Ratface took stock of her options. She had a knife that was halfway across the room, a sword that was starting to rust, and a rat that was clutching at his stomach. She picked Halmir up from where he lay on the dead rat man. It looked like when he’d bitten into the man’s neck to kill him he’d hit an artery and he’d ended up drinking a lot of Robes’ blood. Hopefully he was just bloated, and rat people blood wasn’t toxic or anything like that. Of the two of them he might be able to survive this.

“I asked if you’re a goblin?” said Franklin again. She looked at him. She didn’t think she could usually take him in a fight, but he was exhausted and wounded. The adrenalin would be wearing out by now and he could probably feel all his injuries. She, in comparison, had no new injuries from her fight. The benefit of her death touch battle she supposed. Hopefully it wouldn’t come to that.

“I am,” she said eventually. No use beating around the bush, only orcs shared their green skin, and she didn’t look like one. They didn’t have a much better reputation than goblins anyway.

Franklin took a step towards her and some vines bloomed in front of him. With the fight over Tiffany could watch them and had come to help. She was surrounded by kids- no. Ratface shook her head, these kids were adventurers through and through now and she was an adventurer’s favourite quest. The adventurers gave Tiffany looks that swung between fearful to angry. Ratface’s heart surged. Brave little druid. Stupid though. She was surrounded by enemies.

“It’s not actually illegal to be a goblin. Some of us travel,” Ratface tried. She could tell that it didn’t work, and Franklin’s sword hand shook in rage.

“You lead us to this. You helped set the trap,” he accused. That hurt. Ratface looked across the rest of the group and saw they were reaching the same conclusion. She could understand it even if it still stung. In the battle between goblins and adventurers, goblins were pretty firmly on the monster’s side.

“If I wanted that, all I had to do was nothing. My actions today saved your lives. Surely you can see that through your fear?”

“Liar. One of us is dead, some of us are maimed. I haven’t even counted what’s left of us after your doomed defence. You corralled us all together for them to slaughter. I bet you were happy when that rat was about to kill me weren’t you?”

Ah, there it was. The running her mother had talked about. She could tell him she saved him but anything she said would be a lie to him. He’d had one too many scares in today’s fights and when he thought they were all over he found another. Ratface got ready to run.

She hadn’t done it at first. In this enclosed sewer all running from them would do was delay the inevitable. Still, delaying was better than dying and that’s the only place this conversation would go.

Franklin took another step towards her, and she got ready to strike at him to make him flinch, then make a break for it. A hand stopped Franklin, and someone stood between them.

“She saved your life,” said Albert. He looked scared. His shoulders were hunched like he thought she’d stab him yet in spite of this he still showed his back to her. It wasn’t her he was facing doing.

“I saw it with my own eyes,” the boy said. His voice shook but he spoke clearly, “at the end, there was a moment when you were going to die. It was her knife that gave us enough time. If it wasn’t for whatever enchantment she had she would have died to save you.”

The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.

“That was you knife, don’t feel mercy for the goblin,” said Franklin. Ratface winced, just ‘the goblin’ now. Her chances weren’t looking good.

“No, it wasn’t, I was out of knives.” Albert gestured to his empty bandolier.

“We-” Franklin began but Albert interrupted him.

“I was going to run,” he yelled. The whole room went quiet at the declaration. He continued in a quieter voice, “I was going to run. You were about to die, and the rats would kill us then overrun the rest of them. No one was watching me. I could have fled to the entrance in the chaos. I was going to do that when she threw her knife to save you.”

The room was silent, the anger was gone replaced by something more bleak but less violent. They’d all felt it at the end, like a rabbit being chased down by a wolf in an open plain, desperately watching as all their paths dwindled into one violent end. Death, a moment away. The fight was out of Franklin, but Ratface could see he hadn’t forgiven her. Well, that was fine, she wouldn’t apologise for being a goblin.

“We wont attack you,” Franklin agreed. He walked over to join the other adventurers.

“We also wont help you. Find your own way back through the village to the guild.” He pointed at Albert. “You too goblin lover.”

The group started to walk away. Tiffany came to join their tiny group, and they watched as the rest of the adventurers left, shooting them hateful expressions the entire time.

“That was brave,” Tiffany said.

“It was stupid,” Ratface countered, “they could have turned on you.”

“I don’t know if they’ll let me stay in the village. They definitely won’t let me be an adventurer here.” He looked dejected. Ratface touched his shoulder until he looked at her.

“Thank you,” she said. She stared into his eyes and willed the heroicness of what he’d done to come through. He must have seen something because he gave her a tired smile as he touched her hand. They shared a moment then Ratface turned away, embarrassed.

“On the bright side, they left before they could get any loot,” she said. She started going through Robes’ pockets. There was a health potion in there and even some coins. He was bare other than that. She pulled sleeves up to get a better look at his arm guards. They seemed light but sturdy. She undid them and found they fit her pretty well. Goblins and rat men must have similar bodies. They were engraved with little rats as well. A rich rat man.

The others paused then started looting. At the end of the day, they had time to kill, and looting was one of the easiest ways for an adventurer to supplement their income. They might as well get started now.

At one point Tiffany weaved them a barge out of vines and after some experiments they found it floated. They chucked as many city gators on that as they could. The skin was useful and would sell. The meat might too after a clean.

Albert spent most of the time retrieving his knives. He also grabbed the knife that had been wielded on the one rat’s tails. He gasped.

“It’s enchanted,” he said. He pocketed it and Ratface tried not to feel too jealous. He had saved her life after all.

They hadn’t known how to take the armour off the armoured rat plus stripping a creature made even Ratface feel a little weird. In the end they chucked the three rat men on the barge and while it dipped, it was still floating enough to be useful. With that they finished looting and they faced their next problem.

“How are we going to get you through the city? There’ll be a mob if they see your face,” said Tiffany.

That was a good point, she needed something to cover her face. Oh!

Ratface stared feeling around in the water for where they’d fought the rat men. It had been churned up a lot but surely it wouldn’t have gone too far. After a while her hands brushed across something metal, and she pulled it out of the water triumphantly.

The armoured rat’s helmet was in her hands, and she waved it around. She frowned when she looked at it. It had an interesting look, like it was moulded into a specific shape. It was only when she pulled down the face guard to inspect it that it became clear and Ratface laughed.

These rat men must have been important wherever they were from. They had enchanted gear and engraved stuff. The armoured one must have been their champion. That dampened her mood a bit but still left her smiling though more in respect than in humour.

In front of her was a beautiful helmet. It had been lovingly made so that all that gazed upon it would see its glory. He should have been fighting in the sun not down here in the sewer where it couldn’t be appreciated.

Ratface looked at the helmet that had been made for their champion. A sturdy helmet.

Crafted to look like the face of a rat.