An old story of mine that was actually my entry to the Blizzard Creative Writing Contest in 2011. It's basically about my goblin rogue character, Kazea Springload, and some of her backstory prior to the events of the Cataclysm in World of Warcraft. However, because I was writing for the Blizzard contest, I decided to write from the perspective of Ace—an NPC from the game—and show how he becomes an important individual in Kazea's life. Kazea, of course, is in the role of the player character in the goblin starting zone—the CEO of KTC who comes close to overthrowing Gallywix before a certain dragon messes things up...

Kazea is my own original character, as is Ralgo Blackspanner, but otherwise all other characters mentioned in the story are NPCs from World of Warcraft.

Please enjoy!

There are times in life when one regrets the decisions they have made.

And after the third time of being slammed against the wall, lip bleeding and vision reduced to a squint between swollen eyelids, Ace decided this was one of those times.

The world seemed to spin as he sank to the ground. Coughing, Ace peered up at the goblin bruiser cracking his knuckles before him, with a mouth stretched into a wide, cruel grin. Ace flinched and tried to scoot away, his voice rising in a weak attempt to keep from being hit again.

"L-look… guys. I can get the money for ya; j-just give me more time—"

"Time lost is money lost, Ace." From behind the large, tattooed bruiser came a deep voice, raspy from years of smoking. "I gave you weeks to collect on this guy, and ya come up with nothin'. I run a bail bond service, not a charity."

Ace shakily lifted a hand to wipe some of the blood from his nose. "I-I know, boss," he said, peering past the bruiser at the goblin who spoke. Ralgo Blackspanner was dressed in a pinstripe suit, dark hair slicked back and neat. These rich mobsters always felt the need to dress the part. Ace supposed it was meant to create an intimidating appearance, but he personally thought the two hobgoblins on either side of his boss did that job just fine.

"Ya soft, Ace. Ya no good. Ya got no talent, and ya always have sympathy for our clients and let 'em pay late." Ralgo pulled a cigar from his jacket pocket and placed it between his teeth; one of the hobgoblins towering beside him fumbled a tiny lighter between his massive fingers and managed to somehow light the end of it. The goblin mob boss paused to inhale, then exhale a breath of smoke, and shook his head. "That ain't how we do business. Sorry kid, but you're a weak link, and I ain't letting it slide no more."

Before Ace could respond, the beefy goblin bruiser stepped forward again, grabbing Ace by the collar, lifting him high, and slamming him into the wall. The smaller goblin struggled to breathe, his vision swimming as the bruiser tightened his grip. Ace kicked and squirmed, but the hand around his throat only tightened more, and he felt all conscious thought start to leave him…

"Eeep!"

At the unfamiliar, high-pitched squeak of surprise, the goblin bruiser suddenly loosened his grip, and Ace gasped for air as he was abruptly dropped to the ground once more. He managed to turn his head in the direction of the sound, and saw what Ralgo and his men had stopped to look at… a young goblin woman, frozen in shock.

The goblin bruiser stepped away from Ace, and Ralgo cleared his throat. "Ah. Good evenin', Miss Springload," he spoke, conversationally.

Though it was hard to see through his blackened, swelled eyes, Ace could see the young woman fidget. He'd never seen her before. She seemed about his age, with messy brunette hair tied into a bun. She didn't seem like the kind of gal to be walking around the back alleys of the Kezan slums, but as Ace watched, he saw her fingers twitch for a knife on her belt. Even in dire straits, Ace found himself grinning a little. A cute gal that could fight? Pretty attractive.

"Um… good evening, Mr. Blackspanner," she replied, glancing at the mobster briefly, and then looking at Ace. "Am I… interrupting something?"

"Just takin' care of business," Ralgo replied, dismissively. He took another draw of his cigar. "What's a gal like you walkin' around by ya'self for? Would ya like one of my bodyguards to escort ya home?"

"No, I'm fine, thanks," she said, still staring at the beaten goblin lying on the ground. "What's wrong? This punk owe ya money?"

Ralgo laughed and flicked some ashes in Ace's direction. "He's a terrible employee. Ain't bringin' in the dough like he should. I'm usually a forgivin' guy, but… well, you know how business is, Miss Springload."

"Hehe, I know."

With a snap of the mob boss's fingers, Ace suddenly found himself being lifted up off the ground again by his collar. He flinched, preparing for another punch. "Don't mind us, sweetheart, ya just go on ya merry way—" Ralgo began.

"Hold on," the young woman spoke up, this time stepping closer to the thugs. "Ya gonna… ya know, erase this guy?"

"Maybe." Ralgo glowered at Ace scornfully. "Ain't nothin' a delicate thing like yous gots to see."

Ace looked over at her, finally meeting her gaze. To his surprise, her eyes were violet, and were filled with sympathy. He wanted so badly to say something, anything to her—please lady, don't leave me like this, I'm too young to die!—but he could barely breathe, much less make a sound. He only could look at her with what he imagined was a desperate expression.

