A strange, anthropomorphic, cat-like creature with distinctly human facial features tapped one of its sharp claws against a cold stone surface as it stared at a terribly cracked pocket watch with eager fascination. This antique accessory was long broken and beyond repair. However, it seemed that the crazy cat had yet to realise this. It smiled and grinned cheerily as it continued tapping rhythmically as if the ticking had never stopped.
This cat-like character with an unusually wide grin sprawled itself upon a rooftop lazily in the midst of an impossibly silent night. A town of bustling prosperity, Hakizimana was a place with a large population despite it being built in a quieter corner of the country. The reason was due to its rich cultural history as the place where Saint Amelia had resided in when she was alive. She had been responsible for many incredulous miracles and feats both before and after her death. It brought renown and wealth to what should have been merely another unimportant town in the countryside, and the institutions established in this locale still held respectable prestige long after the era of Saint Amelia passed.
Yet the night was dull and quiet. And on that particular night, this solemn town was covered in a grim, insidious veil. The darkness masked a clear view of its streets. The scampering critters that patrolled them were reduced to mere shadow, circumventing the horrible discovery of how grotesquely huge and fat the rats and vermin had become. However, it was because of this dulled sight that one could more easily smell the awful stench of rot and decay; and soon the silence was replaced by the incessant buzzing of flies, now with all too much piercing clarity.
Swarms of flies gathered, rats’ bellies were stuffed, and the people of this town were dead. Their bodies had been left mutilated, defiled, discarded—rotting with no sense of humanity. There was no respect for the departed on this night. This fact did not discriminate against age, race, or gender; or whether one was good or bad, merciful or evil. They suffered cruel and pointless deaths. Meanwhile, time passed on a broken watch. The cat smiled all the same with its pearly-white human teeth.
Blood flowed like deep-crimson rivers on the streets, painting the grey with a slight lustre that could be perceived as almost morbidly beautiful. But this blood soon pooled and mixed with the dirt. It became grimey, losing its lustre to instead take on the consistency of mud. The ordained town was painted in a hue of dark, coagulating blood.
It was in between this low humming of the flies, the swarms of which dancing around scattered bodies in delight, that a faint crying could be heard. The crying was soon muffled and choked out by a thick miasma. The night passed and ended without it being answered.
. . .
Before this awful tragedy occurred, the town had been very active. But this was normal. All sorts of people gathered here, and they were hugely diverse in their respective prospects. There were the locals who went about their daily lives and there were also students who travelled from afar to undertake a scholarship at St. Amelia’s University. But among the different individuals that gathered in this melting pot of people, there were certain important individuals who gathered under a matter of great crises. These people mainly consisted of those under the local governing body who were responsible for the continued prosperity and longevity of this influential town. For now, let us place focus upon a young, talented woman of half-noble blood; she who was named ‘Ntwali’.
Three weeks before the tragic massacre of those who dwelled in Hakizimana, Ntwali was making her way to the Town Governor's Office. She had a soft, simple face and expression that neither looked too young or too old for her age. Her clear skin and similarly-coloured lips gave her a simple beauty with the masterfully braided style of her pale-blond hair being her most and only apparent feature. Her amiable and valiant smile was the kind that reassured elderly folk that the younger generation still had good people in its midst.
She wore a formal, militaristic outfit made out of a navy blue fabric that was accentuated by a grey rim. She managed to make it work and own the outfit, however, there was still a slight discord in her apparent age and the mature, venerable military status which it carried. But in the end, it only added to her charm as a person and it was no great surprise that she was a favoured individual for the residents of Hakizimana among the known bureaucratic personnel. It strangely helped, however, that among the common people, she was more easily accepted because of her half-noble blood. It was a known fact that she had been birthed by a woman of common origin.
Unfortunately, this had the opposite effect towards other bureaucrats and only awarded her ridicule for possessing ‘peasant blood’. Regardless, she worked hard and with great determination so that the people of all backgrounds in Hakizimana could live better lives. She was not ignorant. Although this place was prosperous, there were still far too many unaccounted for issues and problems within society that greatly affected how people lived. There was still a lot of work to do to achieve her goal. Not that she was afraid of this, instead only receiving motivation from the difficult challenge and the consequent weight of those who were relying on her placed upon her back. Especially if it was for the sake of those who had been kind to her, allowing her to get this far and do as much as she already had. Her mother of course was the person she was most grateful to and was who she wished to repay the most.
