As the enormous doors opened inward, Lady Estra was still watching the goblin champion staring at his feet while muttering. The master charged in leading ten men wielding spears and crossbows aimed at the goblin. The men surrounded the barrier and the goblin. He watched the crystalline barrier dissipate as the master stepped between them. Purple runes were flaring on his robes as mana was channeled through them.

“You will be blasted into oblivion unless you step away from Lady Estra, vermin!” the master shouted hysterically while aiming a finger toward him.

The goblin smiled self-deprecatingly as he raised his hands in surrender, the bastard sword dropping from his loose grip. The ten men let out a collective sigh of relief as the sword landed in the sand. A few members of the crowd booed in disappointment.

“There’s no need to be so rude. I’m more than happy to leave here,” the goblin champion replied.

“That can be arranged. Get inside the transport cart’s cage and then we can talk,” the master instructed.

“Suit yourself,” he replied.

The men followed him with their weapons aimed in trembling hands. The crowd watched as he walked across the arena with his hands held in the air. A pair of the men separated to haul the goblin mage between them. They left the magic staff on the ground as they threw him inside the cage. The magic dome surrounding the arena faded away. The crowd began to bombard the guards with rotten tomatoes while calling out obscenities.

The goblin looked at the men surrounding him, causing them to warily step backward. He smirked as he climbed into the cart. The goblin ignored the master channeling mana from across the arena to close the gate and activate the magical lock.

He walked past the groggy goblin mage to leap up and grab the iron lattice work bars above him. He braced his clawed feet against the ceiling as he used a free hand to tear a piece of meat off the roasted phantom cat. Forgetting about dignity he stuffed as much meat as he could into his mouth before tearing off another piece and dropping to the deck. He scrunched his nose in displeasure when he caught scent of the phantom cat’s waste destroyed by the goblin mage’s flames.

Eww, I can still smell that fucking cat’s filth. It’s ruined my appetite.

The goblin completed chewing the meat in his mouth as he tossed the bit in his hand onto the goblin mage’s chest. The reddish-goblin’s eyes lit up as he hungrily tore into the flesh, devouring it in seconds.

“Good to see that cat shit doesn’t ruin your appetite,” the goblin champion muttered.

“En?” The goblin mage looked at him with its head tilted slightly in confusion.

“I forgot that most of you goat-fuckers don’t live long enough to learn common. Fuck, I love that term. I’m stealing it,” the goblin champion said to himself.

“I speak,” the goblin mage replied hesitantly.

“That is a surprise. Well, my new friend, we’re about to get royally fucked, and not in the good way,” the goblin champion stated.

The men with their weapons aimed at him from outside the cage, parted for the master and Lady Estra to arrive. He gestured toward the cart and a group of arena sweepers took up position to push the cage.

“Take them to my private office below the arena,” the master commanded.

“Yes, master,” the men replied in unison.

They began pushing the cart backward, toward the portcullis which was being raised on the other side by the pair of guards from earlier. The goblin sat down and shifted to get comfortable. He crossed his arms and closed his eyes as he waited patiently to reach their destination.

***

They eventually arrived outside the private office at the opposite end of the hallway from the elevator platform. There was a pair of reinforced arched wooden doors. One side had a smaller door inside it with a closed iron slot at eye-level. The master took a key from inside his robe to unlock the larger doors as a pair of guards pushed them open. Inside, it was more for function than comfort. There was only an untidy desk and a simple bookshelf stacked with books and rolled scrolls containing accounts. The master had a suite and an attached study upstairs for entertaining guests, this one was for the day-to-day managing of the arena.

“Leave us. What we are about to discuss is not for you to hear. Men, return to your duties. There is a large mess to clean upstairs. Guards, wait outside. I will alert you if your services are needed,” the master commanded the arena sweepers and guards.

The men left while pulling closed the large wooden doors behind them. The master went to his messy desk and leaned over to unlock a drawer. He retrieved a coin purse and sat it atop the pile of papers. He carried the coin purse over to the elven maiden with an apologetic expression on his face. He gripped one of her hands and lifted it while attempting to gift it to her.

“There is no need to return the gold, Master Chaplin. My retainers knew the risk when they entered, as did I,” Lady Estra rejected the offering.

“That is not my intent, Lady Estra. The goblins are still alive and are now of no use to you. I wish to purchase them back,” Master Chaplin replied with a placating smile.

“They belong to me. I’m not in the business of reneging on a deal, Master Chaplin. I have paid for them, thus they belong to me,” Lady Estra declined sternly with a frown.

“Peace. I meant no offense. I intended to sell them sooner rather than later. I’ve owned that one for almost a decade. He was old for a goblin before I bought him,” Master Chaplin said while pointing at the goblin champion.

“Tell me, goblin. I know you have a fluent grasp on common. What is your name?” Lady Estra asked.