Chapter 28: The Nobleman and the Goblins

The scientists and the politicians had made their decision. They built a research facility around the sleeping Dragon and started siphoning energy from it. I even heard that continuing to drain energy from the Dragon would prevent it from waking up. On the few occasions that I was able to catch glimpses of the sleeping titan, I got the feeling that it was watching me even as it slept.

Lord Jefferson Gregory, wealthy count, senator, and businessman, stood at the top of his penthouse balcony high above the buzzing streets of Tarrus below. The building was so tall that it almost reached past the troposphere. On the side of the building were the grand letters of Gregory Industries, emblazoned in red and glowing dramatically over the streets of Tarrus.

The building served as both Lord Gregory’s main headquarters for his weapons manufacturing company and his personal fortress. And in the distance thousands of miles away, with the aid of satellite imaging installed on his window, the dome-shaped installation of the Ministry of Fire stood out in stark contrast to the urban industry that surrounded it. Just being on the same planet as such a stain on humanity made Lord Gregory’s blood boil.

No matter! If all goes according to plan, this is a sight that will quickly be expunged. I will no longer have to suffer those animals any longer, or that insolent wretch, Eramar Razor! Lord Gregory still remembered with rage the temerity of that Elemental when he challenged him in front of his own guards. Where does that bastard get the gall to treat me that way, his superior? What does he think he is? Human? As far as I’m concerned, Elementals are no more human than the alien trash that they call their allies.

A few years ago, things seemed to be going to hell, what with that fool of an Emperor, Voelair Hamashe, granting more rights to aliens and Elementals alike. It almost seemed like the man actually intended to put them on an equal footing with the Pure-Skins. Luckily, the Emperor disappeared and Chissler had started to put things back into order.

However, the Ministry of Fire in particular still remained a thorn in the side of the Emperor and Lord Gregory himself. And what’s more, the current Emperor wasn't as hard on the nonhumans as he should've been. Even going so far as to let them into the Empire in droves. Convenient political pawns for him to use, perhaps?

Though his campaigns suggested that he loved nonhumans more than his own kind, Gregory knew that Chissler had only love for himself and his own power, and that the aliens were nothing to him but tools to exploit. This made Chissler a wise leader, one that Gregory would be all too happy to surpass and depose when the time came. And the first step to achieving that was to accomplish something that not even the Emperor could do on his own; namely, eradicating the Elementals.

Lord Gregory had done the best he could to undermine the Ministry legally, but they somehow always managed to slither away and continued to defile the human race. If it was up to him, he'd blow their Ministry off the face of the planet. But despite the Emperor’s best efforts, the Senate still felt that Elementals were needed to safeguard the human race, and so they were left alone.

It seemed to be irrelevant to those fools in the Senate that their very existence was a blight on humanity. It seemed to be irrelevant that time and time again, those filthy Elementals had refused to give Lord Gregory the respect and honor that he deserved, the respect and honor that his fellow Pure-Skins and alien slaves accorded to him, and rightfully so.

For Jefferson Gregory was no mere man, he was a nobleman, descended from a pure line of wealthy merchants and influential politicians. Lord Gregory wasn't entirely sure why he had neglected to put this plan into action sooner. The idea just came to him, almost like a dream.

At first, Gregory had qualms about the legal repercussions. As powerful as he was, should he be discovered, it would mean the end of his considerable financial empire that he had inherited, and improved upon. Not even the Emperor had dared to do what Lord Gregory now planned; deliberately starting a war between the Ministries of Fire and Water.

For weeks, Lord Gregory cringed and suffered just thinking about the consequences should this plan go awry. The Elemental filth would be set against him legally, and there would be nothing he could do to stop them, nor any of his allies in the Imperial Senate. As much as he hated the Elementals, Lord Gregory knew not to underestimate them. His father found that lesson out the hard way when he tried to steal their strange, mystical weapons and sell them on the black market.

It had been burned into Lord Gregory’s memories how the Elementals strode into their home, dispatched their guards like flies, and took his father without so much as a word. His father had been imprisoned for more than twenty years, and when they finally released him, he was never the same again.

