"What kind of job?"
Fivik pointed with her chin at the unconscious green-skinned creature on the wall.
"See that Goblin over there?"
"Looks like I accidentally killed it. I can't be bothered to go out and catch another one."
She looked He Xi up and down, then gave him a "kind" smile.
"So you can take its place and help me with the rest of the experiment."
"That way, I won't have to rack my brains trying to figure out that damn Goblin language, either."
Whether the Goblin deserved to die or not didn't matter. But He Xi thought that if he agreed on a whim just to get a staff, he might be the next one to die.
Who knew what kind of experiments this eccentric halfling woman would perform?
Explosions? Transformations? Mind control?
At the thought of those terrifying possibilities, he hurriedly waved his hands in refusal.
"Uh, Madam Fivik, thank you very much for the offer, but I still have a few other things to take care of..."
"Your face tells me exactly what you're thinking," Fivik interrupted. She pursed her lips. "Relax, it won't cost you your life. I'm not going to use a living person for those dangerous, tasteless experiments."
"I recently discovered an ancient scroll that describes a rather interesting little spell."
"Pain Shield."
"Sounds great, right? But the spell's effect and duration are a little... well, unstable. So I need to test how it works in practice."
"I posted a commission at the Adventurer Guild, looking for test subjects, but who knows why? It's been over a month, and no one's taken it."
"So I caught a Goblin to try it out on. If the thing dies, it dies. It's no great loss."
He Xi's heart gave a sudden lurch.
His gaze drifted