Forger of Worlds

by Simon Archer

  The Hobgoblin King didn’t even bother to turn. He merely gestured for his guards to act and act they did. They spun on their scorpion mounts and rushed toward my ants. They met Todd and Kurt head on, and I cringed as they were hit so hard that they’d have just died if they didn’t have my Aura to draw upon. Even still, I knew they couldn’t take too much more of that.

  Fortunately, they didn’t have to.

  “You expect this to do me in?” the Hobgoblin King asked as One barreled past one of the Elite Hobgoblins and sprang at the King. “Pitiful.”

  It should have ended right there with the Elites and their king slaughtering my dozen or so ants, but there were two key words there.

  Should have.

  Because as One leaped for the King, and the giant Hobgoblin whirled to lash out at the ant with his swords at lightning speed, the explosive attached to the Giant Sentry Ant exploded with all the force of twenty sticks of dynamite. Now, that may not have seemed like a lot, but about eight twenty-ounce sticks of dynamite produce almost as much kinetic energy as a forty-ton truck moving sixty miles per hour.

  And One wasn’t the only one who detonated with that force. All twelve ants exploded with at least that much black powder explosive strapped to them, and all were in close proximity to the guards and their king.

  Needless to say, those that weren’t killed outright by the resulting explosion were flung backward like toothpicks in a hurricane. Still more died as they crashed into the pit full of spears and were impaled in a way that was both horrific and satisfying.

  Unfortunately, the undead were still coming, and that meant the King hadn’t died. It didn’t take me long to find him. The spears he had landed upon had snapped like kindling on his armor, and as he pulled himself to his feet, I wasted no time.

  I reached out my hand and used Auric Extraction once more.

  Pattern: Elite Hobgoblin Knight has been learned. Would you like to create an Elite Hobgoblin Knight?

  A second later, I’d brought three of them to life and sent them at the Hobgoblin King. There was just one problem. The King was so strong, and my Aura was so low from the summoning that they had been sent right back to Auric Limbo three sword swings later.

  And the King looked no worse for wear.

  “So, maybe he’s a bit tough,” I said through gritted teeth as I used Auric Extraction to refill my Aura once more, and though I gained more patterns from doing so, I realized my summons weren’t going to be strong enough to take the bastard down.

  “Would you like me to face him, master?” Queenie asked from beside me, and while I admired her moxie, I shook my head.

  “No,” I said as the Hobgoblin King strode through the burning trench, and though flame still seethed within, none seemed to touch him. “It will just be a waste of Aura.” I glanced at the undead. “Summon what you need and help Jane deal with them.”

  “As you wish, master,” Queenie said, and a moment later, I saw more Elite Hobgoblin Knights rise around us and engage the undead.

  “I’ll dissolve those I can,” Jane said as she sprang into action alongside Queenie, but I wasn’t paying attention to that.

  Instead, I was focused on the King as he came ever closer. He was a god of death, and he was angry and vengeful. He would have this town and all the others if I didn’t stop him.

  “Come,” he said, and his words were like ice water being poured down my back. “Face me as a man.”

  “He isn’t just a man,” Morlaon said from beside me. I realized I’d been so focused on the Hobgoblin King that I hadn’t seen him come outside nor had I noticed that he and Jay had brought along all the musicians, actors, and other assorted performers.

  “No!” Morlaon struck his drum. “He’s the Destroyer King!” And with that, he broke into song. I felt the power in the air swell and grow, and slowly, the others soon joined him. As they lent their particular talents to the music, magic started to flow through the surrounding air.

  That’s when I felt a hand on my shoulder, and as I turned toward it, I saw Jay standing there. He had a fierce grin on his face and then, for the first time ever, he spoke.

  “Give ‘em Hell!”

  With that, he strummed his ukelele and sent one last desperate cry of power into the air.

  And as he did, I grabbed hold of that magic. I let it flow into me, let it fill me up, and grow until I couldn’t see clearly, until I thought I would die, and I pushed beyond that. The sounds of the battle became distant as I pulled in every ounce I could. Then I gathered even more magic.

