How To Use Console Commands

Chapter 11

Kalastraad was a shrewd man and had long made preparations to attack Gobhood long before Payton had arrived. After living for so long, it was natural that he would rarely be surprised.

And yet, when the Godmage himself appeared before his court, the half-man, half-goblin stared at the intruder dumbstruck.

"Hello!" Inferiorix proclaimed. He waved a hand absently through the air. "Do you mind if we switch on a light or something? It's really dark in here."

"Who are you!?" exclaimed Kalastraad.

The Godmage sighed heavily, slouching forward with arms hanging limply. "Urgh... It's so sad that no one knows who I am despite being the one that made this world." He straightened and beamed proudly, hiking a thumb against his chest. "I told you. I'm the Godmage Inferiorix!"

Payton loudly slapped his own forehead and dragged his paw down his muzzle.

Oh fuck me...

"You... You must be joking," Kalastraad said. "Why are you here?"

Inferiorix wrapped an arm around Payton's shoulder and shook the wolf lightly. "Because this guy is conspiring to kill me!" Before anyone else could react, he held up a hand. "Oh! Don't worry. I want to die! It's totally cool!"

God... I can only imagine what's going through Kalastraad's mind right now...

"Answer his question," Payton growled. "What are you doing here?"

The Godmage let him go and bobbed his head from side to side. "It's been about a week since we last talked so I wanted to give you an update on how things are going. I haven't quite decided what kind of ark I want to build yet. I was toying with the possibility of making it a literal boat but then what if all the oceans dried up or something in the apocalypse. I went about thinking a flying boat would be better but then the air is even worse. I briefly considered putting it underground like a bunker but then what if you can't get out? Then, it hit me!"

He grabbed Payton's shoulders, grinning broadly and insanely after his rapid-fire speech. "Space!"

"Space...?" Payton repeated warily.

Inferiorix threw his arms into the air proudly. "Space!"

"Oh... Okay...?"

"Now my space travel is kind of rusty but I'm sure it'd work. Honestly, I haven't actually been in space yet so I don't really know what is necessary but that's why I've got time to run tests. You know I don't actually know if Lexcia is flat or spherical? I just always assumed it was spherical because Earth is but, you never know right?"

Jesus Christ... are we really talking about this right now?

"Just... backtracking a little," Payton said, forcing a smile. "You said you can help with Kalastraad's... situation?"

"Oh yeah! Totally!" exclaimed the Godmage. His features darkened. "Just kill him!"

... Seriously?

"Not everything has to end with death..." Axter ventured warily.

"Of course it does!" Inferiorix exclaimed. "Death is the ultimate equalizer! Once you die, that's it! Nothing else matters! Who you were, what you did, all pointless! So just kill him!" He waved a hand dismissively through the air. "And if you still need him, resurrect him as a zombie or fully resurrect him or something. It's all the same."

Not exactly the answer I was hoping for.

"If we kill him, won't the system suddenly implode or something because of a missing core component?" Payton ventured. "That's why we couldn't just kill you, remember? The apocalypse? The ark?"

"Oh yeah..." sighed the Godmage. "Why can't everyone just die?"

"If you're not going to offer anything of use..." Durandal grumbled. "Would you kindly please leave us to our deliberations? You have an ark to build."

"But this is so much more interesting right now! I've been trying to think of how to build an ark for a week! I need a break!" He waved his hands around his temples. "Recharge my batteries with something else before I jump right back into it."

I suppose I can sympathize with that. People who hit a block sometimes need to focus on something else before being driven to jump back in.

"What if we make him not a Speaker even temporarily?" he asked.

Inferiorix gave him a quizzical look. "Huh?"

"The Towers of Dominance."

"I repeat. 'Huh'?"

Durandal's eyes widened and he stepped forward. "You're thinking about erecting a Tower here, binding it to him and enforcing a rule that he is no longer a Speaker. Won't that still have the same effect if he were to die?"

"Unless in the moment that he isn't a Speaker anymore, I edit his character sheet and make it so he was never a Speaker in the first place! Reality would correct itself."

"In the form of a Shade with the powers of a Speaker."

"Why must we be afraid of fighting a Shade?" asked Axter. "Yes, they are powerful, perhaps as powerful as their original but certainly with the help of the Dark Lord and the Godmage, we could overcome any Shade that comes our way?" He looked pleadingly at Inferiorix who clapped his hands in excitement.

"Oh hell yes!" cried the excitable and perhaps a little manic man. "I haven't been on an honest to god adventure or fight in so long! I might be a little rusty but I'd fucking love to pummel a Shade!"

That almost feels like cheating and yet here I am making use of console commands.

"Look, I understand your concern, Durandal," Payton replied. "But no matter how we look at it, things are going to go to shit. The best we can do is minimize the damage. Let’s erect a tower somewhere out in the middle of nowhere. Evacuate everyone somewhere outside the Wastes. Then we perform the ritual so that even if things do go to hell, people won't get hurt."

"So your offer to cure me of my ailment was a lie?" Kalastraad interrupted.

"Not... exactly?" offered the Dark Lord lamely. "It is possible but like I said, you've got to step down. Basically make it so that no one relies on your continued existence anymore. I mean, as a Speaker, what fundamental function to you fulfill?"

It was Inferiorix that replied. "It's the Wastes. Your role as a Speaker gives the Wastes its distinctive appearance." He scratched his cheek absently. "That's... a little hard to mess with. It's not the goblins but the actual terrain, the very environment. I mean, with the Goblin Knight, if you killed every goblin that was subjugated by him, you'd have access to his character sheet, I bet."

Why does everything he suggest revolve around mass genocide.

Durandal suddenly slammed a fist into his open palm. "There's no other way around it. We can use the Tower of Dominance to nullify Kalastraad's role as a Speaker. We'll evacuate everyone off the Wastes and summon his Shade and defeat it."

On paper, it seems like a suitable plan. Speaking about the Towers openly in the presence of the Godmage seemed a little... foolish but something told him Inferiorix would welcome any chance to be made vulnerable. Still, if it worked then he was already concocting possibilities of how they could deploy the Towers offensively to weaken the other Speakers during the battle.

"Sounds like you boys have got a plan!" declared the Godmage. "I'll stick around and help you figure things out!"

Bad idea!

"Actually," Payton began, thinking fast. "I was wondering if you could do me a favour."

"Sure! Anything bud!"

Quick! Think of something! Anything!

"I heard that dodge rolling across the ground is actually faster than running."

He mentally slapped himself and he was fairly sure he could hear the same mental facepalms on both Axter and Durandal.

"Really?" Inferiorix said, tilting his head to the side. "I would have thought that it'd take more time given you probably can only roll a few feet forward and the time it'd take to leap forward, roll and jump back to your feet would take much longer than if you were to just run that few feet..."

"Right. But I've heard that it's a thing. If you've got the time, I was wondering if you could run a thorough experiment to compare the two. If we have to get our army to the front lines really quickly, I'd like to know if it'd be better if they run or dodge roll."

God, just saying out loud makes me sound like the most idiotic person ever.

Yet strangely, Inferiorix saluted, puffing out his chest excitedly. "You can rely on me! Just call me when you need to fight Kalastraad's Shade and I'll come running!"

With a flash of light, Inferiorix vanished to wherever he was staying to conduct his experiment.

Payton inclined his head to the side in wonder. "I can't believe that worked..."

"Where did you ever hear such a ridiculous rumor?" Kalastraad asked. "Logically speaking, it's as the Godmage said."