She regarded him for a few moments, before looking up at Ralgo with a pleasant expression. "If ya don't mind, I can take him off ya hands for ya."

"What? Ya don't want Ace; he's a loser. A softie. Can't fight, can't think, can't do nothin'."

"But sir, you know what position I'm in. I don't have many employees yet." Ace's heart raced with hope at the words. Was she… trying to save him? "I'm sure even a loser like him could do something."

Ralgo stared at her, suspiciously. "Kazea, sweetheart, I ain't a charity," he grumbled. "Even if he ain't good to me no more, I can't just give him to ya. My pops told me there were two things I always had to remember—charge high interest, and never give stuff away for free. It's how I got so successful, ya know."

To Ace's surprise, the girl—Kazea—giggled cutely. It struck him as weird that she wasn't intimidated by Ralgo, even with the hobgoblins and goblin bruiser there. Was she stupid… or confident?

"Mr. Blackspanner, ya pop was a smart guy," she praised. "Ya right, I can't just take him without giving ya nothing in return. Tell ya what. I got this nice ivory paperweight on my desk back home. It was a business-warming present from Gallywix himself! Pretty bird thing with emeralds for eyes. Ya collect them, don't ya?"

Ace already knew, without looking, that Ralgo's eyes had widened in greedy delight. For whatever reason, his boss collected fancy paperweights. Dozens of them decorated the shelves of his office. Whoever this gal was, she knew exactly what the mob boss liked.

"Surely a loser like him is worth something like that. Goblins, they're a dime a dozen, right?" Kazea continued. "Ya can hire one any day. But ivory paperweights? They're hard to come by around here."

"Hmm." Ralgo puffed on his cigar a little more, while his thugs exchanged looks. "Ya got a point. Ace is about as useful as a paperweight, but I can't sell him for what ivory goes for nowadays…" With a final laugh, he let the cigar fall to the ground, and crushed it beneath his foot. "Very well. Ya got yaself a deal, Miss Springload. But I want to see it by tomorrow, or else."

Kazea couldn't hide her triumphant grin, and came over to Ace's side as the bruiser set him down. She put an arm around her new employee possessively. "Course, Mr. Blackspanner. I'll be by your place tomorrow and give it to ya personally. This guy… eh, I'll find something easy for him to do. I just hate wasting resources, ya know."

"Hmm, one of those recycling sorts," Ralgo muttered. "Good luck on gettin' ya company built up with a philosophy like that." He snapped his fingers, and his trio of thugs jumped to attention. "Let's go, boys. We're done here."

Kazea waved as they turned to leave. "Nice doing business with ya!"

When Ralgo and his men were gone, Ace heard her sigh a little with relief, and her arm around him tightened. "Sheesh… ya ok, sweetie? Ya look terrible. He really must have been mad at ya."

Ace groaned a little, turning to see her cheery expression had changed into one of concern. "What did ya… say all that for?" he asked.

Kazea shrugged. She pulled his arm around her shoulders, so she could help him walk, and began to direct him down the street. "What? Ralgo doesn't need to know that there ain't actual emeralds in the paperweight. Gallywix is a big cheapskate—"

"No, not that. Why'd ya… ya know, step in? It was none of ya business."

"Oh."

She didn't reply at first, instead concentrating on keeping Ace up as they walked, presumably to her place. She felt delicate where her arm wrapped around him, and he tried to muster enough strength not to fall over and knock her down. Her hair smelled nice where it brushed against his cheek, a far cry from the constant, permeating stink of the slums, with sludge and waste and garbage and oil, all pooling and collecting in the Kezan heat. Ace already knew he liked her, and he had just met her.

Kazea shifted a little against him. "I felt sorry for ya. I said goblins were a dime a dozen, but really… I don't think that," she murmured, in a more subdued tone. "He said ya were soft. Well, guess what. They call me soft too."

Ace looked at her, surprised and a little puzzled. "Well then… thanks, lady." He paused, before forcing his swelled, bleeding lips into a smile. "Name's Ace."

"Kazea Springload." She smiled back, and then pointed ahead. "My car's parked on that street. Don't bleed all over the seats, all right? I'll get you back to my headquarters; I have a guy working for me that knows healing magic. He'll get ya all patched up for tomorrow."

"Tomorrow?" echoed Ace. "What's… tomorrow?"

"Work's tomorrow, that's what. Ya my employee now, Ace sweetie," she said, with an unsettlingly-cheery grin. "I expect ya to work hard, ok? I wasn't lying when I said ivory paperweights are hard to come by. Ya better make it up to me."

Ace nodded quickly. He had no idea who Kazea was—not yet, anyway—but he wasn't going to complain about his stroke of luck. Whatever kind of boss Kazea Springload was, she had to be a better one than Ralgo.