  The Hobgoblin King was almost to me now, and as I met my eyes, I could see the victory in his eyes. He had already won this battle. And the next. He had already taken this land and turned it into a floating ball of death.

  And somehow, that sight gave me the will to pull in yet more magic. My veins burned like fire, and I could taste blood in my mouth, but I didn’t care.

  I would end this here and now.

  “Come,” the Hobgoblin King cried as I launched myself into the pit and sprinted toward him.

  The big Hobgoblin steadied himself as a cruel smile settled across his face. And then, the moment I came within reach of his blades, he swung his two swords at me in a scissor-like cut aimed at taking my head off my shoulders.

  Only, even for all his strength and speed, I had years upon years of fighting people both bigger and stronger than me. I’d beaten them all because of one thing: I had trained more than all of them. So, as I moved, I let my honed reflexes take over. I dropped into a slide on my knees as I arched myself backward just in time. The King’s blades passed by my face, missing me by millimeters, and as they did, I planted one hand and lashed out with my foot.

  The blow caught him in the knee. Though it felt like I’d kicked a statue, the move still had the desired effect because the Hobgoblin King, already off-balance from his attack, tottered forward just a hair as I came up.

  I shifted my hips, drawing power from my feet and forcing it through my entire body as my Aura-Infused fist smashed into the Hobgoblin King’s chin in one enormous Auric Smash that released every last ounce of magic and Aura I had in me.

  “Tiger Uppercut!” I cried as all the magic I’d gathered exploded out of me with enough force to not only shatter his jaw but turn his skull into paste.

  You have killed a Boss and completed the Pathway Quest. The return gate has now been opened. You may leave at any time.

  I was still staring at the words when the Hobgoblin King’s swords slipped from his hands and clattered to the ground beside his lifeless body. Then as his body slumped to his knees and the undead around us collapsed back into unmoving corpses, I reached out with one hand and used Auric Extraction.

  Pattern: Hobgoblin King has been learned. Would you like to create a Hobgoblin King? Please note, this is a special monster, and only one can be summoned at any given time. If you would like to summon more, you must defeat more.

  “Arise,” I said as I summoned the Hobgoblin King forth. This time, there was no foul wind as he rose to his feet out of the ether. Instead, he looked at me for one long, hard second before meeting my eyes.

  “It seems that I have been defeated,” he said, his words careful and measured. He looked at the carnage that had been wrought on his army before settling his gaze upon me once more. Then he bowed his head. “It would be an honor to serve one such as you.” His hands clenched and unclenched. “For you are the stronger of us.”

  “Well, I’ll be happy to have you on the Garrett train,” I said and extended my hand to him. “Welcome aboard.”

  “Thank you.” He clasped my hand and shook it. “Know that I will serve you to my utmost.”

  “That, I believe,” I said as I looked around and found Morlaon looking at me from high above at the lip of the trench.

  “You did it,” he called, and then before I could reply, added, “This means you have to try for the sword.”

  “I suppose it does,” I said with a nod. “I suppose it does.” />
  39

  “To Garrett Andrews! Savior! Hero! Man of the Hour!” Morlaon cried as he raised a mug of ale into the air with so much fervor, I was surprised the froth on top didn’t slough onto the table, especially since it was his sixth mug.

  “Thanks,” I said, a bit embarrassed by all the attention as we sat in the great dining hall of the inn. “But we all worked together to win. It wasn’t just me.” I raised my own ale. “To all of us!”

  “And to master!” Queenie cried around a mouthful of cake.

  “Yes!” Jane added. “To Garrett!”

  I sighed, and as I did, Jay shot me a “Just go with it” look which I returned with a nod. He was right, after all. If I’d learned anything by being the Terra Forma Champion, it was to let people enjoy what they wanted, even if that meant I had to be the object of their praise.

  We all toasted and then I took a huge swallow of my ale. It was sour in just the way I liked with a hint of pomegranate and blueberry. As I savored the flavor, I couldn’t help but think of when I used to stuff gobs of Warheads into my mouth and suck off all the sourness.