She was making her way through the sun-spotted town square, passing by a great fountain which glistened like crystals under the warm light, when she suddenly heard the dramatic shrieking of children somewhere in the distance. It was thanks to the enhancement of mana upon her senses that she could distinctly hear what they were shouting even with a large crowd separating her from them.
“Get away from me, you goblin!”
“Crawl back into the whole you came from!”
“Yeah!”
“Ugly!”
These were the distinct words she made out.
Ntwali furrowed her brows and looked over in the direction of the children. She had already stopped moving and unconsciously rested her hand upon the hilt of her sheathed sword. However, Ntwali was in no rush to run over nor was she in a panic or flurry. After all, she had a good sense of things and ability to remain calm or rational without immediately jumping to conclusions. In the town square of Hakizimana there was no reasonable possibility of a goblin sneaking its way in and causing disrest. They were crafty, but did not tend to be intelligent. There would need to be a serious investigation into neglect of duty if one got this far in.
But regardless of this, Ntwali was duty-bound to think of the worst-case scenario and take due considerations. To prepare for the possibility was her responsibility. After all, if it really was nothing then all it amounted to was a couple minutes wasted. In the worst-case… those children may lose their lives this very day.
So, she turned with a stern expression to make her way over there. Ntwali had already guessed what it likely was—they were probably just playing pretend, with one of the children role-acting as the goblin while the others were soldiers or something similar. But she was worried about another possibility. What if a child was being bullied? For make-believe, they were being rather rude and aggressive. Ntwali wanted to quickly put an end to it if a child was being forcibly made into playing the role of a goblin and getting berated in public.
Ntwali dexterously passed through the dense crowd without bumping into a single individual, causing many heads to turn her way as she swiftly weaved by. Eventually, she emerged from the thicket of people, expecting to see the group of children she had heard. But she saw something else enter her vision for a brief moment. A single person among the edge of the crowd caught her eye.
They were rather androgynous and Ntwali struggled to tell what their gender was at first glance. However, much more glaringly apparent were the fidgeting cat ears and playfully swishing tail that seemed to have a mind of its own. This cat-like creature bore a wide, unsettling grin as it tucked away a cracked pocket watch. The clothing of the cat in which it had stowed away the pocket watch was fancy in an eccentric way. As if it wanted to draw attention to itself with bright colours and stripes patterning a classy robe and formal trousers. But strangely enough, no one seemed to be paying attention to it. Even those standing right next to it were seemingly blissfully ignorant of its presence. It was like they cared not for the strange, suspicious individual loitering around them.
Before Ntwali could get another glance, the strange pallid humanoid vanished among the crowd. She frowned and rubbed her eyes, seriously contemplating whether she was seeing things. She then refocused and found the group of children she was looking for. As if she had never seen anything, she quickly forgot about the existence of the cat and approached the children.
It was as if no time had passed, much like a broken pocket watch, when she found herself frowning again. Although Ntwali failed to recognise why she had frowned the first time. She did not care, however, because she had guessed the situation correctly after all. Four children were surrounding a rather despondent looking child. The differences between their clothing was very obvious, with the four being dressed very well and neatly in clean clothes. Meanwhile, the ‘goblin’ in this scenario was in something you could only define as rags. The child cloaked their face with a hood as if shying away from the whole world, seemingly believing it was fraught with danger and wanted nothing but to harm them.
“How pitiful,” Ntwali said with a sullen face.
She quickly walked up behind them and sparing no might, she shouted loudly and confidently, “Hey! What do you think you’re doing!”
All four of them turned around in unison, yet their expressions remained entitled and rightful like they were the ones being disturbed. That was until they locked eyes with who the person calling them out was—mainly directing their gazes at the military uniform and imposing aura. Their faces immediately went pale and lost their fervour, with three out of four of the children instantly looking like lost and frightened children not knowing what to do. They were scared beyond their wits. One of them, however, reacted slightly differently.
“Shit, a soldier!” the child with wavy brown hair exclaimed, “I can’t get caught by a soldier again! My mom will kill me!”