After all… she was actually giving him a chance.

Ace found himself back in the slums of Kezan, where he grew up.

He was running down the filthy, half-paved streets, dodging potholes and panting for breath. He clutched some important paper to his chest, consumed by the thought that he had to deliver it somewhere, no matter the cost. Sweat dribbled down into his eyes and stung them, making it so that he couldn't see, but could still hear the voices of goblins that he passed.

"Ace, give up, ya loser! Ya never gonna make it!"

"Yeah, ya think ya special or something? Face it kid, ya ain't special. Just cheap labor."

"Once she figures out ya a big good-for-nothin', she'll drop ya like an old oil rag."

Ace shook his head, blindly waving the paper in front of him, as if to show everyone what he had. "No!" he cried, desperate indignation filling him at the taunts and jeers. "I got a good idea, I know I do! I ain't worthless!"

He slammed face-first into something, a hard, unyielding barrier of some sort. As he blinked back the tears of pain, he found he had just run into an opening door. There in the doorway stood Kazea, smiling at him. "Hey sweetheart," she greeted. "Got something for me?"

At first, Ace was dumbstruck. He didn't know what it was, if he was infatuated with this pretty goblin with her violet eyes and cute smile, or if he was just happy she had given him a chance. She was different, wasn't she? She had to be. Why else would she be standing there, staring at him patiently? Why else would she be willing to accept what he had to offer? Ace didn't know what he was offering her, of course, but he knew he had something, and that was all that counted.

He held the paper in his hands out to her… only to feel two hands grab his shoulders from behind, pulling him backwards. Ace struggled violently and tried to reach the paper to Kazea, but she didn't make any move to help him. She just stood there, smiling, waiting.

"No, no! Let me go!" he screamed. He tried to jerk away from the unseen person grabbing him, afraid he would lose this chance like so many others he had missed in his life. He didn't want to be a nobody anymore.

Kazea finally opened her mouth, but the voice that she spoke in was gruff and not her own. "Wake up, kid! Wake up!" she shouted, reaching to close the door.

"Wait! No! Please, give me a chance!" Ace cried, scrabbling at the door as it closed. "Don't leave me…!"

"Kid! Kid! For the love of profits, wake UP!"

With a sharp gasp, Ace suddenly snapped awake, and the scene, the door, Kazea… it all faded away instantly. He blinked, and found himself face-first against the floorboards, where he must have fallen out of bed. Some rough pair of hands was shaking him awake.

"What the heck's wrong with ya, kid? Get up already; we got work to do and I ain't doin' it alone."

Ace groaned and rubbed his face. It was just a dream. But he'd never had a dream that vivid before, that made his heart race and his eyes prick with disappointed tears. He pushed himself into a sitting position and tried to collect himself before looking up. He was greeted by the sight of a stern-looking goblin dressed in some kind of blue mail kilt, with spiky blond hair and the most piercing stare he'd ever seen. Ace fought the urge to cringe as the goblin pointed at him, accusingly.

"It's ya first day on the job. Ya off to a fantastic start, ain't ya?"

Ignoring the jab, Ace looked around for his shirt to put back on. He recognized this goblin—his name was Maxx Avalanche. Kazea had asked him to heal Ace the night before, and whatever magic Maxx had used worked. Though his right eye still felt tender and his scrapes were still healing, Ace felt pretty good. "Um… where's the boss?" he asked, cautiously. "What does she want me to do?"

Maxx rolled his eyes impatiently, scratching at the stubble on his neck. "She went to meet ya old boss, that Blackspanner guy. Givin' him a present in exchange for ya miserable hide," he explained. "That's pretty nice'a her, ya know."

Ace lowered his gaze, embarrassed as he picked his shirt up off the end of the bed. "Yeah… I know."

"While she's gone, I'm in charge of ya. So get dressed; we're goin' to get to work." Maxx turned to exit the room, but couldn't resist throwing in a final, ominous comment, "Impress me, and ya might impress the boss. But I ain't impressed easily, kid."

The comment did nothing to soothe Ace's nerves, and he got dressed and washed up in a fog of nervous panic. Would Kazea really fire him if he screwed up working for Maxx? Maybe she'd return him to Ralgo Blackspanner to get her paperweight back. Then Ace would really be dead meat.

After heading downstairs and pausing to grab a bite to eat, Ace and Maxx left the headquarters, on the front of which was a prominent "KTC" logo. As the two walked, Ace couldn't help but ask a little more about the company.

"What's KTC stand for?" he questioned.

Maxx gave Ace something of a withered, annoyed look, but rolled his shoulders and responded anyway. "Kajaro Tradin' Company. Used to be a big company that delivered goods between Ratchet and Kezan," he said, peering up at the sunny skies. For a place as smoggy as Kezan, it was a rather nice-looking day out. Perhaps it was because they were by the ocean, on the far northeast side of the island, away from most of the factories and pollution of the city. "The former owner, however, ran up a lot of personal debt, so he sold off the company for cheap. Course, that's where Miss Kazea comes in."