  “Master, have some cake. It’s great!” the ant queen exclaimed as she slid a piece of chocolate cake toward me. Her cheeks were covered in frosting and chocolate and bulged like a chipmunk’s as she continued trying to chew the entire slice of cake she’d shoved into her gullet. “The sprinkles on top are my favorite.” She grinned, revealing multicolored sprinkles stuck to her teeth, which she licked away quickly before doing a little shimmy of delight. “And after that, you have to try the pie, oh and they have this thing called iced cream. It is very cold because it has ice in it, but it is also very yummy and creamy.” She patted her stomach lovingly. “I’m glad it goes in a second stomach that is specifically for sweets. Otherwise, I’m afraid I’d burst from all the treats.”

  “I’m not sure that’s an actual thing,” Jane said as she patted Queenie lightly with one gloved hand. “The second stomach just for treats, I mean.”

  “Well, it should be,” Queenie pouted as she looked over at the slime girl longingly. “Your entire body is a giant stomach.” Her eyes got wide with excitement. “Could you even imagine how amazing that would be? You could eat and eat and eat…”

  As Jane laughed at the sudden attention, I found myself drifting off into my own thoughts. I’d managed to level up quite a bit and gain some powerful summons in the form of the Hobgoblin King and his elite guards. Plus, we had scored quite a bit of loot in the process.

  Better still, I was intrigued about the Destroyer King’s sword. There hadn’t been much information about it in the town, and I had soon realized that more people regarded the blade as a legend rather than an actual sacred object that could be found.

  Not that it mattered because I’d promised Morlaon that I would try to acquire it, and I was nothing if not a man of my word.

  Besides, if it were real, it might be a powerful artifact that would aid me in defeating Zaxcs and saving the universe. Hell, for all I knew it might be one of the ancient objects spoken of in the Terra Forma lore, and though I nor anyone else had even found one, I couldn’t help but wonder what it might have been like to use some of them.

  Still, it was best not to get my hopes up. After all, the sword might not be there at all, and even if it was, it might need to be restored to power like the mana sword in Secret of Mana, though, admittedly, I’d always had a soft spot for the Dragon Buster because, well, dryad magic was awesome.

  “Whatcha thinkin’ about?” Jane said, drawing me out of my thoughts as she bumped me with her shoulder. “Is it your surprise?”

  “My surprise?” I asked, a bit confused until I remembered the two of them had been scheming about something in hushed whispers ever since they had met. “You mean…?”

  “Yes.” Jane gave me a nod before turning to gesture at the far end of the hall, and that’s when I saw Queenie carrying a tray filled with something so ridiculous, I almost couldn’t believe it.

  “Queenie, what is that?” I asked, mouth agape as she came over to me and set the tray in front of me with a heavy thud.

  “A little goddess told me you once considered something like this.” Queenie gave me a knowing smile as she glanced conspiratorially at Jane. “And we have both come to realize you don’t much like sweets so…”

  “So, we wanted to get you something you would like,” Jane continued with a grin. “And since you’d mentioned your patron goddess was Rhapsody,” I shot a look at Jay who was oddly not looking at me while pretending to whistle, “Queenie and I prayed to her for guidance on what to feed you.”

  “She bestowed an image upon me that was unlike anything we had seen before. Instantly, I knew it would be a fitting meal for master.” Queenie grinned and then placed a candle on top of the monstrosity before me before lighting it.

  Then they began to sing, and I didn’t quite catch the words because I was too busy staring at a burger so massive it rivaled the tray on which it sat, and as I did, I recalled the words I had heard in a bar forever ago...

  “It has three kinds of cheese, two half-pound patties, pulled pork, deep pit beef, and a slab of tri-tip all topped with a fried egg.”