With that proclamation, the troublesome child hurriedly sprinted off as fast as his little legs could take him. It was a great contrast compared to the other children that had frozen still from fear. In an ironic fashion, it was quite a show of courage. You can run or fight… but the worst thing to do in any situation is freeze up.
“Ah!”
“W-Wait!”
“Wait for us!”
The other three suddenly snapped out of their stupors with the hasty retreat of that one boy. They hurried to chase after him, only now realising that their best option was to run away and not just let themselves get caught. Naturally, Ntwali did not attempt to chase them. She knew their faces anyway. Especially the one that ran off first. She even knew the mother in question that he had mentioned. Her main concern now was the victim of the bullying. Ntwali could not just leave them here, even if she had places to be. It went against her profession and most importantly against her morals.
Ntwali quickly scanned the wall that the despondent child had been pinned against, but the victim in question was actually nowhere to be found. This shocked her greatly as she had not even noticed them slipping away. If she were a normal person, Ntwali would not be shocked at her inability to notice the child leaving when she had been distracted. However, she was far from it. She had remarkable internalised mana that greatly enhanced every aspect of her being. Notably, her senses were far superior than any animal in any category.
Ntwali was shocked, but not dumbfounded. She had only been not focusing after all. It was a rather embarrassing thing to mention and she internally felt apologetic for being rude… but that child obviously smelled. It was likely they lacked a home or proper bathing facilities. What that meant, however, was that Ntwali could easily track where the child had absconded to by their scent. She inwardly remarked with a smirk, ‘My nose is keener than a hunting dog… Don’t think you can get away!’
Somewhere surprisingly far away when the time that had passed was taken into account, a dirty child in ragged clothing was sprinting through an alleyway. They were surprisingly fast for their age but were clearly panicking and their panting was loud. It was like a terrible, man-eating monster was chasing them so that the child would surely be eaten if they slowed down in the slightest. The sound of ticking filled the alleyway and the child tightly held their ears in apparent distress. They did not relent in their running however, fueled by a great level of adrenaline. However, in an awfully despairing turn of events, the child found themselves suddenly bumping into something that had not been there a second ago.
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Sweat poured down the child’s face and neck, their face terrified as if they were contemplating every terrible thing that could happen to them in a single moment. The child slowly craned their neck upwards to look at the thing that stood in front of them…
However, what met them surprisingly was a rather gentle looking lady who, more than anything, looked incredibly worried and concerned for the child who had just fallen over. The child looked up with the hood unwittingly falling down behind them.
Ntwali almost recoiled in shock. Seeing the face of the child she had wished to help, she could not believe that the worst case scenario was actually the reality of the situation. This one was incredibly odd looking… At first she looked like a human, female child. However, she had the features of many animals lining her face. Green, fishy scales lined her cheeks and rose to just touch the corner of her eyes, of which were large with long pupils much like a cat. Her open mouth revealed incredibly sharp rows of teeth, similar to a shark in some ways but also bearing resemblance to fangs even. If those were to clamp down on something… perhaps not even steel armour would hold. Her hair, too, was different in nuanced ways compared to a human. It was thick and much more akin to fur. It was wild and rough, like that of a wolf. On top of her head, blending into the fur was a pair of cat-like ears. No, perhaps not even cat-like. They were simply a cat’s ears. There was no distinction.
However, there was one more apparent trait visible from her face alone that gave Ntwali the answer she was dreading. The child’s skin was a pale green with slight tones of white. There was no doubting it from what she had seen, this was a goblin child. An incredibly rare one too that possessed the characteristics of a shark, wolf, and a cat!
Ntwali tried her hardest not to sigh while remaining vigilant and reflected on her own knowledge. Goblins were some of the most unique and peculiar creatures the planet had to offer, as to simply how varied their species were and the inherent strangeness of how they can even exist. In the most simple terms, a goblin is a small humanoid creature that possesses the characteristics of an animal. Although uncommon, they sometimes were found possessing the characteristics of two animals. However, three characteristics in a single goblin was unheard of. The main and most infamous feature that distinguished goblins from beastkin was that they all shared the same green-ish skin tone. Although her’s seemed slightly pale due to the shark characteristic, it was undoubtedly the correct shade of green.
