Max and Neros remained still for a few more seconds, standing in the middle of that endless sea of robes, hoods, and suspicious creatures.

No sign of Finn. Not a single firefly. Not a single lantern.

Not one small goblin dressed in black.

Nothing.

Neros slowly exhaled through his nose.

"Right," he said dryly. "Can you think of any way to ask about that little idiot without drawing too much attention?"

Max crossed his arms, observing the constant flow of people.

"Honestly... no."

He looked ahead, thoughtful.

"I think the best thing we can do is keep moving and stay low-profile."

He adjusted his hood.

"Finn can’t have gone far. Besides, we’ve already seen several people with the seven-pointed star tattoo."

He discreetly gestured towards a pair of hooded figures in the distance.

"That means we’re still heading in the right direction."

Neros nodded.

"Understood."

Without saying much else, the two stepped back into the crowd. Carefully. Trying not to bump into anyone this time. Which, considering Neros’ natural talent for generating social incidents, was already a mission in itself.

Max kept his eyes forward, scanning heads, shoulders, and small gaps between people.

’Come on, Finn... you have to be around here somewhere.’

And then...

"THIEEEEEF!!"

The shout echoed through the entire street.

Max and Neros turned instantly.

A small figure was sprinting through the crowd, shoving people out of the way.

A goblin. Small, skinny, and green. He was carrying a bag far too large for his size and running with absolute desperation.

Behind him, a large orc vendor was chasing him while wielding a broom like some legendary weapon.

"GET BACK HERE WITH MY MERCHANDISE, YOU FILTHY LARVA!"

The goblin shrieked and ran even faster. He shoved an elderly hooded woman aside. Jumped over a crate. Slid between the legs of a minotaur.

And the most surprising part of all...

No one seemed to care.

The crowd barely moved aside. No one helped. No one intervened. No one even seemed particularly surprised.

Max blinked.

’...I suppose this is completely normal here.’

Maybe in a place like the black market, the rule was simple. If it doesn’t affect you directly, it’s not your problem. Horrible logic. But logical nonetheless.

The little goblin kept running straight towards them.

Max opened his mouth.

"Neros, don’t do anything stupid—"

Too late.

Driven by pure instinctive justice, Neros extended one arm and grabbed the little thief by the back of his shirt.

He lifted him off the ground like a troublesome cat.

"AH—!"

The bag flew through the air. Everything seemed to slow down.

The vendor’s eyes widened dramatically.

"NOOOOOOO—"

The little goblin also went pale.

"Pip!"

Max saw the bag spinning through the air and didn’t think. He acted.

Something moved behind him.

FAST.

His tail.

The long demonic tail from his disguise shot forwards and caught the bag before it hit the ground.

SNAP.

Perfect catch.

Silence.

Neros blinked.

The goblin blinked.

The vendor blinked.

Max blinked too. He looked at his own tail holding the bag.

"...Okay."

He grabbed the bag with both hands.

"I also did not know I could do that."

Neros was still staring at him.

"I didn’t know you could control your tail like that."

"I literally just discovered that myself."

Max sounded just as confused.

The vendor finally arrived, panting heavily.

"Thank you! Thank you so much!"

He bowed slightly towards them.

"You recovered my merchandise."

Then he noticed the little goblin still dangling from Neros’ hand. And raised the broom with very obvious murderous and vengeful intent.

"Now come here, you little bastard—"

WHACK.

Neros caught the broom with his free hand before it could land. The strike never connected.

The cat man looked at the orc with visible disapproval.

"He’s just a child."

His voice was firm.

"He does not deserve to be hit."

The small goblin, still suspended in the air, was shielding himself with both arms. Trembling.

Meanwhile, Max slightly opened the bag to check what was inside. And froze.

"...Oh."

Inside was a small chubby chick. Round. Fluffy. Completely white feathers. And three legs.

The tiny bird lifted its head.

"Pip."

Max blinked.

"Well. That is adorable."

The little goblin’s eyes widened.

"Leave Pip alone!"

He squirmed as much as he could.

"Don’t give him back! Please!"

Max looked up at the vendor.

The orc extended both hands as if this were perfectly normal.

"Alright, you can hand my merchandise back now."

His expression was entirely casual. Like he was asking for a random crate. Not a living creature.

Max hesitated. Just for a moment.

’We shouldn’t cause trouble.’

He thought.

’But I’m also not about to take a child’s pet and hand it over to some weird trafficker.’

The little goblin lowered his arms slightly. His eyes were full of panic.

"Please..."

He looked at the bag.

"I just wanted to save Pip."

He clenched his teeth.

"He’s been my best friend for as long as I can remember."

Max slowly exhaled.

Yep. Decision made.

The vendor clicked his tongue.

"Listen."

