Lex couldn't look away from the monitors.
His hands remained pressed against the metal desk, slipping whenever the sweat on his palms broke their grip.
He had understood that the counterattack might kill the beasts.
But he hadn't understood what that would look like.
That was the most brutal and gruesome way the situation could have ended.
Before today, the worst gore Lex had ever seen was a pigeon flattened on the road. Now there was enough blood and guts to cover an entire section of the forest.
His stomach churned.
The decision had seemed simple. The barrier was under stress, the store was under attack, and there were injured people taking shelter within it.
So he had said yes.
It was the only option that didn't end with everything he had left being flattened beneath the feet of wild beasts.
Yet that answer didn't make what he was seeing any easier.
"Terminal..."
[ Yes, Owner Lex? ]
Its response was painfully flat.
It had never sounded stressed in the first place. It used the same voice it had used to announce an EXP gain or tell them they had clocked in for a shift.
Does this thing even understand what it's just done?
Does it care?
"Did we really just slaughter an entire army of beasts and paint the surrounding forest with what was left of them?"
The terminal took a second to respond.
[ The emergency defence protocol eliminated approximately two hundred and seventy-three hostile magical beasts. ]
[ The protected perimeter has been successfully secured. ]
Lex swallowed.
"Is that all there is to say?"
The terminal took another moment.
[ What further information do you require? ]
Herman slammed a hand down onto the desk.
"Bullshit."
Lex glanced towards him.
"Don't call that successful," Herman said. "You butchered hundreds of animals and sent their entrails through the bloody forest."
[ The property remains secure, and the assault has ended. By all relevant standards, the defence was successful. ]
"Successful?" Herman pointed towards the monitors. "Look at the fucking screen."
A bloody limb slowly slid down the face of the barrier.
"You could've warned us what the counterattack would actually do."
[ The precise outcome could not be predicted. Its severity was determined by the amount and variety of mana forced into the barrier. ]
[ Every form of mana expelled by the barrier had first been directed at it. ]
Herman gritted his teeth.
"Still—"
[ Was the store defended? ]
"Yes, but that's not—"
[ Is every accepted entity within the perimeter alive and breathing? ]
Herman glared at the green letters on the screen.
"That isn't the point, and you know it!"
[ It is the only relevant factor within my remit. ]
Herman's jaw locked. He had no immediate answer, but the anger remained.
Lex placed a hand on his shoulder.
"Herman."
"Don't." Herman shrugged him off. "Don't tell me you agree with this inhumane bastard."
"I agree with it on one thing."
Herman turned towards him.
The anger on his face weakened when he saw Lex properly. Sweat covered his face, and what little colour remained had drained from it.
Lex forced himself to continue.
"The barrier was full. Those things weren't stopping their assault, and we had people taking refuge outside the store, relying on it to save them."
"That doesn't mean it had to do that."
"I don't know that," Lex said. "And neither do you, Herman."
Lex looked back at the carnage.
"This isn't Earth. There aren't police coming to deal with this. There isn't someone better equipped that we can call. All we had was that barrier and the horde surrounding us."
Lex wiped his hands on his trousers.
"What else were we going to do? Go outside and fight beasts with magical abilities using box cutters?"
Herman looked away, crossing his arms and tapping his fingers against one sleeve.
"I chose the store and everyone inside the barrier over the beasts trying to tear through it," Lex said. "I don't like what I'm seeing. It makes me sick, but that was the decision I made."
Herman gave Lex a sideways glance.
"And how do you know it was just those beasts?"
Lex stopped.
Herman pointed towards the ruined forest.
"What if they weren't the only things out there? What if there were people fighting for their lives, and we've just wiped them off the face of the planet?"
Lex looked at the terminal.
"Were there?"
[ I cannot confirm whether undetected entities were present within the entire area of effect. ]
Herman let out a dry laugh.
"Successful defence, right?"
Lex hadn't thought of that.
He had no answer.
