The Road to Red Thorn

by Blaine Hicks

  The goblins looked at Radley as he followed Knobbs through the room. The green crowd was cleaner than he had grown to expect from goblins and wore slightly nicer clothes than what he had seen on the main streets of Red Thorn. They were casually chatting like they were attending a backyard barbecue without a care in the world. Their mood was contagious, and Radley began to relax. Maybe this won’t be so bad, he thought.

  Knobbs led them forward until they stood before the dais and he signaled Radley to stay put before he moved over to speak to a guard standing by the edge of the platform. This guard was not a goblin. He was much too large; taller than Radley and heavily muscled. The creature’s gear was better too without blemish or rust. Its sword was sheathed in an attractive wooden scabbard and it held a long pike with a dimly glowing blade. The noise in the room prevented Radley from hearing their conversation, but he saw the soldiers' eyes grow slightly wider as Knobbs spoke. Radley took the opportunity to identify the creature:

  Cave Troll: Elite Guard

  Ack Toesmash- 624 HP

  Cave trolls are tall and physically impressive. They are slow, but have very high strength, hit points, and stamina. Trolls are considered to be the endurance champions among the sentient creatures of earth. Cave trolls have better dark vision than other trolls and spend most of their lives underground. They are not generally social and abhor races of light.

  Battle consideration: This cave troll is level 50. The laws of Red Thorn prohibit killing under penalty of death.

  The troll finally nodded at Knobbs and briefly glanced at Radley before lifting a finger from its free hand like it was counting to one. A goblin wearing fine clothes instead of armor skulked over from its post behind the throne and spoke with the two of them. This goblin stood relatively upright compared to even Knobbs or any other goblin Radley had seen. The posture made him look taller, almost human, if not for the green skin, big goblin ears, and severe underbite. After a moment the tall goblin turned away and climbed a flight of stairs that led from the back of the dais to the second floor of the citadel.

  The goblin captain returned to Radley’s side and fidgeted with his uniform as if the tiny adjustments would suddenly make him presentable to a king. A few minutes passed before the tall goblin returned to its post, but it gave no indication that anything had changed so Radley and Knobbs waited longer. It was more than a half hour later when King Kem Toan Iron Fist finally graced the court with his presence. The king’s entrance began with the sharp tone from an unseen horn, then the tall goblin stepped forward to the front of the dais. In a clear voice he announced that the king had arrived which was followed by a second and third horn blast at consecutively higher pitches. The King came from the room above, and down the staircase that led to the back of the dais. He was led by three she-goblins who were adorned in tight leather jumpsuits and featureless white masks. Their outfits covered their identity but offered plenty of evidence as to their gender. Only their green skin and long ears gave them away as goblins. They pranced and twirled down the stairs like the opening act for a theater show which would have been entertaining to Radley if not for the collars they wore around their necks. The rings of cold iron tethered them to the goblin king who followed them down the stairs. Three long chains bound him to his pets like dogs on leashes.

  The king was big and sloppy, at least eight feet tall and morbidly obese. He looked like he had been raised in a deep fryer and fed only junk food since birth. His clothes were fine silk robes but dirty and stained. They looked very expensive but probably had never been washed. The king made a heavy thwump, thwump, thwump as he descended the steps. Each footfall sounded like the beating of a great drum. He grinned playfully at the room as he descended. The whole court had grown silent and watched the king respectfully. All at once the goblins in the room knelt and Radley quickly followed their lead. Behind the king marched four more elite troll guards all clad in identical chainmail armor. When the king finally took his place on the throne, the elite guards lined up stiffly behind him. The she-goblins settled at his feet and caressed his blue-veined legs. As the king got comfortable, Radley focused on him and selected the magnifying glass that appeared at the edge of his HUD to identify him:

  Great-Goblin: King of Eventide Forest

  Kem Toan Iron Fist - 880 HP

  Great-goblins are a rare relative to the common goblin. They are larger and stronger but not as cunning as their common counterparts. Like many creatures of darkness, they are driven by a lust for wealth and riches. Great-goblins are solitary wanderers until they find a common goblin tribe to conquer. Once they are in charge, their travel ends and they lead the tribe until they die.

  Battle consideration: This goblin is level 50. The laws of Red Thorn prohibit killing under penalty of death.

  “Ged up, ged up” the king said lazily through heavy breaths. He was tired from descending the stairs and the effort of talking seemed to be almost too much to justify. The goblins around the room rose and Radley followed their lead again, still trying not to draw any attention. It didn’t work. The king’s gaze swept the room and settled on him.

  “I’m tol’ we have a hero ‘mong us.” the king slurred. He sounded drunk but was possibly so tired that he couldn’t be bothered to enunciate his words for the effort it required.

  Radley still made no move, hoping that if he held very still the king's gaze would move on. It didn't. The king groaned and rocked his massive body forward to the edge of the throne. "Well?"

