I sat on the roof of my workhouse, peering over the edge and watching the lights and listening to the commotion of the city. It was a warm night, a good night for a festival or watching the stars. Below me, the raucous noise of my neighbors drowned out the noise of the city.

If this were a normal night, I would be pissed at the noise, but honestly, I can understand it. It’s not every day you get to live through the end of the world, or at least the world as you know it.

I sat on the roof and watched as the fires burnt through the outer city, reducing it to ash and smoke. The smell of it was horrible, and it only got worse the closer the wall of fire got. The fires started a few hours ago encroaching towards us from every direction. A few people saw something, a huge silhouette in the sky, blocking out the light of the stars. No one thought to say, ‘What was that’ or anything, it could have been a bird, after all.

Key emphasis on could have been. Once it started to pass in front of the moon and the fires started, everyone caught on rather quickly that something was off, and by then, it was too late to run.

Beyond the old inner wall, the outer city was catching ablaze, the field beyond little more than char, broken dreams, and the source of a nauseating, cloying blanket of smoke.

But hey, what’s the point in freaking out while the world burns down around you? Unlike the [monk]’s up above in their monastery, we were all going to die anyways, it’s not like we didn’t know that deep down.

Its smoke was truly nauseating, my sensitive nose certainly didn’t help, but I was fairly sure even a Human would get a headache.

I have to wonder why I’m not freaking out about it. Everyone else sure seems to be.

Though while I suppose I was probably taking it too easily, after all, when I found out I was going to die, the first thing I did was pick out where to go to curl up.

That or I’m in shock or something, I honestly can’t tell. But hey, maybe it’s just my time, you can supposedly tell, right, a gut feeling of, oh hey, I’m going to die now. Maybe that’s more of a Kobold thing? I should ask Kindly when I get to him.

I decided to get going, I didn’t exactly have infinite time, so I hopped down from the roof and started passing through the crowd towards the curtain wall so I could make my way out to the place I would lay my head till Death came to collect me.

My secret plan was hoping that I would be left alone in the pandemonium and just left to walk out, and it almost worked. It was my best plan, and it worked right up until I got close to the arch that led out of the courtyard our oversized shacks resided in before I was grabbed just shy of twenty paces from the arch.

The hand was tiny, they grabbed my hand and hauled me back with all their feeble strength. I stopped before turning to gaze down at the pint-sized pugilist gripping my hand, shaking it up and down in an attempt to get across the immense need for attention she felt.

The little kid that grabbed me was Ayme, and she was panicking at the near stampede of adults pressing in around us. Ayme was a half-Human child, maybe a hair over nine and hadn’t yet hit her growth spurt. She kept mumbling something too quiet to be overheard in the crowd, so I tugged her close and guided her out of the tide of bodies that could trample her on accident.

Ayme was very tiny as she kept close, and not just because she was scrunched up to me, trying to take up less space. She had to reach up to hold my hand with her short arms and walk twice as fast as me with how tall I was. Ayme was half Kobold, and us Kobolds had different sizes and characteristics based on what kind of Kobold we were.

Ayme was a mouse, she had big round ears that peaked out from her brown hair, and she had shorter arms than a human kid. So, it took her a while to follow me out of the crowd, one part because she was tiny, and one part me being a deer-fox because we have long stilt legs, so I had to take tiny steps to not outpace the kid. And I was a bit of a runty deer-fox at only 6’ 5” my stilt legs not quite tall enough to meet a normal height.

Kobolds were often mistaken for Goblins even though we were only vaguely similar, we were cousins of a sort, each descended of a common ancestor. We were kind of Human looking with animal traits like ears and a nose, while they were kind of animal looking that had humanoid traits with things like tails, snouts and fur.

Much like our older cousins that called the region of Qiland home, we were both attuned to nature, so I suppose they got the one win, but most Humans didn’t know that. It was unfortunate for the two of us, though, we were the most alike, you wouldn’t mistake an Elf and a Kobold, or a Tuffle and a Kobold.

Kind of funny, they met Goblins first and went hey, more Goblins, but you call them Humans, and they start talking about how that’s too broad because one is from somewhere totally different. It would be super funny if it weren’t an everyday occurrence.

Ah man, now I’m thinking about Tuffle’s. Gods, but they’re cute.

Even with her tiny legs, we make it out while I think about nature’s softest speedster, and I bring Ayme to the edge of the yard and crouched down next to the curtain wall. It was loud in the yard, so I had to get all the way down to eye level with the kid to properly hear her. When I’m down on one knee and close enough to practically put an ear to her head, I get to ask, “You’ll have to tell me again, what’s wrong Ayme?”

She was still a bit skittish, the noise and yelling obviously scaring her, but managed to get out, “My momma left for [Count] Mynes manor an hour ago, and she never came back!” Exclaimed it in a voice fitting of her stature before continuing more quietly, “Why isn’t she back yet?”