That was the day that Lord Gregory knew that their menace must be ended. Who were they to deny his father access to their precious weapons? His father was just doing what any businessman would to increase his standing. The anger stayed with Lord Gregory for many years after that incident, but the fear even more so.

After days of debating whether or not to act on this newfound urge, Lord Gregory finally found the resolve to see it through. After all, he was of noble blood, and no noble would be bullied by any supernatural freaks, no matter how powerful.

After he had set his plans into motion, a sort of serenity came over him, almost like his father’s spirit stood by his side, giving him strength. Not only would he avenge his father’s fate, but he would make so much profit off the civil war that he might become powerful enough to challenge the Emperor himself.

He had already made a fortune from the skirmishes between the Ministries of Earth and Air, who conveniently began their conflict shortly after his epiphany, almost like the fates had meant them to be an inspiration to him. Lord Gregory smiled as he thought of how slyly he had supplied food, medical supplies, and occasionally weapons to both Ministries from the northern and southern districts of Tarrus.

Of course, no one knew of his efforts, not even the Emperor, but Lord Gregory saw it as the best way to prolong the conflict, and therefore, hasten the destruction of both Ministries. And soon, the Fire and the Water would share their fate.

            “Lord Gregory, sir. You summoned me,” interrupted the sneaky voice of the Goblin, Galzar Slithe, Lord Gregory’s personal assassin.

            Lord Gregory almost jumped out of his skin. The voice had come from just behind him, and of course, the sneaky alien bastard had crept up on him without warning. Lord Gregory turned on the slave and backhanded him across his ugly face before pulling out a handkerchief and wiping the slime from his knuckles.

            “Galzar Slithe, you insolent worm! I told you not to do that again. Next time, it’ll mean another flogging, for both you and that little bitch of yours.” Actually, Lord Gregory thought of flogging the both of them anyway, just for the fun of hearing them beg for mercy.

            “My apologies, sir. Old habits die hard,” replied Galzar, his quiet, inhuman voice barely above a whisper.

            Goblins were among some of the most grotesque aliens that Lord Gregory had ever had the displeasure of dealing with. Galzar Slithe had a hunched back and stood shorter than most humans. His ears were longer than an Elf’s and more bat-like, and his hair was a long, black, tangled, and smelly mess. His skin was slimy and dark green with black splotches much like freckles, only larger. His face was scrunched up and twisted, like someone had taken a hammer to it several times. He had a long, crooked nose, and glistening teeth sharp as knives. His eyes were a mix of yellow and green, much like a cat’s as they darted back and forth, as if seeking their next prey to devour.

The Goblin wore tattered, gray robes and combat boots. Despite his disheveled appearance, underneath those robes hid almost an entire armory that the little monster was quite adept at using.

            The Goblin rubbed his slimy, clawed hands together nervously as he contemplated enduring another flogging with the electric whip. This pleased Lord Gregory. As much as he despised all aliens almost as much as Elementals, Lord Gregory had found the two assassins to be quite useful. He found them many years ago during a business transaction on Gackbar, where Galzar and his daughter, Silvia, stood trial for the murder of one of their own.

Lord Gregory ‘saved’ their lives for their employment. They'd been totally devoted to him ever since. He graciously supplied all their needs in return for services: the quiet assassination of business rivals, espionage, and blackmail against adversaries in the Senate. Their existence was a complete secret from everyone, even from Lord Gregory’s most trusted associates within his company. They were his secret weapons and his most powerful assets.

            They had their uses in other ways, giving Lord Gregory a necessary outlet for his frustration and rage. Lord Gregory found no end of mirth seeing the two creatures squirm under his heel. They still performed their jobs without fail, so Lord Gregory felt no need to change his treatment of them. He would occasionally go too far and need medical assistance for the younger and more fragile of the two.

The female Goblin wasn't quite as hideous and smelly as her father, and even possessed some features that might even be considered desirable among human men, but Lord Gregory would never sully his hands by possessing an alien like that. The idea made him gag. Besides, he had plenty of ways to gain human companionship should the need ever arise. So instead, the Goblin brat pleased him in other ways by letting him see her writhe when he cracked his electric whip across her back.

