I opened my eyes and knelt down in front of the metal crate. For a moment, I considered tearing the crate open and retrieving some of the supplies held within. I had already used six of the thirty rounds in my M4, and I didn’t have any extra magazines on my person. Plus, I would have liked to change out of my jumpsuit.

Ultimately, I decided against opening the metal crate at that moment because I wasn’t sure that I would be able to reseal it once it was open. Moving the crate could be difficult once it was missing one of its sides, so I wanted to move the crate to a more secure location before opening it.

Thinking about my present situation, I figured that I should start looking for some other Deluvians. My mission at the time was to link up with the 13th Legion, and any nearby Goblins would probably know the location of my legion’s primary encampment.

Finding a few Deluvians wouldn’t be difficult, I was sure. During my time fighting Deluvians as a Revenant, I was made aware that Deluvians were drawn by the sound of gunfire. Where there was one Goblin, there were a hundred Goblins, I knew. Six shots in rapid succession would certainly draw a few more Deluvians to my position.

I got to my feet and looked over at the nearby abandoned house. It was the tallest structure in about a hundred yards, so it could serve as a passable watch tower. With the casualness of a practiced action, I slung my rifle across my back before I jumped onto the roof of the house. I jumped thirty feet into the air and landed on the house’s tiled roof. While I could have climbed up, this process was much faster.

My feet left small indentations in the roof’s tiles as I walked. I quickly adjusted my posture to go prone, and I brought my rifle back to my shoulder. My eyes jerked from side to side as I scanned the area around the house.

Thirty seconds passed, and then I saw another group of five Goblins come running in the direction of the column of green smoke. Muscle memory put my carbine’s iron sights on the lead Goblin. My brain shouted at me to take the shot, but I stopped myself. Instead, I adjusted my aim to the ground a few yards in front of the Goblin and pulled the trigger.

A puff of dirt exploded near the Goblin’s feet, and the squad of Goblins dove for cover. They could not immediately tell where the shot had come from, so they pointed their primitive rifles in all directions, searching for the source of the danger.

I waved a hand in the direction of the Goblin squad and shouted, “Hey! It’s me! The…”

I wasn’t able to finish my sentence, because the rest of my words were drowned out by the sound of gunfire. I felt a light buzzing in my thigh as Danger Sense activated, so I dove down to hide behind the cover of the roof.

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They were not making this easy.

My human body and utilization of a firearm must have made them think I was a Revenant. It might have been easier to make contact if I had been wearing the Dark Apostle uniform of flowing black clothing and a metal mask.

I placed my carbine and pistol down on the roof. What I was about to do would definitely cause me to catch a few rounds, and I didn’t want the Deluvians’ bullets to harm the fragile machinery of my firearms. There were plenty of firearms from the early 20th century on Rubigo, but I was pretty sure that they could only make 21st century firearms in Merkopia. I didn’t want to lose such a valuable resource.

With my guns nestled safely between the slanted roof and a nearby drainpipe, I took a running start and jumped in the direction of the Deluvians. Up to that point, I had not jumped with full force, so I did not fully comprehend the distance that I would travel. The Goblins were about fifty yards away from my roof, and I had planned to land somewhere near them. Instead, I flew through the air and landed far beyond my intended target.

I soared more than a hundred yards through the air before crashing into the center of a paved road. A loud crash shook my bones and shattered the windows of several nearby buildings. My body struck the ground with enough force that I was forced to use Battle Aura to prevent myself from being damaged by the impact.

A sizable cloud of dust spread out around me, and a significant crater formed beneath my feet. The scene was more akin to the aftermath of a missile strike than that of a running jump.

“Mental note,” I said to myself as I stepped out of the smoke cloud, “be more careful when using full power.”

I turned around in a circle in order to regain my bearings. I had certainly jumped past the Goblins, so I would have to come back the way I came.

Just as I started to scratch my head in confusion, the Goblins helpfully decided to inform me of their position. Cracks filled the air, and puffs of dirt erupted near my feet. I wasn’t in cover, but none of the shots hit me. These guys would seriously need a few lessons in accuracy once I was in charge.

The five Goblins were standing out in the open with their rifles aimed at me. All five of them were moving their green hands to pull back their guns’ bolts. For an instant, I crouched down in a sprinter’s crouch before I launched myself in their direction.

Only one of them was able to get another shot off at me before I reached them. The shot was on point, and a high-caliber bullet sparked harmlessly off of my midsection.

I came to a skidding halt in the center of the squad of Goblins. The pavement beneath my feet cracked and flew into the air as I stopped.

With fear evident on their monstrous faces, the five Goblins aimed their rifles at me once more. Something stayed their hands, however. Whether it was caused by fear or a dawning realization of my identity, none of them pulled the trigger.

“I would recommend you point your rifles somewhere else,” I said with a smile. “We have some things to talk about.”