"Yeah but back in my world there was this... uh... simulation where people would roll instead of run because it was faster. Speedrunners would even use dodging backwards because it was even quicker. It was set in a fantastical land that was somehow forged with magic triangles."

He got blank looks from his companions.

"Your world is very bizarre."

******

Axter remained somewhat apprehensive as Carlisle brought his prototype Tower of Dominance to a remote, abandoned field far from Kalastraad's city. The council was rather stunned at Kalastraad's status and Gustav even tried to use his medical expertise to examine the former Speaker but could only surmise that it was a very powerful curse. The the alliance cemented, Payton had spent the majority of the day teleporting the goblins out of the Wastes to Avergreen. The population of Avergreen were understandably nervous but they trusted the Dark Lord and when they found themselves in the presence of intelligent goblins, even those who remained loyal to Gobhood realised that they had been lied to. The last few holdouts began pledging their loyalty to Payton shortly afterward. Plus extra hands helped in the preparation of the town for the inevitable siege.

The construction of the Tower took a few days. The big ivory spire had been erected and was now positioned as a lone spire out in the middle of the dark Wastes. An enormous blue crystal stood perched at the very top of the structure, quietly hovering and emitting a soft, blue light.

The area around the Tower had been quarantined off. Several goblins had to haul Kalastraad from his throne room to the base of the Tower before having him carried to the designated location. The Goblin King had insisted on traveling by his own means instead of being teleported by either Payton or Inferiorix. Members of the Bloodguard stood at attention protecting the gates around the Tower while the members of the council stood at the ready.

"Alright, boyo," Carlisle announced, holding up a couple of tools that in the air as he approached Kalastraad. "Imma gonna switch on the Tower in a moment." He held up the device in his hand which looked like a tuning fork with five prongs instead of two with each prong a different length. "The Tower is gonna to try an’ search fer something to latch onto. That's this thing." He waved the instrument. "There's gonna to be alotta magic an’ energy flying around so dun panic. Once I focus th’ crystal on it, I'll direct its energies to ya. It's gonna hurt. When it does, yer gonna have to decide what rules ya enforce on yer domain. The longer ya wait, th' more it's going to hurt. So make it quick."

Little wonder the Readers didn't want such a device installed in their regions. This sounded incredibly dangerous. And painful.

"We've already decided that," confirmed the cursed Speaker. "Nullify all influences of Speakers, prevent any Readers apart from Inferiorix from entering without my permission and no goblin entering my domain will ever be slave to another man, human or otherwise."

"It's yer choice. Jus’ remember the more complicated the rules or the more rules you enforce, the more it's going to drain out of ya ta maintain. The more it'll hurt too." Carlisle then nodded towards Payton who stood a short distance away.

"Then once Kalastraad's character sheet is open to me, I'll change him back into a human," confirmed the Dark Lord. "You have until the ritual is finished to back out and decide you want to become a human or anything else, Kalastraad. We'll basically only get once chance at this.”

"This is so exciting!" Inferiorix exclaimed, clapping his hands and bouncing onto the balls of his feet. "Too bad we can't make a Tower to nullify all my powers so I can be killed easier."

Axter rolled his eyes quietly. They had been over the scenario before. The Tower only had a fixed area of influence based on who it was attuned to. If Inferiorix was chosen, all of Lexcia would be under its domain. If he chose to have his powers nullified, it would be as if he had died only that he would be alive as the world suffered from an apocalypse. The Godmage was tempted to let the world burn but agreed that they needed to work together so refrained from kidnapping Carlisle to make him a Tower exclusively to kill him. That and he was afraid of pain and didn’t fancy the idea of being tormented while the Tower attuned to him.

"Here we go," announced Carlisle, waving his intricate instruments through the air. "Brace yourselves!"

The glow of the enormous blue crystal above them intensified. A high-pitched keening noise quickly rose and the fur on Axter's arms and neck began to rise. Heavy magic began to fill the air like a suffocating cloud. It became hard to breathe and each lungful came with a terrible stinging sensation like he was inhaling burning cinders. The snake that served as his tail curled around his waist, showing fear for the first time since he had been born. He wrapped his web wings around his shoulders while protectively positioning him just behind Payton's left.

Bright blue lightning suddenly arched out and struck one of the instruments that Carlisle was holding. The architect let out a cry of surprise and dropped the artifact.

"Fuck!" he cried.

The crystal began spinning in place, spewing cerulean lightning in all directions. Bolts struck the fencing, sending sparks out of the banded iron spires. The Bloodguard immediately threw themselves onto the black grass to avoid being struck. Other bolts blasted the ground, igniting small fires.

"What is happening!?" Ravenus cried. "Carlisle! What did you do!?"

Tartarius took a step forward just a howling wind began blowing, pushing him back. "The fucker dropped the Ephemeral Attunement Rod! Goddamnit Carlisle! I told you to hold onto the damn thing!"

"This is my first time!" shouted the architect.

"What do we need to do!?" Axter cried, wrapping his paws around Payton's shoulder and pulling him back. "How do we stop it!?"

"We need something or someone to channel the energies of the crystal and direct it at Kalastraad!" bellowed the rhino. "They'll need to act like a liaison between the tower and the host. The Rod was meant to simulate that but -"

Zap!

A bolt of lightning struck the floor right next to Payton, causing the wolf to tumble right into Axter's arms.

"This is too dangerous," growled the chimera. "Please stay back, milord."

"What?" Payton exclaimed. "Oh no, Axter! You are not -"

"I am the most magically attuned out of all of us. I will do this.

"Wait!"

In total defiance to his Dark Lord, Axter strode forth proudly and lifted both of his paws into the air in the direction of the crystal like he was ready to catch all that power. He could feel the raw magic in the air. It was thick like soup that made merely standing in place difficult. The weight of all the mystical energies pushed down on his shoulders, threatening to force him to his knees. Yet, through it all, he could sense a sliver of... something. A wisp of light or a thin thread. As he focused his vision on this thread, it came into focus. It was a like a piece of string that was swaying against the roiling winds of magical energies the crystal emitted. Strangely, this very same thread was connected to the crystal itself. Broadening his gaze, he noticed that there were thousands if not hundreds of thousands of such strings flying through the air. When one thread collided with an object, a bolt of lightning erupted from the crystal, tracing the line of the string and striking the object.

They were like the crystal's feelers looking for something to synchronize with.

Bearing his fangs, Axter seized one of the strings. Before he could even turn to place it upon Kalastraad, a bolt of blue lightning arched through the air and struck him. Raw magical energies slammed into his body causing brilliant, blue light to spill out from behind his eyes and filling his vision with blinding, white-hot pain.

"Axter!"

The cry from Payton filled him with determination and steeled his resolve. Still gripping the ethereal string, he took the brave step towards Kalastraad. Sensing that they had now attached themselves to something capable of harnessing their powers, more strings gravitated towards him, winding around the one thread he gripped and channeling more and more power through it.

Zap! Zap! Zap!

Bolt after bolt of lightning struck him, blasts of power and pain erupting in tandem with each step he took towards the surprised lord of the Wastes. Kalastraad, from his seated position, reached out with his wrinkled, emaciated hand towards him. Axter reached for him -

Zap!

And found his knees going weak.

Thud!

"You can do this!" declared Ravenus, clutching his shoulders tightly. "Just a few more feet!"

Too weak to speak and with all his energy spent guiding the energies of the tower, he could only nod.