Grinning slightly at the idea of another little ‘therapy session’ with the Goblin whelpling, Lord Gregory turned his full attention to Galzar Slithe. “So, I assume you're here because either Hamma Steel has finished his quota of capturing Elemental candidates … or he's dead. Either way, he was instructed to carefully implicate the Ministry of Water, so the war should be underway, yes.”

Galzar Slithe cringed timidly, as if he were afraid to say what happened. “Yes and no, sir. Yes, Hamma Steel the Mystic is dead, and yes, he did implicate the Ministry of Water in his attack. However, the war is not underway yet, sir.”

Growling in displeasure, Lord Gregory scowled at Galzar venomously and spoke in a strained voice. “Care to elaborate on that, my little Goblin salaud?”

Galzar Slithe swallowed nervously and made a strange clicking noise that sounded like a cricket. “Well, suspicions are high on both sides. The Ministry of Water has been preparing for an attack from the Fire because of the blueprints we sent them that were supposedly from Saria Kaves.”

Lord Gregory backhanded the Goblin again, pulled out another handkerchief to clean his hands, and sniffed impatiently. “Yes, yes, yes. The blueprints for a weapon that will vaporize the water boundary and make them practically defenseless. We had Hamma send it from the Ministry of Fire to an underground unit of theirs and then tipped off the Water that they should intercept the package. But why haven’t they attacked by now.”

“The Ministry of Water is suspicious by nature, but they are also very cautious. They won’t attack unless they themselves are attacked or if they have a key strategic advantage over their enemy,” replied Galzar, as if he needed to explain the plan to the man who came up with the plan. “That's why we tried forcing the Ministry of Fire to strike by kidnapping their future initiates and staging an attack by Hamma Steel within the Ministry itself.”

“So why isn’t it working like you said it would, slave?” asked Lord Gregory, his anger rising.

            “I’m afraid that it is partly due to the Emperor’s interference. He has forbidden the Ministry of Fire from attacking the Water,” replied Galzar, backing away slightly.

            “Merde!” Lord Gregory cursed. “That alien-leaning, fool. Of all the times, why does the Emperor choose now to interfere? He may have a bit of a soft spot for your kind, but he hates the Elementals as much as I do.”

            “I think he was hoping to both tie down the Ministry of Fire’s hands and entice the Water to attack after seeing a sign of weakness. However, it backfired. The Minister of Fire has opened negotiations with the Minister of Water. Hephaestus Sorric is sending an ambassador to find a peaceful resolution. If that happens, he will find out that the Ministry of Fire never made the blueprints and Kaves will find out that the assassin wasn't sent by the Water. Worst case scenario, they could trace it back to you based on your connections with weapons companies to create blueprints for a weapon that looks genuine.”

            That is definitely not good.

Lord Gregory hit the Goblin so hard this time that he fell over. He kicked Galzar a few times on the ground before he felt better. After a few seconds of abusing his servant, Gregory grew calm.

It doesn’t matter! I am still going to get away scot-free, cripple two Ministries, and gain enough power to stage a coup within the Empire.

“I guess it’s time to put plan B into action. Unlike Hamma Steel, our agent in the Ministry of Water is still mobile. I’ll have him pull a few strings so that the ambassador of Water is one of my choosing, one who'll easily antagonize the Fire Elementals. Meanwhile, I want you to go to the Ministry of Fire and deal with the situation. I trust you know what to do.”

            Galzar Slithe huffed and slowly rose to his full height, which still made him look threatening despite his diminutive stature. Even with the decent beating he had just earned, the Goblin seemed no worse for wear, but then he wasn't human after all.

            “Yes, sir. My apprentice and I will take care of it personally.”

Silvia Slithe gazed at herself in the mirror for what seemed like hours. She had dark-green skin, larger than normal eyes with yellow pupils and green irises, long pointed, bat-like ears, and fangs. On her homeworld of Gackbar, she might’ve been considered an impressive specimen, luring the eyes of many potential mates.

But here on the world of the humans, she was nothing more than a monster only slightly less ugly than her father. Silvia spent most of her time assassinating some innocent bystanders that had angered Lord Gregory somehow or entertaining the foolish tyrant by letting him vent his hostile tendencies on her when she could easily break his neck with one hand.