I have no idea kid; I don’t even know your mom’s name. The only thing I know about your mom is everyone thinks she’s hot… Though it’s on the way to the church… So, I can just bring her to her mom. It would be a win-win, I can bring Ayme to her mother and go make my deathbed nice and cozy. Maybe they would even get out of the city through some underground passageways like in a play.

While I doubted that, what’s the worst that can happen. It’s not like this situation could get much worse than what would happen if I did nothing.

And she would get some time with her mother, I know I wish I had some more time with mine.

“I don’t know why she’s not back yet,” I tell her, “But I can bring you there if you want.”

Ayme blinks when I tell her I don’t somehow know something, but she nods with a quiet, “mhmm.”

I try to give her a reassuring smile and stand back up, “Come on then, I’ll bring you to your mom, I was about to go that way, so it’s no problem,” taking hold of her hand, I started pulling her around the mob that was likely getting close to lynching the waste of flesh that was ‘our’ [Lord] and ‘master’, Xanathan Trobladite Quintus.

Good riddance, I hope they lock him in a cold box for adventurers to find while they pick through the ruins of our civilization.

We left through the front of the compound, and the panic behind us picked up as the [Lord] tried to vainly claim that everything would be fine, and that we should all get to bed to avoid getting cuffed for our tardiness tomorrow. As if all of us were blind like gullible idiots, not even little Ayme would believe the lowlife’s words.

He was a noble, so poor he had to sell off all of his holdings and rent indentured workers out to others to make coins. He was born with a silver spoon and squandered it. The questions started coming out of her mouth almost the second we exited onto the street.

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“Why is everyone so scared? Why is it so smokey? Why is my mommy talking with [Count] Mynes? Why is, is EVERYONE AFRAID?” She asked, each question coming one after another with no pause in between them.

While I guided the little one along the streets toward the [Count's] manor, she griped onto me like a limpet, out from underneath her mom’s skirts and far out of her depth she held onto my leg like her life depended on it.

It kind of reminded me of myself when I got lost for the first time. I got lost before my mom taught me her trick to finding my way around, and I managed to find the tallest person there. I clung to that elf’s leg until he dragged me to church while his companions poked fun at him.

Gods, he must have been what, eight feet tall? Elves are lanky as hell.

“Please, no one will tell me. What’s going on, please tell me, I can be a big girl, but you have to tell me what’s happening.” She insisted while digging her little feet into the cobbles, holding me back with the strength in her tiny body. And because I was one part fed up with it all, and one part because she reminded me of myself, I stopped and looked down at her.

“Do you promise to stop slowing me down if I tell you Ayme? I know you’re a big girl, but it’s quite scary. Do you promise me to help me get you to your mom? I have an appointment that I intend to keep.”

She looked up at me right in my face, and there was something in her face, something about her eyes. As if she had seen my face and knew that the answer was something gods awful.

“You look like my mom, I’m all grown up, I’m a big girl now, I can take it.” She told me.

I went to just tell her but softened it as well as I could, not with a lie, however. She might have been ‘all grown up’ but most grown-ass people couldn’t handle the truth when it was scary, so I toned the truth down.

“They’re afraid because the valley is on fire, and someone is doing it intentionally. They are afraid because a lot of people are going to die if nothing changes, and there is nothing we can do about it.”

The look in her eye showed little in the way of shock, but it affected her, the kid took less than five seconds for her to enter some kind of distress I had never encountered.

She stopped digging her feet in and said, very softly, “ok, let’s go to my mom.”

She followed along the streets away from the glow of the flames around the inner city. She was, somewhat distant, she now held on less tightly, and her gaze was angled towards the ground. She had stopped paying attention to the clamour of adults and simply let herself be guided down the side streets.

Kids are too curious by half… I’m sorry, Ayme, you don’t deserve this.

“Don’t worry, kid, there’s not much we little folk can do, pay attention to your mom. The worst that can happen is you go to meet Death together, and the [Monk]’s claim that Death is a kind goddess.”

I ruffled her hair to try and cheer her up, and she did not like that. Swatting my hand away, “Don’t pretend to care, just… Just bring me to my momma. That way, you can go off and die or whatever.” I could see that she didn’t mean it, but it still stung a little.

I deserve that, I shouldn’t have told her or tried to act familiar like that… I hope Death is as kind as people say she is and treats you well, Ayme.

From then on, I kept my hand away from her head. I took some time to cross the city from the workhouses to the mansion, and almost no time at all. The streets were sometimes empty, not a soul to be seen, sometimes, a street would be packed. I kept little Ayme next to me throughout the trip through the shadow of a city.

When we finally got there passed the stressed gate guards who paid so little attention that they barely glanced our way before writing me and the kid sniffling into my skirts off as beneath their worries. While we approached, I grabbed ahold of a random member of the house staff.

The flustered man was confused to see me, he gawked a little while I spoke.

“I’m here to find someone, they came here to speak with the [Count] some time ago and left their kid behind, ring any bells?” I asked. It took them a moment, but after the sudden lurch of their brain halting in the head ended, they answered in a somewhat halting, semi-confused stupor.

