Snap out of it! You still got intruders to deal with. I berated myself.
I looked around the valley. The Ogres that were attacked by the Mastiffs finally got it through their thick skulls that they could not hit them back, so they split up and started running away, the mastiffs close at their heels. One was running toward the forest path leading out of the valley, but the other one was running toward the open cave where all my goblin workers hid. Shit, I can’t get there in time to save them. I tugged at my ears in frustration. My hand touched the enchanted earring I wore. That gave me an idea. All the workers were in my War Party, so I should be able to talk to them telepathically using the earring's special power. Right.
There is an Ogre coming your way. Barzel, Stonemasons, and any other worker with a weapon - lay in ambush and hit the Ogre’s legs as he comes into the cave. He’s already wounded, just bring him down. The Mastiffs should take care of the rest. I hoped they got the message and would act in time.
The siblings were also in trouble. The two Ogres they were fighting were bloodied, but Malkyr also looked to be on his last legs. Hoshisu was desperately darting all around the place, trying to deflect any more attacks from hitting him, but it was clear that they would soon lose.
I was in trouble too. Though the three ogres were wounded, one quite severely and I was now fully healed, without my mana I stood no chance against them in a purely physical confrontation. I also couldn’t drink any potions in this shadowy state. I needed a break from combat so I could drink my remaining mana potions, and that meant running far enough away before my goblin body returned. Hopefully it would be enough to finish off the Ogres.
I was just about to break off when a loud war cry sounded from the forest path leading to the settlement. Two more Ogres were charging in my direction.
I felt my heart flutter and desperation engulf me. We were already in trouble, two more Ogres would tip the scale completely, sealing our doom.
But to my elation, the Ogres’ cry was soon echoed by a host of hobgoblins that charged after them. It was my own forces. They had finally arrived!
Unaware of the new danger, the one wounded Ogre fleeing from the Mastiffs headed straight for them. He was welcomed by a barrage of arrows and pounded to the ground by his former allies.
The party then split into two groups, one heading my way and the other toward the Ogres still battling the twins.
I sighed with relief. We were saved.
The three Ogres around me, turned around, preparing to meet the new enemies. Using their distraction, I deactivated the shadow body before it expired on its own, and downed my last remaining two mana potions. I shot a barrage of Drilling Arrows at the most wounded Ogre, bringing him close to death, then delivered the killing blow with the dagger, sacrificing him as well.
I turned my back on the last two remaining Ogres. They were wounded and outnumbered, my forces could handle them on their own. I had to make sure my surviving goblins weren’t being butchered.
I ran back to the cave, my feet nearly hovering over the ground as I pushed myself and Mana Infusion to its limit in my hurry.
But I was too late.
The Ogre was already dead.
The three Mastiffs were sitting idly by, staring at the dead body. Barzel, holding his forging hammer, put a possessive leg over the ogre, leaning on it. I could see a hammer shaped indent on one of the Ogre’s knees. Looked like Barzel was also good at hammering enemies and not just metal.
I threw a cursory glance around. “Everyone ok?”
“Yes, Dread Totem.”
“Yes, Dread Totem.”
“Yes, Bread Totem.”
I moaned and palmed my face. Goblins!
But I could feel a large smile smeared across my face. They were alive, and that’s what mattered. We could always rebuild what was destroyed.
I turned to leave. There were still enemies to defeat.
As I exited the cave, I could see that the situation was already well under control. My new forces easily overpowered the fatigued and injured Ogres, dropping them to the ground. Far away, I could see Malkyr burying his axe in the last Ogre’s head, ending the fight.
Victory!
You have successfully defended Goblin’s Gorge.
Your entire settlement has gained the Last Stand buff.
Effect:+50 morale, restoration costs are halved. Duration: 7 days
The victory bonus was a nice touch. It would sure come in handy to fix all the destruction the Ogres had caused.
I walked across the open field, toward the center of the valley. The goblins who took sanctuary in the cave followed me as one.
I reached the center, and looked around. The destruction was significant; The Mess Hall, the Construction Yard and the half-completed Warehouse were completely demolished. The Rabbit’s Warren had taken a serious beating. Luckily, my foresight in spreading the buildings wide apart proved itself, as the most significant buildings, the Breeder’s Den, the Smithy and the Lumber Yard, were located further away, and remained intact.
The victorious fighters made their way toward us, and we came together at the pond’s bank.
I looked around. Malkyr was injured and supported by two hobgoblins. My new hobgoblin lieutenant, Borbarabsus - aka Bob, was bloodied and one of my Ogres sported a comically huge bump on his head. Other than that, most looked unharmed. There were no fatalities.
Everyone, including the players, looked at me, expecting me to say something.
It felt increasingly uncomfortable, especially knowing there were a couple of outsiders in the audience. But a leader has to fulfill his obligations. I cleared my throat.