Ntwali finally could not resist letting herself frown. Those children, although they were rascals, she did not want harm to become them. Those four children nearly died at that moment. Luckily, this goblin was rather timid it seemed. But who knew when it might have given into instinct or gotten defensive and attacked. Those teeth… those children would have died instantly if they were caught in the goblin’s maw. Not to mention, this one had the characteristics of a wolf and cat too. All three were predatory animals and the chances of sharp claws hiding under those dirty rags were high…
Ntwali sighed. She had good reason to be so cautious and frightened by what looked to be a mere child, and she could not resist losing some of her gentle compassion she had just extended. She fought tirelessly against her morals to not let her guard down. Goblins were massively hated and detested for so many reasons. Although some were not quite legitimate, like how a lot of characteristics on a humanoid body made a large majority of them incredibly ugly or wrong-looking, there were valid reasons too. Goblins were hardly intelligent by nature. Such amalgamations were not meant to exist and their human aspects conflict with the animalistic characteristics. Thus, they are incredibly hostile to anything not a goblin, and are known for being savage and brutal. They were humanity’s biggest enemy in the olden days where society was not so advanced. They commonly killed, pillaged, raped. It was their nature to do so.
There was also a massively spread rumour that many believed. Ntwali was hesitant to do so as well, but she was not perfect. Even she harboured doubts due to the plausibility of the rumour. Many believed that goblins came about through humans cross-breeding with animals. Being accursed creatures of horrific birth, they were then cursed with their signature green skin that so far has no explanation yet every goblin has.
The main issue now was that Ntwali knew what goblins were capable of and how they listened to their animalistic nature more than any rationality they could possibly possess. The child had yet to attack anyone, but soon it would see this large population of defenceless humans. It was a multi-predatorial species of a rare three characteristics. It would attempt to hunt sooner or later. The streets were not safe as they were. Ntwali gripped the hilt of her sword tighter. She never imagined that she might actually have to use it when she went to check on the shouting of those children.
The child trembled and looked up at Ntwali in horror. A thick, bristly tail popped out of the ragged clothing behind her. Clearly, in this situation she had forgotten or simply no longer cared to conceal it. Seeing this pitiful sight, Ntwali wavered. Then she heard ticking.
‘Tick-tock, tick-tock, tick-tock…’
Ntwali paused, unable to discern the origin of the noise. Not even the direction was something she could tell at this moment. The ticking quickly stopped but she found herself letting go of the hilt of her sword without realising it. Without even knowing what she was doing, Ntwali clicked her tongue and quickly grabbed the child as if she had lost all caution previously held.
Ntwali understood what she was doing. Strangely enough, she felt incredible clarity in this moment. However, despite knowing how reckless it was, she abandoned her cold rationale and her duties; instead choosing to follow her morals. She did not know what to do yet but first she wanted to try something. Even if it was futile. With the mana enhancing her physical abilities, Ntwali quickly left the alley with the child in one hand. She was seen by no one until she reached a pre-booked hotel room that was in her name.
The child looked utterly confused. Ntwali’s heart thumped looking at it, feeling sympathy that should be restrained to humans. She screamed internally, ‘This is a goblin! What are you doing!’ However, looking at the child that was in so much shock just because it wasn’t mercilessly killed on the spot… Ntwali slapped herself hard. She even reinforced her arm with mana, nearly sending herself flying. The goblin child showed immense shock as her mouth gaped wide open. Of course she would. Who hits themself this hard out of nowhere? Who is even capable of hitting oneself like that, did it not defy common sense? Ntwali lamented, ‘That’s what mana is for… To defy common sense. Why should I be so rigid? Everything I’ve taught can go to hell! I’m… going to speak with this child! Even if it’s a goblin…!’
Ntwali felt like she had gone crazy. However, if she should consider the worst-case scenario and prepare for it… What is the worst-case scenario in this situation? Is it potentially creating a risk within the town? No, Ntwali knew it was not that. That was not the worst-case scenario. The worst-case scenario was that she slaughtered an innocent, intelligent child that was no threat to anyone. That would be a ruthless act done purely out of prejudice and malice. She wanted to curse herself until she got her rightful spot in hell that she deserved. How could she not even try to consider that this child may not have to be killed on the spot? Could she truly call herself a moral and upright person?