Zap!

The hostile bolt of energy arched through Ravenus, causing the bat to scream and weaken.

Thump!

Ghorrend's powerful arms hoisted both Grigori up but even that didn't last as another bolt slammed into Axter and raced through all three of their bodies. They did not fall. Durandal was there, one arm holding up the orc and the other gripping his shortsword embedded deep into the ground.

"Fuck it!" Tartarius roared and he ran. He shot past the party before immediately turning around, running in place until the next bolt hit and then charged, horns first. The rhino slammed into the group, the force of his charge pushing them the last few feet needed for Axter to firmly grip Kalastraad's hand.

Zap!

The bolt of lightning arched right through Axter, touched the well of power that had been pooling inside of him and immediately drained it all straight into Kalastraad. For an instant, he could feel the Speaker's soul. The immense weight of that spirit, the centuries of existing, bore down on Axter more than even the pressure from the tower. Yet, as immense as those memories and experiences were, they all felt... old and fragile; tired and weary. Kalastraad's soul was exhausted and barely holding itself together. No one should have lived as long as this poor man and the pressures of the years had worn his essence thin.

But amongst the grey murk of fatigue and entropy, there was a shining light of hope.

"Payton..." he whispered softly.

Kalastraad screamed. The lightning arching through Axter struck the Speaker's essence. It fluctuated, twisted and coiled, changing its rhythm and even its color to better suit that of the Speaker. The blue lightning turned a pale green, the change in color seeping up the stream of energy all the way up to the crystal where the enormous sapphire was touched by the Speaker's spirit and glowed to reflect it.

All at once, the lightning retreated and Axter was immediately released as the conduit for this union. A tremendous blast of energy erupted from the crystal, sweeping through the entire region of Kalastraad's Wastes. The screeching of the crystal immediately died down, the rogue bolts of lightning fading and the stinging sensation of magic in the air dissipating to allow fresh air to flood the lion's nostrils once more.

The sensation didn't last, however as he collapsed from exhaustion, panting along with his fellow party members. Gustav was instantly there, offering each of them healing tonics.

"Hey! What about me!" Carlisle bellowed. "My hand was fucking burned!"

"You can wait!" barked the doctor.

Payton offered his paw to Axter and the chimera regarded his Dark Lord with a shaky smile. "I... I apologise, milord. That was brash of me." He gripped Payton's paw and allowed his Lord to help him to his feet.

"No, Axter. That was exactly what was needed. You did great." He smiled and pulled the chimera into a hug, shocking the Grigori. "You should be impulsive like that more often"

Dumbstruck, Axter could only say, "I... Uhm... As you wish."

Gustav saw to the others and once they were healed, all attention was turned to Kalastraad. The Speaker fused with the Goblin King had his eyes closed and a soft smile on his features. Then he took a long, deep breath and let it out slowly.

"I had forgotten the smell of fresh air that wasn’t infused with my own essence," admitted the former Speaker. "The feel of the sun's rays unfiltered through my soul on my flesh. This is truly a miracle."

"Damn straight!" barked Carlisle, chugging his healing potion. "That's my genius at work!"

Inferiorix approached the Speaker and poked his grey flesh curiously. "Wow... It worked. Your character sheet is longer locked. Hell, I can turn you into a frog if I wanted. God knows being a frog is better than this miserable existence."

Payton was immediately beside the Godmage and gently pulling him away from the newly freed Speaker. "Let's not threaten the guy that'll help us take down Faoster, okay?"

"I wasn't threatening him," came the innocent reply. "Just stating a fact."

It seemed that millennia of isolation had not only driven Inferiorix somewhat mad but also incompetent with social interactions.

Payton turned to Kalastraad, resting a paw on his shoulders.

"Alright. You ready for this?"

The former Speaker lifted a hand, begging for just one more moment. "A minute longer. I want to relish this moment." The emaciated man opened his eyes, tears welling up in the corners. "I haven't felt like this in such a long time."

"Like what?"

"Alive."

Axter wished he could see what the Speaker's soul looked like now. In the back of his mind, he still recalled the image of a withered, black sphere that was barely holding itself together. Its shell was stretched so thin over centuries of existence that it was at the breaking point. In that regard, he could sympathize with Inferiorix. Kalastraad had the responsibility to the rest of the Wastes and the Emerald Mage's betrayal to keep him sane. The Godmage had nothing. That isolation would have done nothing for the poor man's sanity.

"Alright," sighed Kalastraad. "I am ready."

Payton nodded and took a step back away from the half-man, half-goblin. He held up a paw and the glowing rune circle of the Dark Lord appeared beneath the Speaker. "Get ready. I don't know when the Shade will appear after this. Ghorrend's popped up the moment he had learned to let go of his past self. Something tells me that you've already done that so it might appear at any moment."

"I am so ready!" exclaimed Inferiorix.

The Godmage's enthusiasm was infectious and Axter found his spirit revitalized even if his body was still racked with echoes of pain.

"I am ready," answered Kalastraad. "Turn me into a goblin."

Payton faltered. "Wait. What?"

The Speaker gave him a gentle smile. "These few moments have given me great clarity. The reason goblins have always been a menace is because they haven't had any true leadership amongst them. Most goblins start off with such low intelligence that they are basically animals and their instincts drive them to raid and pillage. Only when their Horde Strength starts promoting one of them to the next levels of their evolution do they start forming any sort of intelligence and society. I have crafted a civilization here. I will truly be a Goblin King and when my time is up, I will pass on that role to someone else. I no longer wish to be a Speaker!"

Axter found himself smiling. That was a truly admirable goal. Even if he could not truly see into Kalastraad's soul, he imagined it was now at least looking a little healthier.

"Alright," Payton conceded. "Here we go!"

******

A powerful wind erupted from Kalastraad. Payton hovered his cursor over the 'race' dropdown on the Goblin King's character sheet. He found the 'Goblin' entry and pursed his lips. His fear of the Shade still lingered in his memory but he could not be afraid of it as Axter had suggested. Those ghosts were the literal representation of everything that was wrong with the current system. They were purging the corrupt data from this world.

Here goes.

A popup appeared in front of him, warning that he was about to commit a big change to a character.

Commit.

Brilliant light exploded from the rune circle beneath Kalastraad and the half-man, half-goblin was lifted off the ground. A great howling filled the air as the winds grew stronger and stronger. The Speaker's eyes shut and he spread his arms wide, a great look of peace on his features. Then, two, big, flabby, green arms rose up, gently embracing the withered frame of the man that had one sought to bring ruin to this goblin nation. The comatose body of the Goblin King pulled Kalastraad towards himself, pressing their bodies against one another. Though his eyes were still shut, a soft smile touched the king's lips. For the first time, the two beings were at peace.

The tips of Kalastraad's fingers cracked. Flakes of his flesh flew off, dissolving into the blinding nimbus that surrounded him. The two beings made into one were consumed in a flurry of fragments flying off their bodies like chips of old, dried paint flaking away.

Their body suddenly convulsed and both their eyes sprang open. An agonising groan rose from their throats. Black, gaseous fingers sprang from Kalastraad's chest. He gasped, eyes wide as the fingers closed around his chest and slowly pushed themselves out of his torso, clutching an enormous red light the size of his head.

Oh no... It's starting!