He still believed it was the only choice available to him, but that didn't stop him from imagining innocent victims being caught in the crossfire.
Remaining inside the terminal room wouldn't answer any of it.
"We can argue about this later," Lex said. "Right now, there are people outside waiting for us."
Looking at the screens, he could see the old goblin pacing beside the store. Vargis stood nearby, his eyes wide as he stared at the massacre surrounding them.
The wolf-like folk had changed back. They appeared more human now, with patches of moon-grey fur covering their arms and faces.
Is this what they usually look like?
Herman stared at the screen as well.
"This isn't over, but you're right. We should get answers for ourselves."
"After all that?" Lex asked. "What if they ask about what we did, where the barrier came from or, more importantly, the store?"
Herman shrugged.
"Why is that important to hide?"
The terminal gave its input.
[ I agree with Employee Herman Staul. This is the Otherworld Retail Department. Its name is displayed above the entrance. If secrecy were required, it would not be on the sign. ]
Herman nodded.
"If that destruction outside is good for one thing, it's showing that the store isn't defenceless."
Lex sighed.
"All right. We can't keep them waiting any longer."
Lex walked to the door and unlocked it, letting Herman through first.
The moment he stepped out of the front door, the situation became real.
The gore was no longer trapped behind a screen in a closed room. It was right in front of him.
Then the smell struck.
Beyond the barrier, trees leaned away from the store in a broken ring. Blood streaked their stripped trunks, and pieces of beasts hung from the branches that had survived the blast. Inside it, the grass beneath the refugees remained untouched. Not one drop of blood had crossed the boundary.
That distinction unsettled Lex almost as much as the destruction itself. The counterattack hadn't been some uncontrolled explosion. The store had decided exactly where safety ended, then erased almost everything beyond it.
Lex clamped a hand over his nose.
"Fuck, that's disgusting," Herman said.
Lex scanned the crowd outside. Pairs of yellow and green eyes watched them closely.
Vargis pushed himself onto unsteady legs and approached.
Lex looked him over. His usually white mohawk was plastered with blood, as was most of the rest of his body.
"Vargis. I hope none of that is your own blood."
The goblin gave him an awkward smile.
"Thankfully not. It was quite a journey here. We wouldn't have survived if not for your powerful barrier."
Lex gave a weak laugh.
"Yeah... It was quite a surprise for us when we clocked in for our shift."
Vargis raised a brow.
"Clocked in?"
"Nothing important. Just our terminology for starting work at the store."
Lex pointed towards the wounded Moontrail hunter lying among his companions.
"He doesn't look too good. Is he going to be all right?"
That was when the old goblin approached, still dressed in his shirt and underwear.
A skeleton followed two steps behind him, green fire burning within its empty sockets. Wraith's dark robe rested across its bony arms, held clear of the bloodied ground with greater care than the goblin seemed to give his own appearance. Herman stared at it, but wisely kept whatever comment came to mind to himself.
"The Moontrail hunter will recover. I have sealed his wounds; his body merely needs rest."
Lex forced a smile and offered his hand to the newcomer.
"I'm Lex, owner of this establishment. Care to share your name?"
The old goblin glanced from his hand to Lex's face before accepting it.
"Wraith, esteemed necromancer of Tribe Guram."
Lex's smile twitched.
Necromancer? That's a bit... concerning.
"Ah, the same tribe as Vargis. I should've guessed."
He pointed behind him towards his colleague.
"This is Herman, an employee of the store. He handles maintenance and repairs."
Herman sighed and stepped forward, offering his hand as well.
Wraith accepted it.
"A pleasure."
"Likewise," Herman said.
Wraith released his hand and clasped both of his own behind his back.
He looked towards the barrier, studying the remains beyond it before turning to Lex.
His eyes glowed brighter as they travelled between Lex and Herman. The scrutiny lingered long enough to make Lex resist the urge to step backwards.
At last, Wraith's attention returned to him.
"Can I presume that captivating display answered to you?"