep a lookout for anyone."
Everyone nodded, even Karen. Whatever shock she felt, it was buried under something sharper now.
I motioned for the others to hold the position as we approached the next storefront. Some old boutique, the kind that probably used to sell overpriced scarves and purses no one needed, and now it looked like a crime scene for mannequins. Limbs everywhere, heads turned backward, one torso wedged upside down in a shopping cart wearing sunglasses.
I heard something moved inside, low growls, snorts, the skitter of clawed feet across the tile, and then a loud thump.
I raised my hand for silence and leaned around the corner.
Four goblins. These looked… leaner. Like they were starving, but still somehow had the energy for nonsense.
One stood near the back with a rusted spear and a dead stare, clearly the leader, or maybe just the designated judge. While the other three strutted back and forth in front of him, playing what could only be described as a goblin fashion show.
They were dragging clothes off the racks, tossing scarves around their necks, and even trying on sunglasses. One goblin did a spin and struck a pose. The spear-goblin gave a slow, thoughtful nod like he was on the panel of Goblin's Next Top Model.
I stared for a second too long, then blinked, pulled back around the corner, and rubbed my eyes. "Nope," I muttered. "Not hallucinating."
When I peeked again, the goblins had apparently finished their fashion montage and upgraded to kitchen gear. Where they got it, I had no idea, maybe looted one of the food court kitchens, but now they looked like the world's most confused dinner party. One had a jagged knife, another held a bent fork like a trident, and the last one had what I think was a soup ladle sharpened into a shank.
"I hate it here," I whispered.
The goblins hadn't noticed us yet.
I slowly pulled back and whispered, "Four of them. One has a spear. The others are armed with a chaotic sense of culinary vengeance."
Amber blinked. "Did… did that one have a whisk?"
"I don't want to talk about it."
[Goblin – Level 4]
[Goblin – Level 4]
[Goblin – Level 3]
[Goblin – Level 5]
I stepped back and looked at the others.
"I've got this one," I said quietly.
Amber started to protest. "You sure—"
"I'm sure," I cut her off, drawing my katana. "Stay here. Watch for reinforcements."
Sol nodded but looked uneasy. While Liam said nothing, he just crossed his arms and waited.
I stepped into the boutique, each footfall soft against the dust-covered tiles. One goblin with the fork turned—its beady eyes locking onto mine just a second too late.
I lunged.
My katana slid through its neck in a single smooth arc, the blade whistling as it sliced through sinew and bone. Its head hit the ground before its knees buckled.
The others screeched, charging me all at once.
I ducked the wild swing of the spear, pivoted low, and drove the hilt of my blade into the gut of the closest one. It wheezed, doubled over, and I slashed up diagonally, opening its chest. Blood sprayed the wall in a dark arc.
The third jumped from a shelf, aiming to land on me. I turned, rolled, and kicked upward as it dropped, my boot catching it midair and slamming it into a broken rack of hangers.
The fourth, level 5, rushed me with its rod raised high like a club. I let it close the distance, then sidestepped at the last second, slicing at its leg. It shrieked and fell to one knee.
I didn't hesitate. My blade flashed again. The goblin crumpled, twitching once before going still.
Four bodies, each a clean kill and barely winded.
I exhaled slowly and cleaned the blade with a cloth from my belt, then looked back toward the group. Karen stared with wide eyes. Sol looked proud. Liam gave a low whistle.
Amber smirked. "Alright. Showoff."