Jasper had given us what we needed: confirmation of the food court, the existence of the breeding den, and an assessment of the level of threat we were walking into.
I stood and checked his gear. Nothing worth taking. His pistol was nearly empty, the chamber dry. His badge was still clipped to his ruined belt. I took it with me; maybe Nicole would want it. She was his wife.
I took one last look at him before stepping out of the closet, shutting the door behind me.
Time to move, time to plan, and time to wipe out all those goblins. The longer we stay here, the more the goblins grow. We need more strength, and that means leveling up.
I opened my radio channel and kept my voice low. "Jasmine to all teams. Copy?"
A few seconds passed before static answered.
Then Nicole's voice came through, clear and sharp. "Copy. We're finishing our sweep of the third floor. What's your status?"
"I found Jasper," I said. "He's gone."
A pause. "Marco?"
"No body to recover. The hobgoblin crushed him and dragged him off. I saw it."
Another beat of silence, then Nicole's voice, harder now: "Understood."
I closed my eyes for a second before continuing. "Jasper confirmed the goblin base is in the food court. They have a breeding den there. The women are still alive, at least some of them. But there's a shaman who is the Dungeon Boss. I don't know his strength, but supposedly, he can buff his allies. Making them stronger, faster, and feel no pain. It is at level ten, and there is also a hobgoblin at the same level. We need to assume this isn't just a raid camp. It's a fortress."
I could hear the shift in her breathing. Nicole didn't ask questions. She didn't argue.
"Orders?" she asked.
"Finish clearing your floors. Regroup at camp. Then we plan. No one goes near the food court until I say so."
"Copy. I'll spread the word."
I clicked the channel off and kept walking. I had seen enough today, too much.
The goblins weren't just surviving here. They were evolving, organizing, and trying to make this their home.
This wasn't chaos anymore. It was an order.
And I was going to burn it to the ground.
I stepped back into camp just as the last groups were returning. Gear clanked, boots dragged, and tired faces said more than words. Packs were heavier, blood was dried, and every team came back with something, either loot, injuries, or both.
I scanned the room, and Sol spotted me first, giving me a small wave from across the camp. He was helping Amber clean one of her blades. Good. No new bruises on either of them.
Then I saw Logan, weaving through the crowd with a focused expression and a folded piece of paper in one hand. He looked like he had something important to tell me, so I gave him my undivided attention.
"Jasmine," he said, holding the note out. "This came for you while I was clearing the fourth floor."
I took it without commenting. The paper was worn and smudged with dirt, but it had a faint lipstick mark on it.
I gave him a confused look, waiting for him to continue.
He hesitated before continuing. "It was passed to us by a runner. Said Nadia was nearby and wanted to talk."
That got my attention. "Where is she?"
"No idea. The runner was fast. Disappeared before we could ask."
Of course.
I unfolded the note..
The goblins aren't just monsters. They have a functional society and a hierarchy. That means they're smart and they shouldn't be underestimated. I believe their stronghold is near the food court. We're scouting their patterns and gathering survivors. If you're willing to meet, we can talk terms. We don't have to be enemies.
– N.H.
I exhaled through my nose, then looked toward Nicole, who appeared beside us, and handed her the note along with Jasper's badge. "I figured you would want this."
She took the paper, but her eyes lingered on the badge before shaking her head and handing it back. "No. That belongs to her. Nadia deserves to have it, not me."
I held the badge in my hand a moment longer, then slid it into my pocket.
Nicole's eyes moved over the words as she read, tension gathering in her jaw. "We can't trust her. Nadia's smart, manipulative, and ranked second on the damn leaderboard for a reason. She knows how to bend people without breaking them."
I gave a small nod. "She might have something to do with Eli's group, too."
Nicole didn't argue, just folded the note and crossed her arms. "Then we need to bring this to everyone."
If we were going to face the food court, the shaman, and Nadia, the camp needed more than orders. They needed to choose their path.
"It's time to discuss our future and then vote."
Nadia didn't reach out without an angle. If she were talking terms, it meant she'd already decided she could use us.