  Captain Knobbs shoved Radley forward hard, making him stumble but he didn’t fall. He had to use his walking staff to catch his balance. "Um…" Radley said suddenly feeling the gaze of the entire room upon him. His throat felt so dry. In his whole life he had never had half so many eyes watching him at once. It was a benefit of living in a technological society. When speaking to a large audience, a camera was often all that watched you. Now, a several hundred eyes were fixed on him. He was terrified and trembled despite his high willpower. Without it, he probably would have passed out. He didn’t, but willpower could only do so much without the help of decent charisma.

  The king was growing impatient and started talking again with anger rising in his voice. “I tried to kill him, dat creeper. I sen’ a lodda soldiers to do it. Nothin’ came back. Dees were mah soldiers, mah best, but they din’ come back...” The king’s voice trailed off as his gaze settled on the floor as if the king was lost in thought. Then the giant goblin’s eyes snapped back and locked onto Radley. Fire had returned to them. If snakes could sweat, Radley would have been dripping buckets. Since he couldn’t, he tried to nod along as the giant king spoke. “You know why dey call him da star of death?” The king asked. “Cause if you see ‘im, you’re already dead!”

  “Well,” Radley said, finally finding the courage to participate in the conversation, “someone had to see him, or you wouldn’t know who was killing everyone.”

  The king's countenance fell sour. He didn’t like being corrected, especially when he was already annoyed. “An’ you alive too…somehow…” The king had almost caught his breath now, so his cadence was growing clearer, but an icy edge grew with it that warned Radley to proceed very carefully.

  “Yes, your greatness.” Radley replied trying to feign some respect, “I am.”

  “So now we must know…” the king said leaning back again in his throne, “how you killed Settri, de star of death.”

  CH 33 Gaining Favor

  Radley began his story. His embellishments and role playing seemed to be getting him into trouble, so he did his best to keep things simple. “I was in Elderwood…” His voice trembled slightly, “with my familiar. We were traveling north but were ambushed by the star-creeper.” There was an audible gasp from the goblin crowd, but the king didn’t move. He kept staring at Radley with a firm gaze.

  Radley continued, “He grappled with my familiar who was able to tank the ferocious attacks while I dealt elemental damage from a distance… I’m an elemental mage after all. Fire was p
articularly effective against him. The battle was fierce, and we barely won.” The story faltered for a moment as Radley tried to think of a strong finish “I took his knife as a trophy of the battle” He still held the large bowie knife after showing Knobbs and now held it in the air so the crowd of goblins behind him could see as well as the king. The king was silent for a moment then asked, “Captain, did you reveal the weapon’s past?”

  Captain Knobbs finally stepped forward and bowed. “I did, oh Magnificent One. This young mage took the knife from Settri’s grasp and tossed it away. Minutes later the bond between Settri and the blade was lost. The blade is now untethered.”

  The king looked back at Radley and thought some more. It looked like the effort was uncomfortable. Finally, the great-goblin said “I wan’ a demonstration. Show me dis elemental magic.” He motioned toward the large troll soldier and said “Go on an’ fight Ack.”

  The troll guard stiffened at the sound of his name but made no move towards Radley. Having already identified the level 50 fighter, Radley knew he was no match for it. He had to think fast, or he would quickly become a stain on the citadel’s dirt floor.

  “Wait!” Radley said forcefully drawing the goblin king’s attention again. “Your eminence, when battling Settri, I had my familiar to support me. Knobbs required him to stay outside the walls of Red Thorn. Without him, I fear I cannot demonstrate my skills to you sufficiently. Even the mightiest mage does not enter battle alone. I must have my ally to support me.”

  The king considered these words briefly and nodded. “Dat may be true but I wanna see dis powa you claim ta command.” He looked around again until his eyes settled on Knobbs. “Captain, give dis snake somethin’ to burn.”

  Knobbs bowed at the order glancing sideways at Radley. Radley returned the glance wondering what the goblin might offer as a target. The captain reached into a small pouch hanging from his belt. From within he produced a fat squirming slug. The creature was too big for the bag that held it and Knobbs had trouble getting it out. When it was finally extracted, it was over a foot long and looked more like a grub than a slug. Radley was astounded that the thing had fit inside the small pouch and wondered if the container was magical. Even though most of the world so far followed game mechanics, he had trouble accepting the possibility of a bag with its own pocket dimension.” Knobbs laid the squirming white mound onto the dais and bowed as he stepped back into the crowd.

  The king groaned like a spoiled child, “Knobbs! I don’ want wasp larva, I want something exciting.”

  “My apologies oh great one.” the captain replied with his head bowed even lower. He reached for the larva to return it to his bag, but the king kicked the captain's hand away. “Leave it Knobbs, I haven’t eaten yet.”

  The captain withdrew his hand and searched about for a more suitable opponent. “I can grab a goblin from a crow’s cage or maybe the squid?”

  “No,” the king said grumpily, waving away the offer with his fat sausage fingers. “I want somthin’ good. Make it a cage fight. Bring an ape from da larder. If he can’t solo dat, I got no need of ‘im”

  Knobbs snapped his fingers and pointed at two soldiers standing along the outer wall. They sped into action. One exited through a hidden doorway, the second moved over to a long handle mounted on the wall and began to crank it with obvious difficulty.

  A black square began to descend from the ceiling toward the center of the room. The crowd moved out of its way and until it settled on the floor with a thump that kicked up dust. It was a cage about the size of a boxing ring, and the goblins packed around it with obvious excitement.