Before Payton could shout out a warning, a familiar pain exploded from his chest and he doubled over. The ghostly hand of a budding Shade burst from his chest, clutching a diminutive red star within its grasp barely visible within the hand-shaped nebula. Others around him clutched their chests as well. Fragments of their soul that had been imprinted with what Kalastraad had been surged out of them, quickly forming a spiraling vortex around the glowing red core that had sprung from the Speaker. It was with some satisfaction that he noted another large chunk came flying in from the distance, likely the shard from Aldurin the Emerald Mage. Through the pain, he had to wonder how the man felt without the part of his soul devoted to clinging to that image of the Speaker.

I wonder if Faoster is similarly affected.

The storm swirled above them while the pillar of light around Kalastraad raged. The two competing forces was like watching an hourglass of light and darkness spilling their sand into one another. Both forms quickly began coalescing into a central figure. Through the blinding light, Payton could barely make out the strong, statuesque frame of a goblin, arms spread and feet together as he hovered in the air.

Above -

CRASH!

A big, black ball of dark energies crashed right into the spire of light, shattering it immediately. The ominous storm funneled into the dark mass, sending a sable mist roiling out from the impact site. Payton grit his fangs together, lifting an arm against his muzzle to block any of the mist getting into him. Through the clouds, he could see the seething red light of the Shade's core.

The Shade was a tall, powerfully built figure with a pug nose that looked like it had been broken many times over. Like the other Shade, its flesh was made of black metal shaped like thousands upon thousands of overlapping hands. A beating, angry core resided in the middle of its chest. Its lips were peeled back in a snarl as its fingers curled around the neck of a square-jawed goblin beneath him.

"Kalastraad!" Payton bellowed.

The transformation was complete but unlike other goblins, Kalastraad was not some ugly, short demihuman with a long, hook nose bigger than his head or ears that were like wings sticking out of the side of his head. He was handsome with a square-shaped head, chiseled features and covered in light-green to yellowish skin. Many could easily mistake him for an orc were it not for the absence of tusks.

"Ylisae os em esare tonnac uoy," the Shade sneered again with that two voices speaking in unison.

"Is... Is that thing talking backwards?" Inferiorix asked.

Stunned that someone else could understand the Shade, he asked, "You can understand it too?"

"Barely. I can sort of see it in my dialog box but not off hand."

"So you've never encountered a Shade before?"

The Godmage shook his head, a strange fascination in his eyes. "No. It's... It's like a system error given form. Not quite a virus. Corrupt data. I wonder if it can kill me..."

"Stop thinking about your own suicide for a second!" Payton barked. He flung his paws forward, invoking his Blade Barrage macro. Two Goblinfalls appeared over his shoulder and immediately rocketed towards the Shade.

Kalastrad's shadow grunted as the sword bit into his back, chipping off some of that black metal all over his flesh. The creature turned his burning red gaze to the Dark Lord.

"Uoy!" hissed the spectre. "Em esare ot deirt taht eno eht. Eid ot tsrif eht eb lliw uoy!"

"Bring it on, you overly dramatic shadow!"

Goddamnit... I could've come up with something better.

The Shade hissed -

There was a flash of white and suddenly, Ichika was sheathing her blade back into her sleeve a few feet away from the Shade. A moment of silence and stillness until the pommel of Ichika's katana clicked with her scabbard. The Shade was suddenly flung left and right, invisible cuts from a powerful blade slicing into its body over and over again. One final slash saw it flung off to the side, sliding across the ground face first.

Wow... that's the power of a Level 100 warrior.

"Watch out!" bellowed Kalastraad, staggering to his feet. The naked goblin stood at a fully impressive seven feet tall with lean muscles brimming all over his body. Were it not for the impending Shade's attack, Payton would have been thoroughly impressed. "He's got my powers as a Speaker now! We need to kill him!"

The Shade similarly rose to his feet, bits of dirt and grass falling from his striking features but not leaving a single mark. "Em edam uoy nehw tsap ruoy derednerrus uoy. Enim era slevel ruoy lla ,secneirepxe ruoy lla ,rewop ruoy lla." The malevolent creature stamped a foot into the ground, creating a sizable crater around him. "Em taefed tonnac uoy."

A sound like a high-pitched rubber band snapping together erupted from the Shade as it moved slightly. Payton barely saw it twitch before it was gone from his sight. He was already being lifted off his feet when it reappeared just a few inches away from him, its fist crashing towards where his head had been. Instead, the mailed fist slammed right into Durandal's shoulder with a sickening crack!

The boar roared. The force of the blow sent both of them hurtling back a good fifteen feet. Even with his bodyguard's four arms wrapped around him, there was no way to fully protect him from the force of impact as they crashed against the hard-packed dirt, rolled in a tight bundle before upending some earth as they ground to a halt. Dancing lights flashed before Payton's eyes.

"Are... Are you alright, Milord?" Durandal began.

His vision focused on the boar. Blood and some skin was torn across his bodyguard's face. It still took him a second to realize what had happened.

"Oh shit! Hang on, Durandal! ResetCharStatus!"

The soft green light wrapped around Durandal and a soft sigh left the boar. They untangled from one another as the sound of clashing steel rang in their ears. A short distance away, Ravenus and Axter were ducking and weaving around the Shade. Their speed and magical abilities distracted the dark creature while Ichika got a few good slices in. Gustav surprised everyone when he shouted for them to back away and hurled several vials at the Shade's face. The shadowy beast screamed, clutching his face as what appeared to be acid ate away at its flesh.

"This is nothing like fighting Ghorrend's Shade," Payton grunted.

Durandal rolled his shoulder, now fully healed. "It has the power of a Speaker. It's a miracle any of us are still standing."

I was careless. Durandal took the hit for me. I should've activated God Mode earlier.

"AGM," he whispered, triggering his invulnerability. "I'm going in."

"Not alone." Durandal drew his blades, bringing them to the ready.

Tartarius gave a shout and fired a bolt from his portable ballista. The close-ranged combatants dodged away as the enormous man-sized projectile slammed right into the Shade's chest. There was enough force to push back the shadow about six feet but not much more. It let out a high-pitched screech, its fingers closing around the shaft of wood and shattering it within seconds. That scream sent a paralyzing chill down Payton's spine. In the back of his mind he remembered that it was some sort of 'fear' effect that had affected even Amberline, an Elder Dragon.

He shook his head, brushing aside the fear and immediately triggering a reset in every person around him.

Amberline, now in her draconic form, reared back. Her jaws opened and a jet of laser-like blue flames shot out between her fangs. The flames slammed into the back of the Shade, pushing it to its knees.

"Now!" roared Kalastraad. "While it's down!"

Gustav hurled what looked like small bombs from his flowing coat right at the Shade. They immediately exploded upon getting close enough to Amberline's flames. The series of shockwaves was felt by every combatant. Ichika lunged into the smoke and fire, spinning like a whirlwind.

Clang!

Her almond-shaped eyes widened. The smoke cleared around the Shade's hand firmly gripping the blade of her katana.

"Kaew. Kaew era uoy fo lla!"

Ghorrend charged from the Shade's other side, swinging his axe downwards.

Clang!

Only for the shadow to catch it in his other hand.

"Eb ot tnaem syawla saw taht daartsalak eht ma I."

The Shade roared, flinging both Ichika and Ghorrend back dozens of feet.

"Sirbuh nwo sih rof dereffus s'eh niap eht lla ma I. Sdeen hsifles nwo sih rof secifircas gnidnes revo tliub tliug fo seirutnec eht ma I. Mih ot tsesolc esoht yb deyarteb gnieb retfa luos nekorb sih ma I."