"She bought up the company, then," Ace mused, following Maxx down a narrowing path that wound into what looked like some kind of rock quarry.

"You got it. We've had some nice success in the first few months, but unfortunately, the Trade Prince is startin' to monopolize shippin' routes into and out of Kezan. The boss thinks we need… a new approach. Maybe get into a different industry. So really, we're startin' from scratch with the company."

As they reached the bottom of the quarry, Maxx stopped and kneeled down, sweeping away the rocks and dirt to make a flat surface on the ground. From the bag slung across his back, he took out a few bottles, filled with different colors of dust. Ace watched in confusion, wondering what he was up to.

"Anyways, this quarry used to belong to a minin' company that had a partnership with KTC years ago," continued Maxx, as he uncorked the bottles and began to draw a strange pattern on the ground with the dusts. "They mined it out, supposedly, so it was pretty much worth nothin' when we bought it up. Kazea likes to think she could use this land for somethin', but she wants me to see if the mine really is depleted, ya know? Make sure there ain't untapped reserves deeper down."

Ace wasn't sure how to respond to that, and stood by, feeling useless as Maxx finished his pattern in the dirt and put his bottles away. He dusted off his hands, looking satisfied, and picked up the last remaining bottle, one filled with a clear liquid of some kind. "Um… how ya gonna do that?" Ace asked, lamely, as Maxx uncorked this bottle and drank the contents down.

"Kid, I'm a shaman. That's how I healed ya yesterday." Maxx tossed the empty bottle over his shoulder and held his hands out, looking a little dazed as he began to slowly channel some kind of energy out of the symbol he had just drawn. "My life has been all about figurin' out how to communicate with the elements. It's not often they take notice of us goblins. But, good for the boss, I figured it out… and I'm gonna ask 'em for help. Watch this, kid."

For a moment, nothing seemed to be happening, except for the green-tinted energy slowly weaving around Maxx's hands. But Ace could also see Maxx's eyes, unfocused yet darting about every so often, as if he were seeing things that Ace could not. He'd heard of shamans, although it was only in tales. Supposedly these shamans could speak to the elements of earth, water, fire, and air, or even spirits of the dead, and obtain their aid.

Was this the power Maxx wielded now?

Suddenly, the earth began to shake, the pebbles bouncing upon the dirt. A pile of nearby boulders began to slowly move of its own accord. As the shaking grew worse, Ace nearly yelped as the boulders formed themselves into a figure, with a head and arms and everything. The "eyes" in the elemental's head blazed to life, and it whispered harshly, amazingly in the goblin language.

"What do you offer me, goblin? In return for my services?"

At first, Ace was petrified, wondering if the rock elemental was talking to him, but Maxx spoke up instead. "For your help, we'll leave this rock quarry standin'. We ain't gonna level it like the previous owner wanted to do. You and ya earth brothers can remain boulders, and not be ground into piles of rubble."

The rock elemental seemed to chuckle. "You almost sound like you're threatening us, Maxx Avalanche," it spoke slowly. But it turned and began to walk towards the mine, arms outstretched. "But your terms are acceptable. I shall tell you what lies within."

Maxx flashed Ace a grin, and beckoned him onwards. "Who's got the thunder, kid? That's right—I do. My pal here's gonna find us all the minerals in the cave. Bet no other goblin in Kezan's got power like that."

Laughing nervously, Ace followed the shaman and their rocky escort into the abandoned mine, still amazed by what he was seeing. This guy is a shaman! And he can conjure up elementals to work for him! he thought. This is crazy… I can't compare to a guy like Maxx! I don't have any powers or skills like that…

Why the heck did Kazea hire me again…?

"Ok kid, so here's the deal. Rocky here's gonna lead the way, but I want ya to keep an eye out for treasures too," Maxx said, keeping his voice low so that it would not echo through the darkened cave depths. A few lanterns were already hanging in the cave, keeping it lit, and the elemental's blazing eyes also served to light the way as it steadily rumbled along. "Anythin' that glitters, I want you to take a sample and pack it up for the boss. Got it?"

Ace nodded quickly, eager to prove himself. He took the sack that Maxx offered him and held it open, ready to place any valuable-looking rock he spotted inside. But the further into the cave they walked, and the cooler the temperature became, Ace began to realize that nothing had caught his attention. He strained to look for anything glittery, but other than the gleam of water dripping onto the ordinary rocks around him, there was… nothing.

"Damn, maybe they did mine this place out completely," muttered Maxx after a while, brushing his fingers against the damp walls as he walked. "I ain't sensin' anythin' out of the ordinary. Some slate deposits, but that's all I'm seein'… Maybe Kaz should start up a chalkboard company." He sneered and looked up at the elemental again. "Nothin' so far?"

