The four individuals froze mid-stride.

One was a muscular human with the head of an eagle. He was wearing no armor or a shirt, but he at least had some loose pants on. “What are you doing?” His voice matched the second voice I heard.

The one who raised a weapon towards me was a bug-looking person. He had a yellow exoskeleton with black spots covered in green leather armor. His spear had a blade as long as some swords. “How did you get in?” He sounded like the first voice.

The woman’s head looked like a person whose head was constantly smoking. She wore plate armor that looked like it was made out of the shells of underhulks. A sword sat on her hip as she had a shield in her hand. “Who…who are you?”

The fourth individual was an androgynous-looking gargoyle that was about four and a half feet tall. His body shook, and the scale armor he wore filled the hall with a constant rattle. “You’re her,” he whispered.

It seems your introduction has left the wrong impression. Maybe not informing them that you were sent here to kill them would be wise. You could tell them the whole situation.

Obviously. But do you really expect me to tell them everything? We don’t have time for this. I held up my hands while keeping my stinger arms back. “Look, there’s something very dangerous likely headed this way. I need you to take me to this lady who ‘will handle me.’” Elveil probably can leave the dungeon, unlike Kuljack.

Three of them turned to each other. The woman stayed behind her shield. They didn’t say anything as their eyes darted from each other to me, then back to each other.

The birdman straightened up first. “So you heard us, that’s fine. But why should we do anything you say?”

Gargoyle boy tapped the bird man’s back. “Just do it. She could kill us. I saw her kill Tulm’i. Her hair and body didn’t look like that. She’s probably much stronger now.”

Well, yes and no. This stupid collar is holding me back.

The bug guy lowered his weapon. Why are you telling us this? Aren’t you an enemy?”

I pointed at the collar round my neck. “Not my choice. If there’s any hope of you making it out of this alive, then do as I ask. Time is not on our side.”

The bug guy raised his weapon again. “So you admit you’re an enemy.”

The woman grabbed the weapon and pulled it down as she came out from behind her shield. “Arem, let’s just take her. If she does try anything, we stand a better chance with Miax and his mysterious ally.”

Arem grumbled something incoherent as he relented. The bird man pulled out a set of chains and held them towards me. “Let us bind your hands and all of your arms, then we’ll take you.”

My hand went to my neck. “I’d rather you didn’t. Being one person’s prisoner is enough.”

He rattled the chains. “It’s non-negotiable.”

I clenched my fist. “No.”

The gargoyle cleared his throat. “What if she walked in front and Jules was behind her?”

The woman’s voice rose. “Why me?”

Arem slumped his shoulders. “Because you have a shield and the strongest armor.”

Jules raised the shield to her chest but didn’t say anything. Without looking away from the bird guy, I said, “I’m fine with that.”

The bird guy glanced at the gargoyle. “Is she really that dangerous?” He nodded. The shirtless guy then put the chain behind his back into a bag of holding while also staring me down. “If you make one move we don’t tell you to make—” he pulled out two pistols, one in each hand, “—I won’t hesitate to put as many bullets in you as I can.”

It won’t do you any good. The guns he held were weird. They were similar to the first pistol I owned. One major difference was the part that descended from in front of the trigger.

It’s a rapid-fire pistol. You have a hand cannon.

A sub-machine gun is what I think they were called on Earth.

Both guns were raised to me, and the bird guy flicked his head towards the hall where they came from. “Get walking.”

So I did. The four of them formed a line with Jules first, then Arem, with the bird man in the back.

I made sure to keep my pace reasonable for my escort. An annoying urge to take off built the more I held myself back. Knowing I could move three times faster even at a leisurely pace only made the nagging worse. But I kept things slow for them so they wouldn’t be driven to force me to kill them.

I’ve already killed more than I’ve ever wanted.

We kept going towards the center of a circle. Our little stroll ended as I walked into the center most room. It was round with a large round table that took most of it up.

Sitting at the table was a very large blue man with horns that curled over his spiky black hair. His rugged face was marred by dark circles and a deep frown. He wore a heavy padded armor with several metal plates overtop.

“Please tell me why you’ve brought someone here rather than the holding cells.” The man’s voice was soft yet deep.

I crossed my arms. “Because I didn’t give them a choice. Are you this Miax they mentioned?”