  “Get Inside.” Knobbs barked, pointing to a small iron door built into the side of the cage. The goblin captain grabbed Radley’s arm and pulled him towards the entrance of the battle area. At level 42, the goblin’s grip was like a vice and escape was impossible. A moment later Radley found himself standing alone in the cage.

  He knew his class was not made for melee combat. Unless he was fighting low-level herbivores and even then success was questionable. He was probably moments away from pain. He needed an edge and would only get one chance to win. The stakes were high. Success would likely gain him the favor with the king, while failure promised pain and death. That could include the loss of his spirit shard and his tenth level. He had to win.

  His only hope came from his new levels and wisely using the unspent points he had gained by killing Settri. In his rush back to the spirit shard, reviewing his many notifications, and running into the pack of goblins, he still hadn’t invested his attribute and spell points from his past four levels that he had gained. He didn't know how long it would take the soldiers to bring the “ape,” but he knew he had to hurry.

  He tucked the bowie knife under his arm and tapped his chest to open the user interface. He first toggled to his “Attributes” tab and tried to decide what he needed most.

  Attributes:

  Strength: 10

  Dexterity: 13

  Agility: 14

  Constitution: 11

  Willpower: 29

  Intelligence: 15

  Wisdom:8

  Charisma: 7

  Unspent Attribute Points: 24

  His high willpower saved him from the indecision that typically slowed him to a crawl when upgrading a character’s stats. He wanted to focus on intelligence, but he quickly dismissed that idea. Intelligence was the key to being a powerful mage but this battle would be a close quarters fight. One on one. He needed a physical advantage. Strength determined how hard he could hit and how much damage he could block. Dexterity determined his chance to successfully hit or blocked. Agility determined his chance to dodge and constitution added HP and stamina. Strength and dexterity were a pair since hitting and blocking had to be both successful and potent. He wouldn’t mind being able to block, but he didn’t need powerful physical attacks since his magic kit was nearly all damage. Dodging on the other hand provided a different way to avoid injury. Like the rabbit in his first fight, he would win if his opponent couldn’t out-roll his dodge. He was already fast, so improving his HP and stamina was probably a higher priority. He couldn’t afford to run out of steam like he had against the grendel.

  He dropped the first 10 points into constitution and accepted the confirmation request. He gasped audibly when power surged into him. In that moment, he grew two inches taller while his shoulders and hips reformed slightly, giving him a more aggressive stance. The scales that covered him hardened and grew slightly thicker. The power increase felt like pure adrenaline and his body screamed for more like an addict searching for another fix.

  The moment passed quickly, and his willpower leveled his emotions. It forced him to stay focused in spite of the rushing feelings of vitality. He dumped the next 10 points into agility. This time the change was internal as his mind rewired its knowledge of movement and inertia. His heels lifted from the ground slightly and he danced easily on the balls of his feet, back and forth like a boxer. His mind was already calculating his physical potential. He could feel a draft of air current and perceived the distance between himself and the walls of the cage. The clarity of his own physical potential was exciting, and he hungered for more, but his impressive willpower continued to calm his beating heart and once again forced him to focus.

  He put 3 points into strength; not so he could pummel his prey like a grendel, but to expand the limits of his agility. He knew how to move now but he needed to be stronger to optimize those theoretical results. His lean naga muscles swelled slightly and tightened like cables. Compared to adding almost two levels worth of points into constitution and agility the change in strength was modest. It lacked the euphoria of the first two selections. He moved on quickly and, almost on a whim, dumped the final point into intelligence. This had no noticeable effect. Apparently, adding just one point at a time didn’t shock his body’s systems. With the final confirmation, his attributes refreshed.

  Attributes:

  Strength: 13

 
; Dexterity: 13

  Agility: 24

  Constitution: 21

  Willpower: 29

  Intelligence: 16

  Wisdom:8

  Charisma: 7

  Unspent Attribute Points: 0

  His stats were hybrid now. Part physical and part mental. It was a far cry from the glass cannon build he had anticipated when starting AFR but it was necessary considering the current situation. With his attributes settled, he navigated to his ‘Vital Statistics’ tab to review the quantifiable effects.

  Health 163 / 163

  Stamina 74 / 86 (84 base)

  Mana 224 / 224

  Psionic Points 290 / 290

  Hit Roll 7

  Damage Roll 6

  Armor Roll: 5

  Magic Resistance: 0

  Dodge Roll: 12

  Luck: 22

  His higher HP was the most obvious benefit. He wasn’t a tank, but he’d be able to take a hit. The mana was also higher, but the change wasn’t as dramatic. Since he had never run out of mana, he wasn’t too worried about the minimal increase. The extra stamina was nice, almost double what he’d had in Elderwood. Considering how often he ran away from things; it would probably save his life soon. The psionic points were pretty useless as far as he could tell. He had only used them to initiate the battle of wills during the grendel battle. They didn’t seem to do much else. His dodge roll had also increased from 7 to 12. He didn’t know what that would mean in a battle, but it seemed like a substantial bump in his ability to evade attacks.