He smiled, revealing some rather questionable teeth.

"If what you want is money, we can settle this at my shop."

Max turned towards Neros.

Neros looked back at him.

They understood each other without speaking.

The cat man gently lowered the little goblin to the ground. Brushed a bit of dust off his clothes. Then crouched in front of him.

"I apologise for getting in your way."

His tone was surprisingly soft. He even offered a small smile.

The goblin child stared at him. At his scarred face. His cut ears. His stern expression.

And...

Didn’t react at all. No fear. No discomfort. No rejection. Just normal surprise.

Neros froze for a second. Clearly not expecting that.

Something subtly changed in his expression. Softer.

More human.

Or well.

More cat.

Then he stood up. And punched the vendor directly in the face.

THUD.

The orc was sent flying backwards.

"DON’T MESS WITH CHILDREN."

Max smiled.

"That was actually pretty good."

He reached into his infinite backpack.

"Honestly, I probably wouldn’t have known how to start either."

He pulled out his hammer.

CLANK.

The surrounding crowd reacted instantly, as though they had smelled free entertainment. A circle quickly formed around them.

Shouting. Whistling. Applause. Cheers.

"FIGHT!"

"COME ON, BEAT EACH OTHER UP!"

"I’m betting twenty coins on the cat man!"

Max quickly handed the bag to the little goblin.

"Here."

He smiled at him.

"Take the chance and run."

The child hugged the bag tightly against his chest. His eyes sparkled.

"Thank you."

He smiled brightly.

"Pip and I appreciate it."

Without wasting a second, he ran off through the legs of the crowd and disappeared.

The vendor, sprawled on the ground, got back up furiously.

"YOU BASTARDS, MY MERCHANDISE!"

He grabbed his face, then shouted towards somewhere outside the ring.

"My son!"

He pointed at Max and Neros.

"These idiots are ruining our business!"

He staggered back to his feet.

"Take care of them! They hurt your father!"

Heavy footsteps echoed through the crowd.

THOOM.

THOOM.

THOOM.

Max looked up.

And saw another orc approaching. Even larger. Much, much larger. Almost absurdly enormous. Broad as a wall. Though with a somewhat vacant expression. And a slightly clumsy demeanour.

The giant orc nodded once, but said nothing.

Without another word, he charged straight at Neros.

The crowd exploded with excitement.

"OOOOOOOH!"

Neros immediately took a fighting stance.

Max sighed, adjusting his grip on his hammer.

And couldn’t help but think:

’Good thing we weren’t planning on getting into trouble.’

The vendor smiled with vengeful satisfaction.

"That’s it, son! Crush him!"

The giant orc kept advancing. Each step made the dirt floor tremble slightly.

Neros bent his legs slightly and tightened his fists.

"Very well."

He waited until the orc was close enough. Then launched a direct punch to the stomach.

THUD.

Nothing happened.

Neros blinked.

"...Eh?"

The giant orc slowly looked down at his stomach. Then back at Neros. As if only just realising someone had touched him.

The crowd let out a long:

"Ooooooh..."

Max’s eyes widened.

"Oh no."

The giant orc simply extended both arms. And grabbed Neros by the legs. Lifting him off the ground as if he weighed absolutely nothing.

"What the hell!?"

Now Neros was the surprised one. He tried to break free. Twisted his torso. Tried punching.

Nothing.

The grip was absurdly strong.

"Release me."

The orc simply lifted the cat man slightly higher. Then slammed him into the ground.

BOOM.

A cloud of dust exploded upwards.

The crowd screamed with excitement.

"OOOOHHHH!"

"That had to hurt!"

"DO IT AGAIN!"

Neros barely had time to inhale before being lifted again. And slammed back down.

BOOM.

Max watched as a small brown cloud started spreading over the improvised fighting ring.

And then he had an idea.

"Perfect."

He slightly opened his cloak. And activated the enchantment.

A dense violet mist began pouring out from beneath his clothes, rapidly expanding across the entire circle.

Within seconds, the entire fight was swallowed by purple smoke.

The crowd reacted instantly.

"HEY!"

"WHAT THE HELL IS THIS?!"

"I CAN’T SEE ANYTHING!"

"THEY RUINED THE SHOW!"

Max smiled inside the cloud.

"Exactly."

Through the smoke, dull impacts could still be heard.

BOOM.

THUD.

CRACK.

Apparently, the giant orc was still using Neros as an urban demolition tool.

"Well," Max muttered, tightening his grip on the hammer.

"That means he’s still alive."

Three magical circles appeared in front of him, glowing through the violet mist.

Three figures emerged from the ground. Skeleton knights. Lining up in front of Max.

Max smiled with satisfaction.

"Alright, boys."

He spun the hammer once in his hand.

"Time for the counterattack."