"What the fuck is this asshole saying!?" Tartarius bellowed.

No... I don't believe any of that.

Payton flung his paws forward. Two Goblinfalls slammed flew past the Shade, catching its attention.

"I've only known Kalastraad for a short time but I know he didn't bear any grudges against Aldurin." As the Shade turned to him, another two swords sprang up and flung themselves at the dark shadow. This time, the shade caught the weapons before they could cut into him. Those same swords were deleted before they could be used by those dark, corrupted hands. "He wasn't broken. He wasn't selfish. Yes he was in pain but he bore it with pride! Kalastraad was preparing himself for the inevitable battle against Gobhood and placating the Speakers to keep them from attacking him before he was ready! He held onto hope!"

"Loof. Mih wonk uoy kniht uoy? Mih ma I!"

The Shade lurched forward, that high-pitched rubber-band noise once again rising in the air. Payton immediately triggered his Crossslash macro. Kalastraad's Shade appeared in front of him just as two Goblinfalls appeared by his side. The creature's eyes widened as the two blades sliced into its side. There wasn't a lot of damage but it was enough to give the Shade pause.

Now! Whirlwind Blade!

Another instance of Goblinfall appeared directly in front of him, this one infused with the Wind Element. It spun rapidly on an axis of its pommel and drove away from him. It sliced into the Shade, pushing the creature away but now with a vicious gash across its chest.

God I hope I didn't shout out my attack name...

"No," Payton continued, striding forward. His confident steps caused the Shade to retreat. "You are who the system wants him to be." He invoked Blade Barrage again; two swords shooting out and colliding with the Shade's shoulders. They merely bounced off with a few sparks without doing much damage. "You are who those in power expects him to be. A bitter, vengeful egomaniac soured to the world that hates any possibility that things could be better. He is nothing like that!"

He flung his paw in a sweeping gesture upwards, summoning a Whirlwind Blade. The Shade immediately crossed his arms in front of his face, blocking the gust of wind that came sweeping towards it and letting the spinning sword bounce harmlessly against its arms. The biting winds did their job, though. Dust and black grass was blown into its face, temporarily blocking its view of Payton. This gave the Dark Lord a quick moment to immediately activate SetLoc, vanishing from view and reappearing behind the Shade.

"ACM!"

He plunged Goblinfall right into the Shade's back, piercing where he hoped the core was. The Shade dropped his arms, glancing over his shoulder with wide eyes.

"You are nothing but the bitter expectations of a world that's already broken and too prideful to heal." He drove the sword all the way to the hilt into the Shade's back. "Fade back into the dark pits of Hell where you came from and let him grow to become someone better. ACM."

Clipping Mode deactivated and the sword immediately phased back in already embedded into the Shade's chest. A choking gasp left the creature's throat as lava-like blood exploded from its chest where the sword was embedded. Payton immediately retreated, taking a few several steps back and watching the Shade gripping the weapon embedded into its chest.

"Yawa edaf ton lliw I!" His fingers closed in around the sword, the sheer strength of the Shade snapping the weapon in half. "Sdeen dlrow eht daartsalak eht ma I! Dlrow siht ni sgnoleb taht daartsalak eht!"

"You were," Payton confirmed. "But not anymore. This world has been stagnant for too long. It's time to change. SpawnItem."

The Shade gagged as a Goblinfall suddenly materialized inside of it, springing from its left shoulder. It stumbled forward, unable to fully grasp the weapon because of the angle.

"SpawnItem."

Another erupted from its belly. It fell to its knees, molten blood pouring out from between its lips and its wounds, oozing down its legs and into the ground beneath him.

"SpawnItem. SpawnItem."

A third sword sprang up from the ground, skewering the Shade's thighs where they stood.

"Noitanimoba!" spat the shadow. "Ecnetsixe erem rieht rof snilbog etah ot desu uoy! Efiw ruoy dellik yeht! Dnal siht nopu eugalp a erew yeht! Meht nevigrof uoy evah!?"

Those words shocked Payton and he immediately turned towards the transformed Kalastraad. "Goblins killed your wife?"

The Goblin King nodded sorrowfully. "A long time ago. But just like humans, no goblin is the same as another. I cannot condemn an entire race for the actions of a few."

"Ecitsuj ruoy si erehw? Yruf ruoy!? Egar ruoy si erehw!?"

The earth beneath the Shade suddenly shook and lurched upwards. A large slab of stone tore itself off the ground, lifting the black, living memory high into the air. Inferiorix had finally decided to act, holding up a hand as he guided the platform into the air.

"Lord Red is right," announced the Godmage. "This world has been stagnant for way too long. We can't hold onto old grudges, hatreds or grievances. We will all die one day. I don't know about you but I'd rather die welcoming death than cursing the name of my enemies. So shut up and just die already!" He closed his hand into a fist. Rocks flew up from their surroundings and collided with the Shade, slamming into his body from all directions and quickly cocooning him in a sphere of highly-compressed rock. The Shade's glowing, red blood seeped through what cracks it could find.

The Godmage flicked his hand dismissively upwards. The spherical coffin of stone immediately shot straight upwards, disappearing into the dark sky and piercing the perpetual cloud cover over the Wastes. Inferiorix waited all of a minute before he brought his hand back down.

It took Payton far too long to realize what that meant.

"Wait... Is he coming back down right here?"

The Godmage tilted his head in surprise. "Yeah. Why? Is that a problem?"

"Yes!" He turned towards the other. "Everyone find cover! Now!"

The high-pitched keening of an incoming meteorite quickly filled their ears. Payton grabbed Ravenus who was closest to him and immediately teleported them several hundred feet away. He just managed to turn around when -

BOOOM!

The stone sphere containing the Shade slammed right back into the ground. The earth shook and a tremendous blast of fire, dirt and wind blasted out from the impact site in all directions. Payton immediately used his own body to cover Ravenus, his God Mode preventing any sort of damage to him and, he hoped, his young bat. He shut his eyes, praying to whatever god was listening that the others were still alive.

The dust quickly settled and he dared to pry his eyes open.

"Ow..." Ravenus whimpered. "My ears..."

A quick check of the rogue's stats revealed he was only mildly damaged with a bit of shellshock. A quick cast of ResetCharStatus later and Ravenus was back to normal. The two of them scrambled to their feet and rushed towards the impact site.

Inferiorix stood at the edge of the crater, coughing softly. Thankfully, it seemed that the others had managed to escape the barrage somehow. It seemed that Tartarius had quickly fired a ballista round into the air and used his Arrow Rain. The subsequent barrage of ballista bolts provided some shelter for himself, Ichika, Gustav and Carlisle. Similarly, Axter stood in front of Ghorrend and Durandal, a partially melted wall of ice right in front of him with the chimera panting heavily as he stood with his paws up. Both the boar and the orc were holding one another suspiciously tightly. Amberline had curled up into a ball around Kalastraad, both of them relatively unharmed.

"What... the... fucking hell!?" Carlisle roared, shaking a fist at Inferiorix. "If you want us to kill you, you better be damn sure not to kill us first!"

The Godmage cheekily stuck out a tongue. "Sorry. I guess I kind of forgot about physics. Whoopsie."

'Okay,' Payton said through the Guild Chat. 'All in favour of never getting help from Inferiorix in a battle ever again?'

It was unanimous. No one wanted the God Mage's fighting beside them.