He let out a heavy sigh. “You four were always loud mouths, talking before you thought. Yes, I am. Now, who are you?”

“Rina.” I moved to stand opposite of Miax. “I don’t want to kill everyone here. But I need some questions answered. First and most importantly, who talked you into taking on the Pawed Palace?”

Miax pushed himself out of his chair. “A rather pushy slime. Although she refused to give me a name. But if you’re here, that makes collecting my fee all the easier. Now I expect you to do your jobs and restrain her.”

As the group of four split with Arem pushing towards me, I pointed a stinger arm at him. “Don’t.” I turned my attention back to the big blue man. “I was sent here to kill all of you. Don’t give me a reason to. No restraining me. Now where is Killa?”

Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

The scowl on Miax’s face deepened. “One person against five of us? You killed Tulm’i, so that might be possible. But the slime left. She didn’t say when she’d return or how to get in contact with her. But why would you defy your leader and tell us why you’re here?”

Arem’s hands tightened around the shaft of his weapon as his muscles tensed. He’s going to do something stupid.

“She’s not my leader,” I spat. “Elveil is my capture. Trust me, if you think I’m a threat, she’s far more dangerous and infinitely less merciful. If you want to live, you better start running.”

“I knew you weren’t that strong.” Arem charged me. “You’re mine!”

I leaned forward to dodge the telegraphed attack. While the polearm was next to me, I slashed one stinger arm, with the plasma edge activated, through the haft right before his hands. The tip of my other stinger arm, without the plasma edge activated, rested against his throat. The bug man had the balance not to impale himself on the blade. An unmistakable fear filled his eyes as he rose to the tips of his toes when I pressed the flat of my blade against his jaw.

He needs to shut up and stop.

“Killing you would be effortless for me. Killing me would be effortless for Elveil. None of you stand a chance, and every attempt to challenge her will only result in her getting stronger.” The coldness in my voice scared even me.

“You’ve said that name a few times, Elveil,” Miax continued as if nothing happened. “You make it sound like she’s the one in charge of the Pawed Palace. Our information states Kuljack, an intelligent golem, leads them.”

“He was, but that was never his goal.” With a subtle push, I urged Arem away from me. “Elveil is his mistress. He’s been looking to resurrect. Now that he’s succeeded, she’s looking to take over the Soul Nexus.”

“What does sending you here to kill us accomplish?” Jules asked.

“To torture me. Your lives mean nothing to her.” I hung my head. “Her goal is to push me into complete devotion to her by breaking me in every way possible.”

The bird guy raised his guns towards me. “That means you’re important to her. Killing you will improve our chances.”

I glared at him. “You’re wrong for so many reasons. First of all, I won’t let you kill me. And to her, I’m a pet. She keeps me around for amusement. My death won’t weaken her. It only hurts your chances. I’m the best option to kill her.”

“But you said you don’t stand a chance against her,” Miax interjected.

“Yet,” I said. “I don’t stand a chance yet. I have a plan, but I need to find Gary.”

“Why?” The blue man narrowed his eyes at me.

I pointed a stinger arm at him. “You know where Gary is. Why do you care why I need him?”

“Gary’s location is no secret,” Miax began. “Nore is the dragon guarding him either.”

A dragon?

Dragons are one of the most dangerous entities that are still mortal. Although some live long enough and amassed enough power to rival gods, others have been worshiped as gods. There are numerous subspecies of dragons with widely varying appearances and powers. All dragons share the same weakness for forwarding.

Never, under any circumstances, challenge a dragon without extensive planning. They are very intelligent and fiercely protective of their lairs. The older the dragon gets, the more powerful they are. Dragons never do anything for free.

“Where did this dragon come from?” I asked.

A single eyebrow rose on Miax’s face. “No one knows. It showed up one day, about seven days ago. It burrowed its way through the arena to the center of the dungeon to make its lair around Gary.”

“How powerful is it?”

Miax didn’t hold back his shock anymore. You aren’t seriously going near that thing, are you?”

I extended an arm blade. “Dead serious.”

The blue man’s hands glowed purple. “If you die, we can’t collect the bounty. I can’t let you leave.”

He threw a hand towards me, and a purple wall shattered the table as it traveled towards me.

