Osamaru

*cough cough* XD Sooooooo! The thing I had scheduled for tonight fell through ( QAQ save me!) So I ground out the rest of this chapter.

orz... hahahahaha! Well, even still, at least it all works out in the end, and you get it early. Well, enjoy.

Alice's point of view

Alice's eyes scanned the hallway, desperate for a way, any way, to help her and her brother escape their current predicament. She'd been against her brother and his gang's plan to raid the Goblin's food stores from the start. But those bastards had been filling his head with poison for months now. Stupid, childish, half baked plans of "rebellion" and "resistance". Acting like they were some secret underground resistance and not just a ragtag group of half-starved orphan slaves.

Well, now they were all dead. All but her and her brother.

They would have been dead as well, if not for her one skill [Sense Danger]. If she'd not pulled them both into an old barrel when they Hobgoblins had busted into the room, she didn't doubt they'd both have joined the corpses feeding the hounds right now. She was lucky to have even kept the skill hidden for as long as she had; Goblins had a nasty habit of "removing" any potential threats to their power.

But so far, it was the only thing that had kept her and what little remained of her family, alive so far. Not that it looked that would last much longer.

No, now they were in the hands of the psychopath.

The Traitor.

The Clown.

She'd heard the rumors in the slave camps and the "Recycling center", but she didn't think they could possibly be true. That was until she saw him. That ridiculous outfit. That evil, soul-chilling smile. And the blood, so much blood.

Alice felt her heart grow still in terror before a raging fire was lit in her soul. How many of her people, of THEIR people, had this man killed? Mutilated? And for what? All so he could live a cushy life as a literal monster's pet clown?! As much as she hated the Goblins for all they'd done, she found herself hating this man so much more.

She honestly didn't know if they were better off with the Goblins or not.

When she bit him, she had poured all of her pent up frustration, bitterness, and anger into it. Maybe a small, pointless attack in the grand scheme of things, but to her, who had spent the last 7 months battered, bruised, and hunger, it was an awakening. She was tired of being beaten down. Tired of waiting for someone to save them. The lorded "Association" couldn't even do it; no shining Hero was coming to save them. They could only save themselves.

She didn't know how, but Alice knew what if they didn't get away now, there wouldn't tomorrow. Of if there was, it wasn't something to look forward to.

Suddenly, a glint of metal caught her eye. In the back of the Clown's suit jacket, Alice noticed a small, thin knife, tucked away in a hidden pocket. It looked like the pocket had been uncovered somehow, probably when the clown was excessive bowing like a tool. Alice didn't care how it happened, still, a gleam entered her eye.

As quiet as a mouse, careful not to rattle her chains, Alice slowly reached for the hidden knife. After what seemed like an eternity, her small hands finally made contact. In one swift motion, she grasped the blade's handle and yanked it free.

Then, with a primal scream, she lifted the blade and aimed it towards the startled man's exposed throat.

In place of the surprised yell and fear she had expected, however, the evil Clown just laughed, not even bothering to turn around.

[Bobo]: Hahahahah! Good! GOOD! You do have some spunk!"

And then everything went black.

[Bobo]: Hahahahah! Good! GOOD! You do have some spunk!"

Bobo grinned from ear to ear, as the sound of two bodies falling to the ground sounded behind him. He turned around to see the children passed out, a tall man cloaked in deep shadows behind them. He looked down at the two for a moment, a genuine smile on his face, before addressing the man, slipping the throwing knife the man handed him into its pocket. 

[Bobo]: "Thank you, Sam. Take the boy to healers first, then bring him to Julia. I don't know what happened, but he'll need work before he's ready. As for the girl, put her in the Elite class. Don't let the Goblins see you."

Sam, still cloaked in shadows, raised an eyebrow and questioned, his deep Boston accent full on doubt;

[Sam]: "You sure about that Boss? She's just a kid, they'll chew her up."

[Bobo]: "She'll be fine. Just get it done. How's Mike?"

[Sam]: "You did a number on him, but the healers got to him pretty quick. That M bastard said he'd be good for another round in a week. His [Ditto] skill leveled up the other day, so the cooldown's not as harsh. Probably helps your aim's getting better too, Boss."

Bobo shook his head and turned towards the window, then sighed.

[Bobo]: "No, tell him to rotate out. I don't care how tough he thinks he is, we have these things set up for a reason. Besides, the Fat Pig is starting to get suspicious. Have Adam or Sarah fill in for him. Send someone from R&D to set up some new props too. We can't let his eyes wander too far. Not at this stage."

Sam skillfully unlocked the children's chains and hoisted them onto his shoulders, covering them in shadows along with him.

[Sam]: "Julia said that Teams 1-S and 1-T have returned as well. It looks like the operation was a success. With your intel, we even managed to push the blame for the Caravan's disruption onto the Eastern War-chief. I hear his execution is scheduled for next week, Hahahahaha!"

[Bobo]: "Ha, Good, good. That green-skin always got on my nerves. %$#ing puppy-eater. Here are the next reports and guard rotations. Make sure Julia gets them as soon as possible. We can't afford another screwup like at the Pits. We're walking the razor's edge here, Sam. We're so close, we can't screw up now."

Sam took the thick folder from the Clown and shook his head, letting out a soft chuckle.

[Sam]: "Says the man with the most dangerous job among us. Be careful, Uriel. We're counting on you. All of us are."

With that, Sam gave his Boss, his friend, and his savior one last look, before melting into the shadows with his charges.

With a deep sigh, Bobo turned back towards the window and looked out the window into the dull grey sky. A virtual sea of Goblins ferried and drove groups of slaves (Goblins, Humans, and otherwise) in their work to demolish and rebuild what had once been the city of Boston. Even now, hundreds of new smokestacks from the "Recycling Centers" were being built up.

As he looked out over the scene, he didn't even notice the fine hand-prints his white-knuckled hands were leaving on the window seal as he gripped it.