Ever_._

Kalastraad jumped over Amberline's tail and peered down cautiously at the centre of the crater. His Shade, now little more than a torso and a head, stared up at the sky blankly, the glow in his chest slowly ebbing away. The Goblin King slid down the side of the crater, using his bare feet to slow his fall. Cautiously, he approached the Shade.

"Em sdeen dlrow eht."

"He's saying that the world needs him," Inferiorix translated.

Around them, the perpetual thunderheads that spewed green lightning began to dissipate. Pure daylight touched the ground for the first time in centuries. The terrible, bright green cracks that seethed like festering wounds all over the ground lost their glow, left only as gaping crevasses.

Kalastraad watched this all with tears in his eyes. "No. What the world needs is a leader to the goblins. Someone who can do what he can, live for as long as he can and then pass on so that the next generation may craft the future with a fresh perspective." He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "If you breathe the same air for centuries, it's bound to grow stagnant. You need fresh air to survive."

The Shade laughed, a sound that was still terribly distorted.

"Gnik a sa reverof evil naht eid ot retteb si ti os?"

Again, Inferiorix translated. Green streaks began creeping up from the roots of the blackened grass around their feet. Each blade became lush, green and vibrant. Clear blue skies were visible all over the Wastes.

"No," said the new Goblin King. "Better to build a foundation for the next generation and trust the future in their hands than to rule forever in a stagnant kingdom. A true ruler needs to know when to pass the crown to someone else. Because when all is said and done..." He glanced over his shoulder at Payton and Inferiorix. "... nothing lasts forever."

The Shade laughed softly... then closed its eyes, the glow in its chest fading.

"Ytsejam ruoy ,kcul doog neht."

_ _

******

It was rare that the Listener would ever call all four of his Speakers into the same room at once. Even rarer when it was during the visit of their Reader. It was with great apprehension that Daronllier approached Faoster's throne room with Aldurin by his side. Nevaught and Hagden were already waiting by the enormous, black doors that had been carved with countless goblins lifting their heads up in praise towards Faoster, the Summoner of Goblins and the savior of their race.

"We're all here," exhaled Hagden. "Let's get this over and done with."

"Do we even all know what this is about?" growled the Goblin Knight.

The Greensmith rolled his eyes. "I don't know. It could have something to do with all the vicious rumors about you losing control of the region after what happened in Avergreen."

"Or it could be about you constantly sabotaging our nation's security for your own selfish reasons!"

Hagden wagged a finger at him. "Nothing was ever proven. Avergreen though..."

Aldurin stepped forward and pressed his hands against the massive doors. "It could also have something to do with the fact that there was an incredible burst of magical energy far to the north. From what scouts have said, Kalastraad's Wastes have seemingly lost its trademark colorations. The land is now once again thriving with life. Almost like it had rejoined the Province."

"You didn't kill Kalastraad, did you?" Hagden accused with his sinister smirk. "Why, Daronllier. I know you wanted to serve Orphan the best but to think you'd kill a former Speaker for his meat is something else. I commend you."

The Head Chef kept his lips shut tight.

"Enough of this," snapped Aldurin. "If we keep our Listener and Reader waiting any longer, our hides will be on the line."

The Emerald Mage lifted his head, proud as always, and pushed open the doors. The adjacent audience chamber was completely devoid of life save for the two men that held all the power in the province. A long, black and green carpet stretched from the door all the way to the raised dais where Faoster Goblincaller sat on his throne. The throne itself was carved out of gold, painstakingly maintained by an army of goblins to ensure that it was always presentable. The three-eyed, three-faced emblem of Gobhood was wrought in gold right above the throne. Standing beside Faoster was none other than Orphan the Summoner.

Even the arrogant Aldurin had to pause in his stride upon the sight of the Reader.

The two powerful men waited as the four Speakers approached and bent their heads. Only Nevaught knelt down while the others remained standing.

"I have heard some very disturbing news," Faoster began. "Far to the north at Kalastraad's Wastes, there was an immense eruption of magical energies that has never been felt in all of Lexcia. This phenomenon cleansed the dark Wastes of its corruption. Would any of you happen to know anything about this?"

"We felt it too," explained the Emerald Mage. "You can imagine Daronllier and I are most disturbed by this given that we were just there a little over a week ago."

The Head Chef bit his tongue. Aldurin was dragging him into this mess. While there was no denying that they were at the Wastes recently, the deal with Kalastraad was all the Emerald Mage's doing. He merely accompanied the wizard to pick those goblins that would serve in his kitchen!

"It is more than what happened at the Wastes," Faoster said, looming closer. "There are tales of what happened at Avergreen. Rumours, in fact, that the man who is meant to ensure security for the entire province willingly neglected the poor town in favor of putting on a show for our dear Reader."

Orphan's features were unreadable but Faoster's were twisted in a mix of disappointment and fury.

"Of course, there are also the stories that someone has been purposefully sabotaging our security measures to free goblins and allow them to breed so that he can harvest their organs for his own weapons."

Hagden kept his head bowed and didn't say a word.

"We are all quite fortunate that our Reader's visit has somewhat distracted from these troubles but you can rest assured that what happened at the Wastes will not go unnoticed. I've heard that a so called 'Dark Lord' has already started reaching out to towns near the Wastes and many are considering joining their cause."

"That's blasphemy!" erupted the Emerald Mage. "Those ungrateful whelps -"

"Silence!" snapped the Listener, his hands closing around the large spherical ends of his armrests. "I have turned a blind eye to your internal squabbling because, ultimately, it made you all better people and improved your efficiency with your jobs. Hagden's constant snipes at Nevaught's defenses kept both of you on your toes. Aldurin's experiments and rituals drove him forward and the pressures of maintaining the city always kept you sharp, Daronllier, but this..."

Faoster shook his head angrily. "This is unacceptable. People are doubting our capacity to keep them safe! I built Gobhood alongside each of you to save not only the humans of this province but the goblins as well! We would all have devolved into constant war were it not for my leadership and our combined efforts!"

He swept an accusing finger across the gathered party. "That you are letting your personal squabbles interfere with our shared goal is unacceptable. Starting from today, you are all going to start working together again. We shall begin with what we know of this 'Dark Lord'." His slate-grey eyes fell upon Nevaught, the Goblin Knight. "Killgreen. As the leader of our armed forces, what do you know?"

The Goblin Knight slammed an armoured fist against his chest. "Yes, Milord! Almost a month ago, a caravan carrying several Grigori was upturned and the Grigori escaped. The soldiers that made it back claimed that one of the Grigori used his powers to 'turn one of them into dust'."

"A disintegration ability," Orphan mused. "Wouldn't be the first of its kind. Continue."

"Yes, Great Reader." Nevaught continued stiffly. "The hero Gaolsheer who also served as Gobhood's Executioner went on a personal vendetta to recapture the Grigori. They were meant to be executed by him, of course, so he must have felt some personal responsibility for the Grigori's escape. Last I heard of him, he was heading to the town of Avergreen as he anticipated that was where the escapees would go. I sent a small contingent of men to reinforce him and potentially stop him from tearing through the countryside. Gaolsheer is a little..."

"... unstable?" Hagden provided. "Only because you constantly refused to promote him to the Advanced Classes. Constant rejection and frustration can do that to a man, you know."

The Listener of Goblins made a slicing gesture through the air. "Quiet, Hagden." He then nodded towards the Goblin Knight. "Continue."

"There is not much left to tell, Sire. To this day, I have not heard from the men I sent there."

