The Maid and Her Princess [On Hiatus]

Tritorjan, Desecrated Town (Goblin Eschaton 5)

"You!" The eared Goblin shrieked at the eyeless one. Madoka realized that the magic was changing the Goblin's words to Commoner. "You would give your eyes to the False God!? The—" It uttered incomprehensible words,"—Barrier!"

"Evil!" The other tall goblins chanted and began to tear at the pitiful captive's flesh.

For a moment, Madoka considered leaping over the wooden barricade and painting the room green, but suddenly she felt a tug on her sleeve. Audrey looked at her oddly, but could not question her. The chanting continued and an ominous violet energy swirled beneath where the captive lay.

Ears.
Ears!
So we may hear Tomorrow!

Madoka decided whatever they were trying to accomplish was too dangerous to watch. She had to act! The ground began to rumble as the princess mouthed a command, but Madoka ignored whatever it was. She drew her axe and leapt through the windows to confront the monsters.

The inside of this building was disgusting but Madoka stifled her urge to choke from the rotting smell. In a quick movement she spotted the four goblin targets and prepared for an attack, but to her surprise they cowarded and abandoned their spell casting at the sight of her fearsome intrusion.

"A heretic!" one of the hooded goblins shrieked. It had an oddly feminine voice, but it sounded like it was mixed with gravel and bile.

"Stop!" Another cried out, raising its arms in surrender. A band of bloody ears clicked together around its bone-thin wrist as it shook with fear. Audrey hopped over to investigate with Madoka, but she could sense magic emanating from the princess.

"Interloper!" The one with the grafted ears spoke to them in a mix of Commoner and Noble. "Have m-mercy, you and you! You have eyes, unlike this heretic! No heretic!"

It pointed a shaky claw out to the maid and her princess. Madoka could not believe she was speaking with monsters. The leader spoke again, tapping her staff on the ground and letting go of it. To her surprise, the staff remained standing upright amongst the severed ear piles and limbs.

"This town's finished!" It spoke to Madoka. "Our livestock ran!"

"Livestock?" Madoka questioned if the bodies of dead Sovos surrounding her were the livestock. The goblins nodded vigorously.

"R-Ran away! With their ears and their—" It spoke faster as it noticed Madoka's countenance darken. "Broke the Barrier, the False God did. Poisoned these heretics with lies of eyes!"

It directed its finger at the pinned goblin. A wound was spreading across its bare chest, as if a sword was meticulously carving a bloody pattern along its skin.

"False God?" Audrey asked. Madoka was curious in a False God. Would the kind gods even allow such a heresy to exist? Was it the creature whispering in her head?

"Surely you see her work all around, you!" The creature addressed Madoka. "You feel her pecking at your eyes, like a bird! You and you, come with ill intent and juicy offerings."

"If you mean the guild," Madoka growled and lifted her axe in a fighting stance. "You are mistaken if you think I will allow that."

"Yeah!" Audrey cheered behind her. She would roll her eyes but she had to focus on the threat in this rotted carcass of a building.

"Barrier, keeps it below, you and you," the leader's wretched voice turned to a desperate snarl. She could sense a battle brewing. "Or are you a heretic already!"

"Take their ears!" One of the hooded goblins cackled.

Madoka rose her axe to defend Audrey but the spell circle beneath the captured one flashed in a purple light. The magic's emission stunned everyone, and the blind goblin writhed on the floor. Its thoughts were erratic. Pain? Madoka questioned, but turned to see the other four goblins were incapacitated and also writhing on the floor.