“Uh… I think maybe. If they are here, they might be up by the [Count's] office, or maybe with someone else? I um… I can’t quite remember if there was anyone that came by, I don’t really pay attention to your… Um, rather than is to say Goblins? “I need to go now, lots to do,” and he rushed off.

I could tell about halfway through the scrawny human [Man Servant] or whatever he was barely knew what was going on. But honestly, Goblin? Come on, he should probably know better, but I just ignored him, and let the confused, possibly racist, blunder go. He was quite startled, and if his cheeks were an indicator, embarrassed. All yelling at him would do is cause a scene, so I left him and focused on the important act of guiding the kid to her mom.

I never understood how they could mix us up. Is it just laziness, or are Humans just raised that way?

“Ayme, your moms is a Kobold, right?” I asked her.

“MMhm, she’s a Kobold too, like you but different… and shorter. Why?” she asked, obviously expecting that to be obvious.

I nodded and guided her inside to an environment that was even more in chaos than the street. It looked like the aftermath of a cannon going off in an armoury. It was in complete and utter disarray, with each member of the staff hurrying around with something, and totally ignoring anything else.

I started scenting, trying to pick up other Kobolds. I could smell Ayme, panic from the staff, and something that smelled like a few Kobolds, so I followed the path that led up to the top floor.

Why do nobles always make the big important rooms on higher floors? You have to climb upstairs and stuff, and kitchens are always on the ground floor, so you have to keep going up and down to get food, it seems like a bad trade-off and like a needless excuse for a job but whatever.

After bumbling through the floor, the trail led to an office, presumably the [Count's] office, and from the sound of it, he was arguing with a woman.

Cool, this is probably it.

I lead Ayme to the door and pulled some chairs over and let her sit down, I gave her some space, but I stayed with her listening to the sound of them talking. My job wasn’t done until Ayme’s mom met her.

“Do you think… Do you think it will be alright?” she asked.

“I don’t know, kid, but you can always hope. [Hearth Keeper] Kindly always told me to never let anything take that away from me. Hope is important for moving forward, so when you need to go forward, hold hope near your heart.”

She sniffled, and I ruffled her hair as she got snot all over my skirts again, wiping her hands on them. She didn’t snap at me this time, and the skirt of my tunic doesn’t matter, not now, so I let her. And so, we waited, and her mother eventually came out with teary eyes and startled at her daughter before rushing over to fuss about her. “Ayme? What are you doing here, darling?”

Mice Kobolds had a specific kind of fussing where they made short jerky motions. They, in a word, scurried.

Ayme was relieved, all be it slightly, as her mother scurried around her, and said “It started getting loud, so I was going to find you, and then she helped me here. It was getting scary.”

Ayme's mother, who was quite a looker, looked at me questioningly “Was it? Its ok, dear I need to thank her, just wait a second.” She said, before standing up and gesturing over to the side.

I followed her over just far enough that the pup with no stats couldn’t hear us, “It’s not a problem, I was going somewhere, and it was on the way.” I told her.

She sniffed a little, “Thank you for bringing me my daughter anyways, it might have saved her life.” She confided, in a hushed tone.

That was part relief and release in equal measure, and deep inside, it caused a tiny piece of myself to untighten, just a hair. “Is there a way out then?” I asked, like the hopeful fool I desperately wished I was not.

“For the Humans, yes… For us, no.” she let out.

And just like that, I understood. And that spark of hope guttered like a hearth in a hurricane.

She was sending her daughter away. Her half-human daughter, and based on where we were...

“She’s his daughter, isn’t she, half human. Huh, I suppose that makes sense, not many humans above level 35 around are there?” I managed to mutter out.

Oh man, that came out wrong, I hope she doesn’t take that as like a jab at her.

“She is, and apparently, he has no living heir left, the others joined in some fighting and never returned. [Count] Mynes, will bring her with him. Even if I cannot come with her.”

I let my head droop. “Why us? Why can the Humans walk free?”

“I don’t know,” she said, in a voice that felt composed more of hollow defeat than word, “Apparently it happened before, and it always kills the people that called that place their home. And us Kobolds never left the valley, so he will not bring us, in case we bring Death with us.”

That was it then, the only way out was barred from me. No way out now. “I’ll leave you two, you’re in better hands here than out there,” I told her before nodding.

“Thank you for bringing her, sincerely, you have given me a little more time,” she said, wiping some of her tears away.

I pulled back, giving her space. It’s not like we knew one another all that well, highwaters, I didn’t even know her name. I was getting ready to leave when I passed the little lucky, or I suppose possibly unlucky girl, and Ayme reached out and asked me a question.

“What’s your name? I forgot to ask you your name, miss,” she said.

“Saphine, my name is Saphine.” I told her.

She smiled, “Thanks for bringing me to my Momma miss Saphine, I’m sure we’ll be ok now.”

And what could I say to that, I gave her a nod, and patted her on the head. “I’m sure you will be,” and I left before I shoved my feet in my mouth. My ears slanted down I left the estate with a hole in my heart. And I left Ayme and her soon to be dead mother behind with it.

“Death, if there is anything good in this world, please look after them.”