“Who? Q’orr?”
“Yeah.”
“Eh, I’m not sure if it’s the official name for them, but the only word I’ve heard for his kind and their magic is Skaxen.”
“Skaxen. Never heard of them.”
“Yeah, me, neither. I guess they’re more like giant orange rats walking on two legs. Without the tails, obviously.”
Cheyenne shook her head with more than enough sarcasm. “Obviously.”
“Pretty sure all that nasty black-magic stuff took the orange right outta that asshole. Not that it makes a difference.”
“Nope.” They moved past the next two buildings, and someone shouted something behind them, followed by a round of laughter. “What about that healer?”
“Sha’gron?”
“Yeah. How long has she been here?”
“Beats me, rookie.” Rhynehart ran a hand through his dark hair and stared at the cloudless afternoon sky. “She can be kinda creepy, but I’ve never seen her fail to heal another magical. Case in point.” He nodded at Cheyenne’s shoulder. The skin had taken on a red hue, but it no longer burned, and the halfling wasn’t about to question it. I can take a better look at it later.
“There was something…I don’t know.” She folded her arms and tried to put her finger on it. “Something about how she looked at me.”
“Ha. Get used to it. With that little Q’orr-attack stunt you pulled today, you’re gonna be getting looks from a lot more than the reservation heal—”
“Hey, asshole, I didn’t come all this way for you to tell me what I can and can’t do with my own goddamn supplies!” Cheyenne and Rhynehart both turned to see a scrawny goblin shoving an orc at least twice his height and width.
“That guy picked the worst person to start pushing around.”
“Except for you, maybe,” Rhynehart muttered. Then he got a good view of the goblin’s face. “Oh, no.”
“What?”
“Keep your eyes open, halfling. If that goblin hasn’t learned how to keep his shit together, things are gonna get real ugly real fast.”
“Okay.” Cheyenne tried to keep her eye on both Rhynehart and the goblin who couldn’t find someone his own size to pick on, so he chose the biggest magical in Q1 instead.
“You shouldn’t be here, Taaz.” The orc grabbed the scrawny goblin’s wrists and pushed his hands away. “This is the only warning you get.”
“I’m trying to make a living here, you overgrown puppet. You’re standing here with the FRoE’s hand so far up your ass, I hear their constant bull coming out of your mouth. You hand ‘em your balls too?”
“You been in the grog again, goblin?” The orc rolled his eyes. “Come on. I’ll drive you home. How ‘bout that?”
“Screw you!” Taaz the goblin lunged to shove the orc’s chest again, and the huge green-skinned magical batted the little guy aside.
Until Taaz shot a blast of green energy at the huge orc’s face.
The orc guard howled and slapped both hands to his face, and Taaz burst out laughing.
“Hey!” Rhynehart pulled his weapon from the holster at his hip and aimed at the cackling goblin. “You’re outta chances now, Taaz.”
“Oh, you too, huh?” Taaz rolled his eyes and turned away from the FRoE operative, then he spun back and hurled a flaming ball of magic.
At the same time, Rhynehart fired a projectile meant for taking out magicals, but it went high and wide as Taaz’s fireball caught Rhynehart in the shoulder. The man staggered with a grunt and slapped the arm of his black t-shirt to put out the flames. “Goddammit, Taaz!”
The goblin wound up to throw another spell, but Cheyenne rushed toward him. The heat of her boiling drow blood flared at the base of her spine and washed over her in a split second.
Taaz turned toward her and froze when he saw her finish the shift. “No frickin’ way!”
Cheyenne sent purple sparks at the goblin’s chest. He turned and bolted, and her spell crashed into the dark stone of the Q1 intake building. She chased the goblin.
“Will somebody grab the damn goblin already?” Rhynehart roared.
Cheyenne darted around the closest security vehicle, searching for the little magical, who’d run behind it. Of course, the guy was blasting spells left and right without caring who he hit or what his magic destroyed. A tire popped and hissed under a burst of green light, and the vehicle sank forward and sideways.
“Stop!” Cheyenne shouted.
Taaz whirled with wide eyes, then lifted both hands and shot a spray of pointed green barbs at her. Cheyenne dodged aside, and the reservation guards behind her ducked out of the way too.
Gritting her teeth, Cheyenne shot from both hands. The whipping black tendrils of her magic lashed from the tips of her fingers, and one curled around the goblin’s wrist. Taaz jerked at it, then shot a hissing fireball at Cheyenne. He pulled his wrist free when she ducked beneath the fiery attack.
The goblin pulled down stacked supply crates after him while still shooting green and red spells left and right. He darted between the outbuildings, half-laughing, half-shouting in surprise when he saw Cheyenne coming after him every time he turned around. The drow halfling spotted the group of oblivious magicals seconds before Taaz did. Two female orcs strode on either side of Sha’gron, the troll healer, all three speaking in low tones with small smiles.
Taaz saw the drow halfling glance at the healer and turned toward Sha’gron with a dawning grin of realization.
He’s gonna take her down and hope that stops me from coming after him. No way.
The goblin fired a huge green ball of destructive magic in both hands and took aim. The second before Cheyenne launched into her enhanced drow-speed, Sha’gron turned and locked eyes with the drow halfling. One crimson eyebrow went up above the Troll healer’s violet eyes, and the half-drow made the call.
I can do both.
A crack rent the air between two rows of buildings, and Cheyenne darted around a toppling stack of supply crates toward the sneering goblin. With her speed, he moved in slow motion, the green ball bursting from his hands.