On the few occasions she had to herself, she would often gaze into the mirror and wonder how other humans might look at her. Would they simply see her as Lord Gregory did, a monster that either needed to be controlled or put down? Or would they see her based on the things she had done? Killing countless sentient lifeforms, both alien and human alike without pity or mercy, did not seem to garner much sympathy.

Is that all she was? Is that all her existence counted for, an accumulation of her physical traits and her past actions? An assassin and a freak. Was that really all that Silvia Slithe, daughter of the Goblin broods, could amount to?

            Closing her eyes in concentration, Silvia focused her psions to wash over her face, and then her entire body. She still wasn't as good at shifting as her father; it took her a few seconds to change her shape while Galzar could change his physical appearance and even his clothing almost instantaneously.

It had taken Silvia several years to master, but at last, she had come up with a pleasing human form that was totally her own invention and not simply an imitation of another human girl, living or dead. Silvia imagined the form she wanted, and slowly willed her body to take that form.

Her fangs vanished, her claws receded, her pupils shrank and turned white while her irises became blue. Her hair went from raven black to blonde. Her facial features became more graceful and fragile, and her skin became creamy-white, like vanilla.

            Silvia opened her eyes and smiled at her success. She appeared to be a young teenage girl, about sixteen years of age, with long blonde hair done in a ponytail, and greenish-brown eyes. She glanced down at her trappings and grimaced. She still wore the gray rags that Lord Gregory had given them as a substitute for clothing.

The ignorant man got the idea that they liked hideous clothing just because, to his eyes, they were hideous. It was a lot trickier to will clothing to change than organic skin, but still the same basic concept as shifting … using psions to change the shape and the texture of an object.

Most people assumed that the Goblins were able to change shape because of some genetic mutation in their DNA, but that was only partially true. Since their ability to shapeshift stemmed from a natural psionic trait, it went beyond mere genetics; therefore, it was still possible to change the form of a physical object.

            Silvia concentrated for a few seconds, imagining a blue dress, like the one she saw the young Tras girl wear. After a few moments, her efforts paid off as the gray rags shimmered until a faint, blue light passed over the fabric, changing it into a splendid dress. Silvia laughed with delight as she twirled her dress around, admiring it in the mirror.

She’d never managed to transform her clothes so perfectly before then. Usually, when they were on a job in disguise, she had to obtain her own fabrics for the various roles she played, but no longer. For a few seconds, Silvia imagined that the girl she saw dancing in the mirror was her. She even let herself imagine a whole new life for herself, one in which she didn't have to kill anyone or suffer the abuses of megalomaniacs like Lord Gregory.

            Silvia remembered what her father looked like in human form and imagined him being a real human father. How he would fuss over her like other human parents would. How he would read her stories before she went to bed at night instead of mercilessly pounding into her the art of killing.

How he would worry about her when she went on her first date instead of selling his allegiance to a man like Lord Gregory. Her father kept telling her that their lives no longer belonged to them, that they belonged to their masters. Until they had fulfilled their mission; attained the means to bring peace, prosperity, and equality for their people, then they must be willing to sacrifice anything and everything for that cause.

Silvia knew her duty. She knew what needed to be done for the good of her people, even if some of them didn't agree, but that seemed little comfort to her when she had to listen to the Tras girl after murdering her father. Even now, she hoped beyond hope that she was more than just a tool of destruction for her own father, that she wasn't just a toy for his amusement like with Lord Gregory; but she had never been very good at reading Galzar Slithe.

Her father had been taking on different forms and assassinating people his whole life … lying just came naturally to him. Silvia couldn't even be sure if her father even knew what he felt, or if he felt anything at all. So, for a moment, Silvia stared at the girl in the mirror and let herself forget who she was, let herself forget what she was.

            “Apprentice,” whispered a familiar voice behind her.

            Startled, Silvia lost her grip on her form and it vanished instantly. She silently scolded herself. Her father warned her that she mustn’t let her disguises disperse so easily, especially when she became surprised or agitated. Quickly composing herself, Silvia faced her father resolutely.