“Today we have finally brought an end to the threat that has hung over our heads for so long. Barska, the hobgoblin chief who destroyed our old clan, is now dead. Together we can accomplish great things. We have survived a devastating attack. We are bleeding now, but we will rebuild, we will grow, and we will be even stronger.” Everyone listened, but I could see apprehensive looks passing between my goblins and my new hobgoblin followers. “We are all one clan now,” I added firmly, “we will work together and protect each other. We all are GreenPiece members now. To the GreenPiece clan!”
“To the GreenPiece clan!” they all cheered around me. Ogres and players included.
Hoshisu stared at me with an unfathomable look, then shook her head. “Whenever I think I get a read on you, you go and find another way surprise me. The way you act and talk, you could almost pass for an NPC.”
“Man, that was some serious epic shit!” Malkyr grinned broadly at me, still supported by two hobgoblin warriors. “We just logged in when all hell broke loose. Ogres were running around, destroying everything in sight. Then a couple ran straight at us, and I was thinking ‘hell no, that’s my Smithy fuckers!’ That’s was some serious last-stand shit. I love it!” He chuckled.
I returned his smile, though briefly. It was my clan and my home, and he was acting like it was just some game.
Vic, once again in his purple shaped goblin form approached me. He was holding something in his hand.
“Here you go boss, I thought you’d like to have those. I collected them after the fight.” He handed me several Void Crystals.
“Thanks Vic,” I put them in my inventory. I now had a sizeable collection of them. That reminded me of something.
“Everyone, follow me,” I beckoned and turned toward the cave.
I left everyone standing below and climbed the ladder. I stood next to the Cemetery and opened the Settlement Interface, then selected the Resurrections option from the Energy Option menu.
Resurrection
● Bek, goblin Adept, level 6; Resurrection cost: 60 EP
● Vrick, goblin lieutenant, level 7; Resurrection cost: 70 EP
...
My heart fluttered as I reached the last entry on the list.
● Tika, goblin huntress, level 4; Resurrection cost: 40 EP
The standard slain goblin warriors were not present, b
ut I wasn’t expecting them to be. I held my breath, and selected everyone on the list, approving each one individually and paying the measly 170 energy cost for my friends’ resurrections.
The cemetery’s single headstone shone a bright green light and three ethereal shapes appeared beside it. Then the headstone glow diminished and the shapes became more substantial. The glow vanished completely and three goblins stood in front of me. Bek, Vrick and my Tika.
The three looked groggy, not realizing at first where they were, Death debuff would do that to a person. All signs of their injuries had vanished and they stood before me whole and well. Even Tika’s lost fingers had been restored.
Blinking his eyes repeatedly, Vrick noticed me first. He bent his knees before me, putting his hand on the still groggy Bek, bringing him down as well. “We are yours to command Dread Totem.” His tone full of respect.
It was then that Tika too snapped back to her senses and noticed me.
“Oren!” she cried, and ran toward me. I opened my arms to receive her. All my hesitation and uncertainty disappeared as I embraced her deeply, holding her body tightly close to mine
“You’re safe, I am here now.” I whispered in her ear.
We all walked to the edge of the stone shelf and looked at the crowd below us, my arm pleasantly wrapped around Tika’s shoulders.
“Hell Yeah!” Malkyr raised his fist in the air.
Everyone followed his mark and cheered as well. Even the restraint Hoshisu clapped her hands, smiling. We went down the ladder and joined the cheering crowd.
Hands slapped across my back as I waded through and approached the small gremlin.
“Yeshlimashu.” I addressed him formally “the hobgoblin menace has been dealt with. They will no longer haunt this forest.”
Quest Completed: Remove the Hobgoblin Menace
Yeshlimashu the gremlin wants you to remove the hobgoblin presence from the forest in order to establish trade routes with his people.
Quest Type: Advanced
Reward: Trade with gremlins is now available, 500 XP
+900 reputation with Yeshlimashu. Current rank: Friendly. Points to next rank: 3000
Level up! You have reached Character Level 17. You have 1 ability point to allocate.
The gremlin looked startled with all the attention he was receiving. He coughed and replied in his high-pitched voice. “Good, good. I will make the proper arrangements with my clan.”
Something about the way he said it sounded off, though. As if he was ashamed and hiding something.
Hoshisu apparently noticed it as well. “Oh come on Yeshi, you can do better than that!” Her tone was both commanding and pleading. Something only women knew how to do properly.
Her words had a visible impact on the flabbergasted creature.
“Ahem… Well, now that we are trade partners there is something else I can give you, it’s a standard practice when we establish connections with new markets.”
He reached into his bag of holding and retrieved a folded parchment.
Vic muttered in my mind.
I took the parchment and opened it. It was a blueprint.
A place for traders and traveling merchants to offer their wares. The industrious gremlin marketplace provides access to a more advanced economy interface than a standard marketplace>
I looked sternly at the fidgeting gremlin. “I seem to recall you mentioning selling me this blueprint at a steep price.”
At least he had the decency to lower his eyes. “Getting the best deal is second nature to me. I didn’t know you very well then and saw an opportunity for more profit. I apologize.”