"There is… something deeper in this tunnel." The rock elemental paused before another tunnel, which was blocked off by a soggy wooden sign. The paint on it was runny, but nonetheless still read "DANGER!"

Ace gulped. "Danger…? That don't sound good…"

"Don't be a wuss," Maxx snapped, grabbing the sign and tossing it aside. "Ya can't let danger get in the way of profits, kid. Remember that. Miss Kazea is an ambitious gal, and ya better be willin' to back her up 100%." And here he gave Ace an accusatory glare.

"S-Sure, sure, 100%," Ace stammered quickly, forcing his nerves down and following Maxx down the tunnel.

Oddly enough, it was an unusually wide tunnel, bigger than what most goblins would find practical to dig out. Every step the trio took echoed throughout the cave, making Ace jump. Maxx kept gliding his fingers along the wall, muttering "coward" under his breath every time Ace flinched. At length, however, they arrived at a dead end, a wall made of tightly-packed boulders as if the previous workers had tried to seal up the tunnel.

The rock elemental looked around, pondering. "It is here. There are many deposits here," it announced. "But the earth trembles in fear. We go no further."

Maxx gave the elemental a strange look. "What do ya mean, no further?" he asked. "If we get some equipment we could totally drill past this." He picked at a strange, green-tinted rock embedded in the wall. "I'm sensin' somethin' weird. This ain't like any rock I've felt before. Wonder what it could be…"

Ace looked around, relieved that there wasn't anything dangerous down here after all, and decided to pick some rocks up for samples, just in case. He dropped to one knee and began to place a few rocks into the bag.

It took about four rocks before he realized that they were… moving.

"Uh… Maxx? This ain't the work of ya shaman magic, is it?" he asked, timidly.

Turning, Maxx gave him a strange look. "What are ya goin' on about? I ain't doin' nothin'…" He trailed off, as he not only saw the rocks moving… but felt the ground moving too. "What the… Is that an earthquake?"

The rock elemental hissed, backing into a corner. "Our contract is finished. It was nice knowing you, Maxx Avalanche," it spoke, sounding almost sympathetic, before it gave a final sigh and broke apart, its boulder parts falling to the ground as lifeless as before.

The goblin shaman seethed a little at seeing his rock elemental abandoning them. "Hey! Ya get back here!" he yelled, uselessly, at the rock pile. At this point, Maxx and Ace were really getting tossed about by the vibrations, having to clutch on to nearby rocks for balance. "What the heck is—?"

His words were cut short by a deafening roar, and the wall suddenly exploded in a shower of rubble and rocks. Ace threw himself instinctively to the ground and covered his head as he was pelted by the rocks. When the shower seemed to clear a few seconds later, he looked up—and his heart nearly stopped at the truly bizarre and terrifying sight. Peeking out of the newly-formed tunnel was an enormous… creature of some kind, a worm made up of rotating rings and floating, glowing rocks along its length. The first and largest ring in its body seemed to possess… teeth of a sort, composed of sharp crystals, and it gave a horrible disembodied roar.

"Sweet mother of dividends, a gyreworm!" shouted Maxx, voice filled with disbelief. "Run, kid! It'll eat us!"

Ace didn't need any more encouragement than that. Staggering to his feet, he quickly broke into a run as the worm began to move. The rings ground against the cave walls and floor, propelling the creature down the tunnel after the fleeing goblins. Ace flinched as rock fragments were flung into his back from the worm's rapidly rotating body, but he forced himself to continue running and not look behind him. He caught up to Maxx, who had paused before a large, discarded boulder.

"Take this, ugly!" he snarled, whirling around and flinging his arm towards the rapidly-approaching gyreworm. To Ace's surprise, the boulder actually lifted itself off the ground and flew towards the worm, smashing into its face and making it recoil. The cave reverberated with its angry screams of pain. However, instead of retreating, the worm instead seemed to actually devour the boulder, sucking it inside its ring mouth and grinding the boulder into grey and green fragments with its rotating teeth. It then spat the rock shards at the hapless goblins. Ace barely managed to leap out of the way as the deadly projectiles peppered the ground.

Maxx coughed, waving the dust aside and grabbing Ace by the collar. "We're screwed, kid! Keep runnin'! Maybe if we make it outside…!"

The worm lunged at them, and both of them screamed as they dodged and began running down the tunnel. Ace didn't have any idea of where they were going; he could only pray that Maxx remembered which way they had come from, and that they could outrun the monster before they were eaten. Left… right… right again… The walls seemed to pass by in a horrible blur, before Ace became aware of a blinding light coming into sight ahead…

"The exit!" he gasped, nearly stumbling as he pushed himself into a final burst of speed. The two goblins reached the entrance of the cave just in time for the worm to make another lunge at them, barely missing but blasting them out of the cave with the shockwave. Ace and Maxx hit the ground heavily, the wind getting knocked out of them.