            “I was just practicing, master. Forgive me for not sensing your presence; I will work harder not to be caught off guard so easily in the future.”

            Galzar Slithe regarded his daughter with his intense, yellow-green eyes. Silvia often wondered if he had telepathic abilities as well, since he always seemed to guess her thoughts and emotions.

            “I have not been able to catch you off guard like that in a while. You must have been so deep in thought that the world around you vanished. What were you thinking about, apprentice?”

Silvia couldn't afford to tell him the truth, not now when they were so close to completing their lifelong mission that they had committed to so many years ago. “I was just thinking of how relieved I will be when we no longer need suffer under the thumb of a man like Lord Gregory.”

Galzar sniffed slightly, the equivalent of a laugh for him. “On that we can both agree. Soon our mission will be finished, and we need not endure the likes of Jefferson Gregory any longer.”

“I could almost pity him if he wasn’t such a malicious Neanderthal. I still wonder why we had to put up with him for so long in the first place.”

Galzar sighed deeply. “He was necessary for the mission that we are now so close to completing. He will be our scapegoat, our mask so that our masters can remain hidden in case the mission goes awry.”

The fact that he said it out loud bothered Silvia, like he expected something to go wrong. “You believe that the mission will fail … that I am not ready for the task ahead?”

Galzar sniffed as if insulted. “I have trained you myself. You have already proven your worth a thousand times over. It is not your abilities that are in question.”

Inwardly rejoicing at the compliment, which happened very infrequently with her father, Silvia kept her features emotionless as she asked, “Then what?”

“You know as well as I do that we must be prepared for every possible outcome. The other jobs were challenging, but this is different. This is the Ministry of Fire. We cannot afford to make the mistakes of our predecessors and underestimate the power of the Elementals.”

Galzar referred to the Black Dragon Wars, in which many of the Goblin broods had fought and lost their lives to the Elementals.

“But we killed almost as many of them in the Black Dragon Wars as they did us. And besides, we are stronger now, more evolved. Thanks to the power of the Mystics, our shifting abilities are without equal. No human Elemental could ever match our prowess now,” exclaimed Silvia with a tiny bit of fire in her voice.

Silvia spoke the words with conviction. Even if she didn't want to be an assassin for the rest of her life, she still felt proud to be a Goblin and proud to be the daughter of Galzar Slithe, hailed as the great Shadow Slicer.

Galzar held out a finger in warning. “Do not overestimate your own abilities. Remember, we are assassins. We do not fight with power alone. Our way is by shadow, as it has been passed down through the generations of our people who follow the old ways.”

“Yes father … I mean, master.” Galzar had told Silvia never to call him father, that they must reject all earthly attachments, even the bonds of blood.

Galzar hissed slightly in displeasure. “Always remember, my disciple. We are nothing. We live not for ourselves, but for the fulfillment of this mission. Clear your mind of everything else so that we may focus on the objective.”

“But teacher, I can’t help but wonder what happens after the mission?” asked Silvia hesitantly.

Galzar frowned in confusion. “What?”

“What happens after we have achieved our objective and fulfilled our oaths sworn ten years ago?”

Galzar Slithe scowled, as if he never considered what would happen after they finished their mission. “I had always assumed that I would go join my ancestors in death.”

“You would leave me alone, master?” asked Silvia, beset by momentary panic. 

Silvia told herself not to do this, but living among humans for so long had changed her, weakened her. She had been obligated to become familiar with their culture through intensive study, and because of that, she had learned how much they valued bonds, especially bonds between families.

Galzar seemed genuinely uncomfortable. “We will discuss this later. Right now, we must focus on the task at hand.”

Silvia turned her face down to the floor to steady herself. She closed her eyes and recited their slogan to calm her nerves.

I am not myself. I breathe not for myself. I eat not for myself. I live not for myself. I am a part of something greater than myself. I am part of a whole, part of a machine, part of a body. I am not myself. Silvia breathed in and out, seeking the resolve that never seemed to leave her father. Yes, this is the moment of my destiny, the moment I finally prove my worth to myself and to my father.

Silvia raised her head. “The assassination of the ambassador of Water. With his death, the war will begin and the last of the Grand Ministries will fall. Let’s get started.”