“Well,” I placed the blueprint in my inventory, “As long as it doesn’t happen again. And I do expect a significant discount in our future dealing.”
“Of course, Dread totem.”
New skill acquired: Barter [S]
You can talk your way into a better deal and get better prices when selling or buying.
Dependent on individual reputations.
I smiled contentedly. The single attribute point in Social from my recent boss upgrade was already hard at work. I looked at the signs of devastation all around me. It took the Ogres only a handful of minutes to destroy what had taken us over a month to build. I was not looking forward to spending another month rebuilding. Luckily, I didn’t have to. I still had more than 3000 energy left. So I had some options available.
I opened the Construction Interface and selected all the destroyed buildings.
Restore Mess Hall (125 energy required with Last Stand buff). Yes/No?
Restore Warehouse (85 energy required with Last Stand buff). Yes/No?
Restore Rabbit Warren (65 energy required with Last Stand buff). Yes/No?
Of course. I acknowledged, interfacing directly with the controls and paying the 265 energy cost.
I led the crowd back toward the center of our camp. All around us the buildings were glowing with blue energy, beams and stone pieces flew around us, forming back into walls, roofs and windows. By the time we had made it to the center, everything was back together again, as if it was never damaged.
Yes… seemed silly to save a few energy points at this stage. Why the sudden excitement?
I chuckled. “Alright Vic, you got it.”
Tika once again wormed her way under my arm. I didn’t mind. It felt right. Hoshisu snickered. Muttering something about me falling for a goblin. I didn’t care, I was done trying to conceal our relationship. She couldn’t possibly understand what I’d been through. What we’ve been through.
For the first time in a long while I felt good, optimistic.
Tika still under my arm, we went together to my house.
We laid together on the soft furs and embraced each other tightly.
I closed my eyes, and felt content. Tika was safe. My clan was safe. All was well.
Sometime later we started kissing. It felt natural and relaxing, like it was meant to be. A little bit after that, our clothes were thrown to the side and our naked bodies intertwined, pressed tightly together. All my previous restraints and conflicts had evaporated as I finally come to grips with reality and made love to my beautiful huntress.
31 - Restoration
I woke feeling unburdened, light-hearted and happy.
The clan had taken a beating, but all the workers had survived, and all the damage to the buildings was already repaired. The only permanent loss was the death of the ten goblin warriors, including the two that had been with us from the beginning.
I felt a pang from their loss. Though they had no name of their own and were deemed expendable by this world’s harsh rules because of it, I was used to their presence, and felt their absence keenly. It was a sobering experience, and I was adamantly determined to never let such a catastrophe happen ever again; I even had just the idea to do that, but it would have to wait for now. I still had so much other stuff to take care of.
The Lyrical bird was singing its sweet song, empowering me, making me feel optimistic. More pragmatically, it improved my Bastardly luck. And that was good, because I would need all the luck I could get for what I had in mind. I gently stroked Tika’s hair and, regretfully, detached myself from the still sleeping huntress.
Stepping out of my house, I almost tripped over two exhausted Ogres lying on the ground.
Despite the recent losses, my newfound forces represented a fighting force easily several times stronger than the one I had before, thanks in large part to two brutes. A pile of stacked sacks and crates stood beside them. Before I went
to bed, I sent them both back to the Raiders’ Camp to bring back all their food supplies. I wasn’t too worried sending them through the dangerous forest alone. Around here, Ogres were pretty much at the top of the food chain, there was a very slim chance they’ll encounter anything they couldn’t handle.
Gandork was already peeking inside crates and opening sacks, mumbling. “Travel rations, jerky, more travel rations…”
“Hi Gandork” I approached him. “How long until you can make Simple food out of all this?”
He straightened up in a hurry. “Eh-ahem, most of the food is already edible as is, Dread Totem” he stuttered. “A few odd and ends that can be used to add some flavoring to my usual stew, but most is ready to be consumed as is.”
I gave him a steady, meaningful gaze.
“Load it all up to the Breeder’s Den?”
I nodded.
“As you command, Dread Totem.”
I now had the resources and the manpower to start making significant progress. I entered the Mess Hall. All the workers were already present, eating. The hobgoblins were sitting together, apart from the goblins. As soon as I was spotted, everyone rose to their feet and bowed, muttering, “Bre..Dread Totem.”
Though I did gain a higher boss tier, I didn’t feel any different. My goblins seemed to think the change merited a special distinction. It was awkward.
“Please, get back to eating, there’s no need for that.” I looked around smiling. The food smelled especially good, filling the Mess Hall with its delicious aroma.
I sat myself down at the big, well-crafted table at the front of the room, directly in front of the kitchen. A goblin worker hurriedly brought me my meal.
“Thank you,” I nodded, recognizing him as one of the gatherers.
I sat comfortably in the chair and ate Gandork’s excellent start-of-the-dark stew. Catching Zuban’s eye, I motioned him to approach.
“Dread Totem,” he greeted me. A hobgoblin warrior female followed him.
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