Ace hoped that the gyreworm would retreat back into the safety of the cave again, and he would be free to live another day. But the worm was evidently not deterred by the sunlight or fresh air, and churned steadily towards the goblins still panting for breath a few yards away. Paralyzed by fear and exhaustion, Ace could only watch as the worm reared up to make a strike.

Fortunately, Maxx was quicker on the draw, and struck first. He leaped to his feet, and with a cry, flung a crackling ball of electrical energy at the gyreworm. The creature recoiled a little as the magical attack blasted against its face; however, it recovered immediately, making a strike at the shaman. Maxx tried to stumble backwards, but the worm's mouth utterly enclosed him, like a snake snapping up a hapless mouse.

"No!" Ace yelled, helpless to save his companion. No, this can't be how it ends; this can't be how I fail—

A keen whistle pierced the air, and before Ace could even blink a rocket flew straight into the worm, exploding powerfully and knocking half of the rings out of its body. Injured and confused, the worm reared up and spit Maxx out.

"Nobody eats my employees!" a feminine voice shrieked, making Ace look up. There, by the entrance of the quarry, stood Kazea and a few other goblins, holding all manner of explosives. One of them loaded another rocket into the launcher on Kazea's shoulder, and she took aim again. "Duck, boys!"

Obediently, Ace threw himself down and covered his head again, and she fired another rocket, this one hitting the gyreworm square in the face. The ensuing explosion knocked every other ring in the worm's body apart, and with a last screech, the creature fell apart, the rings and rocks in its body rotating no more.

Ace could only lay there in stunned silence, watching the dust clear, trying to make sense of what had just transpired. Meanwhile, Kazea rushed down the path, tossing her rocket launcher aside and running to Maxx. "Ya ok, sweetie?" she asked, concern and panic in her voice. "Speak to me!"

The shaman coughed, sitting up a little. His arms were bleeding badly, cut by the gyreworm's teeth, but he had somehow miraculously escaped being shredded and eaten. "F-Fine, boss," he stammered. "Sorry 'bout that…"

Kazea shook her head at him, before going to Ace next. "Are ya ok, sweetheart?" she asked, reaching out and picking out a piece of green-tinted rock from his hair. "What happened in there?"

Maxx grunted and got to his feet of his own accord, inspecting his wounds. "Apparently a gyreworm made a nest in there," he explained. "I wouldn't be surprised if there were more. And unfortunately, we didn't find nothin' in there. Just… deposits of some green rock…"

"I got a few samples, boss," Ace spoke up, feeling pathetic. Here Maxx risked his life on the job, and all Ace had done was accumulate more bruises and a bag of some useless green rock…

But instead of looking disappointed… Kazea actually grinned. She stared at the little fragment of rock she held in her fingers, eyes gleaming at the sight. "Oh, I wouldn't say this is nothing," she cooed. "Let's get back to headquarters and show everyone. I think they'll be… interested when I tell 'em what this really is." Giving Ace a pat on the back, she got back up, and hummed a little as she skipped back towards headquarters.

Maxx and Ace exchanged a puzzled look.

"I dunno what the heck she's talkin' about," Maxx grumbled, staring after her, "but I've seen that look before. She's got an idea cookin'…"

"Kaja'mite?"

The disbelief in the speaker's voice echoed Ace's own, as well as that of every other goblin seated around the KTC common's table back at headquarters. He turned to look at who had spoken—a female with dark-green hair by the name of Sassy Hardwrench. She was apparently Kazea's "executive assistant." At the moment, Sassy was standing in her chair, staring incredulously at Kazea over a pile of empty takeout containers in the middle of the table.

Ace tore his gaze away from Sassy to study the other goblins seated. They were a small group; other than Ace and Kazea, there were five others at this meeting. Apart from a handful of contracted workers, these goblins were currently the only other employees at KTC. In light of this realization, Ace suddenly could see why Kazea was so willing to take him in.

He wasn't sure if this made him feel better or not.

Kazea—sitting pretty at the head of the table, as expected—smiled at Sassy, turning over one of the green rock samples in her hand. "Yes ma'am," she said, cheerfully. "I know kaja'mite when I see it. My first job here in Kezan was sorting rocks for some cheap jewelry company. They'd make anything shiny into jewelry, but they'd always tell us to throw out the kaja'mite. Ya can't make it into anything, ya see. Too soft. Ya remember that, Izzy?"

Another female goblin, a gum-chewing gal with pink hair up in multiple pigtails, nodded and popped her gum nonchalantly. "Ya-huh… Kinda funny, ain't it? That kaja'mite is kinda useless to us?"

Ace spoke up uncertainly, wanting to make sure that he was thinking of the correct mineral. "Kaja'mite is that stuff that made us goblins smart, right? A long time ago?" he asked. "Why would it be useless?"