  And that description didn’t quite do it justice because that burger looked like the most delicious thing I’d ever seen before. As I leaned in and blew out the candle on top, which caused the room to break out in cheers, I couldn’t help but smile. Then I picked up the massive burger in my hands and took the largest bite I could. Meat juices spilled down my face as the egg burst in my teeth, and delicious, runny yolk spilled into my mouth.

  “Did you enjoy it?” Jane asked when I’d finished it a few moments later and was still basking in the afterglow of a delicious meal.

  “Yeah,” I said as she shuffled closer to me. “It was perfect. In fact, I can’t think of anything better.”

  “Well, for now anyway,” Jane replied, her voice heavy with need as she spoke in my ear. “Because now that you’ve eaten, we have an entirely different gift for you.”

  As I looked at her in confusion, Queenie leaned into me so close her massive breasts pressed into my back. “Yes, master,” she purred. “We have developed quite a few tricks to better please you, and we’re sure you’ll find them delightful.”

  With that, they drew me from the table and toward one of the back rooms, and I found myself lost in a whirlwind of pleasure as I tried my best to keep Jane from dissolving both Queenie and me while still making sure they both enjoyed themselves.

  To be honest, by the time we were done, I was a bit surprised that we had all survived it since I’d never had to rely on my Aura manipulation powers for so long at a time, but now? After we were done, and I was staring down at their naked, sleeping bodies?

  I couldn’t help but think I was the luckiest man on earth.

  40

  Silent Jay

  …

  ….

  …

  41

  “Well said, Jay,” I replied as we entered the ruins of Nylian. Though perhaps ruins was a bit strong of a word because it was mostly the remains of sunbaked huts in the midst of a massive desert. “We did wind up with quite a lot of loot thanks to the siege.” I smirked. “Though I would have liked it if Jane could have come with us.”

  “I as well would have liked that, master,” Queenie said with a frown. “We could have had such fun together.”

  “I’m sure we would have,” I said as I ran a hand through my sweaty hair. “But we will see her again soon.”

  We had come here after completing repairs to the town and looting all the corpses. While I’d been ready to put my new level thirty skills to the test as well as those of Gobta, the Hobgoblin formerly known as King, we hadn’t run into any trouble during our trek into the desert.

  “I still don’t understand why we couldn’t have stayed and reveled in our victory a bit longer,” Morlaon grumbled. “You may be drowning in girls, but for guys like me, the chance to experience the attent
ions of a hot woman is few and far between.”

  “I thought chicks love musicians?” I said with a laugh.

  “No, they love guitarists.” He glanced at Jay, who merely shrugged before nodding at me with a wry smile. “No one loves the drummer.”

  “Well, you could play bass,” I mused as we arrived in the center of “town.” Again, it was mostly a mass of sand and dust with a few scattered cacti and scrub brushes. The sun beat down ceaselessly, and I could have sworn I saw vultures sitting atop what remained of the ancient stone walls of the city.

  “I suppose that would be worse,” Morlaon said with a sigh. “I can’t even name a single bassist.”

  I could, but that was beside the point. We had bigger fish to fry anyway, now that we were in this sweltering desert ruin. It was time to find the Sword of the Destroyer King. I scanned the horizon, one hand cupped over my eyes to block the sun, and as I did, I saw something glimmer not far away. It wasn’t a big glimmer, though. More like a brief speck of light that had refracted off something shiny.

  “There,” I said and spurred my Giant Scorpion forward until we reached the glimmering speck at what seemed like the center of the ruins. It was no bigger than the size of a dime, and as I climbed off my scorpion so I could get a closer look, I realized it was a gemstone the color of crackling lightning. Energy pulsed off it with each tiny crackle, so while I had wanted to pocket it immediately, I decided to ask for some second opinions first.

  “Guys, I think I found something,” I said as I waved them over, and a few moments later, we were all gathered around the gemstone.

  “That must be it,” Morlaon said as he stared at the strange gemstone. “You should try to take it.”

  “I thought you said it was a sword?” I replied. “Not that it matters. Of course, I’m going to try to take it.”

  “There is supposed to be a sword,” Morlaon said as he looked around. “Right here, actually.”