I leapt to the side to avoid it. The other four attacked me. Arem was coming in from my right with what remained of his polearm held high. The bird guy had both guns raised as he came from the front, and Jules was coming from my left with her shield and sword raised. Arem and the bird guy were closest to me.

Before I could act, the gargoyle grabbed Jules and pulled her back while Arem swung with a heavy downward strike. I raised a hand to block it with my arm blade. The blade sank into the wood, splitting it effortlessly. The bird guy was in position to shoot me with his pistols. Instead of shooting, he took aim at my head. I reached out with my stinger arm and pushed the end of the barrel up as I jumped back. Bird guy’s guns didn’t shoot bullets. Instead, they shot condensed mana in the shape of pink diamonds.

You’re holding back.

I know. I didn’t want to kill them. I thought I could be another way.

The bird guy aimed his guns again. Before he could fire, Arem wound up to punch me in the head.

You don’t have to kill them; just disable them so they can’t follow you.

I turned off all the plasma edges and drove my stinger arm between Arem’s fingers as his fist came near me. His arm split down the middle to his elbow. My leg came up, and I extended a scythe, cutting off the bird guy’s right hand. The gargoyle kept Jules back, but she didn’t look like she was interested in fighting either. Miax threw a purple orb that I sidestepped. It smashed into the wall and caused a purple explosion.

The bird guy dropped his other gun and screamed as he clutched his stump. Arem stared at his hand in shock as blood started dripping from his split arm. I put my stinger arm against Arem’s throat and looked at the blue man. “I’m leaving.”

The purple light in Miax’s hands flickered. “If you leave, I’ll hunt you down and kill you.”

“We both know you won’t.”

A purple aura surrounded him. “You underestimate me.”

I shrugged and stepped away from Arem. He collapsed to his knees while holding his disfigured arm. The bird man was in too much pain to think about reaching for his other gun.

My shadow expanded and engulfed me. As the room filled with darkness, Miax threw more orbs of purple light. I dodged them easily and made my way out of the room. The darkness receded as I reached a hallway and started running.

A pink bullet whizzed by my head. I turned to see Miax stepping out of the portal, holding both of the bird guy’s guns. “I’m collecting that bounty.”

A hail of bullets flew from both guns aimed at my legs. I leapt to the side to dodge the first wave before turning around to run away. Each step I took made me faster than the last. The bullets kept coming, but I dodged them with little effort. Miax was suddenly in front of me, stepping out of another portal.

As he fired the guns at me, I ducked underneath the shots and continued past him. More portals opened up as he teleported ahead of me. I dodged the bullets and kept running. I tried to lose him, but he always kept appearing in front of me.

This is getting annoying.

I stopped and pulled my gun. When Miax appeared in front of me, I shot at the ground at his feet, intentionally missing him. The explosion stopped short of him. “That was your last warning.”

Miax didn’t stop shooting. He just kept firing without saying anything.

Fine! If you want to do it your way, we’ll do it your way.

I shot the wall beside him. The explosion was enough to make Miax flinch. It was the opening I needed. I grabbed Miax by the wrist and put the barrel of my gun to his neck. “Drop them.”

His body went rigid, and his eyes widened. Instead of dropping them, a purple portal swallowed him up. He reappeared behind me. Both guns fired at my head. I turned and knocked them to the side with a stinger arm. The guns clattered to the ground.

He tried to grab them, but I placed an arm blade against his throat to stop him.

Miax growled, and his aura intensified. His skin turned a darker shade of blue as his muscles swelled. He teleported again. I scooped up the guns.

I can be much more precise with these.

When Miax appeared again, he threw a pair of spinning purple magic blades at me. They were simple to dodge. I fired off six rounds at the blue man. His shoulders, elbows, and wrists all took a bullet and went limp. Shock and pain filled his face.

I lifted the sub-machine gun. “I warned you. Don’t give me a reason to kill you. You’re lucky I hate killing people.”

Before he could say a word, I put two more bullets in him, one in each hip socket. He crumpled to the ground in a howl. I turned and walked away. I noticed that each bullet I fired from the guns only took one percent of my mana total.

Keeping those guns could give you an alternative to the lethal option of the gun Kuljack made for you.

I agree. My hand cannon can be used for deadlier threats. All I have to do is figure out how to refill them.