Sitting next to Ace at the table, Maxx grunted a little and shifted in his chair. His arms were heavily bandaged from the gyreworm incident, and he moved them carefully as he leaned back in his chair. "For the longest time, it was used as currency by goblins, just cause of its importance to us," he explained. "But then deposits ran dry, and a Trade Prince came up with the bright idea to use paper money instead. Macaroons. So even after more kaja'mite deposits were discovered, no one really has any practical use for it now. I've seen some cheap souvenirs in gift shops made outta kaja'mite, though. 'Guaranteed to make ya smart!' they claim."

"Yeah, maybe if ya put it under ya pillow every night, and let the smart leak into your head," Kazea sneered. She tossed the kaja'mite chunk back onto the table and pursed her lips, thinking. "There's gotta be more use for it than just turning it into cheap trinkets, though. If we can figure out something, get it patented, and sell it, we could be well on our way up. So… what do ya think, ladies and gentlemen? Any clever ideas?"

The six other goblins stared at her, uncomfortably silent, their minds racing for some sort of idea. Goblins always had to work fast when coming up with ideas, Ace knew. If you hesitated, if you let even a day or two tick away, some other goblin would come up with your idea first. It always worked out that way.

Izzy sighed, taking her gum out of her mouth and sticking it under the table. "Well, if it's a soft ore, it ain't gonna be useful for making weapons or goods by itself," she mused, out loud. "Maybe it'd be better in some kinda alloy? Though I imagine people have tried that already."

"We can test that out, though it'll take some time," Kazea replied. She tapped her fingers impatiently against the tabletop, betraying her frustration. Ace couldn't help but stare at her, wondering if she felt… boxed in. Limited. She was looking for something big, he could tell. Something that would be a hit, that would earn so much money she wouldn't ever be indebted to others again. She wouldn't have to trade her valuables away for employees, or dig around in secondhand mines, or be forced out of business by the Trade Prince's monopolies. She'd be successful.

The only other male goblin present at the table, a rough-looking guy by the name of Bamm Megabomb, reached over and picked up the kaja'mite sample. He scratched at it with his nail, noting how it easily became powder, and tilted his head. "Wonder if it's flammable," he remarked, removing the cigarette from his mouth and grinding it into the powder on the table. The tabletop singed, but the kaja'mite didn't ignite or react. Bamm frowned at it, dissatisfied at the result. "Guess we can't turn it into explosives."

"Hey, quit that, this is a nice table," chided Kazea, although she sounded disappointed too.

"Don't fret, boss… We'll figure out somethin'." The last member present at the table, a pigtailed gal by the name of Slinky Sharpshiv, smiled reassuringly at Kazea. "Hey, maybe if it's soft, we can carve it into soap. Yeah, I like that. 'Kajaro Spring—the smartest choice for a refreshin' clean!' Whatcha think, boss?"

"Clever," Bamm muttered, pulling another cigarette from his breast pocket and fishing for a lighter. "I dunno if kaja'mite lathers up, though."

"It could! We could mix it with real soap material; like anyone's gonna tell the difference."

"Shouldn't we just start a chemical company then, and sell, oh, I dunno… real soap?"

Slinky gasped. "Boss!" she wailed. "Bamm's bein' mean to me!"

The two began to argue, and the others tried desperately to calm them down. Ace sighed and rested his head on the table. Great. He'd almost gotten eaten by a gyreworm, only to find out their discovery was pretty useless. He figured a mineral that made goblins smart could bestow them with at least a brilliant idea or two…

Something flew across the table—apparently an ashtray judging from the way ashes suddenly began raining down on everyone—and Bamm narrowly ducked his head to dodge it. "For the love'a paychecks, lady, watch it!" he snarled, glaring across the table at Slinky.

"Then why dontcha watch ya lip, ya big, stupid lunk? Kazea!"

Kazea slammed her hands on the table. "Both'a ya shut ya faces!" she shouted. "I ask for some simple ideas, and y'all start acting like children…!"

But Ace suddenly wasn't concerned by the fighting, or the fact that he was now covered in ashes and cigarette butts. He was staring, almost fascinated, at the way those ashes had fallen into his water glass, floating on the surface before slowly dissolving.

What if…?

"Boss, I have an idea," he blurted, making everyone stop yelling at each other and look at him.

Maxx rolled his eyes. "Ya first one all day, kid…"

Kazea tilted her head and smiled warmly at Ace, and for a moment his heart jumped. It was… that same look she gave him in the dream. That patient, expectant smile as she waited for him to offer what he had. His words practically tumbled out.

"S-See, I thought—cause, ya know, Bamm showed how the kaja'mite can easily become powder—w-what if we took that powder and used it in… in a drink?"

"A what?" Sassy gave him an incredulous look. "Kid, you want people to drink kaja'mite?"