Faoster's features scrunched up in fury. "And you didn't think to tell me of this?"

Nevaught bowed again in apology. "The other Speakers and I gathered in counsel. Aldurin used his magic to see the events that transpired in Avergreen through the eyes of one of the goblins summoned. We watched two Grigori tear through my men. One, a chimera of sorts, that flung ice and another that seemed capable of teleportation. The one that could teleport claimed to be the Dark Lord but upon discussing matters with my colleagues, it was decided that this was some vain form of intimidation to unsettle the troops and he was merely bluffing."

"You all knew of this?" sneered the Listener. "And you did nothing?"

"I was outvoted," Nevaught exclaimed. "I wished to address the issue immediately but everyone else claimed that it was not a matter of importance. Least of all with Reader Orphan's arrival."

"What possessed any of you to be so arrogant!?" Faoster cried in frustration.

"At the time, he was merely a Grigori," replied Aldurin with a shrug. "We have seen Grigori with spectacular powers before. It was not so impossible to think that the wolf merely possessed powers that he was capable with and found other Grigori to ally himself with. That transport was overturned so it was entirely possible that they all banded together. In fact, Hagden supposedly met the Dark Lord on one of his many excursions out of the city and he still voted that he was no threat."

The Emerald Mage was floundering. His arrogance was finally catching up with him. Desperation drove him to divert the blame to someone else.

"Have you anything to say in your defense, Hagden?" Faoster demanded.

The Greensmith, as calm as ever, merely shrugged. "When I encountered the 'Dark Lord' he did possess unusual insight into my personal history. In fact, one of the reasons I had ventured out towards Avergreen in the first place is because I had detected the duplication and destruction of one of my handcrafted weapons, Goblinshredder. An axe that I had bestowed upon Gaolsheer the Executioner. When I encountered the Dark Lord, however, he was accompanied by four other Grigori." He held up five fingers. "Assuming that one Grigori's power was the ability to control ice, another was the replication of equipment, it is entirely possible that another one of them could travel great distances in an instant and the Dark Lord's ability was this 'teleportation'. The last one had four arms so I assumed that was his unique ability. I thought nothing of them as the actual Dark Lord as it seemed possible that they were all just a group of Grigori who had allied with one another."

Faoster ran a hand down his weary features. "I suppose that is acceptable... I likely would have made the same assessment."

Smooth. Somehow, the Greensmith managed to worm himself out of blame again.

"And what happened at Kalastraad's Wastes?" the Listener demanded, slamming a fist into his throne. "You two made your way there," he said pointed at Aldurin and Daronllier.

Daronllier waited. This was the Emerald Mage's show.

"Nothing but the usual, Milord," answered Aldurin. "We met with Kalastraad, exchanged pleasantries and then left with the allotted number of goblins."

"You didn't meet the Dark Lord along the way?"

"No. Though given his supposed ability to teleport or even cross vast distances, it is entirely possible that he may have arrived at the Wastes after we had left."

Using logic and speculation to hide the truth. A desperate man's measure.

"Daronllier?" Faoster asked. "You have been silent this entire time. What say you?"

The Head Chef glanced at the Emerald Mage who was trying very hard not to look straight at him. The weight of the situation and indeed the fate of the Speakers rested on his shoulders. He could sell out Aldurin and condemn the Emerald Mage for his treasonous actions. Or he could do as he had promised back at the Wastes and deny their interactions with the Dark Lord. Pressure was building again and he felt the cold claws of fate closing around his heart.

"I have nothing to add, Milord," he responded curtly. "It is just as Aldurin said. It was all very routine."

Faoster rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "It seems that our foe is far more cunning than we had anticipated."

"And it seems that he is using my presence to his advantage," Orphan said, tilting his head to the side while his eyes were closed. "He skirts around your defenses for fear of my retaliation. Very well. I shall take my leave from your lands."

Nevaught lifted his head in surprise. "You will not help us, Great Reader?"

"This is a mess of your own making," answered the Reader coldly. "A Grigori gathering forces and doing something to one of your territories is no laughing matter and I still have my young charge to think about. The other Readers would have my head should I let anything befall him. So we will retreat. Quash this foolish rebellion. I expect results, Faoster. I will return after I have brought my charge to safety."

The Goblincaller nodded gravely. "Of course, Orphan. Of course." The Listener turned to his Speakers, lips pulled back in a snarl. "Go. All of you! Make preparations! Find out what happened at the Wastes and prepare the army to march on Avergreen! We will not let this stand!"

All four Speakers confirmed their orders in their own way but only when they turned to leave did Daronllier allow himself to smile.

Maybe this nightmare would finally end.

******

A rallying cry had been made. Now, for the first time, the letters that Ghorrend was sending to the neighboring towns were being met not with scathing skepticism but curiosity and pleas for protection. It did help matters that Ghorrend sent gifts and resources with his letters using some of Kalastraad's Level 100 goblins to further drive home the point. Now other towns like Highever and Talleer Plains had decided to ally themselves with the Black Halo Alliance. A new nation was rising and there was no doubt that Kalastraad would be its king.

Amberline and Ichika had reached out as well. Heroes from all over the region had made the trek to Avergreen. Those that could not make it in time were intercepted by Payton personally and he would teleport them back to the town as a demonstration of power. Some were in it for the loot. Others had heard the rumours that Ravenus had spread and were disgusted that the very Gobhood Stew they enjoyed was made of goblin meat. There were others who had already had reservations at how Faoster ran the country and joined in the hopes of contributing to the revolution.

Grigori who had managed to escape the culling had heard of Payton's nation and flooded to Avergreen. Many were willing to fight as well and Payton gave them all names, empowering them for the battle ahead. All were grateful that the Dark Lord was so merciful.

Kalastraad's Tower of Dominance had been moved back to his city thanks to Payton's ability called 'SetLoc'. Another Tower had been erected in Avergreen and attuned to Ghorrend. It's area of effect was much smaller but it served to protect the blossoming town and its nearby surroundings from any incursions for now. Reinforced by Kalastraad's goblins, Avergreen was quickly becoming the staging area for the upcoming invasion.

Word had been sent that Orphan had departed Gobhood and Faoster was starting to rally his troops.

After a week since the Wastes had become prosperous and picturesque, the time had finally come for the Black Halo Alliance to gather their resources and charge at Gobhood. The last few letters had been sent to the outlying towns with the intention either to recruit them or at least keep them away from supporting Gobhood.

The entire Black Halo Alliance was gathered in Avergreen. They were six thousand battle-ready warrior strong, human, Grigori and goblin alike. They were still outnumbered against Gobhood's hundred thousand or more trained soldiers atop their ability to summon goblins. No doubt more troops were already flooding in from other towns as Faoster consolidated his resources. It would have been a tense stand-off of who would be the first to make their move but Payton was determined to make the charge first.

And they had a plan.

But for now, the gathered soldiers were celebrating.

"To victory!" bellowed one man, hoisting a tankard of mead into the air. "For the Dark Lord!"

Ghorrend stood on the balcony of Avergreen's town hall. The streets of his town were packed with the troops and some even spilled out past the walls out into the surrounding plains. At dawn, they would start the march to Gobhood. Warbanners were already raised. One banner was the black emblem of the haloed sun against a field of white, the emblem of the Black Halo Alliance. Another was the golden emblem of a meteor speeding through a crowd against a field of green, the emblem of Kalastraad's new nation.