Ntwali, far too heated up from the raging torrent going on in her mind, unwittingly ended up rushing things and shouted, “I’m Ntwali!” Shocking the child greatly, she was not done with the excessive gestures with just that alone. Ntwali went from standing up to the ground almost instantly, touching the floorboard with her forehead. The child had been placed on the bed and now faced the back of Ntwali’s head in less than a second. She could not even say anything or get scared anymore, she was just shocked and marvelling at what this strange adult human was trying to do.
“I sincerely apologise for my prejudice! On biased beliefs, I almost did something unforgivable when I was supposed to be lending a hand! Please, you do not have to forgive me but will you let me assist you in any way I can to the best of my ability in an arbitrary recompense for my actions!?” Ntwali shouted out this long-winded statement, trying her best to communicate what she was thinking and her deep regret. She was begging a child to forgive her with her forehead pressed to the ground. This was done with absolutely no shame or attempt at preserving pride.
To this overly sincere gesture, the child finally spoke for the first time since Ntwali met her, “I–I… don’t get your words… Can you talk easy please…?”
Naturally, this child who definitely would not have received an education would not understand words that a regular human child her age with an education probably would find hard to understand properly… Ntwali felt like an idiot.
“Uh, yeah…” Ntwali mumbled, coughing awkwardly as the shame finally caught up to her, “Can you tell me your name first?”
The child mumbled, “Name…? I don’t have…”
“You don’t have a name? Then how should I address you...?” Ntwali pondered.
The child pursed her lips, hesitant to speak before saying, “Please, can you… uhm, get up first?”
“Ah…” Ntwali paused. She was still in the same position. She made a weary expression, wondering how much she was going to embarrass herself until she was finished. Like that, she slowly raised herself without commenting on it. But unexpectedly, she heard the child laugh a bit. It was light and brief, but it made Ntwali’s expression soften a bit. She had not planned this but she was happy to keep playing the fool if it got the child to laugh.
“Then…” Ntwali pondered for a second, “Should I give you a name?”
The goblin child was baffled, “Huh?”
“I need something to refer to you with, or it’s too inconvenient.” Ntwali smiled, “Should I name you or would you like to choose yourself?”
The goblin child was evidently reluctant, but gulped and replied, “You—can… I don’t know… any names.”
Ntwali smiled brightly, finally looking a little more refined as her usual image presented. She had just been too baffled by everything. She said with a joyful tone, “You’re cute, so you need a cute name… How about Imanzi?”
“Imanzi…” the recently named Imanzi marvelled. She seemed to be questioning everything right now, and that was understandable. But what was most important to Ntwali was that Imanzi looked happy. This name had the meaning of “righteousness” attached to it. Ntwali hoped that Imanzi could become someone who could attach such a word to her species. At least, to the well-behaved ones like Imanzi.
Ntwali only just realised this now that she had mentioned it, but beyond the three animal characteristics, this goblin child was incredibly strange. Goblins were known for their low intelligence, animalistic nature, and tending to be quite ugly… but she went against all of these.
Now that she was no longer on high alert, Ntwali was very curious to learn more about Imanzi. However, there were more important things to focus on at the moment. She had to be realistic even if she was excited.
The location Imanzi currently was in could not be further from a safe or good place. In the middle of a town like this, Ntwali knew that many soldiers and people as strong as her, or if not then even stronger than her, were regularly patrolling every nook and cranny on the lookout. It was a miracle how Imanzi had gotten this far already going mostly unnoticed. However, she absolutely could not stay here.
Not to mention she had already been spotted by and harassed by some children. Who knew who else had seen her, or what rumours had begun? Ntwali was not even confident she could dedicate her time to taking care of Imanzi either regardless of whether or not she was safe. She knew she was not busy and could not afford to baby-sit, nor could she half-ass it or trust that someone else could handle it. Thankfully, Ntwali had long thought of a solution.
“Imanzi, I have a lot of questions to ask you…,” Ntwali paused, not forgetting to smile, “But first we need to get you somewhere safe. But as luck would have it... I know just the place! Imanzi. How would you like to meet your Grandma~?”