"W-what if it dissolves in water? It could be like a drink mix." Ace stood up, feeling a little more confident as he talked through the idea. "Maybe it wouldn't taste good by itself, but we could add sugar or flavors to it. Like…" His gaze drifted, and settled on a discarded soda can on the table. "…Like soda! What if we turned it into soda?"

Bamm sounded indignant as he spoke up. "How's that different from Slinky's soap idea?" he asked. "We could just go into the soda business."

Ace paused, considering. It was a good point. But… "Well, I bet… I mean, if kaja'mite can make goblins smart just by coming into contact with people over time, think of how smart it would make ya if ya drank the stuff? Instant burst of smart! At least, in theory." He looked around the table, blushing a little at their stares. "Though I'm sure we would have to test it first…"

He felt embarrassed, realizing the idea surely sounded ridiculous, and was about to sit back down before Kazea spoke up. When he peered up at her, he saw her still smiling.

"…I like it," she said, startling Ace and everyone else there. "It sounds a little crazy, but if he's right, there would be nothing like it on Kezan. No one's thought of drinking kaja'mite before. We could totally monopolize the market if we get it patented and copyrighted. And soda is something everyone likes; it's not just for rich people, or slum goblins." She winked at Ace. "You could be on to something here, sweetheart."

Ace swelled a little with pride, ignoring all the envious gazes he now felt upon him. For once, an idea where he wasn't yelled at or made fun of for it! He didn't know if anything would come of the idea, but seeing Kazea satisfied was enough for him to hope that yes, this could be something big…

"I can see it now," Slinky exclaimed, bubbly and happy again, already letting her mind race over this potential new product. "Kaja'Cola—it gives you… ideas!"

Five months later…

Wiping the sweat from his brow, Ace closed the final box left to pack, and was greeted with the signature logo of a snarling weasel in a colorful circle. Neatly printed above this logo was the slogan: "Kaja'Cola—it gives you ideas! ™" Although he'd seen the logo a million times by now, Ace still felt a swell of pride as he taped the box shut, and lifted it up into the nearby truck.

"Workin' hard, kid?"

Ace looked up and grinned, waving to Maxx as he walked past. Behind the shaman followed several rock elementals, all carrying boxes of Kaja'Cola to the truck for delivery tomorrow morning. "Soon we're gonna be successful enough so we don't have to pack this stuff ourselves anymore," Ace remarked.

Maxx laughed, watching the elementals loading their boxes, and chiding them if they were too rough with the cargo. "At this rate, I believe it. It's crazy how many orders are comin' in for this stuff. Kaz must be a genius when it comes to marketin'. Oh, but speakin'a which, the boss wants to see ya right away. Sounds pretty important."

Surprised, Ace quickly dusted his hands off on his clothing, looking back at the KTC building. "Oh, well if the boss needs me right away…"

The two exchanged goodbyes, and Ace jogged over to the headquarters. Seated at the common table, surrounded by paperwork and calculating devices, was Kazea, chewing on her pen. She looked up as Ace came in and a smile lit up her face.

"Ace, honey, there ya are," she exclaimed. "Staying busy, I hope?"

"Always, boss," Ace grinned. "Maxx said ya wanted to see me? Hope I ain't in trouble."

Kazea giggled cutely, shaking her head. "No, never!" she laughed, waving him over to her. "I actually had something for you."

Curious, Ace came to Kazea's side, seeing her scribbling a quick, extravagant signature before holding a piece of paper out to him. He took it, hesitantly, and read it aloud. "Pay to the order of Ace Cloudsocket… one-thousand macaroons?! Boss, is this a… check?"

She laughed at his shocked expression. "For you, sweetie! It's payment for ya idea. Ya know, for the Kaja'Cola," she explained. "Ya idea's worth more than that, but I thought I'd start ya off with this until we really start raking in the dough."

Ace found his hands were trembling as he held the check; he'd never had so much money before in his entire life. "I-I don't know what to say," he whispered. "I mean, I don't think I deserve money like this, but…"

He felt her hand on his head, ruffling his hair affectionately. "Ya too soft," she teased. "Just take it. I'm grateful to ya."

Momentarily, Ace's thought went back to that dream, the one he had when he first started working for Kazea. He realized that after a lifetime of dead-end jobs and no respect, he'd somehow found himself right where he'd always wanted to be. With a fat new paycheck in hand, he knew now that he wasn't a nobody, not anymore.

"Thanks, boss," he said, smiling back at her. He took her hand from where it rested on his head, and squeezed it tight. "Ya a generous gal; really, ya are."

More than you'll ever know.

Like I said, an old piece, but definitely something I had a lot of fun writing!

I honestly love goblins, as well as the whole starting zone, so I really tried giving my favorite NPCs love in this. Kazea's full backstory is still something I'm working on bit by bit over time, and one day I hope to share it here as well. But you get just an introduction to her for now.

Hope you enjoyed reading, and reviews, of course, are always appreciated. Thank you!