Heavy footfalls fell upon the floorboards behind him. It certainly wasn't Payton as his footsteps were lighter and he would never have noticed either Axter or Ravenus. It was either Durandal or...

"Nervous?"

Tartarius.

The rhinoceros stopped right beside Ghorrend and set down a tankard of frothy ale in front of the orc. Tartarius had his own tankard and was carrying a rather large bag over his shoulder.

"Only a fool would not be nervous about marching to war against a superior force," answered Ghorrend.

"Superior in numbers alone," corrected Tartarius. "Durandal did the math. Even if Gobhood has around a hundred and forty thousand troops, most of those are below Level 20. They only have about a thousand that are Level 100. Around four thousand of our troops are Level 100 goblins. Plus we've got ol' Four-Arm's tactics and potentially Hagden's betrayal so we could pull this off! Hell, Payton alone could win the war for us if he wanted."

"You keep saying that we shouldn't rely on him." Ghorrend leaned forward, grasping the tankard in one hand. "He's right, of course. Otherwise we'd entomb him on a throne just like what the Readers did to Inferiorix." He glanced over at Tartarius. "You think that maniac will actually make an appearance?"

"I sure as hell hope not," grunted the rhino. "He nearly killed us at the Wastes. But Payton asked him not to appear. No matter the outcome, if the Godmage suddenly made an appearance and if any of the Readers suddenly found him missing, they'd start drawing conclusions and our endgame would be shot to all hell." Tartarius tilted his head slightly with a smirk. "At least that's the bullshit that Payton gave to the mad Godmage. Moron seemed to have bought it so hopefully His Royal Craziness won't be popping up unexpectedly while Payton ripped Faoster a new one."

Ghorrend had to question how Payton would deal with the Listener of Goblins. Thus far, nothing they had done ever went according to plan. Their first attempt to go to Gobhood had been redirected when they met Hagden who had revealed the attack upon Avergreen. Their scouting mission into the city had again been interrupted by Hagden's interference. Even their trip up to Kalastraad's Wastes had been complicated by the appearance of the Emerald Mage and Head Chef. He had to wonder if everything would turn out as well as it would.

"Given we don't know Faoster, I don't know if things will be as simple as that," Ghorrend admitted. "We can only hope that we can do our part."

Tartarius smirked at him and set down the bag that he had been carrying. "I suppose all we can do is stack the odds in our favour." He reached into the bag.

Ghorrend's eyes widened at the sight of the enormous black greataxe. The tremendous weapon was completely black from the tip of the haft all the way to the spear-like point at the top. The only parts that were not completely black were the silvery edges of the two edges and the blazing blue eyes of the grinning skull at the center of the blade. Tartarius dropped the weapon in the orc's hands. It was very heavy and came with an oddly... familiarity to it.

"How did you make this...?"

"Wasn't easy," laughed the rhino. "The material was something that I had never worked with before and even Carlisle wasn't sure what to do with it. Then again, he's an architect not a blacksmith so I was kind of winging it. Good thing I had a lot of the shit. We fought two Shades, after all."

Ghorrend held the weapon out at arm's length. "This is made out of the Shade!?"

"Yep!" came the proud reply. "I grabbed all of their metal-like skin and worked it with some really expensive materials. Lucky Payton can just clone materials so I could spend some time experimenting. My crafting skills went way up when messing with this." Tartarius lost his smile a little and scratched his cheek. "He couldn't replicate the Shade material which was concerning but that didn't matter. I boosted my crafting skills with expensive shit first before I was confident enough to start working with Shadesteel which is what we've decided to call the shit."

Holding the axe in both hands, he was surprised how it just seemed... to fit him. There was an energy that resonated from it like it belonged to him. "It's... magnificent."

"Yeah. I worked some of Kalastraad and your Shade's material into it so its pretty damn strong. It's a Unique Weapon with the potential to reach Level 100. Right now, I could only reforge and improve it up to Level 20 but that'll be perfect for you."

He beamed brightly as he gave the weapon a test swing. It was much heavier than Goblinshredder and would definitely require him to wield it in both hands. "Thank you, Tartarius. What is it called?"

"I decided to call it Freegreen. But don't thank me just yet," laughed the rhino, reaching into the bag again. This time, he took out a smaller handaxe. It was black just like Freegreen and just like the greataxe, it was topped with a bright, blue gem on its blade. "This is Freegreen's little brother. I had some materials left over from the Shade, particularly its core so I made this cute thing. It's called Verdant Flare."

"Verdant Flare?" repeated the orc, setting down Freegreen. "Why did you call it that?"

"Hold it and see."

He took the axe and was immediately surprised when the axe head burst into a bright, green fire. It took all his willpower not to immediately drop it.

"I was surprised at the effect myself," laughed Tartarius, arms folded in pride. "But I'm proud with how it came out!"

"This is amazing!" exclaimed the orc, beaming with joy. "Pity I can't wield them both at the same time but it would be a good backup weapon should I be in need of fighting in close quarters." He gave the rhino a puzzled look. "But how did you ever craft something so complicated in such a short time?"

Their resident blacksmith smirked and turned back towards the town hall. "I had some help."

Ghorrend jumped in surprise. Payton stood a few feet away, smiling smugly to himself.

"The materials were pretty high level," explained the Dark Lord. "Not many would be able to manipulate them as well as Tartarius did. Not to mention that his level wasn't nearly high enough to forge a Level 100-potential weapon. But I could use my abilities to change the level limit of the weapon and add some skills and affixes to it. I really just needed samples. We kind of went around to other adventurers that had come to us and custom built the weapons. Tartarius made the shell. I just messed with the stuff inside."

"But I thought you couldn't change the materials that came from the Shade."

"Once it was made into a weapon by Tartarius, it was fair game."

These two weapons were made exclusively for him not only by Tartarius but also Payton. Even when he had first obtained Goblinshredder from Hagden, he never felt this level of connection from the creator. He couldn't stop grinning.

"Thank you both," he laughed. "How can I ever repay you.

"Just make sure to put them to good use, big guy," Payton replied.

Tartarius, however, flashed the orc a devious grin. "I want something a little more... material."

Ghorrend raised an eyebrow. "Oh? Do you want the scalp of the Goblin Knight or something?"

"Naw. Nothing so gruesome." A predatory look entered his eyes. "I heard that you quite like your orange scented baths."

Payton let out a soft whine while Ghorrend's grin took on an entirely different tone. "I most certainly do. Fancy taking one with me?"

"Only if we do more than just bathe."

"I was thinking exactly the same thing."

Both men heard Payton pivot for the door, hiding his blush. "I'll let you two have your fun!" announced the Dark Lord. "Enjoy!"

Ghorrend exchanged knowing glances with Tartarius and they immediately bounded over to the wolf, looming over the much smaller Grigori. They cast their shadows over him, his tail sinking between his legs and his ears folding back. When he turned, he caught sight of their hungry grins.

"Leaving so soon, boss?" Tartarius said, looping one, thick, meaty arm around Payton's waist. "You've been working hard all day." He leaned in close to Payton's ear, his hot breath wafting into the wolf's ear. "What do you say we clean you up and get you ready for bed, eh?"

Taking the rhino's cue, Ghorrend hooked his arm around Payton's and began pulling him towards the door. "I'm not going to lie. I want you in me." He grinned at Tartarius. "Both of you. At the same time."

Payton's jaw dropped open in horror as a little notification popped up in the corner of his vision.

'Relationship with Ghorrend is now Loyal'

"Oh no..."