“Beelzy! Stop changing the rules! Adventurers gain XP when they complete quests and kill enemies, your piece has done neither!”

“XP is awarded when a foe is defeated, that includes incapacitation.” he responded, looking at the orc piece in his hand. “As both Fiffil and this orc are on the vermilion side, his incapacitation of an azure piece awards her partial XP as she was fighting him at the time as well, just enough for her to level up it seems.”

“Cheating, cheating, cheating!” Vi protested, sounding like an angry child who lost to their parents at a card game.

“Well, you are playing a game with a Devil... is it not your fault for expecting a fair match?” he smiled, if only slightly.

“You promised it would be fair!” she whined back.

“It was unfair from the start, I’ve merely corrected that, you should thank me.”

“If you’re gonna keep changing the rules like a schoolboy, then I’ll quit this game and leave you to rot in boredom, old man!” Vi started to stand up from the game table, But Beelzebub stopped her.

“I told you the rules at the start of the game, has it been so long that you’ve forgotten them?”

“O-Of course not, I have a perfect memory!”

-

The orc looked at me, confused to have been struck by an ally. That normal slash had done 5 damage, not enough to take him down of course. I was surely dead if I didn’t do something, the orc’s heavy club headed straight for me in the next moment.

At the last second, I dashed so fast to the side I seemed to have phased through the attack completely using one of my new Skills, though I only have enough mana to do it three times in a row. The annoying rating of my skills activated on that dodge as well, why did he do this to me?

D for disappointing, well screw you too Beelzebub. Of course, he didn’t answer me.

I’ll deal with him later, first, I had to make this orc disappear. I felt bad, but it was for the greater good of this world! My second new skill seemed useful, so I tried that out.

A fast uppercut with Akira’s sword, following the launched orc into the air. In that split second I had a brilliant idea, just as the ranking went from D to C. Before the orc had a chance to recover, I activated my first combat skill, and my Roulette Spin slashed into the orc’s exposed body 6 times in a row. I had enough SP to do it again, but I chose to throw all my strength into a downwards normal hit, sending the orc crashing into the dirt.

‘Astounding!’ appeared in the corner of my eye, quickly replacing the previous word, ‘Brutal!’

From C to A in one combo, how do you like that, Beelzy?

-

“For fuck’s sake, now she’s doing it too? Why did you have to say that nickname in front of her?” Beelzebub grumbled, his stare boring as hole in Vi, who merely laughed at his misfortune.

“Because I hate you, idiot!” she stuck out her tongue at the man before her, completely shattering her noble visage once again.

-

It seems that combo wasn’t enough to defeat the orc, who managed to stand up after hitting the ground. He staggered forward, wildly swinging his club towards me. Huh, this orc’s actions are stupid, like he’s not aware of what he’s doing… a mindless game piece.

“Dammit, Beelzebub, you set this up huh?” I scowled, dashing through the slow attack with [Shuffle], quick stepping to the left of the violent orc. I thrust Akira’s stolen blade into the orc’s side, and the monster finally fell.

[Your level has increased]

[HP+8][MP+4][SP+10]

[Mind +2] [Body + 2] [Soul: +2]

Instead of Skills, my ability scores went up this time, huh? I pictured my soul’s character sheet once again, man, it’s getting kind of complicated now.

[Race: Goblin] [Class: Joker] [Level: 4]

[Mind:12] [Body:12] [Soul: 10]

[HP:30][MP:10][SP:50]

[Skills: Wildcard, Roulette Slash, Shuffle, Card Flip]

I was still panting from the fight when I looked over at the downed Akira. He hadn’t died, but the blow had put him into a stunned state for the rest of the combat encounter, I guess. He finally woke up after the orc was defeated, man, I can’t believe I did that without getting hurt...

And there I stood, covered in orc blood, holding his sword while he lay injured on the ground. What did he think when he looked at that sight? Did he see me as a weak goblin still, or was the imagery enough to get him to retreat.

“Wha? Why? Aren’t you on the same side?” he asked me, painfully grasping at his likely broken arm. “Ahhh, it hurts! So what, are you gonna kill me now?”

I thrust the blade deep into the ground at my feet, disarming myself and shaking my head left and right. He seemed puzzled, and I’m pretty sure I can understand why.

“I’m not a filthy upworlder, I don’t take the lives of those who can’t fight back.” I scowled at him, bearing my jagged fangs.

It’s not like I wasn’t angry at him, at his kind. What they’ve done is unforgivable, but it’s not his fault, he’s just a piece in an elaborate game. The real enemy was somewhere else, in another plane of existence.

“So think about this moment the next time you sink your blade into one of my kind, or any monster.” I continued, turning away from him and beginning to walk away. I stopped, looked back at him, my hand resting on one of the trees at the edge of the clearing. “Ask yourself, was that hundred or so XP really more important than their life?”

“Wait…” he called out, unable to stand. “This isn’t over, Demon Lord’s pawn! I won’t let you trick me… I won’t!”

“Then next time, I might have to kill you.” I replied with a snarl. “I’m not gonna lose to one of her pieces.”

I left him behind, the clearing disappearing into the trees as I ran.