The human city rapidly shrank in the distance behind us as we were buffeted by wind that relentlessly battered us as we ascended higher and higher. In a moment of fear and disorientation, I blacked out briefly, overwhelmed by the sheer terror of the situation.

But the darkness was fleeting, and I regained consciousness just in time to witness the city growing larger and larger below us.

We were falling!

"SPOON!"

OH MY GOD, WE'RE FALLING!

"SPOOOOON!"

Oh god we’re falling face first! I held onto Dagger for dear life while he screams at the top of his lungs.

"YEEBUS, SAVE US!" he bellowed repeatedly, his voice laced with desperation. The wind howled around us, propelling us towards our imminent...

"SPPPPPPPPPOOOOOOOO-"

"WHAAAAAA!" Spoon's scream pierced the air.

"SAVE US!!" I shouted, my voice strained yet determined to be heard over the rushing wind and the thundering beat of my own heart. We were going to die, that much was certain.

"HO-" Spoon began to speak, but then she snorted and gurgled, hacking as if she had swallowed something foul!

"SAVE US!"

"PLEAAAAAAAASE," Dagger added, his voice on the verge of a sob.

Yup, it's over! But Spoon pushing her weight into me, which made me push my weight into Dagger as we fall, but in a weird forward, backward way instead of face first, which I guess should matter as the visual image of my brain exploding on the pavement below is replaced with my legs shattering, my back crumbling on impact and my ribs and spine splintering into my lungs. When we land we will bleed and cough and wheeze to our pitiful ends instead. YAY!

"SEE, I DID!" Spoon cried out, her voice filled with triumph. But in that moment, I had a better idea.

Yeezus, save us...

"CAST SPARK-"

"BOOM BOOM!" Dagger and Spoon shouted in unison, as if we all had the same idea at the exact same time. Suddenly, I felt a jerk upward, propelled by Spoon's unleashed magic.

Yes, we were going up! But then, the inevitable descent came faster than ever before.

"AGAIN!"

"I KNOW!" Spoon screamed in frustration, the strain of conjuring the explosions evident on her face. In that moment, it felt like the wheels of the idea were causing her mind to ache.

Spoon has taken 2 Psychic Damage!

But then the second explosion came, pushing us up but not as far as last time, as we were still falling, but Spoon didn’t give up! Another explosion sends us up a little before we resumed falling but this time Spoon kept casting “Spark Boom”; making us go, up, down, up, down, as we more glided then fell into the city below, passing laundry lines and weaving in-between buildings on the way down, until finally we crash land into a trash bin with a resounding boom that knocks all the air out of Dagger’s lungs as he’s crushed between two goblins and the overflowing trash.

Dagger has taken 7 Physical Damage from being crushed!

Wheezing, Dagger struggled beneath us as we slid off his body, our exhausted forms collapsing into adjacent heaps of filth.

"Oh Yeezsus, we're alive!" I gasped, barely able to believe that we had managed to survive both humans and the sky. Tears welled up in my eyes, despite the surrounding stench of half-eaten food and other unspeakable things. Gratitude and thanks flooded my heart, for it was Yeezsus, in his infinite wisdom, who had granted goblins reduced fall damage.

“Thank you, thank you, thank you!” But then I remember it wasn’t just Yeezus that saved me. It was Dagger with his raider’s strength and determination! And Spoon. Oh god Spoon! The same goblin who used exploding death magic with her FEET to keep us alive, whose toes are still smoking from the effort and her small body trembles from labored breathing. And somehow, she even kept the butta churn safe, because it's strapped to her back, and she’s dangling from the very much intact barrel.

“SPOON!” I scream as I jump toward her, we end up rolling in the filth as we roll along the length of the dumpster.

"Thank you, thank you, THANK you!" I cry out, unable to contain my overwhelming gratitude. Spoon looked at me with a mix of confusion and exhaustion, her eyes still crossed from the strain of spellcasting. But then she hugged me back, her embrace twice as tight as mine, as tears streamed down her face.

"I thought we were gonna die!" she sobs.

"I know!"

"Thief is supposed to be safe!"

"I know!" I shudder, considering the numerous near-death situations we had encountered since leaving Mount Gabo.

"We're alive?" Dagger's voice sounded weak and uncertain.

"Yes!" we shouted in unison.

"Good," Dagger grumbled. "Because goblin heaven hurts."

Laughter erupted from us, uncontrollable and cathartic. But amidst the joy, a prickling sensation stirred within me. Sneaky Goblin! I grabbed Spoon's hand and pulled her towards Dagger, reaching out to him with my other hand. With the spell pulsing through me, I hoped that mere contact could share its protective magic.

The dumpster shuddered, as if held fast by an invisible force.

"What—" Dagger began to ask.

"Shh!" I croaked, unable to fully trust my own magic, desperately hoping that the danger would pass.

"Did you hear something?" a grumpy male voice wondered aloud.

"Some rats probably fell in! Should we check?" another voice responded.

The dumpster shook even more violently.

"Fuck that! Giant rats with these gloves? Nah, let the adventurers deal with that. Just finish levitating and close the lid!"

And then, without warning, darkness enveloped us as the top of the dumpster came crashing down.